Dear Parents & Carers
Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot!
This was a fairly standard playground chant when I was younger, but do you know why we remember the 5th November?
We remember the failure of Guy Fawkes and his gang to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 during a royal visit.
These days we celebrate with a hot chocolate and firework displays which sometimes include a roaring bonfire with a ‘Guy’ on top. If you do get to a firework display this year, why not see if anyone else knows the chant!
Kind regards
Mr McCadden
Swimming
Massive thanks to the parent who arranged for us to be School of the Month with Everyone Active at the Westgate Centre. The Adopt a School Programme offers all staff, pupils & their parents the opportunity to use Westgate centre FREE of charge for 2 weeks.
For Adopt a school we offer the following to any staff, parents or pupils!
• 2 week free for school staff
• 2 week gym, swim & classes pass for parents of pupils of your school.
• 2 week gym & swim pass for Juniors ages 11-15 which are pupils of your school
• 2 week of free swimming for any child under 11 which are pupils of your school
Please contact Everyone Active directly for more information.
Christmas Lunch
Our annual Christmas Lunch will take place on Wednesday 17th December during the last week of term.
It is now available to book for your child on ParentPay and must be done before the 4th December. Please make sure you have booked it online before then as there is nothing we can do to change missed or forgotten orders!
Our apologies but due to some unpaid accounts, the office cannot book this for you and must be done via ParentPay.
If you need help with setting up your ParentPay account please speak to the office, although forgotten passwords must be done directly through the app or website please.
January Clubs
After careful consideration, and looking at the model offered by other schools, we will be charging for all after school clubs after the Christmas holidays. Costs will be £3 per child per club and must be paid before your child attends the first session.
We are investigating a simple way of allowing you to pay for your child remotely without having to remember to pop into the office. The system will work in the same way, that your child’s place will be confirmed and then you will need to pay.
Nativity
Tickets will soon be available for our nativity performances as per the dates in the calendar section overleaf. While we have previously been able to offer this to parents for free, due to rising costs, we will be charging £2.00 per seat per performance. The performances will be able to book from Monday 10th November via ParentPay.
Mince Pies
Please join us for a mince pie and coffee or tea after the church service on Thursday 18th December in the school hall. We look forward to seeing you there!
Coats
As we head into the colder ‘brrr’ months, please make sure your child has a warm waterproof coat in school every day so that they can go outside to play.
As always, please label it with your child’s name. It is almost impossible to return a coat which has no name as many of them are identical!
We are getting our own Instagram account!
You have already granted consent (or otherwise) for our website and social media accounts as part of your registration process, however if you would rather not have your child’s photo on our Instagram page, please let the office know via email so we have a written record.
Mrs Saunders is in charge of setting up our account which will be called ‘@birdhamschool’. Please drop us a follow to see what is going on!
FLu Vaccinations Follow up
If you have already completed a form and your child wasn’t vaccinated in school, you will have received a separate email with clinic booking instructions and do not need to complete another form. Please refer to the ‘How do I book an appointment for my child to be vaccinated’ below.
If you did not return a consent form, but would like your child to receive this vaccination, it’s not too late. Please see guidance below on how to complete an online consent form and subsequently book an appointment. Bookings are now open for these clinics.
How do I consent / refuse to my child having these vaccinations?
Visit the following web address: https://www.susseximmunisations.co.uk/Forms/Flu
Enter and confirm your preferred email address – you will receive a confirmation email following submission of the consent form.
Enter the school code: SX125972 then complete and submit the consent form, indicating your choice of consent - Please ensure you provide the child’s registered address and GP.
Book an appointment by following the steps below.
Follow this link to book an appointment at one of our Community Catch up Clinics, for your child to receive the vaccination(s) – You will require your booking reference number which can be found within the email you receive(d) from Cinnamon once your consent form has/had been submitted:
https://www.susseximmunisations.co.uk/clinicbooking/booking
Arrange for an adult to accompany your child to their clinic appointment.
If you are unable to complete the online form, wish to change your consent or have any trouble booking an appointment, please contact your local Immunisation Team on 01273 696011 ext. 8100
And finally...
You are never too old to play in the leaves.
Calendar
| November 2025 | |
|
Friday 7th |
No Fantastic Friday assembly |
|
Friday 7th |
East Wittering Football tournament |
|
Tuesday 11th |
Goldfinch class parents evening 1/2 |
|
Thursday 13th |
Goldfinch class parents evening 2/2 |
| Friday 14th | School individual photos |
|
Thursday 20th |
FPTA Wreath making evening |
| Friday 21st | FPTA AGM – 9.30am |
| December 2025 | |
|
Thursday 4th |
FPTA Movie night |
|
Tuesday 9th |
KS1 Nativity at 9.30am |
|
Thursday 11th |
KS1 Nativity at 1.30am |
|
Friday 12th |
FPTA Christmas Fair (3.15 – 4.30pm) |
|
Wednesday 17th |
KS2 Carols by Candlelight, St James Church, Birdham at 6.00pm |
|
Wednesday 17th |
Christmas lunch & Jumper day |
|
Thursday 18th |
Church service at St James, Birdham at 9.15am and last day |
|
Thursday 18th |
Kingfisher visit to CFT |
|
Friday 19th |
INSET day 3/5 (school closed to children) |
| January 2026 | |
|
Monday 5th |
Return to school |
| February 2026 | |
| Tuesday 10th | Parents Evening 1/2 |
| Thursday 11th | Parents Evening 2/2 |
| Monday 16th | Start of Half Term |
| Monday 23rd |
INSET day 4/5 (school closed to children) |
| Tuesday 24th | Return to school & Paul Ullson visit (Peacock class) |
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Academic Year 2024/2025
