Welcome back to school and Happy New Year! This is our first newsletter of 2024, and your children have come back to school happy and positive, making a great start with their learning. In our values assembly this week, we considered why people might celebrate a "New Year" and how a new school term is a great opportunity to "start as we mean to go on" by demonstrating the values of Respect, Curiosity, Kindness and Determination.

Staffing News

Having taken maternity leave during last academic year, Mrs Vaughan will be moving to Scotland with her family during 2024. Of course this means she will not be returning to Victoria Park Primary School. She will be hugely missed and we know you will join us in wishing Mrs Vaughan and her family the very best of luck in future.

One Way System

To help with the flow of adults and children at the beginning and end of the day, we will be reinstating our one way system through the playgrounds. Please enter through the gate on Raymend Road and walk through the playgrounds to exit onto Atlas Road. Please do not try to exit through the Raymend Road gate as this can cause difficulties if someone else is coming down the ramp. (Pupils in Years 5 and 6 who walk themselves to school may still enter through the Atlas Road gate in the morning because this is much quicker and safer.)

Coffee and Chat for Parents of Pupils with SEND

A few parents have organised a coffee morning for parents/carers of pupils with SEND, taking place in the Community Room (middle playground) on Friday 12th January. Come from 8.45am (after drop off) until about 10.30am.
Janet says: "This will be an informal get together, a chance for parents of children with SEND, either with or without an EHCP, to meet each other with no fixed agenda other than to try and positively support each other, and hopefully feel less alone in our parenting of our SEND kids."
There's no need to book, please just turn up if you can make it.

New Reception School Applications for September 2024

The closing date to make a new Reception school application for September 2024 is 15th January 2024. Parents and carers must make an aplication even if your child already has a sibling attending our school. For families living in Bristol, the preferred method of application is online at Apply for a new reception primary place (bristol.gov.uk).

NSPCC Number Day

We are delighted to be supporting the NSPCC by taking part in Number Day on Friday 2nd February 2024. Number Day will be a great day of fun maths learning to foster a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude. We will be working to solve exciting maths puzzles and number challenges in our classes and we will be taking part in Dress up for Digits. Pupils are invited to wear an item of clothing with a number on it (football shirt, cap, netball shirt or even a onesie!) or to get even more creative by dressing up in some way inspired by maths or numbers - see the photograph below for inspiration:

The NSPCC need our support more than ever. By raising money, we can help to fund their vital services such as Childline – the helpline that’s always there for children and young people whatever their problem or concern.  On average, a child contacts Childline every 45 seconds. If you would like to help raise money for the NSPCC, we will be collecting donations via ParentPay. All the money we raise will make an enormous difference to children today and help the NSPCC be there for children tomorrow.

We’re really looking forward to all the fun of Number Day, and we really appreciate your support. We’d love everyone in the school to take part in this special event. 

Young Carers

 A ‘young carer’ is defined as: ‘…a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person’.

Being a young carer can often have a significant impact on a young person’s health and wellbeing as they may be investing a lot of time and energy into looking after a family member or friend and therefore not finding enough time for themselves. 

Young carers often say how stressed and tired they are, as they find it hard to juggle their home lives with school. They can often feel alone and isolated which can have a negative effect on their own mental health and wellbeing. 

Research by Carers Trust and the University of Nottingham found that almost a third of young carers surveyed (29%), reported that their own physical health was ‘just OK’, whilst 38% reported having a mental health problem.  

Often, young people with caring responsibilities may not have been identified or know they are a young carer, and this can mean support is not in place and they do not know who to turn to. 

If you believe that your child qualifies as a 'young carer', please contact Mrs Jackson for more information about how we can offer support and guidance.

Other Information

• Miss Deane, who teaches in Year 1 on a Thursday and Friday, is also a qualified music therapist. You can find out more information about Acorn Music Therapy by visiting this new website acornmusictherapy.com
• FREE family support for fussy eating - beezeebodies.com can offer free support to children and families affected by eating concerns. This can affect up to 1 in 4 families. Open the flyer below for more information.

Here's a fun fact for you... in January, each day that passes is a little longer than the last. On average we gain an extra 2 minutes of daylight each day, so by the end of each week, the average day is 15 minutes longer than the last. Getting outdoors during the day is a simple way to maintain your family's wellbeing. We hope you have a lovely weekend - why not spend some time outside together if you can?