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January/ February Newsletter

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2022 and what a start to the year it has been! It was great to see all the children back after Christmas and getting into their new learning for this term. Year 4 enjoyed a brilliant animation workshop at the Lego exhibition at Rugby library and Year 5 had a great time experiencing a forest school session on what was possibly the coldest day of the year so far. Mr Wolsey and his Eco Team have met and started to make plans and the art room has been a hive of activity again. Each year group has also been excited to start their new topics with year 3 finding out about the food they eat and where it comes from, year 4 learning all about the Egyptians, year 5 exploring the Amazon rainforest and year 6 learning about an important period in local history, the Blitz, in their World War 2 topic.

However, after the announcements by the Government to ease restrictions were made, despite the news that nationally cases were falling, in primary schools this was not the case. Whilst we have faced increased case numbers in some classes and significant challenges in terms of staffing absence, we have been so grateful for your support with requests to collect your children for testing, keeping them home for remote learning and having to cancel clubs or meetings often at short notice. On the whole, the children are coping brilliantly and for many, we have managed to make it feel like business as normal, but we can also see the impact this is having on children when routines/timetables change and staff are different. At this stage, it is unavoidable and we thank all children and parents for your ongoing support and resilience as we all continue on this journey together.

Y5 FOREST SCHOOLS DAY

Y4 LEGO ANIMATION WORKSHOP

This week we are taking part in CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH WEEK in school. The theme is "Growing Together" and the children watched the live assembly in their classes to launch the week. Throughout the week, they are also watching the growth stories from the website to help start conversations about growth and the different challenges we may face in life.

Growing Together is about growing emotionally and finding ways to help each other grow. Challenges and setbacks can help us to grow and adapt and trying new things can help us to move beyond our comfort zone into a new realm of possibility and potential. However, emotional growth is often a gradual process that happens over time, and sometimes we might feel a bit ‘stuck’. As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. Check out the free resources for families by clicking the link below.

This week is also SAFER INTERNET DAY but as we are focusing on Mental Health for this week, we will look at online safety next week through our assemblies and in-class discussions. The theme is "All fun and games? Respect and relationships online" which is something we know is a key message that all our children need to hear not only to help them stay safe and be kind online themselves but also to recognise positive and negative behaviours in others too and know when to speak out. Please use this as an opportunity to discuss online safety with your children

Diary Dates

  • wb 14th Feb - parents evenings (links have been sent out by the office for you to book your appointment online and Teams links for the meetings will be sent out next week prior to your appointment)
  • 18th Feb - break up for half term
  • 21st - 25th February - HALF TERM
  • 28th Feb - children back to school
  • 28th Mar - 1st Apr - Y6 Condover residential
  • 29th Mar - Y4 trip to New Walk Museum, Leicester
  • 8th Apr - break up for Easter
  • 11th - 22nd April - EASTER HOLIDAYS
  • 25th Apr - children back to school

Messages from the office

  • If you have any change of contact details (address, phone numbers, email addresses, additonal contacts etc) please let the office know via the admin email as soon as possible to ensure that we have the right information on file
  • Please make sure that school meals are paid for via School Money a week in advance and Kidzone a month in advance.
  • Y6 Condover payments for this year are due by 18th Feb. We will be organising a pre-trip meeting for some time during the week beginning 7th March to discuss final plans with you all and we will send out further details soon.
  • Y6 Condover trip for next year (current y5s) - if you have asked for a place to be reserved for your child, all deposits should now have been paid via your online payment account - if you have not done so, please log on this week to pay. The remaining balance is now available to pay in your account, which you can pay in full or in installments as long as it is all paid by 7th June.
  • There are still some places available in the Tang Soo Do club that takes place each Wednesday morning in the hall before school. The children that attend are really loving it and would love a few more of their friends to join them. Contact the school office to find out more.
  • Please remember that Girls Football (Monday) and Boys Football (Tuesday) will be starting the first week back after half term if your child was allocated a place. There are still spaces for Girls Football if anyone else wishes to join but Boys Football is full. The other clubs that have been taking place since Christmas will also be continuing.

FAMILY SUPPORT - Healthy Body and Mind For All Our Farmers!

I am excited to share with you that our Children and Families Team are now in post and have been working hard this term to get to know our children and families. Mrs Smythe is our Children and Families Lead and she is in school Tuesday - Thursday each week and Miss Ingle is our Children and Families Champion and she works every day. They are currently focusing on getting to know our children but we are looking at ways for parents to get to know them better soon too.

