Bushmead Primary & Nursery School Parent Portal

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This month's value is EMPATHY

Our well-being theme this half-term is meditation & yoga.

10th February 2023

Dear parents & carers,

Another half-term has gone past in a flash, and we are now halfway through the school year. We continue to work hard to ensure great progress for your child and look forward to discussing this with you at our Parent Teacher Conferences on the 20th & 22nd March.

This week our Choir have been to Wembley to sing with thousands of school children for Young Voices. It is an incredible experience that has moved many a grown up to tears. The children that went are still saying that it was one of the best days EVER! Thank you to our amazing staff that supported this event and that support the choir each week. The children were brilliantly behaved as always. Thank you to the families that came along too.... they will be the first to say what a great experience it is.

Year 4 have visited the Natural History Museum at Tring this week. Another example of experiential learning. Rather brilliantly one pupil announced that he had a fantastic day because he hadn't `done any learning`, then promptly talked about all the things he had actually learnt. Thank you to the Yr 4 team a great trip.

Internet Safety Day has taken place this week. How to keep children safe online is an ongoing, ever-changing topic. These websites provide great information for parents: SAFER INTERNET DAY & NSPCC Parental Controls

You may also refer to our own website page for support: Bushmead Online Safety

Dates to bear in mind - possible strike days - 1st March and/or 15th & 16th March. I will keep you posted regarding arrangements.

Have a lovely half-term break. We look forward to seeing you on MONDAY 20th FEBRUARY.

Kind regards,

Joanne Travi

Headteacher

Homework

We believe that we should only give homework tasks if they are meaningful and purposeful. We also believe that there needs to be a balance between home and school life, and that children need downtime to pursue other activities and family time.

We know that children should be reading every day at school and at home. Reading for pleasure comes from choosing to read every day at bedtime for example. Asking you to sign the reading record three times a week is a minimum!

We do not `punish` children for not doing their homework or reading, but we do give them an opportunity to catch up within school time. Please support your child by reading with them and signing their reading record three times a week; as well as encouraging them to read every day.

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Traditional Tales Day in Year 1

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Young Voices at Wembley. An amazing experience for our Choir. Thank you to Ms Richardson, Ms Ledster, Mrs Pateman, Mrs Watt, Mrs Scarrott and Mrs Wilson for their continued commitment to the choir and taking the children.

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2 Cedar deciding what it means to be alive in science!

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Year 4 Visiting the Natural History Museum at Tring.

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The scale of the catastrophe in Turkey and Syria is unimaginable

UPDATED 09/02/2023: Reports now suggest that more than 19,000 have been killed, and many thousands more injured. These figures continue to rise. In response the DEC has launched an appeal (more below) as our teams continue to support with search and rescue, providing essential aid and supporting the wounded

On Monday 6 February at 4:17am local time, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey (officially known as Türkiye) near the city of Gaziantep, devastating parts of Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria. It was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks.

Then at 13:24 local time, a second earthquake (M7.5) hit the Elbistan district around 80 miles north of Gaziantep.

Right now, rescuers are racing to save people in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria who are trapped beneath the rubble, and get shelter and support to those who have lost their homes or are afraid to return inside.

The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) has launched a crisis response operation and mobilised teams in more than 10 regions across the country, while the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is delivering assistance and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia.

With homes destroyed, power down, and hospitals, bridges and roads damaged, thousands of people are in urgent need of help.

How will my donation help people in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria?

More than 5,000 Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) and Syrian Arab Red Crescent staff and volunteers are working around the clock in unimaginably difficult conditions to help people who have lost everything.

The best way you can help those affected by the earthquakes is to

donate to the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.

Your donation will be used to reach people in urgent need in the aftermath of the earthquakes. It will provide support and aid that includes:

Distributing essentials like food water and blankets
Setting up temporary shelters to support thousands of survivors who are facing freezing conditions
Providing first aid and crisis support
Assisting with the rescue efforts and getting people vital medical aid
Providing psychosocial support to those who have been traumatised

Our teams will continue working to ensure that as many survivors as possible have access to the help that they need. Snow and bad weather mean that people who have lost their homes are facing freezing temperatures, so warmth, shelter and sustenance are some of our highest priorities.

