Head and Deputy Weekly Update
Friday 26th April 2024 - Week 28
Another busy week in school with lots happening in all of the classes this week. We've had more after school clubs this week, breakfast booster for Year 6 pupils and some of our classes have been out on trips too. Year 1 had a brilliant time at the RNLI Lifeboat station in Sunderland. This links to their work on Grace Darling that they have been learning about in class. The class found out about the different lifeboats that the RNLI use and they got to try on the equipment that they wear when they are saving lives out at sea! They had a wonderful time and enjoyed a walk along to Roker beach to finish off a brilliant day! Here are a couple of photographs from the day. Please take a look at the class page for more...
Year 4 have continued their swimming lessons this week and it will be their final session this afternoon. Miss Phillips has been incredibly impressed by their hard work and effort they have put into their sessions and is very pleased with the progress they have made. Today they have brought their pyjamas into school so they can take them to the swimming pool. I look forward to hearing what they've been getting up to when they get back. Well done Year 4!
Next week our Year 5 children will be on their residential to Kielder. They will have a wonderful time and will come back with many interesting stories of what they have been up to.
Week 28's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 98.1% - Well done!
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with two lates. Double winners Year 1 - Amazing!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 98.5% - Winners for two weeks in a row!
Punctuality winners – Year 4 with only 1 late - Well done!
Newburn Runs the World:
Here are the classes that have been running the furthest this week in our effort to reach Paris.
1st Place - Year 2
2nd place - Year 5
3rd Place - Reception
Congratulations to this week’s ACE award winners…
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 19th April 2024 - Week 27
It’s amazing that we are already starting the summer term at Newburn.
The children have returned in a really positive frame of mind with lots of great work being completed and a number of new activities taking place.
Every afternoon of week 1, our Year 4 class have been travelling to Gosforth Leisure Centre to use their pool and take part in an intensive course of swimming training. The children have been having an amazing time and all are growing in confidence. They are looking forward to another week of afternoon sessions next week. They have been so excited they wanted to share comments about their experiences so far…
‘I love the fact I can jump in the pool from the side now.’
‘I have really improved my breast stroke using the noodles.’
‘I am starting to swim so much faster than before.’
Year 6 have been enjoying their Breakfast Booster sessions on a Wednesday morning. For any pupil that would like to attend, Booster Breakfast starts at 8 am, the children have a breakfast snack and juice whilst we look through areas of the maths curriculum we aren’t feeling as confident about. We had half of the class attend in week 1, please feel free to send your child along.
On Wednesday, Year 3 ventured down to Durham to visit the Oriental Museum at Durham University. During the day, they took part in Ancient Egyptian Workshops looking at artefacts, decoding hieroglyphics and the afterlife. They also took part in a guided tour of the museum and got to look at a sarcophagus and mummy. They all had an excellent time and were praised for their outstanding behaviour. Well done Year 3.
A reminder that this term a number of classes will be taking part in national assessments. During this time, it is essential that all children completing statutory assessments are in school during the periods specified below and that no holidays are taken during this time. The schedule is as follows:
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check takes place week commencing Monday 10 until Friday 14 June. It is essential that all children are in school during this time.
Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check takes place within the 2-week period from Monday 3rd June 2024. As Monday 3rd June is a training day for Newburn Manor Primary School, the Multiplication Tables Check will commence for Year 4 on Tuesday 4th June. It is essential that all children are in school during this time.
Year 6 SATs take place from Monday 13th May until Thursday 16th May. It is essential that all children are in school during this time.
Week 27's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Reception with 97.3%
Year 1 had 96.6% and Year 2 89.3%
Punctuality winners – Reception and Year 2 with zero late marks – awesome!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 98.5%
Year 4 had 97.2%, Year 5 had 94.8% and Year 6 had 88.9%
Punctuality winners – Year 3 with zero late marks – awesome week Year 3, double winners!
Congratulations to this week’s ACE award winners…
Have a great weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Thursday 28th March 2024 - Week 26
The final week of the spring term has arrived and what a busy one it has been. This week the children throughout school have brought in their decorated Easter eggs to go on display in our corridors. There were so many original and unique designs this year. They all looked fantastic! Well done to everyone who brought in an egg and thank you to everyone at home for helping them with their creations!
On Tuesday we had our Easter hat parade in school where children dressed up in Easter hats, ties, t-shirts and performed an Easter dance to the whole school. Everyone looked fantastic in their Easter clothes and each dance was brilliant to watch. It put smiles on everyone's faces!
On Wednesday, the whole school walked down to the church for an end of term celebration. We listened to Rev. Allison and Mr Pickup talk about chocolate eggs and the special things we do at Easter in our own homes. We also sang some Easter songs too. Mr Pickup and myself were very proud of the whole school's behaviour in the church. Well done Newburn!
Week 26's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – No winner unfortunately this week.
Punctuality winners – Reception and Year 2 with 2 lates each.
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 4 with 97.5% - Well done!
Punctuality winners – Year 4 with only 1 late! Double winners: Superb Year 4!
Here are our fantastic ACE award winners for our final week of the spring term:
This week’s Newburn Runs the World – journey to Paris Olympics Challenge:
1st place – Year 2 with 1.5% of their journey travelled towards Paris.
2nd place – Year 5 with 0.5% of their journey travelled towards Paris.
Today is the day of the Easter disco... a Newburn first. I'm sure it will be a brilliant afternoon!
Have a wonderful Easter break and we will see you again on Monday 15th April.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 22nd March 2024 - Week 25
The penultimate week of the spring term has snuck up on us so quickly. Once again, it has been another action-packed week at Newburn Manor.
On Monday, John and Barbara from the NSPCC were in school to support Year 2, Year 5 and Year 6 with their Speak Out. Stay Safe. workshops. Having watched the online assembly last week, the children learnt more about speaking with trusted adults, what is abuse and how you can talk about it, they met Buddy and also were taught about making use of Childline if they have worries.
On Tuesday, the Open the Book team were in to perform their assembly on the story of The Boy in the Temple. A number of our Year 5 children helped out this week, taking on the roles of Jesus and the children listening in the temple.
Thursday was World Poetry Day 2024. All of our Key Stage 2 classes took part in a virtual author visit with Rowan McCabe, a poet from South Shields. They provided ideas for a joint poem based around the North East of England. The children will be writing their own North East poems over the coming days.
Our Year 5/6 basketball team were taking part in the upper key stage 2 ONE Trust basketball competition at Throckley Primary School this morning. On their return they were proud to announce that they came home in 3rd place. We are very proud of the way in which you performed and supported each other.
