5th October 2018 Dear Parents and Carers, This week myself and the Senior Leadership Team have had the pleasure of carrying out learning walks across the school. It has been great to observe the excellent teaching and learning that is happening across the school and how inclusive the learning is, ensuring the curriculum is differentiated for all.

Below are the results of the autumn questionnaire. We only had 55 responses, which have been shared with Senior Leaders, staff and governors. We have already started to put together an action on plan on how we can address key areas identified.

Autumn Questionnaire 2018 – 55 Parent Responses

My child is happy at Eversley Primary School

Strongly Agree 56%

Agree

40%

Disagree

0%

Strongly Disagree

2%

Don’t know

2%

96%

My child feels safe at Eversley Primary School

Strongly Agree 47%

Agree

43%

Disagree

4%

Strongly Disagree

2%

Don’t know

4%

90%

My child makes good progress at Eversley Primary School

Strongly Agree 29%

Agree

56%

Disagree

4%

Strongly Disagree

7%

Don’t know

4%

85%

My child is taught well at Eversley Primary School

Strongly Agree 38%

Agree

42%

Disagree

13%

Strongly Disagree

0%

Don’t know

7%

80%

My child receives appropriate homework for their age

Strongly Agree 20%

Agree

49%

Disagree

20%

Strongly Disagree

9%

Don’t know

2%

69%

Eversley Primary School makes sure its pupils are well behaved

Strongly Agree 27%

Agree

44%

Disagree

18%

Strongly Disagree

0%

Don’t know

11%

71%

Eversley Primary School deals effectively with bullying

Strongly Agree 11%

Agree

16%

Disagree

31%

Strongly Disagree

2%

Don’t know

40%

27%

Eversley Primary School is well led and managed

Strongly Agree 36%

Agree

42%

Disagree

13%

Strongly Disagree

7%

Don’t know

2%

78%

Eversley Primary School responds well to any concern I raise

Strongly Agree 36%

Agree

36%

Disagree

18%

Strongly Disagree

7%

Don’t know

4%

72%

I receive valuable information from the school about my child’s progress

Strongly Agree 20%

Agree

40%

Disagree

31%

Strongly Disagree

7%

Don’t know

2%

60%

I would recommend this school to a friend

Yes

No

87% 13%

Thank you to the parents/carers who wrote additional comments. We have already actioned a few of these including:

End of day collections

Coffee mornings

Communication

End of day collections Parents/carers were concerned about the end of day collection of children, especially in Key Stage 2. Today we will be sending out new “Collection Form”, that you will need to complete and send back before the start of next term. Teachers will bring out all forms daily, so that they have the correct information about any new adult collecting your child/children. At the start of next term the classes in KS2 will be spread out and cones with the class names on, which will help you identify the pickup point. All adults will be wearing a red coat, so that you are able to identify who the teacher is. This will start after October half term, which allows us time to get all the information back. Coffee Mornings & Parent Reps Some parents felt that they hadn’t had the opportunity to meet me, so I will be holding coffee mornings next week and a ‘Meet and Greet’ evening, during both parent/carer consultation evenings for working parents/carers who are not able to get to the school during the day.

In some schools they have ‘Parent/Carer Reps’ which I think would be a great idea. If as a class you decide on a parent/carer who you would like to meet with me monthly basis to discuss your views, ideas and ways forward. Please email me the name of the parent/carer who will be representing your class.

Good Luck! Mrs Claire Knight will be leaving us today for a short time, while she goes on maternity leave. I am sure you would all like to wish her the best of luck, as she prepares for the next exciting chapter of her life. Have a lovely weekend. Best wishes,

Samantha Williams Headteacher

Safeguarding E-Safety Please remember that there are many ways we can support young children when using online resources. We want young children to use the internet in a well-supported and safe way. They need to be SMART:

Safe: Don’t give your personal information out, such as email, home address or school name.

Meet: Meeting someone in real life that you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission.

Accepting: Accepting emails, messages or opening files, images or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems.

Reliable: Someone online might lie about who they are. Information on the internet may not be true. Always check information by looking at other websites, in books, or as someone who knows.

Tell: Tell a parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone, or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online

This month’s value is TruTh What the White Chrysanthemum Means: White chrysanthemums are seen as the symbols of truth and purity. In Victorian times, if you ever wanted to find out the truth, you just gave this flower to the person you asked the question and he or she would have to confess the truth to you. The simple act of putting white chrysanthemums in a vase on top of your living room table is a way to encourage everyone living in the house to always tell the truth – and value honesty. White chrysanthemums come in a pure colour, which is deemed the colour of truth. (Mrs Whitehouse)

Parent Consultations Tuesday 16th October and Thursday 18th October 2018

School will be open for parents/carers to see their child's classteacher on Tuesday 16th October between 4pm and 6.30pm, and on Thursday 18th October between 6pm-8pm.

ParentMail, our online service for arranging appointments will be available from Saturday 6th October until Saturday 13th October to book an appointment. Please log on to your ParentMail account, click on Parents Evening and select your choice of time. Only one appointment is allocated per child. The duration of the consultation is 5 minutes and will take place in your child's classroom.

If you are having difficulty in connecting to your ParentMail account or if you require more than one appointment, please advise the school office.

Parent Consultations with the SEN Team

Should you wish to discuss a specific concern, Ms Minsky and Debbie Brosi (SEN Team) will also be available for parent consultation appointments on these days. Please phone the office to make an appointment or, alternatively, there is a clipboard at the main office for you to sign up for an appointment.

