Dear Parents and Carers,

Parents’ Evenings

It has been so wonderful to see so many of you at our recent Parents’ Evenings. It was fantastic to hear how well your children have settled into their new year groups and to celebrate the progress that they have made so far this year. It is also such an important opportunity for home and school to work together on how we can support your child as we move forward.

We are looking forward to seeing Year 4 parents at the final parents’ evening session on Tuesday 19^th November. Appointments for this session can be booked up through Arbor until 6pm on Monday 18^th November.

Year R Singing Concert

Our new Year R children melted our hearts with their beautiful singing at their concert earlier this week. The hall was packed with very proud teachers, parents, family and friends – this is the first of many more Warren Park concerts to come!

Charity Events

Thank you for supporting our Royal British Legion poppy appeal once again.

The children have come into school today in an array of colours, spots, pyjamas and outfits in support of the BBC Children in Need appeal. Thank you for your donations which go a long way in helping this charity to support a wide range of children’s organisations, many projects based locally in Hampshire.

Warren Park Parents, Friends and Teachers Association (PFTA)

Our PFTA have already sent home information about their Logo Competition for the children. The competition doesn’t close until next Friday 22^nd November so there is still plenty of time for everyone to get creative!

The logo will feature on all of the PFTA’s posters and letters and the overall winner will receive the fabulous prize of a Family Play Pass to Exploria in Portsmouth. Winners from each year group (who will win a small prize) will be selected by the PFTA and our School Council, with the winning design being chosen by a whole school vote from this shortlist. Entries cost £1.00 per design with multiple entries being allowed.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been using the Asda Cashpot for Schools Scheme – you have already raised more than £1,000 which is just incredible! If you shop at Asda and are able to nominate Warren Park Primary, we will be hugely grateful as the scheme still has another 15 days to run. This is such a fantastic way to help the PFTA raise funds for the children and school.

Clubs

The children have enjoyed a wide range of clubs this term, which have been really well attended. We are currently talking to School Council about the types of clubs that we offer and they have been finding out from children across the school about their ideas for future clubs. This will help us to shape the Spring and Summer term club timetable.

Parent Focus Group

The next Parent Focus Group will take place on Wednesday 4^th December at 5pm. At the next meeting we will have a focus on SEND support and provision. There is also an opportunity to ask questions and to suggest topics for future meetings. We look forward to seeing you over a tea or coffee.

Inset Days 2024 / 25

Just a reminder that Friday 29^th November 2024, Monday 21^st July and Tuesday 22^nd July 2025 are inset days and school will be closed for the children.

DATES

We have included a date list at the end of this letter as the rest of this term promises to be a very busy one. We have also included a few more details about the events that will take place over the festive season.

POST BOX: We will have a post box for the children to post Christmas cards from Monday 2^nd December – please ensure that cards have the full name of the recipient and their year group.

CHOIR CONCERT: The children involved in the concert will remain in school until their performance. The gates will be opened at 4pm for anyone wishing to attend the performance which will take place on the playground in front of the Year 4 classrooms. Hot chocolate and mince pies will be on sale.

 CONCERTS: There will be 2 tickets per family available for the Infant and Junior Christmas concerts which can be booked nearer to the time (letter to follow). Entrance will be via the Library entrance (just before the Year R classrooms). There will be a charity collection bucket at the end of the concerts to raise money for The Rowans Hospice.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH: We hope the children will embrace the Christmas spirit by wearing anything festive – jumpers, dresses, outfits, hats and headwear on the day of their Christmas lunch. We will have festive music and crackers as well as our fantastic kitchen team spoiling us with an amazing lunch.

CHRISTMAS DISCOS: Year R, 1 and 2 children can wear their disco clothes to school and their teachers will take them to the school hall at the end of the day.  The infant children do not need to bring any additional money as they will be given a drink and some sweets. Parents will collect their children from their child’s classroom door at 4.15pm.