Week 25's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 95.5%
Reception had 94.3% and Year 2 95.3%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with zero late marks – awesome!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 6 with 98.5%
Year 3 had 97.4%, Year 4 had 97.2% and Year 6 had 97.4%
Punctuality winners – the whole of KS2 with 2 lates in each class
Overall school attendance for the week was 96.6% and is 95.7% for the whole school year.
This week’s Newburn Runs the World – journey to Paris Olympics Challenge:
1st place – Year 4 and Year 2 are 1.5% of the way there
2nd place – Year 1 are 1.5% of the way there
3rd place – Reception are 1.5% of the way there
Huge congratulations to everyone who won an ACE award this week…
A reminder of the events taking place next week:
Decorate the egg competition – this is now open to all pupils across the school. Pupils can bring in their decorated eggs with them on a morning and place them on their designated class tables in the corridor.
Annual Easter Hat Parade – two sessions – Key Stage 2 parents in the morning session at 9.30 am and Key Stage 1 parents in the afternoon at 2.000 pm.
Easter Disco – this will be held on the afternoon of Thursday, 28th March from 2 pm. More information for parents will be included in a letter going out tonight. Children can come to school in their disco outfits for the whole day.
Enjoy the weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Headteacher
Friday 15th March - Week 24
Another great school week. We started it with Mrs Stuart, the CEO of the ONE Trust, arriving at school to announce the winner of our cyber safety poster competition. Our winner was a pupil in Year 4 who created a great cyber superhero called The Web Watchdog. Here he is with Mrs Stuart collecting his prize.
Parent Consultation Day was on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who came into school to discuss their child's learning with their class teacher. The Mini Police were working with Darren and Michael on Thursday on a CSI style activity. The children had to work together to solve the burglary by investigating the clues in the room. The children were dressed in special clothing and had a wonderful time trying to solve the crime.
Today was Red Nose Day in school and children were able to come in non-uniform, donating to our school fundraising page for Comic Relief. Thank you for all the donations you sent in or added to our page. Once we have a final total, we will let you know how much we have raised.
Also today was our Newbie Shop. The children were able to spend their Newbies and some children had saved up enough for a takeaway which they had for their lunch as a special treat.
Week 24's attendance and punctuality awards:
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 2 with 96.3%
Punctuality winners – Reception and Year 2 were joint winners with two lates each this week.
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 96.6%
Punctuality winners – Years 5 - with zero late marks - Brilliant!
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Reception with 1.9% of the way to the Paris Olympics
2nd place – Year 2 with 1.8% of the way to the Paris Olympics
3rd place – Year 4 with 1.7% of the way to the Paris Olympics
Here are our ACE award winners with their certificates:
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 8th March 2024 - Week 23
A great second week of the half-term.
On Tuesday, Year 5 boarded a coach and travelled just down the A1 to Durham. This term their history topic is all about the Tudors. On arrival, they visited Durham Castle looking for signs of Tudor architecture and then took some time to study a number of Tudor artefacts to learn more about life during the 1500s.
Year 1 invited their families into school on Wednesday afternoon for their assembly about fairy tales. They provided their parents with lots of detailed information about the tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, all finished off with a superb rendition of Frozen which is based on the Snow Queen fairy tale.
The highlight of the week had to be World Book Day on Thursday. We invited the children to come into school in their pyjamas and dressing gowns and share their favourite bedtime story. The children looked amazing - and the staff as well. It was a lovely warm cosy day in school with lots of storytelling and World Book Day activities taking place. During the morning session all of the children took part in a virtual author visit with local author and illustrator Simon Bartram, the author of The Man on the Moon! They children enjoyed making their very own aliens after the visit.
Week 23's attendance and punctuality awards.
Key Stage 1:
Before we get to the results for this week. A huge congratulations to everyone in Key Stage 1 for your amazing attendance in the first two weeks of this half-term. You are really showing Key Stage 2 how it is done!
Attendance winners – Reception with 99.2% - an awesome week!
Year 1 had 98.1% and Year 2 96.0%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with zero late marks – an amazing week!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 98.5%
Year 4 had 94.8%, Year 5 had 94.4% and Year 6 had 94.1% - come on Key Stage 2, lets get back up to our autumn term high levels.
Punctuality winners – Years 3, 4, and 5 - all with zero late marks – awesome week for being in on time!
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Year 3 with 1.55% of the way to the Paris Olympics
2nd place – Year 4 with 0.9% of the way to the Paris Olympics
3rd place – Year 3 with 0.56% of the way to the Paris Olympics
Once again, huge congratulations to this week's ACE award winners. You should all be very proud of yourselves. Don’t forget to share your awards with friends and family once you get home...
A reminder that next Wednesday is parent consultation day. If you don’t have a slot booked in, please use ParentMail to make your appointment.
Next Friday, 15th March, is Comic Relief Day 2024. Children can come in non-uniform for the day and bring in a donation which we will pass on to the Comic Relief charity.
Enjoy your week and hope you have lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 1st March 2024 - Week 22
A busy first week back at Newburn Manor this week. Rev Allison Harding was in school on Monday to deliver an assembly all about Lent. The school looked at mathematical symbols to help talk about what we should have more of, less of etc… in our lives at this time.
Sharon and Rachael from the School Health Team came into school this week to deliver a puberty talk to our Year 5 pupils. The class were very thoughtful in their comments and impressed both Sharon and Rachael with how much they already knew.
The Newcastle PE and School Sport Service were in school this week to work with each class on team building skills. The children had a wonderful time working together in different groups with some tricky tasks. We’ve started some sports after-school clubs this week too. Joe is running a gymnastics club on a Tuesday and Alasdair is running a dodgeball club on a Wednesday after school.
It was National Science Day on Wednesday. To celebrate, Mr Pickup made his weekly assembly full of science. The school made raisins dance and coins shiny in Wednesday’s assembly and the room was full of awe during the experiments!
Mr Pickup’s after-school booster session for Maths in Year 6 started this week too. The Year 6 children were reasoning and problem solving on Thursday. Mr Pickup was very impressed with how supportive pupils were with each other. He had a great first session. If anyone was unable to make it this week but would like to come next week then please come along as you will find it highly beneficial to your maths learning. There’s even a treat too!
Week 22's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 98.9%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 and Year 2 – both with zero late marks– superb!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 97.8%
Punctuality winners – Year 5 with zero late marks – awesome!
Congratulations to this week’s ACE award winners. Here they are with their certificates:
Newburn Runs the World
1st Place - Year 2 completing 4.21% of their distance to Paris.
