Latest News
Keep up to date with all the news happening in school
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Year 1 Project Power visitors
Thu 30 Sep 2021On Wednesday we were visited by Dr Raftery. She spoke to the children about her job as a doctor, showing them the equipment she keeps in her doctors bag and how to use it. The children enjoyed learning about her role and asked lots of questions.
On Thursday, David, Di and Janise from Meon Valley HeartStart came into school to teach the children what to do in a medical emergency. The children learnt the different steps to follow (DRSABCD). This included looking for any dangers and checking whether the person was breathing. They were told when to call 999 and when not to. They also learnt about the recovery position and practised this with their friend. They asked and answered lots of questions.
Thank you very much to Dr Raftery and Meon Valley HeartStart for enriching the children's learning.
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Parenting Support Pack
Mon 27 Sep 2021We are a few weeks in now, and some parents mentioned at our recent welcome meetings things they might need help with at home, such as routines now they are in school. On our information page there is an excellent 'Parenting Support Pack' with lots and lots of ideas.
Please click here to follow the link (scroll down):
https://www.bwis.org.uk/information-letterspamphlets/
Please don't hesitate to call us, if there is something in the pack that you are unsure about, or need further guidance.
Kind regards
Mrs Riches
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Keeping your children safe online
Wed 22 Sep 2021At this time of the year, we complete our annual safeguarding audit. Part of our audit includes helping parents be aware of how to make sure their children are safe online. The internet can be an amazing place, and we want you to be able to be confident that your child is using it safely. In school, we have stringent firewalls set up by Hampshire IT that ensures our children do not access any material they shouldn't. We also teach the children how to keep themselves safe, especially when talking to friends or meeting new people on the internet.
Hampshire has brought out some great practical advice for parents to access when setting up their device at home. The link for this can be found here:
The NSPCC also has advice on their website. Their 3 step motto in their 'Share Aware' online guide is:
- Talk to your child
- Get the family involved
- Safety starts with you
They have a handy 'Net Aware' tool to explore what sites and Apps are acceptable for children at:
A video link to explain being 'net aware'
And their general advice about online safety can be found at:
If you have any queries about any of the above, please get in touch.
(all these links can be found on our safeguarding page under 'key information' )
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Firefighter Visit
Tue 21 Sep 2021Year 2 were really lucky to have a real life firefighter visit today; kicking off our new project! We had so much fun. We learned all about fire safety; including what to do if we burn ourselves, how to prevent burns, how often to check our smoke alarms and what to do in an emergency. Ask your children if they can remember any of the songs or rhymes from their session today. The children have also come home with a postcard. It’s really important for your child to know their address so helping them to write it on this postcard and reminding them of their address would be really useful.
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Our Pond Development
Mon 20 Sep 2021Thank you to Matt Howell, his volunteers and our staff and their families who came and cleared out our pond area and flower/vegetable beds this Saturday. Lots of hard work and what a difference already. Matt and I are now working with the Woodland Trust for our next steps in making a pond dipping nature area that is usable for the children. Thank you to all involved!
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Our first two weeks back
Fri 17 Sep 2021Dear Parents and Carers
What a great first two weeks back we have had. The atmosphere around the school is really exciting, with all the children enjoying their learning. It has been lovely to see Year R enjoying their first few weeks at school too. I know we have had the occasional tears saying goodbye in the morning, but by the time I walk around the classes to say hello, these have all stopped and there are very happy children waving at me.
We have a few reminders and information bits below, to make people aware of. Please have a read, and if anyone would like to share any information or thoughts, please email the admin office (address on home page).
Clubs
Clubs are starting next week. Please check the day/time and pick up with the organiser. Year 2 Lunch Clubs will start in October.
Solar Panels
You may have noticed some solar panels to generate energy being fitted to the roof of the new wing. We are waiting for the electric to be joined up and will give a few more facts on them in the newsletter at the end of the month.
1 person dropping off and picking up
Yesterday, a staff member had a rude response when reminding adults about one person picking up and dropping off, telling her it was 'ridiculous', and ignoring her request not to come in. I had to stop people in the end, which isn't nice for any of us.. We have kept this one request in place to try to limit the amount of people our staff members are coming into contact with. Covid is still prevalent, and I am sure you do not want your child's teacher absent for 10 or more days ill or isolating after contracting covid.
If every child brought 2 people at this time, we will have over 650 bodies (including children) crowding on our site at the start and end of the day, who are not working in our school. We have a duty of care to keep our staff as safe as we possibly can. Please do abide by our request (we have even seen people pretending not to be with each other when they walk past staff members), and help to keep us all safe. We also request that everybody keeps moving and wait for friends/stop and chat to friends outside of the school. If you are asking somebody else (a relative or friend) to pick up/drop off, please make them aware or our request too. Hopefully, now we have explained the numbers of people accessing our site, and our reasoning more fully, you will all understand how important it is to make sure your child's teacher and adults working in school are safe.
