Fir Ends Primary School

Latest Newsletters

• 22 May 2023
  Week 33 - Things newsletter

  In this edition of things:
  * School transport applications
  * Partnership governor vacancies
  * Do you know a local toddler who isn't already on our waiting list?
  * Measles - public health update
  * Diary dates
  * Coming soon: monster phonics ebooks
  * Summer B adult learning: Time at home together
  * Transition to new year groups

• 18 Apr 2023
  Week 28 - Summer update

  Information for parents about adult learning opportunities, Dolce menus and payments, summer suncare and office arrangements at the start of the summer term.
  
  Click the link to open the newsletter.
  
  Remember that the last newsletter of last term covered summer diary dates, etc.

• 30 Mar 2023
  April Online Safety Newsletter

  A double drop this month, due to April being foreshortened by the Easter Break.
  The April edition covers:
  * Snapchat SendIt
  * Talking about being (un)kind online
  * BeReal social app
  * New family controls for TikTok and Snapchat
  * Links to guidance on 'your child's first phone'

• 30 Mar 2023
  March E-Safety Newsletter

  In this edition:
  * Hollie Guard app
  * TikTok
  * Roblox 'jump scares'
  * Thorn discussion guides for tricky conversations
  * How to secure a Nintendo Switch

• 24 Mar 2023
  Week 26 - Things

  We're heading into the final week of spring - school spring at any rate. This term has genuinely flown by since the Christmas break, and despite the national gloom around schools and the efforts of the weather it has been filled with many things that we're very proud of our children for having achieved or been part of.
  
  It was fantastic to be able to hand over our Boys' climbing team's second place prizes today - a certificate, chocolates and a free climbing session at the Easter holiday club.
  
  Our Year 5&6 swimmers were highly praised by instructors earlier this week, and it's reassuring to know that the majority are now very confident simmers. I think there might be a swimming gala happening soon, so this is a positive thing!
  
  Our turn out for the recent Lanercost cross country was the best for a number of years and we were a whisker away from a trophy this year.
  
  All the entries for the World Book Day diorama competition were outstanding, and meeting our fundraising target for the sponsored read means we can boost our bookshelves with some great new titles next term.
  
  The year 5/6 trip to York, was an opportunity to spend a little time in the company of an increasingly responsible and charming group of children, and we managed to cram a lot into just over 24 hours.
  
  And our RotaKids have raised just over £100 for Guide Dogs for the blind today, which is a great result from simply not wearing uniform and making a mess of their hair! Apologies on their behalf to anyone who will still be finding glitter in strange places for the next 12 months!
  
  This newsletter includes an updated list of dates for the remainder of this term, and the start of next, and news of a change to our admin team after the break.
  
  The final week is, unsurprisingly, just as busy as those before: Football on Monday, decorated egg competition and disco on Wednesday and there have been reports that giant white rabbits have been seen in area again... maybe we'll see them too.
  
  Have a great weekend.

• 16 Feb 2023
  Week 22 - Things

  Lots of things in this week's newsletter, including:
  * Things children have made.
  * Things children will be doing next term.
  * Things children have done this week
  * Things that will be happening during World Book Day (week)
  * Things that can help parents understand phonics
  * Things that can help parents keep children safe(r) online
  
  Paper copies have been sent home, along with a letter about our Book Week Sponsored read, supported by Usborne Books. Our target for this is to raise enough to hit the trigger for Usborne to almost double it.
  
  Hopefully, children haven't managed to lose them between classroom and front door, but if you can't find them, let us know!

• 07 Feb 2023
  Author visit - February 10th

  We will be visited by Chris Proudfoot, a local author who has written a book about an anxious crab, and the way she resolves some of her worries with support from her friend the turtle.
  
  Copies of the book are available for £5 - letter attached has been sent home on Tuesday 7th Feb.

• 06 Feb 2023
  Safer Internet Day 2023

  Safer Internet day falls on Tuesday 7th February this year.
  
  It's an annual opportunity to reflect on the many interactions we all have with the online world and ways to make these safer.
  
  Children growing up today will be playing multiplayer games and viewing content from multiple sources and may even be creating it themselves.
  
  Whereas our current year 6's have witnessed the emergence and growth of things like twitter and tik tok, and accessing the online world through tablets and consoles, for our youngest pupils they will be as familiar as blue skies, fish fingers and Bluey - they've always been a part of their world.
  
  Just like learning to cross the road, ride a bike safely, or be aware of the risks of electricity and deep water, preparing children for life includes teaching them how to look after themselves while they're online.
  
  Our focal points for the day will be health, wellbeing and lifestyle and online relationships, informed by pre-teaching surveys conducted in Project Evolve (https://projectevolve.co.uk/).
  
  As always, however, the time we can spend teaching children about these themes in school is far outweighed by the opportunities that exist to talk to them about safer ways of using the internet in the home environment.
  
  There are some ideas to support parents in this newsletter, and many, many more online. You can find links on our e-safety page: https://www.fir-ends.cumbria.sch.uk/e-safety