What is the DEC?

We're part of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which unites 15 member charities who are experts in humanitarian aid and specialists in different areas of disaster response.

They only launch appeals at times of monumental suffering , which is clearly the case in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria right now. They're very effective at helping promote awareness and raising vital funds.

Please donate today and help us reach families and communities who have lost everything.

Donate here to the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal

We'll be updating this page throughout the coming days with more information from our team on what's happening, and how your support will help people.

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FREE PROSPECTIVE SCHOOL GOVERNOR EVENTS

- Tuesday 28th February 2023 (afternoon or evening session at the Leagrave Centre)

- Thursday 2nd March 2023 (online session)

Are you interested in becoming a school Governor and giving back something to Luton? Come and join us to become a member of the largest volunteer force in this country.

Anybody over 18 and from any walk of life can make a real difference as a volunteer school governor, you do not need to have any education expertise or even be a parent. Qualities needed are common sense, curiosity and a passion for the education of young people in Luton.

This year’s National School Governor Awareness Day takes place on 28th February and Luton Governor Services have organised two free events which will give you more information about what it means to be a school Governor in Luton.

There is no commitment if you attend, this is just finding out more. There will be brief presentations and short videos and plenty of time to ask any questions in a relaxed environment.

Governor Services offer a comprehensive package of online and face to face training to help you settle into and develop your role and our supportive team and will be here to support you in your role.

If you are interested in becoming a Governor, or just want to find out what is involved, we warmly welcome you to join either the morning or the evening sessions on Tuesday 28th February.

1.00pm to 2.30pm or 7.00pm to 8.30pm at The Leagrave Centre, Strangers Way, Luton, LU4 9ND.

For those who cannot attend in person, we are also holding a Microsoft Teams meeting on

Thursday 2nd March 7.00-8.30pm.

To book your place at either of the sessions at the Leagrave Centre, or the online session, please contact Liz Hogan on 07510 382138, or by email to elizabeth.hogan@luton.gov.uk.

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https://lutonacl.ac.uk/half-term-family-learning-workshops-.html

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Luton Libraries

We are offering free Talk, Learn and Construct workshops to Luton families* in some of the local libraries.

Each workshop will be centred on a well-known children’s story, starting with a story reading and then followed by a variety of activities. You and your child will be able to explore ideas around building and constructing things. Suitable for children aged 3 to 7 years.

Workshop	Day	Date	Start time	End time	Venue
Talk, Listen and Construct! The Three Little Pigs	Tuesday	14 February	10:00	12:00	Lewsey Library
Talk, Listen and Construct! The Three Little Pigs	Tuesday	14 February	13:00	15:00	Lewsey Library
Talk, Listen and Construct! Goldilocks and the Three Bears	Wednesday	15 February	10:00	12:00	Leagrave Library
Talk, Listen and Construct! Goldilocks and the Three Bears	Wednesday	15 February	13:00	15:00	Leagrave Library
Talk, Listen and Construct! The Three Billy Goats Gruff	Thursday	16 February	10:00	12:00	Marsh Farm Library
Talk, Listen and Construct! The Three Billy Goats Gruff	Thursday	16 February	13:00	15:00	Marsh Farm Library

Family learning is an opportunity for parents and carers to learn alongside their child with the guidance of one of our expert family learning teachers.

For all of our workshops, we ask politely that you:

agree to take full responsibility for your child or children during sessions
remain with them at all times
ideally only bring 2 children per adult. If you wish to bring more than 2 children please call us to discuss options.
check the age suitability of sessions you are booking onto.

*subject to eligibility. You will need to show us that you have been a resident in the UK for more than 3 years. There are some exceptions, if you are not sure if you are eligible please call us on 01582 490033

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