Dear Parents,

Please accept my apologies for having not emailed for such a long time. It's been a very busy start to the school year! There is lots going on which is fantastic to see after Covid spoilt so much of the last couple of years. We are re-starting educational visits, clubs are back up and running, playtimes are back to normal- it almost feels like life is business as usual! Here's a round up of some of the latest news:

1. Miss O'Sullivan (1S)

Miss O'Sullivan is leaving at the end of this week. She is a fabulous teacher and will be sorely missed by many of us. We have recruited an experienced teacher called Mrs Rooker to replace her. Mrs Rooker comes very highly recommended from previous schools, and I hope she will settle into St John's school life quickly.

2. Mrs Kirby

Mrs Kirby leads English and Lower School (Ys 1, 2 and 3) and has just started her maternity leave. If you have any concerns or questions which you would normally talk to Mrs Kirby about, please feel free to talk to myself or Mrs Hedges instead.

3. Mrs Harborne (EYFS Leader)

Mrs Harborne had a baby girl last week. She is called Ava! Congratulations to her and her family.

4. Parents' Evening:

Parents' Evening will be taking place on Thursday 11th November. You are not able to book appointments yet, but I understand that there is confusion as it is usually this week.

To add to the confusion, 1S are having their parents' evening this week- but only 1S. This is because their teacher, Miss O'Sullivan, is leaving at the end of the week and will not be here on 11th November.

5. Half Term:

It is half term next week (Monday 25th-Friday 29th October). I hope you enjoy some quality time with your children.

6. Training Days next half term:

Next half term there will be two training days:

- Friday 5th November

- Tuesday 7th December.

7. Water bottles

Please send your child to school with a water bottle. It's a great idea to write their name on it with a Sharpie pen so that they don't lose it.

8. Pencil Cases

Some classes have asked children to stop bringing their pencil cases. As a parent myself, I know how attached some children are to their pencil cases, so I apologise if your child is disappointed by this. Unfortunately, some of the pencil cases are massive and don't fit in any of the children's drawers. As a result, there is hardly any room for children to work on their tables because they are covered in huge pencil cases!

9. Our School Website

You might not realise this, but our school website is really useful for parents that want to know about what we are teaching! I'll add a couple of links below so that you can see the English and Maths pages. Mrs Kirby has added lots of videos about phonics and reading at St John's, so if you missed any of the workshops that she ran earlier in the term, you can catch up by following these links:

Phonics:

Phonics | St John's C of E Primary School (st-johns-pri.bham.sch.uk)

Reading:

Reading | St John's C of E Primary School (st-johns-pri.bham.sch.uk)

Maths:

Termly Overviews | St John's C of E Primary School (st-johns-pri.bham.sch.uk)

Best wishes,

Mrs Seymour