Important Updates
Important Note:
This is a text only webpage that can be used to easily translate important updates for those whose first language is not English.
Weekly Newsletter - 3rd February 2023
It has been a challenging week for schools and teachers across the country and some of our staff had to make some difficult decisions but we were pleased to be able to stay open on Wednesday. This could change on the next strike days and we will keep you informed and hope you understand the decisions we make.
Worship – Our current theme is 'courage' and this week we have been thinking about the positive words we can say to people to encourage them to be brave and face challenges that may come their way.
What we are doing to make things better - We are currently converting an unused cloakroom into a worship and reflection room. This will provide us a comfortable space for small group work and somewhere for children and staff to have some quiet time if needed.
Halal Dinner Option – If you would like your child to be added or withdrawn from the Halal menus, please see Mrs Busby in the office by Thursday 9th February. The changes can only take place at the beginning of each half term. Please remember that if your child has Halal, they cannot chose another option on the days Halal is served as this is planned in advance by the kitchen.
Uniform - We would like to remind you that we collect good quality used uniform so we can offer it to other children who may need items of uniform. If you have any, uniform that is still in good condition that you no longer need please donate it to school so we can pass it on to someone else.
There are also uniform exchanges around Leeds if you need help, please see our website for details.
If you need help with uniform please ask Miss Lawson or Mrs Wainwright and we will be happy to help.
Headlice - Head Lice are a common problem in school aged children. They cannot be prevented, but regular checking ensures early detection and treatment if necessary. Parents and carers should check their children’s head once a week during hair washing. You need your usual shampoo, conditioner, and a detection comb – ask your local pharmacist to recommend a suitable one. Remember that you are looking for living moving lice, which is the only evidence that your child is infected. If you find a living louse, sellotape it to a piece of light coloured paper and take it to your local pharmacy (Leeds only) who will advise you and can provide free Hedrin lotion under the Pharmacy First Minor Ailments Scheme. Combs are available from the office.
Congratulations – An athletics star of the future! We are extremely proud of Mikael from Year 5. He came first in the 50 x 2 with a record of 8.1 for Leeds City AC U13 on Wednesday 25th January 2023.
Something Mrs Wainwright has enjoyed this week was seeing the models some of the Reception children had made. It was a bit scary at first seeing the tigers come into my office.
Headteachers Awards – Well done to the children who have had a great week in school. The teachers in school have decided these children have worked particularly hard this week and should receive a special mention and certificate, presented on a Friday afternoon in our assembly. Well done!
- Class 1 Jackson
- Class 2 Mussa
- Class 3 Karolina
- Class 4 Arman
- Class 5 Saiar
- Class 6 Hugo
- Class 7 Aahil
- Class 8 Christian
- Class 9 Kashika
- Class 10 Dawid
- Class 11 Sofia
- Class 12 Gracious
- Class 13 Anthony
- Class 14 Zunairah
- Class 15 Teagan
- Class 16 Amelia
- Class 17 Samuel Os
Best Classes in School - These classes worked well this week and together earned the most points for their work and behaviour.
- KS1 – Class 4
- KS2 – Class 15
Attendance Winners this week:
- KS1 - Class 3 – 98.3%
- KS2 – Class 10 – 97.6%
Whole School Attendance for last week:
- Nursery: 87.5%
- Reception to Year 6: 94.7%
Weekly Round Up
Reception – This week in Reception, we have been using mathematical language such as long, tall, short, big and small when comparing and measuring different objects. We have used cubes to measure and explain how we know which object is the tallest. We enjoyed drawing round our feet and measuring them although it tickled a bit! We have spent lots of time this week talking about how to be a good friend. We enjoyed listening to the story Rainbow Fish and have added some shiny glittery scales to our playdough.
Year 1 & 2 – We would like to politely remind parents/carers about the importance of making sure children come to school prepared for the day. Each morning children need to bring their reading book, yellow record, pink spelling book and any homework they need to hand in. children receive Maths homework every Monday that is due in by Friday or earlier if completed. Please only complete 1 page each week. We have had a very busy week in school. Classes 3, 4 and 5 really enjoyed their visit from a Polar Explorer! They asked many interesting questions and will be using what they have learnt to do in some fantastic writing in English. Children in classes 6 and 7 have looked at how Muslim families welcome new babies in RE and have shown different customs on a poster. Next week classes 6 and 7 will be enjoying their Great fire of London Day on Monday. The children are excited.
