Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Year 5/6 Indoor Athletics

  Fri 25 Feb 2022

  Well done to our Year 5/6 Athletics Team who came second 🥈 at the County Finals this afternoon 👏👏👏👏

   

  They have now qualified for the East of England Finals in June! 

• Situation in Ukraine / Russia

  Fri 25 Feb 2022

  Situation in Ukraine / Russia

  Understandably, some of the children have been talking / asking questions about the situation in Ukraine today. 

  It is a very worrying and serious situation so it is not surprising that some of children are anxious about it. 

   

  We recommend that you spend some time talking to your child about it over the weekend.  Nobody has all of the answers, or knows what will happen next, but it is important that all children have a chance to ask questions, share feelings and feel reassured.

   

  The CBBC Newsround webpage is always a useful place to start. This has child-friendly information targeted at Key Stage 2 children. 

   

  Some useful clips are: 

  • The background to the tension between Ukraine and Russia
  • The Russian Invasion of Ukraine 
  • Advice if you are upset by the news

• Tips for talking to children about race and racism

  Thu 24 Feb 2022

  1) It is important to talk to children about race and racism.

   

  2) Some parents / carer might think that the best way to raise a child to not be racist is to not talk about race at all but it is never too early to talk about it and to help them to understand the world around them. Not speaking about race can make it seem like something you are not supposed to talk about.

   

  3) It is also natural to worry that you might get something wrong when talking about race, but take it one step at a time.  Remember that keeping the conversation about race going, rather than a single “talk” will help your child feel confident in asking you questions and telling you how they feel. If your child asks a question that you don’t have the answer to, don’t be afraid to say you don’t know.

   

  4) Saying that you “don’t see race” doesn’t help – race is not the problem, the prejudice and stigma attached to it is. By talking about race, your child will learn more about the issue, think for themselves and be more comfortable about speaking out about racism.

   

  5) It is important for children to be represented in the stories they read and see. Exposing your child to a diverse range of people, stories and characters from a young age can help to develop a positive attitude to widen out a child’s view of the world.

   

  It is also worth noting that children of a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background are likely to have experienced racism in some manner and are reminded of their race through this. Having the choice to not think about race is a privilege that only some people have.

   

  Full article available here 👉 Barnardo's Blog

   

  The Barnardo's Blog is a great place for parents / carers to visit and has up-to-date articles on topical subjects 👍

• Safer Internet Day 2022

  Wed 23 Feb 2022

  Today children in Y1-Y6 have had a visit from Bedfordshire Police to talk about staying safe online. They may talk to you about what they have learnt or discussed. Many children were shocked about age limits of online gaming platforms, that many of them use.  

   

  Online life and offline life is just life

  For many of us, we see our online lives and offline lives as different, but children are growing up with technology and the internet and for them there isn’t a difference; online life and offline life is just life.

   

  Technology can move at an extraordinarily fast pace and it can be difficult to know how to start talking to your child about what they’re doing online, who they might be speaking to or discussing the potential risks and issues.  

   

  Starting the conversation

  Talking regularly with your child is the greatest tool to help keep them safe online. Talking regularly and making it part of daily conversation, like you would about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed. It also means when they do have any worries, they’re more likely to come and speak to you.

   

  But it can also be easy to become overwhelmed with the different technology, the language that children use, the huge number of games and apps which are available and the potential risks.  

   

  Actions to take to stay safe online

  • Security settings to ‘FRIENDS ONLY’ (people they know and trust in the real world)
  • Only post photos and content they would be happy to show their granny ·     
  • Use the CEOP icon to report any issues that are not safe online https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/
  • Don’t share personal information online
  • Turn off webcams and don’t use them with people you don’t know
  • Delete people that make you feel uncomfortable and tell an adult

   

  Please remind children that they can always talk to an adult at home or school if they feel unsafe online.

• Omegle - Online Chat Service

  Mon 21 Feb 2022

  We have been made aware that some of our older children are using Omegle. 

   

  Omegle is a free online chat service which pairs random strangers into an online video call or text conversation, without the need to register or create an account. According to Omegle, the service is a great way to meet new friends while staying safe and anonymous, but openly admits that ‘predators have been known to use Omegle’. 

   

  Children under 13 are not allowed to use Omegle.

   

  Please see the attached Parent Guide for more information and some tips on how to keep your child safer online. 

   

  As the guide says, "Some people use Omegle so that they can enjoy sexually explicit conversations and share photographs or images with others in a live video call. There is the danger that some of the random people Omegle pairs your child with may have this intention. As well as the risk of seeing others take part in sexually explicit activities, these individuals may also ask your child to do similar things."

   

  It is illegal to make, possess, download, store and share sexual images, photos and videos of a person under the age of 18.

  

• End of Half Term Message

  Fri 11 Feb 2022

  Thank you for all of your support this half term - it has been much appreciated. 

   

  Coronavirus

  The high number of positive cases in our school community (108 since 6th January) have meant disruption to attendance, learning, school organisation (including clubs) and staffing; however, through the hard work and flexibility of our amazing staff team, and with your support, we have managed to keep all Reception - Year 6 classes open for the whole half term and the children making progress. 

