Post: Teaching Assistant (Level 3)

Start Date: September 2021

Grade and Scale Point: Grade 6 (SCP 7-11)

Hours: 31.5 hrs per week

Status: Fixed Term: Until July 2022 in the first instance.

We are seeking a Teaching Assistant with previous experience of supporting pupils with complex Special Educational Needs as well as experience of offering general classroom support.  There will also be some lunchtime supervision cover within the role. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, flexible and committed professional to join our thriving School and work with a hard-working and happy team.

We can offer:

• A welcoming and caring school with happy, motivated and well-behaved children.
• Attractive, well-resourced buildings and grounds in a stunning rural location.
• The support of hardworking and dedicated staff team.
• A supportive headteacher and governing body who care about staff well-being and professional development.

Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and further details can be obtained by contacting Mrs Mandy Lloyd (our wonderful Administrator) email: admin@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk or (01746) 712652

Completed application should be returned to the school either by email or post.

Closing date: Friday 25^th June (midday)

Interview date: Tuesday 29^th  June

Brown Clee C.E. Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, and volunteers, to share the same commitment. The successful applicants will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.  All support staff posts are subject to the Asylum and Immigration requirements.

Job Advert and Specification and Description

Teaching Assistant Application form

Good Morning Brown Clee!

I hope everyone had a good weekend and are rested and ready for another busy week of fantastic learning!

We would normally hold our virtual Teams assembly on a Monday but today I am busy with interviews for our Class 1 Friday teacher – so we will hold our ‘live’ assembly tomorrow – and if the weather is nice we will hold it outside!

Today though I would like us to continue to think about our Christian value of the half term – which is COMPASSION.  I would like us to link it to the quality of empathy – which we touched on last week.  Can you remember what is meant by empathy??….

……Empathy is when you can understand how someone else is feeling and when you care for them and if they are feeling down, because you understand what that feels like you want to show you care.  We talked about in order to be empathetic you need to follow 3 steps:-

1. LOOK – actually look and observe facial expressions, body language to read people’s feelings.  Ask yourself “What’s happening?”, “What’s going on?”, “What are they feeling?”
2. THINK – Put yourself in their shoes and think how you would feel.
3. ACT – Do something that you know would make you feel better if you were experiencing what was making your friend sad or upset.

It’s not easy to learn to express empathy – it is a very mature skill – but it is one that can make a massive difference!  Here are some examples of empathy to have a think about…

Shropshire Council have asked us to share the following information about walk in Covid vaccination clinics which will be running in Shrewsbury for Astra Zeneca first and second vaccinations and Pfizer 1st doses only –

The NHS are going to be running walk-in vaccination clinics at the Shrewsbury Bowls Centre, Sundorne Road, Shrewsbury SY1 4RQ from Sunday this week.

For people aged 40 and over (Astra Zeneca 1^st and 2^nd doses)

Sunday 20 – Tuesday 22^nd June inclusive 8.30am – 1pm

Sunday 27^th June 8.30am – 1pm

For 18-39 year olds (Pfizer 1^st doses only)

Wednesday 23^rd June 8.30am – 1pm

Sunday 4^th July – 8.30am – 7pm

As these are walk in clinics, there is no need to make an appointment.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we have been thinking about our Christian value of Compassion and linking it to the quality of empathy.  We have thought about how we all need to learn to be empathetic – to put ourselves in others shoes so that we can appreciate how they feel and then how to help them.

If we truly want to be a good friend we need to develop empathy.  Have a watch and listen to the video from The Pace Trust about Friendship…and think about what you hear….

It is really important that we put our friends first – that we look out for them and monitor how they are feeling – and if they are feeling low, identify that and try and cheer them up.  We need to think how we would feel and what would we like our friends to do to help us if we were in need.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We thank you for our friends and for the happy times that we share with them.
Help us to be a good friend to them.
During this time when we can’t play with our friends,
Please help us to find creative ways to keep in touch.
Thank you that you are our friend and will be with us always.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we started thinking about our Christian value of this half term – COMPASSION.  We learnt how there are lots of other attidues and qualities that can be referred to as being compassionate – such as kindness, thoughtfulness, being helpful, caring for people, being positive.  We looked at lots of different words that are all linked to compassion – love, friendship, respect, patience, consideration and empathy.

Today I want us to start to think about empathy and what it means – because if we can learn how to show empathy and be empathetic, then this will help us to be the best person we can be and really show that we are about other people.

