by admin | Dec 13, 2024 | Latest News
Dear Families,
We are racing towards Christmas now and I feel that it has fully started.
Monday evening saw the Warthill children enjoying a Christmas themed cinema night. Thank you to FOWS for arranging this and providing snacks for the children to enjoy.
The next Christmas celebration event was to go to the first Nativity at Sand Hutton. What a truly magical evening it was. I could hear every word from the narrators, the singing raised the roof and the instrumentalists accompanied the sings with great musicality. Those children with ‘roles’, played their parts beautifully and the evening was brought to a close by a blessing from Rev Nigel. Thank you too to the PTA for providing refreshments at the end of the afternoon performance.
I am already looking forward to the Nativity next week at Warthill. I have been lucky enough to have had a sneak preview of the singing and I can assure you that you are in for a bit of a treat! At Sand Hutton we welcomed ex pupils and I am looking forward to catching up with our ex pupils at Warthill as our honoured guests!
Yesterday was Christmas dinner at both our schools. I joined the children at Warthill for theirs this year and was joined by a senior adviser from the Local Authority. She enjoyed the opportunity to talk with staff and pupils and was very complimentary regarding the atmosphere and sense of team she experienced. Thank you to any of you she spoke to at the gate yesterday morning and anyone she caught on her recent visit to Sand Hutton.
This evening is Christmas Fair night at Sand Hutton. This is a special, mainly outdoor event and I have it on very good authority that Santa has packed up sacks of toys for well-behaved children and Rudolph is preparing to lead him into his grotto. I also know that he is making a special trip to Warthill in the not too distant future too.
Today we have Riding Lights visiting us with their Christmas Performance which will delight adults and children alike. If you were planning on sending in a voluntary contribution towards this, and haven’t already done so, this can be done through Parent pay and it really would be very much appreciated!
Next week will be full of Christmas cheer. We have Warthill’s Nativity of course, but also Christmas party food, craft day and a Christmas party game or two. Just a reminder that we do finish at 2pm on the final Friday of the term and this includes buses collecting from Sand Hutton.
I know that children are getting tired now at this stage in the term, not to mention unwell with all manner of nasty coughs and colds. If they are too unwell to bring, with temperatures etc, we would encourage you to keep them wrapped up at home and return them to school as soon as they are able to attend (see additional letter attached).
With every best festive wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Nov 29, 2024 | Latest News
Dear Families,
I can’t believe that we have already reached the end of November. Where has this term gone?
Please see attached the December Safeguarding newsletter.
We know that 2 classes at Sand Hutton enjoyed some outdoor visits away from school this week. They were a great success. Thank you to everyone involved in planning and supervising those.
The Sand Hutton PTA wreath making went down a storm. Thank you for my beautiful wreath! That looks exactly like the one looked ‘only in my head’ last year!
As we head into December, both our schools have post boxes should your child wish to send Christmas cards.
Following the success of last year when we were able to host The Riding Lights Theater Company at Sand Hutton for their Christmas production, we are pleased to announce that we have been lucky to secure a return booking.
This year they will be performing A Christmas Cracker in Sand Hutton hall. They use music, puppetry and innovative props and scenery. The children absolutely loved their production last year.
This will take place on Friday 13th December when all children are at Sand Hutton anyway. We will ensure that the Class 3 children are back from swimming.
We appreciate that this is an expensive time of year but know that having a theatre company come to school is significantly less expensive than booking a visit out to one. However, we would be grateful for a contribution towards the cost.
A voluntary contribution of £5 option has gone live on Parentpay and we would really appreciate donations.
Flu vaccines were given to the children at both schools on Wednesday. For anyone who missed these and would like their child to have one, please see the attached poster for details.
Here are some diary dates as reminders:
Wednesday 4th Dec FOWS Wreath-making
Monday 9th Dec FOWS cinema night
Wednesday 11th Dec Sand Hutton Nativity 2pm and 6pm in Church
Thursday 12th Dec Christmas Dinner at both schools
Friday 13th Dec Riding Lights Theatre
Tuesday 17th Dec Warthill Nativity 9am and 5.30pm
Friday 20th Dec Finish at 2pm
Tuesday 7th Jan Return to school for the Spring Term.
