WEEKLY UPDATE
Each week on Friday there will be an update on all things to do with Fairlight.
Please read and click on the links to find out what is going on.
WEEK TWO- We had our first chance to say HOW DO YOU DO.
It has been good to see children coming into school in the morning and immediately getting straight on with their learning.
Members of the School Leadership have spent time in classrooms and around the school observing learning across the school and in a range of subjects and areas. We have also this week started our Celebration Assemblies which has been fantastic.
Parents have also had the opportunity to come into the school building this week to see the inside of the school and the classroom themselves for the first time in what seems like and in reality is a few years.
We continue to have avoided any further issues around Covid (fingers crossed and touch wood) however we continue to move forward with caution and don't want to get too ahead of ourselves. We will however over the next few weeks be looking to open up and make some more changes.
YEAR 6 MEETING- LEAVING US
Don't forget the planned meeting on Monday 20th September 2021 about Secondary Schools. More information is being added daily to our webpage on this https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/joining-us/leaving-us
JOINING US
The New Parent meetings for children looking to join the school for September 2022 are now on the school website and bookings are already taking place. In fact the sessions are already filling up.
Whilst you might not need to attend the meeting as your children are in school already I am sure you will know someone who is looking for a school place.
The best advert for the school is word of mouth and this is where we need you to be telling your friends about these tours and also about the school.
https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/joining-us
PLEASE PASS ON THIS INFORMATION TO FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURS, FAMILY AND MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY AND TELL THEM HOW WONDERFUL WE ARE HERE AT FAIRLIGHT.
SCHOOL COUNCIL APPLICATIONS
Applications for the School Council are now open.
The application form is on our new SCHOOL COUNCIL webpage https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/in-the-classroom/school-council
It may be that you want to help our budding School Council members with filling this form in and their speeches if they are needed.
VENTILATION
You will remember from previous updates that I told you we had several Air Filter machine in school. Several parents have asked how they can help to possibly buy more. If you wish to make a donation then it is easier if you put the money in an envelope and mark it AIR FILTER DONATION and either hand it in at the school gate or to the Office and we will then order them.
WEEK ONE- THATS DONE!!
Welcome back
It was great to see so many smiling faces this week on our return to school. The children were quite pleased also!!
For us in school seeing parents in the playground, sitting in assemblies, working together on tables (and not just in rows) and so many other things across the school remind us that things seem to be heading in the right direction. We are not going to go mad and push our luck as we do sadly still have families stuck overseas or not everyone has been able to return yet as they are isolating as there are confirmed Covid cases in their family.
We are also still having to undertake a number of measures to ensure the school is safe.
Thank you to everyone who has worked with us to make this work and to get to this point.
I will continue with my "honest" updates and information around Covid (and many other things). It is better that we share information and let you know what is going on than trying to deal with it alone or without telling you the full story.
It is however extremely important that we have your up to date and correct contact details. That you ensure your child's SeeSaw is working and you have checked it. And that you check back here each Friday to see what is going on.
This weeks updates contains lots of little reminders so please read and see if there is anything you need to be doing or reading further on.
VENTILATION
As you will have read in the media the biggest impact in many buildings related to Covid is poor ventilation.
At Fairlight we are very lucky in this matter to have so many windows and to be several floors and therefore airflow can be easier to achieve. This does however present us with a whole range of other issues that the Governors and the Premises team are fully aware of around windows and temperature.
During the holidays I was contacted by parents Tom and Melanie who run Nice Media https://www.nicemedia.co.uk/ who like many of us were concerned with some of the information coming for government about the return to school for children.
To cut a long story short Nice Media have donated 2 HEPA air filter machines to the school which are currently in classrooms to help with the air ventilation.
If anyone else is interested in doing the same then please let me know.
MEET THE TEACHER
We are holding a short MEET THE TEACHER meeting on Wednesday 15th September 2021 at 3.30-3.45.
This is a 15 minute slot where you can collect your child at the end of the day and then go up to the classroom to see where they will be learning and introduce yourself to the teacher or just put a name to a face.
With the disruption over the last year or so parents have not had the chance to see the children's learning environment. Not had a chance to meet the teachers in person and in some cases not had a chance to just come in to school to see what it looks like.
This is not a formal meeting with the teacher and not to discuss anything specific to your child or child's needs.
Just a chance to see the classroom and put a name to a face for both the teachers and the parents.