Year 3 & 4 –This week, we have enjoyed reading the poem 'The coming of the Iron Man' by Brenda Williams. It is a poetry version of the first chapter of the Iron Man, which we have really enjoyed reading over this half term. In history, we have been looking at Roman towns. We have been using sources of evidence and artefacts to help us learn more about them. In PE, we have been putting together our gymnastics routines. We also had a fun day for number day. Well done to all of the children who dressed up and for helping us raise money for the NSPCC. We took part in lots of fun number based activities over the day.
Year 5 & 6 – Lessons - In English, children have been writing ‘internal monologues’ as a character based on the book they are reading, Skellig. Class 15 asked Mr Needham to listen to some of them – he was very impressed with their writing and with the performances of the monologues. In Math’s, children have been dividing numbers and working on fractions. In Science, children have enjoyed learning about renewable energy.
Trips - Cricket in the Classroom trips have been hugely successful. Thank-you to all the children in Classes 14, 15, 16 and 17 for their enthusiasm and exemplary behaviour when on the visit. Class 13 will be visiting Headingley Stadium on Wednesday 8th February.
School Dates:
- Friday 10th February 2023 - School Closes Half Term at 3.30pm
- Monday 20th February 2023 - School Opens 8.30am
- Friday 31st March 2023 - School Closes Easter Break at 3.30pm
- Monday 17th April 2023 - School Opens 8.30am
- Friday 28th April 2023 - School Closes May Bank Holiday at 3.30pm
- Tuesday 2nd May 2023 - School opens 8.30am
- Friday 26th May 2023 - School Closes at 3.30pm
- Monday 5th June 2023 - School opens 8.30am
- Friday 23rd June 2023 - Training Day- No Children in School
- Friday 21st July 2023 - School Closes Summer Break at 3.30pm
Weekly Newsletter - 26th January 2023
This newsletter is a short one to provide a few updates and reminders. We hope you have a great weekend.
Training day – Children are not in school this Friday. We expect to see all the children on Monday 30th January – see our challenge below
Industrial action – We are still hoping to be fully open on February 1st, the first day of industrial action. This may change and we will keep you informed. We will update you on the other days when we can.
Number Day – We will be holding Number Day on Friday 3rd February. Children can wear their own clothes, preferably something with a number on. We are asking for donations of £1, which will go to the NSPCC. On the day, children will be completing some fun number based activities in classes. For KS2, there will also be a Times Table Rockstars competition running from Monday 30th January until Friday 3rd February. There will be prizes for individuals with the highest scores from the week, so please encourage children to practice these at home.
Attendance Challenge – We are setting all the children a target of being in school every day for the last two weeks of this half term. We aim to have the best two weeks attendance since September. For every child who meets this target we will award them 100 Trackit points and they will be entered into a raffle. We are aiming high because children need to be in school to achieve and we think the children can meet this target. Please support your children and the school and help us with this.
School Dates
- Friday 27th January 2023 Training Day – No Children in School
- Friday 10th February 2023 School Closes Half Term at 3.30pm
- Monday 20th February 2023 School Opens 8.30am
- Friday 31st March 2023 School Closes Easter Break at 3.30pm
- Monday 17th April 2023 School Opens 8.30am
- Friday 28th April 2023 School Closes May Bank Holiday at 3.30pm
- Tuesday 2nd May 2023 School opens 8.30am
- Friday 26th May 2023 School Closes at 3.30pm
- Monday 5th June 2023 School opens 8.30am
- Friday 23rd June 2023 Training Day- No Children in School
- Friday 21st July 2023 School Closes Summer Break at 3.30pm
Weekly Newsletter - 20th January 2023
Something Mrs Wainwright has enjoyed this week was seeing the children riding their bikes in the playground. They were so excited and it is a fantastic skill to learn.
Worship – Our current theme is Generosity and this week we have been looking at courageous people including those from our bible story, Joseph, Benjamin, Jacob and Rahab.
What we are doing to make things better - We have opened the library bus, which gives children a place to read if they want to at break times. This will be used more and more in the future by different children.
