Newsletters

Newsletter – Autumn 1 2021

Welcome from Mrs Hanks

Welcome to the first newsletter of the term.  You will notice that we have changed our newsletter this year as well as using a new platform to make it easier for parents to access on mobile devices. I have asked year groups to provide a little update for the first half term on what has been going on in their classrooms and also share some subject information with you. Hopefully you will find the new format informative and relevant. Please do feedback to us if you can think of any other ways to improve our communications with you.

It has been a busy half term and a great start to the new school year.  I have particularly been impressed with pupils continuing to look so smart in their school uniforms and their enthusiasm for their learning.  With many COVID restrictions being lifted, it has been a pleasure to visit the children throughout the day as they are so confidently explaining to me what they have been learning that morning or afternoon.

In early September I was fortunate enough to be invited to the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, the Mansion House, to network with other school leaders as a result of the article I had been asked to write celebrating all of the fantastic things we do at  New Hall in the Parliamentary Review.  It was a lovely evening with some keynote speakers who talked about the importance of education and the influence that he had had on them.  Some of you may recognise Sir Geoff Hurst (and me) who talked passionately about education as well a little about football!!

Have a restful half term.

Best wishes and continued thanks for your ongoing support.

Mrs Hanks

Reception and Secondary School Admissions 2022

For children who will be starting school in September 2022 you can now apply online by visiting www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions. The deadline for submitting your online application is 15th January 2022. There will be an open show round here at New Hall for new parents on Thursday 21st October 2021 at 9.30am. Please let the school office know if you will be attending, our telephone number is 0121 464 5170.

All Year 6 parents can now apply online  for  your child’s Year 7 secondary school place. You have till 11:59pm on 31st October 2021 to submit your choices. If you require any help please call 0121 303 1888.

Home Talk – P4C at Home

In each of our newsletters you will find a document which will provide an interesting stimulus for the children to discuss with their family and friends at home. They will discuss these topics at school in an assembly time. This is not extra homework but an opportunity for philosophical talk outside of school as so many of our children love our P4C lessons. We hope you enjoy it.

For this newsletter we will be discussing: Home Talk – Talk. Please click on this link.

E-Safety

E-Safety Tip: Always make sure the URL on a website starts with https before you transfer personal details. This means it’s a secure connection.

What has your child been learning this term?

Reception – Reception children have settled well into school life and are enjoying exploring the new resources and activities both inside and in our wonderful outdoor space. We have read the story “Handa’s Surprise” this half term as part of our learning about Black History Month and have enjoyed comparing where Handa lives in Africa to where we live in England. We also enjoyed tasting some of the fruits from the story.

Year 1 – Science lessons Year One have been learning to identify, name and describe the properties of different materials. The children learnt new words to describe the properties of five different materials and then, investigated which would be the best material to use to make an umbrella.

Year 2 – So far this term Year 2 are off to a great start. We have been sharing books and new vocabulary during our reading for pleasure sessions. We have been thinking about our Rights and Responsibilities in our PSHE lessons. In our Theme lessons we started our Great Fire of London topic by have our very own bake off! In our English lessons we have been reading and writing poetry and in maths we have been working hard to understand place value. What a super start to the year!

Year 3 – Year 3 have been looking at Poetry in English and have been learning how to use rich vocabulary. We have been doing Place Value in Maths and using our retrieval and prediction skills in Reading. We have started learning about the Egyptians in History and have been studying plants in Science. For our plants topic we went on a nature walk.

Year 4 – This half term, in Year 4 we have been exploring the theme ‘All around the World’ thinking about volcanoes, mountains and earthquakes and then creating a digital fact file on J2E5 in computing. For English, children have looked at the Pie Corbett poem ‘I wish’ and invented their own poems based upon this. We have also started looking at the narrative ‘The Firework Makers Daughter’ by Phillip Pullman. In Maths, children have spent this half term exploring place value of 4-digit numbers in words, numerals and roman numerals and have recently moved on to addition and subtraction of 4-digit numbers. In Science, we have been learning about the digestive system, teeth and food chains. For our block week, we focused on Design and Technology. Children designed, sewed and printed their own African style t-shirts’. In PE, we have been focusing on football and the skills needed such as dribbling, passing and shielding in order to play a match. To enhance the children’s musical enrichment, both teams have started their brass or string lessons with Birmingham Music Service.

