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Author: Ms Beaumont

Fluoride Varnish

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Fluoride varnish can be applied by dental teams at your family dental practice and at some nurseries and schools.

Fluoride varnish is a golden gel that is applied to a dried tooth surface. It has a pleasant taste and a fruity smell. It helps to prevent tooth decay by strengthening the teeth, and has shown to be most effective if applied to the teeth at least twice a year.

The varnish hardens on the tooth just after being applied, so the fluoride can be in contact with the outer surface of the teeth for a long period of time. The golden colour can take a few days to fade.

How is the fluoride varnish put onto the tooth?

The process is quick and easy.

In nurseries and schools, the varnish will either be applied within a visiting dental mobile unit or the dental team can bring their special portable equipment into a quiet, private area of school.

Only specially trained dental staff can apply the fluoride varnish. They have strict rules of hygiene and infection control. A clean pair of clinical gloves is worn and a new fluoride application pack is used for each child. The child’s teeth are gently wiped with a cotton wool roll and the correct amount of fluoride varnish is applied using a small disposable soft brush.

Please Note: If your child normally takes fluoride drops or tablets, they should not have fluoride varnish applied.

Aftercare Instructions

Try not to let your child eat hard foods such as apples, carrots or crisps today to avoid the varnish being scraped off the tooth surfaces.

We will arrange to paint your child’s teeth with the fluoride varnish again, at school, in about 6 months time.

If your child has problems or an allergic reaction after today’s application, please inform the school or Designed to Smile team.

Your child has not had a detailed examination. It is important that your child attends a dental practice regularly for check ups and let your own dentist know that your child has had fluoride varnish applied at school.

Is fluoride varnish safe?

Yes when applied at the correct dose, fluoride varnish is safe.

Children can have fluoride varnish applied up to four times per year. Children taking part in Designed to Smile may have fluoride varnish applied twice a year in school or nursery. If your child has had fluoride varnish applied in school, it is a good idea to tell your dentist so that they can space out other applications to increase the benefit.

Children who swallow too much fluoride can develop white spots on their teeth. That’s why it is important not to let your child eat toothpaste. Fluoride varnish is applied at school only twice a year therefore the risk of developing white spots as a result is tiny.

If your child normally takes fluoride drops or tablets, they should not receive fluoride varnish applications at nursery or school.

Can all children have fluoride varnish applied?

Every child joining the programme must have written consent given by their parent or guardian.

The consent form asks questions about past medical history and we particularly want to know if your child has ever had to be hospitalised following a severe asthma attack or has an allergy to colophony or sticking plaster.

It may not be appropriate for some children to have the varnish applied. We will keep you informed before visiting school if this is the case.

If a child has a sore mouth or broken skin around the mouth or an infectious illness on the day of the dental team’s visit, then fluoride varnish will not be applied. We would let you know about this in writing.

Healthy eating

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As soon as you start weaning your child, do not encourage a sweet tooth.

  • Don’t add sugar to foods and drinks
  • Never dip a dummy in anything sweet
  • Never put sugary drinks in feeding bottles or infant cups

Every time you eat or drink something containing sugar, plaque bacteria on your teeth make acid which attacks the tooth surface. After a while, a hole or cavity forms. This is called tooth decay. To stop tooth decay:

  • Cut down on both the amount of sugar you eat, and how often you eat it.
  • Don’t have any sugar between meals as this gives teeth time to recover from the acid attack.
  • Don’t have sugary snacks – try healthier options like:

    Vegetable Sticks
    Cheese and Crackers
    Fresh Fruit
    Pitta Bread and Hummous
    Bread
    Toast

    Milk and water are the only safe drinks for young children.

    Fruit juices contain natural sugar (fructose) and should only be offered at mealtimes.

    Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners which do not cause decay but are acidic which dissolve the surface, causing dental erosion.