Industrial Action – As you will be aware the NEU, one of the teaching unions has voted to strike over the next few months. We are currently looking at how this will affect us at St Barts and whether we will be able to keep every class open. Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm yet whether we will need to close any classes but we will keep you updated and will let you know as soon as we can. We appreciate this is a difficult time and you will be worried about work and childcare, if you have any questions please see Mrs Wainwright.
Safety Alert – We would like to remind you about the expectations around jewellery, in particularly earrings. If your child wears earrings, we ask that for school, they are small studs. In PE if your child cannot remove them themselves, we will use tape to cover them. If you could remove them in the morning on PE days that would be ideal. There has been an incident in a Leeds school recently where a child’s ear was badly injured during a PE lesson when her earring was caught and her ear ripped.
We ask children do not come to school with necklaces/bracelets at all. These can often get broken or lost and are best kept safe at home. If they do we will ask them to take them off and they will be kept until the end of the day when they will be returned.
In PE, we will also ask that children tie up long hair, spare hair bands will be provided if needed. Again, this is for their safety. Tying hair up is also a good way to limit the chance of your child catching head lice, which can be a problem in schools.
Punctuality – The traffic around school is very busy at the moment, this is due to the roadworks in the local area, including the major work at Armley Gyratory. The weather at this time of year can also add to the problem. We ask that you account for this when travelling to school, this is important in the morning to make sure your child is not late for class and at the end of the day, including after school club. As you can appreciate, when parents are late to collect their children the staff are then late, and this can mean they are late collecting their own children or miss appointments. We would really appreciate your support with this. Thank you
Number Day - Friday 3rd February - We will be celebrating number day on Friday 3rd February. We will be doing lots of fun Maths activities in school. The day will be a non-uniform day and we are asking children to wear something with a number on if they have anything! We are also asking for a £1 donation that will go to the NSPCC.
Headteachers Awards – Well done to the children who have had a great week in school.
The teachers in school have decided these children have worked particularly hard this week and should receive a special mention and certificate, presented on a Friday afternoon in our assembly. Well done!
- Class 1 Kim
- Class 2 Miley
- Class 3 Trisha
- Class 4 Sara
- Class 5 Sebastian
- Class 6 Rachel
- Class 7 Olivia
- Class 8 Aaila
- Class 9 Phay’zer
- Class 10 Hamza
- Class 11 George
- Class 12 Oscar
- Class 13 Brandon
- Class 14 Aqsa
- Class 15 Teagan
- Class 16 Logan
- Class 17 Samuel
Best Classes in School - These classes worked well this week and together earned the most points for their work and behaviour.
- KS1 – Class 3
- KS2 – Class 17
Attendance Winners this week:
- KS1 - Class 6- 98.2%
- KS2 – Class 15 – 99.6%
Whole School Attendance for last week:
- Nursery: 88.4%
- Reception to Year 6: 94.9%
Weekly Round Up
Nursery - The children love seeing what Jack Frost has been doing in our playground, turning everything white and making the grass crunchy. We have been on ice hunts, finding it in the tyres and the tuff trays. They all agreed the ice was freezing and that it made their hands very cold and they could not hold it for very long before their hands were freezing and red. We are still learning lots about penguins and have learnt this week about some penguins that do not live in the Antarctic but in the Falklands. There are five types of penguins there and we loved watching the Rock hopper Penguins who hop nimbly from one rock to another and have nests to live in and where their eggs hatch.
https://falklandsconservation.com/penguins/
Reception – This week in Reception, we have continued to look at different animals. We have been thinking about which animal would make the best pet. We have been looking at where animals live. What they eat and how much exercise they need. The children have been interested in building this week in both the construction area, the box modelling area and outdoors. We would really appreciate any donations of boxes, lids and empty bottles for our models.
Year 1 & 2 – This week children in Year 1 have worked hard to write fact files about the Artic, focusing on interesting facts and the animals that live there. In Art, children have painted penguins in preparation for their sculpture work. In Year 2, children have enjoyed writing a fact file on The Great Fire of London, including features such as headings and subheadings. In Maths, they have explored money, looking at different coins and have added different amounts. We would like to remind parents/carers that children need to wear trainers on PE days and not boots. Thank you to all parents/carers for remembering to send children in their reading books and wordbooks.
