🗞 Newsletter 19.01.2024

Early Help

So often we don’t want to tell people if we are struggling. We may try to solve things as much as we can on our own.

As a school, we can support with so many things, and some that you may not think we can support with.

In school we have a range of pre-loved uniform that is always available and if we don’t have anything, we will always try to help where we can.

We also still have access to a number of devices that we can loan to families to support home learning - if you are interested in this please don’t hesitate to get in touch at the school office.

We can also access support from other agencies for a range of things such as:

- support with finances

- support with mental health

- support with housing issues

- support for any additional needs

- support getting your child into school

We are always on the other end of the phone and if we can help we will!

If you do feel we may be able to support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Flatman or Miss Caveney through the school office.

NEWS AND UPDATES

We all have times when we need some support. With My Family Coach, you get all the help you need. We’re with you through the tough times, inspiring you with new ideas, and sharing practical tips to make parenting that little bit easier.

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

---

Please be aware that our gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am, which is the latest time one of our classes starts the school day. If your child arrives at 9am, then they are already between 10-15 minutes late.

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

Please be aware that our gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am, which is the latest time one of our classes starts the school day. If your child arrives at 9am, then they are already between 10-15 minutes late. 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

---

View fullsize

View fullsize

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

Click here to visit the church website

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

---

World Festivals and Celebrations

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - 18th - 25th January 2024

Christian

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an ecumenical Christian observance in the Christian calendar that is celebrated internationally. It is kept annually between Ascension Day and Pentecost in the Southern Hemisphere and between 18 January and 25 January in the Northern Hemisphere. It is an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is annually coordinated by the World Council of Churches, with participation by its member Churches, which include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Old Catholic Church, the Moravian Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Mennonite Churches, the Methodist Churches and the Reformed Churches, as well as the Baptist Churches and the Pentecostal Churches. The Roman Catholic Church, which is an observer in the World Council of Churches, celebrates the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Trust - This term’s Value for Life

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

---

Article 17: Access to Information

Article 17 of the UNCRC says children and young people should be able to access information, particularly from the media. They should be able to get information from many places— from their country and beyond.

This Article applies to all kinds of media, including:

- print media― such as newspapers or magazines,

- electronic media― such as websites, and

- audiovisual media― such as radio and television programmes.

Information and education

Information from the media should form part of a child or young person’s education. Because of this, it should help them learn about the things listed under Article 29 of the UNCRC. These include:

- respect for human rights and freedoms,

- respect for their parents, cultural identity and language,

- respect for the values of where they live, where they’re from and the other countries of the world

- respect for the natural environment, and

- preparation for a responsible life where they treat other people with tolerance.

The media should also provide young people with information about their health. It should show young people in a positive light, bringing attention to the good things that young people do and taking care to show people who might be marginalised – such as women and those with disabilities – in a way that is not degrading.

Everyone should have access to the media

Article 17 applies to all young people, and special efforts should be made to make sure everyone has access to the media. This includes:

- young people whose freedoms are limited― such as those in young offenders’ institutions, and

- young people who may find the media difficult to access, such as some of those with disabilities or for whom English is not their first language.

To help young people who may find the media difficult to access, media should be translated into multiple languages where this is possible. Media should also be available in formats that are possible for young people with disabilities to access.

Protection from harmful media

Article 17 also says that children and young people should be protected from media that would be harmful to them. This includes:

- pornography,

- media that depicts graphic violence, and

- media that promotes irresponsible drug use.

Our Values Tree - with this term’s Value for Life - Trust

Well… It has been a very eventful week with lots to celebrate and lots of experiences: playing in the snow was a highlight at the start of the week for the children and although very cold, there were lots of smiles as snowmen were being built all around!

Year 4 then went on a Visit to a Hindu Temple on Wednesday and had a fantastic time learning more about Hinduism and Mr Hogan came back singing their praises with lots of positive reports about how the children were so well behaved and respectful on their trip. These trips are such good opportunities to learn more about the world we live in.

We then had our visitors come on Thursday. I was very proud to show them our school and our fantastic children. The children showed that they live out our vision every day and really did shine when talking about our school, their learning and their achievements.

We ended it today with out Year 3’s class assembly. The class assemblies are always a highlight for me as I am always in awe of how much they learn in such a short space of time. Seeing the children thrive in all areas of the curriculum always makes me smile!

