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Welcome to one last Grayswood CE Primary School Newsletter before we break for Easter.
We hope you enjoy a look back at what we've been up to in March.
Please make sure you have a look at the calendar at the bottom for what we have coming up in April.
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Kingfishers Get Growing
Thank you to our local Squires garden centre who visited this month to get our Year 3 children planting up their potato plants.
The children have been making sure to take good care of the young plants, and look forward to harvesting them and having them cooked into yummy chips!
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Support for our Young Carers
At the start of the month we were invited to a fun event organised by the Haslemere Youth Hub specifically aimed at supporting our Young Carers in local primary schools.
Sarah De Marcos our Home School Link Worker accompanied children for an afternoon of fun activities and a shared lunch all of which was thoroughly enjoyed.
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If you feel your child might be a Young Carer then please do let us know and we will ensure that your child feels supported and understood in school and can refer to Surrey Young Carers.
Surrey Young Carers is here to support you if you are aged 5-18, living in Surrey and are providing practical or emotional care for a member of your family with a long-term illness, physical disability or learning difficulty, mental ill health or substance or alcohol dependency.
You may be providing practical help such as making meals, or physical help like helping your mum get dressed. You may be looking after other children or perhaps your brother or sister is the person in your family needing extra care.
Young carers very often provide emotional support as well and can feel very lonely.
https://www.actionforcarers.org.uk/who-we-help/young-carers-under-18/
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Welcome Bob!
In art this month, our Woodpeckers class have been learning about paper sculpting.
To bring the art form really to life, they have collaborated as a class to create our very own pet spider.
Decided by a vote, the class decided to name him Bob!
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GB Athlete Visit
A real highlight of the past month has been the visit by GB athlete and Commonwealth Para-athlete Nerys Pearce to our school.
Nerys led a sponsored fitness circuit with all pupils, followed by a motivational assembly, and Q&A session.
Students and staff alike were inspired by Nerys' talk, and the fitness circuit really tested us, but was incredibly fun!
We look forward to finding out how much we raised in sponsorship!
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Panathlon Fun
A selection of our students got the opportunity to take part in a Panathlon challenge earlier in the month. They competed in a number of fun activities against neighbouring schools, finishing up in a strong third place.
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Netball and Football Teams Out in Full Force
Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 football teams, and our KS2 Netball Team who all represented our school this month, showing great team spirit and bravery.
We were so proud of their conduct and perseverance, they were a real credit to us!
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Staff Update
We are extremely pleased to welcome back Mrs. Woods after Easter who returns from maternity leave. We also have a new member of staff joining us, Mrs. Strudwick, who will work with us as a LSA.
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Emotional Health and Wellbeing
The importance of mental health in UK primary children lies in its direct link to academic success, social-emotional development, and lifelong well-being. Good mental health helps children attend school, build resilience, develop key life skills, and perform better academically. It is crucial for their overall development, with roots in early childhood and the ability to impact them into adulthood.
If you feel your child is experiencing poor mental health then please contact us to discuss advice and support. Your child’s class teacher is the first port of call to raise concerns in the first instance for issues such as anxiety, low self esteem, low mood etc. Our Home School Link Worker and ELSA, Sarah De Marcos can also be contacted via email at: HSLW@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk. For significant concerns about your child’s immediate mental health please consult with your GP.
Other helpful organisations include:
Mindworks Surrey
MIndworks Surrey are the emotional wellbeing and mental health service for children and young people in Surrey. Their website includes information for parents on ‘how you can help your child’, ‘what support is available’ and includes a Neurodevelopmental Advice Line for parents.
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/
Young Minds
Young Minds is a leading charity for children and young people promoting good mental health. There are sections for parents, young people and professionals and an A-Z guide to mental health conditions.
Young Minds also have a Free Parents Helpline on 0808 802 5544.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
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Stars of the Week
13th March: Molly, Cleo, Hannah J, Lily W, Daphne, Arlo C, Thomas C-Y, Grace, Florence S, Max, Tillie N-T, Alex P, Sophia R, Kyra, Lucy
20th March : Edward G, Hector, Laurie, Otto, Mabel W, Wilfred, Liberty, James, Rafe, Tils
School Value Awards
20th March: Audrey F
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House Points
The house point totals for this term:
Lovelace - 2717
Darwin - 2636
Burns - 2388
Hawking - 2107
Congratulations to Lovelace who can come in non-school uniform on Monday 13th April!
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Good attendance is not just valuable, it's essential. Good attendance promotes good outcomes for pupils and provides them with the very best opportunity to reach their potential.
We regularly track the attendance for each child and communicate with parents where any concerns may be emerging. The government class attendance below 90% is as 'persistently absent' and under 50% 'severely absent'.
The percentage attendance figures for each class as a whole in March are:
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1st. Kingfishers - 97.17%
2nd. Wrens - 96.26%
3rd. Swallows - 96.21%
4th. Swifts - 96.67%
5th. Robins - 95.97%
6th. Kites - 95.46%
7th. Woodpeckers - 95.43%
Well done Kingfishers on topping the leaderboard for March!
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Just to remind parents/carers of our attendance policy which came into action in September 2024. If you take your child/children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), then the following will apply:
1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.
Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.
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Earn commission for Grayswood School when buying your name labels!
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Food Banks
As a school we are able to refer families who may need a little extra support to the local food banks in Haslemere (Haslemere Methodist Church) or Godalming (if you live in or around Witley).
Even if it's just a one-off visit you need to help you during a difficult time for you and your family.
If you would like to know more please email our Home School Link Worker, Sarah De Marcos (in confidence) at:
hslw@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk
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Hosting a party?
A reminder that you can hire our school hall for your parties, events or clubs. It's available after school, at weekends and during the school holidays.
To find out more please contact our School Business Manager, on sbm@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk
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