Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Welcome to our October newsletter.
As always here at Greenhill, we have been very busy with lots happening!
We are very proud of the learning that is happening across the school! I’m sure those of you who follow us on X (Twitter) are enjoying seeing the messages and photographs of some fantastic work and experiences.
We invite all families to follow us on X, search for @greenhill10 and you will find us.
We pride ourselves on offering children a range of experiences whilst at Greenhill Primary. Over the past 8 weeks various children across the school have been on educational visits, to St Fagans for example, and worked with visitors to the school, including musicians to teach drum, guitar, dood and p-buzz.
We have also ensured that our children’s learning extends beyond the general curriculum, including workshops on climate change, the Ambulance Service working with our older children to increase their knowledge of CPR and defibrillator use to save lives, and Dosbarth Gwyrdd working with Kerbcraft to increase their awareness of road safety.
Report to Parents
The Governing Body report to parents is now available on the school website www.greenhillprm.co.uk
Costume Swap
Many thanks to those families who donated halloween costumes. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
After half-term, Mrs Gould will contact families about our Christmas Jumper Swap. This was very popular last year, so dig out the old jumpers that no longer fit and we will see if we can find them new homes.
Communication
Please ensure we are kept up-to-date with any changes of phone number or address.
SeeSaw is our preferred method of communication. It is essential that all parents and carers download the SeeSaw app so you can keep up to date with letters and messages.
Healthy Eating
Thank you for supporting us with our drive for healthy snacks. It has been lovely to see the number of children enjoying the healthy free school meals. Please note that from next term, sweets eg lollies, haribos and winders, will not be permitted in packed lunch boxes
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Welcome Abigail Evans
We are very pleased to inform parents and carers that Abi Evans has joined our staff at Greenhill. Abi has been filling the big shoes left by Janet Davies in the school office for some time now and we are pleased to say that she is to join us permanently.
Dates for Your Diary
06.11.23 Flu Immunisations taking place in school
08.11.23 School Photo Day
27.11.23 Foundation Phase trip to Colliers Farm
07.12.23 KS2 Christmas trip to BMI Panto
08.12.23 Silver Class Christmas trip
11.12.23 KS2 Christmas Concert (afternoon 1pm)
12.12.23 KS2 Christmas Concert (evening 6pm)
13.12.23 Foundation Phase Concert 10am
14.12.23 Foundation Phase Concert 10am
20.12.23 Christmas Party
As always, thank you all for your continued support, showing that together we can all strive for the best for our children.
Lisa Jones Head Teacher
Our Halloween disco is on Wednesday 25th October. We are asking that all children come to school dressed in their Halloween constumes and give a £1 donation to the PTA. The infant disco will be within the school day between 2pm-3pm, Infant children can bring £1.50 to school and they will be provided with a packet of crisps, a drink and sweets. Infants are to be collected from their classroom doors as normal at 3.15pm. The junior's can then stay in school for their disco, which will take place 3.15pm till 4.30pm. There will be sweets, crisps and drinks on sale for the children to buy. Junior children to be collected from the school hall at 4.30pm.
Pop along to the hall at 3.15pm on Friday 20th October to take a look at all the spooky costumes that will be on sale. We've had some fantastic costumes donated- all for sale for £1. the proceeds from the sale go the PTA.
Thank you for all your support, look forward to seeing you there.
Dear parents and carers,
It has come to our attention that some children are using social media sites, such as TikTok and Instagram, despite being younger than the age restrictions for these platforms. We ask parents and carers to closely and carefully monitor all platforms that children may access.
TikTok, despite an age limit of 13 years, appears to be popular, so we thought it wise to share some information and guidance:
- TikTok enables users to access a range of videos and recordings including some with inappropriiate content, such as swearing or sexual content.
- It can be a good idea to sit in on some of your child's TikTok sessions to get insight into what they're doing on the platform, the content they're consuming, the videos they make, and whether their behaviour, and that of their peer group, is appropriate.
TikTok offers several privacy control settings and safety features for younger users, including:
- Push notifications will be disabled after 9pm for kids aged 13 to 15 and 10pm for teenagers aged 16 to 17
- Children under 16 cannot access direct messages
- When someone aged under 16 publishes their first video, a pop-up message will be displayed explaining their privacy options
- However, there's no age-verification process, so a child under 13 could sign up for a TikTok account without being checked.
Can I monitor my child's TikTok?
You can search for and follow your child's TikTok account to see what they post. However, you can't see which videos your child is watching, which accounts they interact with or the comments or messages they send or receive.
