ferncumbe friday

friday 9th october

message from miss morris

I wanted to take the opportunity of thanking you for the support you have shown us all over the past few weeks, as we embark on this very strange academic year. Unlike many schools, we have gradually reintroduced visitors who lead music tuition, Forest School. PE, yoga sessions and some after school activities. I feel passionately that it is important to continue with a rich and broad curriculum whilst following strict procedures which mitigate the risk of spreading infection. I have been particularly pleased to see our new Reception children making the most of their Forest School sessions and the delight with which KS2 children are enjoying Thursday’s Enrichment hour again. I hope you will continue to support me in gradually managing Ferncumbe’s return to its active and creative curriculum, which sits at the heart of our vision. My next challenge is to look at the reintroduction of swimming lessons and class trips and visits - I will be canvassing parental thoughts and am happy to discuss any worries or concerns.

I am being told by Public Heatlth that whilst we have not yet had a case of Covid within school, it is only a matter of time. As an eternal optimist, I hope that with your continued support and our thorough risk assessments which are regularly updated, we may be able to buck the trend.

Stay safe and well everyone.

Forest School gets the thumbs up from Reception!

pe days for shrewley and Lowsonford!

Year 4 took part in a fantastic PE day last week. They kick started the day with a bit of archery, which the pupils loved. There was much celebrating over hitting the bullseye target! The children then took part in some exciting golfing, working on their club grip and movement. In the afternoon, the focus was football skills which resulted in some spectacular penalty shoot outs and many brave saves. Well done Year 4 for participating with such enthusiasm.

Mrs Foss

Year 6 practising their Badminton skills.

harvest celebration - Tuesday 20th october

A reminder that will be celebrating Harvest in school on Tuesday 20th October. Children are requested to bring a donation of dried food/packets/tins to school on the day, which will then be donated to Warwick and Leamington Foodbank. The following is a list of items that are frequently requested:

Longlife milk, instant noodles, tinned spaghetti, tinned vegetables, steamed puddings, loo rolls and so on.

Each class will share via their Class Twitter page how they chose to celebrate, so do keep an eye out!

Social Media and keeping your child safe: E-safety

key information for parents/carers

It has been brought to our attention that some of our children have Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp and other social media profiles, even though the permitted minimum age to use these sites is 13 years old or more, according to their terms and conditions. Some misuse of these apps has led to children at our school becoming upset and learning time being lost as staff support children through these fallouts.

We are committed to keeping our children safe and to promoting the safe, responsible use of the Internet. As such, we feel it is our responsibility to raise this particular issue as a concern. We feel it is important to point out to parents the risks of underage use of such sites. We would really appreciate your support in discouraging children of primary age from accessing and having their own accounts on these apps. Children mostly lack the emotional resilience to cope with the challenges that social media can bring. We understand that children often feel pressure from their peers to have and use these apps, but the content often isn't appropriate for children and young people. Furthermore, the content of these apps, what they can access and see cannot be controlled and can be of very mature and adult themes.

We also recommend that all parents visit the CEOP Think U Know website for more information on keeping your child safe online www.thinkuknow.co.uk

We take E-safety very seriously, and we discuss E-Safety issues throughout the year with our pupils. Because of our duty to all the children in our school, we will take action if a problem comes to our attention that involves the safety or wellbeing of any of our pupils.

With thanks for your continued support,

Ms Houlihan and Miss Forbes

Thank you!

Thank you so much to those of you who have contributed to our school fund, in the absence of Friends of Ferncumbe being able to organise their usual fundraising events. The amount so far will enable us to continue with our exciting range of enrichment activities for the Spring term.

Sewing Christmas decorations in Year 4… it’s never too early!

Year 3 are learning to play the ukulele.

virtual parent meetings

Many thanks to those of you who attended our first ever virtual parents’ evening last week. Much of the feedback has been positive and the sessions generally ran without too many technical glitches our end - generally being the key word! Your patience and support was much appreciated.

health and wellbeing service

Please find attached a health & wellbeing newsletter for Warwickshire children, young people and families from the Warwickshire School Health and Wellbeing Service. There is also some information about World Mental Health Day, which takes place on Saturday (10th October) with the Young Minds ‘HelloYellow’ campaign taking place on Friday (9th October).

I would like to reiterate the words at the beginning of the newsletter - it truly is an absolute joy to see the enthusiasm with which children come in to school each day. I’ll also take the opportunity to wholeheartedly thank the pupils, parents and staff for working together so positively whilst facing the immense challenges of such unprecedented times.

With very best wishes for a lovely weekend,

Tracey Webb, Deputy Headteacher

Newsletter Issue 3