It's hard to believe we're heading in to our final term of the academic year, it has certainly flown past! As we enter the Summer terms, there are plenty of things to look forward to including Summer fayres, Sports day, residential trips for Year 5/6 and plenty more!

Last term, again, had plenty of successes. We had some fantastic class assemblies that showcased the learning going on, an amazing performance of Descendants by our incredibly talented pupils (under the guidance of the fabulous Sharlize), trips out to Brightside and Pizza Express and plenty more.

We were blown away by the incredible entries to our World Book Day front cover competition and the Easter egg decorating competition too! It again showcases just how talented you all are and we hope you enjoyed creating something special together! (Even though I'm sure it was a touch stressful at times too!)

Keep your eyes peeled on social media and on the dates to remember section of the newsletter to see what's going on!

Thanks for your continued support.

Mr Smith

We're delighted to welcome Mrs Williams who has quickly settled in to her new role as Early Years teacher and she's already established herself as an integral part of the team. We've also been delighted to welcome Mrs Atkin who will be working in the school office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say 'Welcome to the Chopps!'

This year has already seen several changes in staffing. Whilst it is always sad to see treasured staff moving on, it is our role as a school, and as humans, to develop people and give them the tools and confidence to follow their dreams.

I'm sure many of you were sad to see Miss Taylor moving to a new post but she goes with our warmest wishes and has promised to come back whenever possible.

Unfortunately, at the end of this academic year, we will also be saying a sad farewell to Miss Clarkson who is relocating. More news regarding appointments of new staff will follow shortly.

We're all looking forward to the Coronation of King Charles and we couldn't let the event pass without holding a little celebration of our own here at Choppington.

On Friday 5th May, we're inviting children to attend in non-uniform (with a theme of Red/White/Blue if possible) and we'll enjoy an afternoon tea together in the hall for lunch.

Those who normally bring a packed lunch are welcome to pay for a school dinner on that day if they so wish, or alternatively, can join in with their own packed lunch. Lunches are currently £2.40 and payment can be made via SchoolComms or at the office.

Any questions, get in touch!

What are the SATs?

SATs are the Standardised Assessment Tests that are given to children at the end of Key Stage 2. The SATs take place over four days, starting on Tuesday 9th May ending on Friday 12th May.

The children in Year 6 have put a great deal of effort in to booster sessions and SAT's lessons over the past couple of terms and we're eager for them to do their very best.

To ensure this, we ask that children attend breakfast club wherever possible. We provide each child in Year 6 with a cooked breakfast over this week as a reward for giving their all. We also want to impress the importance of ensuring that each child goes to bed at a reasonable time, throughout this week particularly, to give them the best possible chance to do their best.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

We're delighted to let you know that our Year 5/6 students will have the opportunity to attend a residential trip to Hawkhirst Scout Activity Centre. The trip has been scheduled to take place between 28th - 30th June, and will provide our students with the opportunity to challenge themselves, create lifelong memories and strengthen bonds with their peers.

Residential trips are an essential part of our educational programme and provide students with opportunities that they may not experience in their everyday lives. They challenge students to step out of their comfort zones, building their confidence and resilience while learning vital life skills and creating unforgettable memories.

We believe that this residential trip will provide our students with an invaluable experience, and we highly recommend it for all students. A meeting will be held on Monday 15th May at 3:45pm where additional details will be provided.

Any questions, please get in touch!

For those of you who have visited the school website recently, you may have noticed some changes! We've given our website a facelift to make it easier for you to access all of the relevant information and keep up to date with what's going on.

We're busy uploading more content including more information around our curriculum offer and details on each class.

Keep checking in over the next few weeks and let us know if there's anything you'd like to see added!

The address, if you need a reminder, is:

http://www.choppington.northumberland.sch.uk/web

Just a reminder that we have lots of clubs going on after school over the next term! Here's a list of what's going on with plenty more work going on behind the scenes to extend our offer. Keep your eyes peeled for more information!

Monday - Basketball with Newcastle Eagles (Year 5/6)

Tuesday - Multi-skills with NUFC (Year 1/2)

Wednesday - Drama with AllStar productions (Y1-6)

Thursday - Tag Rugby with Ashington Rugby club (Year 3/4)

School Gateway is our communication app available on Android, iOS and the web. It’ll work on phones tablets, laptops and even smart watches.

When you log into the app, each of the services we provide will appear in a list for you to choose from.

We plan to use the app to make it easier to communicate, send messages/reminders, pay for trips and meals, sign up to clubs and much more.

An email will be sent next week with set up details. If you'd prefer a letter with instructions, please call in to the office.

The app is free to download and will become our primary means of communication so please do download and sign up.

The Co-op Local Community Fund supports projects across the UK that members care about. We have been successful in applying to be included as one of their worthwhile causes. You can help us by downloading the Co-op app and selecting Choppington PTFA as a local cause. That means, for every £1 spent in store, 2p is donated to us. Whilst this might seem a small amount, it soon adds up!

Click on this link to become a member.

In recent weeks, we have noticed an improvement in attendance figures and we are grateful for all of your support in this matter.

If your child is feeling unwell, we once again listed below the guidelines we follow:

Sickness and Diarrhoea - If your child has been sick or suffered from diarrhoea, they must be absent for 48 hours since the last case.

COVID - Children must isolate for 3 days after a positive lateral flow test or until they begin to test negative. Lateral flow tests are available from most pharmacies and chemists.

Coughs and colds - It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

High temperature

If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.

Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don't need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis.

Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

If you have any queries or questions, you can visit the Government website or speak to a member of the office staff who will assist you.

Useful links for online safety.

NSPCC

The NSPCC has this page with tools and advice for how to keep families safe.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

Thinkuknow for parents and carers

CEOP’s Thinkuknow Parents and Carers site features advice to help keep children safe online, and to deal with any problems that crop up.

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

Internet Matters

Internet Matters is an industry backed website with internet safety resources for parents.

https://www.internetmatters.org/

Parent Zone

Parent Zone has lots of articles, videos and advice for parents looking to support their children online.

https://parentzone.org.uk/

YoungMinds

The YoungMinds parents helpline is for anyone who is concerned about the wellbeing of a child or young person.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-helpline-and-webchat

Click CEOP

If you have been a victim of online abuse or you're worried about somebody else, you can report it to CEOP securely

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/

Childline

If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small.

https://www.childline.org.uk/

Be Internet Awesome

The Be Internet Awesome Family Guide gives families the tools and resources to learn about online safety and citizenship at home.

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/

Safer Internet Centre

UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading charities with a mission to make the internet a better place for children and young people.

https://saferinternet.org.uk/

Whilst we actively encourage our pupils to be as active as possible, including cycling and scootering, please remember that all riders and scooters should dismount before entering the school premises. This applies to ALL of our pupils including those in Little Learners all the way up to Year 6. This also applies to parents or older siblings who may be collecting or dropping off.

We also ask you to be mindful of the language used on the playground. We have lots of children on the playgrounds both in the morning and at pick up times.