Latest News | Bishops Waltham Infant School

Weekly Update Friday 27th September

Fri 27 Sep 2024

This week our staff finished their first aid training, meaning the majority of our staff are first aid trained. This is really important to us, so that all staff can help any child if they injure themselves. Next week it will be our children in Year 1 who will be having ‘ heart start’ training with St John’s ambulance as part of their Brilliant Bodies project.

We had a well attended open day on Wednesday, where we welcomed many new parents and children to look around our school. The parents all commented on how happy and engaged their learning the children were, and were very impressed. Some of our visitors talked to the children about their learning, and were amazed at how clearly the children could articulate their thoughts and ideas.

Year 2 will be having a visit from the fire service as part of their project next week, and their trip to Little Woodham will be the week after. Please remember to send the form and payment back to school as soon as possible.

We will be starting our free lunchtime clubs for Year 2 children next week too. Lots of children are very excited to be attended these and all teaching staff will give up part of their lunchtime to ensure all children have enrichment experiences during their time with us. We cannot wait to start!

Next Friday, Year R will be having their follow up catch up meeting with the Year R parents at 9 am. It seems such a long time ago since our Welcome meeting in May, we have put this mini catch up meeting in, so that parents have the opportunity to ask any further general questions about school. All parents will have the chance to meet with their child’s teacher to talk about their own child after half term.

Owl class welcomed Mrs Burgess to class this week, and Mrs Withers has started her maternity leave. Miss Gamblin will also be teaching one day a week, and we are really lucky to be able to provide continuity for our children until Mrs Withers returns. We wish Mrs Withers our very best wishes.

Our Early Bird club is becoming quite full this year. Remember to book 24 hours in advance to secure a place.

We are now a month into our school year, so it is a good time to remind parents of our site rules. Please remember not to bring your hot drinks onto site in the morning and in the evening, to ensure the safety of all our children. All bikes and scooters need to be wheeled ( not ridden) on site. Equipment cannot be played on at the start and end of day, due to our insurances and our last reminder is that swearing and vaping/smoking is banned at all times ( even when waiting for gate to open). Thank you in anticipation for your cooperation to keep BWIS a lovely, safe place to come to.

Wishing everybody a lovely weekend.

Mrs Riches

Weekly Update Friday 20th September

Fri 20 Sep 2024

We finally had a full week of sunshine and the children have thoroughly enjoyed their playtimes in our lovely grounds. This weeks 'Celebration Assembly' saw lots of children in Year 1 and 2 having a 'Star of the Week' sticker for their fantastic maths learning. It was great to see so many children becoming more confident in their mathematics.

We had our annual PTA AGM on Wednesday. There was a lot to be discussed, with the successful events of the summer term. We are still raising funds to develop our corridor area with new books spaces, learning/teaching spaces and quiet book nooks, and every penny helps towards this. The PTA needs one parent from each class to be the class REP. The role will consist of keeping up to date with PTA events and informing parents on their class app groups. Fox Class have Shez as their new REP, and the PTA need more! Please let the PTA or school office know if ou are able to do this role! They are also in need of somebody who is excellent at social media, and would like to do this/have the time to do this. Please contact Claire Rawlings, our PTA chair if you would like to do this (Robin Class).

You may have seen the posters for our Year 1 and 2 Disco, which is our first PTA event. We will also be having our shopping Bazaar day in December, and our annual Christmas raffle. If you/your company would like to donate a prize for our raffle, please bring it in to our school office.

Our Special Mentions book is still empty this September. If your child has done something great in September, please come and write in to give them a mention in celebration assembly-this can be for laying the table, learning to ride their bike, reading some tricky words- the list is endless! Special mentions can also be emailed in. We also have our achievements book, where we stick in certificates/pictures of children wearing medals etc, for their talents and hobbies achievements. Pleas don't forget to send these in.

Next week we have our Open Morning on Wednesday 25th September. Please let any friends know if they have a child who will be starting school in September 2025.

We have had three full weeks of our new lunches now. With some dishes being more popular than others, we are working with Clever Chefs regarding the menu. From next week onwards, every Thursday, the meat free option will be margherita pizza, which was very popular last week. Below are some of the yummy dinners we had this week and last week.

We hope you have a lovely weekend with your families.

Best wishes

Mrs Riches

PTA Annual General Meeting

Mon 16 Sep 2024

Please come to our PTA AGM

Wednesday 18th September

3.30pm

If you like meeting other parents, organising/helping with events, then our PTA is the place to be. Please come along and meet the team!

