Newsletters

MESSAGE FROM MRS JONES

Dear Parents and Carers

We have come to the end of another busy term at school.

What a wonderful Autumn Term it has been with the reintroduction of celebratory events for parents to come into school and enjoy the achievements of their children.  From Year 1’s Diwali Assembly to the Christmas Concerts, there has been a wonderful turn out and your presence at these activities have been truly amazing.

We look forward to hosting more celebratory events and sessions for parents in the next term and the reintroduction of our extracurricular club offer.

On a sad note, we say goodbye to Ms Perschky, our Learning Mentor, who takes up a new role in a school in Hillingdon.  We would like to thank her for her care and commitment to Vaughan over the many years that she has worked at Vaughan and her support as a parent at this school prior to this.  I am sure that parents will echo these sentiments in how diligently she has supported the entire school community and our families in her time here.  Good luck Ms Perschky.  We will miss you!

From myself as Headteacher, thank you to my amazing staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the pupils here at Vaughan continue to benefit from the opportunities that they deserve.  To the pupils, you continue to make me so proud, and it is a pleasure to be your Headteacher every day.  To the Governance, thank you for your support in the strategic leadership of the school.

To the parent community, thank you for your unwavering backing of the staff, the school and myself.  We truly are a brilliant community as I couldn’t do this without your support and help in ensuring the pupils to achieve their very best.

Have a wonderful Christmas break with loved ones and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 4^th January at 8.50am for the start of the Spring Term.

Mrs Jones
Headteacher

UPDATE FROM THE SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY

The school Governors have had a busy term, which reflects the busyness of all aspects of school life. We know our pupils have put in a massive effort this term, getting more and more into the swing of school life as we return to the ways of living post pandemic. Our teachers and support staff at Vaughan continue to go above and beyond to ensure that the children get the best education and a wonderful experience of being part of the school community. We extend our thanks to them all. 

Governors also wish to thank and acknowledge the Friends of Vaughan, our parent / teacher association. This group of parents and carers are another wonderful asset to the school and we all appreciate the efforts put in to raise vital funds to give children those added extras to enhance their time at Vaughan. They have a Facebook group if you'd like to join in and hear more about what the group are up to. 

On behalf of the Governing Body I would like to wish all our pupils, parents, carers and their families the happiest of times during this seasonal period. The end of the school term gives us all an opportunity for some rest and time to celebrate in different ways together. 

Nerys Anthony
Chair of Governors

IMPORTANT SCHOOL ADMISSIONS INFORMATION

CHILDREN WHO ARE

DUE TO START IN PRIMARY IN SEPTEMBER 2023

FRIENDS OF VAUGHAN

We have had a brilliant end of term with a special visit from Father Christmas. HUGE thank you to the amazing volunteers who have given up their time to make these fundraisers such as success and all of you for your support.

What have we been up to?

Friendship Bake Sale

A great success through our bakers & volunteers selling some yummy treats!.  We added £451 to the bank account.

Christmas Cards

We were delighted to see the children’s artwork, and thank you for your generosity in ordering.  We raised a whopping £438.

Eco Coat & Toy Event

We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our wonderful school community who all rallied together and donated at our coat & toy event last month. We had several donations including coats, toys and went on to include everyday essentials.  A big thank you to our volunteers who made this event happen along with those that donated.

Christmas Grotto

We were thrilled to have Father Christmas visit Vaughan on Thursday
15^th December.  Each child was able to meet him and receive a gift for being so brilliant.  Our wonderful elves entertained each class with bubbles and games and Father Christmas encouraged the children to be good over the holidays!

We did not charge for this event, however those wishing to donate can do so via our Friends of Vaughan PTA page - https://www.pta-events.co.uk/friendsofvaughan/index.cfm?event=event&eventId=57526#.Y5W_X-zP3DI

We have kept the donation option open till 31st December should you wish to donate.

PTA Partnership

We strongly believe in our partnership with the school and our mission to support the children and local community. 

This term we have supported the school by providing over £2,000 to purchase new reading books in line with the school’s Phonics scheme.  We are also in talks to fund a defibrillator, a life-saving device which will be added to the National Defibrillator Network for our community.

Over the years we have created a wonderful committee who all play a vital role in the success of the PTA and we would like to thank all parents and carers for their support.  Should you have any feedback or comments please do not hesitate to reach out to us, we are always open to looking at ways to improve.

We hope to bring some exciting calendar dates to you for the rest of the academic year - watch this space!

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Himani Bailey & Rekha Aggarwal

JOB VACANCIES AT VAUGHAN

We are presently advertising for two roles:

• School Midday Supervisory Assistant (Dinner Lady)
• After School Playworker

Both job adverts are on the following webpage:

Vaughan Primary School - Current Vacancies

If you, or anyone you know, are interested in applying for either of these positions, please apply by completing the application form shown on this webpage.

CROSS–COUNTRY COMPETITION!

On Thursday 1st December, selected pupils in Years 5 and 6 took part in a cross-country competition in West Harrow Park.

Everybody did amazingly well, and the top performance by a Vaughan pupil was a 2nd place won by Ellen (6A).

“The competition was a big success,” quoted Eliza (6C).  There was lots of cheering and support from the side lines which spurred on the runners, and everybody had great fun.

Well done everyone!

