Well, we made it to the end of another week. Highlights have been our Olympic Sports Day and the Father Figure assembly. As always, these events are only ever successful because of the commitment of staff and the support of our families. Thanks to those of you who braved the cold conditions to watch the children compete in their races. I particularly enjoyed the parents’ races and I think the overwhelming feeling was that a Sports Day held at school is far more enjoyable. Please see photos from the day below which confirm this!

Children have also been completing Design and Technology projects in school this week and learning a little more about money and finances in maths. Year 1 have been completing their Phonics Screening Check and year 4 have taken their Multiplication check. So, all in all, another productive week has taken place.

Next week will see years 1, 4 and 6 embark on their school trips. Don’t forget too that Monday is a non-uniform day in exchange for your rainbow raffle item. See more details below. Year 4 will need to dress appropriately for their trip to Astley Burf on this day and years 2 and 6 do have Forest School, so please bear this in mind when selecting outfits!

We would like to say a very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to... Heidi, Jak and Amber who have all celebrated their birthdays this week.

Reception Jamie, Alfie A-H, William, Daisy, Joey, Leo, Mikel, Eshaal, Maya, Boris, Eden-Rae, Mia, Ivie, Charlie, Theodor, Archie, Kaloyan, Eleanor, Jack, Yen, Ivie-Leigh, Lotte, Oakley, Saharsh, Sohansh

Year One Ella, Aaron, Jak, William, Stanley, Jack, Adah, Evelyn, Alexander, Bailey, Jacob, Ezmae, Archie, Ella, Jackson, Rudy, Sophie, Roman, Elsie, Henry, Harry, Layna, Beatrice, Paisley, Kayden, Riley, Alisha, Oscar

Year Two Theo, Harlen, Emma, Eva, Archie, Billie, Arthur, Melissa, Conor, Riley, Amelia, Thomas, Oliver, Lainey, Darcie, William, Mia-Louise, Kara, Jaylen, Harmonee, Jessica, Kayden, Violet-Rose, Ronnie

Year Three Betsy, Eve, Lotty, Grace, Zach, Mason, Isabella, Fearne, Nathan, Rosie, Heidi, Mihail, Tanatswa, Tanatswa, Nahla, Ashley, Joshua, Rose, Hassan, Cailen, Evan, Chloe, Mya, Emilie, Benjamin, Millie, Joshua, Frankie

Year Four Jayden, Lucas, Xavier, Oceanna, Jenson, Elsie, Isabella, Declan, Faith, Alesia, Isla, Rosie, Haidar-Ali, Ashleigh, Leila-Rae, Lilly Mai, Caelan, Amber

Year Five Lily, Esmè, Rhys, Kaiden, Harry, Lillie, Harrison, Ty, George, Amber, Harvey, Daniel, Kyle, Rosie, Danielle, Faye, Amelia, Isabella, Thomas, Eden, Samuel, Darius, Ameliya, Leah

Year Six Harry, Savannah, Sienna, Jacob-Lee, Tiana, Rosie, Oliver, Max, Dannii, Jakob, Mabel, Ian, Reece, Taylor, Jack, Ava, Alina, Sara, Jamie, Alana, Elliot, Rhylee, Lola, Callum, Sofiana, Ethan, Dylan

Well done to our Year 1's who have completed their phonics screening checks this week!

Miss Clarke treated the children to ice-lollies for working hard and trying their best! 

WELL DONE KS1 RHINOS!

YOU ARE THIS YEARS WINNING HOUSE FOR KS1 SPORTS DAY 2024!

WELL DONE KS2 TIGERS!

YOU ARE THIS YEARS WINNING HOUSE FOR KS2 SPORTS DAY 2024

During our Local Area Study, Year 6 went on a local walk, they took lots of photographs of different areas of their walk, back at school they wrote a reflection of their findings.

Mabel has done a fabulous job of this. Well Done.

Tesco Community Grant Programme - Voting Closes End of June!

We are in the running to win £500 to help enhance our forest school area, but we need your help!

Next time you pop to any Tesco in the Dudley borough please vote for us by asking for some blue tokens at the checkout and dropping them into the relevant voting box as you leave the store.

Your local stores that are collecting tokens are:

Highland Rd Dudley Express, DY1 3BT

Dudley Extra, DY1 4RP

Gornal Dudley Express, DY3 2DA

Goose Pub Kingswinford Express, DY6 8QE

Kingswinford Express, DY6 9HP

Kingswinford Express, DY6 9PT

Wolverhampton Hurst Rd Express, WV14 9EU

Thank you!