Year 3 & 4 –This week, Year 4 have taken part in 'Bikeability' sessions in the playground with the cycling team at Leeds City Council. Some children learned to ride, whilst others improved their skills. In PE lessons, all children have been taking part in fitness classes and gymnastics. In English, we have carried on reading the Iron Man and have been rewriting key parts whilst learning new skills, such as fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases. In Maths, Class 10 have been looking at the method for multiplication. In History, we were amazed when we got the chance to study the oldest surviving note, written in Roman times.
Year 5 & 6 – Lessons - In English, children have enjoyed developing their visualising techniques and investigating how different story starters hook readers. In Art, children have looked at tessellation and enjoyed creating their own tessellation designs. In Math’s, children have looked at place value and related it to decimal places.
Trips - The following dates are when the remaining classes in Years 5 and 6 will be visiting Headingley Stadium to take part in ‘Cricket in the Classroom’:
- Class 16 – Wednesday 25th January
- Class 17 – Wednesday 1st February
- Class 13 – Wednesday 8th February
School Dates:
Friday 27th January 2023 Training day- No children in school
Friday 10th February 2023 School Closes Half Term at 3.30pm
Monday 20th February 2023 School Opens 8.30am
Friday 31st March 2023 School Closes Easter Break at 3.30pm
Monday 17th April 2023 School Opens 8.30am
Friday 28th April 2023 School Closes May Bank Holiday at 3.30pm
Tuesday 2nd May 2023 School opens 8.30am
Friday 26th May 2023 School Closes at 3.30pm
Monday 5th June 2023 School opens 8.30am
Friday 23rd June 2023 Training Day- No Children in School
Friday 21st July 2023 School Closes Summer Break at 3.30pm
Weekly Newsletter - 13th January 2023
PUNCTUALITY: MORNINGS - IT IS VITAL THAT YOUR CHILD ARRIVES TO SCHOOL ON TIME. Lateness affects your child’s learning, wellbeing, and impacts on staff, and other children.
Nursery children must arrive in a morning between 8.30-8.40am. Reception the doors will be closed at 8.50am.
Home Time: Please make sure you pick your children up on time. We are often left with children outside the office after 3.30pm. On occasion things happen and you are late, if this happens please call school and let us know but we do not have spare staff to supervise children whose parents/carers are late on a regular basis. This results in myself or another member of staff having to wait with them and often means we miss important meetings or the office staff having to stay late. Please do not rely on older siblings who are coming from high school if they are unable to make it on time. This is unacceptable so please ensure you have adequate arrangements in place for home time.
Worship: Our current theme is courage
What we are doing to make things better. Last week I met with people from Leeds City Council and we have agreed that work on our school roof will begin this year.
School Dinners: Reminder that all children in Reception, Year 1 & 2 receive universal free school meals, children in Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 maybe entitled to benefit based free school meals if you are in receipt of certain benefits. If you think you may be entitled, please use the link to see how you can apply: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/apply-for-free-school-meals
Why not look on our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook?
Facebook: StBartsLeeds
Twitter: StBartsCofE
Headteachers Awards: Well done to the children who have had a great week in school.
The teachers in school have decided these children have worked particularly hard this week and should receive a special mention and certificate, presented on a Friday afternoon in our assembly. Well done!
- Class 1 Aadam
- Class 2 Ella-Grace
- Class 3 Daniel
- Class 4 Ibrahim
- Class 5 Lenny
- Class 6 Esa
- Class 7 Lamaisah
- Class 8 Jamie
- Class 9 Yomade
- Class 10 Charis
- Class 11 George D
- Class12 Alex
- Class 13 Ikshan
- Class 14 Daria
- Class 15 Zain
- Class 16 Fayyaza
- Class 17 Alex
Best Classes in School - These classes worked well this week and together earned the most points for their work and behaviour.
- KS1: Class 6
- KS2: Class 16
Attendance Winners this week:
- KS1: Class 5 – 99.2%
- KS2: Class 15 – 100%
Whole School Attendance for last week: Nursery: 92.1% Reception to Year 6: 93.8%
Weekly Round Up
Reception – This week has been very exciting! We had a visit from Animal Club on Tuesday and got to touch and hold guinea pigs, rabbits, bearded dragons and even a snake. The children were really careful handling the animals and listened to all the facts about each one. The children worked hard to write some simple words and sentences about their experience. All the staff were very proud of their excellent behaviour! As part of our R.E this week, we have asked the children to share some ways they are helpful at home. We are really enjoying looking at the photos on Learning Journals.