Empathy is a complex quality to understand – it has 3 different parts to it if we are to be truly empathetic.  Have a watch of this simple video and see if you can spot what these 3 parts are….

Did you spot the 3 parts to empathy?  They were…

1. You need to actually LOOK and observe how your friend is feeling.
2. You need to THINK about how you would feel in their situation.
3. You need to ASK your friend how they are feeling and ask if you can help.

So it’s Look, THINK, ASK to show empathy.

The trick is to try and put yourself in someone else’s position – empathy is when you can understand and care about how someone else is feeling.  Have a listen to Mark Ruffalo and Murray’s chat about empathy – and whilst listening ask yourself whether you have empathy?

If we don’t learn empathy – if we are unable to be aware of other people’s feelings and understand them – then we are going to have a difficult time getting on with people in harmony.  So today – try checking to see how your friends are feeling and if they are feeling low or down – ask them how you can help.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you that we are made to enjoy the friendship of other people.
Thank you for the gifts of love and caring.
In your love, give us grace to be true friends, one to another.
Help us to be there to support and care for our friends.
Please give us the wisdom to know how to react when those we care about face problems and difficulties.
Amen.

Please ensure that your child brings a sun hat and a water bottle to school every day so they can stay hydrated. Please ensure that you have applied sun screen to your child before school; this should provide protection throughout the school day – but if you were particularly worried and wish to send your child to school with sun screen to reapply at lunchtime, then we kindly ask that it is labelled with your child’s name and that it is the roll-on type – not the squirty type!

Good Morning Brown Clee!

We have been doing lots of THINKing this week about the power of our words – and how important it is to ensure we only speak if we have something TRUE to say, are saying something HELPFUL or INSPIRING, if it is NECESSARY and if it is KIND.  We are trying to help everyone take more responsibility for what they say – and today I would like to continue with thinking about how important it is to take responsibility for not only our words – but our actions.

Have a watch of this video and as you listen, think about the message – of how every action you do, or words you say, will have an impact on what happens next – and how it is only YOU that can affect that outcome….so Stop making excuses and own your own action!

An interesting video – and it’s 3 main headings were…

1. Own Your Part: what did this mean – can you remember?  It means that you need to take a step back and think when there is a problem – and identify what it was that you did to cause the problem.  Like the child who chose to jump up and down in a muddy puddle – the problem was they got cold, wet and dirty and didn’t like it – but it was her choice to do it!
2. Cause and Affect: Things happen everytime we choose to say or do something! The trick is to try and think about what the affect is going to be, before you cause it – because if you want the cause to be good – then you need to choose the right cause!
3. Solve the Problem:  This is a bit like “THINK before you speak” – we need to stop and pause before we say or do something so that we can make a good choice.  We need to work to avoid a problem so that the problem doesn’t actually happen!

Ultimately – it is up to you – each one of us to make the right choice in what we say or do.  We all want and deserve to live in a happy, safe world – but we have to do our bit to make it happy and safe – so as you go through today, try and stop and think to make sure you make the right choices!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you that you are always there to help and guide us.
Please help us to make good choices.
Please help us to think about other people when we are making our decisions.
Please help us to care about others in everything we do.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we have been thinking about the importance of thinking before we speak – as we have learnt that our words are very powerful!  We can do a lot of good with our words – or we can do a lot of harm – and we need to ensure we stop and THINK before speaking so that we use our words wisely.

Can you remember what each letter in the word THINK stands for?  See if you can!…..

Here it is – just in case you forgot!

Now I’d like you to think and reflect as you watch this video from The Pace Trust – you will recognise the toothpaste demonstration!

So today I want you to really THINK before you speak – if you have the opportunity to say something that is true, that is helpful, that is inspiring, that is necessary, that is kind, you should take that opportunity. Because, although our words can cause damage, they can also make someone’s day immeasurably better and by choosing to say that truthful, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind thing, we add to the sum of positives in our community, and make everyone that little bit better.

Our words make a difference. Let’s make a positive difference.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Help us to think about the words we say.
Help us to say sorry when we have said unkind words, or when we have spoken words that we later regret.
Help us to try our best to ‘Think first, speak second’.
Amen.

What a year it has been again – and it is hard to believe that we have only 5 weeks to go to the summer holidays.  There is still plenty going on in school and there are some end of year events being planned – they will just have to operate in a Covid secure fashion – unless restrictions and guidance change.

