Newsletter Week 30: w/e 24th May 2024

the best you can

Newsletter

w/e 24th May 2024

Message from the Head

As we near the end of another half term, I would like to wish you all a wonderful half term break – I really do hope the sun makes some sort of appearance over the week! The final half term of the year will then commence and will include Sports day (timings are confirmed in this newsletter), class photos on 6th June and our Year 6’s will be preparing their show and the leavers assembly. We will also host Meet the Teacher meetings once the dates for these have been confirmed.

Looking forward to seeing all the children back in school on Monday 3rd June.

With my very best wishes,

Mrs Stevens

Attendance Stats

Kittiwakes	84%
Sandpipers	96%
Curlews	96%
Cormorants	90%
Puffins	98%
Herons	98%
Guillemots	95%

Thank you for your support in ensuring your child has good attendance. Please be reminded that the government expects all children not to miss school due to family holidays. Any child who takes 6 days or more of unauthorised absence will need to be referred to the Local Authority.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am sure you have all read yesterday’s communication about Mr Watkins being the incoming Headteacher at Mabe from September. I am confident that he will continue to lead Mabe from strength to strength and he is excited about meeting you all during this next half term. I just wanted to take this further opportunity to say a huge thank you for all the support that you have given to me and our wider school staff over this year – it has been a tremendous privilege to lead this school and the children and families at Mabe are very special. As I will be leading a local school that sits within the Fal Cluster of Kernow Learning schools, I will still be able to hear about all the wonderful work taking place at Mabe, and no doubt, I will be able to pop in from time to time to see the children and see first-hand the progress they are making.

This week was a real treat for me as I got to accompany our year 4 children on their residential to Porthpean. It was an absolute joy to see the children challenging themselves on the water, high up on the ropes and through the caving experience. They were complete ambassadors for our school and the instructors commented upon their enthusiasm, listening and ‘can do’ attitude. We are so proud of you year 4. Thank you for giving us teachers who came with you such a fun experience – and we even managed to get some sleep in too! In a few weeks, it will be the turn of year 6 who are going to Barton Hall for their residential experience.

Over the last few weeks, I have been contacted and made aware of an important group that has been established by some of our parents called the ‘Parents of the Mabe Primary School Smartphone Free Childhood group’. This group has recently joined a grassroots movement of parents called Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC), which sprung up in the UK in February 2024. It has triggered a national conversation about the age at which we give children smartphones. Feeling strongly about the issue and with similar concerns, a Mabe Primary Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp group has been formed and the invitation is open to other parents who may also have concerns/questions on the subject. The group is also in contact with other Cornwall based groups of parents as well as the national group 'Smartphone Free Childhood'. Further information about this group and what it means is included later on in the newsletter.

Notices

Sports Day

We are planning for our Sports Day to be held on Tuesday 18th June.

EYFS and KS1 will take part in the morning with a start time of 9:15am. The PTA are providing refreshments and lollies and there will be some time after the sporting events where you can have some time together as a family enjoying the refreshments on offer.

KS2 Sports will then be held in the afternoon starting at 1:45pm. Again, after which, there will be opportunity for you to enjoy the refreshments on offer from our PTA together before the children come back into school to get ready for the end of the day.

(The back up day in the event of poor weather conditions is Wednesday 26th June).

Summer Fayre Update.

To help our summer fayre be successful, we are requesting the following items to be donated for a variety of tombola stalls. Please see dates for each donation window:

Teddy Bear Tombola – Tuesday 7th May to 17th May – Donations of Teddy Bears and soft toys
Child’s Tombola prizes - 20th May to 7th June – Donations of something your child would like to win
Adult’s Tombola prizes - 10th June to 21st June – Donations of something you would like to win!
Cake Stall – Donations to be received on the day only – 5th July

Up until this point there has been very little research/evidence to demonstrate the negative impact that this smartphone technology is having on our children. However, there is now research with a pattern emerging. It shows a clear link between the age a child receives their first smartphone and mental health issues in young adulthood.

Technology presents many incredible benefits and opportunities, but how best do we navigate it at this critical stage of pre-teen development? Psychologists suggest that young children aren’t neurologically equipped to have a healthy relationship with something so addictive. It’s hard enough for us adults! Even though steps are being made by the government and the regulatory organisation Ofcom, our children still aren't being protected enough from exposure to harmful content and addiction.

We know this can be a controversial subject and there is no definitive answer – every parent wants to do what’s best for their child, but speaking to a number of parents already, peer pressure, the fear of their child being ostracised, along with the lack of exposure to critical psychological research are the leading reasons of why they succumb to the pressure of buying their child a smartphone. Parents have been put in an impossible position. The people who are ultimately responsible are tech companies and governments- not parents.

This group aims to open up the discussion, share the latest research and ultimately navigate their way through this difficult issue. What is important to note is that it is completely free from judgement and has the sole aim of uniting parents who also have concerns.

If you would like to join, please follow the link below: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JblwRQRKrrmHEx1dF58DxB

Personal Development News

At Mabe our personal development programme is threaded throughout our curriculum. Our vision for Personal Development is in line with the CCEA’s definition:

'Encouraging each child to become personally, emotionally, socially and physically effective, to lead , safe and fulfilled lives; To become confident, independent and responsible citizens, making informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives’

This week as part of our Personal Development programme:

Year 4 were simply wonderful on their residential experience at Porthpean and made the most of every opportunity from caving, to kayaking, to climbing. They loved sleeping in tents that were big enough for bunk beds! A super experience all round.
Year 1 have been super artists this week learning how to mix colours and use brushstrokes to create African sunset pictures. Their artwork is now displayed in school for all to enjoy.
This week our Cormorants Cinema opened where children showcased their films that they had created in their Computing learning based on their favourite books. The red carpet was even laid out for them!

Curriculum News

Looking ahead to after half term, we will be exploring all sorts of ways of travelling in our Transport topic.

The last topic of Year 1 will be focusing on ‘how seaside holidays have changed over the last 100 years.’

After half term, we look forward to our new ‘Islands’ topic, which largely focuses on Geography.

After half term, Puffins will be delving into the age of the Vikings, exploring how and why they came to Britain and the impact that they have had on our country.