NewsletterFirbeck Times - October Half Term

~ October 2024 ~

We continue to be amazed by the dedication the majority of our children demonstrate on a day-to-day basis. We know as a school we have created a culture of high expectations across all aspects of school life and it is great to see our children rising to these. Every single day we see great examples of this - from wonderful writing, marvellous mathematics, peer support in lessons and during break times, to our pupils considering fund raising events for causes that are issues locally and globally. 

Earlier this half term we had a visit from our local MP - Lilian Greenwood. She thought the work we are doing around pupil leadership was powerful. 

Our Director of School Improvement, Mrs Shepherd, has visited Firbeck several times this half term. She too has been blown away by the positive differences that can be seen and felt across the school. 

All of this can only be achieved because of our children. They are becoming great role models for our 'Work hard. Be Kind' ethos.  And for everyone at Firbeck it is always a pleasure to be part of the team and the improvement journey we are on.

Thank you to all of you for being so supportive. 

Below are some photos demonstrating the wonderful things that have taken place at Firbeck this half term.

 

Thank you for all of your recent support with our recent fundraising, we have managed to raise the following as a whole school community:

Macmillan Coffee Morning: £58.20

Autumn Term Disco: £245.00

Thank You!

Hello, I am Mr Walters. I have come to Firbeck to do my teacher training placement towards qualifying to be a primary school teacher. I have had a career outside education for over 10 years and have had a family. Having been on the other side of the school parent relationship, I can see how much all of the staff at Firbeck Academy care so passionately for the outcomes of all their pupils. The school has a real sense of community that I am really enjoying being a part of.

I have spent most of my life in Nottingham, I love the city and the people. Serving the community is one of the reasons I wanted to get into teaching so I take great pride in doing so here.

As some of your children may be able to tell you already, I love dinosaurs! I also really enjoy history, science and maths. I try to bring my passion for learning into the classroom and I can’t wait to continue my learning journey here at Firbeck.

Sofia, one of our Year 2 pupils has been training in World Taekwondo for a couple of years.

Earlier this month Sofia competed in the British National Champoinship in the Peewee +30kg division held at the Sheffield Arena, where there were over 800 fighters competing over a weekend.

Sofia took part in a straight up final against an older and taller player, she fought brilliantly and convincingly and beat her opponent 17-4 and 19-6 to win 2-0 overall and become the British National Champion!

This is a huge achievement for Sofia who has trained so hard this year and fought extremely well at all her previous competitions.

Sofia was also excited to meet Caden Cunningham who competed for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics and won  silver medal in the heavyweights division.

Well done Sofia, we are so proud of you!

If any other pupil has some exciting news about a talent, hobby or sporing achievement please do let us know.

As a school we are keen to develop our pupil's confidence, resilience and perseverance through many aspects of school life, as well as deepen their understanding of The Convention for the Rights of a Child and our British Values. It was therefore a great opportunity for four of our School Councillors to attend the Nottingham Primary Parliament Day last week. 

They were able to explore why it is important for children to have a voice and learn more about the Convention for the Rights of a Child. They also had the opportunity to explore the Council House. 

 

 

We are proud to be a part of the myHappymind Family!

As a whole school program grounded in science and dedicated to building positive mental well-being, myHappymind helps children understand how their brains work and creates a culture that helps to build children's resilience, confidence, and self-esteem.

myHappymind also teaches the children how to self-regulate and manage their emotions in stressful times, allowing them to be their very best selves!

Learn more here: myHappymind

 

As part of this program all of our parents get free access to the Parent App using the following code: 139326

Please click on the following link to learn more about the Parent App - Parent App Introduction

Parents Evenings will be held on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th November from 3.30pm - 5.30pm.

We are changing how appointments are booked this year and everything will be organised through the MCAS App, under the 'Parents Evening' menu option.

Bookings will go live on Monday 4th November at 8.00am enabling parents to log into their app and select convenient appointment times from the options available with your child's class teacher.

Please make sure you have an active MCAS account so you can access the Parents Evening appointments.

From next term our regular Wednesday Coffee Morning will become our new Parent/Carer forums. These will be hosted every other Wednesday starting from Wednesday 13th November.  Each session will be hosted by a member of school SLT and Lindy or another member from St Leonards Church will also attend when availability allows.

These sessions will have a different focus each time and will enable our parents and carers to have valuable conversations with our school leadership team as well as express their own views and feedback on current topics, helping to shape the future vision of Firbeck.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will also be provided.

We hope these become a valuable part of our schools engagement with our families and hope you can join us.

REMEMBER - EVERYONE IS WELCOME. 

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit -Your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian can also get free school meals.

Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

  • Younger than the compulsory age for starting school
  • In full-time education

If your child is in Reception - Year 2 they currently receive free meals through the Universal Infant Free School Meal program, however if you fall into any of the categories above please still apply as this opens up additional funding streams for the school and ensures your child's free school meal entitlement continues into Year 3 and beyond.

Applications can be made directly to Nottingham City Council via the following link: Free School Meals Application

Alternatively please contact the school office to complete a paper application.

Our school photographer will be in school on the 12th November to take individual and sibling photos.  Proofs will be sent home a couple of weeks after this date to allow you to order anything you would like.

All children in school on this date will take part in this, however if you would prefer to withdraw your child from the photo session please let the school office know.

