Welcome Back!
Dear Parents and Carers,
I would like to welcome you all back for the beginning of the new school year. It has been fantastic to see all the children and catch up with all their news. It was also really nice to catch up with some of you today too.
I am delighted to welcome Mr MacInnes (Y5) and Mr Shepherd (Y3) and Mr Blantern, a trainee on placement with us who will be based in Y2 with Mrs Broadhead. In spite of the huge financial pressures we face I am grateful to our Governors for agreeing to fund some additional temporary teaching assistant hours at the end of last year. Following a selection process Mrs Mappin and Mrs Walton were appointed.
In July we bade farewell to Mrs Morris and Mrs Buckthorpe who worked with us last year and contributed so much during that time. We thank them and wish them well. We also said farewell to Miss Pendlebury following her promotion to a full-time Head of Department role in the High School where she also works. We also thank her for the brilliant way she has led music over the last six years. Finally we said a very fond farewell to Mr Smith who also left us after eight amazing years’ service in order to take up a Deputy Headship in his local school in Derbyshire. Mr Smith is a great teacher and has been such an important part of our story in recent years. No one could fail to be impressed by his dedication, kindness and good humour. We wish him lots of happiness and success in his new role.
This September we welcome 30 new pupils who will be joining our Foundation Stage 2 (FS2) class, as well as a number of fantastic children who have joined us in other year groups today. We hope that they and their families feel welcome and settle quickly into our special community.
Please refer to the SJF calendar sent home before the holidays, which is also available on the SJF website. It contains information about forthcoming events, including our first Mass of the year, at 9.30am on Friday. The calendar also includes details of next week’s class welcome meetings. At these meetings important information is shared about different aspects of school life. It also gives parents/carers an opportunity to meet staff and ask questions.
You will also shortly receive the Term 1 Curriculum Overview, providing details about what the children will be learning this term. If you have questions, need help or you can support us, please speak to your child’s teacher(s).
Attendance in every year group is very important, from FS2 to Y6, and the new attendance target is 98%. Punctuality is also crucial and so support will be offered where either punctuality or attendance becomes an issue. Please avoid booking term-time holidays unless the circumstances are exceptional as they cannot be approved. Thank you.
A reminder that children are not permitted to wear earrings/studs or any jewellery. Whilst trainers/boots can be worn to and from school e.g. in bad weather and during break times, pupils are expected to wear black shoes in school. Our uniform is very important and so we appreciate your support to maintain our high standards every day.
A reminder that you can contact teachers directly via the class email address if you have non-urgent questions and these will be answered with 48 hours. Emails will not be responded to after 5pm; at weekends; and during the holidays. Colleagues in the School Office should be alerted immediately and directly regarding urgent matters.
St John Fisher School is a very special place and we look forward to the year ahead. We will continue to focus on making (and sustaining) those key improvements which will ensure that every child in our community is happy and can enjoy and achieve. We invite you to get involved in school life as parents, volunteers and members of the PTFA. The PTFA AGM is on Monday 24th September at 6.30pm in the School Hall and all are welcome.
Thank you.