2nd Place - Reception completing 2.46% of their distance to Paris.
3rd Place - Year 4 completing 2.19% of their distance to Paris.
Mr Pickup received an attendance award for Newburn Manor Primary School this week to say that in the Autumn Term of 2023-2024, our school was in the top 10% of similar schools in England. This is amazing! Well done Newburn! Let's see if we can continue this throughout the rest of the school year.
Next week we have the Year 1 Class assembly on Wednesday at 2.30 pm. The theme is Fairy Tales! On Thursday it is World Book Day. Your child can come to school in pyjamas and bring in a favourite bedtime story to share with their class.
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 16th February 2024 - Week 21
The end of another great half-term at Newburn. I hope you’re all looking forward to a well earned half-term break.
If you were anything like our Reception class on Tuesday, you will have enjoyed your Pancake Day treats. The children enjoyed making their very own pancakes and choosing their favourite delicious fillings… they all had a great time but all said they had left enough space for their second round when they got home.
Year 4 performed their year group assembly to their parents on Wednesday morning. Thank you to all of the relatives who attended and hopefully left knowing more about the Anglo-Saxons and the Ghostbusters tune (The Saxons) is stuck in everyone’s head.
On the same day as Year 4, our Year 5 and 6 pupils also performed to their families. For the last 6 weeks they have been learning how to play electric guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, drums and song writing skills. Steve from Music Partnership North has been great in supporting the children during the writing process and the ends results were fantastic. Once again, a huge thank you to all of mums, dads and family members for joining us and making it a special occasion for the children. Enjoy Year 5’s song ‘Rainforest Rockers’ and Year 6’s song ‘Cool School’ in our Video Library.
A group of our Year 3 and Year 4 children are representing the school at the Lower Key Stage 2 ONE Trust dodgeball competition today. On their return they were extremely excited and proudly informed us all that they finished in first place... thirteen victories out of fourteen matches played. An awesome end to the week... champions!
Week 21's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 2 with 95.2%
Reception had 95% and Year 1 94.4%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with zero late marks – awesome!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 and Year 5 with 98.5%
Year 4 had 92.4% and Year 6 had 95.6%
Punctuality winners – Year 5 with zero late marks – awesome week Year 5, double winners!
An extra special mention to Year 5 who were the only class to complete their 100% attendance banner and are enjoying their popcorn and DVD treat this afternoon.
Congratulations to this week’s ACE award winners. Remember to share your amazing achievements with all of your friends and family...
Wednesday 13th March is parent consultation day. Please book an appointment slot to see your child’s teacher using ParentMail, Mrs Hogarth has sent information out to all parents via the service already.
Have a great half-term, get out and about as well as relaxing and recharging your batteries ready for the next half-term.
Stuart Pickup
Headteacher
Friday 9th February - Week 20
Another busy week in school this week. On Tuesday, Year 4 had an Anglo-Saxon day in school. George from Newcastle Castle came into school to work with Year 4. They had a wonderful day doing food tasting, dressing up in Anglo-Saxon clothing, practising battle formations on the yard and making butter! The class had a fantastic day and couldn’t wait to tell me all about it!
Mini Police were working hard again this week looking at water awareness. This week the group of Year 6 children looked at the hidden dangers of water at the beach and by a river. Miss Gibson was very impressed with the Mini Police and their enthusiasm for the session.
It was Children’s Mental Health Week this week so classes throughout school took part in a variety of activities. Years 4, 5 and 6 enjoyed a virtual lesson with Jade from ‘Our Time’. She talked to the classes about mental health and mental illness. The children enjoyed the session with Jade where they got to watch a video all about mental health and listened to a story about Zara. The session was very interactive as children were able to give advice to the characters in the story. Reception and Year 1 watched a video with CBeebies presenter Rhys Stephenson and learned a song called “Give me 5” to teach them all about feelings and strategies to help them deal with difficult feelings. Years 2 and 3 listened to Dr Ranj reading his book called “A Superpower like mine” which was all about seeing the best in everyone, including yourself. You may have received an email about a session that was going to be live for parents and carers called “A Very Modern Family”. If you watched this and found it useful, please let us know.
Week 20's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners –Reception with 96.9%
Punctuality winners – Reception with zero lates! Double winners Reception! Amazing!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 5 with 98.5%
Punctuality winners – Year 3 and Year 4 with zero lates!
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Year 4 with 59,040 m
2nd place – Year 3 with 46,400 m
3rd place – Year 5 with 29,440 m
Well done to all of our ACE award winners this week:
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 2nd February - Week 19
The weeks are flying by, here we are in February already. Year 6 have not only been enjoying their Booster sessions with Mrs Tait and Mr Pickup this week but they have also been completing their DT project. This term they have been designing their very own burgers from their DT topic ‘Healthy Burgers’. Thursday morning was the big cook day where they prepared the ingredients, cooked and then sampled their own creations. It sounds and looks like they had an awesome morning.
On Tuesday this week, Year 5 had a STEM morning. They had a great time coding to make their way through a digital maze followed by a paper plane investigation in the hall. They had a wonderful morning with Mr Andrew, who was very impressed with the class and their attitudes to the work.
Years 5 and 6 are enjoying two sessions with Steve this week. It has been great hearing their songs coming to life in the Main Hall. Watching the children play electric guitars, bass guitars, drums and keyboard certainly puts a smile on your face. We can’t wait to see and listen to the final performance.
Week 19's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 2 with 97.5%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with zero lates - Amazing!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 6 with 100% - Fantastic!
Punctuality winners – Year 5 and Year 6 with 1 late each
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Year 5 with 39,920 m
2nd place – Year 2 with 17,200 m
3rd place – Reception with 16,480 m
Well done to all of this week’s ACE award winners…
Have a great weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 26th January 2024 - Week 18
Another busy week with lots of visitors in school. Mr Rudkin continues to work with Year 3 on their ukulele sessions and Steve was back in school to work with Years 5 and 6 on their Band in a Box workshops. This week the Year 5 and 6 children were trying the electric guitar. Next week they will add keyboards and voices to the band and then we’ll be ready to start rehearsing.
On Wednesday it was rather windy so Mr Vyle couldn’t take his Forest School group into the dene. Instead the children had a wonderful time using the wind to their advantage. They used tarps to feel the force of the wind and make parachutes before making kites and heading into the Invention Shed to work with the wood and tools. Please take a look at the Forest School Page for more information and more photographs.
Darren and Michael were in school on Wednesday to work with the Mini Police in Year 6. They had a wonderful time on a litter pick of the area and found (unfortunately) a lot more litter than they were expecting. The children got to work straight away picking up the litter with their litter picks and felt proud of the work they had completed with Darren and Michael. Well done Mini Police!
