08.09.17

Dear Parents/Carers

A very warm welcome back to the new academic year, and I trust you have all had a great summer break. I would like to extend a very special welcome to all new parents/carers and pupils who have joined Pitcheroak School this September. We are really pleased to welcome 18 new pupils this year.

We also welcome four new members of staff who have joined us at the start of this academic year:

·  Suzanne Barker – Class teacher in Early Years

·  Fiona O'Neill – Class teacher in Key Stage 2

·  Lesley Noke – Assistant teacher in Key Stage 3

·  Lizzie Addy – Schools direct trainee teacher based in Key Stage 2

The start of a new term can be a daunting time for pupils especially if they are new to school or moving into a new class or key stage. We have seen a very positive start so far, however, if any concerns should arise or you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact school so that we can address these at the earliest opportunity.

As part out our work in RE this year we are talking about the importance of Harvest festival and traditions, therefore we are asking pupils to bring in any unwanted food so this can be donated to a local charity. Our chosen charity this year is ‘New Starts’ which is a Christian community re-use social enterprise, based in Bromsgrove, North Worcestershire. ‘New Starts’ actively helps families that have fallen on hard times by providing furniture, household supplies and emergency food. Any help and support would be greatly appreciated. We are therefore requesting that items that are sent into school are non-perishable, i.e. tinned, packet or dried items, rather than fresh fruit or vegetables. The Sixth Form students will be in charge of organising this collection.

We have also recently been selected to receive a grant of £500 through Unicef UK and Clarks ShoeShare scheme. Parents and carers will be aware that we are working on the RRSA and as a result of this Unicef and Clarks have a partnership arrangement in place for a project called ShoeShare. This project involves gathering old or unwanted shoes at collection points in more than 500 Clarks stores across the UK to help all children, no matter where they are or what is happening around them, to access their right to education (Article 28). For every tonne of shoes collected, a donation is made to Unicef which goes towards education programmes around the world. To date, the partnership has raised an £1 million. So please if you have any old pairs of shoes that you no longer require please send them into school tied together with an elastic band on Monday 11th September (shoes that are in relatively good condition no holes or broken soles!)

Another date for your diary is Friday 29th September when Key Stage 4 will be hosting our annual Macmillan coffee morning. So please come along and catch up over a cuppa, enjoy some homemade cakes and the money you raise at the Coffee Morning will help us make sure no one has to face cancer alone.

Yours sincerely

S. Holden

Headteacher

Documents enclosed that need to be completed and returned to school by Friday 22nd September 2017

·  Data Collection sheets

·  Photo permission form

·  Uniform grant policy

·  Parent/carer questionnaire

Please refer to the school’s website for term dates and the privacy notice www.pitcheroak.worcs.sch.uk