Newsletter

I hope this message finds you well. I am truly honored and excited to be in the position of Acting Headteacher at Birklands Primary School. As I step into this role, I want to take a moment to express how eager I am to work closely with each of you to support the growth, development, and well-being of our children.

I am in the privileged position of having worked at Birklands for almost 10 years, the warmth and dedication that fills the halls of this school are truly inspiring, and I am confident that together, we can continue to build on the strong foundation of academic excellence, kindness, and community spirit that makes Birklands such a special place.

I am committed to ensuring that every child feels valued, safe, and encouraged to achieve their best. Education is not only about academic success, but also about nurturing character, creativity, and resilience. It is important to me that we create a collaborative partnership with our parents and carers to provide the best possible learning experience for our students.

We are really pleased with how the children have returned and have been modeling brilliant behaviour.

Nia is the first person to exchange her wristbands for something from the cabinet, she kindly chose 3 things to share with her brother and friend!  What a great role model you are Nia!

 

We are in the process of developing a new and separate reward system for reading.  Watch this space - details to follow.

 

Thursday 16th January is "Favourite Food Day".  Liz, our wonderful cook, completed a survey with all children who have voted on the following menu...

 

 

You can find our usual school dinner menu by clicking here.

We hope you have found the new routine of entering school more efficient especially in the cold weather.

To make sure everyone is aware here is an explanation of the routine.

School gate opens at 8.35am

Bagels are available for any child who would like one

Children go straight inside their entrance door - there will be a member of staff on the door to ensure that no children attempt to leave the building.  You can also pass any messages onto that member of staff too.

When the children arrive in their classrooms they will be reading until the registers are taken.

Doors close at 8.45am - if you arrive late after this time you will need to enter via the main entrance.

 

As a reward for  having the best attendance this week (99.58%) we are inviting Magpie Class to come in non-uniform on Monday 13th January.  From now each week we will reward the class with the best attendance with the same treat.  A text message will be sent on the Friday confirming which class has the best attendance and on which day the following week they can come in non-uniform.  

 

 

 

The roof is nearing completion and the scaffolding is finally starting to come down! But this isn't the end of the planned improvements at Birklands.  We are very excited to share that at Easter work will begin on the construction of a brand new reading retreat and sensory space.  These will replace the old buildings on the EYFS playground but will be accessed by children across the whole school.  We will share more information about how and when these will be used closer to the time. 

 

Below is a sneak preview of what it will look like.

 

 

 

Due to staff having to attend an event, there will be no after school club on 26.2.25.  We apologise for any inconvenience and hope that this much notice will enable you to make other arrangements. 

 

Please join us in welcoming 5 new members of staff to the Birklands Team.  They have all made a fantastic start at Birklands and we are pleased to have them as part of our team.

Miss Rutland who will be working as a TA in EYFS.

 

Miss Parr is now employed as a TA working in Lower Key Stage 2.

 

Mrs Hill, Miss Wheeldon and Mrs Sisson have joined the team employed as carers. 

                 

 

 

 

 

Matthias, who is in Year 3,  has amazed everyone by scored 144/144 on the times tables 'ultimate challenge'.  He had 10 minutes to answer 144 missing number timetable questions which works out at around only 4 seconds per question! Amazing! 

 

 

Joey-James has received two certificates in our Celebration Assembly this week!  He has been taught by two different teachers this week and amazed both of them with his excellent attitude to learning and perseverance when problem solving.  Well done!

 

We have had a report of head lice in school. Can you please ensure that you check your children regularly and treat if necessary.

 

Further advice and information can be found here.

 

As we start the new term, can we please reiterate how important it is to keep the zigzags clear outside the school gates. This space is to ensure that your children are kept safe and away from vehicles during the busy drop off/pick up times. It is especially important during this period of cold/icy weather as conditions on the road could be icy and unpredictable.

 

Can we also remind parents that smoking/vaping is not permitted on our school grounds - this also includes when queuing up please. We would also appreciate it if you could move away from the school perimeter when smoking/vaping so smoke does not drift into the school playground.