Today was our first choir club session with KS2 at lunchtime. Anyone in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 were welcome to join me for a chance to sing together and learn a new song. This will be every Friday lunchtime where children can come and sing. I look forward to seeing how the choir grows over the coming months. Watch this space...
Week 18’s attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Reception with 97.4% - Well done!
Punctuality winners – Reception and Year 2 with zero lates! Amazing!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 5 with 99.3% - Brilliant!
Punctuality winners – Year 4 with zero lates! Superb!
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Year 5 with 52,000 m
2nd place – Year 2 with 20,480 m
3rd place – Year 4 with 19,040 m
Here are our wonderful ACE award winners:
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 19th January 2024 - Week 17
Week 2 of the spring term comes to an end.
Year 5 was the first class to head out on a spring term school trip. On Tuesday morning they visited Newcastle Buddhist Centre linked to their current RE topic. During the morning the children added to their knowledge of Buddha’s life, shared experiences of how Buddhists live their lives and took part in a meditation.
John Rudkin from Music Partnership North continued his work with Year 3, as they completed their second week of ukuleles.
Our reading support partnership with RGS Newcastle is back in full swing. Three students from RGS have been providing reading support on Wednesday with our Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils with RGS Sixth Form students supporting our Year 6 pupils on extended comprehension and advanced texts on a Friday afternoon.
Today, three of our Year 2 class attended Throckley Primary School to take part in the ONE Trust online safety video. We can’t wait to see what our little superheroes have been part of when the video is aired.
Today was also Newburn Newbies Friday. The children have been able to cash in their Newbies from the end of last term. It was great watching them get trinkets, cuddly toys and of course, Friday Takeaway Lunches.
Week 17’s attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Reception with 97.1% - second week in a row for Year 1 – keep it going
Year 1 had 94.3% and Year 2 95.1%
Punctuality winners – Year 2 with one late mark.
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 6 with 97.6%
Year 3 had 96.2%, Year 4 had 90.3% and Year 5 had 95.7%
Punctuality winners – Year 6 with one late mark – awesome week Year 6, double winners!
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Year 4 with 30,720 m
2nd place – Year 5 with 21,120 m
3rd place – Reception with 4,160 m
Congratulations to this weeks ACE Award winners, you should all be extremely proud of yourselves...
Have a great weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 12th January 2024 - Week 16
Happy New Year! I hope you had a lovely festive break over the holidays and you had a chance to relax too. We've had a great first week back at school with children ready to learn and getting straight back into their learning. After many years of successful work within the OWL trust, we have now formally become founding members of the ONE trust. We marked the occasion in school with a special assembly about collaborative working. The children received ONE trust wrist bands and bookmarks in class. We look forward to the exciting times ahead and working with the other seven schools in the future.
This week Year 5 and Year 6 had Band in a Box with Steve from Music Partnership North. This week Steve introduced them to the drums. Each week the class will be introduced to a new instrument as the band begins to form. After all of the sessions with Steve, there will be a performance for parents and carers to show off their new skills. Watch this space...
There have been lots of creative lessons happening this week in school. Year 5 have designed and started sewing soft toys and Year 4 have been making coiled ceramic pots in class. Please take a look at their class pages for further photographs and information about their learning.
Mr Rudkin from Music Partnership North has been back in school this week and he will be working with Year 3 this term. He will be teaching the class to play the ukulele. This week the class were taught how to hold the ukulele and the names of the different strings. I can't wait to see how they progress this term. Watch this space...
The first group of Year 2 children visited the Dene this week with Mr Vyle and Mrs Heslop for their Forest School activities. They had a wonderful time enjoying the mud and creating their own shelters and rope adventures. Please take a look at the Forest School Page for further information about their adventures and some photographs.
Attendance and Punctuality:
Key Stage 1
Attendance winners - Reception with 100% attendance! Amazing start to 2024!
Punctuality winners - Reception with zero lates! A perfect week for Reception- double winners! Well done Reception - you can't get any better than that!
Key Stage 2
Attendance winners - Year 5 with 98.6% - Well done!
Punctuality winners - Year 3 with zero lates - Can't get any better - Well done!
Here are our wonderful ACE award winners that were out in Celebration assembly today.
Next week the Newbie Shop will be open on Friday for children to spend their Newbies. Some children will be spending their Newbies on a takeaway at lunchtime and others continue to save for the bigger prizes.
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 22nd December 2023 - Week 15
The last week of the school term has arrived, and what a week it has been.
All of the children have enjoyed their Christmas parties this week. They have been taking part in all of the traditional party games, strutting down the party outfits catwalk and tucking into their party food. The cheers and smiles coming from the Hall show that they all had an awesome time.
It was lovely to welcome the Hot Shots Band into school on Tuesday morning. Georgina and the team treated the whole school to a number of Christmas and rock classics. The children loved joining in and dancing… it was loud but incredible fun!
It was lovely to see Reverend Allison back at St Michael’s and All Angels for our Christmas carol service on Thursday afternoon. Please click here to watch the recorded version of the service.
Week 15's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 97.0%
Reception had 92.2% and Year 2 93.9%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with two late marks
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 97.4%
Year 4 had 95.6%, Year 5 had 93.3% and Year 6 had 97%
Punctuality winners – Years 3, 4 and 6 with two late marks each
Well done to our final ACE award winners of the year...
Thank you for your amazing support this term. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas holiday. See you all back in the New Year on Tuesday, 9th January 2024 at 8.50 am.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 15th December 2023 - Week 14
Our performances this year have been superb. Our Year 2, 3 and 4 performance of Straw and Order was a hit and the children sang and performed beautifully. Reception and Year 1 had their performances this week too. They had brilliant performances of Away In A Manger. Everyone got involved and enjoyed their moment in the spotlight. Well done to everyone! Next week Year 5 and Year 6 will be recording their Nativity in the Church and this will be available to view on the school website later in the week.
On Tuesday morning, Year 5 had a fantastic virtual visit to the Amazon with Emma and Marcella. They explored different items found in the Amazon, thought about the importance of the rainforest and had the chance to watch videos and photos that Marcella had taken while staying with the Kambeba tribe in the Amazon. The children had great questions for Marcella asking her about her time in the rainforest.
The Mini Police were working with Michael again this week from Northumbria Police. They were looking at the phrase ‘Clever Never Goes’ and talking about real life scenarios and what they should do when they find themselves in different situations.
