Saxton Newsletter 17.11.23

To show perseverance when we are learning.

We are delighted to have been awarded a grant of £500 from Tesco to support a scheme to open parts of our wildlife area up for community use as a garden or allotment. Thank you to everyone who supported and voted for us. If you would be interested in using some of our area as a garden, or would like to help advise and manage this project, please speak to a member of staff.

The NCA has produced information about cyber crime, including advice for parents. This can be found at www.cyberchoices.uk

We are holding a free Rock Band workshop for all children next Friday morning, 24th November. After this, children will be able to book new music lessons that will be delivered in school. There is a cost to these, but we hope that it provides a new range of opportunities for those who are interested.

Thank you to everyone who supported Children in Need today. Everyone looked amazing! We were so pleased to be able to support this worthy cause.

Please do remember to send in donations for the Christmas Fayre – particularly chocolate or items for the raffle. We will hold a non-uniform day next Friday in return for donations. Thank you.

You will have noticed that the office is temporarily being covered by Mrs Katie McLachlan, our Office Manager, in the mornings. This will continue until we have appointed a replacement for Mrs Clubbs, which we hope to do very soon. When there is no-one in the office, the phone is automatically diverted to the office at Monk Fryston who will be able to transfer it directly to the right person.

All the menus are available on meal selector via ParentPay

Children can decide daily whether they are having a school dinner or packed lunch.

Please ensure you use our new meal selector to order lunches for your child for up to 3 weeks in advance, see the link below.

Each day there are 4 choices, either the hot dinner, hot vegetarian option, jacket potato with a choice of toppings or a sandwich. The sandwich and jacket potato always come with a selection of vegetables/salad on the side and have the full pudding choice for that day.

Packed Lunches - if you are sending grapes in your child's packed lunch, can you please ensure that these are cut in half.

If you are in receipt of certain benefits, your child could also qualify for free school meals during all school years. To qualify you must be receiving:

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

• Income Support

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• The guarantee element of Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit, provided you are also not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual household gross income that does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by HMRC)

• Working Tax Credit run-on, paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Please note that contributions-based benefits, including contribution-related Jobseekers' Allowance do not entitle you to claim free school meals.

Apply for free school meals

You will receive an instant decision on whether your application is successful. If it is, we will fully process the application in 5 working days and notify the school. Once the school has received this your child can begin enjoying free school meals. You should continue to pay until confirmation comes through. Schools may be able to arrange reimbursement of payment made while your entitlement is being confirmed.

Free school meals claims cannot be backdated. They are awarded from the date we receive the application, once eligibility is confirmed. This is because there is a legal requirement for a request to be made, before a free school meal can be provided. If you are not entitled to free school meals, you will be notified in writing.

We are delighted to be able to have volunteers into schools again, and would welcome parents to help us. If you are able to give any time to us, either on an ad-hoc or regular basis, you will need to complete a DBS application. Please contact the office for more information.

Help raise money for FOSS and label your children's school items. The soft plastic labels can be stuck on machine wash-care labels of clothes, but can also be used on shoes, dishwasher items and general school items.

Please order via the website www.stikins.co.uk and quote Saxton school number 17524

Please be considerate when parking near the school crossing. If parked too close it can be very difficult to see if it is safe to cross, particularly at pick up time-thank you.

Please click here to be re-directed to ParentPay, where you can pay for lunches and other school related items.

Email: admin@sp.starmat.uk
Website: http://www.sp.starmat.uk/
Location: Dam Lane, Saxton, United Kingdom
Phone: 01937 557396
Twitter: @SaxtonCE

The STAR MAT website links and twitter page.

Website: web.starmat.uk
Twitter: @CEOTheSTARMAT