We are so grateful for the extra financial support that our Friends of Greenfield provide through some brilliant, child-centred events such as the Summer and Christmas fairs, discos and Story Night. All profits from these events go straight back into enhancing the educational opportunities for the children in our school. FroG is a charity and as a Greenfield parent you are automatically a member. There are all kinds of roles within FroG – any involvement or contribution you can make at any time throughout the year is highly valued.

The first FroG meeting of this academic year is on Wednesday 25th September here at Greenfield. There is an AGM at 7.30pm, followed by an 8pm meeting where everyone is welcome and plans for events later this term will be discussed.

A glass of fizz and a few nibbles might be just what we all need on ‘hump day’ evening!

We have so many lost cardigans and jumpers in school already! I’ve picked quite a few up this week, many of which were unnamed. Please can we ask that as many of your child’s belongings as possible have their name on. Just their initials written with a Sharpie is usually enough to return the right things to the right people!

Mr Butler will be putting all lost property out on the playground at the end of school on Friday. Hopefully the big, black bin will be empty again!

“It is important to teach pupils about the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help them to navigate the online world safely and confidently regardless of the device, platform or app.” Teaching Online Safety in School, DfE, June 2019

As teachers, we have a huge responsibility to understand the risks that exist online, and to tailor our teaching and support to the needs of all our pupils.

As parents and carers, you also play a key role in helping your child to stay safe online. Sometimes it is about being ‘ahead of the game’ as the online world moves forward with such pace.

Please do your best to attend our NSPCC Online Safety for Parents session at 9am on Tuesday 24th September.  The session explores what children have access to at home, the appropriateness of different apps and games and ways in which parents can monitor their child’s online behaviour whilst still keeping positive lines of communication open.

We really hope you can make it!

We know there are some really creative individuals within our Greenfield community…..we need your help please! We are looking to rename our successful ‘Good Morning and Good Afternoon Club’. It’s a bit of a mouthful, so something short, snappy and memorable would be ideal. Please email any suggestions to me or the school office.

Please don’t forget to use our before and after school provision. Both regular and occasional users are very welcome, and there is real flexibility when it comes to changes in arrangements. There is a dedicated phone number which you can text and ring after 4pm when the school office is closed. That number is 07561 827918 and your contact is Mrs Tracey Hewines, club manager.

We like the children to have a say in the kind of things on offer at Good Morning and Good Afternoon club and we do our very best to accommodate their requests. The children are taken outside to play wherever possible, but sometimes they just want to relax. It’s a great provision, please use it if you can.

It’s hard to believe that this is the first week of primary education for our new Reception children. They look like old hands, coming into their classroom confidently and with smiles on their faces! We are looking forward to them being with us full time from next week.

We would like to warmly invite any parents of our new Reception children to pop into school after drop-off on Monday 16 September for a coffee and a chat. We know many of you know each other already, but there’s nothing nicer than getting to know other parents and building those friendships that will take you and your children through the next seven years and beyond.

We look forward to seeing you!

Please do your best to attend the ‘Welcome’ meetings for the year group that your child or children are in. At these meetings, the teaching staff for each phase will outline daily routines, learning expectations and answer any questions you may have. They will be held on Wednesday 11th September at the following times:

5pm                          Year 3 and 4

5.45pm                   Year 1 and 2 

6.30 pm                  Year 5 and 6

We look forward to seeing you there, but in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions or concerns. The Greenfield door is always open.

Of course, the safety of the children while they are in school remains paramount. You may have noticed that we have had some new internal doors installed in our foyer. They are fully functional, but still need to have the finishing touches of sections of frosted glass and the school logo to complete their look. The doors are only to be operated by members of Greenfield staff or adults exiting the building. Please support us with reminding the children that any door or gate release button is only to be used by an adult.

Please bear with us over the next week or so as we get used to our hometime routines. Our main objective is to hand over the right children to the right adult, and we would ask for your patience initially as classteachers get used to new faces and pick-up routines. You might see our Year 6 pupils coming to school and leaving by themselves. This is to help them prepare for their transition into secondary school next year where the majority will be travelling independently.

If you need different arrangements for your children to be collected at the end of each school day, then please speak to their classteacher in the first instance. We will try to be as flexible as possible, but it is safety first.

It has been a really great first week of term! The children look shiny and bright in their new uniforms and shoes, and I have seen lots and lots of smiling faces around school. Obviously, some happy holidays have been had!

Thank you so much to any parents who have wished me well in my new role for this term. It is a real privilege to be the Acting Headteacher at Greenfield. I have been here for 18 years, and my commitment to maintaining our high standards and excellent outcomes is stronger than ever. Alongside my main role, I shall be continuing to act as Special Needs Coordinator until Miss Lewis returns in January.

We have welcomed three new teachers to our fantastic staff this week. Mr Sutton joins us as classteacher for AA Milne, Miss Stanley joins us as classteacher for Alan Ahlberg and Mrs Cast joins us as a Key Stage 2 teacher on Thursdays. They have all made a great start, and we are sure that each of them will really enjoy working here at Greenfield.

Unfortunately, Miss Hill has not yet been able to return to school as she has broken her foot. We wish her a speedy recovery and shall keep you updated on her situation. We would also like to inform you that our long-standing secretary, Helen Solly, has decided to take early retirement. Helen has worked at Greenfield since 1991 and the decision to retire was not an easy one for her. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all she has done at Greenfield and we send her and her husband, Eddie, our very best wishes for their future. Miss Fran Harriman and Mrs Clare Benson will continue to be your first points of contact in our front office.

As many of you know, Claire Tyas, one of our teaching assistants, has had a long period of absence due to needing to care for her husband. Claire has also made the difficult decision to resign from her post here, as her husband’s condition has deteriorated. Our thoughts are with her and her family.