The junior children will be admitted through the main school entrance at 4.30pm. There will be a tuck shop selling sweets and drinks if the juniors wish to bring some money (£1.50 maximum). The children can be collected via the main entrance at 5.45pm. Children must be collected by an adult as it will be dark.

CHRISTMAS PARTIES: The last day of term will be a wear what you like day for all children. Years R to 5 will have Christmas parties which will include lots of fun and games but the children will not need to bring in any food items. Year 6 will have their reward trip on the last day of term.

CHRISTMAS FAIR: We are really pleased to be holding our traditional Christmas Fair on Thursday 19^th December from 3.30 – 5.00 pm in the school hall and we are hoping that you will be able to come along for some Christmas fun! We will be asking for donations of bric-a-brac, toys, games, books and any other items that you may have as well as sweets, chocolates and biscuits for our Chocolate Tombola and anything in a bottle. Further details to follow.

With very best wishes,

Elizabeth Cooper

We hope that you have a fantastic half term break with your children. We have included a list of dates in this letter and they are also available on our website calendar.

Harvest

Thank you so much for the many generous gifts for our Harvest collection. We are finishing this half term with a special Harvest assembly and these gifts will then be given to our local foodbank.

Parents’ Evenings

We are really looking forward to welcoming you into school to meet with your child’s teacher during Parents’ Evenings on Wednesday 6^th November and Wednesday 13^th November 2024.

This is an opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher, find out how they are settling into their new class and consider how we can support them to make the best progress possible during this academic year. These are very important meetings and we would urge all parents to sign up.

*Please note Year 4’s Parents Evenings will be Wednesday 6^th November (Mrs Patterson) and Tuesday 19^th November 2024 (Mrs Jennings). All bookings will show as booked with Mrs Jennings, however, if you book for Wednesday 6^th November your appointment will be with Mrs Patterson*.

Appointments can be made using the Arbor system following the instructions which were sent by email and as a hard copy letter. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school office if you require any assistance with making an appointment.

Poppy appeal

We are pleased to be supporting The Royal British Legion once again this year with their poppy appeal. We will be selling poppies in the school office for a donation as well as a number of additional items which are priced between £1.00 and £1.50.

Children in Need (CiN)

On Friday 15^th November we will have a wear what you would like day (suitable for school) which could include pyjamas to support the BBC Children in Need appeal – donations for CiN will be very gratefully received on the day. As the children will still go outside for break and lunch time, it is really important that they are warm and have sensible footwear. From Monday 11^th November we will have some Children in Need merchandise such as pens, wrist bands and Pudsey ears for sale at the school office.

Parent Focus Group

The next Parent Focus Group will take place on Wednesday 4^th December at 5pm. Miss Tester and Mr Jones, from our COSMIC team, joined us at the last session to share information about their curriculum including Relationships and Sex Education. At the next meeting we will have a focus on SEND support and provision. There is also an opportunity to ask questions and to suggest topics for future meetings that you would like to find out more about. We look forward to seeing you over a tea or coffee.

Warren Park Parents, Friends and Teachers Association (PFTA)

We are absolutely delighted that our Warren Park Parents Friends and Teachers Association is now officially up and running following their AGM on Tuesday 15^th October. Emma Collis is the Chairperson and Rachael Collett is Treasurer. We are looking for a third committee member to join us as Secretary. If you would like to be involved in anyway, please email the PFTA at warrenparkpfta@outlook.com with your contact details.

Thank you to everyone who has been using the Asda Cashpot for Schools scheme – you have already raised more than £750 which is just incredible! If you shop at Asda and are able to nominate Warren Park we will be hugely grateful as the scheme still has another 36 days to run.

Reception School Places 2025

We are currently showing round any parents who would like to visit our school with a view to children starting in September 2025. Applications need to be completed by January 15^th 2025. As has been reported in the media, this cohort is a low birth year nationally and so we are very likely to have places available for children wishing to join Warren Park.

