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Notices Head's Letters
BUILDING EXTENSION
We have made an application to the Birmingham Archdiocese and Education Walsall for funding to extend the school building in order to improve security, safety and accommodation. We have now received confirmation that funding is in place for this work. The work involved is substantial and will take a period of between 4 and 6 months. This, of course, will have an effect upon the running of the school and plans are in place to minimise any disruption.
In order to fully brief everybody about all the plans and issues regarding this work we will be holding two meetings on Tuesday 16th October at 9:00 a.m. and at 3:30 p.m. in the School Hall. These meetings will explain the build and all of the plans to continue running the school effectively during the work. Please try your best to attend.
COFFEE MORNING
Thank you to those who attended the coffee morning last week and I’m glad to here that there was a desire to make it a regular feature. The next one will be on Friday 16th November at 9:15 a.m., which is Children in Need day, and all are welcome to join us.
SCHOOL DINNERS
Some of the parental feedback we have received recently has regarded the school meals served in the kitchen. I think I need to clarify that the contents of school meals are very heavily prescribed and there are now strict regulations about what can be served and how often. I know that Margaret and the staff in the kitchen work hard to present a varied and healthy lunch for the children but they are working within the strict guidelines given by the School Food Trust.
BOOK WEEK
Next week we are holding our Scholastic Book Week based upon the topic of Enchantment. There will be books available to buy from Monday to Thursday after school. The school receives commission from the sale in terms of books for our libraries.
As well as the book sales children’s work on the theme of enchantment will be in the hall and each class will be putting on Enchanted Performances on the following days at 2:45 p.m.
Monday October 15th – Years 1 and 5
Tuesday October 16th – Years 2 and 6
Wednesday October 17th – Years 3 and 4
Please join us for these performances if you can.
FOUNDATION WELCOME MASS
Our annual welcome mass for our children in the Foundation Stage is on Tuesday 16th October at 10:00 a.m. in the Reception classroom. Please join us to welcome our youngest children during this mass.
Happy Easter
As we break up today may I wish you all a happy Easter and I hope that you all have a holy and restful time during Holy Week and Easter week.
Summer Term Dates
We return to school for the Summer Term on Monday 16th April.
We break up for Half Term on Friday 25th May
We return on Monday 4th June
We break up for the Summer Holiday on Friday 20th July at 1:15 p.m.
We are also closed on the following days:
Thursday 4th May Local Election Day / Staff Training
Monday 7th May Bank Holiday.
Breakfast Club
From the Summer Term we will have to increase the cost of Breakfast Club from £1.20 per day to £1.50 to meet expenses.
Please note that there will be no breakfast club on Monday April 16th to enable us to clean and sterilise all the equipment.
Parents Evening
A reminder that the Spring Term Parents Evening is this Thursday (22nd March) from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 pm. If you haven’t already done so please sign up for a time on the sheets in each classroom. Joining us on Thursday will be the Extended School Coordinator, Miss Donna Magher, who will be looking at Parent’s views on the Extended Services you would like to see at St. Joseph’s and in Darlaston generally.
Also here will be Jaginder Rattan from the Children’s Information Service who will be able to give advice on a range of services available to children and parents throughout Walsall. Please feel free to have a chat with either of them on Thursday.
Lenten Charity
Thank you for your continuing support for or Lenten Charity work. We have a number of activities this week.
This Friday (23rd) we will be having a MUFTI day and we ask that each child bring in £1 to help with our grand total. Thank you.
Confirmation
Well done to all of the children who were confirmed earlier this month. We will be having our Confirmation Thanksgiving Mass tomorrow in school at 10:00 a.m. The children will receive their certificates and all are welcome to join us.
Lenten Assemblies
We have been delighted with the support that you have shown the children by joining us for our Lenten Assemblies. We have three more to go:
Year 5 on Friday 23rd at 10:15 – David
Foundation Stage Wednesday 28th at 10:15 – Zaccheaus
Year 6 on Friday 30th at 10:15 – St Paul
All are welcome to join us.
Term Dates
We break up for the Easter holiday on Friday 30th March and return to school on Monday 16th April.
Our Breakfast Club is continuing this year. It now begins at 8:00 a.m. and we welcome children from Reception through to Year 6. The cost is £1.20 per day and weekly payment may be made on a Monday morning.
If any of you have any recent comics or magazines that are in good condition we would be grateful if you could donate them for use at the Breakfast Club and generally throughout the school for wet playtimes as we go through the term. Thank you.
A reminder of the information that was sent out at the beginning of last year regarding holiday leave.
As a school we recommend strongly that children are in school as often as possible so that they can get full access to their educational rights. Our level of attendance is good compared to many similar schools. We do however have a small number of children who have relatively low attendance rates.
Although I have sympathy with the economic reasons for taking holidays in term time holiday leave has a great effect on our attendance levels.
If a child misses 2 weeks a year from Reception to Year 6 that is the equivalent of more than a term lost. In national curriculum terms that time is worth a third to half a level of progress for that child. In terms of school it makes it more difficult for us to meet our targets for achievement.
Head Teachers have discretionary powers to grant leave of up to 10 days per year per child. This is not a right it is entirely at the discretion of the head.
This is known as authorised absence. Any holiday leave that has not been authorised or is over the 10 days authorisation will be regarded as unauthorised absence.
Any unauthorised absence has to be reported to the LEA and they will issue a fixed term penalty of £50 per child, per parent. (£100 if paid after 28 days).
During 2005/2006 we found ourselves in a position where a fixed term penalty was imposed due to a child taking unauthorised holiday absence and obviously we do not want to have to do so again.
Any child whose attendance is 85% or less in the course of the academic year or, in the autumn term, the preceding year will not be authorised for holiday leave.
Any leave over the number of days which been authorised will automatically be liable to a fixed penalty notice from the LEA.
Term dates for this year are as follows:
Autumn Term
Wednesday 6th September to Friday 20th October
Monday 30th October to Wednesday 20th December
Spring Term
Wednesday 3rd January to Friday 9th February
Monday 19th February to Friday 30th March
Summer Term
Monday 16th April to Friday 25th May
Monday 4th June to Friday 20th July
We have a further 3 teacher days within these times. You will be informed of the dates as soon as they are finalised.
Year 6 SATs week Monday 14th to Friday 18th May 2007
Those of you who went past the school during the holiday will have noticed the building work going on. During the summer the tiled roof over the hall was completely replaced along with some of the fascias. New windows and blinds have been fitted in Years 1, 2, 4 and 6 and the school has had cable fitted throughout which has enabled us to completely revamp our ICT provision.
We currently have a bid going through the system with Walsall and the Diocesan Schools Commission for an extension to the administration area of the school which will improve our entrance and security, disabled facilities, toilet facilities and give us some extra meeting rooms. This is dependant upon funding being approved. Approval and work will, hopefully, be during this academic year and as things progress I will keep you informed.
The children return to school on TUESDAY 1st NOVEMBER.
Monday 31st October is a staff training day.
Rough Hay Road, Darlaston, Walsall, WS10 8HN
tel: 0121 568 6496
fax: 0121 568 6496