It's busy, busy, busy and the term keeps marching on. As always, the weeks are overflowing with learning here at the HQ. Willow Class are producing podcasts and generally having a wonderful time eating their way through the curriculum! They've learnt about the Earth's structure using cream eggs and investigated how tectonic plates move with the help of jam toast. They're onto Diwali treats now which they most certainly deserve after their latest round of times tables scores. The Year 4s are working their socks off as the Times Tables Checking Test approaches. Truly the embodiment of aspirational Bardwellians.

Chestnut and Ivy Class have been equally as busy, although they've not eaten quite so much! Ivy Class have created some very impressive sea creatures during their science topic and Chestnut Class have been discussing germs and how to prevent these from spreading. They've coined the phrase, 'Bardwell Foot' (When you forget to turn your wellies over and end up with mud filled boots.) and how to deal with this effectively with an extra shower or bath. There have been lots of discussions around the increased need for hygiene routines as they head towards their teenage years. I've also heard some incredible reading and witnessed some frighteningly hard maths. Congratulations to all those parents who managed to support the long division homework!

We started this week with Safer Internet Day (See below for tips and support) and have ended the week 'Expressing Ourselves' in support of Children's Mental Health Week. Children's Voices are definitely loud and heard at Bardwell!

Enjoy a restful, if soggy weekend,

Mrs B x

'As a Collect Worship Leader I've had a busy week. I've been setting up the hall for our Collect Worships every day. I've made sure that everyone has been sensible and that no one has annoyed anyone else. This will be my last term of being a CW leader because it's a big responsibility and I'd like to let other people to have a go. I'd really like to be an Eco Champion or House Captain next. Yesterday was Open The Book and the Collective Worship Team helped to retell the story of Moses.

Fastest Mile

1st - Henley, 11:27

2nd - Ava, 11:48

3rd - Noah B, 12:05

4th - Chester, 12:30

Congratulations to all competitors!

Our children completed activities this week, to improve their skills and knowledge on how to become safer online.

If you struggle for solutions when your child wants to play a new game or download an unfamiliar app please follow the links below for lots of helpful tips and advice for parents and families.

We still have the perpetual issue of children being given access, through their devices, to online chat platforms that are not age appropriate. Primary school children are often not emotionally equipped to deal with the inevitable friendship fallout that occur. Our advice, as always, is to follow the recommended age limit - many apps are for +13 years. As a school, we cannot police inappropriate online behaviour outside of school, if children are given access, by their parents, to unsuitable forms of communication.

Please follow this link for the February online safety newsletter. Covering PlayStation, YouTube and Snapchat, amongst other topics.

This month it's Safer Internet Day, so Knowsley have produced a bonus newsletter and some additional information:

Our resource (primary): KS1 and KS2 for Safer Internet Day: “Billy and Mable’s Digital Dilemmas” - Billy and Mabel do silly, risky things online so we ask the class to discuss and give them advice about the correct way to act online. There are two presentations; one contains just the dilemmas for simple class or assembly discussion, and the second contains the dilemmas, supporting information and activities for the children to complete in Seesaw. Online Safety Billy & Mabel Dilemmas - Google Drive

Other resources (we are not affiliated with any of the below organisations)

• UK Safer Internet Centre: you probably already have this link but just in case this is where you access the educational resources - https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2024/education-resources
• LGfL: LGfL have created a dedicated page, which includes an interactive board game for KS2 pupils to explore key online safety messages and behaviour and also filming Ideas for a Pupil-Led Parent Presentation - https://lgfl.net/safeguarding/safer-internet-day
• Parent Zone: Register to access a 30 minute ‘Be Internet Legends’ assembly by Google - https://parentzone.org.uk/beinternetlegends/nationalassembly
• BBC Live Lesson: Aimed at KS2, the BBC are hosting a live lesson at 11am on SID. Find out more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-lessons/safer-internet-day-2024-live-lesson/zqgy46f
• BBC: The BBC have curated a selection of videos and quizzes that you might find useful - https://www.bbc.com/ownit/curations/safer-internet-day-2024
• Webwise: Includes presentations to help you explore the SID theme - https://www.webwise.ie/saferinternetday/
• Internet Matters: Advice and topics for you to explore - https://www.internetmatters.org/tech-and-kids-digital-futures/
• Tech She Can: They are hosting live assemblies focussing on careers in AI - https://techshecan.org/live-assemblies

Aspens' new menu will launch after the February half term. You can access it here, from the website or ask in the office for a hard copy.