Don’t forget to redeem your vouchers for free holiday activities and food this Christmas.
On Monday 25th November we issued vouchers to all families whose children/young people are eligible for free places on FEAST activities this Christmas. You should have received this via email or text, from a platform called Holiday Activities. Follow the link in this email/text to redeem your voucher and book your child’s place on some of the fantastic activities on offer in our area.
Don’t worry if there’s a waiting list – it doesn’t always mean that an activity is full. To ensure that a wide range of families get to take part in FEAST, providers to wait a number of days after vouchers are issued before accepting any bookings. Please request a place and you should receive a notification from Holiday Activities if your place is confirmed.
If you believe your child is eligible and you have not yet received your voucher, or you have lost it, please contact the school office.
To learn more about FEAST, and for information on activities, eligibility and how to manage your bookings, visit the website.
Thank you for your support
Hope you manage a restful weekend before the Christmas madness begins in earnest…
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Nov 14, 2024 | Latest News
Dear Families,
We have had a really lovely week this week and we have positively noticed lots and so have the children in one another. They may come home with coloured bands attached to their book bags etc, so that you know what they have been noticed doing well. Wednesday was a special day!
After such a busy half term, this week has been a little quieter. However, we have had the Sand Hutton sharing this morning and we enjoyed the same at Warthill last week.
We made sure that all our children were involved in marking Remembrance Day on Monday in a variety of different ways. We showed our respect in a silence, in classrooms, on the school yard and in Warthill Church.
At Sand Hutton we are currently working on the decorations for the tree which will go in the Minster from Saturday 30th November. This is on a woodland theme and celebrates the work in Forest Schools Learning as well. Should you wish to view this in situ, you can visit throughout December or attend the launch event as explained below.
“ Experience York Minster’s popular Christmas Tree Festival, set inside the medieval Minster, with 70 trees on display in the cathedral’s stunning Nave, Chapter House and Lady Chapel. Explore the trees, which will be decorated to individual themes by local businesses, schools and charities, and add your own Christmas message to a tag on the festival’s prayer trees. The festival will open on Saturday 30 November at 10am with a light switch-on at ‘Minster Mash-Up’, York Minster’s special service for children and families. The festival will run during general admission times until Sunday 5 January. Entry is free with general admission.”
Just a reminder that there is a non-uniform day at Sand Hutton on Monday, organised by the School Council. There is also a trip going ahead in Class 1 linked to Countryside Learning.
It seems difficult to believe that we are already more than half way through November. Time passes so quickly!
Have a lovely weekend….
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Nov 8, 2024 | Latest News
Dear Families,
Welcome back to the half term that leads us into Christmas! I hope that you were able to relax a little over the break.
I do have quite a number of pieces of information to share with you today.
Firstly, another thank you. Our many shoeboxes have been blessed and they will soon begin their journey to make a difference to families less fortunate than ours. I am sure that children will recognise their wrapping or their wrapping paper, hidden amongst the pile. As a result, they will be fully aware of the treat inside and the care that went into choosing these items.
Thank you too to all the volunteers who support us in doing this in both our schools. We know that our children get a great deal out of this activity.
You may remember from a previous newsletter that we have decided to adopt a specific and named strategic to underpin our behaviour management strategies. This approach is underpinned by a behaviourist called Paul Dix and is outlined in his book “When the Adults Change, Everything Changes”
We have taken this decision because it very closely mirrors what we already do across the federation; with some very minor tweaks. It ensures that all adults are responsible for ‘noticing and acknowledging’ the behaviour we want to see. It also strips back any previously perceived rules to three simple statements; Ready, Respectful and Safe.
We have decided to launch this through Positive Noticing Day on Wednesday 13th November.
We will be spending some time during the day thinking about the power of positive noticing. It is simple, practical, and highly effective. Being positively noticed by others builds self-esteem, supports behaviour and promotes good mental health.
We will be encouraging pupils (and staff!) to positively notice one another.
We encourage families to join in at home too. You can write positive notes for family members on luggage labels, post it notes or pieces of paper. We know that children who are positively noticed by their parents/carers are happier, healthier and more resilient and secure.
