Newsletter

As the autumn term gets into full swing, there’s a wonderful buzz of learning and excitement echoing throughout our school. It’s been a joy to see our children settling into their routines with such enthusiasm and curiosity. 

Pupils have been diving into new topics with energy: from exploring the wonders of the solar system in science, to crafting imaginative writing in English and tackling challenges in maths with growing confidence. The atmosphere is one of discovery and determination and we couldn’t be prouder of how our learners are embracing the term ahead.

Meanwhile, democracy is alive and well in our school! The elections for School Council, House Captains and Vice Captains have taken place, with candidates delivering passionate speeches and rallying their peers. It’s been inspiring to see our pupils stepping up with ideas, integrity and a real sense of responsibility. These roles are a vital part of our school’s leadership and voice; we’re excited to see how the elected pupils represent their classmates moving forward.

We’ve also been busy preparing for our first event on the whole-school calendar: the Harvest Festival. Children are busy rehearsing songs, poems and reflections that celebrate gratitude and giving. We look forward to welcoming you to this special event, where we’ll come together as a community to support those in need and share in the spirit of the season.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. 

Miss Watson

 

House and Vice Captains

Meet our newly elected House and Vice Captains...

 

 

Rufford

Taya - Captain

Ebony  - Vice Captain

 

 

Thoresby 

Carter - Captain 

Heidi - Vice Captain

 

Clumber 

Tilly - Captain 

Edison - Vice Captain 

 

Sherwood 

Ellie B - Captain
Reva - Vice Captain

 

We'll look forward to seeing how you put your leadership skills into action!

 

Birklands' Junior School Council

Last week, we elected our KS2 Junior School Councillors for this year. They are:

Siskin: Jessica

Woodpecker: Fliss

Kittiwake: Lily

Goldcrest: Max

Kingfisher: Jack

Nightingale: Billie

Look out for updates from the Junior School Councillors about what we are doing throughout the year.

We’re thrilled to launch our very own school recruitment agency, giving pupils the chance to apply for a range of exciting roles throughout the year! This is a fantastic way for children to develop responsibility, teamwork and leadership skills while making a real difference in our school community. The first positions available include: Personal Assistants to the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Admin Team, as well as Play Leaders, Librarians and Behaviour Reward Monitors.

Pupils: Keep an eye out for the job adverts and application details - your next big opportunity could be just around the corner!

A huge congratulations to Kingfisher Class, who have won the attendance treat for two weeks in a row—with a perfect 100% attendance this week! What an amazing achievement! We’re also celebrating our fantastic Foundation Stage classes: Puffin Class achieved the joint top score last week, and Robin Class have matched that with 100% attendance this week. Well done to all the children (and families!) for making every day count.

Just a reminder: the winning class gets to enjoy a non-uniform day on a date chosen by their teacher, and if a class hits 100% attendance, they also earn an extra playtime as a special reward. Keep up the brilliant effort, everyone!

This week, we’re proud to recognise a wonderful group of children who have truly embodied our school values by working hard or being kind. Each of them has earned a special certificate and a moment of celebration in our Friday assembly. Although we’re sadly unable to invite parents to join us in person due to limited space, we still want you to be part of the celebration. By sharing a photo in our newsletter, we hope to bring a little piece of that special moment home to you. Congratulations to all our certificate winners - you’ve made us all incredibly proud! 

This week, EYFS launched our Reading Buddies programme with Year 5! The children loved getting to know their partners and sharing stories together. It was a wonderful success, and we are already looking forward to our weekly sessions.

Just a reminder about our forthcoming Harvest Festival. See below for letter previously texted out:

Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s been a lovely start to the school year, and we are already practising our songs and poems for Harvest. This year, we’ll be celebrating the Harvest Festival at St Peter and St Paul’s Church on Wednesday 1st October. We will hold 2 separate services as follows:

9:45 to 10:15: Reception, Years 1 and 2

10:20 to 10:50: Years 3, 4, 5 and 6

As always, we are grateful to parents and carers who can walk with us to and from the church. If you can help, please let your child’s class teacher know. For the first service we aim to leave after registration, by 9:15 am. For the second service we aim to leave school at 9:50 am. We will have seating reserved inside the church for those walking with us.

