The Diocese of Nottingham

The Diocese of Nottingham ST JOHN FISHER CATHOLIC VOLUNTARY ACADEMY Alvaston Street, Alvaston. Derby DE24 0PA Telephone: (01332) 572154 Fax:(01332)784642 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.stjohnfisher.derby.sch.uk Headteacher: Dr E Field

4th April 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Parents' Manners: Thank you to the vast chosen to send their children to. This in itself majority of our parents who are polite and undermines the school for everyone. friendly to the staff. We are fortunate to have Furthermore, I have received a few reports of so many parents who support the school and in late that one or two of these parents have doing so play a valuable role in helping the addressed staff in a rude and abrasive manner school to achieve its aim to work with our in front of their children. This is not acceptable parents to provide the best possible education and sends out a very wrong message to the for their children. Saint John Fisher opens its children. Teachers do not have to tolerate doors to parents and genuinely seeks to listen rudeness form parents and they will not to them. The vast majority of parents are engage with parents who do not raise their appreciative of this and are able to raise any concerns in a polite fashion. concerns in a polite and constructive manner. I have also received reports of one or two of All the staff at Saint John Fisher are firmly our parents being rude and impolite towards committed to Parent Partnership and are more referees from visiting schools; putting a staff than happy to listen to parents concerns and member in the position of having to apologise seek to either address them or explain why it is to the visiting school for the behaviour of our not possible to respond in the way the parent parents. Again, this is completely would like. unacceptable. Parents who discredit the reputation of Saint John Fisher as a well- In-keeping with our Mission Statement, all the mannered and caring Catholic community by adults in the school community, including being rude to representatives from visiting parents, have a responsibility to reinforce the schools will be asked not to attend sports Gospel values which underpin Saint John fixtures or risk their children not being chosen Fisher by modelling the good manners and to represent the school in interschool matches. mutual respect we seek to instil in our children. It is with genuine regret, therefore, that the For the sake of our children and the vast behaviour of a very tiny minority of parents majority of parents who endorse our values, I compels me to have to issue the following would hate for Saint John Fisher to have to do statement: what some schools do, and display warning notes around the building, similar to those There is, sadly, a tiny minority of parents who found in Doctors' surgeries, to reminding persistently seek, at every opportunity, to run parents of the need to treat others with respect. down the very school that they have If allowed to go unchallenged these parents are in danger of undermining the Catholic St John Fisher Catholic Academy Trust is an exempt charity and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England with Company Number 8172988 and has a registered office at Alvaston St, Alvaston, Derby, DE24 0PA principles which are the very foundation of our librarians will be more than happy to advise school. Please could I encourage other parents parents on choice of stories. to counteract this negativity and help to promote the positive Christian atmosphere we Thank you to Parents for: CAFOD all desire for our children by encouraging these donations: We are blessed to have the most parents to raise their concerns in an kind and caring parents. Many of our parents appropriate way and to remind them that they have had to go without themselves in order to have chosen to send their children to Saint support this and that is a wonderful example to John Fisher. Parent partnership is about our children. The response to our Lenten genuinely working for the greater good of all CAFOD appeal has been heart-warming. We the school in a climate of mutual respect, not a have collected in the region of £170 to date . forum where a small minority of parents feel they must always get what they want the Attending Maths Makes Sense: Thank you so minute they demand it. much to the many parents who supported our Maths Makes Sense session. We received very Homework and Alvaston Library: We have positive feedback. Well done children on the been listening to our parents views on way you showed your parents how it works. homework and as a result we are making a We are hoping to arrange another session for couple of changes. Firstly, we are changing the parents to join their children’s maths classes days homework will be given out and handed later in the year. back in. Homework will be given out on Thursday to be handed in on Tuesday. This is Attending Parents Evening: We had close to to enable KS2 pupils to take advantage of 100% attendance. This just goes to show how homework support at Alvaston Library supportive our parents are of their children’s Thursdays Evenings 4:30- 6:30pm. Do learning. There is plenty of research to show please try and support this as, with the current that children’s whose parents take an interest level of Government cutbacks, libraries that are (not do their homework for them but ensure not well supported are likely to be closed down. that they do it!) in their learning do better than Secondly for some year groups you will find those who do not have this support. Our that there is less homework and possibly it is children are truly blessed. easier. This is in response to parent feedback and our Teaching Assessment. It is more Fundraiser: Do you shop online? We would beneficial to children’s learning if it is tightly like to encourage as many parents who do as focused to the child’s needs. If it is number possible to register with bonds and tables the child is expected to learn easyfundraising.org.uk please. Registration them so that they can answer quickly in any is free and if you name us as your ‘Good order, not just chant them through. The main Cause’ we will get a small % of the cost of homework is reading at least 3x a week. KS2 anything you purchase. It does not affect the pupils can undertake this for themselves and cost of what you are buying. Google in just ask their parents to sign, but now and then easyfundraising.org.uk or type the parents should ask a question or two, to http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk into the ensure they have read. If parents have time address bar. You will find all the information children of all ages do benefit from hearing a you need on there, including a useful short story that is beyond their reading age, perhaps video to explain how it works. It is a great way a page or two at bedtime. This develops their to earn some much needed additional funding language, introduces them to new authors and for new books and resources. Thank you. prepares them for next level of texts they will be reading for themselves. Again, the Alvaston