You may wish to use Positive Noticing Day as an opportunity to start daily positive noticing in your home. You can create and share positive labels as a family and save them – stick them on the fridge, the back of the door or put them in an old picture frame.
Here are some ideas from the website to get you started:
- ‘I noticed that you put your plate by the sink, that’s really helped me this morning, you are very thoughtful, thank you’
- ‘Doing your homework without me asking shows real independence. I love the determination you are showing’
- ‘You are so good at sharing with your sister/brother. You are such a kind person.’
- ‘I noticed that you were really kind to X at school today. That made me really proud of you’
- ‘Thank you for putting your clothes in the washing basket. I notice that you are following the routine and remembering it perfectly. You are really trying and I appreciate it.’
We hope you enjoy the day, and we want to say that ‘we notice you’ and the effort you make to support your children, engage them in learning and enrich our school community! Thank you.
You can find out more about positive noticing and Positive Noticing Day at
https://www.positivenoticingday.com/
We are in no way introducing this approach because of concerns that behaviour is or has become an issue. Ofsted recognised Behaviour and Attitudes as Outstanding in both schools. It remains something we are very proud of. However, with adults and pupils moving between our settings frequently, this named approach gives really clear guidance for all and can thus can provide a further layer of security of all our children regarding expectations. This is especially supportive of our neuro diverse children and those who have experienced trauma.
It is of course Remembrance next week and, as always, we intend to mark this in an appropriate way. Both schools will be having a period of silence and prayer at 11am. We would encourage children and adults to wear poppies in memory.
I know that there have been activities for our children to enjoy, planned by our PTA and FOWS. This week has been the turn of Sand Hutton; a fun disco on Thursday evening. Our children had a great time as always. At Warthill, there is further cinema night to look forward to. Look out for information about this from FOWS.
I know that some of you have seen the article in the Yorkshire Post recently.
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/education/north-yorkshire-17-top-performing-state-primary-schools-based-on-pupils-basic-english-maths-skills-4842824?page=1
If you haven’t seen this, please click the link. I approached York Press about sharing this and they explained that they wouldn’t be able to, so I have written my own article which I hope they will publish, singing the praises of Rural Schools and citing the article/study. Keep your fingers crossed that they agree to print this! It focuses on the academic excellence seen in many smaller rural schools which can often be overlooked in favour of celebrating pastoral care and inclusivity. These are, of course, values very close to our hearts but one doesn’t exclude the other.
And finally, with Christmas Jumper Day around the corner, the Sand Hutton PTA collected a number of jumpers. Should your child want to take part and you don’t have a jumper, please let us know and we can pair your child up with a jumper of the right size, at no cost to you.
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Oct 24, 2024 | Latest News
Dear Families,
We have made it to the end of a very long half term and I know that your children are tired. I hope that you have a restful half term planned before we begin the Christmas Term.
We have had a really fabulous time throughout this, our well-being week. Firstly, I must thank you for your incredible generosity. Yesterday, both schools saw mountains of gift items for our Christmas Box appeal. As ever the children chose, with care, the items for their boxes, lovingly wrapped these and added the checklists to the top. The conversations between children in both our schools has been remarked upon by the visitors who came to help. Collectively, we were able to fill and wrap 45 boxes from our schools. These will be blessed and will begin their journey after the half term holiday. THANK YOU! We look forward to hearing about the difference they have made.
Fun is the name of the game in both settings today. At Sand Hutton we are having a second ‘Break the Rules’ day. I am currently at Warthill and looking forward to seeing the many and varied ways in which children have chosen to ‘rebel’ for a day. At Warthill the ‘fun’ is calmer and on a sensory theme; the Sensory Den was set up this morning and I can currently hear children enjoying the different experiences.
Thank you FOWS for this. I’m hearing ‘best ever’, ‘can we have this all the time’ etc a lot! This is good value for money and it isn’t even ten in the morning yet!
Please could I remind anyone visiting woodland to collect and dry acorns and sycamore keys for us.
Also, we close today for half term and open again on Monday 4th November.
Please enjoy a fabulous half term,
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