Weekly Update Friday 13th September

Fri 13 Sep 2024

We had a little bit of sunshine this week, which made all the difference to how much we could get outside in our lesson time! The children have had a great week. It was lovely to welcome the children in Year R to a whole day, and they have been loving their school lunches! Please remember we are a nut free school, so please do not put any nut products in lunchboxes, and we would suggest 4 items (5 at a push) for children if bringing a packed lunch, as otherwise they find it too overwhelming. Children can bring a sealed carton of juice/squash at lunchtime if they wish (not fizzy).

We have been asked by parents about our policy of giving sweets and cakes for special occasions. Sadly we are unable to give items out, due to the amount of allergies in class, and ask that treats are given out at birthday parties instead.

Year 1 and 2 had their Welcome meetings, which were very well attended, and the children were really proud to show their new classes to their parents. Remember that each year group has their own email, should you wish to get in touch, which are answered in the school week. You will be pleased to know that as of today, we are able to use our email again. It has caused us quite a few issues, but we are all back to normal now.

We have started to see a few large bows of different colours coming into school. Please can we keep hair decorations to a minimum and in school colours. We also ask that all shoulder length hair is tied back. We had a mainly headlice free year last year, and would like for this to continue (which I am sure you want to support!).

Over the last couple of weeks, some children have had some nasty trips and bangs when being allowed to run ahead. We do ask that children walk with their parents at this time, due to their safety and the safety of others, as it is so busy. We also do not allow bikes/scooters past the gates, or hot drinks for this reason too. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Some of you may have seen me out at drop off time this week, reminding people of the highway code regarding parking on school zigzags and double yellows. We have passed our concerns and the concerns of several of the residents who have telephoned or come in person to complain, to the police and council. The markings are there to enable all children to travel to school and cross the road safely. Please read the law below:

You'll see time plates on poles near the zig-zag road markings, typically 8-9am and 3-4.30pm, though these timings may vary. The Highway Code states: “You MUST NOT wait or park, or stop to set down and pick up passengers, on school entrance markings.” (Highway Code rule 238, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.)

The Highway code applies at both drop off and pick up. The following applies to Blue Badge Holders:

The Blue Badge is not a licence to park anywhere. If you park where it would cause an obstruction or danger to other road users you could be fined or receive a Penalty Charge Notice or have your vehicle removed.

Do not park where it would endanger, inconvenience or obstruct pedestrians or other road users. Examples of dangerous or obstructive parking include the following, although there are others:

school entrances, bus stops, on a bend, or near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
parking opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
The Blue Badge scheme: rights and responsibilities in England

Updated 9 July 2020

Please do not endanger our children because of convenience, weather or in a rush. We have safe parking spaces in Hoe Road, Jubilee and Town, with a short walk to school if you have to bring a car.

This seems like a negative to end this weeks update, however we have had so many resident and parents' complaints re parking and driving over the last few weeks, it has been necessary to mention. I would like to finish on a positive and say that all the children have been lovely to teach since we have come back and their smiles have been enormous when I am walking around the school and seeing their learning. They have had a little introduction to their next projects in Key Stage 1 and are raring to go!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend in the sunshine (at last!)

Mrs Riches

Headteacher

Open Day for September 2025 Year R

Wed 11 Sep 2024

Parking

Mon 09 Sep 2024

Dear Parents and Carers

We have had a very upset resident come to our school today regarding the conduct of parents attending our school and the juniors. There has been damage to property outside of the house and parents are parking in private areas, including blocking garages. Living near a school poses its own problems with an increase in traffic during term time, and I think many parents would be upset if this was happening in their street.

Please can all parents park considerately and legally outside our school when picking up and dropping off children. All infant children need to be walked to their classroom door, meaning there are a lot of parents arriving at our school at these times. The double yellow lines and zigzags are there as part of safety measures to enable children to walk to school safely.

I will be passing on the resident's concerns to the parish council, police and local traffic wardens.

Kind regards

Mrs Riches

Weekly Update Friday 6th September

Thu 05 Sep 2024

We have had a lovely first week back together this week, with lots going on in our classrooms. Year 1's start of the year project in 'Knowing me, Knowing you', where they have been getting to know each other, and practise what they know, and making decisions about their learning space, including their class charter. Miss Daniels-King has had the loveliest start o her teaching career, with the loveliest of children.

