Message from the Head of School

Dear Parents/ Carers,

Welcome to our school newsletter! The children have returned to school a credit to you all; smart, alert, and ready to learn. Throughout the school, there is a great working atmosphere, and we are excited to begin our new year together. At Yew Tree, we pride ourselves on learning together to achieve success, based on high expectations and equality of access for all. We nurture the growth of the whole child- academically, socially, emotionally, morally, and physically celebrating all achievements in a safe, caring and creative environment. The whole team works together to bring learning ‘alive’ and extend pupils’ experiences so that they are well-prepared for the next steps in their education.

We believe a happy child will be a successful child and work to ensure every child enjoys school and achieves success. We have a dedicated team who work together to provide the best teaching and learning experiences that we can through an exciting and engaging curriculum.

Our parents and carers play a key role in ensuring all children are fully supported at home and at school. We work closely with our parents and know the importance of their ongoing support in ensuring our children achieve the best they possibly can.

Message from Shaukat Islam (CEO of Yew Tree Community School)

I am delighted to inform you that Mrs Adams is now the permanent Head of School of Yew Tree Community School. Mrs Adams has been a valuable staff member at Yew Tree since 2012 and is looking forward to continuing her journey with us.

Exciting opportunities to be a school governor!

Yew Tree Community School needs committed and engaged governors from a range of backgrounds, who can bring different insights and experiences to their governing boards.

School governors make sure the school provides good quality education for all children. When you become a school governor, you'll become a member of the school governing board. School governors work with the head of school and the senior leadership team to set the school's vision, aims and objectives. 

We are considering holding future meetings within the school day to accommodate potential governors' needs.

If you are interested in supporting our school and helping to shape our future, please see Mrs Adams or e-mail us at enquiry@yewtree.bham.sch.uk.

Reception Class 2024 Applications
If your child was born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020, they will be eligible to start our Reception class in September 2024. This applies to all our current Nursery pupils. However, the Reception admission arrangements mean that if your child is in our Nursery, you do not automatically get a place for your child at this school next year for Reception.

You will need to apply online for a Reception place at the following website by 15 January 2024:

https://eadmissions.birmingham.gov.uk/

If you require help with filling in your online admission form, please contact school and we will be able to assist.

REMINDER FOR YEAR 6 PARENTS: Secondary School Application Deadline

If your child is in Year 6, you will need to make sure you make an application for a secondary school place by 31st October 2023. You can do this by going online at: https://eadmissions.birmingham.gov.uk/

If you would like help or support in accessing and using the online application service, please contact school as soon as possible. 

Breakfast Club

Entry to the breakfast club will be between 7:45a.m - 8.00a.m where parents can leave children at the gate. After 8am, parents will have to escort children to the school office. The food counter will close at 8:15am.

Our new website is now live!

We are very excited and proud to announce the launch of our new primary school website: Yew Tree Community School - Home. Our aim was to create a dedicated site to keep our school community up to date with school news, support parent engagement and showcase some of the great things our pupils are achieving. We designed the website to be a source of information ranging from helpful links, term dates and latest news, whilst improving access to key information and statutory documents. We will be updating the class pages over the next half-term and look forward to developing the website further over the coming months. We hope that you find it useful. If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions for other information you would like to see on the site, please do let us know. Please check the website for all upcoming events.

Homework

Reading

The children should be reading at home every day for at least 10-20minutes depending on their year groups. They should then discuss what they have read and record in their reading diaries.

Times Tables

The children will be expected to practise their times-tables online on their Times Table Rockstars account.

Spelling

The children will receive weekly spellings to practise. They will be tested weekly.

School Uniform

Please ensure that your children always wear the appropriate uniform. A polite reminder that our uniform is as follows:

· Red cardigan or jumper

· White polo shirt

· Grey skirt or trousers

· Black sensible shoes or black trainers.

If you choose to send your child in trainers, they must be all black (they should have no other colours on them). 

· Children not wearing the appropriate school shoes will have to wear their plimsolls in school.

Dates for your diary:

Mon 30th October– Fri 3rd November: autumn half-term holiday

Mon 6th November: Staff training day - school closed to pupils

Tuesday 7th November: School back open to pupils

Thursday 21st December: Final day for children - break up for Christmas holidays

Friday 22nd December: School closed for children - staff training day

Mon 25th December - Friday 5th Jan: Christmas holidays

Mon 8th January: School closed to pupils - staff training day

Tuesday 9th January: Children back to school for spring term 

To see the full list of school dates and events, please see the calendar on our school website: Yew Tree Community School - Events

 

The children in Year 2 had a brilliant day visiting Birmingham Central Mosque as part of their R.E unit!

 

 

4O have worked so hard this term, learning how to play the steel pans. So far, we have practised the notes and are starting to put together simple rhythms. One of the most important lessons we have had is how to play the pan gently, which produces soft notes that are easy on the ears!

Year 4 had a trip back in time this term, all the way back to 43AD! We had a visit from a Roman gladiatrix (that's a female gladiator if you didn't know) and she taught us all about Roman Britain. The children had the opportunity to dress up as soldiers in chain-mail and fight like gladiators with swords and spears. It was a fantastic experience and it was wonderful to hear how much knowledge the children have gained from their Ancient Rome unit of work this term.

For more information visit: Measles - NHS (www.nhs.uk)