Hello families, we hope the week has ended well for you all. School has been as busy as always and we've ended with our wonderful Values Assemblies celebrating all those children going above and beyond to show show Integrity. 

This time last week, I was with members of our choir at the Young Voices event, rehearsing for the evening concert- thank you to the many families who supported the event- we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. 

Last Saturday was Holocaust Memorial Day- the day where we remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi Persecution and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Although we did not mark this day in school, as a school family we wanted to take a moment to recognise the day and what it stands for; it is so important for us to learn about the past and take action to create a safer future for our children. 

Values of The Week 

Today, teachers have presented the Values Certificates to the following children for demonstrating Integrity.

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During Parents Evening, Mrs Kovacs and Mr Purcell will be available for drop in appointments if you would like to talk about any pastoral concerns or get some advice.

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Given that it is national story telling week, it only seemed fitting that we chose a quote from the master of storytelling. Storytelling helps build empathy amongst those listening and helps build identity in those telling their story. We encourage you to tell stories at home with your children wherever possible. 

We are eagerly awaiting the return of our much-loved attendance ambassador, Katie Walker-Bailey. Once she is back with the BVP Team next week, she will be announcing the first classes to win our attendance armadillos for achieving the best attendance. This means you have another week to strive to maximise your attendance! 

As you will probably know, we have been participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. programme this term. "Speak out. Stay safe." for children aged 5-11 which aims to help them understand abuse in all its forms and to recognise the signs of abuse. It teaches children to speak out if they are worried, either to a safe adult or Childline.
This child friendly programme is aligned with the curriculum and consists of age appropriate virtual assemblies and supporting classroom based activities which we reviewed. We delivered this content in an engaging and interactive way with the help of the NSPCC mascot Buddy. If you would
like to know more about the Speak out. Stay safe. programme visit www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout.

Also, see BVP's certificate below which celebrates our pupils' participation in the programme.

Here's this week's anti-bullying poster from our tremendous Anti-Bullying Ambassadors! They have playfully illustrated the importance of being kind. Why make people feel sad by being mean, when you can make them happy by being kind? 

Thank you so much to all the parents that came to talk to our pupils during ‘Jobs January’. We have had some amazing feedback from pupils, parents, and staff. It has been a great way to showcase to the children a whole host of different career paths that are available to them. 

This week we are focusing on ‘Keep Learning.’  We're always learning new things – often without realising it. Feeling like you are learning and developing can boost your self-esteem, feel more productive and more in control of your life.

What can you learn today? Here are a few ideas:

• Tying your own shoelaces or buttoning up your coat.
• Researching a special interest
• Learning a new skill, song, or how to say something in another language

Learning something new gives us an opportunity to support our children’s Growth Mindset-  teaching children they can improve their skills and abilities.

Here are two ways to encourage your child to adopt a growth mindset:

• Add the word ‘yet’. When your child claims “I can’t do this” say: “You can’t do it yet”
• Practise (and fail) with your child.Trying new things can be scary, but it’s often less daunting when you do it with others. As a family, you might decide to try something new and celebrate your learning and your failures when it doesn’t work (the first, second, or even the ninety-ninth time!).

Email your photos or come and tell us how you do! [email protected]

Well done to everyone who has made an extra effort to ‘connect’ with those around. A special ‘Shout Out’ goes to the following children who were the first to complete our challenge- thank you for making our days brighter:

Josh in Yr 4 (right) – visited us to chat about his trip to Harry Potter World. It sounds like it was an amazing trip and the photos were magical!

• Che in Yr 4 for ‘Connecting’ with others by inviting and playing a game with someone new- a great time was had by all!
• Ceylin in Yr3 for welcoming and encouraging a younger child into our Cottage.
• Evie in Year 5 for taking the time to talk to new people at Girl Guides and helping Mum lay the table!
• Kareem in Yr 1 joining in with a game of ‘Cafes’ with new friends.

Next week is Children's Mental Health Week. This year’s theme is ‘My Voice Matters' - empowering and giving a voice to all children across the UK. Click on the link below for more information and how to get involved: 

Children's Mental Health Week (childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk)

Place2Be is a website dedicated to children’s mental health and has lots of tips and advice for supporting children and their families:

Place2Be: Parenting Smart: Articles

This week we have included their Top Tips sheet for parents: ‘How to talk to children about mental health’, and Top Tips for children who may be worrying.