Inset days 2024 / 25

Just a reminder that Friday 29^th November 2024, Monday 21^st July and Tuesday 22^nd July 2025 are inset days and school will be closed for the children.

Please see the dates list below.

With very best wishes,

Elizabeth Cooper

Boys’ Football – 2^nd Place

Our Year Six boys arrived with hopes high and they did not disappoint. In their 7 matches, they were undefeated and only conceded one goal. Unfortunately, the boys did not score the goals necessary to grab the victories they needed.

The boys will no doubt look to rectify this and bring their expansive brand of football to future tournaments.

Well done boys – an excellent representation of Warren Park Primary School.

Girls’ Football – 3^rd Place

Our Year Six girls entered with a mix of experienced footballers and newcomers to the game. The inexperience did not show as they picked up two brilliant wins and two hard fought draws – this went along with two losses to the teams above them in the league.

The girls showed great determination, energy and aggression and on another day, could have turned the draws into victories!

A fabulous effort from all involved. Well done girls!

Mixed Netball – 5^th Place

With no training behind us and many newcomers to the sport, we entered the tournament expecting a hard time.

After our first tricky game, and excusing a tough result against the eventual champions, the other four games were superb. Four games which we drew or lost by a single point were not a fair reflection of how well the team played. Some wonderful shooting and some inspired play from our GK meant we deserved more.

What a brilliant performance from all. You should be very proud!

Thank you to the many of you who have recently attended our year group parent events. We hope that you enjoyed seeing how well your children have settled into their new year groups and had a chance to meet the teaching teams.

Online Safety Workshops

We are absolutely delighted to be working with Lee Haywood, an online safety expert, once again this year. Lee has a wealth of up to date knowledge and expertise that he will be able to share in sessions with our junior children as well as with parents through workshops.

The COSMIC team have sent further information regarding these workshops: Thursday 10^th October Lee will work with year 6 children

Friday 11^th October Lee will work with year 4 children

Friday 11^th October at 2pm will be the first workshop for parents Friday 11^th October at 3.20pm will be the second workshop for parents Tuesday 15^th October Lee will work with year 3 and year 5 children

The workshop will provide valuable insights into keeping your children safe online so please do complete the slip attached to the letter from COSMIC and join us on Friday afternoon. Mr Jones will be available to look after any Warren Park children during the 3.20 – 4.20pm session so that parents can attend.

Parent Focus Group

The next Parent Focus Group will take place on Friday 11^th October at 1.15 – 2pm. Miss Tester and Mr Jones, from our COSMIC team, will be joining us to share information about their curriculum. There is also an opportunity to ask questions and to suggest topics for future meetings that you would like to find out more about. Please note the amended time to enable parents to attend the online safety workshop as well as our Focus Group. We look forward to seeing you over a tea or coffee.

Warren Park Parents, Friends and Teachers Association (PFTA)

We hope that you have seen the posters from our wonderful PFTA. They are holding their first AGM on Tuesday 15^th October at 2pm in school. They will be voting for a Chair Person, Treasurer and Secretary so that they can begin to plan some fantastic events for our children and community. Please do come along even if you don’t want to be part of the committee as the group are keen to hear your ideas and if you are able to help out in any way at all. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and make a difference to your child’s school experience.

Home / School Communication

Following the letter on Friday from our Governing Body, I would like to reiterate the importance of positive home / school communication. We are so lucky at Warren Park to have such a talented and committed staff team who are dedicated to ensuring that your children have the best school experience. If you ever have questions or concerns please do raise these with your

child’s class teacher, Year Leader, Mrs Lofting or myself and we will do our very best to help you and your child. While Facebook can be a helpful platform for sharing information, it is not a good way of resolving any concerns you may have for your children, especially if the school has not been informed about your worries. The partnership between home and school is a very important one which supports your child to get the most from their education whether this is through academic learning, friendships or being part of a community. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a question or query.