We were hoping to send cups home with children this week, but unfortunately they have not yet arrived - so look out for them early next week!

Tuesday - Whole School Family Rounders 

Thursday - Year 1 - 6 Athletics Club

                - Years 1 - 6 Running Club 

You can book afterschool club sessions via your Teachers2Parents app. 

Thursday 20th June will be the last session for Running Club this term.

Week commencing 24th June - there will be no afterschool club sessions with Mr Barnett this week due to Summer Fun sessions.

he Summer Holidays are fast approaching, and we have an amazing range of fully funded activities available for HAF eligible children to book onto.

What is HAF?

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is a government-funded initiative in England that aims to provide support to school-aged children who receive benefits-related free school meals during holiday periods. Here are the key details about the HAF programme:

1. Purpose and Background:
• The HAF programme was introduced in response to the recognition that school holidays can be challenging for some families.
• Research has shown that children from low-income households are more likely to experience social isolation, unhealthy nutrition, and lack of access to organized out-of-school activities during holidays.
• The programme aims to bridge this gap by offering enriching activities and nutritious meals to eligible children.
2. Eligibility:
• The HAF programme primarily targets school-aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals.
• Benefits-related free school meals are available to pupils if their parents are in receipt of qualifying benefits, verified by their school or local authority.
3. Programme Details:
• Local authorities are expected to provide the equivalent of 6 weeks’ holiday provision to eligible children throughout the year.
• The programme includes at least 4 hours a day, 4 days a week of face-to-face sessions.
• It offers a combination of healthy meals and enriching activities during school holidays (Easter, summer, and Christmas).
4. Implementation:
• Since 2018, the HAF programme has been rolled out across all upper tier local authorities in England until 2025.
• The funding for each local authority is confirmed annually through grant determination letters.
• The programme covers free holiday provision, including both food and activities.

School holidays can be particular pressure points for some families because of increased costs (such as food and childcare) and reduced incomes. For some children that can lead to a holiday experience gap, with children from disadvantaged families:

• less likely to access organised out-of-school activities.
• more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health.
• more likely to experience social isolation.

Free holiday clubs are a response to this issue and evidence suggests that they can have a positive impact on children and young people and that they work best when they:

• provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities.
• cover more than just breakfast or lunch.
• involve children (and parents) in food preparation.

About Dudley Holiday Activities

• Here in Dudley, we offer a range of different activities from days out, multi sports, dance, crafts, cooking and more! A full list of activities, providers and venues will be sent out shortly.
• Activities will be on offer between 22^nd July and 1st September
• Children and young people attending sessions will be able to enjoy quality holiday activities and a healthy meal/snack at each session they attend.
• Further information, registration for families and booking activities can all be done easily on the website. Dudley Holiday Activities | Childrens activities
• Families will need to register on the Dudley HAF website as soon as possible so their FSM eligibility can be confirmed. Register & book | Dudley HAF (dudleyholidayactivities.org.uk)

Role of Schools

What can you do to help promote Dudley Holiday Activities to your children, young people and families?

1. Get in touch with us for further information and help via our enquiries email enquiries@hafdudley.co.uk
2. Send relevant links via your school comms for Dudley Holiday Activities website to all your FSM families and encourage them to register and book activity sessions.  Register & book | Dudley HAF (dudleyholidayactivities.org.uk)

1. Add information about Dudley HAF to your newsletter – images and marketing available on request.
2. Have a HAF ‘Champion’ – a staff member at your school who we can work with directly. It would be great if you could send us a name and email address for your ‘Champion’.

Useful Links

Further GOV.UK Information Holiday activities and food programme 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/dudleyhaf/

Dudley Holiday Activities Website Dudley Holiday Activities | Childrens activities

Registration for families Register & book | Dudley HAF (dudleyholidayactivities.org.uk)

Family Information/subscription sign up - Get the latest from Dudley HAF (confirmsubscription.com)

Bookings will be going live to families and young people at the end of this week, and we would like to make sure all eligible children have registered so they have access to these great activities.

Finally...

In a week that saw the children competing in races for Sports Day, my quote to sign off this week is:

“Victory is in having done your best. If you’ve done your best, you’ve won.”

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of everyone in our school and at all times we consider what is in our children's best interests. We work to ensure our children are safe and cared for and by doing this we are protecting their health and development and preventing them from harm.  If we are worried, we will raise concerns, share information and take prompt action with the aim of ensuring families receive the right help at the right time.