Firbeck Academy, is part of Nova Education Trust and academy trusts are made up of at least 2 layers of governance: members and trustees.  Trustees can however have a third layer of governance – a local governing board.  In our case trustees have decided they would like that third layer of local governing boards as they believe it helps schools in working with their own communities.

We currently have 2 vacancies for Parent Governors on our Local Board.

The role of the Local Board

The school’s Local Board is responsible for providing confident and strategic leadership, support and challenge to leaders for the school’s educational performance. The board is passionate about education and committed to continuous school improvement to ensure the best possible outcomes for our pupils.

The role of a Parent Governor

As a parent governor, you’ll work with the Local Board to make sure it effectively carries out the duties referred to above. You’ll also play a vital role in bringing a parental perspective to the Local Board, but you’re not there to speak ‘on behalf’ of the parent body.

To be a parent governor you should have:

A strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for all children.

A desire to work with the school’s leadership team and Governing board in a positive way to drive all aspects of school improvement forward for the benefit of all children.

Good inter-personal skills, curiosity, and a willingness to learn and develop new skills.

The specific skills required to make sure the Local Board delivers effective governance.

Expectations of Governors

In undertaking the role of a governor, it is important that you are able to:

Attend meetings

Maintain confidentiality

Commit to training

Visit the school, as a link governor

How to apply

If you’re interested in applying for the role, please request a candidate form and return it to Rachel Bishop, Clerk to the Local Governing Board. If we receive more applications than there are vacancies, a secret ballot will be carried out. We will inform you if we need to follow this process.

If you have any queries about this process or would like to find out more about the role, please contact Rachel Bishop, Clerk to the Local Governing Board via the school office

We place great importance on providing a safe and secure environment for our children and all of our staff.

As part of this promise we will not tolerate behaviour that is threatening, abusive or violent, whether that be physical, verbal or through social media towards our school, the staff, parents while on the school rounds or pupils while on the school grounds.

Please see our school website for information on our Parent Code of Conduct which details our expectations:

Parent Code of Conduct

Would you like to help support our young learners?

We are constantly looking for volunteers to join our school family who can help our by listening to readers, helping with events, attending educational visits and trips.

If you think you could spare some time on a regular basis or may just be able to help out now and again with specific events or trips, please come and speak to us to find out more.  There is no cost involved (the school will fund a DBS check) and there is no fixed commitment required, volunteering can be done as and when it is convenient for you.

The Early Help team which is part of the Family Hub for Nottingham City will be offering the following family sessions at our school on the following dates/times:

  • Thursday 21st November (9.30am - 11.30am) - Dealing with Disobedience
  • Thursday 28th November (9.30am - 11.30am) - Positive Mealtimes
  • Thursday 5th December (9.30am - 11.30am) - Bedtime Routines

These discussion groups will be delivered by 2 trained facilitators from the Early Help team. 

More details will be shared with parents after half term, however if you would like to attend any or all of these sessions please contact the school office to express you interest.

Monday 4th November - School Re-opens to Pupils

Monday 4th November - Year 5 Swimming Lessons (pm)

Wednesday 6th November - Wednesday 13th November - Scholastic Book Fair in School

Thursday 7th November - Flu Immunisations (Reception - Year 6)

Monday 11th November - Friday 15th November - Anti-Bullying Week

Monday 11th November - Year 5 Swimming Lessons (pm)

Monday 11th November - Parents Evening (3.30 - 5.30pm)

Tuesday 12th November - Parents Evening (3.30 - 5.30pm)

Wednesday 13th November - Drama4All Workshop (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2)

Thursday 14th November - Year 6 Library Visit

Thursday 14th November - EYFS Visit to Theatre Royal to watch The Gruffalo

Friday 15th November - Children in Need

Friday 15th November - Year 5 and Year 6 Cinema Trip

Monday 18th November - Friday 22nd November - UK Parliament Week

Monday 18th November - Year 5 Swimming Lessons (pm)

Wednesday 20th November - Primary Parliament Event at Nottingham City Hall

Wednesday 20th November - EYFS Open Day (9.30 - 11.30am and 1.15 - 3.15pm)

Wednesday 20th November - Year 3 and Year 4 Cinema Trip

Thursday 21st November - Dealing with Disobedience Parent Workshop (9.30 - 11.30am)

Friday 22nd November - Year 1 and Year 2 Cinema Trip

Monday 25th November - Year 5 Swimming Lessons (pm)

Wednesday 27th November - St Leonards Energise Club (3.20 - 5.00pm)

Thursday 28th November - Positive Mealtimes Parent Workshop (9.30 - 11.30am)

Monday 2nd December - Year 1 and Year 2 Carols at the Church (am)

Monday 2nd December - Year 5 Swimming Lessons (pm)

Tuesday 3rd December - Christmas Fair (3.30 - 5.00pm)

Wednesday 4th December - Year 3 and Year 4 Carols at the Church (am)

Wednesday 4th December - Year 5 and Year 6 Carols at the Church (pm)

Thursday 5th December - Bedtime Routines Parent Workshop (9.30 - 11.30am)

Tuesday 10th December - EYFS Nativity Performances

Wednesday 11th December - KS1 Nativity Performances

Thursday 12th December - Pantomime Trip (Year R - Year 6)

Friday 13th December - Firbeck's Got Talent (am)

Friday 13th December - Christmas Parties (pm)

Friday 13th December - School Closes for the Christmas Break at 3.20pm