You may want to consider sharing an account with your child through TikTok's Family Pairing feature, so you can see what they're watching and posting.
It can be a good idea to have conversations about social media and your concerns while also asking them what they like to search for and what they enjoy watching.
TikTok privacy settings are key to keeping your child's account private and online activity safe. For example: Private account Making your child's account private is an effective way to prevent them from contacting strangers online. Any videos they share will only be seen by people they have approved as a follower. You can make a TikTok account private by selecting the three-dots on your child's profile page in the top right corner. Then on the Settings and Privacy page, select Privacy and Safety. You'll then be able to toggle the switch to select Private Account. But keep in mind that even with a private account, usernames, profile photos and bios are still visible to everyone on the platform.
Privacy settings
When you set your child's account to private, you can also change other privacy features such as sending direct messages and allowing comments on your child's videos. Digital wellbeing TikTok has a password-protected digital wellbeing feature that alerts users if they use the app for over two hours. You can also switch on "restricted mode" to filter out unsuitable content.
What are parents' main concerns with TikTok?
- Parents have shared their concerns over offensive language being used in some of the videos posted on TikTok, making it unsuitable for young children.
- Many parents are understandably concerned about the idea of strangers connecting with their children on the app.
- With no formal age verification process, children under the age of 13 can sign up with a false age, or over 13s can sign up without their parent's knowledge.
Tips to keep your child safe on TikTok
Before you let your child loose on TikTok, check out these tips to ensure they always have a positive experience on the app.
- Talk to them about cyberbullying. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is prevalent on many social media platforms, including TikTok. Users can leave hurtful or inappropriate comments, so it's a good idea to talk about what to do if they experience cyberbullying or see others experience cyberbullying.
- Make their account private. To make a TikTok account private, tap on the three dots in the top corner of their account profile page, select Privacy and Settings and then Privacy and Safety from the options. You can then choose whether to have a "Private Account".
- Be aware of what is shared. Talk to your children about what is acceptable for them to post and what isn't. Encourage them to think carefully about everything they post and who might see it.
- Get to grips with the guidelines. Like most social media platforms, TikTok has community guidelines for what is and isn't acceptable on the app. Make sure you and your child have read them to know what is and isn't allowed.
- Know how to report and when. Make sure you know what is considered unacceptable behaviour and how to report users, videos or comments that are abusive or inappropriate.
Does TikTok have parental controls?
There are some parental controls on TikTok. While you can set time limits and content filters on your child's phone, you can use parental controls directly on their account. On your child's profile, tap the three dots in the top right and select Digital Wellbeing next to the umbrella icon. You can then choose which features you want to enable.
Screen Time Management: This limits time spent on the app to a maximum of two hours a day, but you can also limit it to 40 minutes if you prefer. Restricted Mode: This function blocks mature content, although children using the app on their own can still come across videos that aren't suitable for their age. Alternatively, there's the option of creating your own TikTok account and using Family Pairing to manage your child's account settings with your phone.
Finally, please be aware that the minimum age restriction for TikTok is 13.
Dear parents and carers,
Welcome back – I hope you all had a lovely summer holidays. It is lovely to see all the children so happy to be back in school – some parents also looked very happy this morning 😉
Term Dates 2023-24
Autumn Term 2023
Spring Term 2024
Summer Term 2024
The school will also take 5 INSET days, dates yet to be confirmed (one, September 1st, has already been taken).
Staffing
Our current classes are:
Dosbarth Coch (Nursery): Miss Prothero
Dosbarth Enfys (Reception): Miss Barnsley
Dosbarth Melyn (Year 1): Mrs. Colwell
Dosbarth Gwyrdd (Year 2): Mrs. Grist
Dosbarth Arian (SNRB, lower): Miss Voe
Dosbarth Aur (SNRB, upper): Mrs. Pepperell
Dosbarth Glas (Y3 & 4): Mr. Holloway/Miss Rees
Dosbarth Indigo (Y4 & 5): Miss Adams
Dosbarth Fioled (Y5 & 6): Mrs. Bebb/Mrs. O’Dare
Our Family and Community Engagement Officer is Mrs. Gould. She will be able to answer many of your day-to-day queries.
Our Additional Learning Need Co-ordinator is Mrs. Hughes. If you wish to speak to Mrs. Hughes, please phone the office to make an appointment.
The office is currently covered by Mrs. Abi Evans.
Snacks
We would lie to remind parents that the only snacks permitted are fruit and vegetables. During lesson times, children may access fresh water at all times. We also currently permit sugar-free squash.