Thank you,

Mrs Allman

We have two After School Clubs running on Thursdays - please ensure you have booked your child(ren) into the correct club so that the session leaders have an accurate register.

Measles spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools. The best protection against measles for children and adults is to get both doses of the MMR vaccine. It is never too late to have these vaccinations.

The following UKHSA guidance is available on GOV.UK:

• Health protection in children and young people settings, including education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Managing outbreaks and incidents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The NHS also has the following advice for parents on measles:

• Measles - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

DfE has published an Education Hub blog with guidance on measles and the MMR vaccine for parents, nurseries and schools.

Is your child fully vaccinated?​
Catching up is easy, at any age.

You may have read or heard that cases of measles are increasing in England. While cases in Suffolk are currently low, we should prepare for and protect against the potential for increased cases.

If your child has not been fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine it is a good time to get this done to protect them.

What should I do?

Step 1: Check whether your child has had all of the vaccines they should have had.

You can look in the ‘immunisation’ section in your child’s red book (Personal Child Health Record) to see if they have received their MMR vaccination.

If you’re still unsure, check their records with their GP or email the vaccination clinic hct.SuffolkSAIS@nhs.net

Step 2: If your child is missing any vaccination, book an appointment to get them up to date.

This can be done at a vaccination clinic or your GP.

If you would like to book a place on a clinic, please call 0300 555 5055 option 3 to book appointments for any outstanding vaccinations.

Important - Please do not attend a clinic without booking in advance.

For more information, including a list of available vaccination clinics, visit Childhood Vaccinations - Healthy Suffolk

We have recently emailed all families with a link to the Bardwell parent survey, please ensure you complete this. As always, please come in and have a chat if you would rather talk face to face.

A short-term scheme to support households in need with essential white goods. This funding is being offered by Suffolk County Council via Suffolk Community Foundation. If you like to find out more please come and talk, in confidence, to Mrs. Allman or Mrs. Boyd.

Suffolk County Council (SCC) can confirm that the Household Support Fund is available until March 2024, meaning a further discretionary grant is available to support low-income families over the February half term and Easter holidays 2024.

The grant will be issued as a £45 supermarket voucher for each eligible child (those on income related Free School Meals) from our provider Pluxee to cover both the February Half term (£15) and Easter holidays (£30).

If you have yet to redeem your Christmas voucher, please do so before its expiry date because these cannot be reissued.

Does your child receive free school meals?

If your child get means tested free school dinners then you can apply for a range of free activities for your family and children.

Family Park Cooking – A day out for the whole family and every family will take home a weeks’ worth of food for the whole family.
Adventure Days – 8:30am-5:30pm for children aged 8-12 years – Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks included.
Teen Challenge Days – 10am-2pm for young people aged 11-16 years. – Lunch and snacks included.

To book an activity visit: www.abbeycroft.org.uk/HAF if you need any help booking on speak to your school office or email HAF@acleisure.com

All enquiries please email:

HAF@acleisure.com

For more information please visit www.acleisure.com/HAF or send us an email HAF@acleisure.com or call 01284 757495 and leave a name and number.

Citizen's Advice have been in touch to say that several forms of household support look likely to be withdrawn at the same time:

• Cost of Living Support (3x £300 payments per year);
• Local Welfare Assistance (a one-off £300 grant);
• Household Support Fund (used for supermarket voucher scheme).

They anticipate a rise in requests for support from charitable sources and food banks.