• We are holding Whole Class and Leavers Photographs this week – Thursday – so please keep your fingers crossed the nice weather continues!
• We are going to give the children a Sports Day as we did last year – but sadly (unless social distancing rules change) it will be in-house.
• We are also going to hold a Year 6 Leavers Assembly, which will be outside and we will be inviting Year 6 parents (maximum of 2 – sorry!) to join us.  We are hoping to hold this on Wednesday 14th July at 2pm – weather dependent!
• Teachers are currently in the process of writing children’s school reports.  It has been a disruptive year for learning, and we have very much valued your support for when children have had to learn at home.  There will be no assessment data on these reports as this information is not possible yet – however you will receive detail on your child’s general progress, as well as information on their maths, English and science learning, along with information on your child’s attitudes to learning.  Parents of children in Reception will receive a different format in-keeping with the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.
• In terms of curriculum learning, we have very much prioritised our teaching to ensure that children will be in as strong a position as possible in September 2021.  All children have got ‘gaps’ in certain areas as they have all had a different experience over the past 15 months – and no child has completed a complete academic year for 2 years.  We are carrying out internal assessments for core subjects which will provide us with a good picture of where children are to allow us to plan for September 2021.
• We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding with regards to school meals.  Pippa has been a star in adapting the menus to allow us to provide hot finger food in the classrooms.  We know that this is not ideal, and the menus aren’t as varied and enticing as normal – but logistics and restrictions have been a challenge.  We are all looking forwards to being able to provide a full, exciting school meal menu with children eating in the hall again – and we are also looking into the possibility of pre-ordering/pre-payment as a way forwards in September.

We are planning and preparing for the new academic year, where we all have our fingers crossed that we can operate in a ‘normal’ manner – and the Governors and Staff are very much focussed on further school improvements and development.  As such, we very much value and appreciate your voice and feedback, as our whole ethos is one of partnership with families – so we kindly ask that you spare a moment to complete the attached Parent Survey and return to the School Office (via email if possible please!) by Friday June 18th.  If you have more than one child you are welcome to complete more than one, as the answers might be different for different children.

Parental Questionnaire June

We still have just over 5 weeks to go to the end of this academic year, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that the children continue to receive a rich curriculum and an enjoyable end to the year!  Please continue to keep an eye on the school website and social media pages for updates as we go through the term.

Thank you again so much for your support.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Here we are in the last half term of this academic year. The sun is shining and we want everyone to enjoy the next 6 weeks – but to do that we need your help!  We need everyone to work together, to support each other and to encourage each other to be the best we can be!  Yesterday we talked about the importance of thinking before we speak – as we know that our words can cause problems, can hurt people and can interrupt learning.  To help us we discussed the acronym….

Today I have a question for you about weapons – something that we don’t usually talk about in school, as weapons are dangerous and hurtful tools. My question is…..‘What do you think is the world’s most dangerous weapon?’………

……I wonder what your answer is?  Would it be a gun, a sword, a bow and arrow, a nuclear weapon, a bomb or maybe a hand grenade.  What if I said that I think the world’s most dangerous weapon is actually right here in your classroom? What do you think it is?

Here are some clues….

– everyone has this weapon
– we can all choose when to use it
– we can clean this weapon
– this weapon helps us with speaking, reading, eating and tasting our food.

It is our tongue!  Our tongues can cause so much damage – especially as we all have one!  I want you to watch the following video about Morph and Chas, who featured in a 1980s BBC art show called Take Hart. Morph is made of terracotta clay and his best friend, Chas, is made of cream-coloured clay. They do not talk coherently, but you can guess how they’re feeling from their tone of voice and body language.

I want you to watch the video very carefully because I will be asking questions about it afterwards.

What did you notice about Morph and Chas?  – They are both friends, but Chas can’t help but tease Morph – and how does this make Morph feel?

How did you know that Chas was trying to wind up Morph at the start? (Answer: Chas was laughing and pointing at Morph)
– How did Morph respond? (Answer: Morph sounded cross and he shook his fist at Chas)
– How was Morph feeling when he first saw the lady and gave her the flowers? (Answer: embarrassed and shy)
– How can you tell that Morph was feeling this way? (Answer: he looked away from the lady and looked at the floor, his leg pointed away from her and he had trouble looking at her when he gave her the flowers)
– How does Morph react when Chas continues to wind him up? (Answer: Morph gives the flowers to the lady and then goes over to Chas and threatens to hit him. Morph ends up in the box with Chas and, although we can’t see them, they are probably fighting due to the sounds that we can hear and the way that the box is moving)
– Who was at fault: Morph or Chas? (Answer: they both were because Chas kicked things off by mocking Morph, but Morph made things worse by fighting with Chas)
– What should Morph and Chas have done? (Answer: Chas shouldn’t have wound up Morph; Morph should have ignored Chas and not started fighting with him in the box)

So why do you think that I believe the tongue is the most powerful weapon?

