It's been a busy fortnight since my last newsletter and we have been very productive in school. The days are getting longer but it has been very cold. I believe this cold snap will last a little longer yet, so please wrap your children up warm, as they will be outside whatever the weather!

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STRIKE ACTION

After discussing potential strike action with NEU staff members it has become clear that none of them wish to strike. Therefore, all classes will be open as normal. All children are expected to be in school unless they are ill. If they have siblings in another school that is closed, Abbeys pupils are still expected to be in school.

There are numerous reasons why staff members do not wish to strike. The strike action proposed is to secure better pay and conditions for teachers and to address teacher workload. Unfortunately, Strike action is not a possibility for all members of staff, due to the cost of living. Like many, teachers have mortgages to pay and families to support. Losing this pay would be detrimental to many at this time. So whilst we support the reasons for the strike action, it is not a financially viable option for many of us.

All members of staff at Abbeys work incredibly hard. Workload for teachers is a huge issue but we are dedicated to improving our school and keeping school open for your children.

To help reduce teacher workload, since September, I have worked hard with the team to ensure the following -

We are using a new assessment system, which reduces paperwork and is quicker and provides more effective analysis.
We have adapted the marking policy to provide more opportunities for verbal/ instant feedback, rather than time onerous written feedback.
We have more flexibility within our daily timetables which means teachers have additional time, provided by Mr Godfrey, Miss Proctor, Miss Henry and Miss Currie.
We have purchased additional resources to support planning- such as Purple mash and Music Express/ Sing up.
We have specialist music teachers coming in to lead additional lessons for teachers, giving them time to focus on teaching core subjects.
As a team we are focused on improving our mental health and well-being- supporting one another.

As a leader, I know there is more that can be done and I will continue to reflect on our practice as a school and do what I can to support teachers in their roles. We really appreciate the support we have from Parents/ Carers as well.

The NEU Strike action is spread over 4 days throughout February and March. Should any circumstances change or should a teacher decide that they want to take strike action, they can do so. If this happens I will write to you as soon as I can but for now the school is open and is business as usual.

World Book Day will be on Thursday 2nd March. We will be having breakfast with a book at 8.30am in class as well as dressing up as our favourite book characters. Plans will be confirmed nearer the time.

Special World Book Day menu from Dolce- Don't forget to order!

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Forest School

Miss Currie is a trained Forest school leader and Mrs Dunnett is registered to start training later in the Spring term. Forest school is a holistic, child centred approach to learning outdoors. It came from Scandinavia in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength. It is part of the wider school curriculum that involves exploration and supported risk taking, it is proven to build resilience and confidence. All pupils get the opportunity to learn in nature and feel inspired through hands-on experiences such creating fires, chopping wood and making nature bells, just as Whitby Class did this week.

It is my intention, that by next year, every class will have a forest school session at least once per fortnight, building on their skills year on year.

At Abbeys we are very lucky to have the space for a forest school and we would welcome donations of logs, kindling and pairs of wellies so that all children can partake.

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Last week years 5 and 6 travelled to Leon to take part in an inter-school badminton event. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves and came joint 3rd. Congratulations to you all and thanks to Mr Godfrey and Miss Bemrose for taking them along.

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Mrs Migliazza's photography club has been very busy creating photos that reflect different moods.

Here are some of my favourites!

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Due to Scarlet Fever, chicken pox and COVID our whole school attendance is well below the national average. Many children are now in the persistent absence category and some have received letters from our attendance officer Mrs Jamieson. Mrs Jamieson and I work together to monitor attendance. Pupils that are absent from school frequently miss out on a lot of important learning and socialising.

The government target for attendance is 96%!

We need to aim for even higher!

Punctuality is equally important. The register is taken at 8.50am. The playground is open from 8.30am and we offer a breakfast club from 8am.

All classes start the day with morning work. This is a good opportunity for teachers to settle the children in for the day, check in on them and talk about the day ahead. This part of the day is crucial so please don't be late.

If you have concerns regarding your child's attendance please come forward. Make an appointment with Mrs Jamieson or myself via the school office. Please remember that no holidays can be authorised in term time. If your child is absent from school please contact the absence line as early as possible. You know your child best. If they are ill, they cannot come to school, however if you are unsure let us know, we are a very nurturing team. If your child is poorly in school we will call you.

