Clarence Road, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B74 4LD Telephone: 0121 308 5392 Fax: 0121 308 5061

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES Fri 7th Oct Harvest—Year 6 Assembly—2.30 pm Barnardo and Gandhi – KS1 hall

Mandela and Pankhurst – KS2 hall Mon 10th Oct Swifts’ MATHS INSPIRE – 9.00 am to 11.00 am Swallows’ MATHS INSPIRE – 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm Bikeabilty for a group of Year 6 all week

PTFA Meeting – 7.30 pm Wed 12th Oct Year 6 visiting Shugborough Hall Fri 14th Oct PTFA Halloween Disco Mon 17th Oct Owls’ MATHS INSPIRE – 9.00 am to 11.00 am Kingfishers’ MATHS INSPIRE – 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm Bikeabilty for Year 6 all week Tue 18th Oct Parent Consultations KS1 3.30 – 5.00 and KS2 6.00 – 8.00 pm Wed 19th Oct Parent Consultations KS2 3.30 – 5.00 and KS1 6.00 – 8.00 pm Fri 21st Oct BREAK UP FOR HALF TERM Mon 31st Oct TRAINING DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR CHILDREN Four Oaks Youth visiting Houses of Parliament Tues 1st Nov CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL Wed 2nd Nov SEN review meetings for children in Years 1 and 2 Thur 3rd Nov Open Morning for prospective Reception 2012 parents – 10.00 am to 12.00 noon “Bonfire” Lunch Parent Council meeting - 2.20 pm Fri 4th Nov Divali Celebration – Year 5 Assembly – 2.30 pm Barnardo and Gandhi – KS1 hall

Mandela and Pankhurst – KS2 hall Tue 8th Nov Free the Children Day

PTFA Meeting – 7.30 pm Thur 10th Nov Open Morning for prospective Reception 2012 parents – 10.00 am to 12.00 noon

Robins’ Class Assembly – 2.30 pm – KS1 hall Open Evening for prospective Reception 2012 parents – 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Fri 11th Nov Year 3 visiting BMAG SRE for Year 5 - Puberty Robins’ Class Assembly – 2.30 pm – KS1 hall Mon 14th Nov Hedgehogs’ MATHS INSPIRE – 9.00 am to 11.00 am Rabbits’ MATHS INSPIRE – 1.15 pm to 3.20 pm Scholastic Book Fair arrives in school—open every day between 3.00pm and 4.00pm Mon 21st Nov Moles’ MATHS INSPIRE 9.00 am to 11.00 am Squirrels’ MATHS INSPIRE 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm Bikeabilty for a group of Year 6 Mon—Wed Tues 22nd Nov Individual Photographs

Wednesday 5th October 2011

What is Tea with Me? Some children may come home and tell you that they have had Tea with Me. This event

takes place every Friday. I invite a different group of children each week and we enjoy afternoon tea together. This time is used as a reward but also an opportunity to ascertain the children’s views on a range of school related issues. So far this year I have met with a group of children from Squirrels, Moles and Badgers.

CHILDREN BEING COLLECTED EARLY FROM SCHOOL OR BY SOMEBODY DIFFERENT

As you know, we now have only one school office which is situated in

the KS1 building. Getting last minute messages to classes is therefore sometimes extremely difficult. If your child is going to be collected at the end of the day by someone different, or if you will need to collect them early for an

appointment, please send a note into school with them in the morning for the attention of the Class Teacher. This will mean that we no

longer need to remind children about who it is they are going home with.

Obviously if there is a last minute emergency and you cannot get to

school then we are happy to keep your child/ren safe until you or another adult can get here. You must

telephone school however to give us authorisation to let your child go home with another adult. Teachers have recently been reminded of this procedure too.

PARENT CONSULTATIONS

Parent Consultations meetings will be held this term during the week commencing Monday 17th October. Letters asking you to make either a daytime or an evening appointment have been sent home and your requests are needed by Friday 7th October.

CHICKENS The children have voted for their favourite names and we are pleased to tell you that, with a slight Olympic

theme, our two little hens are now called PING & PONG!

Ping & Pong are thriving but do require some assistance at weekends. Would anyone be willing to put them away

on Saturday nights, let them out on Sunday mornings and then put them away again on Sunday nights?

A gate key will be provided so please contact the school office if you feel you can help.