If we speak to people in an unkind, hurtful way, it is likely to cause an unkind, mean response, and things can escalate – it can lead to arguments and squabbles with our friends. Sometimes, things that we say can result in a friend behaving meanly or encourage a group of children to be mean to another child. Our words are powerful and make a difference…. so we need to THINK before we speak!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We know that words have power.
Please help us today to use our words carefully.
Help us to encourage each other and build each other up.
Please help us never to be unkind or hurt people with our words.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we were reflecting on how important it is to show control over the words we use – and to ensure that we use words in a positive way to build people up rather than knock them down.

Today I want us to think about decisions and consequences – as every choice that we make has a consequence – and it is up to us to make the right choice so that we have a positive consequence.

I wonder how many decisions you have made today already?  Have a think and share….

…I think today, so far, I have made at least 10 decision – including what to eat for breakfast, what to wear today, what to say to my daughter when she comes downstairs in the morning, which car to drive to school in and What to do first when I get to school. I wonder how much thought and consideration I put into each decision – did I think about what I was going to say to my daughter?  I wonder what the consequences would have been if I had said the following?

“Have you tidied your room up yet – you’re going to be late?” – I think my daughter would have got grumpy and cross and it would have meant she had a bad start to the day!

I wonder what the consequence would be if I’d said “Morning Lovely – hope you slept well – have a lovely day!”….I think this would have made her smile and feel happy, and would then send her to work with a positive feeling.

Have a consider how you are going to speak to people today, or how you are going to react when your parent asks you to get up, or how you are going to behave when you get to school?

We are all ‘free’ human beings with the ability to choose and do what we want to do and what we actually do or don’t do affects others.

Our choices, thoughts and actions all have an impact on us, but they also affect the people around us. This happens the other way round too.

Someone’s decision not to invite us to their party may make us feel sad and worry that they don’t like us. However, that person’s decision may not have been a simple choice: perhaps they had to limit the number of friends at the party because their parents couldn’t afford to invite everybody.

So as you go through your day, try and think about your choices before you make them – try and think about what the consequence might be and see if this helps you to make the right choice.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Please help us to be wise.
Help us to realise that there are consequences to everything that we do.
Please help us to make good decisions that will work out best for ourselves and for other people.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Recently we have been thinking about how we need to be able to develop self control if we are going to endeavour to be the best person we can be!  We learnt yesterday that we ALL have power and control over 5 different aspects of day to day life – our attitudes, our actions, our words, our manners and our effort.  Today I want us to think about our words – and the responsibility that we have to show self control over the words we use.  Words can do damage – and words can hurt – words can also make a big difference – for good, and for bad!  Have a watch of this video from The Pace Trust and think about the words that you use each day – do you build people up or do you knock people down?

A question for everyone – do you always THINK before you speak?

Put your hand up if you sometimes speak without thinking – …….I’m expecting everyone (adults included!) to have put their hands up, because we all do at times – but we need to learn to THINK before we speak, as by not thinking we could be causing all sorts of problems!

So remember to ask yourself before you speak –

Am I being Truthful?

Are my words Helpful?

Are my words Important?

Is it Necessary to speak?

Am I being Kind?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We know that words have power.
Please help us today to use our words carefully.
Help us to encourage each other and build each other up.
Please help us never to be unkind or hurt people with our words.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we reminded ourselves of the importance of self-control – especially if we want to be the best person we can be!  We also learnt how we all have control over our attitude, our words, our actions, our manners and our effort – and that ultimately it is up to us to make the right choice at the right time.  We also considered how sometimes our choices might affect other people – so being able to have self control is really important in order to be team-spirited.

This morning I want us to think about ants!  Ants are tiny insects, that can bite and make our skin tickle when they run over us.  If you were to observe ants, you would see that they always seem to be scurrying about – they don’t stop to rest.  That’s probably where the phrase “ants in your pants” comes from!  Have you ever been described as having ants in your pants – what do you think it means?….

…..yes, that you’re just like an ant, fidgety and restless and never still!

But not only are ants fidgety and restless, they are also amazing team players with great strength – which we could learn a lot from.  The Bible even tells us to learn from ants – in the Book of Proverbs verse 6, it says:”

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler.
Yet it stores its provisions in summer
And gathers its food at harvest.

