Newsletters

Bushmead Brilliant Book Week

Monday 27^th February - Friday 3rd March 2023

It is with great excitement that we look forward to the Bushmead Brilliant Book week. This week has proven in previous years to ignite enthusiasm in both pupils and parents towards reading. Past events have included Extreme Reading, storyteller visits, character dress up, book quizzes and author visits.

World Book Day - Thursday 2nd March

For 2023, the Bushmead World Book Day dress up theme is ‘Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover’. The children are invited to come to school dressed in anything book related, e.g.: a character or an item from a story, or they could choose to come wearing their snuggly pyjamas!  Please ensure your child also wears sensible footwear and a warm coat.

We would like to run a ‘Book Swap’ on this day – children can bring in 1 or 2 books that they no longer read and swap for a different book.  Please note – even if children bring in 2 books, they will only be able to take 1, any leftover books will be placed in classes or the libraries, thank you.

We will be hosting a Book Fayre from Wednesday 1st March until Tuesday 7th March, allowing the pupils the opportunity to browse and purchase books. This will be open after school for parents to visit from 3.30pm until 4.00pm, in the Miller Hub. Purchases can be made with cash or via the QR code posted in the Hub (just show your receipt to a member of staff).  KS2 children will also have the opportunity to visit the book fayre at lunchtimes to purchase books – money for this must be sent in a named envelope please.  Any money raised from the Book Fayre will be used to purchase new books for both our libraries.

KS2 – in keeping with our theme of ‘Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover’, we would like children to reimagine a cover for a favourite book of theirs – be creative! If children need paper, they can ask their teacher for a piece.

KS1 – We would like children to design a teddy bear dressed as their favourite book character. All Reception and KS1 children will be provided with a teddy template that they can use.

There will be a £5 book voucher for the winning entries to spend at the book fayre! The closing date for these two competitions is Monday 27^th February 2023 – children will need to hand their entries to their teacher.

There will also be an ‘in-school’ competition run during book week, again based on ‘Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover’ – children will be told more about this after half term.

Finally, we really appreciate all the support from parents when we hold events such as this – thank you!

 Meeting Protocol

At Bushmead, we believe that effective communication between school and the home is essential. Every effort is made to establish and maintain positive teacher / parent relations. It is essential to establish and maintain a partnership with parents. The school also recognises that with parental support and involvement, the education of the children is maximised.

Information Communication

Staff are at the doors in the morning and teachers are at their classroom doors or on the playground after school to receive and dismiss the children safely. This contributes to the openness and ‘community feel’ of our school. Members of the Senior Leadership Team and Family Team are also available during arrival and departure of the children.

Staff are responsible for the safety of all children in their class at these times and so are unfortunately not able to have long conversations with individual parents.

Formal Communication

If you wish to discuss something urgently or in further detail with the class teacher, inclusion manager, family worker or member of the leadership team or another member of staff, please arrange a time to meet via the school office.

Protocol for meetings with parents/guardians

Meetings in addition to our Parents’/Guardians’ Consultation are sometimes necessary for home and school to share information about an individual child’s needs.

• These will be arranged in advance at a mutually convenient time.

• Meetings will be held in an appropriate and/or accessible area in the school, usually in the meetings room, family team/inclusion office or other office deemed appropriate

• Staff may ask for a colleague to join the meeting to be able to give you the best advice possible or to record information.

• Electronic recording of meetings e.g., on mobile phones is not acceptable.  

• A member of staff or office staff can take notes at meetings if necessary. 

Teachers and Senior Leaders will always try to help you as quickly as possible, but please be aware that they may need to ask another member of staff for information/advice before they get back to you with a response. This is to ensure that you and your child are supported in the best possible way.

• All meeting attendees are expected to speak courteously, listen to each other and have the opportunity to respond to questions and/or statements.

• If any meeting attendee becomes concerned about their safety during any meeting, it will be stopped immediately, reasons for the meeting being stopped will be given verbally and, where necessary, the party behaving inappropriately will be escorted from the school premises and /or outside agencies contacted.

• Agreed actions will be confirmed verbally or in writing at the end of the meeting.

• Follow-up communication will be issued in a timescale agreed at the meeting.

CHUMS Psychoeducation Workshop reminder

We just wanted to remind you of the remaining Winter/Spring term virtual workshops which we are offering to families in Bedfordshire and Luton.  All workshops are delivered via Microsoft Teams video call and last 2 hours approx.

Please share the following information with all parents/carers, including our registration form and flyer (attached) which outlines the workshops detailed below. As stated on this, families must be registered to a GP surgery in Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough or Luton to be accepted onto a workshop.

If families wish to attend any workshop, they can sign up using one of the following options; complete an electronic registration form linked on the flyer (see page 3) or complete a word registration form (see attached) and email it to fwteam@chums.uk.com. Families do not need to sign up using both options, only one is required and families can decide which option they prefer. Please note, families must sign up at least a week before the workshop they wish to attend and places are allocated on a first-come, first served basis.

WORKSHOPS remaining for Winter/Spring term:

Parent Sleep Workshop (Children aged 12 and under) - The workshop will cover the following topics; why sleep is important, what is ‘good’ sleep, possible causes of sleep difficulties and learning strategies to help overcome sleep problems.

• Tuesday 28^th February;9:30-11:30am

Teenage Sleep Workshop (Children aged 13+) - The workshop will cover the following topics; why sleep is important, what is ‘good’ sleep, sleep hygiene tips and strategies for managing worries at night.

• Monday 27^th March; 4-6pm

Parent Self-esteem workshop (Children aged 12 and under) – The workshop equips parents with an understanding of self-esteem and ways to promote high self-esteem through parenting style and collaborative activities to try at home with their young person

• Wednesdays 26^th April; 9:30-11:30am

Teenage self-esteem (Parents and young people 13+) - One off workshop which equips teenagers with an understanding of self-esteem and tools to build confidence through thought challenging, relaxation and activities to celebrate strengths and successes. Workshop also offers parental tips for building self-esteem in adolescence

• Tuesday 21^st February; 4-6pm

Secondary Resiliency Workshop (For Teens aged 13+) – The workshop will cover the following topics; mental health vs mental health problems, emotional regulation, psychoeducation around anxiety and low mood, and strategies for relaxation.

• Wednesday 15^th March 4-6pm

0-5 Resiliency Workshop (Parents of children aged 0-5) - The workshop will look at the importance of relationships, healthy attachment and how children are constantly learning from those around them. It will cover emotional regulation and how parents/carers are in a prime position to model healthy emotional regulation and behaviours. The workshop will also cover strategies and techniques to help build resiliency in children.

• Friday 21^st April 9:30-11:30am