Please remember to put your child s name on all items of clothing including shoes.

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1 Tel: Fax: we Dear Parents, Carers and Friends, Welcome to the new school year. September 2016 & CHILDCARE CENTRE Work, Play, Fun & Achieve I am delighted to welcome everyone back to school after the summer break. I wish to say a special welcome to the new children who started this week, including all the children who have started in Nursery and Reception. I must say they have settled in very well and the children look really smart in their school uniform. Please remember to put your child s name on all items of clothing including shoes. Please remember all children should have natural coloured, neat hairstyles only. There should be no shapes shaved into the hair or tram lines. Long hair should be tied back. Staffing We would like to welcome Miss Marshall who is our new P.E. Apprentice, she will be based in the Year 3 class but will be working throughout school. Michael Owens will be taking on a new role in school as Family Support Officer and Mr Bain will be taking over as Learning Mentor. School Refurbishment I am sure you will agree that the school is looking wonderful. Many areas of the school have been redecorated over the summer and the school is looking clean and fresh. Forest School As you will have noticed we are in the process of developing the bottom of the field adjacent to the Lanercost entrance. This area is to be our Forest School. We have had an outside classroom erected with storage shed and sheltered area. We will be taking groups of children outside to explore at their own pace and they will be encouraged to take part and do activities such as planting vegetables/seeds in the allotment area and helping to make a bug house. This will be an on- going project and we are hoping to continue to add to it. We are all very excited as we believe children gain so much from learning in the outdoor environment. Early Years will be taught in Forest school 3 sessions per week. We will provide your child with waterproof clothing and wellies to be worn in Forest school. If you would prefer your child to use their own wellies please label them clearly. Snow Dog We have been informed that our Snow Dog will have pride of place at Sunderland Empire Cinema. Our creation will be available to view from 19 th September until 29 th November. Play Equipment

2 Please be aware that none of our play equipment i.e. Adventure Trail, Tree House, Tower etc. Forest School should be accessed by pupils at any time without adult supervision. For Health and Safety reasons please ensure you supervise your child on the equipment before and after school. Thank you for your support. Community Assembly Our Community Assembly will commence on Monday 12 th September at 9.00 a.m. Parents/carers are invited to join us when we share all the wonderful things that the children have done throughout the week. Please enter through the old Out of School Club entrance. House Points System The school operates a House Points System. During the course of this week new children will be informed which house they have been chosen to represent i.e. St. Aidan, St. Cuthbert, St. Hilde and St Bede. The children can earn points for their house for various achievements throughout the school day, i.e. art, design, P.E., handwriting; in fact anything that a member of staff believes warrants a point. It could be for demonstrating good manners i.e. holding the door open for a member of staff, or if you believe your child has done something at home which deserves a reward please inform us. Weekly totals will be shared at the Community Assembly culminating in a special end of year winner s trophy. Car Parking/Dropping off children Please be considerate of local residents and for the safety of the children crossing the road by parking in only designated areas. Thank you for your support in this matter. Pupil Absences Please remember that any pupil absence must be reported to the school office before 9.15 a.m. on the first morning of the absence. On return to school a note should be brought explaining the absence for our records. Lateness is going to be monitored closely this term please ensure your child is on the yard every morning for 8.55 a.m. Emergency Contact Information Can all parents/carers ensure that the school has emergency contact information for your child. As mobile telephone numbers often change frequently please remember to change the details with the office staff. I cannot stress enough the importance of this procedure because if your child becomes ill or has an accident and we cannot get hold of anyone it often distresses the child further. Pupil Premium Wessington Primary will receive a Pupil Premium payment of 1,300 for your child (5 to 11 year olds) if you have an income that does not exceed 16,190 or if you qualify for one of the following benefits. Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed 16,190 Guarantee element of Pension Credit

3 Wessington Primary will receive Early Years Pupil Premium (3 and 4 year olds) of for your child if you have an income that does not exceed 16,190 or if you qualify for one of the following benefits. Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed 16,190 Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit Universal Credit In order to help Wessington Primary to access this vital funding we are asking for your help in identifying whether your son or daughter would be eligible for Pupil Premium. This can be achieved by obtaining a form from the school office. All assessments will be carried out by Sunderland City Council on behalf of the school. If you choose not to provide this information this does not remove your child s entitlement to a free school meal. The Council will contact you directly should a change in circumstances be identified which would require you to re-submit to the eligibility check for free school meals at that time. School Meals A half term s notice is required for anyone moving to packed lunches as staff and food orders may have to be changed. Please note that the price of school meals are 10 per week. Payment for dinners should be made on Monday mornings by cash or cheque. You are cordially reminded that no change is given for school dinners which means any overpayment will be credited the following week. If you wish to pay by cheque you must first register your cheque guarantee card with Mrs Forster at the school office. Internet Payments Please remember you can pay for school dinners and childcare fees online through the City of Sunderland website. I am sure you will appreciate that this system will save parents/carers from carrying large sums of money around and it means you can pay fees in the comfort of your own home. Please follow the instructions below: Click on the Pay for it tab in the green box to the right of the screen Select Schools Miscellaneous Income Select Wessington Primary School Select either School Meals/Daycare. Please fill in all the details of the payment you wish to make and just follow the screens. Once you have authorised the payment a confirmation will be sent to us and we will update your account asap. Please contact Mrs Sykes in school if anyone has any queries regarding this.

4 P.E. Physical Exercise is a compulsory lesson in school and this includes swimming lessons. Children need to have a P.E. kit in school for every lesson. At present Y4 will be swimming on a Wednesday and Y5 will be swimming on Tuesdays. It is a good idea to have a named P.E. kit in a named bag that is brought to school at the beginning of the half term and left hanging in the cloakroom until the end of the half term when it can be taken home to be washed. Children must bring a P.E. kit of white T-shirt and black shorts and plimsolls or trainers to change into. School Diary Dates A school holiday list is attached for your information. Inset days for 2016/17 are marked with a circle; please make a note in your diary Website Please check out our updated website on We will be uploading information on to the site regularly. I thank you for your support and we all look forward to another successful year at Wessington. Yours sincerely Mrs A Young Headteacher

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