Beecroft Primary School

Whole School:
The whole school continued with their termly sports challenges at break and dinner times, with the aim of getting children more active and engaged in sport. This half term the challenge was the Road To Beijing, where challenges had a Winter Olympics theme. This included hockey and curling style games, which were run and led by our young leaders. All children in KS1 and 2 enjoyed taking part. The young leaders have been learning to plan and coach other children after school with Miss Pinder. They will continue to develop their skills this half term and introduce more playground games, with new equipment they have purchased.

Dear Parents/Carers,
I would like to start by thanking you for all your support – with particular thanks for the work you do in reading with your children, listening to reading and reading to your child. Reading is the single most important skill and interest to be learned in primary school.

I hope that your family is well and that the pandemic situation is becoming easier as time passes. Just a reminder – that I am asked to pass on – please get your vaccine. As we are meeting more with parents in school the vaccines contribute to peace of mind. You can be re-assured that our staff have had all three! There has been much less disruption because of this and protection for your children.

 Dates moving forward

Wednesday 16^th February 8.50am: Playground Family Assembly (short) – and afterwards play and stay in Years Reception,  1 and 2. Years 3 to Year 6 look round at work in the hall and classroom until 9.45am. You will be warmly welcomed. Bring your own cup for tea or coffee

Friday 18^th February: Wellbeing Day

Thursday 3^rd March: World Book Day – dress as a book character and bring your favourite book to the class.

Week 28^th February: Phone calls about your child’s progress

Attendance: Thank you again to a majority of families. Our attendance overall is 97.3% from September to present. Please can I strongly recommend that extended leave and holidays are not taken in term time. Where this has happened pupils’ attendance has fallen below 90% and has become persistent absence. Pupils fall behind and together with Covid it has created difficulties in getting children to catch up.

The half-term holiday starts on 18 February and the return to school on Monday 28^th February 

With best wishes,
J. Turner

Dear Parent/ Guardian,

This Tuesday 8^th February we will be celebrating Safer Internet Day 2022 with the theme ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online.’ Your child will take part in assembly about RESPECT online and each class will carry out work around this theme, over the week.

From gaming and chat, to streaming and video, young people are shaping the interactive entertainment spaces they are a part of. Safer Internet Day 2022 celebrates young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that is whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers.

At Beecroft Primary we have shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online by continuing to teach your children about online safety, covering a different aspect each half term. We are also working with National Online Safety- providing up to date resources for all parents and carers: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/beecroft-primary-school

The resources include Parents & Carers courses, online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, that can help you to keep your family safe online.

• To create your account, please follow https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/beecroft-primary-schooland complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.
• You can also access the National Online Safety online via any device- including via the brand-new smartphone app. To download the app, please go to:https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/national-online-safety/id1530342372 or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nationaleducationgroup.nos

Another great resource to help with protecting your child and monitoring your child’s use of mobile devices including tablets is: https://families.google.com/familylink/ – This app enables parents to control screen time and monitor/control the content your child is accessing.

Finally, attached to this email are two useful guides which you may want to discuss with your child:

• 10 tips for RESPECT online
• How To Inspire Children To Build A Positive Digital World

If you do have any concerns about online safety, please email us on info@beecroft.leeds.sch.uk so that we can help.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Campbell

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Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you for your cooperation and support. Despite Covid, the vast majority of pupils have high attendance to date and over 95%. We are writing to and ringing parents where we are particularly worried as attendance is below 90% and classed as persistent absence. For many this is because holidays/leave has been taken to other countries during term time. In many cases families have had difficulty returning to England because of cancelled flights or Covid restrictions.  Please do not book flights in term time as it results in a serious detrimental effect on your child’s education. Attendance at school is the single most important aspect of education.

Reading for pleasure and enjoyment of reading enables pupils to be successful in all aspects of school work. Please read to your child, please support your child to read at home at least 3 times during the week – any book – fiction, non-fiction, library book. By Year 6 children should be reading longer texts for pleasure and sustaining reading beyond a 20 minute slot. Please speak to myself or your child’s class teacher if you are having difficulties in getting your child to read with you.

A number of trips and visits have taken place since the start of term – Year 3 to the Discovery Museum for rocks and soil their science project and Year 5 to Armley Mills.

Just a polite reminder that key Stage 2 use a cartridge pen in school – please can you ensure that your child has their own. Thank you.

Finally, Covid cases in school are fluctuating. This week there are 5 children off school. Thank you for being vigilant and for spotting cases. Please continue to wear a mask around the school building and when speaking to staff in the playground. Once again, I will pass on the message we are asked to communicate – please get your vaccinations – it is not too late. A majority of staff have had their 3 vaccinations and because of this there is much less disruption to teaching.  We have the staff to thank for this.

Best wishes,

J. Turner

Covid Infections amongst teachers

Dear Parents/Carers,
Following my update we are now at the stage of 4 teachers who will be absent this week. It means that some classes will be put together where we have small numbers in a class. This is a temporary arrangement. The Headteacher and deputies are teaching 3AB and some Y4 will be joining this Y3 class of 20. All classes are being taught by teachers and I can assure you that there will be no marking of time at any stage. I can also reassure you that pupils will be in school at all times for their learning.
Any plans will be in the best interests of pupils and the curriculum will be taught in full.