West Suffolk Council's cost of living support leaflet

West Suffolk Council's list of food banks

• Walking home unaccompanied form (Y5/6)

If you would like to give permission for your Y5 or Y6 child to leave the school unaccompanied at the end of the day (including after ASC sessions) please download and complete this form, or contact me to ask for a hard copy to be sent home with your child.

• Arbor contact details

Please take the time to check that all your details on Arbor are up-to-date. For example: Do we have the emergency contact details for at least two parents/guardians? Is/are your phone number(s) correct, including any work number? Is your doctor's surgery information still correct? You should be able to make changes via the Arbor website or app. If you have any problems, please don't hestitate to ask.

• Asthma medication & healthcare plans

I have recently contacted you if your child's healthcare plan or medication is out of date - it is so important that we have a plan that is 1yr old or less so that we can work with you to keep your child safe in school. Please ensure you speak to your medical practitioner ASAP to obtain an updated plan.

Happy New Year! Well The Autumn Term was very busy with our Tea towels, bags and Christmas Raffle. Spring term looks to be a little quieter before it really picks up in the summer with our two big events - Cars on the Green and the Bardwell Village Funday - put these dates in your diary now as these are events not to miss out on! Thank you for all your support at these events as all funds raised will go PTA which support our children with trips and special resources.

Cake/bake sale - Look out for the poster with information on our cake Sale at the end of this half term. It is Willow Class's turn to provide cakes to sell, either home baked or shop bought to sell on the last day of term - Friday 16th February.

Gary's Marathon - Lots of you may know our amazing football coach Gary. Gary is running a marathon to raise money for Bardwell School. He would like you to design a T shirt for him to run in while also raising money for our school! Please see the design a T-shirt template attached or pick up a copy from reception, Gary will be wearing the winning design for his run! Get your designs in by Thursday 15th February. Watch this space for further information how to sponsor Gary.

Gary say's 'I've officially signed up for my first marathon! I’m running the North Norfolk Marathon taking place in Cromer on Sunday 28th April.

The decision to take on this challenge was not made lightly, and I can already feel a mix of nervous anticipation as I think about the journey ahead.

I wanted to share this exciting news with you all as I want to raise as much money possible to go towards our fantastic Bardwell School!

Here's to new challenges, personal growth, and the incredible feeling of crossing that finish line! '

Thank you Gary and Good Luck in your marathon! Watch this space for further updates

Dates for your PTA diary

Design a T shirt for Gary Deadline - Thursday 15th February

Willow Class Bake sale - Friday 16th February

Gary's Marathon - Sunday 28th April

Ivy Class Bake Sale - Friday 24th May (TBC)

Cars on the Green - Sunday 26th May

Bardwell Village Funday - Sunday 23rd June

Thank you for supporting your Bardwell PTA

...

The dates below have been set for the full academic year but are subject to change. Please keep an eye on the newsletter and your email for any date/time changes and for additional events.

Next year's term dates, including PD days, will be set and circulated close to the February half term. Suffolk County Council term dates are here and we usually (though not always!) set our PD days to match theirs.

Spring Term (event, year group(s), day, date, time)

Willow Class Bake Sale, all, Friday, 16/02/24

National offer day (secondary), Y6, Friday, 01/03/24,

World book day - theme TBC 7/03/24

Easter Service in Church, All, Thursday, 28/03/24, 1.15pm

National offer day (primary), Pre-school, Tuesday, 16/04/24,

School photographs (Class & Whole School, children with photo permission only), 20/05/24. Please wear your colourful sweatshirt.