In the past, we have made donations to the local food bank as part of our learning and to promote our children’s awareness of social responsibility within the local community. If you would like to contribute towards this, please could you send any tinned food, jars of sauces, pasta, rice or cereal into school by Friday 26th September.

We are excited to share this celebration with our school community and hope many of you will be able to join us. Thank you in advance for your support.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs Norman

RE Coordinator 

Well done to Finley (Woodpecker class) who took his Bronze Street Dance exam earlier in the year and got his certificate and award this week. He achieved Honours rating with 90%, the highest rating possible! The examiner said he has a great feel for music with good rhythm. 

We are very proud of Finley! 

Well done to Daisy (Kingfisher Class) for exhibiting kindness towards her peers at Sports4Kidz. Wear that medal with pride, Daisy!

Just a reminder that if your child has accomplished something out of school - perhaps in sports, music, art, clubs or beyond - and you’d like to see them featured in a future newsletter, please email the details (and any photographs) to the school office for the attention of Miss Watson. We love celebrating our pupils’ talents and successes with the whole school community!

office@birklandsschool.co.uk

A huge congratulations to Jack and Rory in Year 2, who are the very first children to reach the turquoise book band this year! This is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of their hard work, dedication and love of reading. We’re incredibly proud of them both - keep turning those pages, boys!

 

We’re delighted to share some wonderful news with our school community - Miss Scrivener and her partner welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Oscar, into the world earlier this week! Both mum and baby are doing well, and we’re sure you’ll join us in sending them our warmest congratulations and best wishes as they begin this exciting new chapter. 

As well as celebrating the arrival of baby Oscar, we’re also delighted to share that Miss Stretton is expecting a baby of her own, due in February! We know you’ll join us in sending her warm congratulations as she prepares for this exciting new adventure. An advertisement for her maternity cover will be posted next week and we’ll keep you updated with any further news. It’s certainly a season of joyful new beginnings here at school! 

Monday 29th September at 2:40pm - EYFS Phonics meeting with parents

 

Wednesday 1st October: Harvest Festival 

 

Wednesday 1st October at 2:40pm - Year 1 Phonics meeting with parents

 

Friday 3rd October: INSET Day 

 

Tuesday 7th October at 3:15pm: Year 6 residential meeting for parents 

 

Thursday 9th October: Flu Vaccinations 

 

Tuesday 21st/Wednesday 22nd October: Parents’ Evenings 

 

Thursday 23rd October: Halloween Disco 

 

Monday 27th October - Friday 31st October: Half-Term 

 

*Further details relating to the events listed will be shared over the coming weeks. 

Uniform Swap Shop at The Town Hall

If anyone would like to donate a uniform, they can contact Karen directly by calling or texting her at 07974 687728 to arrange a drop-off.

Alternatively, uniforms can be donated at Warsop Town Hall every Thursday morning between 9 and 11am.

Residents in need of uniform assistance can also visit the Town Hall on Thursday mornings as volunteers will be available to provide support.

Along with the uniform support service, a selection of children’s toys are available for families, and a community book swap called Warsop Book Bank has launched to encourage residents to exchange a pre-loved book for an unread one.

 

Parking Reminder

We kindly remind all parents and carers not to park or drop children off on the yellow zig-zag lines outside school. These areas are there to keep our pupils safe, especially during the busy morning and afternoon periods. Thank you for helping us keep the area around school safe and clear.

 

Reporting Absences

If your child is going to be absent from school, we kindly ask that you contact the school office by 8:00am on the day of the absence. This helps us ensure all children are accounted for and allows us to update our registers promptly. Thank you for your support in keeping our records accurate and our pupils safe.