Welcome back to school and Happy New Year!

After all the excitement and festivities of the holidays, it's amazing what a calm and focussed start to the year we have had.  Yesterday, we showed around a number of prospective new parents around the school. At the end of the tour, they had nothing but praise for the calm learning environment and brilliant children they met at VPPS.  

In our whole school assembly this week, we looked at how the arrival of a new year is celebrated all around the world. We considered that whilst different cultures or religions might mark the changing of a year at different times depending on the calendar they use, in most traditions a new year is a time to look forward and make resolutions on what we want to make better for the future.  We reflected on how we could make resolutions in school as well and how our school values could help us achieve them.   

Values Certificate Winners

The winners of Values Certificates this week were Monty, Pippa, Leena, Ayla, Daithi, Isla, Eyra, Casper, Thora, Adam and Chloe. Well done all of you!

Attendance and Punctuality

Our whole school attendance has dropped slightly below our 96% target and we need everyone's help to get it back up this term.  

In assembly today we announced the winning classes for attendance and punctuality in term 2.  The two winning classes each receive a cheque to purchase a class reward of their choosing. 

The class with the least number of children arriving late to school in Term 2 was:

Across the school there were 432 late marks across the school in term 2 which averages at over 60 a week.  This is over 100 more late marks than term 1.  Those late marks mean that children are missing out on valuable learning time including the initial input of a lesson, time to read with an adult, interventions that have been planned to start at 8:45.  We are here to help so if you need support with getting your child to school on time, please speak to your child's class teacher.  

Term 3 and 4 Afterschool clubs

A letter for the new afterschool clubs was sent home with your child today. All clubs will start Monday 19th January.

You can find a copy of the letter and all the details on our website here - https://www.victoriaparkprimary.co.uk/after-school-clubs-1/

Census Day, Food menu

PINS Project

You're invited to our second in-school peer support session as part of the PINS (Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools) project, in collaboration with Bristol Parent Carers to find out more about the project and what it means for your child and your school.

This session is open to all parents and carers of children with neurodivergent needs, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette’s, learning disabilities, developmental language disorder, or mental health needs. You don’t need a diagnosis to attend.

It’s a safe and supportive space to share experiences, get advice, and work together on ways to improve inclusion for neurodivergent children in schools and get your family or child any help that you might need. 

The PINS project is a partnership between NHS England, the Department of Education, the Integrated Care Board, and Bristol City Council.

There is no need to book.
Date: Wednesday 14th January 
Time: 9 - 10:30am
Location: Come through the school office to the community room. 

LEAP Ensemble Performance: Opportunity to Support

Last November, Year 6 visited Trinity Academy to watch the LEAP Ensemble from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire perform. The experience was organised by our Trust and offered a unique opportunity for our children to be immersed in a concert from world-class musicians as part of their school day. Although the event cost £800 to organise, there was no cost to our school or parents to organise the trip.

The music leads in the Trust would love to continue to organise this opportunity for our children. They have asked willing parents and carers if they would be able to support this and future events by making a financial contribution

Your donation would be greatly appreciated and can be made here: Just Giving Leap Ensemble Donation. We suggest £5 but whatever you can give will help ensure that we can continue to provide these unrivaled musical experiences for all. Thank you.

Important Dates for Term 3

• Wednesday 14 January PINS Coffee Morning
• Wednesday 28th January SEND Parents' Evening
• Monday 2nd February Inset Day
• Friday 13th February Last Day of Term