Black History Month

October sees the national launch of Black History month. It

stared in the UK over 30 years ago, and it is one way for all

children, of all backgrounds to celebrate their own cultures.

It also allows us to celebrate the historical and current

contributions of black people from all over the world.

Each year group have incorporated Black History in to our

curriculum and we will celebrate our achievements during

Friday assemblies throughout the month of October.

This week, some of the House/Vice Captains, together with

their friends, presented their thoughts and ideas about

Black History month. (Linda Lauder)

May we remind you that if your child brings fruit to

school for a playtime snack, please can you ensure any

fruit or vegetables are cut into small pieces to avoid

choking hazards.

Forest school newsletter update below: This week Year 2 discovered the beauty of Autumn first hand, with a visit to Oakwood Park. The children became ‘Autumn Scavengers’ and hunted for colourful leaves throughout the forest. They played in the trees with their forest friends and learnt how to stay safe in a woodland environment. The children behaved impeccably well and were a credit to Eversley. Special thanks to volunteer Forest School assistant Helen Shore.

Head Lice We have had cases of head lice reported. Please can we remind parents to check children’s hair regularly and treat the whole family if head lice are present. It would help greatly if girls with long hair came to school with their hair tied up. (The Welfare Team)

We would like to wish Heath (1C), Luca (5B) a very Happy Birthday

We hope you had a great day. Thank you for donating a birthday book to your class.

Well done to the pupils who received a Thank You Certificate for making Eversley a better place by

demonstrating one of our Eversley Values

Thank You Certificates 1C Zoe & Heath 4M - &

1EM Sienna & Phoenix 4K Alessio & Evie

1M Abdurrahman & Sofia 4TK Zimiao & Lucy K

2O Tom & Laura 5B Evie & Panos

2F Harry & Sienna 5E Caden & Graciella

2GW Zachy & Florianna 5L Katerina & Lucas

3SK Oscar & Maria 6DS Bella &

3DC Jai & Alana 6R Elena & Ben

3BT Mahdi & Thomas 6Z Rhys & Max

Congratulations to Lucas (5B) who has been chosen by Ms Williams as her ‘Superstar!’ As he showed care and compassion for Mrs Williams when she hurt herself and also Jack

Antony (6DS) and Oscar (2F) for demonstrating the Eversley Values.

Attendance

Please see below your child’s class attendance for the week beginning Monday 1st October 2018 – Friday 5th October 2018. The National target for attendance is 96%.

EYFS & Key Stage 1 Class

Attendance Key Stage 2 Class Attendance

Kingfisher 98.5% 3DC 97.0%

Nightingale 99.2% 3SK 94.8%

Woodpecker 97.7% 3BT 97.4%

1EM 98.8% 4TK 97.0%

1C 94.4% 4K 94.8%

1M 97.0% 4M 97.0%

2O 96.6% 5E 100%

2F 98.8% 5L 99.6%

2GW 98.1% 5B 98.8

6DS 97.7%

6Z 95.2%

6R 97.7%

b

Congratulations to the Superstars of the Week, who ended a wonderful week having tea with Ms Williams.

Superstars 28/09/18 1C Katya 4M

1EM Alex 4K Sofia

1M Sofia 4TK Maya

2O Mikey 5B Sans

2F Hannah 5E Nico

2GW Sophia 5L Ellia

3SK Zayd 6DS Alice

3DC Toby 6R Jaimin

3BT Sophia 6Z Taneer

Dates for your Diary 2018-2019 Autumn Term 2018 Time Event 8th October 2018 9am yr6: Manor Adventure 2018 Assembly for parents

8th October 2018 yr:1 St Thomas' Church Harvest Festival

8th October 2018 9am - 9.45am

yr2 Parent/Carers Coffee Morning - Meet Headteacher & Class Teacher

9th October 2018 yr4: Black History Workshop

9th & 10th October 2018 yr4 Bikeability (selected pupils)

10th October 2018 yr3: The British Museum

10th October 2018 9am - 9.45am

yr1 Parent/Carers Coffee Morning - Meet Headteacher & Class Teacher

10th October 2018 7pm Curriculum Evening for Reception Parents/Carers

11th October 2018 9am - 9.45am

yr3 & yr4 Parent/Carers Coffee Morning - Meet Headteacher & Class Teacher

12th October 2018 9am - 9.45am

yr5 & yr6 Parent/Carers Coffee Morning - Meet Headteacher & Class Teacher

16th October 2018 yr6: Royal Gunpowder Mills

16th October 2018 4pm - 6.30pm

Parent Consultations

18th October 2018 6pm - 8pm Parent Consultations

19th October 2018 yr2: Great Fire of London Workshop

22nd-26th October 2018 - Half Term - School closed to pupils

29th October 2018 School Closed to pupils - INSET day

30th October 2018 Flu Vaccinations (yr groups to be confirmed)

2nd November 2018 3.30pm EPSA Halloween Cake Sale

7th November 2018 yr2: Black History Workshop

8th November 2018 1pm-4pm yr5: Young Shakespeare Theatre Co - Visit to Milfield Theatre

9th November 2018 all day Photographer in school

12th November 2018 all day Photographer in school

16th November 2018 Children In Need

26th November 2018 yr4: The Verulamium Museum

2nd December 2018 12pm-3pm EPSA Christmas Fete (children/parents/carers welcome)

11th December 2018 9am-3.35pm

EPSA Secret Santa (event in school for children only)

21st December 2018 School finishes at 1.30pm for the Christmas holiday period

22nd Dec 2017 to 4th Jan 2019

school closed

Christmas Holiday - School closed to pupils

7th January 2019 Children Back to School - Spring Term begins