Progress is linked to good attendance
Dear Parents of Nursery Pupils,
A reminder to all Parents and Carers – good attendance is linked closely good pupil progress.
As we move closer to the Summer Term and to September, EWO Kay Lewis Thomas and I thought it wise to remind all Nursery parents that when your child moves into Reception Year, school attendance is statutory. The attendance policy will be followed rigorously.
Unfortunately, Nursery class attendance is of concern. In preparation for this move to full time education, the Attendance Team will monitor attendance closely. We will be scheduling meetings with parents of those children whose attendance remains of concern.
Please can you ensure that your child attends school regularly as the first educators, you will understand that good attendance is vital to the building block process of learning.
Going forward, school will not authorise any term time holidays. Please ensure that family holidays are booked during the school holiday period.
Huge thanks for your help in this matter,
Best wishes,
Julie Beaumont
Headteacher
The Nursery Children Making Welsh Cakes
We celebrated Saint David’s Day in style. The children measured, mixed, rolled and cut the dough into delicious Welsh cakes. They were then cooked on a traditional bake stone. Yum, yum!
Safer Internet Day 2025
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Keeping our children safe is of the utmost importance here at St. Joseph’s. On Tuesday 11th February, we will be celebrating Safer Internet Day in school and raising awareness about how children can keep safe online.
Please see the letter below which highlights a key message and shares links to resources to support how we can keep our children safe when using the internet.
Check out the Top Tips below:
Top Tips for use Tips for Parents and Carers of 3-7 year olds
This Safer Internet Day we are starting a conversation about how to spot, respond to, and report all types of scams online. Scams can take many forms and could target anyone, including young people. Whilst your 3-7 year old may not yet be ready to use the internet independently, use our top tips to start good online habits now that will help keep them safe in the future.
Enjoy going online together
Spending time online together with family is an important learning experience for the youngest internet users. Not only will you both enjoy the quality time together, but you can supervise their usage and guide them to make the safest choices.
Talk about their online experiences
Help give your child the language to explain what they’re experiencing online by starting conversations about the internet and technology as early as possible. Talking regularly about what they love doing online, as well as any worries they may have , will help establish this habit and mean they’re more likely to come to you for help as they get older.
Make use of settings, especially relating to online purchases
Parental controls and other safety settings can help protect your child from online harms, including scams. To avoid any nasty surprises on your bank statement, make sure in-app purchases or new downloads require a passcode, and don’t set card details to autofill on devices your child has access to.
Explain that not everything online is true
If your child is too young to understand what fraud is, you can still lay the groundwork to help them stay safe online as they grow. Start simple and talk about the difference between real and make believe. Help them recognise that not everything online is true and that some things they see or hear could be stories, jokes or tricks.
Make sure they know they can always come to you
The most important thing for your child to know is that you are always there to support them, online and offline. Encourage them to talk to you if anything they experience makes them feel worried or upset, and show them they can trust you to stay calm, listen and help make things better.
WellComm our Nursery Assessment Toolkit
WellComm guide for parents and carers
Wellccomm Assessment Tool is used across schools in NPT and in St Joseph’s Infant School to support the speech, language and communication skills of young children (ages 0 to 5).
A key part of the approach is the WellComm Toolkit. This toolkit helps identify any speech, language or communication difficulties in children early on, so they get the right support as soon as possible.
Introducing the WellComm Toolkit
The first part of the WellComm Toolkit is the Screening Tool. This tool checks your child’s language skills – what they understand and can say. This involves observations, discussions with you, and some fun tasks for your child to complete.
The WellComm Toolkit uses a colour score to help identify what support your child may require.
- Green: Your child’s language skills are developing as expected for their age – no extra support needed
- Amber: Your child may need some extra help with certain language skills
- Red: Your child may need more focussed support to help with language development
It’s important to remember that every child develops at their own pace. The colour score is just a guide to help identify the best activities to support your child’s development.
The second part is the Big Book of Ideas. This book is filled with fun, simple activities to help boost your child’s language skills. You can use these activities at home, and they are designed to match your child’s individual needs.
How You Can Support Your Child at Home
Be Involved in the Screening Process: Your insights as a parent are valuable. Share your thoughts on your child’s communication skills with their nursery or school.
Work with us: Make sure everyone is using the same strategies and activities. We will share activities from the Big Book of Ideas for you to use at home.
Start Small: If you’re given lots of targets or activities to try, start with just one or two. Focus on these before moving on to others.
Ask for Help if Needed: Not sure how to do an activity? Ask staff to show you or see if you can watch them do it with your child.
Make it Part of Your Routine: Use everyday moments like bath time, mealtimes or playing in the garden to practice communication skills.
Check Out Helpful Videos: The GL Assessment videos about adult-child interaction strategies can be helpful for all children.
Ask for Support if You Have Concerns: If you’re worried about your child’s speech or language skills, talk to their school or nursery. They can guide you to useful information and resources, including local groups or services.
How have other parents found using Wellcomm?