Young Voices 

Last Friday 38 of our choir members took part in Young Voices at World Resorts Arena. The children joined over 5000 other singers and raised the roof. It was an absolutely phenomenal evening, as A in 5H has so beautifully captured in her quote:

I LOVED IT! This was my first time at Young Voices but it felt like a second home because everybody there was like me and loved music. It was a really great experience. With all of the lights, and the big cheering crowds I felt like a rockstar! I’m sure everyone else did too. My favourite part was when the street dancers did their tricks and flips. I also enjoyed singing 'A Sky Full of Stars' and performing the 'Matilda' medley.

Thank you to our wonderful staff and parent helpers who ensured the children had a fantastic time.

School Orchestra 

The school orchestra is gearing up for their trip next Tuesday 6th February to hear the KS2 CBSO concert in the Symphony Hall. A reminder that the children will need to bring a packed lunch with them that day and we will arrive back by 4.30pm. Thanks you again to our parent helpers for volunteering for this event.

Letters went out and have been emailed about the orchestras concert in the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on Thursday 21st March. If you haven't done so already, could you please let Mrs Vaughan know if your child is unable  to take part in this concert.

Guitar and Ukulele Concert - Friday March 8th

Parents and carers of children in Years 3-6 who have been learning the  guitar and ukulele for more than a term with Mr Reed are invited to our annual concert in George Hall on Friday March 8th. Doors will open at 2pm for a 2.15pm start. 

Stopping Music Lessons

A gentle reminder that if your child wishes to stop having music lessons, this must be put in writing to Mrs Vaughan by March 15th at the very latest.

You’ve probably heard the saying that ‘numbers are all around us’. Everywhere you look – in your house, in the garden, on the way to school – numbers are everywhere!

In this Stone Age picture, the numbers are literally all around you, waiting to be found! How many numbers can you spot? Do you notice anything interesting about them? Are they odd, even, large or small? How many digits do they have? What are their factors? Are they a multiple in a times table? What would be the total if you added them all together? Some questions to make you really think about the numbers all around us!

We were delighted to welcome superstar author A.F Steadman to school today. She writes the Skandar series of books. Annabelle spoke to us about her books, her inspirations, her own life story and then we got to create our own unicorn.

She wrote a story on the spot with Heidi in Year 5 as the star! It was a fantastic experience. Her first book is going to be made into a movie, we can’t wait for that!

A message from our Yr6 journalists: A.F Steadman's Visit 

A.F Steadman is an author, who wrote the famous Skandar books: Skandar and the Unicorn Theif; the introduction to the series, Skandar and the Phantom Rider and finally, Skandar and the Trials of Chaos. 

Then the School Journalists (A.W, J.F, L.R, R.H, F.G, O.V, F.D) got to interview A.F Steadman.

Here is what we asked her:

“Did you get the idea for the elements featured in the first books from Harry Potter?”

She replied:

Yes, a bit, but it was also mixed in with all of the other fantasies I have read.

The second question we asked her was:

“If there was another book series she could write what would it be about?”

She said:

“I feel as if I would like it to be about supernatural with ghosts as the spirit element featured in the first two books is similar to supernatural figures.”

She also stated that she has already wrote the fourth book. Along with this huge information, she announced that the first Skandar book (The Unicorn Thief) will be turned into a film. She did not say when it would be released.

In 1983, President Ronald Regan proclaimed the first National Inventors Day which takes place every year on Thomas Edison’s birthday (11^th February) who is famous for inventing the early version of the lightbulb. The proverb ‘Necessity is the matter of invention’ says a lot about how inventors look at life.

What is your favourite invention?

What would you invent and why?

Here is a useful link to remind you how to be SMART when online:

https://www.childnet.com/young-people/4-11-year-olds/get-smart/

• S is for safe
• M is for meet
• A is for accepting
• R is for reliable
• T is for tell

Remember to always be smart with a heart by being kind and respectful to others online. Make the internet a better place by helping your friends if they are worried or upset by anything that happens online.

