Thank you to all the parents who so quickly completed the 2 forms sent out last week. These forms are just so that we are all set up and ready should any bubbles need to close for a short period of time. It is so much easier if we have everything in place to ensure a seamless transition. If you have any questions, please do contact us.
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Absence
A reminder and thank you to those of you using our dedicated absence email (absence@barnes.richmond.sch.uk) to keep us informed about your child when they are absent from school. This account is monitored by the front of house admin team, enabling them to update registers and ensure that the teaching staff are aware of the reason for the absence. We then look forward to seeing your child as soon as they are fit and well and able to return to school. The admin team will only call you back if they need some further clarity or if they have a message for you.
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Visitor Information
In accordance with advice from Public Health England and Achieving for Children we are limiting access to the school site to essential visitors only. Please read the attached information sheet for more details.
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School lunches
School lunch charges will be on your SIMS Pay account by the end of this week. Please check your accounts to make payment. The current cost of a school meal per day is £2.45 for Nursery and £2.55 for KS2.
Please note that should your child wish to move from a cooked school meal to packed lunch, or vice versa, changes must be submitted prior to the half term break by emailing the relevant key stage office.
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Individual photographs
Next week all individual photographs will be taken. Please ensure that your child arrives smartly dressed and in full uniform on the day of their photographs. The photographs will be available for you to purchase shortly after half term.
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Music at Barnes
All four music concerts have now been uploaded onto our website. Please take a moment to watch these with your child. The performances are very impressive and demonstrate the love of music that is so evident across the school.
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Parent Govenor Election
Having first initiated the process for the election of a new Parent Governor to the school’s governing body during the Spring term, prior to Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown period, we will shortly be progressing with the process; the two candidates for whom we received nominations have confirmed their continued intention to stand.
Next week’s newsletter will outline the voting timeline, with information also being sent via SIMS InTouch and uploaded to the school website. Please use this advance notification as an opportunity to check that you are fully engaged/email linked and receiving home-school communication via the new portal - this will ensure that all those eligible to vote (parents and carers) are picked up for mail merge purposes.
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Harvest Festival
This year, the Harvest Festival will take place as an assembly led by Y5 pupils. The assembly will be filmed and will be available to watch in the final week of this half term (week commencing 19th October). As in previous years, we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Barnes food bank. Items that are in particular short supply are: tins of spaghetti in sauce, pasta sauces and cooking sauces, vegetables (NOT sweetcorn or chickpeas!), vegetarian/ ratatouille, fruit, rice pudding, custard, mashed potato (packet). Biscuits, microwave puddings, pasta/rice/noodles, tea, coffee, fruit juice, squash, UHT milk, ketchup, jams, marmite etc. Any type of cereal, toiletries, toothbrushes/paste. Children will need to bring items in to their classroom where they will be stored in a box for at least 72 hours before being collected and taken to the food bank. Please could all food items be brought in by Friday 23rd October.
We will also be collecting for Rusuzumiro. As we are still waiting to hear from our partner school what their immediate development priorities are, we will update you with more details in next week’s newsletter.
Thank you for your support with this.
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Keeping your child safe online for devices that are not owned by the School
At school all technology is covered by LGFL web filtering. At home parents are responsible for ensuring they have filtering (and monitoring) for devices the children are using. Please remember that once a child has seen an image or website that is appropriate, they can never unsee it. Prevention is key here.
"Over the past few years all of the country’s largest ISPs (BT, Virgin Media, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk etc) under pressure from the Government, have introduced new network-level filtering systems that can optionally be enabled by subscribers. Some providers, such as Sky Broadband, even enable these by default."
Please take the time to check that you have the necessary controls in place on all devices. We have detailed information on our school website to support you with this. Please follow this link for further details.
In addition, these sites have a step by step video guide for the major broadband parental controls. These can also be found on the e-safety page of our website.
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/
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After half term, as we approach Christmas, we will include QR codes with instructions for setting up parental restrictions on all major electronic gifts so that these can be in place before a present is opened by a child. Please do your part to ensure that your child is safe.
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Design and Technology Week competition reminder
Linking with this year’s theme on innovation and inspired by the wonderful daisy chain project that Saffron did earlier this year, we have started a competition focused on keeping people connected. We would like the children to design a product that could help keep people connected during these usual times. For example, it could be a badge that says ‘in this together’ or a new app or gadget.
Entries will be added to a book and slides with entries will be shown on the screens at reception. If your child would like to enter, please add your designs to one PowerPoint slide and email them to wbeadon@barnes.richmond.sch.uk.
Here are a two very innovative entries from Eloise and Arabella in Year 2.
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Bronze is Back for 2020 – Citizenship Awards
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After two successful years, the Barnes Citizenship Awards are back again for pupils in Upper Key Stage 2. These awards focus on the citizenship element of our Personal Development curriculum where children develop their understanding of themselves as part of a community. Our school values, however, underpin the ethos of these awards - especially integrity, empathy and personal responsibility. Through making the right decisions in class, in the playground and around the school, pupils in UKS2 appreciate they are demonstrating respect and kindness towards their community.
There are three levels to this award:
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BRONZE (within the class setting);
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SILVER (within the phase, key stage or school setting);
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GOLD (within the wider community).
The purpose of the awards are:
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to recognise and acknowledge the active role pupils play in the life of the school and the wider community;
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to encourage children to make positive choices which will benefit their class, school and community;
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to encourage children to become responsible, informed and active members of their class, school and wider community;
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to encourage children to learn about aspects of citizenship education including: topical issues, rule and law-making, democracy, human rights and diversity.
In class, through film and discussion, pupils have considered what it means to be a good citizen within their community and school setting. The award scheme has also been introduced to all Upper Key Stage 2 pupils in class assemblies and the BRONZE award criteria are in the back of reading journals. Children can gain the BRONZE award at any point during the school year and everyone should be able to achieve this. Once the BRONZE award has been achieved, children can then start to work towards their SILVER award. More details about this award will be in a newsletter after half term.
Please do take some time to have a look at the criteria with your child. Teachers will be assessing children’s progress against the criteria on a regular basis and the first BRONZE badges will undoubtedly be awarded before half term.
The criteria for the BRONZE award are as follows:
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I am well presented and wear the correct school uniform
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I look after my belongings, including my sweatshirt, PE kit and cloakroom peg
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I arrive at school punctually
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I take care with my hand washing and sanitising and show respect when people want to distance
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I hand in my reading journal and home learning punctually and have completed it as requested
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I frequently go the extra mile with my reading journal
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I frequently go the extra mile with my home learning
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I actively involve myself with paired and whole-class learning
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I put myself forward for pupil council
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I make healthy food choices for break and lunch
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I play co-operatively at break and lunch and line up well
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I demonstrate good behaviours with all my teachers
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I take part in a school club before, during or after school
We are very much looking forward to awarding the first Bronze badges.
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Certificate winners for last week
Wilbur |
1L |
Milo |
1M |
Lila |
2D |
Leia |
2B |
Josh |
3B |
Yasmine |
3S |
Clemence |
4G |
Emilia |
4K |
Raphael |
5W |
Juno |
5B |
Helena |
6R |
Siobhan |
6PW |
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