Weekly Newsletter

Headteacher - Mr J Parkinson

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Miss L Whale

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Mr K Reynolds

Dear parents/carers,

It has been another busy week at Larks Hill, with children taking part in a wide range of enriching learning experiences both in and out of the classroom!

Before the start of this week, last Friday saw pupils and staff take part in Young Voices, which proved to be an incredible experience for everyone involved. This included performing as part of such a large choir, alongside live musicians and special guests. A huge thank you once again to Mr McIntyre, Mrs Law, Miss Jones, Mr and Mrs Smith, and to all parents and carers for their support with the late collection from school on Friday evening – it was very much appreciated.

This week we are sharing two short, helpful videos from Internet Matters, focusing on setting up parental controls for platforms many children use regularly. These guides explain key safety features in a clear and practical way:

• YouTube parental controls – top features

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hskr4KnSKJE

• The top 3 parental controls to use on Roblox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkMuSv0rRWw

We encourage parents and carers to take a few minutes to explore these resources and discuss online safety settings with their children.

On Tuesday, pupils in Years 1 and 2 had the opportunity to taste liquorice root and learn about its importance to Pontefract’s history, particularly its link to the famous Pontefract Cakes. The children were fascinated by the history behind this local product and enjoyed exploring how it has been used over time.

On Wednesday morning, a group of selected pupils from Years 3 and 4 attended the Inclusive Festival at A1 Football Factory. The event provided a supportive and inclusive environment for pupils to take part in sporting activities, and they demonstrated excellent teamwork, enthusiasm and positive attitudes throughout. They were a real credit to the school.

Also on Wednesday morning, pupils in Years 5 and 6 welcomed a visit from the local Fire Service. The session focused on recognising fire hazards in the home, understanding what to do in the event of a fire, and learning about key safety precautions. Pupils engaged thoughtfully with the content and asked a number of well-considered questions during the Q&A at the end of the visit.

The second of our two Parents’ Evenings also took place on Wednesday evening. These meetings are an important opportunity to share pupils’ successes, discuss progress and agree next steps, and it was very positive to see so many parents and carers attending. Thank you for continuing to work in partnership with us to support your child’s learning.

On a different note, we would like to highlight the fantastic commitment being shown by our Year 4 pupils, who are working hard both in school and at home to improve their times tables in preparation for the Multiplication Tables Check in June. Miss Walsh is carefully tracking pupils’ progress using Times Table Rockstars, and children whose heatmaps turn fully green (by showing accurate and speedy recall) are now being awarded ‘Gone Green’ certificates. Well done to Year 4 for their continued dedication and effort. Thank you to Year 4 parents and carers for your help in preparing them for this. We really appreciate the support.

Olivia - Year 1

Edie - Year 2

Esme - Year 3

Mylie - Year 4

Iyin - Year 4

Oliver - Year 5

Olivia - Year 6

Lottie F - Year 3 - For her continued commitment to reading both in and out of school. Well Done Lottie

The Larks Hill Young Voices Choir - For your commitment to practicing and showing great enthusiasm at the event on Friday.

Harry - Year 3

Seth - Year 5

Spencer - Year 4

Leo - Year 4

Monday 9th February - Year 3 & 4 Trip to Harlow Carr

Monday 9th February - EYFS Stay & Play 8.30am - 9am

Tuesday 10th February - Year 1&2 Reading Morning 8.30am-9am

Tuesday 10th February - Safer Internet Day

Wednesday 11th February - Year 3&4 Reading Morning 8.30am - 9am

Thursday 12th February - Year 5&6 Reading Morning 8.30am-9pm

Friday 13th February - INSET DAY

Monday 16th February - Friday 20th February - HALF TERM HOLIDAY

Monday 23rd February - School Back open to pupils

This week we have gone through all the fantastic names suggestions from students and shortlisted them to one top name per class. Students will be given the opportunity to vote for their favorite name and we will announce the winning name on next weeks newsletter.

Today's CATS Spotlight goes to Louis - Year 6. Louis has been ringing church bells at St Giles for around 18 months. This takes a considerable amount of time to even learn how to properly handle your bell. Even so, Louis passed his level 1 bell handling at the end of September. Since then, he has been practicing ringing well and consistently in rounds and starting to learn call changes. But after seeing how well he has taken to ringing on his own, he was challenged this week with his first bit of method ringing and rang plain hunt singles brilliantly!!! Such an achievement for someone so new to ringing!!

As always, thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another positive and productive week ahead at Larks Hill.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Reynolds

The menu for next week is Week 1

Wakefield Council are offering free wellness checks for adults at St Mary's Community Centre.

Are you having a New Year clear out? Have the children grown AGAIN?

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/

Please see below our Spring Diary Dates. Please note that some dates may be subject to change and more events or activities may be added. We will endeavor to keep you informed of any changes or additions throughout the term.