Dear Families,

I hope you have all been enjoying the increasingly lovely weather this week!  It is that time of year when pupils (and staff) find it hard to choose the correct level of clothing for the day.  Many pupils are still wearing their winter coats to school, and we would encourage you to support your child to wear a lighter coat or rain jacket as a more suitable alternative. 

If your child suffers with hay fever, you may wish to supply them with sunglasses and a peaked cap or sun hat for when they are outside, as these are both proven to reduce the amount of pollen and dust that enter the eyes and nose.

We always encourage pupils to drink water throughout the day and with the warmer weather approaching this becomes even more important. If you can, please provide your child with a water bottle.  We will fill it up for them, as needed, throughout the day!

Our pupils are outside for some lessons and at break and lunchtimes every day. Although we have some shade, they are likely to be in the sun, and we would encourage you to either apply sunscreen to your child before they leave home or provide sunscreen for your child to apply themself.

Please ensure that all property belonging to your child is labelled so that we can reunite lost items with their owners.

Reading and the school library

Reading is core to all teaching and learning at Meadow.  Learning to read is partly about being taught and learning the required skills and partly about developing an enjoyment of books and reading material. At Meadow, we seek to do both.

For those who are not yet 'Free Readers' we use a phonics based intervention program called Rapid Readers to support our pupils to develop their reading skills.  This is then supplemented by reading books in the classroom and library. Pupils should have an appropriate level book from the library to read at home as well as being able to choose books of interest to enjoy. Books of interest may be of a much lower reading level. This is often because a pupil will want to read easily without having any struggle.  These books may also be of a much higher reading level that the pupil cannot read themself.  These books can be enjoyed by the child with an adult.

In school, pupils have a Reading Passport where they can record any reading they do.  For home, there is a Home Reading section in your child's LINK book where you can record any reading they do, either with support, independently or when they actively listen to you read to them. They don't just have to read books from school. Any reading is good reading: magazines, cook books, signs, instructions and birthday cards!

If your child is not bringing home reading books or is not engaging with reading at home, please contact your child's Form Tutor.  Additionally, if you are concerned about your child's reading or would like to find out how you can support them, please contact your child's Form Tutor. 

Very best wishes for a beautiful weekend.

Mrs J Rigby
Headteacher