Newsletter 1: 4^th September 2017

‘The best that I can be’

Welcome Back! We hope you had a lovely summer and managed to spend some fun time with your families. We are very excited to welcome the children and staff back to Dame Tipping for our 2017-18 academic year.

Breakfast and After School Clubs

Our breakfast and after school clubs begin on Monday 11th September. They should be booked in advance and paid for via SQUID school pay.  Children will need to be signed into breakfast club (which will be taking place in the hall) and signed out of after school club. The parent information packs for these clubs are on the school website : please read them carefully before registering your child. As this is a new venture for Dame Tipping, we anticipate that there will be a period when we will need to fine tune this provision : please be patient with us whilst we ensure that the provision is suitable for the numbers/ages of children attending.

Smart Uniform

Please ensure that your children begin the new school year with smart, correct uniform. All children should wear black, white or grey socks and correct summer uniform (dress NOT polo shirts for girls and polo shirts and trousers/shorts for boys). After half term, all children except those in Reception should be wearing full winter uniform with shirts and ties and NO polo shirts. Any Year 5/6 girls who do not wish to wear summer uniform should wear a grey skirt, shirt and tie. Children should wear black shoes and not trainers (girls are permitted to wear white sandals with white socks until half term). School uniform is available from Red Oak Roller (see website).

Building Work

After the delays in the building work last term, we are still playing catch up: however, the improvements to the existing building are now almost complete and the children will have brand new toilets to use from the beginning of term. The corridor has also been completely refurbished and is looking fantastic. The new classrooms are expected to be ready to hand over just after half term. In the meantime, the school has been organised to minimise disruption and, of course, all safety measures and precautions have been put in place. Whilst we were hoping for an earlier completion date, we are confident that all the disruption will be worth it in the end! Thank you for your patience.

Behaviour Expectations

Staff and governors have had lengthy discussions around pupil behaviour and our revised  behaviour policy will be published very shortly. Expectations will be made very clear to pupils from the first day of term and we aim to ensure that positive behaviour is always rewarded and that any inappropriate behaviour is dealt with swiftly and consistently. It is imperative that parents support the school in ensuring that their children behave respectfully and in a way that does not disrupt the learning of others or have a negative effect on others’ well-being.

School Lunches

We will be continuing our cold lunch service until building work is complete, when we will launch our exciting new ‘family service’. Please remember to pay for school meals in advance, via SQUID (unless your child is entitled to free school meals or universal infant free school meals).

Morning Routine

Just a reminder that children should not be dropped on the school premises before 8.30am. Staff members will be available to supervise from 8.30am. If you need to drop your child before this time, you should book them into breakfast club and pay via SQUID School Pay. All children will enter their classrooms at 8.45am for some quiet time/early morning work. The register will be taken at 8.55am. Until the building work is complete, children will be supervised at the front of the school until 8.45am. Please ensure that your child arrives at school in time for the register, as being late for school can be unsettling and can waste valuable learning time.

New Pupils

As well as welcoming our new Reception class on 11th September, we have several other pupils joining us in years 2,4 and 5. One of the lovely things about our school is how welcoming the children are to new pupils, so I know that our new children will have no problem making friends.

Welcome Ms Holmes !

We are thrilled to welcome our new Deputy Head Teacher, Ms. Holmes this week. She will be teaching class 1/2 and supporting me in leading and further improving the school. Ms. Holmes was previously teaching in Thurrock and she has a wealth of experience and a passionate commitment to providing our children with the best possible education. I know that you will extend a very warm welcome to Ms. Holmes and she is very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Congratulations, Mrs.Squirrell!

We would like to wish huge congratulations to Miss Luxford, who married over the summer holidays and is now Mrs. Squirrell.