Please remember, if ever you need any support, we are always happy to listen and help as best we can in school. However, we also know that there are often times where the help of an external professional, with a wealth of knowledge and experience behind them in specific areas, is the best person to support you. As always, this 'Healthy Body and Mind' section of our newsletter contains lots of useful updates or information each month, including online safety messages and support. I hope you find it useful! Remember all previous newsletters can be found on our school website at https://abbotsfarm.co.uk/news-events/newsletters/ in case you ever want to look back and find a previously-recommended resource that you now feel may be useful.

The Warwickshire Family Information Service is an incredible resource which you can access directly to help you and your family find the support you need. Their website contains a wealth of information and has contact details for many charities and organisations that can offer support or information on a wide range of issues from housing and benefits to mental health support or health and safety information.

Below are a few updates from the Family Information Service that may be of interest:

SEND SUPPORT FROM SENDIAS

Warwickshire SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS) is a free, confidential and impartial service providing information, advice and support for parents/carers, children and young people aged 0-25 who have or may have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

MANAGING MONEY WISELY

Warwickshire Adult & Community Learning is running a Managing Money Wisely course to help people improve their budgeting and saving skills. There is an opportunity to gain a qualification on this course. If you're interested in taking part, please contact Judith by email at judithdouglin@warwickshire.gov.uk or calling 07917 013947.

COMPASS SCHOOL NURSE TEAM

Compass is a charity providing health and wellbeing services for children, young people, adults, families and communities. In the February edition of Compass Family health & wellbeing newsletter, the focus is on acts of kindness, Time to Talk day and Safer Internet day. There are also lots of useful contact numbers and links to different mental health and wellbeing or family support services.

PARENTS IN MIND

Parents in Mind offers emotional support for women who are experiencing low mood, anxiety or poor mental health during pregnancy or within the first two years of birth. Many mums find it difficult to open up about how they are feeling and continue to suffer in silence. Parents in Mind aims to improve women’s emotional wellbeing and to reduce isolation within the community, by providing a safe space to talk and good quality support from a trained volunteer.

ACT FOR AUTISM

Act for Autism is running interactive workshops for parents and carers. The workshops consist of four x three hour sessions over a four week period facilitated by autism professionals who are also parents. To book a please, contact Julie by emailing julie@actforautism.co.uk

Carbon Monoxide advice from Citizen's Advice

Citizen's Advice is offering carbon monoxide advice sessions to raise awareness of poisoning and free carbon monoxide monitors to Warwickshire tenants and home owners. To find out more, email advice@nwcab.org.uk, providing a telephone number and consent to call.

Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme

The Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme helps the most vulnerable residents at times of unavoidable crisis when they have no other means of help. It also administers the Household Support Fund, which provides one-off financial support for people in need as the country continues its recovery from the pandemic. It can help families with children, other vulnerable households and individuals facing hardship this winter, to ensure that they have the support they need to afford food, energy, water bills and associated costs.

Support for your own and your child’s mental and emotional wellbeing

CWRise.com: Coventry and Warwickshire Rise (CWRise) specialise in providing emotional wellbeing and mental health support to children and young people in Warwickshire. They are made up of a number of different services, each led by mental health specialists. 24/7 support is available online at www.cwrise.com including COVID-19 related resources, links to other resources and trusted organisations offering a variety of support, as well as a range of videos and leaflets. A whole host of videos are also available from Rise & Shine Fest, which took place during October half term, covering things like the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and topics such as Autism and ADHD, bereavement and anxiety. You can view these resources at cwrise.com/rise-shine-fest

Dearlife.org.uk: If you are struggling with complicated and negative thoughts and feelings, or if you are worried about someone else go to www.dearlife.org.uk for information, advice and service information.

You can also find a wide range of advice and mental health and wellbeing support available to you in Warwickshire at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/mentalhealth

Support over the phone: ChatHealth is a confidential and anonymous text messaging service for young peopled (aged 11-19) to contact their local school nursing team. The service is provided by Compass wellbeing workers. You will get a reply within 24 hours between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).

  • 11 to 19 years olds can text a school nurse on 07507 331 525
  • Parents or carers of under 5s can text a health visitor on 07520 615 293
  • Parents or carers of 5 to 19 year olds can text a school nurse on 07520 619 376

Urgent help: If you are experiencing a mental health crisis you can call the Rise Crisis Team’s freephone number: 0808 196 6798 (select option 2) at all times, though it is an advice-only service overnight from 8pm to 8am. In an emergency call 999.

Credits:

Created with images by Darkmoon_Art - "calendar a book date" • HansLinde - "flower nature season" • obpia30 - "clock time alarm clock" • Anemone123 - "team spirit teamwork community" • ArtDream - "boy street houses" • geralt - "volunteer hands voluntarily"