RSA SUmmer Fair

A big thank you to everyone who supported the Summer Fair and even though we had a heavy downpour it didn't dampen the spirits of most and we made it to the end! Thank you to the RSA Committee for their organisation and running of the event and to the parents and staff who volunteered to run the stalls and activities. These events are only successful when we have enough helpers on the day. 

ParentPay

We have not issued any new accounts for ParentPay as we are finalising a change of provider which is expected to take place during half term in October. Our Management Information System (MIS) is changing from Scholarpack to Arbor which also comes with its own payment facility. This means we are likely to end our contract with ParentPay later this year. Until this is finalised we are not setting up any new accounts. Payments for clubs will be requested after half term. We will be contacting parents who have children in the Nursery separately regarding payments for school lunches. Where parents still have an active account they can continue to make payments such as contributions towards trips and workshops. 

RSA SUMMER FAIR

The fair is fast approaching this Friday and final preparations are being made. We are still short of volunteers which means some stalls will not be able to run, which will be a great shame. Please do look to see if you cam spare an hour on Friday to help out. Keep your fingers crossed for a dry day on Friday! 

Thursday is the last day for ordering and buying TOKENS. We are trying to reduce the amount of cash on the day and tokens will make things easier for you and for the RSA so please consider buying those in advance. 

Clubs 

Infant club allocations have been sent home today so please check for the letter which confirms the places offered. Please let us know if you don't wish to take up any places so we can offer to others. Almost all clubs were over-subscribed. 

We are currently finalising the Junior Clubs that will be issued tomorrow (Thursday)

Hockey for Year 5/6 on a Friday has not had full take up, so we are extending this club to Year 4. So if your child in Years 4,5 or 6 would like to do Hockey club on a Friday 3.20-4.20pm (£25 for the term) then please email clubs@raglanschools.org. 12 places are available.

Security Reminder

No parent/carer should enter the school building (other than the office) without being accompanied by a member of staff. We work hard to keep everyone safe so please speak to a member of staff if you need help. 

Absence & Illness

Please report your child's absence via the online form by 09:15 - click here This is our preferred method for reporting your child's absence. If we do not hear from you we will send you a text to remind you. This does cost the school (per text) so please help our budget by reporting absence on the form by 09:15

We have created a page on the website for the latest advice on illnesses to help parents decide whether their child should attend school or not. This includes COVID and the advice is that children should stay at home if they have a temperature. 

Uniform

In light of new guidance issued by the government, the school and governing body will be reviewing the uniform policy. A consultation will take place so parents can share their views. The aim of the guidance is to reduce the number of branded items and simplify requirements. We have instructed supplies to run down stocks of items (other than jumpers and cardigans) while we finalise the policy. This means that some items (such as the fleece) may limited or unavailable. 

Secondary School Admissions

Below are the slides used at the meeting this week to support parents in choosing a secondary school. There is also a video by Mr Kelsey for parents who want a recap or couldn't attend. You will find all the documents and links to the local authority on our website here

RSA Summer Fair

The RSA Summer Fair is fast approaching and we need your help and support to make it a success. Please see the flyer below on ways to help over the next week or so and at the Fair. 

Parent Information videos and Drop-Ins

Please find below Information Videos for each phase. Reception and Nursery will have received similar information at their parent meetings last term. This week on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th we have our informal drop-ins for Years 1-6 where you can pop into the classroom and meet the teacher etc. These are from the end of the day to 3.50pm. Children will be brought out to the playgrounds and dismissed as usual before parents are invited into the classrooms. 

Curriculum by Year Group

You can view an overview of the Curriculum for each year group by clicking on the slides below. Further information on each subject can be found on our curriculum pages.

Drop-In Sessions (Y1-6)

To start the year we will be once again opening the classrooms for two short drop-in sessions next week, which are opportunities for parents and carers in Years 1-6 to see the classroom and teacher. These will be open on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th from the end of the day to 3.50pm.

To support parents with the year ahead we will be sharing our Parent information videos which are currently being finalised. Leading Teachers will also be updating the Year Group websites, where they will post information and updates for their year group. 

We also have a section of the website called Parent Support and this year we launched Raglan Bitesize which are short videos on a variety of topics. Do check out those pages. 

End of the Day

Finish times for the school are 

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 finish at 15:10 (Year 1 will come out slightly ahead of time to help with the playground flow)

Years 3 to 6 (Juniors) finish at 15:20 (Years 3 and 5 will come out slightly ahead of time to help with the playground flow)

Nursery finishes at 11;30, 14:30 or 15:30 depending on the length of day for each pupil as arranged with our Nursery team. 

Clubs 

Our Clubs programme information will be released next week and there will be trials for any children in Key Stage 2 (Juniors) who want to try out for the teams. Further information will be coming home soon. Clubs will start on Monday 25th September. 

Run for Raglan

 Junior pupils can join Run for Raglan from 08:30 Monday to Thursday on the school field. Staff will be around to supervise and pupils gain a token for each lap completed which is part of a class competition each week. This is a great way to get pupils active in the mornings ready for learning. 

Year 1 and 2 pupils can join in with Run for Raglan at playtimes in the morning and again collect a token for each lap completed. 

RSA Fair - Friday 22nd September 

The postponed Summer Fair will be taking place on Friday 22nd September from 3-6pm. Please do get involved where you can whether that be volunteering some time, donating some prizes or attending the Fair itself. This year the RSA Fair is moving towards being CASHLESS, so you can purchase tokens in advance (recommended) or on the day of the fair. Cash will still be accepted this year. Look out for more details from the RSA

Community Events & Activities

We regularly receive requests to send out information to parents from 3rd party companies and organisations about local events or clubs etc. We have now created a page on the website to share those we believe are useful for our school community and also fit with our values. The latest activities include

• The Artz Kidz on Saturday with a discount for Raglan pupils

• A Community Day this Saturday at Bury Street Community Church

The Hub - pre-school activities

Some of our pre-school activities will start next week, these are intended for children aged 18 months to 3 years old in our local community. Stay and Play will return later this term. You can book a place for all 6 sessions from 18:00 on Wednesday 6th September

Welcome Back

School opens as planned on Monday 4th September for Year 1 to 6. Children in Reception and Nursery will have their own individual start dates as we stagger the pupils to start their school journey. 

I would like to reassure parents that the Raglan Schools are not affected by the recent concerns around the safety of school buildings. The schools were built in 1928 and 1934 respectively and do not feature the concrete used in the buildings that are now under review. 

Below are the menus for the next term and please see the Summer Magazine which features some reminders for returning to school on pages 20-22.