Dear Parent/Carer,

A warm welcome to the 2022-23 Academic Year to our existing Lakeside families and to our new pupils and their families!  I hope that you all had an enjoyable summer break.  The staff and I are looking forward to welcoming your children back to school on Wednesday 7^th September.  We send best wishes to all our former Year 6 pupils as they start at their new high schools – we will be thinking of you and know that you will shine!

Staff News

We are delighted to welcome Mrs Bird back to teach in Year 4 following her maternity leave, and congratulate Miss Crompton, Year 1 teacher (now Mrs Evans) and Miss Charles, Reception TA (now Mrs Llewellyn) on getting married during the summer break.

The New Curriculum

September 2022 brings in the long-awaited new Curriculum for Wales.  The aim of the Curriculum is to support its learners to become: ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives; enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work; healthy, confident individuals; and ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world.

Please paste the following into your browser for information about the curriculum: https://gov.wales/education-changing. 

Now that Covid restrictions are behind us, we are delighted that over the Autumn Term, you will be invited to come into school and share some of the lovely work that the children have been doing around the new curriculum. Dates to follow shortly. 

School Drop-off

Reception and Nursery pupils’ parents/carers will be notified of separate arrangements for drop-off and pick-up as they start school, but for all other year groups, the arrangements will be the same as last year:

The school gates open @ 8.45am

Year 1 parents/carers to walk their children round to their classroom doors;

Year 2 parents/carers to drop their children at the path to 2P;

Years 3 to 6: parents drop pupils at school gates to make their own way to their classes between 8.45 and 8.55am.

Late arrival at school

The school gates and doors are open between 8.45 and 8.55am.  Excluding Nursery, any pupils who arrive at school after 8.55am must go to the office in order to enter the school, as class teachers will be busy taking registers and introducing lessons after 8.55am.  Thank you.

School Pick-up

Nursery and Reception parents/carers will be given separate information on collecting their children as they start school.

Year 1 pupils are handed over via the Year 1 decking at 3.25pm

Year 2 pupils will be brought to the Foundation Phase playground steps at 3.25pm

Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 pupils can be collected from outside the main gates at 3.30pm

New Kitchen News

Builders and fitters employed by the local authority have spent the summer re-fitting our school kitchen in preparation for Universal Free School Meals.  Free meals will be available for all Reception pupils in the first instance, and parents/carers will be advised of arrangements for this by the class teachers.  Other year groups will be added to Universal Free School Meals as and when the council can accommodate them. 

School Uniform Grants and information

We have received information about various grants/discounts from the local authority: please paste the following into your browser for Welsh government help https://gov.wales/get-help-school-costs.

Please note that there will be no PE sessions this week.  Class teachers will let children know which day of the week they will have PE.  Pupils can continue to come to school wearing their PE kit on the appropriate day.  School PE kit is available from YC Sports, alternatively children can wear navy/white T-shirts and navy shorts/leggings/jogging bottoms.  Children MUST wear trainers on PE days please.  Please don’t send your children to school in expensive / designer sports kits.  Thank you.

After-school clubs

All after-school clubs will begin the week commencing Monday 19^th September.  More information will follow soon.

I look forward to seeing your children (and some of you) tomorrow morning (Wednesday 7^th September).

Best wishes,

Rachel Mitchell

Headteacher

Dates 2022-23

September 2022

• Wednesday 7^th September pupils from Year 1 – Year 6 return to school

October 2022

• Wednesday October 26^th - flu vaccinations for pupils.  More details to follow.
• Half Term break: Monday 31^st October to Friday 4^th November

November 2022

• INSET DAY MONDAY 7^th November, 2022

December 2022

• Friday 23^rd December - break up for Christmas

January 2023

• Monday 9^th January – return to school

February 2023

• Half Term break: Monday 20^th to Friday 24^th February

March 2023

• Friday 31^st March – break up for Easter

April 2023

• Monday 17^th April – return to school

May 2023

• Monday 1^st May – bank Holiday: school closed
• Half Term break Monday 29^th May to Friday 2^nd June

July 2023

• Monday 24^th July – end of term