Hope you all had a good half term. This next half term is 7 weeks long, so quite a long one. Spring is on it’s way too – the sun is shining brightly today 😊. There’s lots to tell you about in this newsletter, so grab a cuppa and settle down for a read!
Local Elections (Voting Day)
Every year, Pedmore gets used as a polling station on the first Thursday in May. This year, there are no local elections. We had provisionally notified you that school would be closed on Thursday 1st May. School will now be open as normal on this date.
Social Media Warning
We want to make you aware of a current trend on social media that poses a significant safeguarding risk to children. We have been informed that there are gigantic social media groups being created, where members of the group are being asked to add as many contacts as they can. This results in children being part of a group with countless numbers of other individuals, most of whom they will not know. These groups will often post violent/offensive/unsuitable content.
If you child has access to social media, including Whatsapp, please ensure you regularly review their social media activity, and take appropriate action in removing your child from potential harm if necessary. Please make sure your child is not a part of these groups.
Also we would remind you that most social media apps have an age rating of 13+. Research recently published in 2024, by the University of California, further demonstrated that young people and social media usage are not happy partners. Indeed, the findings show that increased social media usage correlates with increased feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and dissatisfaction. Evidently, reduction in the time spent by children on social media will see improvements in wellbeing and mental health.
For further information on the types of social media and the risks associated, please see the guidance produced by the NSPCC, by typing or clicking this link: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keepingchildren-safe/online-safety/social-media/
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“
Jeremiah 29:11
Attendance
Whole School – 97.55%
Year 2 – 99.17%
Reception – 98.75%
Year 3 – 98.39%
Year 4 – 97.73%
Year 6 – 97.73%
Year 5 – 95.83%
Year 1 – 95.26%
Well done Year 2 – again!
Parents’ Evenings
Thank you to everyone who attended our parents’ evenings this week. We had over 98% of children represented at these, which is fantastic. We hope you found them useful. We tried a different way of showing you your child’s books this time – we hope that you found this useful also.
School Dinners Survey
You received a ParentMail earlier about our school dinners survey. If you need the link you can get to it from here.
Happy News
The latest edition of Happy News can be found here. Included in this edition is the 14-year-old human calculator who broke 6 world records! You can see his video below.
PTA World Book Day ‘Ped-moreish Bars’
Just a reminder that if you would like to order a chocolate bar for your child, with the chance of winning prizes, please do so through the ParentMail you received the other day. There are options if you require a different bar due to allergies too.
World Book Day
Next Thursday is World Book Day and we have lots of activities happening on the day. Remember, if you want your child to dress up they can (please don’t buy anything specifically, they don’t have to dress up at all). Details in the ParentMail you received earlier in the week.
Our Children’s Voice
Every time we get together in the hall, for worship or an assembly, children from each class have the opportunity to write on our Reflections Wall what they are thinking about on that day. They bring an object from their class prayer bag which means something to them at that time. We collect the responses after a while and have some to share with you below. Your children really do share some wonderful thoughts.
- “Love your friends and your family.”
- “Always help one another.”
- “To be kind and loving to one another.”
- “When you are sad, you just need a warm hug.”
- “Jesus is the light of the world.”
- “Thank you for loving us.”
- “We need to look after our world.”
- “Thank you for everything we have.”
- “Share love and friendship with one another.”
- “Having the people we love makes us happy.”
- “We all have special things to look after.”
- “Thank you for giving me a good life.”
- “Jesus is the light of the world.”
- “We should try to forgive each other for the things we do.”
- “I am thankful for the food we have.”
- “I am grateful that we can communicate.”
- “We have to show our love to each other.”
- “The Lord’s Payer brings me hope.”
- “I will follow God’s path.”
- “I am happy because my family is always there for me.”
These have come from children in all classes across the school. There are many more we could have shared. Wonderful.
Forest School
Spring was really in the air this week and it felt good to feel the sun on our faces in forest school.
I told Year 2 the story of the magpie and his nest where story tells us of the different materials birds use for their nests. The children then took the bird teddies off to make their own nests!
It was great to see them work in teams and collect the right materials that each bird uses.
As one child said, birds are pretty amazing! They aren’t wrong!
Quiet and reflective garden.
Many thanks to those of you that brought cardboard into school for our garden. At lunchtime today the eco council helped me lay the cardboard into readiness for us to create our flower beds.
It’s great to see it coming together and can’t wait to get planting very soon.
It looks like that we are going to have a sunny weekend. Hope you manage to get outside!
Ruth Hill
Take Care & Stay Safe
Mr DUnn
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