Residential Y5/Y6 (returning on Friday), Y5/Y6, Wednesday, 22/05/24,

Summer Term (event, year group(s), day, date, time)

Swimming lessons, Y2-Y6, Day to be confirmed - children will need hat, goggles, swimming costume [Note change to Summer term]

SET Ixworth Y6 into Y7 Meet the Tutor evening, Y6, Thursday, 13/06/24, 4pm to 7pm

Sports Day , All, Friday, 14/06/24, 1.30pm

Sports Day reserve date (if weather is poor), All, Friday, 21/06/24, 1.30pm

Transition day 1 of 2 SET Ixworth, Y6, Tuesday, 25/6/24,

Transition day 2 of 2 SET Ixworth, Y6, Wednesday, 26/6/24,

Transition Day TCC Day 1 of 2 (and Parents' Evening), Y6, Wednesday, 10/07/24,

Transition Day TCC Day 2 of 2 (and Parents' Evening), Y6, Thursday, 11/07/24,

Leavers' Trip, Y6, Tuesday, 16/07/24,

Leavers' Service at Church , All, Thursday, 18/07/24, 1.15pm

Next academic year

School photographs (Individual & siblings, all pupils), 25/09/24. Please wear your colourful sweatshirt.

Term Dates for 2024/25 will soon be available, these will also be posted on the school calendar and on Parents & Carers>Term Dates page.

Please ensure you are keeping up to date with your payments for the Y5/Y6 residential. To see how much you owe, please go to your child's Arbor account and select 'Trips'. We will require full and final payment by 28th February 2024, so please bear this in mind when budgeting to schedule your payments.

Please contact me, confidentially, if you have any concerns about making your payments in time.

Please also see the information later in the newsletter about the Bardwell Charities local fund that is available to Bardwell resident pupils. We encourage you to apply if you live in the village and I am happy to help you with your application letter.

Mrs Allman

You may be aware that we have a large minibus taxi transporting some of our pupils to and from school. We have an established risk assessment with the taxi company and Suffolk County Council's transport safeguarding team, developed to ensure the safety of transported children, drivers, staff and other families. This states:

• the minibus has to drop off and pick up children at the gate entrance to meet a member of staff for handover
• in the morning they drop off between 8.30-8.35am and leave promptly at 8.35am
• in the afternoon, they may wait along School Lane, then pick up promptly at 3.30pm.

The taxi takes priority for access at the gate during these times, so we ask that all other families are aware of this and time their entrance to / exit from school accordingly.

The school premises open at 8.35am to all pupils.

We have been asked by the trustees of the Bardwell Charities fund to encourage our local families to apply for financial support. They've said,

"There is money available whether for trips, music lessons, uniform or other need.
Please DO encourage parents/carers to apply."

You might, for example, wish to request some help with the Y5/Y6 residential, or with transport costs for HAF holiday programme activities. All you need to do is write a short email explaining:

• that you are resident in Bardwell
• what the need is and why it is important for your family/child.

Please note that, contrary to previous information, we have recently been informed by Bardwell Charities that this information only applies to Bardwell residents.

Send your email to bardwellcharities@btinternet.com

If you would like any help with your request, please ask Mrs Allman who is happy to help and will keep all information you share with her confidential.

To find out more, please visit our webpage at:

http://bardwellcharities.onesuffolk.net/

The Dun Cow pub on Up Street warmly invites you to use their car park at drop off and pick up times - marked green below. The walk from there to school is under 5 minutes. Thank you to Alan and Denise for this continuing offer.

You may also park near the Church porch from where there is a footpath that comes out to School Lane next to the Windmill.

Please ensure that if you park along School Lane you do not block any driveways and avoid the residents' parking spaces at 25-43 School Lane (marked red below, parking in the green spaces is fine).

Tuesday 13th - Shrove Tuesday, pancakes & coffee in the Tithe Barn, 10.30-midday

Wednesday 14th - Ash Wednesday, 'Ashing' Service with Holy Communion, Ampton Church at 7pm (*check church website for details).

Sunday 18th - Morning Worship, 10am.

Please see the church website for other services and information.

We are sharing this flyer on behalf of Nexus Fostering.

www.nexusfostering.co.uk/Anglia

• Your everyday experiences and skills are transferable into a foster carer role, from providing emotional support to teaching life skills.
• Our fostering roles are suitable for individuals, couples, or families from all walks of life.
• All children are different, so our foster carers are too.
• We offer many different types of fostering roles, including short-term, parent & child, therapeutic and long-term.
• Be part of our professional team and receive our ongoing comprehensive training.
• Receive generous fostering allowances, benefits and tax relief.