Have a watch of this video and think about the behaviour of the ants….what can we learn from them….

What did you think?  What good traits do ants teach us?   I think that…

Ants are very hardworking; (they are never lazy. As a result, ants never go hungry.)
Ants are strong. They can lift 20 times their own body weight. That’s like a seven-year-old picking up a car!
Ants are self-motivated. They don’t need a boss standing over them, telling them what to do. They don’t complain about how small they are and how big the task is.
Ants are good at planning and organising. They know that they must plan ahead. They are wise enough to know that there will be times and seasons when it will be difficult to go out looking for food or building ant cities, so they store up food and share it out when it is needed.
Ants are team-workers who work for the common good. Ants know that they can accomplish more by working together than by working alone.
Ants are persistent; they keep going. If an ant mound is knocked down, the ants will come together and rebuild it. They don’t give up.

So we can learn a lot from the little tiny ant – and today’s message is that we all need to be more like an ant – to show team spirit in all that we do, so that we can all achieve!  Here’s another video showing how we can be stronger when we work together – just like ants

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Sometimes, life is full of happy things, but sometimes, life is difficult.
Thank you for our friends who share things with us and help us.
Thank you that wherever we are and whatever we are doing,
You are always there for us and you are always ready to listen.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Today I want to continue with our thinking about the importance of being able to make the right choices if we want to be the best person we can be.  Every day we will all make choices – it might be about which jumper to wear, or what to eat, or who to play with; we make choices all the time, and sometimes subconsciously!

In lessons it is important to make the right choice – to listen to the teachers, to follow the rules, to put your hands up (or not if we are Cold Calling!), to work hard.

Sometimes we can make the wrong choice – we might forget, or we might not have applied some self control, and other times it is because we are choosing to not do the right thing.  I wonder why anyone would choose to do the wrong thing?

Sometimes people make the wrong choice due to something called peer pressure – have a watch of this video from the Pace Trust and see what you think…

We all like to be liked – to be popular…but sometimes it is more important to do what is right.  We are all responsible for our own actions, and we should do our best to try and make sure we make the right choices.

Christians believe that God has given us guidelines to make the right choices, for example in this Bible verse from Romans 13:9 “Love your neighbour as you love yourself”. Christians also believe that God will help them not to give in to pressure to do what’s wrong, an example can be found in the Book of Corinthians 10:13 “The only temptations that you have are the temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to stand it.”

So as you go through your day have a think about the decisions that you make, and take a moment to reflect – is it the right choice?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you that you are always there to help and guide us.
Please help us to make good choices.
Please help us to think about other people when we are making our decisions.
Please help us to care about others in everything we do.
Amen.

With May half term approaching and the Covid19 rules now allowing overseas travel, we thought it might be helpful to share the government’s advice for anyone considering overseas travel, with regards to the procedures for returning to the UK.

It is Important to ensure that pupils travelling outside of England from 17^th May follow the rules for entering England again. Updated information on countries rated as a red, amber / green for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the rules that you must follow to enter England including required testing & quarantine can be found here .

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we are continuing to think about how important it is to be bold and brave and give things a go – even if it is tricky and challenging – or even if we aren’t particularly enthused about something!  We know that if we want to be the best person that we can be, then we should always put 100% effort into everything that we do!

Have a watch of this short video called ‘Soar’ and see if you can work out what the challenges are (there is more than 1), and how they are overcome….

Did you spot the challenges?  The first one was that the little girl’s flying machine crashed, then the wind kept blowing her plans and then she got hit on the head by a bag!  She really wasn’t having a good day!   Then when the little man crash landed (which was a challenge in itself!), he had his own challenges – the bag was really heavy, his propellor had broken, all his friends were flying off and leaving him behind and then he had to deal with what he thought was a ‘giant’ and all he had was a pencil to defend himself!  He really wasn’t having a good day!

The challenges didn’t stop there though did they – when the 2 characters started working together to fix the flying machine, it crashed on the first 2 attempts!  No wonder they felt despondent and sad and felt like giving up!  But did they?….when the wind blew the plans back, they had another attempt, and finally they got success!

So I wonder what lesson you might take from this film?   For me, it is that no matter how hard or tough a time you are having, you need to work together and keep trying as that is the only way to succeed!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We thank you for all the opportunities you have given us.
Help us to make the most of our time at school to learn and enjoy all that we can.
Help us to encourage others to do their best, too.
May we grow through new experiences and find joy in whatever comes our way.
Amen.