    Always ask for sugar free medicines

    For more information on healthy eating for children go to: Every Child

    Stop

    Sugar in cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, jam, preserves, fizzy drinks, squash, milk shakes

    Be Aware

    Fruit Juice: the natural sugars can cause tooth decay. Fruit juices are important in providing vitamin C and reaching our 5-a- day, but drink at mealtimes only.

    Dried Fruit: can cause tooth decay. The natural sugar has been released from the fruit cell as part of the drying process, so eat at mealtimes only.

    Go

    Whole fruits and vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet. They do contain natural sugars but are in a safer form within the fruit cell.

    Milk is a very important part of a healthy diet. It contains natural sugar but a safer type.

    Some snacks can contain more sugar than you realise. Here are some examples of popular snacks that contain large amounts of sugar which can be harmful to teeth.

    sugar1 1
    sugar2
    sugar3
    sugar4
    sugar5
    sugar6
    sugar7
    sugar8

Designed to Smile

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Smile https://www.designedtosmile.org/welcome-croeso/welcome/

Toothbrushing at home

This year, because of COVID-19, we will not be running the Design to Smile scheme in school. Here is some really useful guidance for you to follow with your child.

Fluoride toothpaste helps to keep teeth strong. Children can use a fluoride-containing (1000- 1450ppm F) toothpaste.

Brush your child’s teeth twice a day, especially last thing at night before bed.

For children under 3 years, use only a smear of toothpaste.

For children over 3 years, use a pea-sized amount.

Don’t let them rinse afterwards, just get your child to spit out the toothpaste. SPIT DON’T RINSE is the most effective way to use fluoride toothpaste. This is a good message for adults too!

But, don’t let your child eat toothpaste.

Children under 8 years need help with brushing.

Remember to take your child’s brush and paste with you when you visit family and friends and when you go on holiday.

Even if your child joins in a nursery/school toothbrushing programme, it is still important that they also brush their teeth at home twice a day.

What can I do if my child won’t allow me to brush their teeth?

 

 

Brighten Up CAFOD Harvest

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During October we celebrate the Harvest, usually with a special Harvest Mass. This year we celebrated with a difference.

Children dressed in bright colours, Ms Beaumont led collective worship assemblies in class bubbles during which we talked about One World – One Family and how we can make a difference.

We also discussed Fairtrade and fair treatment for farmers who produce our food.

Family Challenge: children have been asked to look out for FAIRTRADE products when shopping. Please help us to support FAIRTRADE.

A million children in praying the Rosary

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In every class we will be thinking about praying for peace and the end of COVID-19. Please fill in your special intentions on the template that will come home on Friday.

Last Sunday Pope Francis invited children to participate together in a very special initiative. A Catholic charity hopes to bring together a million children worldwide to pray the rosary this Sunday.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is seeking to unite the children  in praying for peace and the end of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than a million people around the world.

Please could you take some time with your child the prayers that make up the Rosary. It has been a long Summer so maybe start with the first part of the Hail Mary.

Hail Mary Poster & Worksheets | Teachers Pay Teachers

Once you have got to grips with the Hail Mary, be resilient and move on to The Our Father.

A Children's Rosary Cover and Instructions

Let’s Get back to Learning! Reception Class

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With your support we are getting back to the rhythm of school life and moving on with teaching and learning. Many parents and children were able to engage with school during Lockdown and used the wide variety of learning resources such as See Saw App, through Education City, HWB, Twinkl and Oxford Reading Buddies. Thank you for supporting your child’s home learning.

 

Where are we at?

We are just ending our assessment period for the whole school. The results this year are different than previous years, we are all playing catch- up despite everyone’s best efforts.

 

Please work with your child to work on whole class targets:

Following on from initial teacher assessments, please work on the Language, literacy and communication targets below:

 

PHONICS- recognising the sound of a letter

To recognise, write and sound-out the following letter sounds of the alphabet. Remember to use that sound not the name of the letter. This will give your child the building blocks to move on to blending letters together.