Year 1 & 2: This week the children have begun learning their new topics for this half term. They have started to think about explorers in Year 1 and the Great fire of London in Year 2. Children have learnt about Christopher Columbus and how he was an explorer from the past. They have thought about the positives and negatives with exploring new lands and how the native people would have felt when new people often invaded their home. In Year 2, children have enjoyed reading poetry about The Great Fire of London. They have then created their own poetry using expanded noun phrases.
Year 3 & 4: This week, Years 3 and 4 have enjoyed taking part in a Roman day to start our new history topic. We got the opportunity to dress as Romans for the day, as well as taking part in various activities. We created Roman shields, made wartime formations, learned roman numerals and made mosaics. Please see the website for our exciting photographs. Next week, we will be taking part in our bikeability sessions. Please remember to bring in your bike if you wrote this on the letter. The timetable for the week is as follows:
- Monday - Non-riders
- Tuesday - Class 10
- Wednesday - Class 11
- Thursday - Class 12
We have also had lots of children not bringing in their mathematics homework books. These need to be returned to school on a Friday, as this is when the children mark them and look over the answers. Please note, if your child has lost their book, we ask for a voluntary contribution of £3 to cover the cost of reordering one. It is important that children look after these books.
Year 5 & 6: Lessons - Children have been taking tests this week and they should all be very proud of the effort they have put into them. In Science, children have begun investigating electricity. In Art, children have enjoyed learning about the artist, M C Escher. Trips - Class 15 had an amazing day at Headingley Stadium taking part in the Yorkshire Cricket Club’s ‘Cricket in the Classroom.’ Well done to all the children for demonstrating exemplary behaviour.
The following dates will be when the remaining classes in Years 5 and 6 will be visiting Headingley Stadium:
- Class 14 - Friday 20th January
- Class 16 – Wednesday 25th January
- Class 17 – Wednesday 1st February
- Class 13 – Wednesday 8th February
School Dates:
Friday 27th January 2023 Training day- No children in school
Friday 10th February 2023 School Closes Half Term at 3.30pm
Monday 20th February 2023 School Opens 8.30am
Weekly Newsletter - 6th January 2023
Happy New Year to you and your families.
It is lovely to see the children back at school and we hope this year is a happy and successful one for everyone.
“Excellent attendance is vital for children to flourish and achieve”
Attendance and Punctuality: All children must come to school every day unless too unwell to attend. If your child is absent, it is vital that you inform school. Attendance at school is not only a legal requirement but is essential if children are going to reach their full potential.
Punctuality: Children need to be here on time as every time they are late they miss the start of the day, this can include reading, morning activities and the start of lessons. It can be very upsetting for children to have to walk into a classroom where the lesson has started.
Nursery: We expect children to attend all their sessions. As with the rest of the school, we expect children to be here every day. As we become full, we may have to review your child’s place if they are not attending regularly.
Holidays: You are not legally allowed to take your children on holiday in term time. Absence from school may be authorised if there are exceptional circumstances but these need to be discussed in advance and agreed. There are very few circumstances that school can authorise. If you do take your child out of school for a holiday or visit abroad we will ask for documentation, including proof of when the visit was booked and the tickets. This is something schools are expected to do and is a safeguarding requirement.
You will shortly receive your child’s attendance certificate for last term. We appreciate that there was a high level of illness before Christmas and this resulted in higher levels of absence but we do hope to return to our great attendance of thefirst half term in September. We will be inviting some parents in to school for a meeting where we will discuss any issues affecting your child’s attendance and ways that school can offer support to ensure your children are in school receiving their full education.
We appreciate your support around attendance. We want to work together to ensure that all our children attend school, enjoy their time here and reach their full potential before moving on to the next stage of their education. If you have any questions or if we can help please ask.
Worship: Our new theme is Courage for this half term.
PE T-Shirts: We have a supply of PE T-shirts with the old logo on. These are £1 and can be purchased from the office. We expect all children to wear PE kit on the day they have lessons. This includes a T-shirt, tracksuit bottoms, leggings or shorts and trainers; appropriate footwear if essential.
Baby Clothes: The school has been donated a selection of good quality second hand baby clothes. On Friday 13thJanuary from 8.30am to 9am these will be available free of charge. If you would like to look at what is available please come to the main entrance.
