Dear all 

We sincerely hope that during the half term holiday everyone can ‘get outside or get out walking’. The team and children have worked very hard over the last few weeks and are very much looking forward to a break. We are hoping desperately that the weather dramatically improves so that we can all enjoy a few rays of Spring sunshine; the last week or so has been particularly ghastly! 

We hope that the information below from Hampshire County Council is of interest for the half term holiday: May half-term in Hampshire | National Trust 

The children are very much enjoying walking or racing around our very own ‘Yellow Brick Road’ to complete their daily mile with Mrs Tata. During the half term the final bit of the path around the field will be finished, making it useable all year round, and Christopher’s Garden is having a ‘make-over’. 

With health and fitness in mind we would like to encourage as many families to join in the daily walk to school when we return on Monday 7^th June. If you can’t manage this every day, doing a couple of days a week or taking advantage of our ‘park and stride’ arrangements (park at Leisure Centre, Sainsbury’s or Fareham Council car parks) will help our whole community.  

Research proves that walking is the single most accessible way to reduce congestion and pollution outside our school gates, while increasing the safety and improving physical and mental wellbeing of our community. Now that we are taking small steps out of the COVID lockdown and looking to the future, everyone’s wellbeing is of utmost importance to us. Walking to school and its countless benefits are more important than ever: 

• children enjoy this precious family time 
• children who do some form of exercise, especially a walk before school, do better at school because they arrive refresher, fit and ready to learn 
• during morning peak traffic times, one in five cars on the road are taking children school, contributing to congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions
• the school run alone is responsible for generating half a million tonnes of CO₂ per year (which is more than some small countries!). 

We continue to explore the ‘School Streets’ Harrison Road closure project with Hampshire County Council. This would end congestion, ensure cleaner air outside school and promote healthier lifestyles; please do what you can by converting some of your ‘rides to strides’. 

Before and After School Club – parents who are interested in breakfast and after school child care should contact Heather at Barn Owls by email. hheather942@aol.com

Provision will re-open on Monday 21^st June 2021. 

Clean Air Scooter Challenge - please note dates below for Years R,1&2: 

We would like to encourage more children in Years R1& 2 to ride their scooters to school to help to increase the number of families who stride rather than ride, and help to reduce both air pollution and engine idling where possible. 

We are going to provide these children with the opportunity to learn to ride their scooter safely and take part in Scooter Proficiency at school. During school time on school grounds teachers will teach the children to be safe, learn how to do an emergency stop, cross a road safely with an adult and manoeuvre their scooter safely. The children will learn about safety and protocols: 

• pedestrians have priority on the pavement 
• the importance of staying close to their parent/carer 
• being aware of other people using the pavement; being polite and considerate to them 
• taking extra care when crossing vehicle entrance/exit points e.g. driveways 
• remembering that the person there first, (car driver, cyclist, pedestrian etc), has priority 
• keeping away from the kerb 
• looking all around before moving, stop moving or change direction, and looking where they are going 
• wearing a helmet and bright, fluorescent clothing to ensure they can be seen 
• walking with scooters when crossing the road, in crowded areas or other busy areas e.g. the school playground 
• carrying things in a rucksack, not balanced on the handlebars 
• The Highway Code tells us that the speed limit on pavements is 4mph

Please check the dates below for when the children are invited to bring in their own named, non-electric scooter and helmets into school. We have staggered these date to manage the number of scooters on site! There will also be a few scooters available in school for children to borrow for those who do not have their own. 

09.06.21 – YR Caterpillar Class 

10.06.21-   YR Bumblebee Class 

11.06.21-   YR Ladybird Class 

14.06.21 – Y1 Firefly Class 

15.06.21-   Y1 Butterfly Class 

16.06.21 – Y1 Dragonfly Class 

22.06.21 - Y2 Hedgehog Class

23.06.21 - Y2 Badger Class

24.06.21 – Y2 Owl Class

Uniform – please can children continue to wear training shoes – sandals are not suitable for outdoor learning or physical activities. To keep everyone safe please also remember: 

• Children’s long hair must be tied back – both boys’ and girls’ 
• Jewellery must be left at home, with the exception of stud earrings which can be worn but must be removed on PE days 
• Only book bags are needed 

Olympic themed sports festival - all year groups:

On weeks commencing June 22^nd and June 28th we will hold year group sports events during the afternoons. This will give children the opportunity to participate in this important event in the school calendar however we will not be inviting spectators this year; for obvious reasons.

After School Clubs: Football etc: we are talking to Dave Taylorson and other staff members at present and will provide further information in due course. 

COVID19 protective measures: 

The Department for Education has reminded schools this week of our legal duty to protect people from harm; a cheery note we know for the end of term; this includes maintaining the integrity of our bubbles and contingency plans related to protective measures and closure of bubbles in the event of a positive case of Coronavirus.  

Schools locally have had to close bubbles over the past two weeks. As COVID is

still out there it is recommended that schools continue to do all we can to protect our school community as a whole. We will therefore be maintaining our hierarchy of controls and protective measures during the summer term. 

School Lunches HC3S

We are delighted to let you know that we will be returning to 'family dining' for Years R&1 at lunchtime in the small hall and bringing back a more traditional school lunch menu after half term. More information to follow regarding the return to a more 'normal' lunchtime week beginning June 21st 2021.

And lastly, we wish you a restful half term week and look forward to seeing you on Monday 7^th June. Please remember that tomorrow, Friday, 28^th May 2021, is our final INSET day of the year so school will be closed.  

Kind regards 

Sara Gmitrowicz, Kirsty Eddleston and Jane Bowden