SCHOOL DRIVEWAY

Would parents please NOT drive down the school drive way to drop children off at school without prior consent

from the Head Teacher. As you are aware we have limited space in the car park and the

additional hazard of turning or reversing cars poses a significant risk to pedestrians, especially in the very busy periods at the start and end of the

day. If you or your child is suffering from an injury or ailment which means that you can not walk down the driveway then please contact the school

office. We would also request that you be considerate of our neighbours when

parking on the road.

Thank you for your co-operation.

JEWELLERY

We would URGE you to ensure that your child does not wear jewellery

of any description to school. Thank you

RECEPTION ADMISSIONS 2012

If you have a child starting school in September 2012 you should shortly be receiving a letter and preference form from Birmingham Local Authority.

The Authority have produced an information booklet giving details of all the

primary schools in Birmingham which you should also receive with your preference form. You can, if you prefer, apply for your Reception places online at

www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions

If you have any queries regarding September 2012 intake please contact Admissions and Appeals

on 0121 675 0555.

Lost and Found

Please, please label your child’s clothing with their name and if you find that your child has brought an item home that doesn’t belong to

them—return it as soon as possible. Many thanks.

A WINNING ENTRY

Congratulations go to Ali Iqbal in Hedgehogs class who entered a writing competition over the Summer run by Birmingham E Learning Foundation (BeLF) and won a Netbook which was presented to him earlier this month. BeLF is a charity working in partnership with schools, parents and sponsors so that all pupils have access to the latest technologies both at home and at school.

OPEN MORNINGS/EVENING

A very warm welcome is extended to all existing and prospective parents for our September 2012 intake of children.

3rd November Open Morning 10.00 am Presentation by the Head Teacher 10.30 am Tour of school 10th November Open Morning 10.00 am Presentation by the Head Teacher 10.30 am Tour of the school Open Evening 7.00 pm Presentation by the Head Teacher 7.30 pm Tour of the school

Please tell your friends and family to come along to meet us.

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY TEACHER TRAINEES We would like to extend a very warm welcome to three BCU

student teachers this term. Miss Jenna Blair-Folland, Miss Jade Tonks and Miss Tara Calder who are undertaking their 3rd Year

BA honours degree. They have begun their placement with us and will be working with Kingfishers, Badgers and Otters.

HEALTHY EATING

We are continuing to promote healthy

eating in school and would kindly ask you to

refrain from sending your children to school with unhealthy snacks. Crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks are strongly

discouraged.

As you know our school cook works extremely hard

to provide our children with a nutritionally balanced enjoyable meal each day. If your child currently has sandwiches because they are allergic to certain foods, but would like a hot school lunch then please feel free to come into school to speak directly

to our cook.

Our School Council

Is made up of representatives from across the school. This

year the officers are as follows;

Chair Person = Joseph Maguire Vice Chair = Molly Whitehouse Secretary = Olivia Gallagher

Treasurer = Bradley Pugh

LOOKING AHEAD

Our Christmas Fair this year is on 2nd December 2011

Volunteers are needed as always. If you can help

please contact Miss Marsh or a member of the PTFA.

BOOK FAIR Monday 14th November to Friday 18th November

Please come and buy your Christmas gifts. For every book you buy we get a

donation for school. The Fair will be open between 3.00 pm and 4.00 pm every day

during the week. If anyone can spare an hour to give us a helping hand running the fair we would be extremely grateful.

HALLOWEEN DISCO

FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER 6.30 PM TO 7.30 PM

Nursery and KS1 children only 7.30 PM to 9.00 PM

All ages and families £1.00 children

£2.00 adults £5.00 family

Pay on the door

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

BEHAVIOUR We are continuing the drive to improving

behaviour throughout the school. We recognise that the vast majority of our children are well behaved but we are now encouraging them to develop further their skills of self regulation. E.g. can they share a carton of orange juice

equally between them without being directed to do so, or do some children help themselves to more than others; do they walk around school, from one part of the building to another, when

not being led by an adult; can they solve conflicts confidently without relying on mediation?

LUNCHTIMES

As you know, we now have two sittings in the dining hall at lunchtimes and each class has their own allocated Lunchtime

Supervisor. We have been working, with the

children, on manners and etiquette to ensure that the dining

experience is a pleasant one for everyone. Thanks go to our

hardworking team of lunchtime

Supervisors who have brought about the successful changes.

MILK ORDERS

KS1 PARENTS PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR A LETTER ASKING IF YOU WISH YOUR CHILD TO HAVE MILK NEXT TERM. THIS FORM MUST BE RETURNED BEFORE THE END OF TERM SO WE CAN ORDER ENOUGH MILK FOR EACH CHILD.