Year 5 – We have been working extremely hard to be collaborative, creative, caring and critical thinkers within all areas of our curriculum. We have been continuing to develop our knowledge of place value, addition and subtraction in maths and have a deeper understanding of aspects of poetry from our ‘List of Small and Happy Things’ unit of work. Space and The Solar System has been our focus in science and we have thoroughly enjoyed immersing ourselves into our Invaders topic, learning about the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings.

Year 6 – This term is very exciting for Year 6! Now, top of the school, with new roles and responsibilities and exciting learning opportunities. One of the main areas of learning our children enjoy this term is finding out about the first World War. We link this topic to many areas of the curriculum and even make and cook trench stew! Our class author, Neil Gaiman is a clear favourite due to his much loved text, ‘The Wolves in the Walls’ and his unique writing style and take on life. Weekly visits to the Maths Academy to improve our maths fluency are already paying off as our arithmetic skills are really improving.

Harvest Festival 2021

On Thursday 14th October, Year 2 performed their Harvest assembly to other children from across the school. From learning their lines to rehearsing lots of songs, poems and actions, the children did themselves and their teachers proud.  They worked so hard and made their audience smile a lot. The children shared the Harvest message of thanks to all of those that help us – whether they are farmers helping to feed us or families looking after us, we realised how many people support us every day.

School Dinners

As we head towards the cooler months there is nothing better than a hot cooked dinner. Our full menu is now back in service and to take advantage of a hot meal your child can enjoy this at a weekly cost of £12.50. All our meals are prepared in school using fresh ingredients. Please contact us in the school office on 0121 464 5170 or email us: parents@newhall.bham.sch.uk

To take a look at our current menu please click on this link

Fish and Chip Friday

If any children who have a packed lunch would like to have fish and chips every Friday, simply let the school office know. The weekly cost will be £2.50.

Bonfire Themed Lunch

Thursday 4th November

As a reminder to all parents, we are a NUT FREE school so under no circumstances can peanuts or anything containing peanuts be brought into school.

Lost Property and Reminders

Lost Property

Any lost property left in school after 2 weeks will be removed from school. Lost property that has a name label on will be returned to the child. Please remember to label all uniform, pe kit, footwear, lunch boxes and bottles. This will be a great help in returning any lost items that have been found. Thank you.

Reminders

• Parents can you please refrain from smoking/vaping by the school gates.
• A reminder that parents are responsible for their children until they enter school grounds. There is a growing trend of parents simply opening their car door and letting their child jump out onto a very busy road, sometimes into the path of other vehicles. We are seeing younger children particularly being allowed to cross the road between parked or moving cars without any parental supervision. Please park and walk with your child to the school entrance. The school is not responsible for directing or controlling the traffic.

Thank you.

Star Burst

• Team Carpenter: N/A
• Team Thorp: N/A
• Team Degville: Sam, Joshua, Jaxon, Isla, Tiana
• Team Edwards: Liliana, Daniel, Dexter Tilly, Kaine
• Team Rainbird: Dairis, Evie, Natasia, Samar
• Team Pain: Esme, James, Chloe, Lola
• Team Collis: Zach, Elenora, Riley, Finley
• Team Durning: Bella, Reegan, Oluwamayode, Romeo, Alaia Waithe
• Team Toomer: Amelia, Filip, Vanesa, Joshua, Layla
• Team Dudley: Holly, Jenna, Taylor, Abbie, Khiarna
• Team Roberts: Matthew, Ella, Mason, Riley, William
• Team Thomas: Ashton, Maksymilian, Ashia, Michael, Jessica

Diary and Term Dates

See our Diary Dates page.