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Important Note:
This is a text and image only webpage that can be used to easily translate important updates for those whose first language is not English.
Weekly Newsletter - 6th February 2026
“Excellent attendance is vital for children to flourish and achieve”
Something Mrs Wainwright has enjoyed this week was another great day in Class 6, it is lovely to teach again and spend time in class with the children.
Worship – Our current theme is perseverance and this week we reflected on how it is sometimes hard to keep going but we should not give up when things are difficult. We read the story of Jeremiah from the bible and how he did not give up when telling God’s words to the king.
We also reflected on our Big Question, ‘Why is life like a race?’ and how sometimes in life’s journey we have good and bad times but we can get through them and should ask for help if we need it.
We have also discussed our attribute, ‘Resilience’ which goes hand in hand with perseverance.
REMINDERS
- Attendance Raffles – Next Friday we will be having our attendance raffles where children will go into the draw for being in school over 95% this half term, being in school every Friday, being on time every day and finally for being in school all next week (everyone has a chance to win this one). Remember we start again every half term so all children get a fresh start after half term to be in with a chance to win a prize.
- Parent Consultation – These are coming up next half term, see dates at the end of this newsletter. Letters will be sent out after half term and we strongly encourage you to arrange to talk to your child’s teacher to see how they are doing in school, it is also a chance to see some of their work and ask any questions. If you cannot make it in to school we also offer a telephone option.
Pyjama Day - Friday 13th February, will be Pyjama Day in school, when we will be raising funds for Zaruch. Zaruch is a charity which has supported many of our families with beds and bedding. Children can come to school in their pyjamas. We would like to remind parents that children still need to be dressed appropriately for school and in clothing that will keep them warm. Slippers should not be worn. We would like to ask for a donation of £1 and children will also have the opportunity to buy a drink of hot chocolate for 50p and a biscuit.
School Social Media Pages - Our school will no longer be posting on X, as we receive very little engagement from parents or the organisations we work with on this platform.
To ensure our updates continue to reach our community effectively, we will keep sharing news and information regularly on the school website, on Facebook at @stbartsleeds, and on Instagram at @stbartsarmley.
Attendance
We expect all children to be in school every day and on time. 8.30am for Nursery, 12.30pm in the afternoon and by 8.50am for the rest of school. Thank you
Last week’s attendance (26th January – 30th January)
- Nursery: 93.8%
- Reception: 94.7%
- Years 1 to 6: 94.8%
Attendance Winners for last week:
- KS1 – Class 4 – 95.7%
- Years 3 & 4 – Class 9 – 97.6%
- Years 5 & 6 – Class 14- 98.8%
Well done to the best classes:
- KS1 – Class 1
- Years 3 & 4 – Class 7
- Years 5 & 6 – Class 14
Weekly Round Up
Nursery – This week we have continued to focus on 'Polar Bear Polar Bear' story. The children liked guessing what animal a teacher was describing and they had a go themselves in describing an animal. We drew our favourite animals paying attention to features like: ears, necks, patterns, beaks, trunks, tails, etc. The children did really well in drawing their animals. In Maths we measured the animals using stacking cubes, sang number songs and focussed on number two. In arts we painted our animals and made houses for them using junk modelling. In phonics we started to learn about rhyme and continued to clap syllables in our names and new learnt vocabulary.
Reception – This week in Reception we have been learning about the capital city of London. We have been learning all about London landmarks and have worked hard to build our own Big Ben, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace. We have talked about the Royal family and their job. In Maths we have been singing the song ‘5 little men in a flying saucer’ and finding different ways to make 5. We have used double sided counters and dice frames to explore number bonds.
Years 1 & 2 – This week has been a great week in Key Stage 1.
Year 1 children have really impressed their teachers during their phonics assessments and it has been fantastic to see how much progress children have made with their reading. We are really grateful to all parents and carers who encourage their children to read their books at home as many of these children have made more progress than expected. Children have also really enjoyed being Antarctic explorers in the provision areas.
Children in Year 2 have been extremely busy with 2 exciting workshops this week. Firstly, they really enjoyed their Great Fire of London History workshop where they had a visitor called William Petty from 1666 visit their classes to tell them all about what happened to him during the Great Fire. They used their investigation skills to look at different evidence from the past in order to find out about what happened. On Wednesday Year 2 children also had a great time with staff from the NSPCC who delivered workshops about keeping safe and helped the children understand what they can do if they are worried about things.
