Ditton Priors will be turning on the Christmas lights this coming Thursday 1st December at 6.30pm at St John the Baptist Church.

Come along and enjoy the first carols of the season, followed by mulled wine and mince pies.

We appreciate that parking is difficult at present with the current necessary building work. However, today, we have had an issue raised by Connexus Housing Association about parking at the rear of properties on Station Road, blocking access to driveways.

They have asked us to remind anyone visiting the school that parking here is strictly for residents only. They have also informed us that they are looking at purchasing signs to try to make it clearer that this is the case and that they will be policing this area in the future to help.

With the cost of living crisis, is it possible that your child is eligible for Free School Meals and you haven’t yet claimed?

The qualifying criteria for free school meals are:

* Income support
* Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
* Income-related employment and support allowance
* Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
* The guaranteed element of pension credit
* Child tax credit (provided you’re not also entitled to working tax credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
* Working tax credit run-on – paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit. Proof of this will be required
* Universal credit – provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods

It is easy to apply on-line at https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/free-school-meals/apply-for-free-school-meals/

Children in receipt of Free School Meals are also eligible for free holiday activities provided through the Government’s Holiday, Activities and Food scheme which is provided by Shropshire Council.

As winter is approaching and cases of Covid within the community may begin to increase, please could we remind you of the procedures to follow if your child tests positive or has a high temperature and signs of a respiratory infection.

* They should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test or their symptoms began.
* If after 3 days, they feel well enough and do not have a high temperature they can return to school (this is because children tend to be infectious for less time than adults)

Please find below the link to the NHS guidance regarding Covid and children

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19#Children

There will be a new lunch menu after half term and details can be found by clicking on the link below. This will shortly be live on ParentPay for bookings after half term –

https://browncleeschool.org.uk/home/parents-area/office/meals-payment-and-menu/

A necklace has been handed into the school office which was found on the car park today. If you think this could be yours, please call by the office.

We have received the following e-mail from Severn Valley as the baton will be travelling on the Railway on Saturday 23rd July from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth and they thought that some of our families may be interested –

Good afternoon,

I hope you’re well.

We have the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games coming to the Severn Valley Railway on Saturday 23rd July and we’d like to invite as many local people as possible to see the purple engine, Elizabeth II, and the baton travel along the tracks from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth.

We’re providing free entry to our stations for you see it:
– Bewdley Station at 10.22am
– Arley Station at 10.37am
– Highley Station at 10.47am
– Hampton Loade Station at 11.00am
More info can be found here: https://www.svr.co.uk/events/birmingham-2022-queens-baton-relay/

If you want to see the baton at Kidderminster, a space on the station concourse has to be reserved using the link above.

Can you share this with your children’s parents please? We’d love to see you wave the train through.

Thank you 

Kindest regards,

Lewis Maddox
Events Manager

The school photographer will be collecting any orders for Class photographs on Thursday. Please could you send in any orders by Wednesday afternoon at the latest. Thank you.

The children will be bringing home a slip for ordering the Class photographs which were taken in May. This has a black and white print of the photograph. If you would like to see a colour copy of these, please call at the school office where we have copies which can be viewed.