Next week will be Menu- Week 2

Fresh seasonal salad bar and fresh bread available daily, as well as a daily selection of fresh fruit and fruit yoghurts.

Get Ready For Chip Shop Day!

World Thinking Day is when Girlguides and Scouts (Rangers, Guides, Scouts, Brownies, Beavers, Rainbows and Cubs) everywhere remember each other and their commitment to international friendship and understanding.

We are therefore inviting students who are part of these organisations to wear their Girlguides and Scouts uniform to school on the Thursday 22nd February.

We hope everyone that picked up bird seed last week had fun in the garden spotting birds and ticking off those that they saw. Please send any photos you may have taken of your children enjoying the activity, we would love to see them. You can send them into the BVP enquiry email address. 

We have also confirmed the next quiz! It will take place on 5^th July - so pop it in your diary. You've got plenty of time to get your teams together!

Instead of opening the school shop during Parents Evenings next week, we are going to open it on the last day of half term, along with some music. We have received lots of positive feedback about putting music on at pick up time, but please do bear with the eclectic music choices!

Please feel free to donate any good quality, clean uniform items throughout next week so that we can make it available to those that need it.

You can find all important PTA dates for the rest of Spring/Summer Term on our website - https://bournvillehsa.wordpress.com/calendar/.

This includes hat parades, egg hunts, discos and Year 6 leavers celebration dates.

At the AGM, we nominated David Roberts as PTA Chair, and it was acknowledged that David has been a trustee of the charity for 10 years this month - and allowed him to pick the first biscuit as a result. We also nominated Veronica as treasurer for another year and thanked her for her continued financial control of the charity. They are both looking forward to providing continued energy, enthusiasm and financial control throughout 2024, and both welcome anyone who wants to join the growing core team.

We did note that with both David and Veronica leaving the School in July 2026, we will want to put in place a succession plan to ensure the good work of the PTA continues. 

If you are reading this and are thinking "I would like to volunteer, but there is no way I'm putting the music on in the playground, or standing up in front of everyone and doing a presentation", then please do not be put off. We play to strengths of those around us, and you don't need those skills to be in a formal role. One of the key skills is simply putting the right people, in the right place, at the right time, to do a great job. Consider it carefully if you think you can help the PTA to continue its good work. Mrs Cooper will continue to be a trustee of the charity in her role as Headteacher of the school and Matt Rogers is getting closer to the activities, so there is plenty of support around.  

Football Funatics are now taking bookings for their February Holiday Camps.

Choose from one of the amazing venues below and be a part of the fun this half term.

Dates: Monday 12th Feb - Friday 16th Feb 2024 

Times: 9AM - 3PM each day. 

Price: £17.50 per day.

(10% discount for siblings and full week bookings)

(additional charges of £5 per 15 mins may be applied for late collections)

A labelled packed lunch, snacks & water bottle are required each day that will be left securely at the venue.

Football Funatics have a number of different art and multisport workshops including; Boxercise, Fun Training Session, Dance class, Games Day, Fun Sports Day, Gymnastics, Football and lots more sports, arts and crafts. These are all included in the price.

Secure your place now by booking on one of the links below or visiting www.footballfunatics.co.uk 

Billesley Primary School Playscheme Booking Form

https://forms.gle/PgLSnRqm1XFx5BTA6

Hollywood Primary School Playscheme Booking Form

https://forms.gle/w9ysNydJmnENYfEeA

We will then be in touch with more details and a welcome letter for your specified venue. 

A deposit of £17.50 is required to confirm your space after a welcome letter is received.

Thankyou for keeping in touch via our enquiry@ and head@ email addresses- we know we can do the best for our children when we work closely with our families, so keep the suggestions and ideas coming!

We hope you have a good weekend and that you manage to get an extra moment or two with your loved ones before the week starts again!

Take care all. 

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of everyone in our school and at all times we consider what is in our children’s best interests. We work to ensure our children our safe and cared for and by doing this we are protecting their health and development and preventing them from harm. If we are worried, we will raise concerns, share information, and take prompt action with the aim of ensuring families receive the right help at the right time.