Weekly Newsletter

Headteacher - Mr J Parkinson

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Miss L Whale

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Mr K Reynolds

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a very active and engaging week at Larks Hill, with pupils taking part in a range of sporting, practical and curriculum-linked experiences across school.

From Monday to Wednesday, our Year 5 pupils took part in Bikeability training. Throughout the sessions, pupils developed their understanding of road safety, learned how to check their bikes are safe to use, and practised maneuvering around obstacles. They also had the opportunity to apply their skills on the road under the supervision of trained instructors. It was fantastic to see pupils grow in confidence and develop important skills to help keep themselves safe.

From Wednesday through to today, pupils across school have taken part in the TCS London Mini-Marathon in schools, completing laps of the school field at various points throughout the day. The aim was to collectively run a minimum of two miles as a school; however, our pupils went far beyond this target. The total distance achieved was an absolutely incredible 354 miles or 13 FULL MARATHONS! We are incredibly proud of the resilience, determination and teamwork shown by all pupils in taking part.

On Thursday morning, selected pupils from Years 1 and 2 attended a PAT Multi-Skills event at The King’s School. Pupils rotated through a range of six activities and represented Larks Hill brilliantly. It was especially pleasing to see so many ‘Spirit of the Games’ stickers awarded, recognising positive attitudes, teamwork and effort.

Also on Thursday afternoon, Year 3 pupils attended a tennis event at Aspire, alongside schools from beyond the Pontefract Academies Trust. Pupils developed key tennis skills, including throwing and catching, as well as learning how to serve the ball. It was a great opportunity for pupils to experience a new sport and build their confidence.

In other areas of the curriculum, our EYFS pupils have been exploring the lifecycle of caterpillars, learning about metamorphosis as part of their science work. They are currently caring for four caterpillars in class and are eagerly awaiting the next stage as they prepare to form cocoons - an exciting learning experience for all involved.

A digital footprint is the trail of information we leave behind when using the internet – whether that’s browsing websites, using apps or posting on social media. Understanding this is important for privacy, online safety and protecting a child’s future reputation.

Internet Matters have produced a helpful guide explaining what a digital footprint is, why it matters, and how you can support your child in managing it safely.

Read more here:
https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/expert-opinion/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-childs-digital-footprint/

Dillon - EYFS

Annabella - Year 1

Alex - Year 2

Esme- Year 3

Leo - Year 4

All of Year 5

Sophie Matthews - Year 6

Corey and Kai - Year 5

For showing great courage and determination during Bikeability, progressing from not being able to ride a bike to cycling confidently.

Henry - Year 6

For his amazing artwork.

Jaxon - Year 4

For his work in RE

Harper - Year 3

For her work in PSHE

Leo - Year 4

Nico - Year 5

Jacob - Year 3

Harry - Year 3

Tilly - Year 4

Monday, 4th May - Bank Holiday

Wednesday 6th May - SEND Coffee Morning

Thursday, 7th May - Polling Day - School Open as Normal with limited School Lunch Options

Monday, 11th - Thursday 14th May - Year 6 SAT's Week

Friday 15th May - Year 6 Pizza Party & Water Fight

This week's CATS Spotlight goes to Arthur Batty - Year 4.

Arthur performed in Starstruck Performing Art school’s inaugural show ‘Peter Pan’ on Monday evening at Featherstone Community Centre. Arthur played three parts - John Darling, Nibs - a Lost Boy, and the crocodile!!! He acted, sang and dance his socks off!

Well done Arthur!!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. It has been a fantastic week of participation and achievement across school, and we look forward to building on this in the coming weeks. Have a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend!

Yours sincerely,
Mr Reynolds

Being a healthy school involves monitoring children’s packed lunches and breaktime snacks. Please support school by providing only healthy options for break snacks and limiting the quantity of sweets and chocolate bars brought in for lunchtime.

Please follow this link to the NHS website where you will find lots of useful information around snack choices for your children.

Healthier snacks - Food facts - Healthier Families - NHS

We appreciate your support with this

Next week we will be on Week 1 of the Summer menu.

Please be aware some of these dates may change and more will be added to the list as the term progresses. Please check your MCAS messages regularly for more details on upcoming events.

On Thursday 7th May our school hall will be used as a Polling Station from 7am until 10pm.

On this day, all staff will park on the school field leaving the car park free for members of the public to come and vote. Please be extra careful around the car park area during the school drop off and pick up times.

As the school hall is out of bounds, breakfast club will be held in the year 1 & 2 shared area. Children attending breakfast club should come through the main entrance.

There will be no hot dinner option for this day. Instead, pupils will be offered a school packed lunch option or alternatively, you may choose to provide a packed lunch from home. Lunches will be eaten in the classrooms, shared areas or if the weather is nice, on the field.

The lunch options will be:

Ham Sandwich or

Cheese Sandwich or

Tuna Sandwich

A choice of a sausage roll or cheese and onion roll

Fruit and a cookie.

We are pleased to be running a clothing collection to support The Clothing Bank and our local community in Pontefract.

We would be grateful for donations of clean, good-quality women’s, men’s and children’s clothing that you no longer need. All items should be bagged and can be brought to the school office or taken directly into your child’s classroom.

Donations will be accepted throughout this half term and next half term. Your generosity will help support families within our local area, and we thank you in advance for your continued support

Please follow this link if you would like to find out more about The Clothing Bank. https://theclothingbank.org.uk/mission/

Due to a recent increase in demand for our Wraparound After School club, we have taken the decision to increase our capacity from 15 to 18 children per day. We hope this will help out those families that need childcare either on a regular or ad hoc basis.

If you haven’t used our Wraparound After School Club before, please drop in to the office to sign the agreement form.

The Club runs from 3.15pm-5.45pm Monday-Thursday and costs £12 per session (or £10 each for siblings).

Children can take part in games, activities, crafts and more! We also offer a selection of snacks and light bites for them to enjoy.

From next week we will also be launching our new Friday offer! Friday club will run as the rest of the week but at a discounted price of £8 for the full session, or £5 for a 4.30pm pick-up. This could be an opportunity for parents to get ready for the weekend, do some shopping or run any errands that need doing without the children there.

Places should be booked on MCAS by Friday of the preceding week, please give us a call if you need to book after this deadline and we will see what we can do.