Weekly Newsletter
Friday 22nd December 2023
This week in school
Happy Christmas! We have all made it to the end of what has seemed like the longest term ever! Thank you so much to all our families for your support with everything we are doing in school around learning and everything else.
Thanks also to all the staff who support your children in so many different ways that go above and beyond classroom tasks. We are so very lucky to have such a commiteed team here who are so passionate about working with children and families.
Wishing everyone a well-deserved break and a lovely Christmas: we'll see you all in 2024!
Staffing update We are currently advertising for a full time teaching assistant to work with us next term: if you know anyone who may be interested, please let them know. Full details are available through the link on the school website https://www.braytonprimary.com/vacancies/
Starting school in September 2024 Applications are now open. If your child is due to start school in September 2024 (if they will have their 5th birthday btween 1.9.2024 and 31.8.2025) then you need to apply for a primary school place for September 2024. Applications should be made online at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions and the deadline is 15 January. You can still apply after this, but your application will be dealt with after all the others and you may not get your first choice school.
PLEASE CHECK: we know there are children who are in our nursery who have not applied yet!
Term dates 2023-24 The term dates for this school year are on the school website at https://brayton-cofe-primary-school.secure-primarysite.net/term-dates/
We have had to make a slight change to the training days in 2024: children are now expected back in school on Monday 8 January 2024 after the Christmas break, and there will be a training day on Friday 24 May 2024 instead of this.
Jewellery No necklaces, bracelets, rings or other jewellery should be worn to school. If your child has earrings, these must be removed for PE sessions, or earrings can be left at home on PE days. Earrings for school should be small stud types so they don't get caught and cause any injuries.
Free School Meals
Free school meals: save up to £450 a year With so much in the news about the cost of living and now energy prices going up, you can check whether your child could be eligible for a free school meal, whatever school year they are in. All the information is on the NYCC website at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/free-school-meals Some of this information may be out of date, especially around eligibility, so please get in touch if you are unsure.
If you would like any advice or support with this, please contact the school office. We treat these matters with complete confidentiality and are always happy to help if needed.
Thank you for your continued support.
Allyson Buckton (Headteacher) & Mel Walmsley (Deputy Headteacher)
Whole School Attendance
We have been keeping attendance up right up to the end of last week! The lowest attendance in the school is in Year 5 and we would ask families in that year group to be especially aware of the amount of absence your child has had, especially if you have had a holiday in term time. We will be contacting families directly to follow up concerns.
Please remember, we will always contact you if your child is unwell during the day, so please make sure they are here as much as possible. With your help we made massive improvements in attendance over last year and this is now better across school than it has been in a very long time!
We would also remind you that, according to the new guidance for schools, ANY leave for holidays should be unauthorised: there is no longer the 'up to 5 days/10 sessions' which can be authorised at the Headteacher's discretion. Last year we put forward 38 requests for Fixed Penalty Notices to be issued, which the Local Authority have advised us that they have actioned.
DIARY DATES
Friday 22 December - School closes for Christmas
Monday 8 January - School opens
Friday 9 February - School closes for half term
Thursday 21 March - School closes for Easter
Friday 22 March - STAR MAT training day (school closed to children)
Monday 8 April - School opens
Monday 6 May - May Day Bank Holiday
Thursday 23 May - School closes for half term
Friday 24 May - Training day (school closed to children)
Monday 3 June - School opens
Friday 19 July - School closes for summer
Monday 22 July - Training day (school closed to children)
Happy Birthdays!
Many many many many happy returns over the holidays to.....
Sadie Smethurst
Jack Major
Ignacy Szafranski
Dale Russell
Oscar Dyson
Arthus Hazell
Logan Chalmers
Isaac Lytton
Joseph Wilford
Thomas Wilford
Leon Szafranski
Harley Berridge
Ivy-Grace Evans
This week in classrooms
Nursery - Stars
We have been proud of the way the children have kept going this week even though they are so tired and excited about Christmas. They all enjoyed our Christmas party with lots of dancing, games and lovely food provided by the PTA. We have continued learning about the Christmas story through various books, small world play and role play. The children have also been busy writing letters to Santa, making food for his reindeers and making angels for the tree. Of course Christmas wouldn’t be complete without lots of singing of Christmas songs. On Monday, we took part in the whole school art afternoon with a focus on L.S. Lowry. The children worked hard to collage buildings and draw figures like the artist.