Some of the best individual results were:

 Year 5 girls team:  4th  place out of 7 schools.

Year 5 boys team:  3rd place out of 7 schools.

Year 6 girls team:  4th place out of 7 schools.

Year 6 boys team:  3rd place out of 7 schools.  

CRITICAL THINKING WORKSHOP

Year 5 had an opportunity to take part in a workshop on Critical Thinking last week.  The children came away with lots of ideas of how to practice empathy to support them with any difficult times they may face.

They had the opportunity to safely engage in a dialogue of empathy and critical thinking based on themes that acknowledge world events through fun and interactive drama activities led by qualified facilitators.

All the children came away enthused and full of ideas.  They were absolutely fabulous with the ideas they shared, and it was great to see them engaging so enthusiastically!

If you have concerns regarding a child’s safety and wellbeing during the Christmas break, you can contact Harrow Children's Services by calling:

GENERAL REMINDERS FOR PARENTS

LOST PROPERTY

Please ensure that ALL items your child brings to school are labelled with your child’s name and class – e.g., coat, school clothes, water bottles etc.  This will help us return lost items to children!

EMAILING THE SCHOOL

If you need to email the school regarding your child for any reason, please ensure you add your child's class on all emails (e.g., NAM - morning nursery, NPM - afternoon nursery, RA, 3B etc).  This makes it quicker and easier to pass on your message to the relevant members of staff.  Thank you.

NO CASH IN SCHOOL

A few children have been bringing cash into school this term.  Children are not allowed to bring cash into school and Vaughan cannot be responsible for any money lost.  Thank you for your understanding.

ATTENDANCE

If your child has an appointment during the school day, please email attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk with the date and time of the appointment and please include proof of the appointment.  This can be a hospital letter, a screenshot of a text, photo of a letter or by forwarding an email from the medical practitioner.  

If your child is absent from school for 5 or more consecutive days, we will require proof of absence.  GP receptionists can print out (for free) a sheet of paper which will show details of any appointments/phone calls in the last week or so.  Alternatively parents can send a photo of their child's antibiotics to the attendance email.  Please ensure your child's name is showing and the date of the medication being prescribed.  If you have any queries, please contact the school and we will be able to help.

Please also note that if your child is absent for 3 days either side of a school holiday we will require proof of absence in order to authorise the absence.  

FUNDRAISING

We recently had a MacMillan Coffee Morning in the staffroom, and we raised £82.83 for this amazing charity.  Thank you to all the staff who baked or bought a cake to be sold!  We have some amazing bakers!

 We recently sold poppies on behalf of The Royal British Legion.  In total, we collected £408.77 for them.  Thank you to everyone who bought a poppy!  

WINTER SAFETY ADVICE

In light of recent events on the news, please find below some winter water safety advice which you should share with your child/ren. 

Here's some fun puzzles for you to print for your child/ren:

These can also be downloaded here: RLSS UK Colouring in sheets UPDATED 2021

Have a safe and healthy Christmas break!

ONLINE SAFETY ADVICE

With Christmas nearly upon us and many children either receiving new devices or simply spending more time on them over the holidays), here is some advice for you to read.

Parents will be wondering who are children TALKING to, what are they DOING, and are they SAFE?  How can they tell if an app or game is APPROPRIATE?  How long is too long on DEVICES?  And how can you start an awkward CONVERSATION?

Please check out parentsafe.lgfl.net, a one-stop location for support and advice regarding keeping your child/ren safe online.

These step by step parental control guides by Internet Matters help parents set up the right controls and privacy settings on the networks, gadgets, apps, and sites they use for a safer online experience.

Common Sense Media has thousands of expert reviews of apps, games and films as well as what parents and children think about them.

This digital family agreement can help manage expectations and clarify what is allowed...or not, how much time you can spend on devices, and ground rules like no phones at the table or in bedrooms at night. 

Find all the above and more including story time ideas and guidance on specific topics from bullying and relationships to sharing online at parentsafe.lgfl.net.

KEY MESSAGES FROM WELFARE

Flu Immunisation Catch-ups

If your child missed the recent flu immunisations in school, the catch-up clinic at Alexandra Avenue will be on:

• Monday 19^th December (all day), 
• Tuesday  20^th December (1.30pm - 4.00pm), and 
• Wed 21^st December (1.30pm - 4.00pm)

MOVE AND LEARN SESSIONS WITH WATFORD FOOTBALL CLUB

 Pupils in 4B & 4C had the opportunity to work on the Move and Learn programme with some coaches from Watford Football Club.

The children were taught Handball, Dodge Ball and Football skills.

The programme also involved learning a about the importance of a balanced meal, exercise and hydration.  The children really enjoyed the sessions and learnt a lot from them.  Here are some photos of the activities.

HARROW FOODBANK

Further information is available from the following website:
https://harrow.foodbank.org.uk/

TERM DATES

School will close at 1.35pm on the last day of each term
(Friday 16th December 2022, Friday 31st March 2023 and Friday 23rd July 2023).

Afternoon Nursery will be closed on the last day of each term.

After School Club finishes at 4.00pm on the last day of term. 

Please do not book holidays for during term time as these will not be authorised.  If you wish to request leave from school, please complete a Request for Leave form and email it to attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk for Mrs Jones' attention.