On Thursday morning the choir were singing at Lindisfarne Care Home and The Grange Day Centre in Throckley. The children had a wonderful morning singing for the residents and day visitors at both venues. We received lots of applause during the performances and it was lovely to hear our audience joining in with some of the well-known carols. Lindisfarne Care Home gave each child a small present and a drink of juice and then The Grange gave us an orange and drink of juice too. Thank you to both Lindisfarne Care Home and The Grange for having us, it is always a pleasure to perform for you.
Sainsburys and Argos in Throckley have donated £100 - £150 worth of food for our Breakfast Club this week including juice, cereal, fruit and biscuits. We are very grateful to receive this kind donation. Thank you Sainsburys and Argos!
Week 14's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 2 with 97.3%
Punctuality winners – Year 2 with two late marks. Double winners Year 2 - well done!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 6 with 98.2%
Punctuality winners – Year 6 with one late mark. Double winners Year 6 - well done!
Well done to our ACE award winners this week:
This afternoon we have our Christmas Fair where the children will be able to buy some of the things they have been making in class alongside our tombola, raffle and other stalls. Doors open at 1:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.
Jennie Jones has been in touch to let us know about Christmas celebrations taking place at St Mary's in Throckley. Please see below for more information:
Newburn Parish Christmas Eve Nativity in St Mary's, Throckley, 6pm
A very informal beginning to our Christmas celebrations and we invite families of all ages to join us - come and share as we celebrate Jesus' birthday with carols, songs and action. All children, young people (and adults too) may like to come dressed as one of the characters who are part of the story of Jesus' birth - no problem if we have several Marys, Josephs or hundreds of shepherds, angels and kings! And don't worry if you haven't got any costume you can have a headdress, crown, whatever suits you, just borrow one when you arrive! If you've seen or been in an Open the Book assembly in school, you'll know what it's like! Come along around 5.45 pm and join in this special time.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 8th December 2023 - Week 13
A number of our Year 5 and 6 children have gone through their Playground Leader training this week. Olivia from Newcastle PE and Sport Service team shared ways in which they can help support their peers and the younger children in school. We look forward to seeing them out in their new roles over the coming weeks.
It was lovely to see the children from Newburn Manor Nursery in school on Thursday. They used our hall to perform their Nativity service to their parents. They were amazing and it was lovely to hear all of the positive comments from parents as they left. Our children will be performing their plays next week - Years 2, 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday with Reception on Thursday.
Year 6 have been in Durham today visiting the Oriental Museum. The visit links in with their current RE topic and they will be taking part in a workshop around the Early Islamic Civilization.
Today was Christmas Jumper Day at Newburn Manor. They children looked absolutely amazing. A huge thank you for all the generous donations for next week's Christmas Fair. This will take place on Friday, 15th December, with doors opening at 1.30 pm.
Week 13's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Reception with 97%
Year 1 had 95.2% and Year 2 95.8%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with two late marks
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 96.3%
Year 4 had 94.1%, Year 5 had 89.3% and Year 6 had 95.6%
Punctuality winners – Year 4 with one late mark
This week’s Newburn Runs the World:
1st place – Year 4 with 12,760 m
2nd place – Reception with 12,170 m
Congratulations to this week's ACE award winners...
We look forward to seeing you all in school over the coming week.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 1st December 2023 - Week 12
Another busy week in the run-up to Christmas. On Monday the choir were out singing with myself and Miss Gibson at the Grainger Market in Newcastle. The reception we received was amazing. It was lovely to see such a crowd of onlookers staying to listen to our carols. The children had a fantastic time and it looked like we definitely shared some festive joy in the market. Many members of the public came up to tell us how lovely it was to hear their favourite carols being sung so well. I was very proud of the choir and we managed to raise over £100 for school which was brilliant! Well done choir!
On Tuesday, Open the Book were back in school to deliver another assembly to the school. This week was the story of Jesus calming the storm. Some of our Year 2 pupils helped this week and showed some brilliant acting when retelling the story. We look forward to our next visit from Open the Book in the New Year.
On Wednesday, Year 3 visited Newburn Activity Centre. The class had the opportunity to take part in archery, gymnastics and team building games. The class had a fantastic morning there and came back full of excitement. Take a look at the Year 3 Class Page for more information and to see some videos and photos from their morning.
On Friday the children came into school to see it had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland. All classrooms, halls and corridors have been decorated and it looks fantastic. It definitely put children in the festive spirit as they came into school. Here are a few photographs of some of the decorated doors in school.
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 24th November 2023 - Week 11
We started week 11 with Year 5 setting off for the Sunderland Winter Gardens. They are currently learning about the Brazilian rainforests in Geography, looking at systems and processes as well as locations and place changes. Whilst at the Winter Gardens, they took part in a workshop about deforestation and saving these amazing areas, as well as enjoying time exploring the gardens and the different climate zones from around the world. Everyone had an amazing time. Visit the Year 5 class page for more information.
Year 2 were the first group of children to perform a class assembly to their parents on Wednesday morning. It was lovely to see you all in school; such a big turnout always makes it extra special for the children. I’m sure the parents who attended will agree that they performed with great confidence and clarity. The 4 songs about the Great Fires of London and Gateshead were fabulous and there are definitely some performing voices ready for the stage in Year 2. Well done on an awesome morning.
Dan from Clennell Education Solutions was in school on Wednesday morning talking to all of the children about being safe online. Reception and Key Stage 1 joined in the story of ‘Once Upon a Time Online’. It helped the children understand the messages of behaving correctly online, telling trusted adults about what you are looking at and telling trusted adults when you think something isn’t right. Key Stage 2 pupils learned about the importance of not sharing information openly with others, fake profiles, and cyberbullying. With the way in which our children use the internet, it is imperative that they are safe both in school and when online at home.
It was Newbies Friday today. All pupils who cashed in their vouchers have enjoyed takeaway lunches, soft toy treats as well shop trinkets. Keep up the hard work with your attendance, it helps you get to the next level on the Newbies ladder.
Week 11's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 98.5%
Reception had 94.8% and Year 2 95.0%
Punctuality winners – the whole of Key Stage 1 with 2 late marks each.
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 5 with 98.2%
Year 3 had 96.3%, Year 4 had 88.9% and Year 6 had 94.4%
Punctuality winners – Years 4, 5 and 6 with zero late marks each – an awesome week for punctuality across Key Stage 2 with just one late mark across all 4 classes.
Well done to all of this week's ACE award winners...