Bardwell is an inclusive school where children are treated with equality and their individuality celebrated. Our school’s active uniform plays a key role in promoting pride, self-confidence, and a feeling of belonging. We strongly believe that this contributes to the children's well being, removing the additional pressures of deciding what to wear and the added stress of meeting the expectations of peers. In an ever increasing world of social pressure for young people, our uniform removes the points of difference between students and provides a greater focus on school based activities and learning. Therefore, in the interests of equality;

● Active uniforms should be worn at all times

● Spare clothes should be our active uniform NOT home clothes

● Hairstyles must not attract undue attention

● No make-up

● Piercings and jewellery should be discreet and safe to wear, e.g. single studs in ears.

Your child can wear any one of the six Cog colours (red, royal blue, navy blue, green, yellow, purple) as their polo shirt, OR a white one. These are the only acceptable colours for the polo shirt. Please note that the polo shirts do NOT need to have the Bardwell logo on but the sweatshirts MUST.

Colourful polo shirts are available in the school uniform ranges of all the major supermarkets. Logo'd polo shirts (white) and sweatshirts (all colours) are available only from our uniform supplier, Gooddies.

As always, children are also welcome to wear gingham dresses, in any of the six Cog colours, during any term.

You may wish to consider setting Kiddle as your default browser on your home devices. They say:

Kiddle is a kid safe visual search engine. Kiddle returns results for each query in the order shown:

1. Safe sites and pages written specifically for kids. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors.
Typically, results 1-3.

2. Safe, trusted sites that are not written specifically for kids, but have content written in a simple way, easy for kids to understand. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors.
Typically, results 4-7.

3. Safe, famous sites that are written for adults, providing expert content, but are harder for kids to understand. Filtered by Google safe search.

Typically, results 8 onwards.

Since Kiddle results are either handpicked and checked by our editors or filtered by Google safe search, you know you get kid-oriented results without any explicit content. In case some bad words are present in a search query, our guard robot will block the search.

[circulating on behalf of the organiser]

Sports Camp 19-22 February 2024

Monday 19 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Gymnastics or Musical Theatre / 12.30-3.30pm Dance or Parkour

Tuesday 20 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Skateboarding or Target games / 12.30-3.30pm Skateboarding & Bmx or Karate

Wednesday 21 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Ipswich Town Football or Inflatables / 12.30-3.30pm Ipswich Town Football or Inflatables

Thursday 22 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Nerf and laser Tag / 12.30-3.30pm Nerf and laser Tag

Flyer Attached

Ages: 5 – 13 yrs

Venue: Beyton, Thurston Sixth (IP30 9AA)

£12 per workshop

www.gvtssp.org

We are very keen to have children attending school if they are well enough. Please have a look at this NHS advice if you are unsure.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

If your child is ill, you must phone into the school before 9am, giving a reason for the absence ('unwell' is not sufficient), leave a voicemail if you need to. Please do not email in for absence.

We recommend that you are familiar with the Tilian Attendance Policy.

Suffolk County Council has asked us to share with families their updated 'Cost Of Living Support' information.

Your child may be eligible for free school meals throughout primary school. This could save you approximately £484 per year.

​

To check or apply online, visit: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-and-trips/apply-for-free-school-meals/

​

Check if you're eligible

Your child will get free school meals if you receive any of the following:

• Income Support

• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit but no element of Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenues & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190

• If you are supported under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after your employment finishes or after you start to work fewer hours per week

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 (£616.67 per month), as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).
  

To check if your child is eligible, apply online for an immediate response or call 01473 260989.

We encourage you to apply, because the school receives additional funding (Pupil Premium) for all children on income-related Free School Meals.

​

Email: bardwell@tilian.org.uk
Website: https://www.bardwell.org.uk/
Location: School Lane, Bardwell, Bury Saint Edmunds IP31 1AD, UK
Phone: 01359 250854
Twitter: @BardwellPrimary