I hope that you have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Flatman

---

Most recent news:

---

Most recent Parent News:

---

❄️ Newsletter 12.01.2024

Happy New Year

This week we started the week with an assembly about the Epiphany, which was celebrated by Christians on Saturday 6th January.

We talked about how God didn’t want to leave anyone out and how he invited the poorer Shepherds as he invited the Wise Men who could bring more riches.

We also talked about the fact that God did not discriminate by where people were from, as he invited the Jews as he did the Gentiles, who would have not have normally mixed in those days.

I think that this is a really powerful message. It is a message of togetherness and inclusion. It is a message of love, respect and compassion.

I believe this message teaches us a lot about how we should be today and act as an example of the way we should treat each other.

I do hope that everyone had a peaceful Christmas and enjoyed their time with family. As for the gifts that the children received, we have heard lots about them.

The Epiphany also gives us the opportunity to reflect on what ‘gifts’ we can give back - they don’t have to cost a thing - kindness, caring for others and sometimes just a smile is all someone needs.

It always warms my heart when I witness these little gifts from the children to another each day.

I hope they continue to use their gifts to create a kinder more peaceful world.

NEWS AND UPDATES

We all have times when we need some support. With My Family Coach, you get all the help you need. We’re with you through the tough times, inspiring you with new ideas, and sharing practical tips to make parenting that little bit easier.

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

---

Please be aware that our gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am, which is the latest time one of our classes starts the school day. If your child arrives at 9am, then they are already between 10-15 minutes late.

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

Please be aware that our gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am, which is the latest time one of our classes starts the school day. If your child arrives at 9am, then they are already between 10-15 minutes late. 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

---

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

Click here to visit the church website

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

Scroll through the items below

---

World Festivals and Celebrations

BIRTHDAY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA - 12th January 2024

Born Narendra Nath Datta in 1863 in Calcutta, he was an Indian Hindu monk who became the chief disciple of the 19th century saint Ramakrishna. Vivekananda, as he became known, was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and helped to develop Hinduism during the latter part of the 19th century to the stage where it held the status of a major world religion. He died in 1902. He pioneered the development of the Ramakrishna Mission and the creation of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre movement first in India and then throughout the world, travelling widely and emphasising the devotional and social aspects of the teaching and practice of his beloved Guru, Ramakrishna.

Trust - This term’s Value for Life

---

Article 16: Protection of Privacy

Article 16 of the UNCRC makes it clear that children and young people have the right to privacy, just like adults do.

This means that:

- they have the right to a private family life,

- they have the right to a private space where they can go to be alone, even if they’re in an institution, and

- they have the right to keep their phone calls and emails private.

The right to privacy may not be respected if it puts someone in danger. For example, the police may look at a young person’s emails if someone who isn’t who they say they are is contacting them.

I hope you have had chance to see our gorgeous new display in the Hall window - our Values Tree. Mrs Tierney has been very busy this week bringing it to life and I hope that it brings a smile to people’s faces as they walk by as it certainly has brought a lot of smiles to mine seeing it develop as the week has gone on - thank you Mrs Tierney!

It was so lovely to welcome all of the children back on Monday and hear about their holidays. Whether they themselves have celebrated Christmas or spent time with family and friends, it is always so nice to hear about what they get up to during the holidays.

Already, only 5 days in, I have seen so many amazing pieces of learning. Walking around the classrooms and seeing the children settle so quickly into their learning is always a treat to see and what I enjoyed the most was seeing some of our Year 6 children praise and celebrate some younger children’s pieces of work.

It always amazes me how much we can get into a week and then how quick they fly. Next week we look forward to welcoming some special visitors to our school and I can’t wait to show them what our amazing children can do.

I hope that all those who were lucky enough to get tickets from our raffle and are going to FC United this weekend to watch their Women’s team have a great time - thank you Miss Caveney for organising it.

I hope that you have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Flatman

---

Most recent news:

---

Most recent Parent News:

---

❄️ Newsletter 22.12.2023

Reflections and Aspirations

Well here we are at the end of the first term of the school year. It is always the longest one, and with the start of Winter, everyone is certainly ready for a well-deserved break. It has been a term with many successes and also some challenges too.