Special Mentions Book
Our special mentions book, that is read out in assembly, is looking a little empty. If your child has impressed you this week, give them a mention-it can be linked to anything and we love receiving them. They will get a shout out in our Friday assembly. We also have a book to share achievements (such as a certificate) that we read out. Please send a phot (email will do) and what their achievement has been, and we will pop it in there.
PTA Meeting
We had a brilliant PTA AGM last night, and it was lovely to see new faces. Cathy and her team did a great job last year and they have all decided to stay on this year. Cathy will be letting you know all the exciting things we chatted about yesterday, but our big drive this year is creating 'Forest Classroom' area around the school grounds, to further enhance our learning. We will let you know a little more about this in our September newsletter.
Pond Area
This weekend a group of volunteers organised by a parent in Year R, including some staff, are clearing out our pond area, in order to create a working wildlife area we can use. It is the first of a few grounds days we will be organising through the year. We are full of volunteers for tomorrow, but if you would like to put your name down for future days, please let us know.
Parking
Yesterday evening, a local resident, John, had a bad fall in Willow Road whilst trying to climb onto a kerb with his walking sticks. The dropped kerb, where he normally gets up, was blocked by a car. His wife is our local lollipop lady, and he walks down to meet her after she finishes work. Thank you to the two mums, Ms Barrett and Mrs Armstrong, whose quick thinking kept him calm and stable until the ambulance arrived. Thank you to Mr Wu, who directed the traffic until we got down there and could help. John has a broken hip and cracked elbow and is being operated on today. We all hope he makes a full recovery.
Please, please, please, park with care and consideration , if you bring your car onto the estate. It is very busy and dropped kerbs should not be parked in front of at any time. Every parent has pushed a pushchair at some time, and knows how hard it is to try to come off the pavement at another place. Some of our elderly residents depend on the dropped kerb, for their mobility and safety. I am sure you will join me in wishing John a speedy recovery, and hopefully consider parking further away, such as the Jubilee Hall, town or Hoe Road in future and walking the extra part of your journey to school.
Photographs
Just a reminder that it is our individual photographs on Thursday morning. Please send your child in with their jumper. Nikky, our photographer, is great at getting some lovely shots, and hopefully they will be back well in time for Christmas presents (only 99 days away, so it said on the news!).
Labeling Clothes
Please label all clothes, but especially coats/jumpers and cardigans. They are often left on the playground, and they will find their way back to class IF there is a name on them. If there are no names, then this becomes less likely, and children also take them home, thinking it is theirs. Even if written on the inside with a biro every Monday, please make it part of your weekly routine to check there is a label inside. Thank you.
We will be sending out a newsletter by the end of September, where we will share some of the things mentioned her in more depth. We hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
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Before/After/Rocksteady School Clubs - week commencing 20th September
Thu 09 Sep 2021Dear Parents/Carers,
Before/After/Rocksteady School Clubs will recommence week commencing 20th September as follows:
Monday (IN SCHOOL TIME) - Rocksteady - Please book via their website https://www.rocksteadymusicschool.com/
Tuesday (Year 1 & 2 Only) - CM Sports - Football 3.20pm-4.20pm (see flyer on school website under the tab Parents, Clubs for booking details) https://www.cm-sports.co.uk/
Wednesday - Yoga For Learning - 8am start - Please contact Emma on 07843271599/emmawhewell@yahoo.co
Wednesday - Dance Kidz - 3.20pm-4.20pm (see flyer on school website under the tab Parents, Clubs for booking details)
Thursday - Tae Kwon Do - 3.20pm-4.20pm Please book via the website: https://phoenixsma.co.uk/after-school-clubs-asc/
Kind regards
School Office, Bishops Waltham Infant School
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PTA Meeting and AGM
Thu 09 Sep 2021This is to let everyone know that our first PTA (Parent Teachers Association) meeting of the year will be held next Thursday on 16th September at 7.30pm at the school. This meeting will be our AGM but we will also be discussing ideas for fundraisers and the events that we usually run in the Autumn term.
This meeting is open to all parents and carers, it'd be lovely to have as many people there as possible to set us up for a fab year of supporting and fundraising for the school. If you are new to the school please feel free to come along and find out more about what we do. This will be our first meeting in person for some time which will be lovely, we hope to see you there!
Bishop's Waltham Infant School PTA
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What a lovely start back
Tue 07 Sep 2021Dear Parents and Carers
What a lovely start back we have had in school. It has been lovely to see so many happy faces and hear the children all around the school again. They have had a lovely time catching up with their friends and getting used to their new teachers and classroom.
