Dear Parent or Guardian,
There has been a case of Scarlet fever within the school/nursery and your child may have been exposed.

What is Scarlet Fever?Scarlet fever is a bacterial illness that mainly affects children. It causes a distinctive pink-red rash. The illness is caused by a bacterium known as ‘Group A Streptococcus’, which are found on the skin and in the throat.

Is it dangerous?Most cases of scarlet fever don't cause complications, particularly if the condition is properly treated.

Children who have had chickenpox recently are more likely to develop more serious infection during an outbreak of scarlet fever and so parents/guardians should remain vigilant for symptoms such as a persistent high fever, cellulitis (skin infection) and arthritis (joint pain and swelling).

Is there any treatment? A GP will prescribe antibiotics. These will:
• help you get better quicker
• reduce the chance of a serious illnesses, such as pneumonia
• make it less likely that you'll pass the infection on to someone else

How is it spread?Scarlet fever can be spread by:
• breathing in bacteria in airborne droplets from an infected person's coughs and sneezes
• touching the skin of a person with a Streptococcal skin infection, such as impetigo
• sharing contaminated towels, baths, clothes or bed linen
• It can also be caught from people who have the bacteria in their throat or on their skin but don't have any symptoms
 
What is the incubation period (period before infection develops)?The first signs of scarlet fever can be flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature, a sore throat and swollen neck glands (a large lump on the side of your neck).

A rash appears 12 to 48 hours later. It looks like small, raised bumps and starts on the chest and tummy, then spreads. The rash makes your skin feel rough, like sandpaper
How long should children stay away from school?Children can return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment.

Can you catch it more than once?
It's possible to have scarlet fever more than once, but this is rare.

Thank you for giving this your attention. You can find further information on Scarlet Fever from either from your GP or NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/

​Scan the QR code below on your mobile phone for more information.

Dear Parents and Carers,
​
The children have settled back well into nursery and are enjoying playing with their friends again. 
 
Last week, the children enjoyed talking about their new toys and also had lots of fun playing in the snow.  We also launched our new whole school Quest, ‘When Do I?  Where Do I?’, and started talking about our families and our homes. 
 
This week, we are learning more about toys and would like parents/grandparents to talk to your child about toys you/they used to play with.  We will be looking at a range of toys, books and games from the past and beginning to recognise how they have changed.  Please feel free to send in a photo through Tapestry or your child could show a toy from the past and say who it belonged to (we’ll be very careful!).
Also, in nursery, we are continuing to learn: -
● Counting out small sets of objects to match a numeral
● Practising to hear the first sound in a word – s s s snake   a a a apple    t t t tiger – sounds s a t p i n
● Writing our name and mark making activities
●  Sorting toys e.g. old/new soft/hard, have wheels/no wheels, animals with 4 legs etc
● Using our imagination in our role-play toy shop’ to develop language and beginning to count pennies
● Noticing seasonal changes in the school grounds, such as frozen puddles, shadows in the winter sun, freezing and melting etc.
 
As the weather continues to be cold and now wet, could you make sure mittens/gloves and hats are brought in please. Labelled where possible as they often go astray.

Thank you so much for your continued support,
 
​The Early Years Nursery Team

Dear Parents and Carers,
​
Happy New Year.  I hope that 2025 is a happy year for you and your family.  Thank you for all your support at our Christmas events; the children love having you as part of these special occasions and we enjoy seeing you too.

The start to the new term was a cold one!  Thank you for your support with extended registrations – there was noticeably less traffic on these mornings helping to keep everyone a lot safer.  Thank you also to Mr Holland, our site supervisor, who worked tirelessly all week to keep the site safe for all.  The children loved playtimes and I think the snow sculptures they made will last well into this week.

Our learning this term is entitled ‘Where do I?  When do I?’  The learning focuses on both history and geography and the children will be developing their skills in both of these areas.  Year 4 have been enlisted as WWII soldiers, Year 3 have already visited Stockport County FC and our younger children have talked about where they live and the house they live in.  As the term progresses, there are many exciting learning experiences planned for all our children.  The children are working in role as Junior Ministers in governments both past and present to understand why national issues are of importance.  We are delighted that Lisa Smart, the local MP, will be visiting school later in the term to help them understand more about the workings of Parliament.

Movie Nights
Two movie nights will take place this week.  Tuesday 14th January will be the chance for our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children to attend and our Key Stage 2 children are invited on Thursday 15th January.  You can book these events on the Norbury Hall PA website up until 8 pm the night before the event.  All further details are on the PA website.  The children don’t need a change of clothes for this event.
At the end of the event, please come to the main door to collect your children.  We will organise this in the same way as a disco where parents will come through the main entrance, go into the hall and collect the children and then exit via the back door of the hall.

Thank you in advance to the PA team and teaching staff who will make these events happen.

Children's Mental Health Week - 3rd February 2025
The school will be marking Children’s Mental Health Week at the start of February.  On Monday 3rd February at the start of the school day, there will be a coffee morning in the hall.  All are welcome to attend – the event is free but we will be collecting donations for Beacon Counselling.  Further details will be made available shortly.
There will also be special assemblies and PSHE activities during this week.

Unifrom
We have noticed that some of our children are moving away from some of our school uniform expectations.  We are seeing skirt length, jewellery, make up, nail vanish and layers of clothing that are not school uniform.  I am not talking about last week when children did wear additional layers to stay warm. The staff team will be challenging children who are not following our school uniform guidance and they may also have a conversation with you as parents or carer.  It is important that our children are dressed smartly for school and represent their school in this way and in the best possible light.

Stockport Online Safety Hub

I made parents aware of the relatively new online safety hub provided by Stockport LA last term.  I know many of the children have received new devices and games for Christmas and I am sure that as parents you wish to keep them as safe as possible in this way.  The hub is a great resource with a wealth of advice and is continuously updated with new information.  The address is https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/ and I would urge you all to take a look.
Thank you as ever for your support – useful dates are listed at the end of this letter.