Going right back to the end of August and the immediate action needed to close the hall because of RAAC was certainly an added pressure that wasn’t expected. I get a warm feeling going into the hall at the moment and seeing dance, P.E., assemblies, presentations, parents’ meetings, clubs, meals, nativity etc. We really missed having everyone together, and my virtual assemblies were a poor substitute to the real thing.

I would like to thank everyone again for the amazing teamwork, effort, flexibility, patience and hard work that has gone on to get back into the hall, and I think to only lose two months was really impressive. Sadly, some children in other schools are still out of their buildings and with more disruption to come.

As I have mentioned previously, the RAAC issue has delayed other projects and the Spring term is going to be very busy as we catch up on work needed on our building and grounds before the end of the financial year in April. I’m afraid I will need another great effort from everybody, but please be assured that by the end of this school year, we will have an even safer, healthier, more efficient and inviting school than before.

NEWS AND UPDATES

We all have times when we need some support. With My Family Coach, you get all the help you need. We’re with you through the tough times, inspiring you with new ideas, and sharing practical tips to make parenting that little bit easier.

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

---

Please be aware that our gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am, which is the latest time one of our classes starts the school day. If your child arrives at 9am, then they are already between 10-15 minutes late.

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

Please be aware that our gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am, which is the latest time one of our classes starts the school day. If your child arrives at 9am, then they are already between 10-15 minutes late. 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

---

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

Click here to visit the church website

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

Scroll through the items below

---

Free behaviour support resources for schools and families

Have you heard of My Family Coach? It's an incredible free platform for schools and families for help and support with all areas of behaviour, school and family life.

The platform includes over 50 hours of free support content from the experienced team here at Team Teach. There's articles, podcasts, videos, ebooks and quarterly online parent classes that you and the families you support can attend and watch on-demand as well.

It's all available 24/7 and completely free!

FIND OUT MORE

---

World Festivals and Celebrations

Christmas Day 25th December - Christian (see also 6th January 2023 Orthodox and Rastafari)

Christmas Day Celebrates the birth of Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the son of God. The words of St John’s Gospel (Chapter 1:1-18) are read in many churches at this time; these speak of ‘the Word made flesh’, pointing to Christian belief in the Incarnation (God ‘made flesh’, or human).

Gifts are given as reminders of the offerings brought to the infant Jesus at Bethlehem, and Christmas carols, plays and evergreens are associated with this time, while nativity sets are displayed in many churches and in some homes.

Some of our festive celebrations this week:

---

---

Article 15: Setting up or joining groups

Article 15 of the UNCRC makes it clear that – like all people in the world – children and young people have the human right to freedom of association. This means that they should be free to:

- meet individual people and groups of friends,

- set up an organisation,

- join an organisation, and

- take part in peaceful protest.

The right to freedom of association is relevant when children and young people act as human rights defenders.

Nursery Trip to the Z-Arts Centre

I was absolutely delighted that the Nursery children had the opportunity to go out on a visit to the Z-Arts Centre this week. It can be daunting taking the youngest children out of school, but the staff have planned and managed the trip really well, and the children really enjoyed the show.

The children went to see Twinkle Twinkle, which is a heartwarming, adventure in melody and light, made especially for very young audiences for Christmas by an award-winning team of artists. The show features brilliant puppetry, magical interaction and a gorgeous original score.

Well done Nursery on your first trip of many to come!

---

Farewell to Mrs Beck

Sadly, we are saying goodbye to Mrs Beck today as she is moving to a new career.

Mrs Beck has worked with us in Early Years for 5 years, and made a huge contribution to the progress of many children. She will certainly be missed by the children, and definitely by the staff as well. She has always been very positive and supportive of us all in school, and I know our loss is someone else’s gain.

Thank you Mrs Beck, and we wish you all the best for the future.

---

Email Mr Sharp

When we return, there will only be 4 weeks before we reach the middle of the school year. When I look back at the newsletters since August, I am so proud to reflect on all the children’s (and staff’s) achievements, and excited about what is to come in 2024.