 

In school we are working on revisiting these letter sounds, however, we need your help to play catch up. In normal circumstances we would expect most of Reception children to know most of the sounds of the letters in the alphabet.  This year many of the children have forgotten more than half of the letter sounds. Please could you practise letter sounds with your child and link objects to these sounds eg. b, b, b ball.

 

At home: How to pronounce the letter sound

Quick refresher course! As with Jolly Phonics, we do not teach the letter name, we teach the letter sound. To see and hear this in action please

Visit Oxford Owl

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/learn-to-read-phonics/

    

World Book Day Visiting Reader Mr Blades, Head of PE  Saint Joseph’s Comprehensive.

 

 

A guide for parents/carers – what to do if your child needs to self-isolate

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A guide for parents/carers – what to do if your child needs to self-isolate
If your child has been told to self-isolate by the Test, Trace, Protect (TTP)
service or the school on behalf of TTP, you must ensure they stay at home
for 14 days (the start of the 14 day period will be on the advice of the
TTP team).

Self-isolation means staying at home.
• Your child must not leave the
house, go to school, mix with
other children or with adults from
outside their household.
• By ensuring your child self-isolates,
even if they don’t have symptoms,
you are helping to reduce the
spread of coronavirus and
protecting others.

While your child is self-isolating
• Support your child with remote education provided by school.
• Monitor your child’s symptoms.

Request a test as soon as possible if they begin to show any COVID-19 symptoms:
A NEW CONTINUOUS COUGH – coughing a lot for more
than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24hrs.
a HIGH TEMPERATURE – their chest or back feel hot to
touch.
a LOSS OR CHANGE TO THEIR SENSE OF SMELL OR TASTE
– they cannot smell or taste anything, or their sense of
smell or taste is different to normal.
Other household members
don’t need to self-isolate.
• Your child will be told to self-isolate if they
have been in close contact with someone
who has tested positive for COVID-19.
This means they are at increased risk of
catching the disease and passing it on to
others.

One Page Profile

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   Water Street, Port Talbot, SA12  6LF

 Phone & Fax: 01639 882579

e-mail : stjosinf@npt.school

14.10.2020

 

Dear Parents,

We use One Page Profiles in St. Joseph’s Infant School. They are a simple tool, which we capture important information to help our teachers to personalise your child’s learning. This information enables us to be aware of the strengths, interests and specific support needs of our children.

One page profiles can be used to inform action planning and target setting, so that these reflect what is important to your child and how best to support them. This can make targets more meaningful and relevant to them. In our infant school setting they are a valuable way for the very youngest children to have a voice in how they are supported in school, and to have their strengths and what is important to them as an individual acknowledged. One page profiles are also a way for parents/carers to share their knowledge and expertise on how best to support their child.

Please take some time to fill in the Profile and return to school.

Thanks, Ms Beaumont

 

 

 

 

New School Routines during COVID-19

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Thank you for working with us!

Quick Guide to Drop off Routine

Staggered Start to the school day.

Staggered Approach

We will as far as possible keep children in their class bubbles.

To do this we will stagger the start, lunch, end of the school day.

 

Class Arrival AM Break Lunch PM Break Pick Up
Y2 AW 8:45  

 

 2:45
Y1 ST 8:50 2:55
Y1/R JJ 8:55
Reception EM/KT 8:55 2:55
Nursery AM 9:00 11:30
Nursery PM 12:15 2:45

 

Arrival Routine:

We are trying to keep everyone safe. To avoid children getting cold and wet and avoid congestion, please arrive promptly at your designated drop of slot. See above* However, should you arrive early please work with us, DO NOT enter the yard, please queue at 2m distance in the lane behind Norman Street.

If early please wait in cars/ or leave a little later. Ms Beaumont will invite one group of children into the yard at their  time slot. Once in the yard please use the footprints to keep socially distant and stand 2m apart.  Parents are asked not to go on the steps to the Nursery unit.

One Way System:

To improve social distancing parents are asked to walk UP the lanes BEHIND Norman Street and to exit along the lane to the right towards town/ Norman Street.

Thanks again for working with us to keep everyone safe!