Thank you to all for coming along this week to join in with and encourage the Nursery and Reception classes with their songs and actions. 

Thank you to everyone who supported our super Christmas Fayre this weekend. Your time, attendance and support for the school are greatly appreciated by staff and governors. Many thanks to the wonderful PTA team and helpers who ensured a successful day for school and the local community. What a super start to our Christmas calendar.

Thank you to 5SB for your informative and creative assembly this morning about our beautiful planet Earth. I especially enjoyed the retelling of the inspiring true story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the plastic bags that were polluting her community. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred. This story reminds us all that something has to change and we can make a difference like Isatou Ceesay.

In Year 6 our pupils are encouraged to apply for special roles in the school such as House and Sports Captains, ambassadors for subjects such as music and I.T. as well as offering their time as ‘helping hands’. The staff panel read the pupils’ written applications taking into account their efforts, attitudes and behaviours during their time at LHPSN and agreed which pupils were most suitable for the roles and responsibilities. Additionally, each member of staff also takes part in a secret ballot to vote for our Head Girl and Head Boy which every child in Year 6 is automatically nominated for. This year, I am delighted to announce that Sophie F (6CW) and James E (6AB) were elected as our Head Girl and Head Boy,two excellent role models in effort, behaviour and attitudes to learning.

The House Captains and Sports Captains were also selected for their skills and personal qualities, they are:
Ash (Blue): Toby H-S (House Captain) and Finlay W ((Sports Captain)
Beech (Red): Kiki W (House Captain) and Ewan B (Sports Captain)
Chestnut (Green): Olivia C (House Captain) Caitlin Brunn (Sports Captain)
Oak (Yellow): Jack S (House Captain) Eva H (Sports Captain)

REMINDER: This Friday, 15th November, is Children in Need day and there will be lots of exciting Pudsey themed activities going on all day at Lickey to raise funds for this brilliant cause. Children and grown-ups can wear something yellow with their school uniform for the day. Please bring in some silver coins for our bake sale and playground games – other coins can also be brought in to cover our Pudsey posters! And don’t forget to send in your funnies by Wednesday 13th for the Voice Box Joke Competition – the winning entry will be announced during the Children in Need assembly (once we have managed to stop laughing…)

We had our EYFS open morning this week and 14 children from Yr6 were chosen to meet the new families, escort them around EYFS and answer their questions about LHPSN. On their way out every single visitor, without fail, commented on what lovely children they were, their wonderful manners, how knowledgeable and proud they were of their school and how welcoming they had been. Thank you

Cordelia, Caitlin, Toby, Otis, Ewan, Arham, Carla,
Olivia, Alex, Dylan, Lily, Sophie, Sam and James.
Thank you for representing our school so well.

Good mental health, just like physical health, is vital for everyone. The government’s first “State of the Nation” report on children’s wellbeing was published this week to coincide with World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October. 7,000 young people aged between 10 and 24 were questioned about their mental wellbeing. According to the findings of the report, 83% of those surveyed reported having high ‘life satisfaction’. Meanwhile, 94% of children said they felt happy with their family, 92% said they felt happy with their friends and 96% per cent re-
ported feeling in good or very good health. One of the key reasons for reported unhappiness or poor mental wellbeing was bullying, including cyberbullying. The study’s findings are important because we should be pleased that so many young people are resilient to the pressures of 21st Century life however as a school we aim to support those who struggle too. The Mental Health Foundation website states that “Good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded,
healthy adults.” T

hey also add things that can help keep children and young people mentally well including:

 being in good physical health, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise
 having time and the freedom to play, indoors and outdoors
 being part of a family that gets along well most of the time
 going to a school that looks after the wellbeing of all its pupils
 taking part in local activities for young people.

Other factors are also important, including:

 feeling loved, trusted, understood, valued and safe
 being interested in life and having opportunities to enjoy themselves
 being able to learn and having opportunities to succeed
 accepting who they are and recognising what they are good at
 having a sense of belonging in their family, school and community
 feeling they have some control over their own life
 having the strength to cope when something is wrong (resilience) and the ability to solve problems.

As educators, we welcome the report https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-state-of-the-nation-report-marks-world-mental-health-day. It recognises some
of the good practise we already have in place at LHPSN but will also help us better understand patterns and issues to make sure appropriate support is in place
when and where needed.

Over the summer I was delighted to find out that our school had been successful in upgrading our School Sports Mark from ‘Bronze’ to ‘Silver.’ This is the first time that Lickey Hills has gained the ‘Silver’ mark and it really is a big achievement which is reward for the effort that our wonderful children and staff put into our sport last year. We went to more tournaments, ran more lunchtime clubs and even started the ‘Daily Mile’ initiative in Key Stage 2 which secured us this upgrade. We are looking forward to carrying on in this spirit this year and hopefully push for Gold! Thank you to Mr Brewer for his ongoing commitment and enthusiasm for our sporting success.

The Staff of Lickey Hills Primary School and Nursery invite you to

‘Meet the Teacher’ Wednesday 11th September anytime between 3.30pm – 5.30pm.

Please collect your child and then Y1-Y6 parents come and sign in at the main entrance any time between the opening hours above. Reception parents collect your children and sign in at the EYFS building.

Children and siblings are welcome and we encourage you all to come and visit your child’s new classroom and see why everyone enjoys learning at LHPSN.

There will be an opportunity to meet teachers individually and discuss your child’s progress at parents evening later this term on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th November 2019.

Applications for Lickey Hills Primary School September 2022;  Admission to Reception is in September at the start of the school year in which the child has his/her 5th birthday. This is a once a year admission date open to all parents.

Apply online Worcestershire School Admissions – You can do this via this link: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20099/school_admissions

You will need an email address. You will be sent an email to acknowledge your application and you will receive receipt of your submitted application. If you do not have access to the internet at home – you can apply at any  Worcestershire library.

Our Starting School Programme ; Parents/Carers are invited to a ‘Welcome to Early Years Induction Evening’ during the second part of the Summer Term prior to the term in which your child starts school. At this meeting we share our Welcome booklet and our starting school arrangements with you. Home visits take place in the summer term along with stay and play sessions. We will always work with you to ensure a smooth start to LHPSN.