You don't need to book.
Details of the more formal parents evening will be sent out in the coming weeks.
SEESAW
At the meeting the teachers will of course remind you to look at and ensure you are using SeeSaw.
Seesaw is how teachers will communicate that important day to day information. And also how we are asking parents to communicate the same level of information back to staff.
When is PE in Manatee Class? Check Seesaw.
Do they need to bring in their reading home learning folder this Tuesday? Check Seesaw.
I want to tell the teacher about something- its not massively urgent or important? Send a message on Seesaw.
INTERVENTIONS
As the term starts and children return to learning we will be starting a range of interventions in school to support children.
As a school we believe in supporting children with their learning at the earliest possible point.
This might be a special small group. This might be a 1-1 session. This might be every day. This might be once a week.
We would ask that parents read the information sent home to them carefully and then if they have any questions contact us.
However what we would ask is that they don't worry.
Or think that there is some major problem or difficulty or that anyone has done something wrong.
ALL children will have "blips" during their school career and it is better that we work on this as quick as possible than leave it to become a bigger issue.
We spend a lot of time, effort and money in school in getting the interventions right for children, ensuring staff are trained, that resources are avaliable but most importantly that the intervention is right for that child at that time.
FOOTBALL CLUB
As you may have seen the "lovely" FunFair is back on the Level.
Mr Jordan has been to check if we can squeeze in the space however this limited gap is where it appears every dog in Brighton exercises. And also where the regular users of the Level also use and leave a lot of litter and debris.
With that in mind here is a form to fill in if you want to attend Football Club- which is open to Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 children.
We will then aim to start on Friday 1st October.
SCHOOL DINNER AND LUNCHTIME- A COUPLE OF UPDATES
Just to remind everyone that ALL Reception and Key Stage 1 children (that is Year 1 and Year 2) are entitled to a Universal Free School Meal. This is regardless of your family income.
However when your child moves to Year 3 and beyond they are then only entitled to a Free School Meal based on your working status. If you do not meet the criteria you will then have to pay for your child to eat a school dinner which can be done through Parentpay.
More information can be found on our School Meals page https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/milk
A copy of the current menu can also be found here.
If you are not sure about any of this then please speak to the school office.
Also if your child has any allergies then please let us know but also please make contact with the School Meal supplier to inform them and discuss the specialist menu they could provide.
MEDICAL INFORMATION
If your child has a medical condition that we need to be aware of then please ensure you have alerted the school office.
If they need to take medicine during the school day or medication then please complete the Medication form (a copy can be found here https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/medicine-administration/general-medication-form) and bring the medicine to the school office.
In most cases we try to get parents to do the medicine at home before and after school as this is easier for all.
TERM TIME ABSENCE
If you know your child is not going to be in school then it is important that you contact the school to let us know.
The contact details for the school are here https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/contact
All other Attendance and Absence information including Requests for Absence can be found on our Attendance page https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/attendance
Don't forget you download Studybugs where you can message us about your child's absence and also get medical information to support you https://studybugs.com/
IMPORTANT YEAR 5 AND 6 INFORMATION
I am sure Year 5 and 6 children have rushed home to give you a blow by blow account of the fine details of their day at school.
Though in reality it is likely to have been "stuff" and "ke"- as you can see I am down with the youff.
There are however 2 forms that you might be interested in that they might not have mentioned yet.
I am also aware that we have barely started back at school and Year 6 parents are having to already think about Secondary schools and forms and visits etc. And I need to warn Year 5 you need to start thinking soon also.
This can be a bit daunting if you have not had to do this before or if you are not from Brighton and don't really understand the system or the choices. And don't even start on Whatsapp, Mumsnet and all the internet experts out there giving your their "expert" advice or views on education and schools which can then confuse matters even more.
With that in mind Mr Jordan is going to host a meeting on MONDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2021 3.30-4.15 in the Year 6 Classrooms to just share a few important bits of information for you about the system, process and some advice also if needed.
Whilst Mr Jordan cannot tell you which school you should apply for or which school is best (of course the correct answer is Fairlight) he has this year just completed the process with his own son. Knows all of the schools. Knows all of the Heads. And has experience of children leaving Fairlight to attend every school in the local area.
Parents are invited to either collect your child at the end of the school day and head up to the classrooms or come via the front entrance and come up to the classrooms. Children are able to attend however will be in the next door classroom as it is best for the adults to have a chance to share thoughts and views.