Some highlights for me this term:

• The happy greetings I get from the children when walking around school

• Being proud to show visitors around

• The hard work and commitment of the staff

• Improvements in punctuality

• The heartwarming reasons for children receiving Merit Awards

• Going through 2 boxes of Head Teacher Award gold stickers

• The care children are taking with their learning and the standard of work

• Going back into the hall

• The many trips and visitors

• Kickstarter workshops with parents in Early Years

• The generosity shown in helping other people less fortunate than ourselves

• Class assemblies

• Children wearing the new P.E. uniform

• The work of the Pupil Chaplains and Urban Crew

• Links with other community organisations and events

• Learning more about other beliefs and cultures

• Welcoming new families to the area and our school with new housing opening

• Welcoming new members of staff to the school

• School building improvement work

There will obviously be more highs and lows in 2024, but so many reasons to be hopeful and positive.

Have a wonderful break whatever your plans, and for those celebrating Christmas, have a merry one with lots of happiness and cheer. For those people where this might be the first Christmas since losing a loved one, our thoughts and prayers are with you. I have been through it a few times, and it isn’t quite the same as before, but I hope you can have many moments of joy and know that things do get easier in time.

Thank you to everyone in the All Saints Family, it is so humbling to be the Head Teacher of this lovely school community and I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday 8th January 2024 at 8.45am.

---

Most recent news:

---

Most recent Parent News:

---

🗞 Newsletter 15.12.2023

Spreading Joy

Our Urban Crew visited Duncan Edwards Court retirement home this week to spread some Christmas joy with the residents.

The Urban Crew do a lot of community work through the year, so as well as gaining valuable skills and confidence, they are making a great contribution to the whole of Newton Heath.

They were fantastic ambassadors for our school and I imagine it will have been a highlight of the week for the residents.

A number of our Pupil Chaplains also went to a special service hosted by Christ the King children this week. It is great that our local schools can create shared experiences and support each other too.

One of the advent values is ‘Hope’, and I think the actions of our children, and those of children in other the local schools, gives me great hope that the future is a positive one.

Well done everyone.

NEWS AND UPDATES

We all have times when we need some support. With My Family Coach, you get all the help you need. We’re with you through the tough times, inspiring you with new ideas, and sharing practical tips to make parenting that little bit easier.

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

---

⏱The playground gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am which is the latest any of our classes start in the morning. If your child arrives around 9am, they are already 10-15 minutes late. ⏱

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

⏱The playground gates are locked a few minutes after 8.50am which is the latest any of our classes start in the morning. If your child arrives around 9am, they are already 10-15 minutes late. ⏱ 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

---

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

Click here to visit the church website

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

Scroll through the items below

---

Keeping our Hands Clean

As we go into winter, common illnesses can keep children and teenagers away from their classmates and studies. One of the best things we can all do to avoid illness is to practice good hand hygiene.

Good hand hygiene helps stop infections from spreading, which means less disrupted learning time.

Teach your child to wash hands properly for 20 seconds and stay away from others when sick. The e-bug resources for all ages can help you to explain and discuss hygiene habits – and why they are important - to your child or teenager.

To avoid catching bugs or passing it on to others wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water. This is most important following an episode of diarrhoea or vomiting, after using the toilet, before eating or preparing food, after changing nappies, as well as cleaning up vomit or diarrhoea. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers are not effective against some infections.

Anyone who has diarrhoea and/or vomiting should stay at home. Do not return to work or send children to school until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped and do not visit your GP or hospital while symptomatic. If you are concerned about your symptoms, talk to your GP by phone, contact NHS 111 or visit the NHS web pages. For useful handwashing tips please have a look at the following NHS video

---

Free behaviour support resources for schools and families

Have you heard of My Family Coach? It's an incredible free platform for schools and families for help and support with all areas of behaviour, school and family life.

The platform includes over 50 hours of free support content from the experienced team here at Team Teach. There's articles, podcasts, videos, ebooks and quarterly online parent classes that you and the families you support can attend and watch on-demand as well.

It's all available 24/7 and completely free!

FIND OUT MORE

---

World Festivals and Celebrations

YULE - Pagan (22nd December 2023)

Yule is the time of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, when the sun is reborn, an image of the return of all new life. Heathens celebrate Yule for twelve nights and days, starting the evening before the Winter Solstice (called Mother’s night) when they think of their female ancestors and spiritual protectors. The night heralds the beginning of the major holiday in Heathenry.

Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun’s ‘rebirth’ is celebrated with much joy. On this night, the rebirth of the Oak King is celebrated, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. From this day forward, the days become longer.

The summer and the winter solstices are classic examples of the wheel of the year, marking the end of one phase and the beginning of another. The key aspect of Yule is the spirit of hopefulness that the lengthening days bring, with their reminder of how much there is ahead to celebrate and enjoy.

---

---

Article 15: Setting up or joining groups

Article 15 of the UNCRC makes it clear that – like all people in the world – children and young people have the human right to freedom of association. This means that they should be free to:

- meet individual people and groups of friends,

- set up an organisation,

- join an organisation, and

- take part in peaceful protest.

The right to freedom of association is relevant when children and young people act as human rights defenders.

Nursery Trip to the Z-Arts Centre

I was absolutely delighted that the Nursery children had the opportunity to go out on a visit to the Z-Arts Centre this week. It can be daunting taking the youngest children out of school, but the staff have planned and managed the trip really well, and the children really enjoyed the show.

The children went to see Twinkle Twinkle, which is a heartwarming, adventure in melody and light, made especially for very young audiences for Christmas by an award-winning team of artists. The show features brilliant puppetry, magical interaction and a gorgeous original score.

Well done Nursery on your first trip of many to come!

---

Email Mr Sharp

At a time of hope and light entering the Christian world, we are now literally brighter in school this week. Using our efficiency grant, we have replaced all 135 lights with LED fittings. So not only is the school brighter, we should be saving thousands of pounds from our electricity bill, and therefore releasing more money to go on things more directly associated with the children’s learning.

Well, here we are at the final week of 2023 in school and it is probably one of the busiest. Carols on the playgrounds, nativity performances, Christmas dinner, Christmas parties, Carol Service and an early lunch on Friday before finishing at 1.30pm on Friday. It can be a challenge for the children (and the adults) managing all the changes in routine and excitement, but I hope everyone has an enjoyable and uplifting week before the 2 week break.

Have a peaceful and enjoyable weekend.

Thank you.

---

Most recent news:

---

Most recent Parent News:

---

Christmas Events - December 2024

All of the school have been busy decorating our trees again this year as we spread our Christmas spirit with families and our community - we cannot wait to share our Christmas Fair with our families and community this year too. We have also been decorating the inside of school and our classrooms as we prepare for the Christmas holidays.

Year 3 and 4 have been to Heathfield Church to Experience Christmas and some Year 6 pupils are joining Christ the King in their Carol Service later this week.

We have lots of things to look forward to this next week in the lead up to Christmas (see below for details). We hope to share many of these with you. 

Monday 18th December 9.30am

Carol Service for whole school in the Hall (pupils only) led by Pupil Chaplains

Monday 18th December 3pm

Carols on the KS1 Yard for Parents

Tuesday 19th December 10am

EYFS Nativity (supported by Years 1,2,3,5 and Choir) - spaces are limited to EYFS parents / family members

Tuesday 19th December 2pm

EYFS Nativity (supported by Years 1,2,4,6 and Choir) - spaces are limited to EYFS parents / family members

Tuesday 19th December 3pm

Carols on the KS2 Yard for Parents

Wednesday 20th December

Nursery Trip to Z-Arts for a Christmas Show

Thursday 21st December - Party Day!

Christmas Dinner Day - Children invited to wear Christmas Jumpers and Outfits.

Please don’t forget to order you child’s Christmas Dinner on Orian’s SchoolHub as soon as possible.

Friday 22nd December 

School closes at 1.30pm. Children may come in their own clothes.

Please get in touch if you have any questions at all.

Thank you,

Mrs Flatman

🗞 Newsletter 08.12.2023

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love

I received another lovely message from Heathfield Church this week telling me how well-behaved, well-mannered and polite Year 3 and 4 were when they visited.

In assembly this week, we learned more about advent, and reflected on the meaning of the Sundays that lead up to Christmas Day in the Christian calendar.

Each candle lit on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day symbolise Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

As well as decorating trees and our rooms, we want to reflect on these hugely important values.

With the chocolates and toys in modern advent calendars, it is very easy to forget the Christmas story itself. A story of courage, hope, generosity and celebration.