   

  The good news is that, thanks to parents / carers, children and staff using the onsite Mobile Testing Unit last week, we seem to have found almost all of the undetected cases and we have had no new linked cases this week. 😀 

   

  We hope that things will be less challenging next half term! 

   

  Next Half Term

  As well as all of the exciting learning in class, we will be celebrating World Book Day (Friday 4th March) and a number of classes have visitors or visits booked on the calendar.

   

  Our Year 5 & 6 Indoor Athletics Team will also be representing Luton at the County Finals...

   

  And, coronavirus rules and case numbers permitting, we will have our first Mother's Day Afternoon Tea since 2019! 

   

  So lots of exciting things to look forward to! 

   

  Pupil Behaviour 

  Well done to the vast majority of children who have shown good behaviour this half term; we are so proud of you. 👍 

   

  And, if your child got all of their green, "well done" messages this half term, well done! 👏👏👏  

   

  On the odd occasions where a child does not meet our behaviour expectations, the support of parents / carers is crucial.  Thank you to those parents / carers who have supported their child and the school in these instances. 

   

  For a small minority of children who are struggling to meet our basic expectations we will be meeting with parents / carers next half term to devise behaviour plans so that we are all clear on what is expected of the child, the school and the parents / carers. These meetings will not be optional and will be on top of the sanctions that we already use (e.g. loss of lunchtime, after-school detention, internal exclusion, fixed-term exclusions) 

   

  If you need a reminder, our behaviour expectations are available here 👉 Parent Guide to Behaviour 

   

  School Uniform

  Well done to the vast majority of children who have worn the correct uniform (inc. PE kit) every day this half term; we are so proud of you. 👍 

   

  If you need a reminder, our uniform expectations are available here 👉 School Uniform 

   

  Homework

  Well done to the vast majority of children who have completed all of their homework this half term; we are so proud of you. 👍 

   

  For all children, homework includes:

  • Reading at home (and earning a keyring [Early Years / KS1] or Star Reader Bug [KS2])
  • Numbots [Early Years / KS1] or TT Rockstars [KS2]

   

  If you need a reminder, our homework expectations are available here 👉 Homework @ Pirton Hill

   

  Children can still read and play Numbots / TT Rockstars over the half term break! 

• World Book Day 2022

  Thu 10 Feb 2022

  World Book Day is a big event in our school’s calendar – promoting reading for pleasure across the school. 

   

  This year we will be celebrating on Friday 4^th March. We would like the children to dress as their favourite character from their favourite book and be able to share or talk about why they enjoy this book with the rest of their class. Their teachers will be doing the same. 

   

  Here is a link for costume ideas that can be made at home  https://www.madeformums.com/toddler-and-preschool/last-minute-easy-world-book-day-costumes/    

   

• Children's Mental Health Week

  Wed 09 Feb 2022

  This week is Children’s Mental Health Week. The week is run by the charity Place2Be, and focuses on the importance of promoting good mental health and wellbeing for children and young people.

   

  Please see that attached parent / carer leaflet for ideas on how you can support your child further at home. 

   

  Place2Be have also produced a short assembly for Key Stage 2 children to watch 👉 Primary Assembly 

• Safer Internet Day 2022

  Tue 08 Feb 2022

  Safer Internet Day 2022 is celebrated, today the 8th February with the theme ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’

   

  From gaming and chat, to streaming and video, young people are shaping the interactive entertainment spaces they are a part of. Safer Internet Day 2022 celebrates young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that is whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers. Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally in February each year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people, and to inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. 

   

  Please visit this website for more information. https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2022

   

  Luton Borough council are also running a Fake News, Extremism and the online space webinar for Parents, Carers and community members on: Tuesday 22nd Feb 1800-1930.   The session aims raise adults awareness on the increasingly complex and sensitive topic, tackling perceptions around fake news, conspiracy theories and extremism on and offline and how to support young people (and each other) to build resilience to these issues and related extremist ideologies.  

   

  For details and to book on, go to:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1-luton-220222-fake-news-parentscommunities-1800-1930-tickets-208057073307

• E-Cigarettes / Vaping

  Mon 07 Feb 2022

  A small number of children in upper Key Stage 2 have been talking about vaping on the playground over the last week and we want to support all parents / carers to provide their child with the facts.   

   

  An E-cigarette, or Vape, is an electronic device; they heat a liquid (vape-juice) until it produces an aerosol gas, that looks like smoke. Users breathe this into their lungs. The vape ‘juices’ usually contain nicotine, chemicals and ‘flavourings’.

   

  Vaping and e-cigarettes come under the same law as smoking. This law says that it is illegal to sell any tobacco products to someone under 18. It is also illegal for someone else to buy them for you if you are under 18.

   

  The NHS states that:

  • Many vaping ‘juices’ contain nicotine which is addictive and so it can be hard to stop using these products once you start; and 
  • Nicotine is harmful to the important child / teenage brain development.

   

  Young, growing bodies should not to use these products at all; there is not yet much information on what the long term effects of using vapes will be.

   

  Some recharging equipment for vapes have been found to be a fire risk.

   

  If a child (under 16) is caught in public with an e-cigarette, the police can confiscate it from them and, of course, this would also happen at school (here or at secondary school). 

   

  Childline has further information here 👉 Childline Vaping Info