St John Fisher Catholic Academy Trust is an exempt charity and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England with Company Number 8172988 and has a registered office at Alvaston St, Alvaston, Derby, DE24 0PA be assured, however, that we will continue to Mrs Todd: The time for Mrs Todd’s departure is monitor provision and do our best to meet the fast approaching. If anyone would like to needs of all our pupils, including those with donate for a leaving gift please send it in a SEN. clearly labelled envelope to the office. Fr Mark is saying a Mass in school for her on 11th April September 2014 return to school date: @ 2:10pm, this will be followed by a Fair Trade Please note we will be returning to school Tea and Coffee Social if any parents wish to Thursday September 4th. This is the same for say goodbye to Mrs Todd. All donations for tea all the Catholic Primaries in Derby. and coffee will go to CAFOD. Happy Easter Thank you very much to our Universal Free School Meals : Some of you parents and parishioners for their continued may be aware that as of September 2014 all support in so many ways. Thank you to the KS1 (Yr R – Yr 2) will be entitled to have a PTFA and Parent Council who continue to play school meal provided and paid for. To enable a valuable role in the life of our school. On ourselves and the kitchen to plan for this we behalf of all the staff I wish all our families a will be sending out a questionnaire to gauge happy and holy Easter. the take-up. It is really important that parents who qualify for FSM still apply to enable the Last word to the children! Well done children, school to receive additional funding and to you have worked hard and behaved well this sustain the staffing and resources to meet your term, and still managed to have good fun! children’s needs. If you have any queries or Have a lovely Easter break (keep up the need assistance with the forms please do not reading, even if it is the wrapper on your Easter hesitate to let us know. Eggs or the Television Programmes!) plus a few books and comics of course.)

Financial Cutbacks: Along with schools across Derby we will have a significant cutback Best Wishes in our budget for the coming academic year. This will mean that we will be unable to pay for E.Field visits for our FSM pupils as we have done this year. We will look to see if we can offer any subsidy so it is very important that anyone who Diary Dates qualifies for FSM applies, even if they are in th KS1 (YR,Y1,Y2). It will help us to plan our 10 April – Yr 4/5 Easter Liturgy Yr4 @ 09:15am Yr 5 @ 09:45am educational visits if parents would complete the attached form. We are giving this information in 11th April – Achievement Assembly KS2@9:15am, advance as we appreciate that many of our KS1@10:45am parents will want to start saving now for next year. 11TH April – Whole school mass @ 2:10pm – Mrs The cutbacks will also affect the level of SEN Todd support we can access. This means already limited resources will be even scarcer. Please 11th April – Break up for Easter

28th April - Return to School

St John Fisher Catholic Academy Trust is an exempt charity and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England with Company Number 8172988 and has a registered office at Alvaston St, Alvaston, Derby, DE24 0PA