Transition From Year 2
We are looking forward to welcoming your child to The Windmills Junior School.
Travelling to and from school:
The roads around school are particularly busy at the beginning and end of the school day, please:
- walk or cycle wherever possible, using safe crossings and being mindful of others
- drive slowly and cautiously around Dale Avenue
- DO NOT park, or stop to drop off your child on school entrance markings (zig zag lines)
- be considerate of our neighbours and park legally, avoiding blocking driveways or stopping in areas that reduce visibility or access for others
- do not use the school driveway for drop off, or as a turning point - it is a car free zone and must be kept safe and accessible at all times, including during collection from after school clubs.
Start time:
Children should arrive at school at 8:40 am in good time for morning registration at 8:50 am. The gate is closed at 8:55 am and all children arriving after this time must report to the office to indicate they are on school premises and will be marked as late.
Home time:
The school day finishes at 3:15 pm. A senior leader will come out and open the gate at 3.10pm, when you will be invited onto the playground. Please do not arrive earlier than this as the playground is used right until the end of the day and you are only asked on site when a senior leader is present. Your child needs to tell the teacher that they have seen you before they can leave.
What to bring to school:
- Small rucksack and / or book bag
- Named water bottle (no juice)
- Mid-morning healthy snack - fruit or vegetables (Junior schools are not funded to provide fruit snacks at playtime)
- We provide all the equipment they will need: pens, pencils etc. They do not need a pencil case. Children should not bring in personal items that may get lost. They are also not allowed swapping cards as these often cause upset.Please don't bring pencil cases/ toys/ swapping cards etc
Hot lunches:
There will be a new provider of hot lunches with effect from September. Information about how to book hot lunches will be issued to parents as soon as this is made available to us.
Free School Meals:
Universal free school meals stop at the end of year 2. If you think you may be eligible for your child to receive Free School Meals, please apply online at WSCC. Even if your child does not wish to take up the offer of a free hot meal, by registering your eligibility the school will receive additional funding which can be used to provide additional resources to further enhance your children’s learning and you may receive food vouchers during the holidays.
Packed lunches:
If your child is not having a hot meal, please provide a healthy packed lunch that contains a sandwich with a healthy spread, or pasta, rice or other form of carbohydrate with vegetables and fruit. There should be no sweets, nuts or chocolate bars and no fizzy drinks (no glass bottles or cans please). We also recommend that children shouldn’t be eating crisps everyday as these have high levels of salt. We are a nut free school, please ensure that your child does not have any nut products in school, so no spreads, or snack bars with nuts in them.
School uniform:
All clearly labelled please - burgundy sweatshirt or cardigan, white shirt or polo shirt, grey or black shorts, trousers, skirt or pinafore, or checked summer dress. Black school shoes or completely black trainers – no logos. Hair longer than shoulder length should be tied back at all times.
Medical:
If your child has any ongoing health issues (eczema, allergies, asthma, investigations by doctors, etc) it is very important for us to be made aware of this. Mrs Wells is in charge of managing medical issues in school and is available to make an appointment with if your child has more complicated needs that you would like to discuss with her.
Please do not send your child into school with any form of medication. We can only administer medicine prescribed by a doctor and in the original box, and these need to be brought in by the parent to the office and a form needs to be completed.
- If your child requires an asthma inhaler, you will need to bring this to the school office on the first day of term along with an asthma inhaler form.
- If your child has an Epipen, you will need to bring these to the school office on the first day pf term along with their information from the hospital.
- If your child takes prescribed medication, this must be brought to Mrs Wells in the school office on the first day of term along with a parental consent to administer medication form.
Forms can be downloaded here, or paper copies will be available in the office on the first day of term.
Reporting sickness:
If your child is absent from school, please use STUDYBUGS to report their absence. This is our preferred method as we then have a record of the reason for absence. Please avoid ringing in absences.
PE days:
Your child's teacher will let you know what days their class has PE and PE kit should be worn to school (White or maroon T-shirt, maroon sweatshirt, black shorts, black leggings or tracksuit bottoms. Plain black or white PE trainers for field (not fashion trainers). Children need a change of school shoes on PE days in case the field is muddy).
Birthdays:
Children can wear their own clothes to school on their birthday.
Homework:
We will introduce the Homework Log Books in week 2. These outline what to do and how often. Until then please read with your child every night – reading fluently is absolutely essential to be a successful learner and your support in achieving this will make all the difference. Children really do need at least 15 - 20 minutes practice every day to become fluent at reading. Please keep reading up over the summer.
We strongly advise that you buy and help your child to learn how to read an analog watch – this is a key learning target in year 3. Children are finding this increasingly difficult.
Permissions and information from families (pupil data):
In September, all parents will be asked to register for the MCAS Parent App which is the way we collect and store the information that we need from you about your child. Please see the Privacy Notice below in respect of information held about pupils at The Windmills. We also use this app to book parent evening appointments.
We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to read the Acceptable Use Policy for Learners below and discuss this with your child. This outlines how to use computers safely.
Communicating with your child's teacher:
Parents are encouraged to talk to teachers about any concerns that they have as they arise. Please do not wait for a parents evening. We ask parents to talk to teachers on the playground at the end of the day or to send a message via the office for the teacher to contact you if there is something you need to discuss. We protect the time before school for the teachers to set up the learning for the day so it will not be possible for you to speak to your child’s teacher in the morning. The LSAs are available on the gate in the morning, while the teachers welcome the children into the classroom, so please do use them to communicate about smaller day-to-day things.
In October, we hold a formal parents’ evening where every parent will be able to sign up for an appointment. This gives the teachers a chance to really get to know your child and for them to be able to talk to you about how they have settled in. You can be reassured that if your child was finding it hard to settle or we had any concerns whatsoever, we would ring you and ask you to come in for a meeting. So, no news is good news.
Forms
You are the expert when it comes to your child. Please help us to learn more about them and how they learn by completing the following form:
If your child has any medical needs/ allergies or dietary requirements, please complete the following form. Our medical lead, Mrs Wells, will contact parents/ carers about the information you provide if required:
Acceptable use policy
Privacy notice