One parent described how easy the Wellcomm activities were to use with her child at home:
The activities are great because they just use things I already have at home, like his favourite toys.
She spends a few minutes each day on these play-based activities and talks to the nursery every couple of weeks about her child’s progress. She has noticed her child’s communication has improved and he is connecting better with others. At nursery he is putting 2 words together to ask for things he wants.
The nursery is thrilled with these positive changes, seeing how the Wellcomm toolkit helps children’s language develop both at nursery and at home.
Further support
You can access further support in the following ways:
- if you have any further questions about how the WellComm is used in your child’s school / setting, please speak to your child’s key person
- access BBC Tiny Happy People website with lots of advice and activities for how parents can support a child’s SLCN
Come Meet the Nursery Team and NPT Helping Hands Team Coffee Morning
Dear Parents and Carers of Nursey pupils,
NPT Helping Hands Team will be joining us for a coffee and chat. Please join us on Wednesday at 10:00. We will be sharing information about our on entry Wellcomm assessment and next steps. We will also be discussing our holistic approach to pupil assessment and our observational narratives will be explained. We will give a brief overview of our phonics scheme Read Write Inc and provide links for parents to access online resources.
WellComm
WellComm is a speech and language toolkit for screening and intervention in the early years. This assessment plays a crucial role in identifying children with potential language difficulties. Once we are aware of any difficulties, we can then put the appropriate intervention into practice to support their language development.
· First section
The first section of the assessment is measuring the child’s receptive language.
· Second section
The second section of the assessment is measuring the child’s expressive language.
Observational Narratives
Many of you would have already received your child’s narrative. This is a bespoke document which is personal to your child. During the first six weeks of school, your child is observed which provides us with a detailed account of likes/dislikes, who they like to interact with and emerging friendships.
This initial observation Focusing on four mandatory areas:
· Social and Emotional Development
· Physical Development
· Literacy
· Numeracy
We are following the Curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings.
This curriculum ensures that the mandatory elements of Curriculum for Wales are embedded at an appropriate level and focus on the needs of the developing child through five developmental pathways. Including cross-curricular skills.
· Belonging
· Communication
· Exploration
· Physical Development
· Well-being.
Routes for leaning is also incorporated into the curriculum these are a framework of materials which include
· Literacy
· Numeracy
· Digital Competence
These have been developed to ensure that the children have the best possible start on their educational journey.
A little more information about Wellcomm:
The complete speech and language toolkit, from screening to intervention.
WellComm helps you to identify pre-school and primary school children who are experiencing barriers to speech and language development so that you can support them early in their education journey.
NPT Family Links
NPT Helping Hands Team Gill and Victoria will be on hand to discuss support, address early years issues relating to food, behaviour and toileting.
RWINc Parent FAQs for Read Write Inc. Phonics
NPT Playful Parents workshop in St Joseph’s Infants
Stronger Together Parents working together with NPT Support
Please come along and join our NPT Playful Parent Workshops. Parents and children welcome.
When?
Wednesday 29th January 2025 at 1:30pm
Wednesday 5th February 2025 at 1:30pm
Where?
Nursery Unit
Keep our children safe. Check whether apps are age appropriate
Dear Parents,
I have been asked by NPT Safeguarding Officer Anneliese Donovan to remind parents to ensure that children are using Age Appropriate Apps at home. Apps are given an age for good reason.
The content is not suitable for younger children.
The most recent message from Anneliese regards Tik Tok App specifically:
Good Morning,
The following information has been shared with the LA, in regards to a new Tik Toc craze;
Police have highlighted an emerging Tik Tok craze whereby a child runs full tilt towards another child from behind and (unbeknown to victim) slides just before contact wiping them out and up into the air.
There has been a recent incident in Cardiff (13-year-old boy on 13-year-old boy) has resulted in the victim suffering a bleed on the brain and a broken shoulder.
Pupil Voice: Which charity will be be supporting in the Spring Term?
Missio Council have been tasked with organising a vote to decide which charity we should support in the Spring Term. Children had one vote each. Every child voted. Missio Council had selected 4 very worthwhile charities:
- CAFOD – Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
- Missions in Peru – we have a personal connection with Bishop Giovanni (Monsignor Joseph’s brother)
- Ty Hafen – a children’s hospice
- Charity supporting Epidermolysis bullosa ( Butterfly Skin), Epidermolysis bullosa is a rare skin condition. People born with this condition are often called “butterfly children” because their skin is as delicate as a butterfly’s wings.
Home – DEBRA UK
Watch this space for results!
Epidermolysis bullosa
Book Swap Friday 24th January – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Message from Missio School Council:
Please send books of an excellent quality into school by Thursday 23rd January.
Missio Council will collect them. If everyone sends at least one book into school, every child will have the opportunity to choose a new book on Friday 24th, to take home and read. Age range 4-8 years.
Laudato Si- Care for our common home. God’s gift to us.
Missio Pupil Council are working on projects in school to Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.
Small changes can make a difference.