Barlaston First School

Weekly Newsletter

6th September 2024

Let your light shine through family, friendship and faith

“Enabling our whole school community to flourish and let their light shine, preparing them for their role as gentle and humble agents for change in the world we share.”

 

Welcome to the autumn term. We once again have a busy time ahead.  We are very impressed with how the children have begun their autumn term.  Everyone is looking very smart, the behaviour and the way the children are moving around school has been fantastic, and we’ve all come back ready to learn and have fun.

 

Lunchtimes

The changes to lunchtimes have been extremely smooth and are a real triumph.  The routines are working well and it is lovely to see the children sitting enjoying some lovely food at new dining tables with new plates, bowls, cutlery etc. The children are clearly enjoying their lunchtime experience and the atmosphere in the hall at lunchtimes is wonderful. Thank you all very much for playing your part in the success of this change in terms of using the app and ordering.  Please continue to do this, even if your child is entitled to universal free school meals, so that their choice of food is clear when they get to the serving hatch.

 

Morning Snack (Years 1 to 4)

The new catering suppliers will be providing morning snack for years 1 to 4.  Should you wish your child to have a snack from the “tuck shop” at morning break this will be done through the Dolce app.  You will need to top the account up with money but the choice of snack will be made by your child at the counter.  Their choice will be recorded on the app, so you know what they chose, and the cost deducted.    A spend limit will be in place to limit the amount your child can purchase on any given day.

The morning snack (Tuck Shop) menu, from which the children will choose, is attached to this newsletter.

 

School Photos

Monday is school photo day.  Where we have siblings in school they will have a photograph taken together as usual, as well as individually.

 

Wraparound

Breakfast club will run from 7.45am to 8.45am and after-school club will run from 3.30pm to 5.45pm.  Both clubs will now run in the main school building.  To ensure this provision remains viable and sustainable we have had to review the pricing. Prices from 1st September 2024 will be as follows.

 

 

Booked

Breakfast Club

£5.50

After School Club  3.30pm – 4.30pm

£5.00

After School Club After 4.30pm 

£6.50

 

Additional Charges

  • An additional charge of £3 will be applied for breakfast club where it is not pre-booked
  • An additional charge of £5 will be applied for afterschool club where it is not pre booked
  • An additional charge of £10 will be applied  for late pick up after 5.45pm at the end of the day.

 

The catering for our after school provision is now carried out by our new catering suppliers. They need to have definite numbers for children stopping for tea by 1.30pm each day. They will prepare food for the numbers booked on at that time.

It is therefore important that all children are booked in to after school club in advance, and particularly those stopping for tea.

 

Please contact Mandy Casey for on the day bookings.

 

07591 918 955

wraparound@barlaston.staffs.sch.uk

 

Parking

A polite reminder as we start the new term to always park considerately and respectfully so that everyone stays safe and our neighbours can enjoy unimpeded access to their properties.

On a related note, you will have noticed that we now have a school crossing warden on the main road by the church.  The church carpark is available to use and I want to encourage you all to take advantage of this, and use the crossing warden provided, to help ease the congestion at drop off and pick up times.

Thank you for your co-operation.

 

Family Worship

Family Worships will begin on Friday 20th September at 2.55pm.

 

Dates for the Diary

I will include a table of all agreed dates, or dates we have provisionally set, for the entire school year, in next Friday’s newsletter.

 

 

Regards,

Mr J Gordon

 

 

2024/25 School Term and Holiday Dates

Half Term

28th October – 1st November

Staff Development Day

School Closed to Children

 

Monday 4th November

Christmas Break

23rd December – 3rd January

Spring 2025

School Opens

Monday 6th January 2025

Half Term

17th- 21st  February 2025

Easter Break

14th – 25th April 2025

Summer 2025

School Opens

Monday 28th April 2025

Staff Development Day

(School Closed to Children)

 

Friday 2nd May 2025

May Bank Holiday

Monday 5th May 2025

Half Term

26th – 30th May 2025

Last Day of Summer Term

Friday 18th July 2025