We have a few reminders below for all adults:
One adult per family/group of children
As you are aware, we have new arrangements for picking up and dropping off, which seem to be working so far. We are still asking that only one parent/grown up comes onto the school site, as we are trying to limit the number of contacts coming to the classroom and on site at any time, as part of our covid risk assessment to keep staff safe. Please also continue to socially distance when talking to staff members in school and drop off and pick up quickly, leaving any catchups with friends when you are off the school site.
School Shoes and uniform labelling
All children should now be wearing school shoes. We relaxed this during our lockdown disruption. Now we are back in school, please make sure they are wearing their school shoes every day. Please also make sure uniforms are labelled, as things often get mixed up when changing for PE.
PE Bags
PE bags should now be in school ready for their PE. Trainers will need to be inside their bags
Welcome Meetings
You will be invited to an online welcome meeting for your Year group. The date and time for these are as follows:
Year 2.
9.30am 14/9/2021
Year 1
9.30am 15/9/21
Year R
9.30am 22/9/21
These meetings will cover all arrangements and information for the year. If you have any questions or queries, please email the year group beforehand, and they will try to answer them in the talk.
Packed Lunch
If your child is having a packed lunch, please do not put too many items in. Please make the choice about what is going in the night before. One box had 10 items in it today, which was overwhelming for the child, as they didn't know what to choose.
School Lunch
Children are provided with water at school lunch time, but if you would like your child to bring a non fizzy drink at this time then they can. It needs to be clearly labelled and kept on the lunch trolley with the lunchboxes (not in the water bottle holder).
Clubs
The school office will send out information about joining our after school clubs tomorrow, so please keep a look out for their email.
We know the sunshine isn't going to last much longer, but we are making sure we are making the most of these few days.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
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Welcome Back!
Fri 03 Sep 2021Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome back after the summer break. We hope you have had a lovely summer and cannot wait to see you all again on Monday morning.
As you are aware, schools being covid resilient is now a priority from our government, and there have been a lot of changes since we last saw each other. Please see the changes for our school and what this means for you and your child on our information page here:
https://www.bwis.org.uk/information-letterspamphlets/
In light of the changes, and a greater return to normality, we have adjusted our school day accordingly. We are still keeping in place some measures, as advised at our schools' briefing from Hampshire and Public Health England yesterday.
School Timings
Year R (Rabbits and Owls) Week 1 only.
Monday 6th September
Drop off 9.30am-9.40am (2 adults can accompany), Pick up 12 o' clock
Tuesday 7th September-Friday 10th September
Drop off 8.50-9am, Pick up 12 o'clock
Week 2 onwards see timings below.
Year 1 and 2
Drop off 8.50-9 am, pick up 3.10pm
Arrangements at Pick up and Drop off
Year R and 1
Enter and exit through main gate at path to school, or gate by the swimming pool.
Year 2
Enter and exit through large blue gates on driveway, then through smaller wooden gate, or pool gate and walk around the school through the playgrounds.
Please note, there is no longer a one way system. People can walk around the school though the playgrounds to do multiple pick ups and drop offs (avoiding the more crowded area)
We request that only it remains at one adult per family/child/grouping at drop off and pick up, as the areas are very crowded, apart from Year R on their first day.
We also ask that drop off and pick ups are done quickly, and please telephone the school to make an appointment with the teacher, if a longer time is needed to discuss information.
Lunchtimes
Year R will be eating in their classroom until October half term, when we will review our arrangements.
Year 1 and Year 2 will eat in the hall at 2 sittings. Children will have 30 minutes to eat their lunch and 30 minutes play time on the playground
School lunches for infant children are free, and a fruit snack is provided free every day. If bringing a lunchbox, nut products are not allowed (including peanut butter), due o the high number of allergies in the school. We suggest no more than 4/5 items as children are overwhelmed with too much choice.
Assemblies
Our assemblies will be a mixture of Year group, Key Stage, and whole school, delivered in the hall and online
Library
Children will be using the library weekly. Each year group will be allocated their library day.
Playtimes
We are continuing to have playtimes in year groups.
Clubs
Clubs are starting in Week 3 (from September 20th). Information will be sent out about this next week.
Treetops and Early Bird Club (wraparound care)
This will operate from the Forest Room
PE
We will be changing into our PE kits in school. PE kits in school colours (white t shirt and navy shorts) need to be brought into school. They can be taken home to wash weekly/half termly and brought back. Please make sure your child has trainers in their kit and blue/black/grey jogging bottoms and sweatshirt in case the weather is cold.
There is an online welcome meeting for each year group over the next few weeks and the Year group leaders will be getting in touch with you with the link for this, which day is PE day and much more.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us and we will try to answer them. At the moment, we will continue to limit visitors inside the building, and we have a drop off letterbox, if anything is needed to be given in to the office, or it can be done via the teacher.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue with our high hygiene implementation (hand washing/sanitising, toilet wipe downs, room fogging) and keep our classroom windows and doors open to ventilate the rooms.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
