Key Dates
Key dates for the 2020/2021 academic year will be available on the school website next week.
Reminders
PE Kit Days
Children in Years 1-6 should wear their PE kit to school on the day that they have outdoor PE. They will stay in their PE kit all day and do not need to bring in school uniform. PE kit days are as follows:
- Year 1 - Friday
- Year 2 - Tuesday
- Year 3 - Tuesday
- Year 4 - Wednesday
- Year 5 - Friday
- Year 6 - Thursday
Due to the staggered lunch times in place, some children will be eating lunch earlier or later than they may be used to. Your child may bring in an extra snack to eat in the morning, or afternoon. Snacks should be healthy – no chocolate, sweets or crisps please! Don't forget that we are a strictly nut-free school. Some of our children have severe nut allergies so we ask that you check the ingredients of snacks sent in carefully. Nuts are often hidden in cereal bars and similar items. Thank you.
This term, we say hello and welcome to a number of new staff members: Mrs Bussiere, Yew class teacher; Miss Camadoo, Clover class teacher; Mrs Crawford, Beech class teacher; Miss Allen, Foxglove class teacher and Miss Egan, Ash class teacher. Mr Maillet has joined us as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant and Mrs Bailey-Bain as a Teaching Assistant. We have also welcomed back both Mrs Vincer and Mrs Hibbard from their maternity leave.
Sadly, we have said goodbye to Mrs Nash in the school office and Miss Black, Teaching Assistant, who have both moved onto new ventures. They will be greatly missed by children and staff alike.
To ease congestion on the school site, we have assigned bike racks to specific year groups and classes. Ideally, bikes and scooters will only be left on the site during the school day if absolutely necessary. Please do not ride or scoot when on the school site!
Year 6 – the island between the main walkway and car park barrier ( a bike lock is essential!).
Reception, Year 1, Rowan, Bracken - under the canopy along the staffroom wall and by the scooter 'mushrooms'.
Sycamore, Lime - orange rack to the left of the junior library external door.
Larch, Yew, Elm, Beech - by the KS2 (junior) playground gates.
Chestnut, Heather, Ash - outside the Finance office to the left of the main entrance to the school building.
A Message from Mr Scott
At the end of our first full week back, I would like to say a huge thank you and well done to everyone – children, parents, carers and staff – for the commitment and support shown in making the start of this academic year such a success.
There are so many smiling faces around the school – the children are clearly very happy to be back with their friends, are settled and eager to learn and look exceptionally smart in their school uniforms. It is wonderful to have the Fern Hill community back together and we are all looking forward to an exciting school year ahead.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our new families – we are delighted that you have joined our community and are keen to get to know you over the weeks ahead.
Thank you for adhering to the new drop off and collection arrangements – and for your patience as we have refined them over this week. Our priority is always to keep our families and staff as safe as possible while being mindful of the impact of the arrangements on parents and carers.
The changes made to the arrangements have been communicated via ParentPay and are summarised in the document available on the school website here.
At the start of the autumn term we would usually invite you into school to meet your class teachers at your child’s year group Welcome Meeting. Sadly, it will not be possible this year but next week you will receive the information that would be presented including details of what we will be teaching and guidance on how you can help support your child’s learning at home.
Alongside this weekly whole school newsletter, year group newsletters will resume next week and curriculum overviews and Home Learning Grids will be available on the website soon. Celebration assemblies to share the children’s achievements across the school, including Diamond Work, will take place in individual classes. Although the children cannot sit all together in the Hall, they will celebrate each other’s efforts every week.
Finally, a word on attendance. The expectation is that all children will be in school every day. Attendance is mandatory and our usual attendance policy applies. If your child is isolating, or is absent for any other reason, please let the school office know by 8:30 am on each day that they are not in school.
I am looking forward to working with you all this year. The parent community at Fern Hill is strong, and active, and I very much value your views and welcome your feedback. Please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office should you wish to discuss any issues or have any questions.
Back to School with SCARF
'As part of our transition back to school, many of the children have been taking part in SCARF sessions as part of their PSHE lessons.
SCARF (which stands for Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship) is a whole-school approach to promoting behaviour, safety, achievement and wellbeing.
Daily activities have encouraged the children to recognise the importance of each of the SCARF qualities, and to discuss how we at Fern Hill are facilitating their growth. We began the sessions last Friday, by looking at how our new routines at school will provide them with a safe environment. The community and caring sessions were an opportunity to see how we can all create a welcoming and empathetic environment in our classrooms and beyond. Achievement was seen not necessarily as academic, but rather an accomplishment of any skill, or simply being brave in an uncomfortable situation. We used our model of Growth Mindset to apply the principles of persistence and resilience, before discussing how friendship takes effort to maintain.
Today, the children have revisited each of the letters and what they stand for, with some classes bringing in their own scarves to illustrate how they make us feel warm and secure. Each of the sessions involved reading a story about Harold the Giraffe, who with his friends, had various adventures while exploring the SCARF qualities. We hope your children have had a good start to the school year!'
- Mrs Tipping, PSHE Lead
PSA News & Events
This year Fern Hill PSA will continue to play its valuable community and fundraising role, however, current restrictions mean that many of our traditional events such as the Fairs, Fireworks Night, Parents’ Breakfasts and Comedy Nights will sadly not be able to take place.
Our 2020/21 fundraising focus will be aimed at supplying the school with all the additional essential classroom and support resources they will need to purchase this year.
Following on from the success of our second hand uniform sale last Saturday, which raised a fantastic £257, we will now be holding a themed second hand sale on the 1st Saturday of each month.
The first sale will be on Saturday 3rd October from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at school and our theme will be Fancy Dress.
We will be collecting washed fancy dress donations in the meantime at 14 Tudor Drive, KT2 5PZ or they can be brought along on the day. Please have a rummage and see if you have anything your children have outgrown. We will continue to sell second hand school uniform at each of the sales.
We really hope these regular events will be a huge success in fundraising for the school and become a fun date in the calendar for our school community. Please support us by donating items or coming along on the day and, if possible, volunteering some of your time to help out.
We continue to welcome (and in fact we really need) new members and any ideas you might have so please email us at: fernhillpsa@gmail.com if you would like to get involved.
Inspiration 