Dear Parents and Carers, 

Our teaching teams have made a fantastic start to the term, introducing their new topics with great enthusiasm. They have spent time thinking carefully about the needs of the children in their classes and have planned some wonderful learning sequences. Please do keep an eye on the JTLYK pages each week so you can support your child at home. It’s always easier to start a conversation with “I see you’ve been learning about…” rather than “What did you do today?” 

Our new assembly series has also begun. This term, we are focusing on two key New Testament passages that encourage us to live as God intended. From Ephesians 6, we are exploring the idea of putting on the full armour of God to face life’s challenges. Alongside this, each week we will look at a different “fruit” to help us reflect on what living life to the full means, drawing on the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Linking the fruit of the Spirit to a real fruit each week also gives us an opportunity to think about being healthy in body, mind and soul. On that note, a quick reminder of our healthy snack expectations: we are a nut‑free school, we ask children to avoid sugary snacks and plastic wrappers where possible, and we encourage healthy choices throughout the day. 

It’s not just new classroom topics and assemblies that have launched this term—we are delighted to once again offer such a wide range of extra‑curricular clubs. The choice is incredible, and we feel very lucky to be able to provide so many opportunities. New additions this term include MTech (music technology) and Taekwondo at the Juniors, as well as Bible Stories at the Infants. Please do explore the club list with your child(ren) and encourage them to try something new. 

Our sports fixtures have also begun, although some outdoor events may be affected by the weather forecast. A quick reminder that jewellery should not be worn at school. If your child wears earings, they must not be worn for PE lessons or fixtures. To avoid any precious items being lost in school, it’s best not to wear these at all on PE or sports days. Thank you for your support with this. 

On Thursday, a group of our Year 6 children took part in an exciting VEX Robotics competition alongside pupils from several local schools. After months of designing, building and coding their own robots, the teams put their creations to the test in this year’s challenge, Rapid Relay. The children showcased fantastic teamwork and enthusiasm as they controlled their robots to complete tasks and score points on the competition field. Danni will be offering some lunch time slots to the rest of the school to come and try out using the robots in preparation for next year's game and competition.  

I hope the Spring Term dates list, circulated yesterday, is useful as you plan ahead. 

Best wishes 

Vicky 

Thought of the week: Strawberry “Be real. Do you know who you really are?”