The School Council have been working very hard to think of ideas how to make us all more healthy.

They have asked if every Friday can now be 'Fruity Friday' where we encourage and reward children for bringing in healthy snacks. I think this is a FABULOUS idea.

We will be launching 'Fruity Friday' this week with a Healthy Snack Tuck-shop which will be available for all pupils in the hall at first break. The School Council members will be selling healthy snack alternatives such as bananas, cheese portions and breadsticks.

From this Friday onwards we will be awarding house points to those who can show us a healthy snack at playtime.

Well done to our School Council for this wonderful idea, let's all give them and our childrens' health our full support!

You may be aware that Smith House was the winner of the race to get the most house points at the end of the Autumn Term.

As a result we have offered the members of Smith house a prize – which is for them to have a non-uniform day.

This will take place on Friday, 15^th January and will ONLY be in place for the children of Smith house.

We send them our congratulations at working so hard to get so many points and we look forward to seeing who will win at the end of this term.

THREADWORM –INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Information for parents when cases of threadworm are reported at school. This document is to

give guidance in what to look out for and to reassure you that this infection is not serious but that

medical guidance should be sought if you suspect that your child is suffering from them.

Threadworm

Threadworm (also known as pinworm) are common worm infections of the intestines (or gut)

that often do not show symptoms. Humans are their only host and anyone can catch them. They

are particularly common in children between the ages of five and twelve years. Infection often

occurs in more than one family member. Threadworms look like thin, white cotton threads.

Signs and symptoms

In infections where there are symptoms, itching around the anus occurs, especially after a warm

bath or at night causing sleep disturbance. A sticky fluid is sometimes felt around the anus which

may also cause itchiness. Sometimes the worms can be seen either in the stools or around the

anus.

Mode of Transmission

Transmission is by direct transfer of infective eggs by hand from anus to mouth of the same or

another person, or indirectly through clothing, bedding, food or other contaminated equipment.

Re-infection is common. The eggs are ingested and hatch in the small intestine. The worms then

migrate to the large bowel.

Treatment

There are a variety of treatments available; advice should be sought from the GP. Treatment

should be repeated after two weeks. It is also advisable to treat the whole family/ household

members at the same time in order to adequately eradicate the problem from the household.

Prevention of spread

• Prompt recognition of new cases by GPs

• Remove sources of infection by treating cases with anti-worm medication

• All close contacts should be treated with the same medication

• Encourage hand washing especially after going to the toilet and before eating

• Keep fingernails short and discourage nail biting

• Wear clean underwear at night

As well as informing you of the situation, purpose of this letter is to enable you to seek treatment

early if your child is affected and to remind parents of general hygiene, in particular to make sure

that your child/ children wash their hands regularly, particularly after going to the toilet and

especially before eating.

Children with threadworm do not need to be kept away from school as long as the child is

treated and is aware of the hygiene measures required. However, could you please inform

the school as soon as possible if you have a case of threadworm in the family home.

Thank you for your co-operation.

If you would like to view or download the recording I made of 'Prickly Hay', please cut and paste the following link into your browser.

This is a Dropbox file and can only be accessed using this link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xoxbgzs2eqkwqwb/058.MOV?dl=0  

This recording will only be available until next Wednesday, so please download as soon as you can.

Next Wednesday I will be swapping it for our KS1 recording of 'The Grumpy Hotel Keeper'.

Please enjoy....

A massive 'well done' to the Reception children who starred in the Nativity Play - Prickly Hay yesterday.

Many thanks to all the grandparents, parents and wider family that came and made it such a lovely evening.

Thanks also to all the hard work of the staff involved in producing it.

I did film the play and am currently trying to find a suitable platform to distribute such a big file - I will keep you posted as to whether this is via DVD or a secure cloud.

Dear Parents,

Please find attached a Christmas message from the Bishop of Lincoln to all Church Schools in the Diocese.