Of course you may have this all under control. In which case you are one of the lucky ones!!!
Secondary schools will commmunicate information about Open Days and visits via their school websites. They sometimes send us some information however it can be found quicker direct from them. For all information around Secondary applications in Brighton and Hove check here https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/children-and-learning/apply-school/important-dates-secondary-school-applications
BREAKFAST CLUB, AFTER SCHOOL CLUB AND OTHER CLUBS
Many of these are up and running and can be accessed via the following pages
https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/beyond-the-classroom/before-and-after-school-clubs/clubs-1
https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/beyond-the-classroom/before-and-after-school-clubs
PTA AND PARENT SUPPORT
We need your help to get the PTA up and going again.
Please check out the PTA information https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/pta including some Myth Busters!!!
We also recognise what a talented group of parents we have. However we don't know how to make best use of this if we don't know what you have to offer.
Have a look at this page if you think you could help us.
https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/beyond-the-classroom/how-you-can-help-us
A quick Monday updated on timings at the end of the school day.
What a fantastic first day back. So many smiling faces. So many amazing "school sounds".
It was lovely to see everyone come into the playground today for the first time in a number of months.
What we have however realised is that with this new system we will need a few more minutes between things happening to ensure everyone can get in and out of the school and the playground safely.
Therefore this is the new timetable for the start and end of the school day that will start from Tuesday 7th.
As was explained to several parents this may change again if we get a rise in Covid cases and we need to revert to our old system of waiting outside of the gate. However lets hope we can stick to this plan.
WEEK ZERO- We still have a weekend to go.
Staff have been busy in school for the last few days undertaking training and getting the school ready for everyone to come back and join us on Monday 6th September 2021.
Below is a selection of information that you may need to know ready for the start back to school however most importantly...
WE HAVE MISSED YOU and WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU.
RETURN FOR SEPTEMBER
Here is the information we can share at the moment. There may be changes in the coming days and weeks.
Hopefully this will help you to get started on preparing for the return on Monday 6th September 2021.
SCHOOL UNIFORM- this should give you time to go out and get it.
We will be returning to wearing school uniform for September.
Please check out the Uniform page for more details.
https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/medicine-administration/uniform
Don't forget our friends at Asda do some fantastic deals on uniform https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/beyond-the-classroom/fairlight-supporters as well as from our Uniform supplier Sussex Uniforms https://www.sussexuniforms.co.uk/collections/fairlight
We will in September be making up some BACK TO SCHOOL packs with a jumper, t-shirt, toothpaste, toothbrush, pants and socks (for example) to ensure children come back to school looking smart as we know when the children are looking smart then they are focussed on learning smart also.
We will be in touch with families who we will be giving these to.
A huge Thank You to Anton at Asda for providing us with this massive donation of resources https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/beyond-the-classroom/fairlight-supporters
DONT FORGET- Black footwear (not white trainers)- so don't waste money on them.
WHAT ABOUT PE DAY?
On PE day we will continue to ask children to wear their PE to school on this day.
Teachers will be updating you on what day your child has PE when we return to school.
COVID RELATED UPDATES
We will start have to work extremely hard to ensure that we can keep everyone safe when we return to school. As has been seen during the summer at a range of "events" once you get a large group of people together there is an increase in Covid cases.
SAFETY MEASURES
We will be undertaking a range of measures to keep everyone safe including:
- enhanced handwashing
- timetables will still be in place to try to keep children socially distanced where possible
- continued high levels of cleaning
- anyone showing symptoms will sent home or not allowed on school premises
- facemasks will be able to worn in school and in areas where there are large groups
- large group activities will be slowly introduced back
- staff will continue to LFT twice a week
Once the Local Authority and Department for Education have updated schools on the return for September I expect there to be more updates and information.
START AND END OF THE SCHOOL DAY
The new system of a rolling start to the morning has been extremely successful so we will continue with this from September.
This will also mean we are not just going back to normal as it still is not completely safe to do so yet.
Gates will open at 8.50.
All children will be able to come in to school and go straight in to their classrooms.
Parents will not come in to the playground in the morning.
Gates will close at 9.00.
There will be a slightly different system for our new Reception children which will be communicated to Reception parents directly.
At the end of the day the gates will open at 2.55 and parents will be able to come in to the playground and wait for their children to come out.
