Friday 6th September

Welcome back

Seeing so many happy faces last week, parents and children, was fantastic, especially with the new school year starting. It was great news that we could share our good OFSTED report with you. This year, we will publish our newsletters on the website as a continuous feed so people can quickly look back at announcements and what is coming up. We will also add some information about our assemblies and other special activities that we have been doing.

School Uniform

When the children returned to school last week, it was lovely to see them looking smart and ready to learn. Please ensure that children wear PE kits only on the days they have PE. If children continue coming in with the wrong school uniform, we will call and ask you to bring in the correct one. You can find PE days in your child's class on the school website.

Attendance

The issue of attendance has been widely discussed in the news lately, as more and more children consistently miss school, resulting in attendance rates of less than 90%. Starting in September 2024, there have been changes to the guidelines and policies for all schools. All holidays will now be considered unauthorised absences. Additionally, there will be a new penalty notice charge of £80 per parent per child, and it must be paid within a specified time frame. Failure to pay the fine will increase the amount owed. These changes are mandatory for all schools to follow. It's important to note that 10 sessions of absence equate to 5 whole days missed. Here's the link to the attendance policy: Attendance Policy

Shine awards

Our school motto is Together, Believe, Achieve, Shine. We believe that all children should shine and have the opportunity to shine at Wilbury Junior School. We ask parents to let us know by email if their child has completed something at home in a club or a significant achievement; this could be running for a charity, up-levelling a belt in Judo, completing a badge in swimming, etc. Please email Chelsea Atkins at head@wilbury.herts.sch.uk to inform her of this, and children can achieve shine awards in Friday assembly.

Shine Clubs

Letters were sent out last week regarding Shine Clubs, are free clubs available to all children. We kindly request that you book these clubs online and only select one to allow all children a space to participate. If you cannot make a booking, it means the club is full, and you will need to choose another one. The clubs run until 4:10 p.m.

School Dinners

We have a new way of ordering dinners now, and in the long run, this will mean less administration for school staff. I appreciate that this is a change and means you, as parents, are ordering the food for your children directly from the kitchen. Can I ask that you please make sure that you continue to do this? Thank you to those parents who have been able to do this; it has helped the school admin team and the kitchen staff so we are not chasing up children and parents each morning.

Clubs

Clubs start this week at 3:10 p.m. and finish at 4:10 p.m. Please ensure you are prompt when picking up at the end of the club, as this is the staff's own time. If persistent lateness in picking up occurs, we will ask that children no longer attend.

Homework

Homework started last week. We have a policy that children read at least five times per week, and parents will sign to say they have listened to them. Children can read during the school day at break and lunch times. If they do not complete this each week, they will stay in on Friday to do so.

Come in and visit the class

On Wednesday, September 18th, we invite parents into the school from 2:50- 3:05 to look at their child's work and classroom and meet the teacher. This is an informal drop-in for parents. We ask that parents do not arrive later than 3:05 p.m., as this is close to the end of the day. We will have several of these throughout the year. It is a chance for you to see your child's class, routines, and work.

Year Groups Website Links

Please see the links for your child's year group- this will inform you of the work they are doing and their weekly timetable.

Class Pages

The Curriculum

See the link to the school's curriculum below. This is where you will find out what your child is learning. You will have an opportunity in November to come and look around the school and see in more detail what our school curriculum looks like

https://www.wilbury.herts.sch.uk/the-curriculum/

Diary Dates

• Monday 23^rd September – Year 6 Hazard Alley
• Wednesday 18th September - All year groups parents welcome into school between 2:50 pm and 3:05 pm to see work and classroom 
• Tuesday 1^st October - year 5 Faith Tour
• Monday 7^th October – Individual photographs
• Tuesday 22nd October – Parents evening (More information to come)
• Wednesday 23rd October – Parents Evening (More information to come)
• Friday 25^th October – Last day of half term
• Monday 4^th November – Children return back
• Wednesday 6^th Wednesday 13^th  November – Travelling book fair
• Wednesday 27^th November – After school curriculum evening, take part and see what we do at Wilbury Junior School (More information to come)
• Friday 20^th December- Children break up for Christmas at 1:30 pm
• Wednesday 8^th January 2025- Children return after the Christmas break