Years 3 & 4 –This week, Year 3 have enjoyed reading and writing some junkyard poems, inspired by the book 'The Iron Man', which they have enjoyed looking at this half term. In Maths, we have been looking at length and measurement and have been looking at mm, cm and m. In History, we have enjoyed looking at features of Roman towns and have been designing our own. In art, we enjoyed using polystyrene tiles to make prints of Roman coins.
This week, Year 4 have been performing a poem called 'Walking with my Iguana'. We have been looking at what makes a good performance and how we can use our voices and bodies to improve how it is received. In History, we have been looking at the Bronze Age and how it links to the Stone Age. In Science, we have enjoyed looking at the weather, and some classes have completed their absorption investigations after the rain spoiled it last week!
Years 5 & 6 – Lessons - Click on the following links below to catch-up on the latest news in Years 5 & 6:
https://www.st-bartholomews.leeds.sch.uk/blog/category/year-5
https://www.st-bartholomews.leeds.sch.uk/blog/category/year-6
The Deep - Thank you to all the children for their excellent attitude and behaviour during our visits to The Deep.
All five classes had a successful trip and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Pupils will now be using what they learned to inspire work across the curriculum, including projects such as recycled art.
Homework - Homework is set every Monday and must be completed by the following Monday.
Each week, children will be expected to complete:
- Emile homework – tasks set in Grammar, Punctuation and Maths
- Oxford Owl homework – tasks set in Spelling (Spelling homework is released each Monday)
- Reading Plus – children are encouraged to use this at home to further support their reading development
Children who complete all their homework will be rewarded with a longer lunchtime on Friday.
Spring Homework Challenges - Spring Homework Challenges have also been handed out to all children. These activities are linked to our Spring Term topics, and we would love to see children completing some of them at home—independently or with support. Be creative! We are excited to see the wonderful work the children produce. Click the link below to view the Spring Challenges!
https://www.st-bartholomews.leeds.sch.uk/parents/homework
Year 6 SATs Week - Year 6 SATs week will begin on Monday 11th May 2025. It is vital that all children in Year 6 attend school that week. The test timetable will be as follows:
- Monday 11th May: Grammar, punctuation & spelling
- Tuesday 12th May: Reading
- Wednesday 13th May: Arithmetic & Reasoning
- Thursday 14th May: Reasoning
School Dates 2025 -2026:
- Friday 13th February 2026 School Closes at 3.30pm
- Monday 23rd February 2026 School Opens at 8.30am
- Tuesday 17th March 2026 Parent Consultations Nursery to Year 2 Telephone Calls
- Tuesday 17th March 2026 Parent Consultations Year 3 to Year 6 Meetings
- Wednesdays 18th March 2026 Parent consultations Class 8 Telephone Calls
- Thursday 19th March 2026 Parent Consultations Nursery to Year 2 Meetings
- Thursday 19th March 2026 Parent Consultations Year 3 to Year 6 Telephone Calls
- Friday 20th March 2026 Training Day – No Children in School
- Wednesday 25th March 2026 Class 9 Tropical World Trip
- Thursday 26th March 2026 Class 10 Tropical World Trip
- Friday 27th March 2026 Class 11 Tropical World Trip
- Wednesday 1st April 2026 Year 1 Farm Visits
- Thursday 2nd April 2026 Year 1 Farm Visits
- Thursday 2nd April 2026 School Closes at 3.30pm
- Monday 20th April 2026 School Opens at 8.30am
- Monday 4th May 2026 School Closed May Bank Holiday
- Monday 11th May 2026 Year 6 SATs Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling
- Tuesday 12th May 2026 Year 6 SATs Reading
- Wednesday 13th May 2026 Year 6 SATs Arithmetic & Reasoning
- Thursday 14th May 2026 Year 6 SATs Reasoning
- Friday 22nd May 2026 School Closes at 3.30pm
- Monday 1st June 2026 School Opens at 8.30am
- Thursday 4th June 2026 Class 8 Harlow Carr Trip
- Friday 12th June 2026 Training Day – No Children in School
- Monday 15th June 2026 Seaside Visit - Class 5
- Thursday 18th June 2026 Seaside Visit - Class 6
- Friday 19th June 2026 Class 7 Harlow Carr Trip
- Friday 17th July 2026 School Closes at 3.30pm