Weekly Update 112 September 2022 (by admin) |
Dear parents and carers,
Welcome to our new pupils in Foundation Stage and those who have joined us in other year groups. I have been really impressed again with how well they have settled into school. I look forward to getting to know them all individually over the next term.
The whole school has come back with incredible energy and hopefully they have shared some of the experiences they have had last week.
New Chair and Vice-Chair of Governors
I would like to introduce our newly elected Chair and Vice-Chair of Governors for this year. Nick-Giblin-Cook is parent of Finn in Year 3 and has been working with the school to review our vision and mission statement. This can now be seen on the front page of our website. He will now be helping to support the us in achieving our mission.
Charlotte Fergus has been a school governor prior to becoming a parent in the school. Her daughter Mable is in Year 1. She has a background and passion in science and sustainability and will continue to work with us on our curriculum and communication, as well as future plans for the school.
Thank you to both Evangelos Kalavas and Graham Barker who are stepping down from their roles as Chair and Vice-Chair this year. Their support and encouragement over the last few years has been greatly valued. They will continue to remain on the Governing body to support with finance and outcomes.
Online Safety
We are increasingly aware of the risks posed by our pupils communicating using online messaging systems. In particular, we have had a recent incident where pupils have become aggressive when using Discord. Discord is an online gaming and messaging APP.
Please could I ask you to be vigilant if your child uses Discord to communicate online to their friends. This is not recommended for children under the age of 13 and has many risks as outlined in this guide:
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides/discord-2022
If you do still decide to let your children use Discord, take time to check or "be interested" in what your child is writing and who they are talking to.
If you are concerned about your child and their online safety please visit our dedicated web page for our parents: https://www.fairfields.hants.sch.uk/parents/keeping-your-child-safe-online
We are also offering a face-to-face session for parents who would like support with keeping their child safe either on their phone or any other device. This will include showing how to set up and monitor parent controls. We would ask that you email admin@fairfields.hants.sch.uk if you would like to be included in this. Once we have ten parents signed up, we will then arrange a time and date that works for the group.
Pupil Jobs in school
The children in years 1 to 6 have been invited to apply for jobs in the school to help others outside of their own classrooms. This includes our school council representatives for each class, librarians to work in our new library, anti-bullying ambassadors, young interpreters, the Womble team (who help keep our playground tidy) and our health and safety team. Children can get application forms from their class teacher, complete these at school or home, and post them in the box outside Mrs Hopkins office by Friday 23rd September.
We always have a lot of interest in these school jobs which is lovely, and we are sorry that we can not give them to all the children. However, we will endeavour to find a role for all the children interested in helping with something as there are also many classroom based jobs which are also vital to help the school day run smoothly.
Dates for your diary
Please do see the full list of term dates on the calendar page on our website: https://www.fairfields.hants.sch.uk/calendar-1
Monday 19th September – school is closed to show respect for the Queen on the day of her funeral.
Wednesday 21st September – Parent Forum on Zoom 4:30 – 5:30pm
We are relaunching our half-termly Parent Forum. This is a time where we can share any developments in the school and also ask for your views on current issues. In this meeting we will discuss Behaviour in the school and also share with you our process on supporting children with medical needs.
You will need the following link to join the meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/94699459889?pwd=NzdvcWlOUElYZVJmZU5DMnBTTUk3QT09
Meeting ID: 946 9945 9889
Passcode: 473886
Friday 23rd September – Deadline for pupils to apply for school jobs.
Monday 3rd October 2:30 – 3pm – Harvest Festival
Our Harvest Festival will take place on this day. Pupils are invited to bring in a food donation to display in the main hall. This will then be collected by Basingstoke Food Bank.
Parents are invited to come into school to view the artwork that has been created around the theme of 'Fruit around the world'. Parents will need to enter and exit under the canopy and are able to view the work in each of the classrooms. Choir will perform songs in the main hall.
Friday 21st October – Diwali Celebration in the playground 3:15- 4pm
Please could parents who are interested in helping to organise this event contact Miss Harper through the school office.
1st and 2nd November- Parents Evening
