Dear Parents,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you were able to enjoy a lovely break with your families. The children have returned really well. Thank you for working with us on the new Covid procedures set out this week. We are doing all we can to ensure that we have enough staff to open safely. Can I remind you all to wear a face covering when you enter the school building. More changes take place next week with regard to positive lateral flow tests for asymptomatic cases, so we will update you again on Monday.

We have seen a number of children arriving late this week. We all get delayed, but please make every effort to be in by 8.55 when the playground doors close. Persistent lateness can lead to unauthorised absences.

Clubs and piano lessons begin next week. We are finalising allocations for staff clubs and will inform parents as soon as possible about the children's places. We had a wonderful introduction to the new Fencing club from Little Musketeers' leader, Andrew Beevers. You can sign up for any of our professional clubs by clicking the relevant link from our clubs timetable.

Forest School lessons also start from next week, with Sharks class on Tuesdays and Turtles on Wednesdays. Please ensure the children wear lots of layers to keep warm and dry in this weather!

We have assessed a number of published events which are coming up this term and have made the following adjustments to reduce the number of people mixing in school.

Parents reading in class will not take place until further notice.
Class lunches with parents will be postponed for the time being.
Class assemblies will be combined to offer a larger scale performance in the summer term. This gives us the opportunity to have them outside if necessary. These will take place on the following dates:
EYFS performance 14th July 9.30
Year One performance 1st July 9.30
Year Two performance 8th July 9.30

I realise that some of you may have already made plans for the dates previously published, if so please accept my apologies. However, some classes would need to begin preparations now for events this side of half term that may well be subject to last minute cancellation. By postponing until the summer term we have more options available to us and each year group can offer something on a larger scale.

Can I remind you that applications for those children starting school in September, or moving up to the Junior School must be submitted to Essex County Council by 15th January. Please don't miss the deadline, or you may miss out on a place at your preferred school!

Have a good weekend.

Best wishes
Helen Castell

We encourage healthy lunches for all children. Please support us by not including sweets or chocolate in your child's packed lunch and reserving those treats for home.
A reminder that we love to share awards, medals, trophies, even anecdotes from children’s achievements outside of school. Please hand them to me or email parents@writtleinfantschool.com for assemblies on Friday.
Diary dates and school events can added from our website to the calendar on your phone. Click on your chosen list of dates from the Links section and then click export at the bottom of the page.

Happy New Year to you all! It's so lovely to see all the children back in class. We have combined our newsletter this week, as we have the same reminders for you all!

Forest School lessons start next week with Sharks on Tuesdays and Turtles on Wednesdays. Please have lots of layers, coats, hats, scarves and gloves as necessary in wintry weather. Remember the children are outside for long periods and can get very cold and wet if they are not properly equipped.

PE Days - Year 2 will be on Mondays and Fridays and Year 1 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please have jogging bottoms, hoodies, fleeces and long sleeved tops for PE, all named as we will be going outside as much as possible and it is very chilly.

As we must keep windows and doors open in the classrooms to aid ventilation, your child is more than welcome to wear boots into school. However, if they do, please bring a pair of trainers to be kept in their PE bags as boots are unsuitable for PE.

Year 2 have published their new activity passport for this half term. Feel free to do these as and when it fits in with your family circumstances.

We were really looking forward to having the children back in school this week and they have all been in good spirits. They have been enjoying playing with their friends and spending time talking about their Christmas experiences. This week we have been going over some of our old poems, it is amazing how many they can remember! We have been assessing their words and sounds using 'Phonics Tracker' and will give their word folders back early next week. We hope you have a super weekend, Next week our poem is called 'Popcorn' and we know this will be one the children will love!