This week, we focused on the value Curiosity and recognised that it is Neurodiversity Celebration Week; a time to be curious about our differences and recognise that everyone is unique. It can be helpful to know that everybody's mind works in a different way. We hope you were able to watch the video and read about Neurodiversity as part of the remote learning for Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Staffing News

After many years at Victoria Park Primary School, Ms Low has decided to move on and explore a new career. Ms Low will leave at the end of this term. After Easter, Mrs Rackham will teach Beech class on a Thursday and Friday. Mrs Rackham is well-known to the children because she taught Willow class last year. We know you will join us in wishing Ms Low the very best of luck for the future, and in welcoming Mrs Rackham to Year 1 after the Easter break.

Neon Daisy

Neon Daisy is a new organisation in Bristol to support Neurodivergent girls. Their vision is for neurodivergent girls to feel safe and well, in a world where all ways of being belong. They won't rest until they:

• Are believed
• Know that they are enough 
• Feel that they belong
• Can express what they need to feel safe and well

They help this happen by:

• Cultivating neuro-affirmative spaces, led by neurodivergent adults, where young people connect honestly and can be their true selves.
• Crafting resources to inspire ND young people and transform parents and professionals into stronger allies.
• Nurturing an online community of nearly 600 local families who support each other.

Their neurodiverse community is at the heart of everything they do, and no diagnosis is needed to join their tribe. Here is the link to find out more about this organisation: https://www.neondaisy.org.uk/

Play in a Week 2023

Next week, children in Year 3 will be creating and performing their Play in a Week. This coincides with World Performance Week (20th–27th March 2023) and the national "Seize The Day" initiative to raise the profile of drama in schools and of theatre for young audiences. At Victoria Park Primary School, we value drama-based learning activities and we wanted to share with you our work with Travelling Light Theatre Company. We have been working with Travelling Light for more than a decade. As well as Play in a Week, this year their artists have been working with our teachers and pupils to embed drama-based learning into the curriculum and explore how it can develop oracy, emotional literacy and support wellbeing. Regular sessions are supporting teachers to deliver curriculum-based drama activities within their existing lessons. Find out more about the Light Up School Learning project in this short video:
https://youtu.be/mxnlq9OmhI8

Animal Club Visit

Children in Year 1 were visited by a range of exotic and familiar animals this week. Look at the amazing photos below! Butterscotch the Royal Python and Bob the Millipede were popular favourites! Many thanks to the PTFA who subsidised the visit very kindly and generously.

Online Safety

This week, we have a guide from National Online Safety to share, called "Top Tips for Adopting Safe & Healthy Online Habits". This includes tips on digital resilience, positive lifestyle choices, putting safety first and reaching out for support.

Eid Celebration in School

We will be celebrating Eid al-Fitr as a school on Friday 28th April. Eid is an important celebratory day for Muslims as it brings an end to Ramadan - a month of fasting. Children and adults are invited to wear their celebration clothes  - this could be your Eid clothes or any other clothes for celebrating. During the day, children will be learning about Eid and Islam. We will also be holding an assembly where we invite children to share something about what it means to them to be a British Muslim. Please talk to your children about this if they would like to take part and send any photos or pictures that your children would like to share to victoriaparkp@victoriaparkprimary.co.uk to be forwarded to Miss Datta.

Eid Bazaar
On Friday 28th April, the school gates will open at 3pm to begin our Eid Bazaar. Everyone is invited to try food at our stalls. We will have food that is representative of the food eaten by different nationalities from our school community during Eid. Please let Miss Datta know if you would like to cook something! Remember food must be halal and must not contain nuts.

Gymnastics Competition

On Monday 13th March, two gymnastics teams from Year 4 and Year 6 took part in the CST Gymnastics competition hosted by Stoke Park Primary School and held at Trinity Academy. All children completed an individual set floor routine plus a vault or springboard star jump. All members of the team have been practising every lunchtime and in their own time. The results show that practice makes perfect as both teams won glorious gold. 
Well done to Cece, Zofia, Violet, Charlie and Elodie representing Year 4 and Amelie, Olivia, Seren, Menna and Lily representing Year 6. We are all extremely proud of you for your determination, resilience and kindness to each other. Here's what some of the girls said:

"I felt really nervous but excited."
"I felt proud to represent the school in my first event."
"It was good to see my friends from other schools."
"It was great fun...when can we do it again?" 

Thank you to Jade at Stoke Park Primary School for organising this. We'll see you next year!

Other Sporting Notices

• If you have any sports tops or leotards at home, please wash them and return them to school as we are now missing quite a few.
• We always rely on help from parents and carers to transport children to sporting events and help supervise them. Please look out for our requests for help and let us know if you are available.
• Sometimes events are cancelled by the organisers at short notice. Urgent messages like this are sent via text messages, but if you have the School Gateway app they will appear there. Please ensure that you turn on the notifications for School Gateway to ensure you receive these. 

Bristol Parent Carers March Newsletter

Here is the latest newsletter from the Bristol Parent Carers Forum. They have a wealth of information around SEND. If your child has been referred for an autism assessment do have a read; they have shared news on updates to the referral process. Look out as we have a SEND coffee morning coming up with them in the Summer term.

Your Holiday Hub

The Easter school holidays are just around the corner, meaning the Your Holiday Hub programme in Bristol is too. Your Holiday Hub provides free and healthy meals and activities for children and young people from Reception to Year 11 during the Easter, summer and winter school holidays.  Free places on the programme are for children and young people who receive benefits-related free school meals.

We would like to encourage parents and carers who receive certain benefits, whose children do not already receive free school meals, to apply through the Bristol City Council website to benefit from the Your Holiday Hub programme this Easter, and to access free and healthy school meals during term time too. Applications are quick and easy.
Recent changes in government guidance around free school meals mean that pupils who were eligible on 1 April 2018, or who became eligible since then, continue to receive free meals up until March 2025, even if their household is no longer eligible under the benefits/low-earnings criteria. After that date, they will still be able to access free school meals until the end of their current phase of primary or secondary education, even if their household no longer meets the eligible criteria.

• Click below for details of the Easter Holiday Activity Programme from Ashton Park Sports Centre:

Last minute -  2hr First Aid Course for just £1.50 TOMORROW

Would you know what to do if someone stopped breathing?
These Royal Life Saving Society 2hr first-aid workshops will teach you the skills you need to help a Baby, Child or Adult who has stopped breathing, is choking or has suffered a heart attack! For just £1.50 booking fee, you'll learn...
• Basic Life Support (CPR)
• Choking (diagnosis and treatment)
• Drowning (diagnosis and treatment)

Simply pick the session most appropriate to your needs:
  👶 Save a Baby's Life – Sat 18 Mar 2023 10:00 - 12:00 
  👧 Save a Child's Life – Sat 18 Mar 2023 12:30 - 14:30 
 ️ 👨 Save an Adult's Life – Sat 18 Mar 2023 15:00 - 17:00 

All sessions take place at Totterdown Baptist Church on Wells Road. Follow this link for full details and to book your place, and feel free to share with anyone else that you think might be interested: 
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/klsc/
There's a £1.50 booking fee and you will be invited to make a donation to the work of the Royal Life Saving Society at the end of the course - this is entirely optional (but very much appreciated)!

As today is Red Nose Day for Comic Relief, children came to school dressed in RED and told jokes at lunchtime. Here are a few of our favourite school-related jokes. Have a lovely weekend!