INCLUSION: CHILDREN WITH AUTISM What do you know about Autism? Autism covers a group of conditions known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) which affect about one in every hundred. Autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder meaning that the symptoms can range from extremely mild to quite severe. On first sight a child with autism often looks just like any other child. There are no obvious visual clues, which is

why so many children with autism are mistaken for being ’naughty’ or ’rude’. Autism affects the way in which people understand and react to the world around them. They often react differently to others. A child with autism may be perfectly happy one moment, but all of a sudden become sad or angry. This may be because they can’t tell people what they want or how they feel. Many people with autism have ritualistic behaviour, insistence on routine and sameness. An unfamiliar space or routine no longer feels safe or secure. Although each autistic child may act very differently they do however share problems in three key areas; Communication, Social Interaction and Imagination.

Voluntary School Fund Contributions

An enormous thank you to the 57 families who have already sent in their donations of £10.00 (and in some cases significantly more) to help us provide all the little extras the children receive

through out the year, such as Christmas trees and presents, Easter eggs, party food and theatre productions in school.

We look forward to receiving the remainder of contributions before

we break up for October half term.

Operation Christmas Child

Once again our Year 6 children are supporting the Samaritan’s Appeal for shoeboxes filled with toys and goodies for underprivileged children. Leaflets will be sent home explaining how you can take part and make a child smile this Christmas.

THE JOSEPH FOOTE TRUST

We have recently been contacted by the Joseph Foote Trust who are raising awareness of brain related illnesses. Delays in diagnosis can lead to children

being up to ten times more likely to suffer disability or premature death and diagnosis times in the UK are over three times longer than in much of mainland

Europe.

The Joseph Foote Trust has set up a website along with Head Smart to help raise awareness and funds for earlier diagnosis. If you would like further information

please contact: www.josephfoote.co uk

Secondary Preference Forms

Please note that the final date for receipt of applications for Secondary School places is 31st October 2011.

This year admissions and appeals would like all families to apply on line at www.birmingham.gov/schooladmissions

If you have any queries then please contact Admissions and Appeals on 0121 675 0555

Congratulations to Year 5 pupils who have recently completed their Bikeability course.

Well Done!

The next dates for Year 6 groups are as follows:

Week beginning 10th October—Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

17th October—Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 21st November—Mon, Tues, Wed (all day)

BIKEABILITY Please can all Reception parents who have not returned their

Medical Consent Forms please do so without delay.

The School Nurse needs to make appointments to test your child’s sight and hearing and to check

their growth. This is a free service which is beneficial to your child. If you

have lost your form please contact the school office.

ARTHUR TERRY YEAR 6 TRANSFER Over the last couple of years we have had a number of parents and children who have been very disappointed that they have not been allocated places at The Arthur Terry Secondary School. This has often come as quite a shock and so we thought that we should bring this to your attention. The catchment area distance changes each year and is due to changes in birth rates and the number of children eligible for transfer to Arthur Terry living in close proximity. Birmingham City Council is responsible for calculating these distances. The distance for children starting in September 2011 was 1633metres The distance for children starting in September 2010 was 1808 metres We hope you find this information useful and will be able to use it as a guide when thinking about secondary transfer.

Following the release of balloons to celebrate International Language Day we have had several

replies and some lovely letters from the pubic who have spotted and retrieved our balloon tags.

We received a reply from Coco the dog in Sleaford, Lincolnshire who found Millie Bampton’s balloon and another from a farmer in Horncastle, Lincolnshire who watched Keira Harris’ balloon

fall to earth.

Others were found in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

We had a lovely e-mail from a Primary School in Nottingham who were so excited about our

balloon release that they insisted on contacting us immediately and then following up with a news

report all about our project. Great fun !

Year 5 iPad Project

In conjunction with BeLF (Birmingham e Learning Foundation) our Year 5 pupils have been offered a marvellous opportunity to work with iPads this

year. This scheme provides an ipad to each pupil in

Year 5 for them not only to use in school but also to take home and use with the family throughout

the year. All those that have indicated that they are prepared to pay the small monthly sum over the next two years will receive their iPads

at home in time for Christmas holidays.

School Photographs will take place on

Tuesday 22nd November this year. This is slightly later

than usual but do not worry as our

wonderful new Photographer has guaranteed a very

quick turn around on orders.

We are sure you will be delighted by the

results.

Parent Meetings

A big Thank You to everyone who has attended our Parent meetings so far

this term. We always enjoy seeing you

in school and appreciate your support. We hope that

you benefited from the meetings and workshops.