Dear Parents and Carers,
​
I can’t believe how fast this term is going.  The children are really settled in their learning and enjoying this term’s Quest – Are You Ready to Travel the World?  The children are enjoying the history and geography foci within this.  I have a few updates for you as we approach the half term break.

Parent/Teacher Meetings
Parent/Teacher meetings are due to take place after the half term break. 
With the exception of 4H and 5H the arrangements will be as follows:

Tuesday 24th February – 3:30pm - 7pm
Wednesday 25th February – AM (Nursery only)
Thursday 26th February – 3:30 pm – 6 pm

Parent/Teacher meetings for 5H (in person, by phone or online)
These will take place on:
Tuesday 24th February – morning only
Thursday 26th February – morning only

Parent/Teacher meetings for 4H (in person, by phone or online)
These will take place on:
Tuesday 3rd March – morning only
Wednesday 4th March – morning only

We will shortly be sending you an email from ‘Parents Booking’ who are the online
platform system we use to organise Parent/Teacher Consultations.  

This allows you to choose, book and edit the meetings scheduled with the class teacher.
The log in screen is very simple and straightforward to use, no username or password
is required.

The platform in now live and will close on Friday 20th February.

Curriculum Evening
Thank you to those parents who attended the recent curriculum evening supporting you in the work you do with your children at home.  We are in the process of getting the resources shared at this event on to the school website so that they are accessible to everyone.

OPAL
Thank you so much to the parents and friends of the school who volunteered to help at our recent build day for the OPAL project.  We are grateful for the time given and the enthusiasm of the team who achieved so much during the day.  The OPAL project will launch after the half term holiday so please make sure your child has the appropriate waterproof coat and wellies so that they can access all areas!

Thank you also for the donations that you sent in for the OPAL project.  A group of our Year 5 children were an excellent help sorting them and getting them into the new storage.  We are still wanting a few items so if you have any of the following, please send them into school at your convenience:
· Lego
· Sheets
· Rolls of wallpaper
· Small world – small people figures, animals, wooden dolls house/figures
· Construction resources
· Guttering
 
Car Park
Please can I politely remind parents that the car park should only be used if you have arranged this with the school office.  I am mindful that there are a lot of pedestrians in the morning and at pick up in the afternoon and would like to minimise traffic in and out of the car park.

School Discos
Finally, can I remind you that our popular school discos are this Thursday. 
Please see below for timings.

Thank you, as ever, for your support
Becky Wood

Wednesday 28th January is a busy day in school and we just wanted to remind you of the events taking place on this day:

​Thank you so much to all of our parents who have been collecting items from our bingo boards for our OPAL project. Please could your child bring these items into school on Wednesday 28th January. If you have any larger donations that may be difficult for your child to carry, please drop these off at the junior gate that leads onto the junior playground. Mrs Adnett will be there to support with this. We really do appreciate your support with this project – it will make such a difference to playtime provision.

Year 6 – Quarry Bank Mill: The children will be leaving promptly at 9.00am so it is important that the children arrive at school for 8.45am to ensure they are ready to leave
​
Year 4 – Stockport Air Raid Shelter: The children will be leaving school at 9.30am and will return to school by the end of the day.

Children are required to wear school uniform for both trips.

​These workshops are to support you in terms of helping your child with the basic skills of phonics, reading, spelling and number facts.  This will follow the format of our September Meet the Teacher event with two sessions available for you to attend.  The first one will be at 5:15 pm and the second session will be at 6 pm.  Teachers will repeat the content in both sessions so that parents with more than one child can attend more than one year group presentation.  The sessions will give you some ideas about how you can help at home as we know what a great impact this can make for our learners.

Welcome back!

We hope you have had a fun festive break and have also managed to get some rest!
A huge thank you to the parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and family pets who helped to walk with us to Hazel Grove Baptist Church and Norbury Church during the last few weeks of the autumn term. We really appreciate your support and couldn’t make these visits happen without your help.

Are You Ready to Travel The World?

We had a great start to the academic year last term and saw the children thrive building their scientific knowledge. This term our whole school Quest focus will be linked to our history and geography objectives.
On the first day back we held a whole school assembly to introduce the new quest – Are You Ready to Travel The World? We were presented with different items of luggage containing clues as to our chosen destinations.
In Year 3, the children will be travelling from Salford to Los Angeles! They will be travelling across the United States, Canada and Mexico to move between venues hosting this year’s FIFA World Cup. We will be comparing the human and physical features of Stockport to Los Angeles. We will also be exploring the human and physical features of some of the other 16 cities across North America which are hosting the matches.
In Year 4, the children will begin their journey travelling to Berlin where they will be planning their own journey and will be helping an ancestor of a local soldier from Hazel Grove to learn more about their great grandad and the part he played in World War 2. The children will be comparing the human and physical features of Berlin and Manchester.
 
OPAL Bingo

The OPAL project is starting to take shape. The Working Party has met with our school mentor three times across this term.  We plan to introduce new areas for play after the February half term holiday.  Mrs Adnett and Miss Garrett have written to you to explain some next steps including a bingo style collection event after Christmas and a working party day where we would appreciate parental help to help us get organised for our February launch. 

The working party team day is Friday 23rd January, where we would appreciate any volunteers to offer help to come into school to build and prepare items for the project. The date for any donated items to be brought into school is Wednesday 28th January. Thank you again for your continued support.

P.E Kits

Please can we make sure that the children are appropriately dressed for outdoor P.E lessons, especially during the colder months as these lessons may take place on the playground or on the field.

In Year 3 this term, the children will have golf, handball and basketball lessons across the term. Year 3’s P.E days are on Monday and Tuesday.

In Year 4 this term, the children will have dodgeball and netball lessons across the term. Year 4’s P.E days are on Monday and Wednesday.

Both year groups will also have O.A.A sessions (Outdoor Adventurous Activities) where they learn team-building and problem-solving skills.

Year 3 will continue to get changed in school so will keep their kits in school to be worn as needed. These will be sent home between half terms but also when needed to be washed. Please can P.E kits be clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Year 4 will continue to come to school in their P.E kits.
 
Home Learning

New home learning grids will be given out the first week back and the children will continue to receive weekly spelling lists.

Thank you as always for your continued support,
The Year 3 and 4 Team

Welcome back!

We hope you have had a fun festive break and have also managed to get some rest! Thank you so much for the lovely Christmas gifts, thoughtful cards, and warm wishes we all received. 

A huge thank you to all our helpers who helped us to walk with us to Hazel Grove Baptist Church and Norbury Church during the last few weeks of the Autumn Term. We really appreciate your support and these events couldn’t happen without your help.

Are You Ready to Travel The World?
Last year, we had a great start to the academic year and saw the children thrive, whilst building their scientific knowledge. This term our whole school Quest focus will be linked to our history and geography objectives.

On the first day back we held a whole school assembly to introduce the new quest – Are You Ready to Travel The World? We were presented with different items of luggage containing clues as to our chosen destinations and people.

In Year 5, the children will start their career as travel agents by voyaging all the way to South America, specifically Manaus, a city in Brazil, which is right in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. We will be discovering key information about the River Amazon, the journey it takes and which countries it flows through as well as comparing this river with the largest river in Europe, the Volga and our local river, the River Mersey. We will be exploring similarities and differences between human and physical features in Manaus and Stockport as well as looking at the history of Stockport and how transport has evolved over time.

In Year 6, the children will begin their journey in Africa, where they will be enlisted as a slave. We will then travel to travelling to the Caribbean to work on a cotton farm.  After that, we will travel from the cotton farm to the UK to look at how the cotton was turned into thread and how children were used a labour; discussing the advantages and disadvantages of this. At this point we will visit Helmshore Mill in Lancashire to experience what life was like for children working in the mills and why the geography of the location helped the mill. Finally, we dive into the inspiring history of the Suffragettes, exploring their courageous "Deeds not Words" campaign and the pivotal role they played in securing the right to vote for women. This topic allows us to examine the struggle for equality, the difference between the peaceful Suffragists and the militant Suffragettes, and how these historic figures shaped the democratic society we live in today.
 
OPAL Bingo

The OPAL project is starting to take shape. The Working Party has met with our school mentor three times across this term.  We plan to introduce new areas for play after the February half term holiday.  Mrs Adnett and Miss Garrett have written to you to explain some next steps including a bingo style collection event after Christmas and a working party day where we would appreciate parental help to help us get organised for our February launch. 
​
The working party team day is Friday 23rd January, where we would appreciate any volunteers to offer help to come into school to build and prepare items for the project. The date for any donated items to be brought into school is Wednesday 28th January. Thank you again for your continued support.

P.E Spring 1

In Year 5, Miss Manfredi’s class will start their swimming lessons on a Friday Morning, whilst the other class do Gymnastics.  On Thursdays, both classes will do basketball outside.  
In Year 6, we are very fortunate to be working with Stockport County on Monday afternoons. On Fridays, both classes will do hockey outside.

Home Learning

New home learning grids will be given out the first week back and the children will continue to receive weekly maths activities. If there is something more specific you would like your child to work on at home, please get in touch with your child’s teacher and we can arrange this for you.

Thank you as always for your continued support.
 
Best wishes, 
The Year 5 and 6 Team

Spring Term – Are You Ready to Travel the World?
 
Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas and would like to wish you a Happy New Year.
Firstly, thank you once again to all the parents who gave the most thoughtful gifts and vouchers to our Early Years Team.  We really felt so valued and appreciated by your generosity!

Our snowy and icy start to our spring term links in perfectly with our first part of our theme to weather and travelling around the world, both here and in the Arctic. We are learning to wrap up warmly and consider our clothing choices and even our class bear Norbury has been fully kitted out too, as he prepares for his travels!

We are beginning to learn about:
· Finding out about different types of houses; where we live and around the world
· Finding out more about different countries in colder and warmer climates
· Exploring animal habitats and ways of life in colder and warmer climates
· Creating our own junk models
· Practically adding and subtracting two sets of objects
· Practising to put the bigger number in our head and count on from this
number when adding
​
Our PE this half term is gymnastics, we are exploring:
· The different ways our body moves
· How to travel in different ways
· Different apparatus and how to use them safely, such as the mats and benches
· Different types of jumping.
 
Reading books
Please aim to read with your child at least three times a week.  Books can be changed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Please sign your child’s reading book at home to let us know that you have heard them read, even if they haven’t yet completed the book. Comments are always welcome and useful for us too, but we appreciate that there may not always be time for this.

Play – Opal Project
Just a reminder that we are collecting donated toys for our new Opal Project (see above bingo board) and we welcome any contributions you may have on Wednesday 28th January.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support,
The Reception Team

Dear Parents and Carers,

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break.  We are delighted to see the children back in school.  The snowy start has been an added excitement for them but maybe not the staff team!

We have started the new term by launching our new Quest –
​‘Are You Ready to Travel the World?’  This will combine our history and geography as we all become international travellers.  Each year group received a suitcase or bag containing clues about their destination to get them thinking about the world beyond Hazel Grove.

Helping your child with their learning

We would like to invite you to an event on Wednesday 28th January to support you in terms of helping your child with the basic skills of phonics, reading, spelling and number facts.  This will follow the format of our September Meet the Teacher event with two sessions available for you to attend.  The first one will be at 5:15 pm and the second session will be at 6 pm.  Teachers will repeat the content in both sessions so that parents with more than one child can attend more than one year group presentation.  The sessions will give you some ideas about how you can help at home as we know what a great impact this can make for our learners.

PA Movie Afternoons

The popular Parents’ Association Movie Afternoons are due to take place towards the end of January.  Years 3 – 6 are invited to stay on Tuesday 20th January and Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are invited to stay on Thursday 22nd January.  The event runs from the end of the school day with pick up at 5:30 pm.  For further details please follow this link to the PA website - https://www.norburyhallpa.co.uk/movie-afternoons.html#/. 

To purchase tickets, please follow these links:
KS1
https://tickets.matterpay.com/s/norbury-hall-parents-association/ZXZlbnQ6ODI2NA%3D%3D/norbury-hall-january-movie-afternoon---ks1
KS2
https://tickets.matterpay.com/s/norbury-hall-parents-association/ZXZlbnQ6ODI2NQ%3D%3D/norbury-hall-january-movie-afternoon---ks2

OPAL

We are aiming to launch our OPAL project after February half term with new areas for the children to use during their playtimes.

We are continuing to ask for donations to support this project.  A Bingo Board was circulated via a special newsletter before Christmas for your child’s year group.  These are on the newsletters section of the website and also on the school gates.  Phase Team Leaders will be circulating these to you again via their newsletters.  The donation date for these items is Wednesday 28th January. 

We will also be having an OPAL working party day on Friday 23rd January from 9.15am where we would like some volunteers to help us to construct some shelters for resources and some wellie boot storage using the pallets that have been donated. If you are handy with a drill, prepared to clear and dig or if you could help organise resources you would be perfect for this job! Even if you could spare us half an hour that would be amazing. We will have made some prototypes to get us started. There will also be some bacon butties for encouragement! If you can offer your support please get in touch with us at: [email protected]

Cold weather
Thank you for sending your child ready to play outside whilst we have the colder weather.  The children have enjoyed playing in the snow. 

Please continue to send your child dressed for the outdoors.  Unless the rain is torrential or it is deemed unsafe to play outside, we will get them out whatever the weather.  Knowing they have spare socks if their feet get wet and something to keep their head dry is really important to their enjoyment and comfort.

We are looking forward to a new term with the children and as ever very much value your support.
​
Best wishes
Becky Wood

Spring Term: ‘Are You Ready to Travel the World?'

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back! We hope you all had an enjoyable and restful break! Last half term, we worked incredibly hard across the curriculum and the children worked hard to develop their science knowledge! Our clever clogs have continued to work their socks off and we are so pleased with the work they’re producing and the enthusiasm they are showing in their own learning. We really appreciate your support and kinds words throughout last term, thank you for all your continued support.

 Are You Ready to Travel the World?

To launch our new Quest, which is titled, ‘Are You Ready to Travel the World,’ the children were presented with a variety of suitcases, back packs and chests, during a whole school assembly. The children were shown and discussed various items found in their special bags and have started to investigate who they belong to and where they have come from. This term there is a geography and history focus right across school.

In Year 1, the children will be making links with a school in Ghana and learning about the similarities, differences and changes in schools. This will then move to looking at the similarities, differences and changes between homes. Throughout this, the children will be investigating how to travel from the UK to Ghana and learning about the world around them, including the continents and oceans.
​
In Year 2, the children will be investigating and learning about the similarities, differences and changes between The UK and China, (Shanghai). The children will discover a suitcase which has been left on a train in Shanghai. The children will investigate and plan a route to return the suitcase back to its owner, looking at the geography and how to travel from the UK to Shanghai. The children will also be looking at the similarities, differences and changes between transport, with a particular focus on trains.

OPAL reminder

The OPAL project is starting to take shape.  The Working Party has met with our school mentor three times across this term.  We plan to introduce new areas for play after the February half term holiday.  Mrs Adnett and Miss Garrett have written to you to explain some next steps including a bingo style collection event after Christmas and a working party day where we would appreciate parental help to help us get organised for our February launch.  Please find below a reminder of the bingo items which would really appreciate being donated by EYFS, Year 1 and 2. The working party team day is Friday 23rd January, where we would appreciate any volunteers to offer help to come into school to build and prepare items for the project. The date for any donated items to be brought into school is Wednesday 28th January. Thank you again for your continued support.

The PA plan to run the following events in the spring term

Thursday 22nd January – Movie Night for EY and KS1
Thursday 5th February – School Disco

General Information reminder
​
With the colder weather on its way, please can we request that children bring a coat with them each day. A pair of wellies or extra shoes is useful for our weekly, outdoor learning activities. It would be useful, as with all items, that they are clearly labelled.

Dear Parents and Carers,
I cannot believe how fast this half term has gone.  The Christmas Fair on Friday marked the start of our Christmas activities in school and we look forward to welcoming you at the events we will be holding over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you to those of you who attended parent / teacher meetings earlier in the half term.  I hope you found the appointment useful.  As ever, the team are always happy to discuss any questions or concerns you may have regarding your child.

Staff News
I am delighted to tell you that Miss Hannah Garrett and Mrs Bridget Adnett have been successful in securing the role of permanent Deputy Headteacher at Norbury Hall Primary School.  Hannah and Bridget have been doing this role for the past 14 months in a temporary capacity.  Members of the Governing Board joined me to interview last week.  Both Hannah and Bridget’s enthusiasm and commitment to the role were highly evident.  As the role is a job share, Miss Garrett will be available in this capacity on a Monday and Tuesday and Mrs Adnett from Wednesday to Friday.

Whilst sharing this news, it seems relevant to share our leadership structure in school with you.  Mrs Sarah Downes is also a member of the leadership team in her capacity as Inclusion Lead and SENDCo.  Mrs Downes is non-class based on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and is available to meet with parents if you have any concerns about your child in relation to any additional needs they may have.

We also have phase leaders who ensure the smooth running of a couple of year groups in the school.  They are there for the children, staff and parents and spend their leadership time ensuring that the education of the children in their phase is the very best it can be.  The phase leaders are:

Mrs Kerry Robinson
Nursery and Reception

Mrs Sara Turner
KS1 – Year 1 and Year 2

Miss Becca Morgan
Lower KS2 – Year 3 and Year 4

Miss Hannah Garrett
Upper KS2 – Year 5 and Year 6

Parents’ Association News
I am delighted to tell you that our Parents’ Association raised a grand total of £4807 last Friday at our Christmas Fair.  I would like to thank Dannielle and her team for another great event.  Thank you to those of you who helped out in any way – it is much appreciated.  The PA has raised approximately £7000 this term.  Much of this will be supporting the OPAL project.

The PA plan to run the following events in the spring term:
Tuesday 20th January – Movie Night for KS2
Thursday 22nd January – Movie Night for EY and KS1
Thursday 5th February – School Disco
More details about these events will be available nearer the time.
 
OPAL
The OPAL project is starting to take shape.  The Working Party has met with our school mentor three times across this term.  We plan to introduce new areas for play after the February half term holiday.  I am sure you will appreciate that there is a lot of work to do behind the scenes before we can really get going.  Mrs Adnett and Miss Garrett will be writing to you to explain some next steps including a bingo style collection event after Christmas and a working party day where we would appreciate parental help to help us get organised for our February launch.  This date is Friday 23rd January.

I explained earlier this term that we are getting the children outside even when it might be raining.  We would ask that each child has a waterproof coat for playtimes as this will obviously dry off more quickly.  Please make sure this has your child’s name in it.

School Car Park
Can I please remind you that parents should not use the school car park unless you have an agreement with us.  I am mindful more parents are doing this and I am worried about everyone’s safety as cars pull out of the car park during the start and end of the day.

​Dear parents and carers,
 
Thank you so much for the very kind donations for our OPAL play project – this will be a great start to getting our project underway. We are so grateful for the time and energy that people have put in to support this project for the school. It will make such a difference for our children.
 
Over the Christmas break we would like to request a continuation of donations for the project. We have devised a bingo board for each class to collect resources and your child’s is attached to the email. We thought the timing would be appropriate as after Christmas many people like to have a sort out of old toys etc. The classes will try to complete their bingo board with a full house.
 
We would like the donations to be brought into classes on Wednesday 28th January. We will have an area at the junior gate leading onto the junior playground for any large items that are tricky for the children to carry.
 
We will also be having an OPAL working party day on Friday 23rd January from 9.15am where we would like some volunteers to help us to construct some shelters for resources and some wellie boot storage using the pallets that have been donated. If you are handy with a drill, prepared to clear and dig or if you could help organise resources you would be perfect for this job! Even if you could spare us half an hour that would be amazing. We will have made some prototypes to get us started. There will also be some bacon butties for encouragement! If you can offer your support please get in touch with us at:
 
[email protected]
 
We are really excited about this project and hope that you will support us in our efforts to improve playtimes for all children.  
 
Yours sincerely

Bridget Adnett and Hannah Garrett
Deputy Headteacher

Autumn Term — What Makes Our World Work?
Week Beginning: 1st December 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,
 
This week we will be…
· Reading and retelling the story of the Gingerbread Man
· Acting out the story of the Gingerbread Man
· Creating our own Gingerbread Man out of playdough
· Recognising numerals to ten, including zero and numerals beyond  
· Practising our cutting skills
 
Festive Quest
Over the next fortnight as we lead up to Christmas, we will sharing the beautiful story, ‘Christmas Lights on Mistletoe Street’ and talking about the magic of kindness and community at this time of year. 
​
We will be busy practising our singing ready for our ‘Singalong’’, making Christmas lanterns and baking our gingerbread, as well as lots of other Christmas activities.

Library books
Library books will be collected in on Wednesday 17th December. The children will choose a new library book when they return to school in the Spring Term.
 
Thank you so much,
The Reception Team

On Wednesday 10th December 2025 it will be our ‘Festive sing-a-long’ and children are invited to come to school in a Christmas themed outfit or their party clothes.
 
There will be two performances by the children on this day in the main school hall. Children in Reception will take part in both performances and will be supported by either our beginning or end of the week Nursery children. The times of the two performances are below:
 
·  Performance 1: 9.15am – 10.15am
·  Performance 2: 2pm – 3pm
 
During the hour, the children will perform their songs in the hall and then there will be some ‘light refreshments’ within the Reception classrooms. This also offers a chance to give your child a well-deserved hug.
 
An invite will be sent from ‘Parent Booking’ where you will be able to reserve 2 seats for each performance. The seats are free of charge and we are using the online platform to indicate how many seats are needed for each performance in order to adhere to safety regulations.  
 
You should have already received a link to allow you to book for each performance, please do speak to the office if you are having any issues.
 
Please do not hesitate to ask any questions,
 
The Reception Team

​Wednesday 10th December 2025 will be our ‘Festive sing-a-long’ and children are invited to come to Nursery in a Christmas themed outfit or their party clothes.
 
For children who attend at the beginning of the week and full time, the performance by the children will start at 9:15 am in the main school hall. Afterwards there will be some ‘light refreshments’ within the nursery and a chance to give your child a well-deserved hug before leaving for home with parents/ or to wait for child care, as arranged.
 
For children who attend at the end of the week and full time, the performance by the children will start at 2 pm in the main school hall. Afterwards there will be some ‘light refreshments’ within the nursery and a chance to give your child a well-deserved hug before leaving for home with parents/ or to wait for child care, as arranged.
 
An invite will be sent from ‘Parent Booking’ where you will be able to reserve 4 seats for each child. The seats are free of charge and we are using the online platform to indicate how many seats are needed for each performance in order to adhere to safety regulations. 
 
Wednesday 17th December 2025 will be our Christmas party in Nursery for each of our children, either in the morning and the afternoon. Children can wear special party clothes and enjoy party games and treats. There will hopefully be a visit from someone special  too!
 
The last nursery session before Christmas (for beginning of the week children and full-time children) is Monday 22nd December 2025.
 
The last nursery session before Christmas (for end of the week children) is Friday 19th December 2025.
 
Please do not hesitate to ask any questions,
 
The Nursery Team

We are less than 3 weeks away from our annual Christmas fair, and we cant wait to see you there! Below is some key information for you to understand what's happening in the build up, how you can help, and what to expect on the night.

Christmas Fair - Friday 28th November, 5pm - 7pm

Grotto
Every year, Santa comes to Norbury Hall, meeting children all night long in his gorgeous Grotto! Tickets are available to book now, via this link - https://tickets.mp/norburyhallgrotto2025 - or the QR code. A ticket is for a timed slot of 15 minutes, from 5pm to 6:45pm. All children will receive a small gift after their time with Santa - please advise when booking of any dietary requirements. Space is limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets are £5 per child. 

Secret Gift Room
Our other annual tradition is our secret gift room. This is where the children pay to select a gift for their parents and carers in secret - our volunteers and teachers help them to choose, and then the gift is bagged and sealed ready for Christmas Day. We ask for donations to this on the Friday before the fair, in exchange for a non-uniform day. Dates for this are below.

This is a very popular room, and last year we sold out very quickly. This year we are asking anyone who may have unwanted gifts at home, suitable for men or women, to please donate these on top of their usual gift donation, so that we can remain open for as long as possible.

Tombolas
Our bottle and chocolate tombolas are always a hit - and as always, we will be asking for donations on the day of the fair in exchange for a second non-uniform day. Nursery and Key Stage 1 children are asked to bring a donation of sweets and chocolates for the chocolate tombola, and Key Stage 2 children a bottle - this can be alcohol, soft drinks, toiletries - anything in a bottle! 

Raffle
Raffle tickets will be sent home soon in book bags, with additional tickets available to collect from the school reception shortly afterwards. Tickets can be handed in right until the draw takes place, usually around 6:30-6:45 on the night. We have some great prizes donated from parents and local businesses already - including a top prize of £100 cash. Please encourage your friends and family to buy tickets and support the PA!

If you or your family have a prize they would be willing to donate - please get in touch with us at [email protected] to arrange collection. 


Non-uniform dates
Friday 21st November - in exchange for a donation to the Secret Gift room. 

Nursery and KS1 children - bring in a gift suitable for men, in an unsealed gift bag
KS2 children - bring a gift suitable for women, in an unsealed gift bag

Gifts can be toiletries sets, socks, books, puzzles - you name it! So long as they are in good condition, and in date (if food/drinks). Please ensure the gift is brought in an unsealed gift bag so that the bags can be used on the night to wrap the gifts once the children have chosen them. 

Friday 28th November (Fair day) - in exchange for a donation to our tombolas
CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

Nursery and KS1 children - bring in a donation to the chocolate tombola
KS2 children - bring in a donation to the bottle tombola

There will be a bottle donation point on the playground at the entrance gates to reduce the chances of bottles being dropped on the way in!


On the Night
Expect a festive brass band, a Christmas donkey, warm mulled wine and hot food, football fun from 8BY8, and stalls from local businesses. There will be a bar available serving wine, beer and soft drinks - with both cash and card payments available. 

The fair runs from 5pm till 7pm, so please come along whenever you can to enjoy the festivities! Entry is £1 per person - Norbury children go free (cash only on the gate).

Dear Parents and Carers,
 
This week we will be…
· Learning  more about Bonfire Night and why it takes place
· Exploring colour and patterns linked to fireworks 
· Listening to the noises of the fireworks
· Talking about safety around fireworks and bonfires
· Exploring shape – circles and triangles
 
Funky Fingers
You may have heard your child mention Funky fingers to you. This is something that we do every day.  It is a carousel over the week of different activities that each support fine motor development and building up the muscle strength in our hands.
In our carousel we have:
· Cutting practise
· Handwriting
· Name/number formation
· Dough gym (with playdough)
· A fine motor activity: e.g. threading, tweezing
 
The children access one of these activities each day.
 
Parents evening
We look forward to seeing you at parents evening this week.
 
The appointment will take place in the school hall so please enter school through the main office for your appointment. We will have 10 minutes to discuss how the first half term has gone and also answer any questions that you may have.  Your child’s book, with all their super learning inside, will also be available in the hall for you to look at.
 
Healthy eating
To further support the promotion of healthy eating and consumption of more vegetables in our diet, the school nurse has passed on a useful website:
https://simplyveg.org.uk/
 
Jury Service
Just to let you know that Mrs Robinson has been called for Jury service w/b 17th November for up to two weeks. Your child will continue to be supported and taught by Miss Bradbury and supply staff during this period.
 
Please do not hesitate to speak/email a member of staff if you have any questions.
 
Finally, as the weather is increasingly getting colder, please unsure all clothing coming into school is named.

Thank you so much,
The Reception Team

Dear Parents and Carers,
I trust you had a good half term break and that the children are now refreshed and ready for the return to school.  We are looking forward to another exciting half term of learning at Norbury Hall.

I would like to thank Mrs Travis and Mrs Campbell as they have kept our office running efficiently over the last 18 months with varying staff changes and changes to the way things run now we are part of a trust. ​

​Wow we cannot believe we are already at October half term! We are so proud of how well all the Nursery children have settled into their new environment. It has been so lovely to see them getting more comfortable each day – making new friends, forming relationships with the adults in the classroom and exploring different activities. 

Phonics
We have started our phonics sessions in small groups. At school we follow the Letters and Sounds phonics programme. We have started by focussing on phase 1 phonics. Phase 1 phonics is the first stage of early reading development and it focuses on helping children develop strong listening and speaking skills before they begin learning letters and sounds. During this phase, children take part in fun, play-based activities that help them tune into the sounds around them and sounds their bodies can make. They also enjoy rhymes, songs, and stories to help them recognise rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration (words that start with the same sound). As their confidence grows, children begin to explore how words are made up of individual sounds, practising skills like blending sounds together (e.g. hearing “c-a-t” and saying “cat”) and breaking words down into their separate sounds. These early listening and sound awareness skills are essential building blocks for learning to read and write later on.
 
Lunchtimes
We really enjoy lunchtimes in Nursery and the social side of it too. Just a reminder that if your child has grapes or other small fruits/vegetables in their lunchbox, please ensure that these are chopped (lengthways and then halved again).
The children have set times for a drink at snack time and lunchtime, but we also have the children’s drinks bottles accessible throughout the day for children to have a drink when needed.
As these drinks are accessible for children throughout the day, we would like to remind you of the Department of Education’s advice that water is a healthier option than juice.

Library
The children will begin going to the school library after half term and will bring home their chosen book in a reading wallet each week. Please could they be returned to school on your child’s set day:

• Nursery beginning of the week and full-time children: Wednesday
• Nursery end of the week: Thursday

 
School applications
Just a reminder the Reception applications are open and the deadline to apply is the 15th of January 2026. Applications need to be made for all children, irrespective of their current Nursery place. Please chat to one of us if you want to know more about the process.

This October Primary Sports Coaching Limited (PSCL) will be running their Ofsted Registered Active Holiday Camps.

Norbury Hall Primary School, Hazel Grove >>
Book online at https://primaryscl.coordinate.cloud/project/60548

Halloween Day
Come along to our Halloween theme day at all our venues on Thursday 30th October. Get dressed up and play Halloween themed games.

Bookings are live now via our website >> https://primaryscl.coordinate.cloud/list

Times and Prices of Courses:
Children can be dropped off from 9am
Children can be collected from 3.30pm
Standard Day – £24
Reception Child Day – £14 (9am-12.45pm)
Sibling Discount: Use the code ‘SIBLING25’ to reduce the cost to £21 per child per day!

Week Discount: When you book a 5-day week, use code ‘FULLWK’ to get the price down to £110!
​
Wrap Around Care:
Early drop off (8am – 8.55am) = £4 per child, per morning
Stay and Play (3.30pm – 5pm) = £5 per child, per afternoon
For more information, please visit our website at https://www.primaryscl.co.uk/holiday-courses/  or feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

We now have a new website to purchase school uniform. This is a local company who have supplied Norbury Hall uniform for many years.

We encourage you to use this website Norburyhall.uniform4you.co.uk entering the password Shepley1

The stock we have in the school office can still be purchased via the school money app, however the stock is limited due to storage space. 

Please help Norbury Hall P.A.
Easyfundraising have a campaign for October where the PA gets £2 for every new sign up via the app.
 
Many thanks!
 
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/parentkind-app-eal/

​Dear Parents and Carers,
 
We have received the following communications from the online safety team at Stockport LA.  We regularly hold conversations with parents around this topic and unfortunately find ourselves in discussions with families when things go wrong online particularly for our older children.  There is a large amount of support available in the resources that have been shared with us and I want to share a small part of these with you in this correspondence.  I will continue to share more with you in newsletters across the year.
 
I have shared guidance here with you regarding social media.  I know a large number of our children access the apps that are mentioned here.  I would remind you that many of these apps have a recommended age of 13.  Whilst I understand there are many different ways to use these apps, I would encourage you to have conversations in your home regarding safe use if this is appropriate to your family situation.
 
Please be assured that online safety is an integral part of our PSHE curriculum across the year but this is obviously one area where working in partnership is key.
 
Find out how to keep your child safe online. Don’t forget that the Online Safety Hub is now live! You can access it for free here:

https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/  The Online Safety Hub is a brand-new online resource with lots of expert advice and guidance to help you manage your child's safety online as a parent. It includes information on the latest hot topics when it comes to keeping children safe, such as how to manage your child's screen time, understand the latest gaming platforms, what they mean for your child’s safety and lots more.
 
We’re also offering you as a parent, a free Qustodio account facilitating parental controls on any individual device and free premium access for 30 days. Gain more visibility on what’s going on in your child’s online world. Block dangerous content, introduce screen-free schedules, receive alerts for inappropriate content, keep tabs on their location and more. Follow the link to create your free account https://www.qustodio.com/en/30-days-school-special/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=OSHub&utm_campaign=stockport

Navigating social media and gaming safely
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/articles/navigating-social-media-and-gaming-apps-safely
Supporting families to discuss how to keep their children safe online using our ABC model.

Safe Chat : The best messaging apps for children
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/articles/safe-chat-the-best-messaging-apps-for-children-1
A good place to start for messaging apps.

Snapchat
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/reviews/snapchat
Review of the snapchat platform
Information, advice and guidance for parents

Tiktok
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/reviews/tiktok  
Review of Tiktok
Information, advice and guidance for parents
 
Instagram
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/reviews/instagram
Review of instagram - Information, advice and guidance for parents
 
Discord
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/reviews/discord
Review of Discord - Information, advice and guidance for parents

The prevent duty - advice and support for parents
https://stockport.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/articles/the-prevent-duty-advice-and-support-for-parents
Information and advice relating to the prevent duty.

We have also been asked to share a current online safety concern.

A safeguarding issue has been identified regarding the Spy Dog, Spy Pups, and Spy Cats book series by Andrew Cope. A web address printed in these books is now under the control of another party and redirects to inappropriate content. The publisher, Puffin, is currently addressing the matter and confirms that the website is not associated with Puffin Group or the author, Andrew Cope. 

If your child owns any Spy Dog, Spy Cat, or Spy Pup books, please check for website links at the back of the books and ensure the sites cannot be accessed. The stories themselves remain safe to read; the concern relates only to the outdated link.
I trust this information is of use to you and your family.

Best wishes,
Becky Wood

Dear Parents and Carers,

The half term is racing away.  The children continue to settle in their classes and are really focused on their learning.  Thank you, as ever, for you continued support.

Mental Health Awareness Day
This Friday (10th October) is World Mental Health Awareness Day.  As previously shared with you, we would like the children to come wearing something yellow.  This can be a small splash of colour or head to toe in yellow!  We will be talking with the children, in an age appropriate way, about mental health during the day.

Parent / Teacher Consultations
We will shortly be sending you an email from ‘Parents Booking’ who are the online platform system we use to organise Parent / Teacher Consultations.  
This allows you to choose, book and edit the meetings scheduled with the class teacher. These will take place on;
Tuesday 4th November – 3:30pm - 7pm
Wednesday 5th November – AM (Nursery only)
Thursday 6th November – 3:30 pm – 6 pm
The log in screen is very simple and straightforward to use, no username or password is required. The platform is now live and will close on Friday 24th October at 12 noon.

Autumn Term—What Makes Our World Work?
Week Beginning: 6th October 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,
 
I can’t quite believe I am writing this newsletter in October already!
Last week, after reading the story of the Three Little Pigs, the children received a letter from Mummy Pig.  She said that her three little pigs have become too big for her house and set the children a challenge to build them a new house using different materials in the woods!  They were very excited and just loved building all kinds of structures with straw, sticks and bricks!
​
This week we will be…

• Continuing to explore different materials and building houses together as a team.
• Retelling the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears
• Introduce the five senses using narrative immersion and participation in the story 
• Exploring colour mixing with the paints.
• Looking at the sounds (phonemes):  g  o  c  k
• Talking about measure and patterns
• Practising our careful counting
•  Counting out sets of objects to match a numeral with 10

 
Dough Disco
Last week we started the fun of Dough Disco. This is something that we do most days and love! We have our own pot of playdough in the classroom and we choose a song to dance to and practise flattening, rolling and squeezing our playdough. Dough Disco helps us to strength the muscles in our hands, which in turn helps us with our pencil control and handwriting.

Home Learning and Handwriting
At school we use the handwriting policy of Penpals. This a great resource that supports our children right through school. Your child is practising letter formation in school through explicit teaching and in phonics.  Each week your child will be sent home some reinforcing practice of handwriting linked to the sounds they are learning.  Please return the plastic folder and the completed activity in their reading bags each week by Wednesday please.
 
Star of the day
We now have ‘Star of the day’ each day in class. Children will each take it in turns to be praised on something we have seen that day and receive a certificate. For the next day, the Star of the Day will get to be at the front of the line and sit on a chair at carpet times. 
 
World Mental Health Day
To support and acknowledge World Mental Health Day this Friday (10th October) we ask that the children come to school in their school uniform, but wearing a splash of yellow.
 
Packed lunches and nut-based products
As we have some children in school with nut allergies, please can we mindful of not including nuts or nut-based products in packed lunches or in snacks.
 
Please do not hesitate to speak/email a member of staff if you have any questions.
​
Thank you so much,
The Reception Team

What is this?
The Christmas card project is an annual design project where the children create their own Christmas design, which is then professionally printed onto cards, wrapping paper, mugs and more! The school receive a commission for every order received. 

What do I need to do?
You will have received an order form in your child's bag. They need to create a design that will be stuck to the blank page on the back. Once done, you need to follow the instructions on the front to set up your order on the website. 

There is a step by step guide on the order form to help you - but please make sure you use the reference number on your order form only, as these are unique to you.

Orders must be placed before the form is returned to school to ensure your products are sent for free back to school, and that we receive a commission from your order.

What next?
Once you've made your order, the design form needs to be returned to school, before
Friday 3rd October. The order forms will be collected by Cauliflower and processed together. Any forms not received by this time will delay your order and you may be required to pay P&P.

This is a lovely project that allows you to send personalised Christmas cards and gifts from your children, and also helps the school!

If you have any further questions, please email us on [email protected]

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are pleased to let you know that on Friday 10th October, our school will be supporting Mental Health Awareness day, with a focus on Young Minds.

This is a special day to help children understand the importance of looking after their mental health and to encourage positive well-being. We will be having age-appropriate discussions and activities in school to raise awareness and support emotional wellbeing.

To mark the occasion, we are inviting all pupils to come to school in full school uniform, but with a touch of yellow - this could be an accessory like a hairband, socks, a badge or even a yellow t-shirt under their school jumper. Yellow is the colour chosen by Young Minds to symbolise hope, happiness, and support for mental health awareness.

Please note: There is no donation required.

Here are some useful links where you can find further information regarding Mental Health Awareness Day and ways to support your child/children:
World Mental Health Day 2025 | Mental Health Foundation
YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds

Thank you for your continued support, in helping our children grow in confidence, resilience and kindness.
​
Kind Regards,
Sara Turner
Mental Health Lead 

Autumn Term—What Makes Our World Work?
Week Beginning: 22nd September 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,
 
An exciting week ahead for our little learners as they learn and play in their learning environments, which they are now more familiar with! 
 
This week we will be…

Continuing to talk about families and where they live. Please send in your family photo if you have not already done so.

Reading stories about families e.g. Owl Babies and retelling the story together.
Drawing pictures and labelling, ‘Who is in our family?’  ‘Where do I live?’
Exploring different materials in our construction area and building houses together.
Creating our own junk models, using different resources including using scissors
Looking at the sounds (phonemes):  i, n, m, d.

Tricky words to learn by sight (these cannot be sounded out) I  go  no  to  the  into
Matching, sorting and comparing objects
 
Bug Club

Bug Club is a brilliant online resource we have in school and you’ll find your child’s login for Bug Club stuck in the front of your child’s reading record book. Please do let us know if you are having any issues logging on.

Last week, we allocated 6 books without words for your child to share with you and to enjoy collecting the rewards through the little bugs.
​
We allocate new books on there each week (by Friday), in addition to the reading books that come home. Children can apply their phonic knowledge and practise further at home online.
To access please visit:
https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/loginc=0 

Labelling

Please can you ensure that clothing is well labelled.  This will include hats, scarves, coats and jumpers.  Many thanks.  PE starts this week!

Please do not hesitate to speak/email a member of staff if you have any questions.

Thank you so much,
The Reception Team