In phonics we have continued using the musical instruments to make up some music to go with the Christmas story and we have also made our own pieces of music to perform to the other children. In maths, we have been learning about heavy and light and long and short by comparing Christmas presents.
Star of the week: Bella Whittaker
Reception - Moon and Mercury
What a wonderful week in reception! We have managed to fit in a huge amount of learning, as well as having a lot of fun.
We started the week with our Christmas party, which was enjoyed by everyone. The children danced, played games and enjoyed their yummy treats.
On Tuesday, we took part in the whole school art afternoon. The focus was on L.S Lowry. The children were fascinated by his keen interest in factories and in the way he represented figures as matchstick people. They experimented with charcoal to create their own Lowry-inspired artwork.
This week we have also prepared a special treat for the reindeer, for when they visit on Christmas Eve!
As part of R.E the children have learnt about Christingle and what it means for Christians. They then made their own Christingle to take home.
We have continued to read the decodable books with the children. Thank you for your support at home, it is having a really positive impact on the children’s progress.
Most importantly, we hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas together as families, enjoying the season and making lots of memories.
Star of the week:
Mercury - Tommy Young
Moon - Georgia Hick
Year 1 - Galaxy and Venus
Christmas has landed in Year 1 officially. We continued working hard with their number knowledge within 20 - this week we have introduced doubling numbers. This has given us plenty of challenges so we will continue with this next term! Monday saw the conclusion to our DT project. The children have all worked incredibly hard over the last few weeks designing and creating their own pillows and have been able to produce a fabulous product held together by a running stitch. Tuesday was our art afternoon. This gave us the opportunity to explore L.S. Lowry. The children were able to show off their writing skills by recording key facts that they learned about the artist as well as sharing their opinions about some of his artwork. We then used water colours and pencils to create our own Lowry inspired pieces of work.
We would like to thank all of the children for all of their hard work in Year 1. Over both of the long terms you have grown and developed so much. We hope you all have a lovely Christmas and come back to school in January with lots of fantastic stories to share. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Star of the week
Galaxy: Evelyn West
Venus: Logan Chalmers
Year 2 - Earth and Mars
We have ended the half term this week with lots of hard work and enthusiasm. In English we planned and wrote our own version of ‘A Christmas Star!’ The children produced some fabulous ideas and stories and remembered to use lots of their effective sentences, including adverbs and similes. In Maths we have finished our unit on Money. The children have enjoyed looking at money and finding and comparing different amounts to then apply to two-step problems. In R.E we have continued to look at the Christmas Story. We thought about what some of the characters in the story might have been thinking during the different parts of the story. On Thursday we all enjoyed celebrating at our Christmas party with dancing, party games and lots of festive fun!
We are so proud of all the hard work and effort that Year 2 have produced this half term. Enjoy the much needed rest over the festive period. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Stars of the Week
Earth: Reggie Booth
Mars: Phoebe Smith
Year 3 - Jupiter and Saturn
During our English lessons this week, the children finished writing up their independent version of the poem, ‘The Boy Who Cannot See’, showcasing their beautiful handwriting to present a set of carefully crafted descriptive similes and metaphors. In Maths, we reached the end of our first unit on Multiplication and Division, this week focusing on the methods to solve multiplication and division problems, and mentally recalling facts related to the 2, 4 and 8 times tables. In Science, we found out that fossils are formed in sedimentary rock, then represented each key stage of fossilisation in diagram form. On Thursday afternoon, all the children in Year 3 joined in with our Christmas Party which involved some stylish dancing, traditional party games and delicious, sugary party food! On Friday, everyone enjoyed less strenuous activities of Christmas crafts and a Christmas movie afternoon with popcorn.
Year 3s, you have worked incredibly hard and remained focussed during a very long half term that runs up to Christmas. We are very proud of you all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our children and families.
