Newsletters

February 2025

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Image of head teacher Mrs Creasy

Dear Parents and Carers,            

This term has been packed with lots of great learning experiences. The children have worked hard and have remembered and learnt more ! They have shown some excellent behaviour by following "The Mead Way" and it has been lovely to see them walking beautifully, shining in the line, being kind and respectful to each other and being ready to learn every day!

If you need a reminder of the "The Mead Way", please click on this link.

We have also participated in both Safer Internet Day and Children's Mental Health Week, which are crucial topics. In today's digital world, educating our children about online safety is essential. We highlighted the importance of responsible internet use and have included helpful tips in this newsletter on keeping your children safe online.

We have had a Quality of Education Review carried out by our trust this term which was very positive. We chose to focus on reading, science, history and maths. These are just some of the positive feedback comments we received.

"The school feels safe and relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are proud to be part of the Mead Infant School" community"

"Pupils are polite and respectful to adults and to their peers, learning environments are calm and purposeful"

"Support staff are well deployed, and they are a strength of the school"

"Attitudes to learning are positive and pupils are keen to share their learning"

"A carefully sequenced reading curriculum which is inclusive and diverse is in place. There are robust systems to track reading progress, and no child is left behind."

"Science is carefully sequenced to build knowledge and skills progressively. Leaders ensure that all pupil groups are represented within the curriculum. Pupils enjoy science and use technical vocabulary in context"

" There is a clear overview of the strengths and areas for development in the subject. Pupils enjoy history lessons. Pupils use the resources available in class to support their learning."

"Mathematics is an interconnected subject across the school where pupils are demonstrating connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in problems."

Thank you for your continued support.

Wishing you all a happy and relaxing half-term break. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new half-term.

Kindest regards 

Mrs Creasey 

                                         

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                             Nursery Story Time 

The nursery enjoyed a visit from Diana from Stoneleigh Library, who shared some of her favourite stories from the Library with the children.  

There will be lots of fun at the Library over half-term. Please click on the link below for further information. 

Special Events - Friends of Stoneleigh Library

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                               Poets in Year 2 

Year 2 children have been thoroughly enjoying their Poetry unit in English!  They have become poets themselves, enjoying the process of writing a range of poems. The children have loved using descriptive language and imagery to bring their own creative ideas to life. 

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                       Dinosuars in Reception 

Reception children have been having an exciting time learning about dinosaurs this term! They have been fascinated by the different types of dinosaurs, from the towering T-Rex to the gentle Brachiosaurus. The children have learnt about the habitats these incredible creatures lived in and what they ate. They've also enjoyed discovering how palaeontologists study fossils to learn more about the prehistoric world. They enjoyed showcasing their learning to their parents at their Dinosaur Museum!

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                            Year 2 Map It Out!

In Year 2's Art and Design lessons, the children enthusiastically explored the fascinating world of maps through various artistic techniques.  Using a range of techniques, the children have beautifully illustrated familiar journeys, demonstrating their artistic skills and imaginative flair.

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                                 Year 1 Puppets 

The Year 1 children have thoroughly enjoyed their Design and Technology lessons this half-term, diving into the world of puppet-making with great enthusiasm. They have used their creativity and skills to design and create unique puppets. The children had fun practising cutting fabric neatly with scissors and experimenting with various joining methods, such as using staples, glue, or pins, to decorate their puppets. They have also enjoyed mastering the sequencing of construction steps and reflecting on their finished products by sharing what they like and dislike about them. 

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                            This is The Bear 

Nursery children have been enjoying stories this half term. The children particulary enjoyed the story of "This is The Bear" by  Sarah Hayes and Helen Craig. The story is about a bear called Fred, who accidently gets thrown in the bin and taken to the tip!  A  big thanks to our local authority refuse team who helped bring the story to life for the children!  You will be relieved to know that the story does have a happy ending  and that the bear is reunited with his owner.

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We continue to see a number of parents parking illegally on Cudas Close during drop and pick-up times. Eber Kington, our local Residents Association County Councillor for Epsom and Ewell  has been in touch with the school regarding this problem.  He has informed us that parents and the school can report parking issues by email to:

SurreyParkingEnforcement@nslservices.co.uk or by telephone via their contact centre on 0330 175 5930

Please help us keep our families and children safe by parking considerately and abiding by the parking regulations

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                     School Uniform Reminder  

Please remember that children are required to wear black leather shoes or plain black trainers to school. If children wear black trainers, they should be completley black, incuding the sole and any branding. 

Please also remember that hair bands should be a simple style in school colours only. Please save the sparkly ones for home!

A link to our school uniform information can be found here School Uniform

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                 Child Safety on YouTube Kids Parent Fact Sheet     

                                   What’s the problem?

The YouTube Kids app automatically filters out most inappropriate content. But no automated system is perfect, so it may not catch everything.

Videos that look like they’re child-friendly can include violent or disturbing content. They might be suggested videos, or appear in search results.

4 steps to take to help keep your child safe

If you don’t already have YouTube Kids, it takes you through parental controls when you set it up. Make sure to set yourself up as a parent and then add child accounts, following the steps on YouTube. Set it up on desktop or download the app.

Once you’re set up, follow the steps below.

1. Set parental controls to help protect your child from seeing inappropriate content

You can:

  • Set content settings so your child only sees videos intended for certain ages (4 and under, 5 to 7, and 8 to 12), or so they only see videos you approve – you choose this during the setup process
  • Turn search off so your child can only see recommended, curated videos under each category in the home screen and can’t search for videos

To turn off search:

  • Tap the ‘Lock’ icon in the bottom corner of any page
  • Enter your custom passcode (or complete the multiplication problem)
  • Select ‘Settings’, and select your child’s profile and enter your parent account password
  • Switch ‘Allow searching’ to off

2. Block videos or channels that you don’t want your child to watch

From the home screen:

  • Tap the 3 dots (‘more’) next to the video
  • Tap ‘Block this video’
  • Enter the numbers on the screen, or your custom passcode

From the watch page:

  • Tap the 3 dots (‘more’) at the top of the video
  • Tap ‘Block’
  • Tap ‘Block this video only’ – or choose ‘Block entire channel’ to block the channel associated with the video
  • Tap ‘Block’ again, then enter the numbers you see written on the screen, or your custom passcode

3. Report inappropriate content

  • Tap the 3 dots (‘more’) in the upper corner of the video you want to report
  • Tap ‘Report’
  • Select the reason for reporting the video (inappropriate visuals, inappropriate audio, or other)

Make sure your child knows how to do this too.

4. Set a timer to limit time on the app  

  • Tap the lock icon in the bottom corner of any page
  • Enter the numbers that appear or your custom passcode
  • Select ‘Timer’
  • Use the slider bar or the ‘-‘ and ‘+’ icons to set a time limit
  • Tap ‘Start timer’

The app will then lock once the timer finishes.

 

                        The Wheels On The Bus

Nursery children had an unforgettable experience when a red double-decker bus visited our school! During the visit, they learnt about the different parts of the bus, such as the driver's seat, the steering wheel, and the upper deck. 

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