Pippa has asked us to let you know that the deep fat fryer has been repaired and lunch tomorrow will be as planned – Fish and Chips.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Over the past week we have been linking our school’s Bible verse “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind” to our school mission statement “To be the best person we can be” – and we have been thinking about lots of ways that these 2 statements are interconnected.

Yesterday we asked ourselves whether we could be the best person we can be if we don’t face challenges and try new things. There were some interesting comments and thoughts from Chloe, Megan, Abigail and Max!  Today I want to think more about the importance of facing challenges and how this helps us learn – and we are going to find out all about The Learning Pit!  Don’t worry – it isn’t a scary pit – but it can be tough going in there!  As you watch the video have a think about whether you have ever been in the Learning Pit, and if so – what did it feel like….

So how many of you think that you’ve been in the Learning Pit at some point in your life?   I know that I definitely have – in fact I am at the moment as I go through my running challenge – I am learning how to breath effectively, pace myself and how to overcome any psychological barriers ( the ones where the thought of running 5km fills me with dread and doubt as it is going to take so long!).  Why don’t you take a moment and share some examples of when you have been in the Learning Pit…..

In the video, the narrator uses the following words to describe the attitudes needed to get across and out of the Learning Pit – “Persistence, Resilience and Recall” – do they ring any bells?  We often talk about the importance of persevering when things are difficult, (persistance is another word for persevering!) and we have the word “Resilience” in our learning behaviours as it is such an important skill – to be courageous and not give up.  Recall is using our memories to find and use important skills and knowledge that we already know to help us overcome new learning – and we can all do this!

As you go through the weeks ahead, remember that the only way to learn is to face a challenge and travel through “The Learning Pit” – because if we take the easy route, and don’t attempt new things, then we aren’t actually going to learn – and better ourselves!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Sometimes, we need to think ‘I can’
instead of saying say ‘I can’t’.
Sometimes we have to look at old problems in new ways.
Sometimes we must keep trying
when we feel like giving in.
Thank you for always understanding and having faith in us.
Help us to have more faith in ourselves, in others, and in you.
Through Jesus Christ
Amen.

The term dates and PD Days for the 2021/22 academic year are below and the diary on the website has been updated.

School Term and Holiday Dates 2021-22

Unfortunately, the deep fat fryer in the school kitchen has broken down today meaning that Pippa is unable to cook the children chips for lunch.  We are sorry that lunch will not be as previously advised.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Over the coming weeks we are thinking about the Bible verse “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” and how it links to our school mission statement which is “Brown Clee is a learning community that nurtures and empowers everyone to be the best we can be” – and we are learning the many different ways that we can demonstrate we are being the best version of us.

Today I want us to think about how important it is to be kind – to others and ourselves. Kindness is a massively important value – it can make a big difference to how people can feel – as can unkindness!  Have a watch of this short video and as you watch think about what kindness means to you…

Kindness does matter – hugely!  And kindness can come in many forms – we can be kind to other people, we can be kind to ourselves and we can be kind to the world around us.  Today I want us to think about the importance of being kind to others.

Every day we meet people – some we know, some we don’t know.  We meet people at school, in shops, on walks, at the park – everywhere!  Everytime we meet people we have the chance to be kind – sometimes just a smile or a hello can make a big difference – it can brighten someone’s day up!  I know each morning when I meet children arriving at school – your big, bright smiles make me smile and instantly feel uplifted – even if I am feeling tired or under pressure.  Imagine how I would feel if you all arrived looking grumpy and sad??

I wonder if you can think of a time when someone has been kind to you – has someone asked you to join in and play?  Has someone helped you with your school work?  Has someone just smiled at you or said something positive and encouraging?  How did this make you feel?

Now think about a time when someone has said something unkind or thoughtless – maybe someone said you couldn’t play with them, or someone has criticised your work in class, maybe someone has been distracting you and stopping you learning – all these things can happen, often without the person actually intending to be unkind.

We all have a responsibility when working in a team, to work together and be team-spirited – and one aspect of this is that we should be building each other up with kind words and encouragement, compassion and support – so as you go through today try to at least once say something kind to someone – and then try and do this at least once each day!  Kindness matters and by being kind to everyone it helps us to be the best person we can be!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Please help us to be kind to those around us.
Please help us to think about the needs of other people.
Please help us to seek to live in peace.
Amen.

Can we please kindly request parents that Care Club in the morning opens at 7.45am and school opens at 8.45am (earliest arrival during staggered starts).  We are finding that some children are being brought significantly earlier than these times when we are unable to supervise children.