Star of the Week:
Jupiter: Bertie Whisker-Taylor
Saturn: Joshua Littlewood
Year 4 - Neptune and Meteor
We have made it to the end of a long term - Well done Year 4. Although we are feeling a mixture of tiredness and excitement, the children have continued to work hard! On Monday, it was our Art afternoon. We explored the work of L.S Lowry and discussed why he is considered a great artist. The children then used watercolours to paint their own Lowry-inspired artwork of scenes around school. In English, the children edited and improved their stories. They really enjoyed writing their own creative narratives inspired by The boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. In Guided Reading, we have come to the end of our class book - Treason. We had some reflection time this week and discussed some of the characters - especially King Henry VIII and his wicked ways. On Wednesday, we enjoyed a much deserved afternoon of partying, dancing, games and treats!
Year 4, we are so proud of all your hard work and effort this term. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your time off. We look forward to seeing you in the new year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
Stars of the Week:
Meteor: Sammy Holmes
Neptune: Mabel Waugh
Year 5 - Asteroid and Pluto
Despite it being the last week of term, it has still been all systems go in Year 5. In the space of five days, the children have planned, drafted, written and edited a persuasive letter to the warden of Newgate Prison, while pretending to be Elizabeth Fry. The children have really looked at how they could achieve more of the Year 5 objectives in their writing. One aspect being vocabulary, and how using upleveled vocabulary makes their writing more interesting and to a higher standard. After a successful creation session in DT, the children had to evaluate their Afternoon Teas. Most of the children were able to discuss and explain whether they were able to meet the design brief. It is safe to say that they absolutely loved creating different sandwiches and peeling fruit and vegetables. In Guided Reading, we completed Street Child and learnt that Jim did not have the best childhood, but things did start to look good after he met Dr. Barnardo, and was the inspiration behind the charity, Barnardo’s. We also finished our two PE sports, Gymnastics and Tag Rugby. The children were able to create a large sequence of movements while using different levels with a partner or small group. In Tag Rugby, the battle of the classes continued, and this time Pluto came out on top, only ever so slight though. Finally, the children created their own L.S Lowry-inspired art pieces. They started the lesson by giving their paper a grey watercolour wash, and then pencil drawing an “ordinary, but beautiful” scene from their time at school. To add colour, the children were given a limited amount of oil pastels to block colour shapes of buildings, children and other objects. It has been a long and hardworking term, and the children have so far done really well. They have truly deserved their Christmas party, and we can not wait to see how well the children do after a holiday. See you soon!
Star of the week
Asteroid: Isla Dockray
Pluto: Sadie Smethurst
Year 6 - Nebular and Constellation
Last week of a long half term before Christmas? Time to maybe ease off a bit you ask? Not in Nebular and Constellation this week! In Maths, children have continued (and finished) their latest unit of learning on measures, converting between miles and kilometres and problem solving using imperial measures. In English, children have finished drafting and editing their balanced argument suggesting who was responsible for the loss of life on RMS Titanic. Mr Close and Miss G are looking forward to reading and assessing your pieces, full of grammar, punctuation and spelling skills! There has also been a lot of Art this week. We spent an afternoon studying L.S Lowry, discussing why he is considered a great artist. Children recognised how his scenes of people attending to daily life captured the beauty in the ordinary. After an artist study, they used watercolours to create their everyday… a school scene! In conclusion to the drawing and sketching sequence, children have spent much time over the week creating a tonal sketch of a nature scene. This piece has been revisited and refined throughout the week and there were some truly exceptional sketches of fossils, oceans, grass, toadstools and sand. To finish the week, children were set a design brief to make a Christmas tree themed ornament that used an electrical circuit. It was a hive of designing, making and testing on Thursday, before some essential evaluation work to decide how their final product could be improved the next time. Wow, Year 6, you have worked incredibly hard right until the end. You have all risen to the rigours of Year 6 and we are very proud of you all and look forward to seeing what you achieve in Spring. For now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our children and their families.
Star of the week
Nebular: Roma Tata
Constellation: Willow Wood