Dear parents and carers

 

On March 8^th we will see the return of #LetGirlsPlay! This is a national incentive to promote equal opportunities for women and girls in football by 2024. Last year was a great success where we saw girls in KS1 and KS2 having the opportunity to play football. This year, we want it to be even better! Next Wednesday, EVERY girl at Gatehouse Primary will have the opportunity to play football during the course of the school day. We will once again be supported by coaches from Starcross Dons Youth FC who currently have competitive girls teams at two different age groups as well as a Wildcats Centre for girls aged 5-11 and social football for both teenagers and women.

 

Coming soon will be more information about an initiative we will be launching for boys - #LetBoysDance! Keep an eye on your emails for further details. 

 

Many thanks

School Office

Weather permitting, Unit 2 will be going on a local walk as part of our English curriculum and story writing on Tuesday 7th March from 9am – 11 am. We will be taking the children to visit Dawlish Town Centre and the beach to identify the sights and sounds a visitor to Dawlish may experience. Please can you make sure that your child has a waterproof coat for this occasion. We would welcome any parent volunteers who are able to walk with us. If you are available to help, could you please contact the office.

This is an outside classroom activity in our local area, an annual SOE3 form completed for consent.

Amazing first week ! Well done everyone!

The menu was homemade pork meatballs in a creamy chive sauce, with chips and vegetables.

Next week Pasta Bake.

The club is to give the children the skills to cook together and eat together. Thank you to the families who came in to join us and eat.

This club runs on a Monday evening from 3:30-4:30pm with families coming in together at around 5pm to eat together -this includes older and younger siblings. There is a small cost to cover the cost of the fresh meat and vegetables (We have a £100 grant from Sainsbury’s to support). Therefore, the cost will always be cheaper than what it would cost for families to buy.

A payment option is now available, for each week, on parentpay and will be an approx. weekly charge of £1.90.

 

Messages have been sent today with regards to monies outstanding on parent's pay accounts.

Please can we request that payment is made at the 'point of sale' or in advance for pupil lunches and our wrap around care.

Please can all balances be cleared before the start of each half term if possible.

If you have any queries or are having financial difficulties please do not hesitate to contact our office team.

Dear parents/carers

 

Within most schools at any one time, there will be a small number of children infected with head lice.  Infection levels can remain fairly constant so we need your help to combat the bugs!

 

We understand your frustrations and concerns regarding head lice.  Alert letters are emailed and sent home however this frequently leads many parents to attempt to treat their children preventatively, head ice infection cannot be prevented, and over-use of insecticide treatments may lead to resistance.

 

As a school we want to support parents in managing the problem by working closely with them and promoting that ‘Once a Week, Take a Peek!’ approach.

 

It is parental responsibility to detect and administer treatment for head lice and we would like to request that you check your child for head lice once a week, remember ‘Once a Week, Take a Peek!’.  To diagnose a case of head lice you need to find them alive, they move fast and are small, so they can be hard to find!  Where to Peek – close to the scalp, behind the ears, back of the neck, top of the head, under the fringe. 

 

Please can all long hair be tied up.

 

Remember - ‘Once a Week, Take a Peek’ and this approach can be a normal part of every family’s hygiene routine, like brushing your teeth or washing your hair.

 

Let’s beat the bugs together!

Dear parents and carers

 

There will be a short SATS meeting after school for parents and children to attend on Tuesday 21st February, 3.30pm - 4.00pm. 

 

The meeting will cover what the week will look like, and how parents can support their children at home. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact your child's teacher in the first instance. 

 

Many thanks

School Office

 

Dear parents and carers

 

As previously communicated, Gatehouse will remain open tomorrow, 1^st February, during the forthcoming strike action. 

 

It is a requirement that parents/carers send their child to school as the Department for Education expects all school-registered children of compulsory school age to be in attendance on school opening days. Measures have been taken to assure the safety of pupils both in class and during break periods. Classes affected will be supervised by members of the school leadership team or cover supervisors; these staff are fulfilling roles they would usually occupy during staff absence.

 

We ask that during the day, if you have any queries that you please contact the school office on the first instance via the usual methods. The leadership team and teachers might not be able to return phone calls during the day, as they will be fulfilling roles in class. 

 

Yours sincerely

Mr Jason Stephens

Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 9th February 2023

- Parents Evening

Our Preloved uniform shop will be open during parents evening, these items are free!

A donation box will be available but this is not compulsory.

Please come have a look, we have shoes, trainers, jumpers, trousers, skirts - BARGAINS! AND IN GOOD CONDITION !

Dear parents and carers

 

On Tuesday 31st January at 5.30pm. Mr Stephens is holding a presentation to parents in Years 1 - 6 regarding the progressive wider curriculum. 

 

In order to plan sufficiently, we would appreciate if you could please sign up to the presentation via this short form. 

 

https://forms.office.com/e/Deuc1QKziL

 

Many thanks 

School Office 

Dear Parent/ Carer,

You are probably aware from media coverage that the National Education Union (NEU) has announced national and regional strike action on the following dates:

Wednesday 1st February 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales

Thursday 2nd March 2023: all eligible members in the South West

Wednesday 15th March 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales

Thursday 16th March 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales.

The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the union and the government over teachers' pay. I am writing to you today to give you as much notice as possible that learning might be disrupted on those dates, although at this stage I do not know to what extent. Your child's school will keep you informed and make any decisions relating to potential disruption, as soon as possible, once we have adequately risk assessed the impact on each school in the Trust. In the event of a strike, the Department for Education expects the Headteacher to take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible. However, so that you are aware, the options that we may need to consider are:

• No closure: the school remains open for all, and we deliver the normal curriculum in lessons.

• No closure: the school remains open for all, but we provide alternative activities and supervision.

• Partial closure: the school remains open for some pupils but not all.

• Full closure: the school is closed for all pupils.

I am making you aware of these options so that you can start to consider alternative childcare arrangements for these dates, in the event that we have to close the school to your child. Whilst I am sorry for the potential disruption to you and your child's education and understand that this situation might be frustrating, I hope that all members of our school communities will continue to treat each other with respect and to remember that all of our staff do their job because they are committed to providing a safe and secure environment and the highest quality of education for the children in their care. As stated above, individual schools will write to you again to inform you of the arrangements that are in place within the school, in the near future.

Kind regards, Paul Walker CEO, First Federation Trust