Academic Pupil Achievement

Later this term, pupil performance data will be published by the Department for Education. We are really proud of our children’s outcomes by the end of their 7 year journey with us. We remain well above the national average in all of the key areas of reading, writing, maths as well as with the phonics check in Year 1 and the multiplication check in Year 4. The details of these results will be available on our website shortly.

Attendance

We would like to say a really big thank you for supporting us with attendance. This year has seen a significant improvement on the same time last year. This has enabled your children to settle in really well, reconnect with their friends and be successful in their learning. Please do make contact if you have any worries about your child’s attendance or punctuality.

Parents’ Evenings

Wednesday 6^th and Wednesday 13^th November will be our first Parents’ Evenings. This will be an opportunity to reflect on how your child is settling into their new year group, share their progress so far this year and discuss any areas that home and school can support them with during the rest of this academic year. Further information to follow.

Reception School Places 2025

We are currently showing round any parents who would like to visit our school with a view to children starting in September 2025. Applications need to be completed by January 15^th 2025. As has been reported in the media, this cohort is a low birth year nationally and so we will have places available for children wishing to join Warren Park.

Inset days 2024 / 25

Just a reminder that Friday 29^th November 2024, Monday 21^st July and Tuesday 22^nd July 2025 are inset days and school will be closed for the children.

We look forward to seeing you at one of the forthcoming events.

With very best wishes,

Elizabeth Cooper

We hope you enjoyed the summer break and are delighted to welcome you back to an exciting new school year. Our Reception children have joined us for their first day today which has been fantastic and so wonderful to see so many smiling faces. Thank you for making sure that the children have returned looking incredibly smart in their school uniform. We look forward to seeing you in school this year and have some exciting ways that you can become really involved in the life of the school and your child’s journey through Warren Park.

Welcome Back Year Group Parent Invitation

Each year group will be sending parent/carers an invitation to visit their child’s new year group. We hope that this will give you an early opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and see the children in action at school. The dates for each year group are below and there will be a further opportunity to talk to the teachers at the Parents’ Evening appointments in November.

Parent Focus Group and PFTA

I would like to thank all of the parents who have been involved in getting our Warren Park Parents, Friends and Teachers Association up and running. Please see the message from Rachael and Emma below and please do come along to the AGM. The more parents that are involved, the more events we can plan for our children which is very exciting.

Please do also sign up for the Asda Cashpot for Schools as this could really help us to raise funds for the PFTA’s first project!

The first Parent Focus Group will take place on Friday 11^th October at 2pm. This is an open forum to ask questions and find out more about the school. Miss Tester, Leader of the COSMIC team, will be joining us to share information about her curriculum. We look forward to seeing you over a tea or coffee.

Warren Park Parents, Friends and Teachers Association (PFTA)

Hi, we’re Rachael and Emma and we’re both parents of children in Year 3 and Year R. We have been part of a ‘steering group’ to help set up the school’s first PFTA. 

 We are hoping to get our PFTA up and running this year and start fundraising to support the school. At the moment Asda are running a ‘Cashpot for Schools’ initiative and Warren Park currently have £156.03 in our cashpot since it started last week. This initiative runs until 30th Nov and a small % of your total spend gets added every time you shop. 

However, we can only access this cashpot if we have a PTA who are registered with Parentkind (PTA support). Luckily, we are already registered with Parentkind so we are half way there. 

On Tuesday 15th October 2-3pm at the school we will be holding our very first AGM to vote in committee members so we can access the funds. This is an open event for everyone regardless of whether you want to formally join the committee or not. We need as many people there as possible to help us vote in committee members. 

 We have lots of great ideas to help raise funds to benefit our children, however we realise we need to take things slowly at the beginning and really need your support to help our PFTA grow. 

 We really hope to see as many of you as possible on Tuesday 15th October, we’ll bring tea and biscuits!

We are very much looking forward to working in partnership with you again this academic year to make sure that your children have the very best possible educational journey that we can provide. Please remember that Mrs Lofting and I are available if you have any queries or questions.

With very best wishes,

Elizabeth Cooper