Reception and KS1 will start coming out at 3.05 and KS2 children will start coming out at 3.10.
We then hope to start clearing the playground by 3.15 ready for clubs and After School Club to start.
We are aware however that a large number of our older children will leave and meet parents outside of the school gate.
To aid all of this we will continue to close the road outside the main gate to provide additional space outside the gate.
CLASSROOMS
These will return to how we know the children learn best and provide the best learning environment.
I know many teachers are extremely happy about this and will be preparing for this on our INSET days.
BUBBLES
The nature of our timetable and organisation in school means we are still able to have bubbles in place for much of the school day.
This is to aid our return to school however will not be strictly monitored or adhered to as we return to normal.
CLUBS
We will be starting clubs in the normal way.
Information will be sent and parents will be asked to sign up.
Please keep an eye out for these updates.
ASSEMBLIES AND LARGER GATHERINGS
We will be reviewing our timetables on our INSET day and seeing where we can reintroduce these safely.
WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE GETS COVID?
An update on the new procedures has been put on our Covid page.
https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/school-office/attendance/health-information
Weekly Updates
Below are the previous updates from this term. Please read through to find out what has been happening this term.
Of course to save room most of the pictures and videos have been removed from old posts.
You can scroll down to read them on this page also.
SUMMER HALF TERM TWO
| Name | |
|---|---|
| FINAL UPDATE THIS SCHOOL YEAR.docx | Download |
| WEEK EIGHT- I HOPE YOU ARE NOT UP CELEBRATING LATE.docx | Download |
| WEEK ELEVEN and a half.docx | Download |
| WEEK ELEVEN.docx | Download |
| WEEK NINE- I GUESS EVERYONE WILL BE PICKING UP ON TUESDAY ON TIME.docx | Download |
| WEEK SEVEN- MR JORDAN LOVES THE ENGLAND NUMBER ELEVEN.docx | Download |
| WEEK TEN- COME ON ENGLAND.docx | Download |
| Week Thirteen.docx | Download |
| Week Twelve.docx | Download |
SUMMER HALF TERM ONE
SPRING HALF TERM TWO
SPRING HALF TERM 1
| Name | |
|---|---|
| EMOJI MR J IS BACK REFRESHED AND FULL OF SPIRIT.docx | Download |
| TUESDAY 5th JANAURY 2021 UPDATE.docx | Download |
| UPDATE FOR NEW TERM 3rd January 2021.docx | Download |
| Week Five- How will we survive.docx | Download |
| Week Four There are only 2 more (until Half Term).docx | Download |
| WEEK ONE- Back to the Fun.docx | Download |
| WEEK SEVEN The Return.docx | Download |
| WEEK SIX Half Term is in the mix.docx | Download |
| Week Three- Think this is what it is going to be- maybe until past February.docx | Download |
| WEEK TWO What will the government do.docx | Download |
AUTUMN HALF TERM 2
| Name | |
|---|---|
| EMOJI MR J November Thoughts about Wearing a Mask.docx | Download |
| EMOJI MR J WANTED TO SHARE A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT MOVING TO TIER 2.docx | Download |
| END OF HALF TERM CATCH UP.docx | Download |
| START OF HALF TERM TWO UPDATE.docx | Download |
| WEEK EIGHT Thanks for all you are doing at the School Gate.docx | Download |
| WEEK ELEVEN Lets Starts the Christmas Obsession.docx | Download |
| WEEK FOURTEEN Have a Fantastic Little Christmas.docx | Download |
| WEEK NINE Fairlight is doing fine.docx | Download |
| WEEK TEN Here we Go Again.docx | Download |
| WEEK THIRTEEN LET US HOPE IT IS LUCKY FOR ALL- AND ONLY ONE WEEK TO GO.docx | Download |
AUTUMN HALF TERM 1
| Name | |
|---|---|
| END OF WEEK TWO We Thank You.docx | Download |
| IS IT ONLY THE END OF WEEK ONE.docx | Download |
| Week Five- How will we survive.docx | Download |
| WEEK FOUR- WHY WERE MAN UTD ALLOWED TO SCORE.docx | Download |
| Week Seven Half Term is Going to be Heaven.docx | Download |
| Week Six Keeping an Eye on Politics.docx | Download |
| WEEK THREE How Can that Be.docx | Download |