UNIFORM

School uniform is so important, it represents our school community. Wearing our uniform should promote a sense of belonging, pride and self-confidence. It is proven that uniform promotes a sense of well-being as it removes the stress of deciding what to wear and the added stress of meeting peer expectations.

PE days are no exception. All children are expected to wear a black tracksuit and a white/ red/ black t-shirt. This is in the home-school agreement and is an expectation [it doesn't need the Abbeys logo].

We have a huge selection of new and nearly new uniform and kit in our uniform exchange, if you need anything please pop in.

This week, I have been on the prowl to see who was looking wonderful!

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Rome wasn't built in a day!

And the new foyer won't be either!

But the builders have had a really productive week and the foundations are in place!

The diggers have been the talk of the school and the children are very excited and distracted when walking down the corridor. We cannot wait to see this develop over the coming weeks.

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY!

Marham Class Assembly

2:45pm – 3:15pm

February

Last After School Clubs

3:15pm – 4:00pm

February

Break Up for Half Term

All Day

February

School Re-opens

All Day

February

Belmont Class Assembly

2:45pm – 3:15pm

February

After School Clubs Start

3:15pm – 4:00pm

February

Friday's celebration assembly is so much fun and certainly my favourite time of the week. We celebrate children that have achieved our monthly value, children that have written wonderful pieces of writing and we celebrate the tidiest classroom, with our Golden Broom award, chosen by Mr Elliot.

Today we have introduced a really important award for manners. There will be two given out every week and the children that win will select a book from the book trolley.

Heather and Catherine from Dolce will select one child that has hot dinners and the lunchtime team will choose a child that has packed lunches.

Congratulations to.... Neave Gorham and Cindy Torres who were the first two children to ever be selected for this award.

SHOUT OUTS

Last week, I was lucky enough to be mugged by Miss Proctor. She thinks I am practically perfect in every way, like Mary Poppins... I am pretty sure I am more like Cruella Deville but it was lovely to be spoilt! I had eaten the chocolate before she had time to take the photo!

I then went on to mug Mr Godfrey!! In my view Mr Godfrey is steadily changing the way we teach PE at Abbeys and it is amazing to see the difference in the children over such a short space in time. We have new planning, new timetables, new sports clubs, equipment and competitions. Mr Godfrey spent time with our curriculum Governor [Brian Glover] this week, sharing all of these achievements and plans for the next term. Well done Mr Godfrey and thank you!

Whilst we like to share the achievements of our staff, this section of the newsletter is really about your children. Whatever their successes may be, we want to celebrate them. So please send them in to me- Jfellowes@abbeysprimary.org

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NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL PROGRESS 2023!

A really simple way of judging if a child has made progress is to look at the first piece of work in their books and then look at a more recent piece. I was astounded when I looked at Logan [Fountains] book.

Just look at this wonderful writing progress! At the start of the year Logan was just forming letters to write his name AND now he is writing in full sentences, with fingers spaces and letters all sitting on the line! His writing is phonetically plausible and his letter formation is much better. Well done Logan! Keep up the good work!

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Bradwell Class have been getting messy! They have been learning with different wet mediums and experimenting with marbles and printing in order to make a space collage.

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KS1 need some new painting aprons! Old shirts would be amazing. If you have any to donate please send them to Mrs Chambers and Miss Tierney.

Milton Keynes Library has many fun activities planned for half term- which is only two weeks away! There is a Charlie and the chocolate factory event! To book tickets visit- library.enquiries@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

Sadly on Thursday 2nd February we say farewell to Mrs Capel. She is moving on to pastures new. We are very sad to see Mrs Capel go, she has worked with pupils throughout the school for 14 and a half years now and is a fantastic member of the team. Mrs Capel, is always kind, caring and has worked so hard over the years to ensure that the pupils and her colleagues are well-supported.

Goodbye, good luck and keep in touch Mrs Capel!

STOP PRESS, STOP PRESS!!!!

Ameera in year 5 came to show me her fantastic non-chronological report about space. Beautiful presentation and very informative- well Done Ameera!

It is so good, I just had to share it with the whole school community!

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