Christmas 2015 Letter from the Bishop of Lincoln

We’re all getting ready for Christmas here in the bishop’s house. The Christmas pudding has
been made, the turkey is ordered. The presents have been bought, and soon we’ll be putting
them under our Christmas tree. One of my favourite bits of getting everything ready is putting
out our Christmas crib to remind us of what it was like that very first Christmas when Jesus was
born.
One thing about that first Christmas which I always try to remember is that it was really
different from anything you and I have ever experienced. When Jesus was born, it wasn’t in a
nice, warm hospital with lots of people around to help and make sure everything was ok. It
wasn’t like that at all: Jesus was born outside, in a dangerous place, and Mary and Joseph had
to be very, very careful to keep their new baby safe.
But the other thing I always try to remember is that the way Jesus was born wasn’t an accident.
God knew exactly what he was doing, because he knows that things don’t always happen in a
neat and tidy way. Life is sometimes messy, and we worry, and things don’t turn out the way
we would like them to. God understands that, and sending Jesus to us at Christmas is God’s way
of showing us that. Jesus was the most precious and special thing that God had, and the way he
was born show us just how much God loves us.
When I’m helping to put up the decorations in my house this year, I am going to remember that
there are lots of people in our world at the moment who are having to live outside, who live in
dangerous places because people are fighting. They are very like Jesus and his family, because
they’re not able to stay at home any more and they have to move somewhere else to be safe.
They sometimes have to leave everything behind and walk a very long way to do that.
The three kings came to Mary and Joseph and helped them to look after baby Jesus and keep
him safe. God needs all of us to do that for each other too, especially anyone we meet who is
different from us and has had to move here from a far away place.
May God bless you, your homes and all those you love this Christmas and always.
Bishop Christopher

There has been a child diagnosed with Slapped Cheek in school.

This is not a dangerous virus to children, however it is to pregnant women and those with a blood disorder. This is why we are notifying you, so please see below for further information:

What to do if you or your child has slapped cheek

Slapped cheek syndrome is usually mild and should clear up without specific treatment.

If you or your child is feeling unwell, you can try the following to ease the symptoms:

• rest and drink plenty of fluids – babies should continue their normal feeds
• for a fever, headaches or joint pain, you can take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen – children under 16 shouldn't take aspirin
• to reduce itchiness, you can take antihistamines or use an emollient (moisturising lotion) – some antihistamines are not suitable for young children, so check with your pharmacist first

Unless you or your child is feeling unwell, there’s no need to stay away from school or work once the rash has developed, as the infection is no longer contagious by this point.

It's a good idea to notify your child's school about the infection, so children who develop early symptoms can be spotted quickly and vulnerable people can be made aware that they may need to get medical advice.

Slapped cheek syndrome (also called fifth disease or parvovirus B19) is a viral infection that's most common in children, although it can affect people of any age. It usually causes a bright red rash to develop on the cheeks.

Although the rash can look alarming, slapped cheek syndrome is normally a mild infection that clears up by itself in one to three weeks. Once you've had the infection, you're usually immune to it for life.

However, slapped cheek syndrome can be more serious for some people. If you're pregnant, have a blood disorder or a weakened immune system and have been exposed to the virus, you should get medical advice. 

Choir will be performing at Walton Girls School on Thursday 3^rd December.  We will leave school at 4.15 by coach so children need to be at school by 4.10 to ensure that we leave on time.  If you wish your child to stay in school between 3.30 and 4.10 please tell them to let either Miss Baliol-Key or Miss Newcombe know and we will arrange to supervise them.  If you are close enough for your child to go home for a short time, please do ensure they are back by 4.10.  If you child normally attends a club on a Thursday, they unfortunately will not be able to attend it for this week only.

If you wish to attend the performance, tickets will be available from us in the next week or so and will cost £3.  If you attend the performance you may take your child home from Walton rather than them having to come back to school.  If you are not able to attend the performance please ensure you are at school for 7.30 to collect your child – school will not be open at this time.

As always thank you for your support with choir.

 Ms Baliol-Key and Miss Newcombe 

What a wonderful day. Many, many thanks to all those who put in so much work to make so many fabulous learning opportunities for our children - well done to you all!

Here are a few pictures to show you some of the amazing activities that were going on around school....

Dear Parents,

Many, many thanks to ALL of you who took the time to complete the parents survey sent out before half term.

I read all of your comments and very much appreciate the honesty and spirit in which these constructive comments have been made.

We really want to get it right for yourselves and your children and i hope that you will be seeing actions that we have taken in school, paying real dividends for your children as they move forward through school.

I have posted the results of the parents' survey in our KEY DOCUMENTS menu, also the action plan I have written that goes to show what we will be doing about some of the things that have been raised.

I may be catching up with a few parents to ask further questions about the surveys so I can really get to grips with how we can best work together to make a real difference for our pupils.