Have a great weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 17th November 2023 – Week 10
This week has been another busy one with lots going on in each class. Year 2 have been practising ready for their class assembly on Wednesday morning. I’ve managed to see a little of their rehearsals and they look great so I’m sure it will be a fantastic assembly. Year 2 parents and carers are invited to come and watch the assembly which will start at 9.15 am on Wednesday in the Main Hall.
Myself and Mr Pickup also had the opportunity to see lots of different learning taking place in classes throughout school this week. It was great to talk to the children about their different lessons and what they were learning. They were very eager and enthusiastic in lessons. From Reception to Year 6, the discussions that the children were having and the vocabulary they were using was brilliant. It was a pleasure to witness! Well done Newburn!
It was our second week of the 'After School Choir Club' with Years 5 and 6 this week and I have been incredibly impressed with how much their confidence is growing. We even had some children trying a solo this week which was great to see.
Today was Children in Need and it has also been Anti-bullying Week this week so children had a choice of wearing odd socks, Children in Need clothing or non-uniform. We had some fantastic outfits and have managed to raise £242 so far in donations. Thank you so much for all your kind donations. Here is a selection of the fantastic outfits that we had in school today:
Week 10's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners - Reception with 95.7% - Well done Reception!
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with zero lates! Fantastic!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – No winner this week.
Punctuality winners – Year 4 with zero lates! Well done!
As always, we had Good Work assembly today and we could share in the achievements of children throughout school. Children were out for a great range of things this week which was lovely to see. Here they are with their ACE awards.
Each week we have many children who bring certificates and trophies from home for a number of reasons. It is always lovely to share in what you are doing outside of school as well as inside school. Please continue to bring in your trophies for clubs and events you are taking part in outside school, we love to find out what you’ve been doing.
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 10th November 2023 - Week 9
First week of the new half-term is finished.
Year 4 and Year 5 took part in a community choir morning at St James' Park on Wednesday morning. They have been rehearsing the song ‘Best Day of My Life’ with the whole school each Tuesday, but this week they joined RGS Newcastle and a number of other outer west schools to perform and film the song on the terraces of St James’ Park. It was an amazing experience for all of the children involved, especially when they not only got to meet Father Christmas, but also Newcastle United Number 9, Callum Wilson!
Our second group of Year 1 pupils started their Forest School Experience this Wednesday morning. Mr Vyle and Mrs Heslop introduced them to Walbottle Dene. They explored the areas as well as making dens to shelter from the rain, tying knots in rope and enjoying the mud. Keep up to date with their adventures on the Forest School page.
The child immunisation team, were in school on Thursday morning to administer the nasal flu jabs to the pupils, with almost 80% of children taking part.
On Wednesday and Thursday evening we had our open morning and evening for parents with children wanting to join our Reception class in September 2024. Thank you to everyone who attended. If there is anyone who is looking for a Reception place but could not attend the session, please contact the school office on 0191 2674533 to arrange a tour of the school with the head teacher.
Following our Remembrance Family Assembly on Thursday morning, today we held our 2 minutes silence on the playground at 11 am to remember all of those who have lost their lives in service for their country. The children respected the two minutes with impeccable behaviour and silence; thank you to the whole school for your high levels of respect.
Week 9's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners - Reception with 97%
Year 1 had 96.7% and Year 2 - 95.4%
Punctuality winners - Year 1 with one late mark.
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 4 with 98%
Year 3 had 97%, Year 5 had 95.9% and Year 6 had 96.3%
Punctuality winners – Year 4 and Year 5 with zero late marks – awesome!
Once again, we congratulate our amazing ACE award winners. Every week there are new and wonderful reasons for our ACE awards, you should be so proud of yourselves… remember to share your achievements with all of your family and friends…
Have a fantastic weekend. See you all back on Monday 8.50 am.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 27th October 2023 - Week 8
The final week of half-term has been a busy one. Reception had the Crazy Creatures North East mobile petting zoo visit their class on Tuesday. The class had an amazing morning finding out about the creatures and had the opportunity to hold a creature too. This included a tarantula, a tortoise, a corn snake and lots more... Take a look at their class page for more photos and information.
Today, some of the Year 5 and 6 pupils went with Mrs Tofield up to Throckley Primary School to take part in a dodgeball competition. They showed great teamwork and resilience during the morning and Mrs Tofield was very impressed with each member of the team. They reached the semi-finals which is fantastic. Well done!
This afternoon was a special treat for Year 1 and Year 4 pupils. Both classes completed their attendance banner for this half-term, which meant only one thing: special treat afternoon. Both Year 1 and Year 4 had sweets and a movie for their treat and had a brilliant afternoon. Great attendance from both classes this half-term. Well done!
Week 8's Attendance and Punctuality Awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners:
Year 2 with 97.7%
Punctuality winners:
Year 1 with zero lates! Fantastic Year 1!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners:
Year 6 with 97.8%
Punctuality winners:
Year 6 with only 1 late. Double winners Year 6! Well done!
Our ACE award winners were out in assembly for a range of things this week. Here they are with their certificates:
It has been a very busy first half-term with a range of activities happening throughout school. Enjoy your half-term break and we look forward to seeing you on Monday 6th November.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 20th October 2023 - Week 7
A really busy week at Newburn.
Year 6 started this week with a trip to the Great North Museum on Monday morning. They visited the Ancient Greek Gallery as part of their history topic in school.
Miss Luke took our Year 6 mini police to Lambton Park police stables on Tuesday morning. They had an amazing time watching the horses train as well as meeting some of the team, the horses and the equipment room. Having also visited the custody desk and cells in previous weeks, the group is getting a real insight into the roles the police perform across the city.
On Wednesday morning, Year 1 visited the Scotswood Nature Garden. As part of their Animals topic in Science, the children undertook hibernation experiments, made clay hedgehogs and learned about the nests and habitats of a number of different species.
Years 3, 4 and 5 took part in a virtual author visit on Thursday morning. The children had an enjoyable hour with Emily Dodd, learning about her book ‘Surfing the Moon.’ As part of the session the children took part in a questions and answer session, heard Emily telling her own story and competed in a ‘Design a Rocket’ competition. One lucky winner from each class will win a copy of the book.
Congratulations to Years 1 and 4 who completed their 100% attendance banners this week. They will be able to enjoy a celebration afternoon treat next Friday. We look forward to sharing their celebrations with you in next week’s blog.
Thank you to all of the parents who attended this year’s first parent consultation evenings on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was lovely to see so many of you in school. If you missed your appointment or couldn’t make it this week, please contact school and we will arrange for your child’s class teacher to get in contact.
