💡 Newsletter 16.11.2023
Mr J Sharp
School Hall
As I am writing this week’s newsletter, the contractors are removing their equipment, making last minute adjustments and cleaning up before handing the hall back tomorrow morning.
I am really pleased with the outcome of the work and we now have a safer, more efficient and certainly brighter hall.
As part of the changes, we have not replaced the projector and instead purchased a portable screen which we think will help improve assemblies, services and teaching groups of children.
The period without the hall has shown what an important space it is for not just learning, but definitely for coming together and we can’t wait for next week.
NEWS AND UPDATES
Say hello to the new National Online Safety mobile application. Created by experts, developed by us.
With all our online safety knowledge available at your fingertips, the National Online Safety app empowers parents and teachers to understand and address online safeguarding risks – any time, anywhere.
Parent Portal
Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.
⏰ START TIMES: 8.45am - Nursery, Reception, Year 4 & Year 6 ⏰ 8.50am - Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 ⏰
🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨
⏰ START TIMES: 8.45am - Nursery, Reception, Year 4 & Year 6 ⏰ 8.50am - Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 ⏰ 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨
Good Attendance Draw!!
Don’t forget, for every week that your child has an attendance of 96%+, they are allocated a digital ticket for a draw that will take place every half term. The more weeks with an attendance of 96%+, the more chances to win!
Services and Events
Parish Sung Eucharist Sundays 10am - 11am
Sermon, music and Holy Communion
Place of Welcome Thursdays 10am - 12pm
Time for a brew and a chat
More information from Father Andrew can be found here
Messy Church
It typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical theme through getting messy; a short celebration time involving story, prayer, song, games and similar; and a sit-down meal together at tables.
Community News and Support
Newton Heath Library
These are some free books that one of our families got from the library recently.
It can be easy to forget about some local services, and the library is probably one of them. If you haven’t been for a while, please drop in… there is loads on offer for everyone.
Books to borrow,
Internet access,
Story sessions for tiny tots,
Job advice for ambitious locals,
Knitting groups for the creative and thrifty,
Saturday Club, Code Club and Chatter books Reading Group for young people.
The library is situated in a lovely location next to the canal which attracts visitors who come to see the canal boats and resident Canada Geese.
Regular opening times
Monday - 9am to 8pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday - 9am to 5pm
Thursday - Closed
World Festivals and Celebrations
Held in the second week of November, Inter Faith Week aims to strengthen good interfaith relations, increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities, and increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs.
Central to these aims is celebrating and building on the contribution which members of different faith and non-faith communities make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society.
The Week, in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, is led and supported by the Inter Faith Network for the UK but is community-led, with organisations of all types holding their own events. The Inter Faith Network’s member bodies include national faith community representative bodies; national, regional and local interfaith organisations; and educational and academic bodies with a focus on interfaith or multi-faith issues.
Article 10: Contact with Parents Across Countries
Article 10 of the UNCRC says children and young people should be able to stay in contact with and visit their parents, even if they live in different countries.
It also says children and young people should be able to live with their parents if possible and talks about the ways in which States should make this happen.
Piano in Need of New Home
As we move back into the hall, we have decided that it would be best to find a new home for the piano.
It is rarely used in school as we use different ways of accompanying singing compared to the past where a teacher would always be playing the piano.
The piano does work and with a good clean and some TLC it could be useful to someone. We are happy to donate the piano for free on a first come first served basis, but the person taking it would need to arrange collection (remembering how heavy pianos are).
Please contact Mrs Mason in the office if you are interested.
Farewell to Mrs Shaw
Today is Mrs Shaw’s last day with us after nearly 8 years working with us as a Lunchtime Organiser. She has been a really valuable member of the team, and we will miss her.
We all wish Mrs Shaw the very best in the future and thank her very much for all her hard work with the children and the staff.
Why don’t Head Teachers look out of the window in the morning?
So they have something to do in the afternoon. 🤭
I walked through the Year 2 classroom one morning this week and was told that some of the children were ‘being Mr Sharp’. They had books turned on their sides and were pretending to type on their computers. I asked them if that was they thought I did, and they said yes and also checking on the cameras. 🤣
They aren’t far wrong (apart from looking on the cameras), I do have to spend a lot of my time using my computer, but I try very hard to get around the classes and playgrounds every day to see where the really important work takes place. Plus, speaking to the children is a very good tonic for the more stressful parts of my role.
It is funny the perceptions children have of us as adults, and the things that are important to them and the memories they carry (good and bad). Many years ago I taught twins and apparently every Saturday morning one of them put on one of their Dad’s ties and told his brother off and put him in detention - again being Mr Sharp. Though the years at All Saints I’ve also been the guitar man, bad jokes teacher (see above) and every year many of the youngest children call me Mr Shark… and these just the ones I know about.
I had better finish now as I’ve spent too long on my computer Year 2.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