Year 2 have been busy with their project of 'We are all in this together', getting ready for their Grand Class Opening. They have also been busy learning about Road Safety, so that they can safely walk to school in the mornings.

Year R finished their home visits this week, then the wait was over and they started school! The two mornings whizzed by and there were lots of happy (and tired) faces. We welcomed Miss Wood to our learning support team and she is working with Year R this year.

We have our Welcome to Year 1 and 2 meetings next week, and after each meeting there will be the Grand Opening of their classrooms. Clever Chefs will be available to talk to before the meetings n the hall. I will be posting pictures of every lunch for every day of the 3 week cycle, so that you can see the amazing lunches we are having. All vegetables (bar peas and sweetcorn) are prepped by our Chef Gaby, and the smells wafting from our kitchen is making our mouths water all day! The children have unanimously said they love the food when I have sat having my dinner with them in the hall. Remember all infant children receive a hot lunch every day completely free, and with 4 things to choose from, our children are really lucky at BWIS.

Bishops Waltham Football School came to talk to Year 1 parents this week and will be in the Turning Circle again next Thursday, to talk to Year R parents. It runs on a Saturday morning and Priory Park and is a great fitness/skills club for 4-6 year olds to join. Come and talk to them on Thursday afternoon , if you are interested.

Governor Space

We have a Parent Governor space on our Governing Body. If you think you have the time to commit to the role, please look out for the paperwork being sent out by the office next week. This will be sent via Arbor, so check your junk emails too, in case it has slipped in there.

School Absence

If your child is not going to be in school, you must inform the office as soon as possible by using our message option via telephone. Please do not email in, as often unknown emails are sent to our junk folders, and the message can be missed. At 9.30, office staff will be making calls to all parents if they have not contacted us, as part of our safeguarding procedures. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Keeping everybody in the loop

Every Friday, your Year Group will send out an email with weekly round ups, and a 'what's coming up' section. Please have a look for these on a Friday to keep up to date. I will also write a whole school weekly update on this section, often with links to other parts of our website to read. Please talk about it with other parents, to make sure everyone has seen this. At the end of each month, there will be a newsletter sent from school too. This year these will be in an electronic format only. A copy will also be put on the website.

Special Mentions Book and Achievements Book

Please remember we have two books to write/send pictures into to celebrate what your child has done at home. Our special mentions book is for day to day achievements, to say thankyou etc. Our achievements book is for pictures of certificates/children and what they achieved. Children love having their name read out in our special mentions assembly on a Friday, so please send some in!

Open Morning for Year R 2025

We will be having an open morning for parents getting ready to choose their school in 2025. It is on Wednesday 27th September, and there are two slots to book on: 9.30 and 11 am. Please call the school office to secure a place, if you would like to come.

We hope that as parents, you have had a great start back too. Please remember we are here to help and if you have any worries, contact the office, or the Year Team via the email addresses, which we answer during school time. Thank you for bearing with us this week, whilst our email system has been down! You have all been very understanding.

Wishing you a lovely weekend

Mrs Riches

Another day, another yummy lunch!

Thu 05 Sep 2024

Today we had meatballs as our main dinner with garlic bread and salad. Another great day of yummy homecooked food with Clever Chef. All sauces are made from scratch with fresh ingredients. They were very filling and the children were finishing their plates!

What a lovely roast dinner!

Wed 04 Sep 2024

We had our first carvery roast with Clever Chefs today and what a treat it was! Carrots, savoy cabbage, parsnips, roast potatoes and carved turkey with yummy gravy. The plates were full of delicious food. We also had salad and bread on the tables to choose from, a jacket potato or pasta choice. Mrs Moth tried the cauliflower cheese roast and said it was delicious too. Thank you to Clever Chefs and our kitchen for making one of the tastiest roast dinners I have ever had for school lunch.

First day back for Year 1 and 2

Tue 03 Sep 2024

We have had a lovely first day back with Year 1 and 2 today. They all looked super smart and have been telling us all about their summer holidays. We had our first day of new lunches with Clever Chef. The sausages were very tasty and our jacket potato and pasta children said they were really tasty too!

Please can everyone remember that if they are bringing in a packet lunch, that it cannot contain nuts of any kind. We are a nut free school due to the severe allergies some of our children suffer from.

Clever Chefs will be around to talk to parents of Year 1 and 2 children on the before the welcome meetings next week, if anyone has any questions.

Year 2 Welcome Meeting 12/9/2024 9am

Year 1 Welcome Meeting 13/9/2024 9am

Best wishes

Mrs Riches