Thank you for your cooperation,
Best wishes,
J Turner

School Start Tuesday 4 January 8.30 (8.40 start)

Dear Parents/ Carers,
Happy New Year 2022!
I hope that you are all well and that the break has been a peaceful and happy time with your families and friends both for those of you celebrating Christmas and for those enjoying a rest and winter re-charge and break.

Ahead of the new term and year please can I ask for your continued support and vigilance with Covid. If you have tests please check that your children are well. Please check colds, headaches, temperatures so that children are covid free in school. We want good attendance but not Covid attendance. We are starting the term with two absent teachers and it is most important that we can keep lessons and learning normal. We want minimal disruption. Inevitably leaders and teachers in school will need to work harder to cover classes and ensure high quality work. Please, if you have not yet done so get your vaccinations and boosters – I have been asked to reiterate this national message. (We know that those in hospital ICU are largely the unvaccinated.) There are no changes to picking up after school but please wear a face covering on the site.

Please ring or email if you need to contact us.
Clubs start week 17 January
Reading 10 January.

We always work as a good team so thank-you in advance for your cooperation and support.

Best wishes,
J. Turner

Break up for the holiday Friday 17th December and return to school on Tuesday 4th January 2022

Dear Parents/Carers,

Just to finally wish you a restful and peaceful holiday at the closing of the year and best wishes for 2022. I was delighted with the number of parents at the ‘Winter Celebration,’ concert and at the musical performance of our orchestra. Both were very enjoyable events. It was great to see FAB (Friends At Beecroft) out there helping with refreshments and the organisation. We have really missed our working together over the Covid period.

Thank you for your generosity:

Children in Need: £483.85

Save The Children: £165.50

Sporting Success: Hit The Ground Running: All classes took part in this challenge and pupils set themselves a target of 100miles or 400 miles (over 2 weeks) for their class. Beecroft dominated the South and West Yorkshire Leader Board coming in the top 10 and often first in all classes. Pupils were very enthusiastic and the whole challenge was a great success. More challenges are planned in the future.

Have a safe and restful break,

Best wishes,

J. Turner

Girls’ football  

Another 14 girls took part in competitive matches in the latest girls’ football gala at Carr Manor Primary School.  

Again free transport was provided to the girls, by our school, via mini bus from Health For All.  

The girls played 9 matches in total and there was a visible improvement in their play from their continued hard work in  training. They managed to draw three matches and win two, beating both Talbot Primary School and Richmond House in some hard fought games.  

If there are any more Key Stage 2 girls who want to join Football Club on Monday, please see Mr Campbell. The more the merrier! 

Boys’ Football 

Unfortunately the boys had two fixtures cancelled due to adverse weather this half trem. But we already have a fixture booked in for January, for U10s and U11s, which will definitely go ahead. These games are to be played indoors at Kirkstall Leisure Centre vs St Stephens.  

Multi Skills Festival  

14 children form Year 2EE visit Bankside Primary School to take part in a Multi Skills Festival last Thursday. This involved a range of new games and skills, practising aiming, sending, receiving and coordination. The children were provided with free travel by mini bus.  

Hit The Ground Running Challenge  

Our children from R- Y6  have enjoyed taking part in the Running challenge and we were proud to see our classes dominating the West Yorkshire leader boards. On average as a school children were running 5.6 miles a week!  Children have enjoyed working towards their Christmas Badges with the top award being the North Pole badge, where over two weeks classes had to run 400 miles collectively!  

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Girls’ football

This year we have joined the Barclays Girls’ Football Partnership, which is a pledge to provide more opportunities for our girls to learn and play football.

Our Year5 girls (14 children) took part in the ‘This Girl Can’ Football Festival at Carr Manor School, where they enjoyed seven games of football vs schools from across Leeds.

Their first win came against Meanwood C of E, who they beat 1 nil in a hard fought game. It was many of the girls’ first time playing football and for all, their first time playing competitive matches.

Boys Football

Our U11 boys team got their season off to a flying start with a 2 -1 victory vs Sacred Heart. It was a thrilling game, with a last minute penalty to win it.

Brownlee Challenge

Over the course of the first half term children from Y1-6, chose focus sport skills and set their own targets to beat. The events included skipping, running, speed bounce, bat and ball and even catching. All children have practised hard in both PE lessons and playtimes to make progress in their chosen sport and achieve a personal best. Children who made the most progress in their event were awarded Brownlee Medals.

Hit The Ground Running Challenge

Our children from R- Y6 are taking part in the Yorkshire Sports ‘Hit The Ground Running’ challenge, from Mon 22^nd November – Monday 13^th December. Classes will be logging their miles run each day and each class’s average miles run per child will be entered on the Leeds Schools Leader Board. There will be rewards too with the upcoming Santa and Elf Badge challenge.

After School Clubs

The response to our free after school clubs programme has been excellent with nearly all children now taking part in clubs including: Football, Netball, Nature, Drama, First Aid, Sports Leaders, Dance, Relaxation, Wellbeing, Aerobics and even Puzzle Club. If you still wish for your child to join a club please email the school office or see Mr Campbell.

Upcoming Fixtures

U11 Girls Football Tournament – @Carr Manor – Thursday 2^nd December 1-3pm

U11 Boys Football vs Kirkstall St Stephens- TBC

KS1 Multi-skills Festival@ Bankside Primary- Thursday 9^th December 3.30pm – 4.45pm