It is the values behind religious stories that are so important to us in school, how we can all reflect upon them and what lessons we can learn in how we live our own lives.

NEWS AND UPDATES

Take a look at Year 6’s amazing Van Gosh inspired artwork. The work is amazing!

Parent Portal

Use this for updating contact details, child medical information, permissions, payments and seeing your child’s reports.

Click here to log in

---

Please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform for P.E. days

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

Please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform for P.E. days 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

---

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

Click here to visit the church website

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

Scroll through the items below

---

Keeping our Hands Clean

As we go into winter, common illnesses can keep children and teenagers away from their classmates and studies. One of the best things we can all do to avoid illness is to practice good hand hygiene.

Good hand hygiene helps stop infections from spreading, which means less disrupted learning time.

Teach your child to wash hands properly for 20 seconds and stay away from others when sick. The e-bug resources for all ages can help you to explain and discuss hygiene habits – and why they are important - to your child or teenager.

To avoid catching bugs or passing it on to others wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water. This is most important following an episode of diarrhoea or vomiting, after using the toilet, before eating or preparing food, after changing nappies, as well as cleaning up vomit or diarrhoea. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers are not effective against some infections.

Anyone who has diarrhoea and/or vomiting should stay at home. Do not return to work or send children to school until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped and do not visit your GP or hospital while symptomatic. If you are concerned about your symptoms, talk to your GP by phone, contact NHS 111 or visit the NHS web pages. For useful handwashing tips please have a look at the following NHS video

---

World Festivals and Celebrations

Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights, which celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it was recaptured from the Syrian Greeks by the Maccabee brothers in about 162 BCE. For the eight evenings of the festival, candles are lit from right to left in a hanukkiah, a nine-branched menorah – one candle for each evening. The ninth candle is the shamash (the servant candle) from which the other candles are lit.

Foods cooked with oil – such as doughnuts and latkes (potato cakes) – are traditional to remember the miracle with oil that kept the Temple lights burning so many years ago. A game of dreidel, a special, small, spinning top, is popular with children to commemorate ‘the great miracle that happened there/here’.

Like many Jewish festivals this is a time for celebrating freedom and independence. The positioning of the lighted candles in the window is an expression of liberty, and the giving of small presents to children each day underlines the role of the family in planning for the future they might not have had.

---

---

Article 13: Sharing Thoughts Freely

Everyone has the human right to express themselves, and Article 13 of the UNCRC makes it clear that this includes children and young people. Part of this right of freedom of expression involves being able to find out information for yourself— so you’re able to share it in the way you want.

People can express themselves in all kinds of different ways, and the right to freedom of expression covers them all. These ways include things like:

talking out loud,

posting things on the internet, and

writing things for a book or newspaper.

As other articles of the UNCRC make clear, a child or young person should be able to express themselves regardless of their religion or culture.

People should take special care to make sure that children and young people with disabilities can express themselves. One way they can do this is through making sure information is easy for people with disabilities to read, access and respond to.

Farewell to Mrs Knight

Mrs Knight, our Business Manager, is leaving us this week after working with us over the past year. She is moving on to a new role and we wish her all the best for the future.

I would also like to thank her for all the support and work she has provided with the building, grounds, finances and administration.

Thank you Mrs Knight

---

Email Mr Sharp

I’m really not surprised to hear praise about our children, but it is always lovely to receive it. Both Khizra Mosque and Heathfield Church have been very complimentary about how polite and well-behaved our children have been. I feel very proud of the children, and thankful that they show such respect and care for others.

We will have had our second class assembly in two weeks today, and I am very much looking forward to seeing Year 5’s later. Year 6 put on an excellent showcase of their learning last week, and I really would encourage everyone to watch the video earlier in the newsletter showing their artwork. Incredible standard.

We also had a visit today from the Local Authority as they are very concerned about the attendance levels of some children. Sadly, our school has some of the lowest attendance figures in the city. We will be working closely with Manchester City Council on bringing up attendance levels, particularly for children who are around 90% and lower.

Only two weeks left before we finish for the Christmas holidays at 1.30pm on Friday 22nd December. There is still lots to do before the end of term, and we are now around 1/3 of the way through the whole school year.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

---

Most recent news:

---

Most recent Parent News:

---