Week 7's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 97.8% - third week in a row for Year 1 – keep it going
Reception had 92.6% and Year 2 96.6%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with one late mark – awesome… double winners this week!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 6 with 98.5%
Year 3 had 96.7%, Year 4 had 97.6 and Year 5 had 89.6%
Punctuality winners – Years 3 and 4 with one late mark each
Congratulations to this week’s ACE award winners, you should be very proud of yourselves…
Have a great weekend. Take care with the weather.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 13th October 2023 - Week 6
Another busy week in school. On Tuesday, Open the Book were back in school for their first assembly of the year. This week we were told the story of Noah’s Ark. There were many volunteers from Year 2 and Year 5 helping this time and they did a fantastic job of re-telling the story. The children always enjoy the Open the Book sessions. We look forward to welcoming them back into school, soon.
The Year 6 children had their final swimming lesson at RGS on Wednesday. It has been a pleasure to go with the class every week as the progress they have made has been fantastic. I was thrilled to see the children giving their all, even when they were nervous. This week, the children showed the instructors just how much progress they had made by swimming as many lengths as they could and even jumping in from the deep end. The children have had a fantastic experience and have come away more confident in the water. Well done Year 6!
Just a reminder that parent consultation evenings are next week. You should have received an email to sign up to this. They will take place on Tuesday, 17th and Wednesday, 18th October. Please use the online sign up tool to book your appointment and let the school office know if you have any issues.
Week 6’s attendance and punctuality awards – attendance has increased after a dip last week. Well done Newburn! Our whole school attendance was 96.78% this week.
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 2 with 98.5%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with zero lates. Perfection Year 1!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 100% - Perfection Year 3!
Punctuality winners – Years 3, 4 and 5 with zero lates. Perfection!
Congratulations to our ACE award winners this week...
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 6th October 2023 - Week 5
The end of week 5 already. It has been a relatively quiet week compared to normal. All of our usual amazing weekly experiences have still been taking place with Forest School making willow wands and will art, Year 4 continuing their excellent work with Mr Rudkin on their trumpets and Year 6 taking part in life saving training at RGS in the pool.
The first 4 weeks' attendance has been excellent. Having been over 97% for each week – culminating in a double Newbies week this week. Keep up this amazing focus, it really helps the progress across the school.
You should all have received an email to sign up to parent consultation evenings. These will take place on Tuesday, 17th and Wednesday, 18th October. Please use the online sign up tool to book your appointment.
Week 5's attendance and punctuality awards – a bit of a dip this week. There has been a bug going round school, let’s get back up to those 97s again next week.
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 96.3% - second week in a row for Year 1 – keep it going
Reception had 94.1% and Year 2 97.8%
Punctuality winners – All of Key Stage 1 with zero late marks – awesome!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – No winners this week – every class below 95%
Year 3 had 94.8%, Year 4 had 94.8%, Year 5 had 94.1% and Year 6 had 94.1%
Punctuality winners – Year 4 with zero late marks – awesome week Year 4
Congratulations to each and every ACE award winner this week...
Remember that today is the cut-off date to order your free school PE hoodie. Please reply via email or call the school office on 0191 26745533.
Enjoy the warm weather due this weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 29th September 2023 - Week 4
We've had another busy week in school with different visitors throughout Key Stage 1 and 2. Here are some of the highlights: Year 2 visited the Discovery Museum today with Mrs Miller to help them with their history topic all about the Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead. The children enjoyed the workshop where they found out about the great fire, had the opportunity to investigate the uses of different objects and then perform a puppet show based on the events of the fire. The children came back into school beaming and couldn't wait to tell me that they'd had a fantastic time.
Our Year 6 Mini Police children visited Etal Lane Police Station this afternoon with Michael and Darren. Mrs Newton got to go along with them and said they had been on their best behaviour and that they'd had a wonderful time learning about what happens inside a police station, visiting custody and even getting to go inside the cells!
Reception went on their Autumn walk this afternoon. They visited Mr Vyle's forest in our school grounds, looked at the leaves that were changing and the sticks that had blown down from the trees. They enjoyed collecting fir cones to take home too. Next week the class will be collecting some nature to make their own Antony Gormley inspired temporary artwork. Watch this space...
Week 4's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 99.5% - an amazing week
Reception had 99.1% and Year 2 had 96.2%
Punctuality winners – Year 1 with only 1 late mark
Double winners Year 1 - Fantastic!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 4 with 99.0%
Year 3 had 96.7%, Year 5 had 97.6% and Year 6 had 97.1%
Punctuality winners – Years 3, 4 and Year 5 with only 1 late mark each – a great week for all three classes!
What a fantastic start to the school year we have had for attendance this year. Let's keep it up Newburn! As a celebration for being above our school target for four weeks in a row and having an amazing week for attendance, Mr Pickup has said we can have Double Newbies next week. Well done Newburn!
Also in Celebration Assembly today we celebrated the achievements of children throughout school. Here are our proud week 4 winners of the ACE awards:
Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 22nd September 2023 - Week 3
It has been great seeing all of the Reception children in school together this week. Following morning or afternoon sessions for the first two weeks, all of the children have been making new friends and enjoying the extended school days. Thank you to all of the Reception parents who have been in school or spoken to Miss Morgan on the phone to discuss how your child has settled in to the school. Next week is full-time for all of our Reception children; they are all ready for the learning journey ahead.
Year 4 continue to impress Mr Rudkin with their trumpet skills. This is their second year of trumpet tuition. At the end of the year they will take part in the ‘Big Gig’, playing in an orchestra of over 1,500 children.
Half of our Year 1 children are taking part in Forest School on Wednesday mornings. Last week they collected brambles before turning them into jam to enjoy on their return to school… the staff have also been enjoying their finished jam during playtimes and lunchtime. This week, they all enjoyed a morning of leaf printing, hammock building and puppet shows.
We continue our links with RGS Newcastle this term. On Wednesday after school, our Year 6 children had their second week of swimming training, then on Friday, Anna and Luke from RGS visited the school for the first time to support a group of our Year 6 pupils with extended reading experiences.
Week 3's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 99.6% - an amazing week
Reception had 95.9% and Year 2 98.9%
Punctuality winners – Year 2 with two late marks
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 3 with 98.5%
Year 4 had 97.1%, Year 5 had 94.8% and Year 6 had 96.7%
Punctuality winners – Years 3, 4 and Year 5 with zero late marks – awesome week for all three classes!
We have had an excellent start to the school year in terms of attendance. We have overall attendance above 97% for each of the first three weeks, meaning we are currently at 97.4% across the school – above the 97% attendance target we set ourselves.
