Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been an amazing week at school as we have all got very festive in the run up to Christmas. It has been wonderful to welcome so many parents, grandparents and friends into school to share Christmas events with us. Hot on the heels of Foundation Stage’s fantastic performances of the Sleepy Shepherd last week, we had Key Stage 1 with ‘Prickly Hay’ and Key Stage 2’s performance of ‘The Bells Ring Out’.  The children have been incredible and we are all very proud of their hard work (and that of the staff!) which enabled them to share their songs acting and dancing with such confidence.

We were overwhelmed with your support for our Christmas Fayre last Friday. The buzz in the hall was palpable and to see so many adults and children having a good time whist raising vital funds for our school, was a joy! We want to express our gratitude to everyone who helped both in the weeks before the fayre and on the night itself. In particular we want to give a shout out to the parents on the Ridge Friends Association, led by Emma Barnes, who pulled it all together, not only on the Friday night at the fayre, but also at Breakfast with Santa. We can’t thank them enough for the time, energy and creative thought which went into making both events such a resounding success.

The total raised over the two events was an amazing £1646.00!

If anyone wants to find out more about joining this group of volunteers supporting the school through fundraising and practical help at events, please speak to Mrs Davenport in the school office.

With Christmas Lunch and Festive Jumpers today and parties and a special visitor next week, we are sure to have an exciting last few days at school!

Kind regards

Mrs D Hudson

Headteacher

Christmas Parties will be held during the afternoon next week. The children can come to school in their party clothes and don’t need to bring anything extra with them. Food and a drink will be provided – please contact the school office if you need to check out any further information e.g. allergies etc.

With Mrs Norgate due to begin her maternity leave after Christmas, we are delighted to welcome a familiar face back to The Ridge. Deb Hunt will be returning to school in January to take on the role of Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) until Mrs Norgate returns. Mrs Hunt may be familiar to some of you: she was previously our Acting SENCo back in 2019.  She will be in school on a Tuesday and Wednesday morning and will be contactable via her email address which is dhunt@ridge.dudley.sch.uk

• School closes for Christmas at 2.00 p.m. on Friday 16^th December

• There is an Inset Day on 3^rd January 2023. The Spring Term starts for the children on Wednesday 4^th January.

Thank you for your on-going support with attendance: we know that there are lots on illnesses doing the rounds at the moment, including sickness and diarrhoea.  You should have already seen the letter about scarlet fever and whilst wanting to promote good attendance, please be vigilant for symptoms of this illness and consult your GP if you are concerned.

As the weeks have gone on, we have noticed an increase in the number of children arriving after the main gate has closed. Where children come in via the main school door, they are likely to be recorded as ‘late’, depending on the time of arrival and if the register has been taken in class. Lateness impacts on children’s learning:  in many classes we teach phonics as soon as the register has been taken. Children who are frequently late miss all or part of this vital aspect of learning to read and write.  We understand that occasionally circumstances conspire to make children late for school, however, if there is a pattern of lateness, this will need to be addressed in line with our policy.

This week’s whole school attendance is  94.98%

This Weeks attendance 

Reception - 94.33%

Year 1 – 97.33%

Year 2 – 94.33%

Year 3 – 96.07%

Year 4 – 96.67%

Year 5 – 95.86%

Year 6 – 90.33%

Well done Year 1!

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Mrs Hudson is the Designated Safeguarding Lead and any concerns should be shared with her or the Deputy Safeguarding Leads – Mrs Hadley, Miss Beddoes and Mrs Burley.

We’re sure that many young people have devices on their Christmas list, whether that’s a tablet, phone, games console – the list goes on! Getting a device can be an exciting time for young people, but there may be safeguarding considerations for parents and carers to make as they consider buying it. This useful article from Childnet gives top tips will help you prepare for giving your child a device as a present and establishing ongoing conversation and guidance with your child about their relationship with it and how to stay safe online.

https://www.childnet.com/blog/christmas-2022/

This scheme is to help if you are struggling to pay your bills due to the cost of living increases. It is a one off payment made to eligible households in Dudley Borough. To apply, you will need to meet certain criteria and complete an application form.

Who can apply

You can make an application if you live in the Dudley Borough and:

• You are the only adult in the household and your gross income, including wages and any other income (for example, pensions and all benefits), is less than £35,000 per year and your savings are less than £6000.

Or

• You are a multi person household (this includes your partner, children or and anyone else that lives with you) and your joint gross income, including wages and any other income (for example pensions and all benefits), are less than £45,000 per year and your savings are less that £6000.

You will also need to tell us why you are struggling to pay your bills. People who are eligible will receive a minimum one off payment of £150.

How to apply

Once you have logged in to apply for the household support fund, you can either search through a drop-down list for Dudley Council or input a ‘quick code’ to take you directly through to our application form. The code for Dudley's household support Fund is 425BNP.

Online applications can be completed via the link https://grantapproval.co.uk/ full details are available on the Dudley Council Website https://www.dudley.gov.uk/council-community/cost-of-living/household-support-fund/

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