School Uniform
The children all look very smart in their uniforms. Your child’s class teacher will inform you of the day of their PE lessons. On PE days, you child may come to school dressed in PE uniform – white or red tee-shirt/poloshirt, and grey or black jogging bottoms or shorts.. There is a School Essentials Grants that provides £125 a year to buy uniform etc. This grant is applied in the similar way as free school meals were applied for. We will send further information via SeeSaw.
Clubs
We are hopeful Breakfast Club will recommence in the near future. A list of after-school clubs will be sent out shortly.
Here ‘s to a happy and successful new school year.
Lisa Jones
Head Teacher
Dear parents and carers,
This year has absolutely flown by! We have had a very busy summer term. Our class assemblies, Sports Day and Summer Fayre were all very well attended. We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did and thank you so much for supporting us in these events.
Return to school
A reminder we break-up on Thursday July 20th. September 1st is an INSET day. The children will return on MONDAY SEPTEMBER 4th.
New Classes
Miss Barnsley is joining Greenhill in September to teach Reception. Our new classes, year groups and teachers are as follows:
Dosbarth Coch: Nursery, Miss Prothero
Dosbarth Enfys: Reception, Miss Barnsley
Dosbarth Melyn: Year 1, Miss Colwill
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: Year 2, Mrs. Grist
Dosbarth Glas: Y3 & 4, Mr. Holloway & Miss Rees
Dosbarth Indigo: Y4 & 5, Miss Adams
Dosbarth Fioled: Y5 & 6, Mrs. Bebb & Mrs O’Dare
Dosbarth Arian: SNRB Rec-Y4, Miss Voe
Dosbarth Aur: SNRB Y4 -Y6, Mrs. Pepperell
Shopping for September!
A reminder our school uniform is a red jumper/cardigan; white or red polo shirt; black or grey trousers, jogging bottoms, skirt or shorts; red and white checked dress; sensible shoes. On PE days, please dress your child in a white or red polo-shirt, jogging bottoms or shorts and trainers. The PDG access grant is available for families eligible for Free School Meals to assist with costs. Please remember, we do not insist the school logo is on clothing.
Good-Byes
Three very cherished members of staff are leaving this term.
Mrs. Janet Davies, our school clerk, is retiring. Thank you so much for turning out to give her a lovely cheer. This meant the world to her, and she has asked me to pass on her thanks.
Mrs. Alisa Jones, our Reception teacher, is also retiring. She has been a valued member of staff for many years – and I know many of our parents have fond memories of time in her class. We thank her for all her years of service and wish her a long and happy retirement.
Mrs. Hayley Nicholas, who has worked in our SNRB and provided important interventions and support throughout the school, is also moving on.
All three will be greatly missed, and we wish them all the very best for the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Greenhill’s staff for their hard work and dedication to the education and welfare of the children in their care.
I also thank you, our parents and carers, for your support and co-operation this year. I know many of you have spoken to staff or sent kind messages. I know this is very much appreciated, so thank you very much.
Have a fabulous summer holiday, and we look forward to seeing you in September.
Lisa Jones
Head Teacher
Reminder we have our summer fayre this afternoon. To attend children will need to be collected by an adult at 1.15pm from their class door. If the adult collecting them is not their parent please ensure the class teacher is made aware of this by the parent prior to collection. Any children not attending the fayre will be supervised in class and can be collected as normal at the end of the day. Let's hop the weather stays dry for thew event. Thank you for your support.
On Thursday 6th July, we will be holding our annual Sports Day. We expect the weather to be dry and not too hot, but it is advisable to apply sunscreen to the children before they arrive in the morning and to bring a hat.
The timings are the day are:
Infants 10:00-11;30
Juniors 13:30-15:00
Make sure your child is appropriately dressed in their house colours, and wearing appropriate footwear. NO JEWELLERY and hair tied back.
Parents are not permitted to cross the track; you must stay behind the cordoned area.
We know it is lovely to see your child but please do not call them to you. The teachers and teaching assistants need to know where all our children are to keep them safe.
We are aware some of our younger children may become upset and want to sit with you. However, once one child does this, it can have quite a knock-on effect and several children may then want to sit with their parents/ carers which would be unmanageable.
The field will be inspected on the morning of 6th July and if it is not in a safe/suitable condition then unfortunately we will need to cancel this event.
School staff will take children to the toilet. The toilets will not be open for public use.
We are looking forward to a wonderful day. We have talked with the children about the importance of good sportsmanship and that taking part is what matters - they are all very excited.
Thank you for your continued support.
C. Pepperell