Lovely to hear about all of the great work and support taking place across the school this week. Week 3’s ACE award winners should be very proud of themselves...
Have a lovely weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 15th September 2023 - Week 2
Our second week of the school year and the children are all settled in and working hard throughout school. Mr Rudkin was back in school this week to work with our Year 4 pupils on their pocket trumpet tuition. He will work with them during the autumn term before working with the Year 3 pupils in the spring term. Year 6 had the opportunity to go to the Royal Grammar School this week for their swimming lessons. Myself, Mr Pickup and Miss Gibson were very impressed with the attitudes of the pupils and how hard they worked in the water. Tracey from RGS was very impressed with how hard they worked during the lesson. We even saw Miss Close, one of our school governors, who was very impressed with the behaviour of the class and commented on their lovely manners. Well done Year 6! We look forward to seeing how they progress over the next few weeks.
In school, I have been chatting to the children about the class novels they have been reading. Here are the books that each class from Year 2 to Year 6 are currently reading.
Today was our weekly Celebration Assembly in school and it was lovely to welcome so many parents and carers into school. Thank you for coming in to assembly today, it was great to have you with us.
Week 2's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 2 with 98.9%
Reception had 95.9% and Year 1 95.9%
Punctuality winners – Reception and Year 1 with zero late marks – AWESOME!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 4 with 98.4%
Year 3, Year 5 and Year 6 all had 98.2%
Punctuality winners – Year 4 and Year 6 with zero late marks - AWESOME!
Our ACE award winners were out this week for a range of different things including music, mental maths, history and commitment to their work to name just a few. Here they are with their certificates:
We had so many certificates and medals this week from outside of school. This included so many Great North Run medals; it was definitely the most we've ever had! Well done to everyone who brought a medal or certificate to share with the school. Please keep bringing them in on a Friday, it's lovely to find out what you've been getting up to outside of school.
Have a lovely weekend.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 8th September 2023 - Week 1
Welcome back to the new school year. I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing and fun-packed summer break. It has been lovely having everyone back in school this week looking so smart and being so ready to learn. Below are some important dates and some further information for the year ahead.
PE Days
Reception – Tuesday
Year 1 – Tuesday and Thursday
Year 2 – Tuesday and Thursday
Year 3 – Tuesday and Friday
Year 4 – Monday and Wednesday
Year 5 – Wednesday and Friday
Year 6 – Wednesday and Friday
Each child will receive a school hoodie (purchased by the school) that can be worn on PE days. Please fill in the attached form with the letter that has gone out today (via email) and return to school so that the correct sizes can be ordered.
Celebration Assemblies
Celebration assemblies for parents will begin on Friday, 15th September. They begin at 10.10 am and finish at approximately 10.40 am. Reception children will not be attending these until after the half-term break. The rota for the autumn term is:
Autumn half-term 1
Friday, 15th September – Year 1 and Year 3
Friday, 22nd September – Year 2 and Year 5
Friday, 29th September – Year 4 and Year 6
Friday, 6th October – Year 1 and Year 3
Friday, 13th October – Year 2 and Year 5
Friday, 20th October – Year 4 and Year 6
Friday, 27th October – Year 1 and Year 3
Autumn half-term 2
Friday, 10th November – Year 2 and Year 5
Friday, 17th November – Reception
Friday, 24th November – Year 4 and Year 6
Friday, 1st December – Year 1 and Year 3
Friday, 8th December – Reception
Attendance
After the successful launch of our new attendance initiatives last year were very successful, we are continuing with them again this year. Attendance is so important – last year we had a target of 97%. Our attendance at the end of the year was 95.4%; we would love to be so much closer to our target this year.
Class 100% banner
Each new half-term, every year group is challenged to complete and colour in their 100% banner. Every day the class has 100% attendance, a new letter is coloured in. Once all are coloured in the class can choose an afternoon treat for the whole class.
Books Build Brains
Every class in school has an amazing book hamper full of brand new reading books. Mrs Peters has made sure that each box has a range of the top 50 books for each class' age range; it really is a lovely collection for each class. If your child has been in school on time every day they are entered into a draw within their class with one child every week choosing a brand new reading book which is theirs to keep.
Weekly awards
Every week, trophies for best attendance are given out for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 1 at Celebration Assembly.
Newburn Newbies
Every week, all children in school who have been in school, on time every day, will receive 5 newbies (our Newburn Manor attendance currency). At the end of each half-term they will receive a voucher which can be cashed in for items from the Newbie Store. Pupils can save their Newbies for higher value items. This also gives the pupils ownership of their own attendance and punctuality as well as teaching them about spending and saving. We also understand that some pupils may, of course, have illnesses during the school year. By collecting Newbies on a weekly basis, it means they don’t miss out on purchasing opportunities across a half-term.
Any Newbies from last year but not ‘cashed in’ remain in each pupil's Newbie Account.
School uniform
It has been lovely to see the children looking so smart on their return to school. A quick reminder of the uniform rules around jewellery: children can have wear earrings to school but they must be a single stud and just one per ear, they may be asked to take them out if more than one pair is being worn. Children can wear a simple digital or analogue watch to school. Smart watches are not to be worn, even if not connected to any Wi-Fi or device, this is due to school safeguarding protocol.
Walking to school safely
I spoke with Millennium MOT Centre on Newburn Road earlier in the week. They asked me to remind all parents and children that the path section in front of the forecourt is the public footpath and not the front of the garage. This area is a working forecourt with moving vehicles at all times of the day. On Wednesday morning, a child was very close to being hit by a car due to them using the forecourt and the parents were not aware of this at all as the children had ridden ahead. The centre has asked me to relay this information to the school community so that an incident such as this does not happen again.
Family Captains
This week most of our Year 6 class stood in front of their Family members and spoke confidently about why they would like to be their family captains for the current academic year. We were extremely proud of how well they spoke. Congratulations to every one who was voted in as Captain and Vice Captain...
Week 1's attendance and punctuality awards
Key Stage 1:
Attendance winners – Year 1 with 100% - PERFECTION – keep it going
Reception had 96.7% and Year 2 94.8%
Punctuality winners – Reception with zero late marks –AWESOME!
Key Stage 2:
Attendance winners – Year 5 with 99.1%
Year 3 had 95.2%, Year 4 had 97.4% and Year 6 had 96.7%
Punctuality winners – Year 4 and Year 5 with zero late marks – awesome week Year 4, Year 5, you are double winners!
I'm sure it was incredibly hard this week but the teachers have chosen the first ACE award winners of the year. Well done to everyone who has won this week...
Have a lovely weekend. See you all next week.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher