Your child’s annual flu vaccination will be due from September 2025   This vaccination programme is in place to help protect your child against flu. The vaccine will help prevent them catching the flu. Vaccinating your child will also help protect vulnerable friends and family by reducing the spread of flu.    The intra-nasal flu vaccine is effective in protecting your child against flu.   A flu vaccine can be given as an injection in the upper arm if you do not wish for your child to receive a vaccine containing porcine gelatin. We can give the injection in school to all those children in Year 7 and above. Children from Reception age to Year 6 will be offered a clinic appointment at one of our community clinics. The online consent can be accessed via any online device. Please click on the following link https://www.northumbriaimmunisations.co.uk/Forms/Flu   which will direct you to an online consent form for you to complete using the following school code NB108503 Consent submissions will close 48 working hours before the school session date. You can call to complete a consent after that but may have to attend a clinic instead. If you do not want your child to receive the flu vaccination, please complete a non-consent, this can be completed on the same form by selecting NO this will also stop any further communications from our team. If you have any queries regarding the consent form or the Flu vaccine please us. Northumbria Healthcare School Aged Immunisation Service.   If your child becomes wheezy or has their asthma medication increased after you have completed the form, please inform the immunisation service.   For further information see:  Annual flu programme - GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk )

Important information regarding changes to school meals payments/trips Further to our earlier correspondence we are pleased to inform you that English Martyrs’ is now using the Parent Portal and Parent App and has set up an account for you. To finish creating your account you just need to set a password.  Your username is the email address school has forwarded the email to. Go to https://login.arbor.sc and click Forgot your password? To finish setting up your account. The Parent App can be downloaded from either the Playstore on android phones or the Apple store on Iphones. Log into the Parent Portal and the Parent App – Arbor Help Centre   School Meals and Trips With effect from 1 st  September 2025 we will be using the Arbor Parent Portal for school meals payments, music payments and school visits and residentials and Ipayimpact will no longer be in use. With this in mind can you please ensure you cancel any direct debits/standing orders you may have setup with Ipayimpact and all lunch balances and/or music payments etc. should be fully cleared by no later than Thursday 17 th July 2025.  If your account is in credit please request a refund via Ipayimpact; this must be completed on or before 16 th  July 2025, as school will no longer have access to the account after this date. If you have any queries please contact the school office by emailing office@emcps.co.uk   Miss M Elliott Headteacher

It is important that nobody ever goes hungry, therefore as of 16/11/2023, English Martyrs’ are an official partner of Feeding Families. Feeding Families is a North East charity who offer support to those experiencing food poverty. Please note that as of June 2025, you will now have to provide information around your household and your need for the boxes. Feeding Families are receiving less donations and the demand continues to grow. Food boxes are for families as a short-term help. If you are experiencing longer-term food poverty, please contact Miss Moran. Alternatively, visit Trussell Trust or google “food banks near me” for support. What's in the boxes? The boxes have enough food to support up to 2 people for 3 days. Each family will receive the number of boxes that reflect the family size. E.g. family of 5 will get three boxes. The boxes should be used as short-term support .  How can I access the boxes?  Contact the office and ask to speak with Miss. Moran. Alternatively, an email may be sent. Miss Moran can support with getting the boxes out/collected.  Miss Moran collects boxes roughly once every half-term although this changes based on need. All phone calls, collection/drop off of boxes will be carried out discreetly by Miss Moran. Please contact the school office on office@emcps.co.uk  for more information.

Dear Parents/Carers, We are pleased to confirm that we will be hosting our popular ‘family breakfast’ for the final time, this year on Friday 11th July Family breakfast mornings are very popular among our school community and we enjoy serving delicious hot breakfasts to children, parents, carers, grandparents and other family members as well as some of our staff! The family breakfast event is open to all pupils and their families - it is always lovely to see past-pupils returning for breakfast with their siblings. No need to book, please just arrive within the times below. This will take place in the school dining hall and will run from 7.50am until around 8.45am (last orders taken at 8.30am) . Gates to the lower Netherby Drive (KS2) entrance will be opened at 7.50am. There will be no access via the school office. We take cash payment only and small change is much appreciated Children must have an adult with them to join the family breakfast, however pupils in Y6 who walk to school on their own may attend without an adult. Please note – if your child currently attends our own school-based breakfast provision, they can attend as normal on this day. A sample menu is provided below. We aim to keep costs as low as possible, ensuring our breakfasts are not only delicious but also affordable too. ·         Cooked Breakfasts ·         Breakfast Sandwiches: Bacon, Sausage, Egg (Vegetarian options available) ·         Scrambled egg on toast ·         Beans on toast ·         Cheese Toasties ·         Cereals ·         Toast / Bagels (With butter/Jam) ·         Tea/Coffee (adults) ·         Juice/Water/Milk ·         Selection of Fruit   All funds raised at family breakfast events, are used to fund school council projects, improving the school grounds and resources for our pupils.   If you have any further questions, please contact the school office. Regards, Senior Leadership Team

All pupils in Year 4 will be going on an educational visit to Vindolanda and the Roman History Museum on Monday 30th June 2025, travelling by private coach. This trip will take place during normal school hours so children will need a packed lunch. Children who receive free school lunches will receive a packed lunch provided by the school kitchen. This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to spend time exploring Roman artefacts in a safe and exciting environment. The children will be able to go walking in the ruins of a Roman Fort, see real artefacts discovered within the site and gain a deeper understanding of our local area. This is a whole day visit and the children will be outdoors for the majority of the time. Your child should come to school dressed in their school jumper/hoodie and appropriate clothes and footwear for outdoor activities. They will also need to bring a water bottle, coat and sunhat.  Please ensure they have had sunscreen applied if required before they come into school. The cost of this trip works out at £19 per pupil which includes transport to and from the venue, and has been heavily subsidised by school.  With this in mind we are kindly asking parents/carers for a voluntary donation of  £5 towards the trip .   All payments must be made online via Ipayimpact and you will receive a text from the school office once payments can be made.  If you do not have an online account setup please contact the school office for further information by emailing office@emcps.co.uk  or by telephoning 0191 274 7463. If you have any queries or questions in relation to any of the above please do not hesitate to contact school.

The children in Year 6 have been invited to take part in this event as part of the transition activities in preparation for their transfer to secondary education in September. The Year 6 children from most of the Newcastle Catholic Primary Schools will be taking part in this special activity which will take place on Tuesday 24th June 2025.     The children will travel to the event by private coach which will leave school at 8.30 am prompt.  We aim to arrive back to school at 4.30pm. The children will need a packed lunch. Please ensure that no glass bottles are included. Children who usually have a free school meal will be given a packed lunch to take with them if they wish. Please could children also bring a water bottle.   The children should wear school uniform for this event. Depending on the weather, children will need to wear sun cream (as they may be outside for a long period of time) and/or bring a coat with them. They should wear sensible shoes.   Please note there will be no cost for this visit.

Our Parents evening for pupils in Reception, Classes RF and RP will take place on the following days/times:- Tuesday 1st July and/or Thursday 3rd July 2025 We have a system which will allow you to book your appointment for the date and time that is convenient to you which will be sent to the primary contact we have named for your child. Appointments will be available from 2.30pm with the last appointment at 5.30pm and these are booked on a first-come first-served basis. Please note meetings will be held face to face in your child's classroom, and you can access the school building via the gates on Netherby Drive. We look forward to meeting with you and discussing your child's progress.

12th June 2025 We are pleased to be able to welcome parents and carers to school to watch our school sports day. If you have a child in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 you are welcome to attend the morning event and return for the afternoon sports event. Please see information below in relation to our annual Sports day which will take place on Thursday 12th June. Access to the event will be via the Cheeseburn Gardens  entrance. Please be mindful not to park along Cheeseburn Gardens during the day of the event to take into consideration our local residents. If using a car please use the surrounding streets. TIMETABLE OF EVENTS   Morning 9:15 - 10:30 – Lower KS2 (Years 3/4) races on top field Race 1: Hurdles                    Race 2: Running                    Race 3: Egg and Spoon                       Parent’s race (Time permitting)   Morning 10:45-12:00 – Upper KS2 (Years 5/6) races on top field Race 1: Hurdles                    Race 2: Running                    Race 3: Egg and Spoon                       Parent’s race (Time permitting)   Afternoon 1:15pm – 2:45 KS1 (Years 1/2) races on top field Race 1: Egg and spoon                    Race 2: Balance bean bag on head                    Race 3: Running                       Parent’s race (Time permitting) Please send your child into school in their PE Kit with their school water bottle. Please ensure they have had sun cream applied and have a hat, with their name on.

Thank you to parents and carers who were able to attend our Phonics information session. Please find below the slides which were shared at the session. Many Thanks Miss Phelan

Statutory Tests 2025   Next week sees the start of the statutory tests (SAT's) set by the Government for our Year 6 pupils.    The Year 6 tests begin on Monday 12th May and last until Thursday 15th May. The children will be tested in Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar, Reading and Maths.   Our staff and children have worked very hard to prepare for these tests and we would like to ask our Year 6 parents to please ensure that your child is well rested, preferably with early nights, and are punctual for school each day.     During SAT’s week Year 6 are invited into school from 8.15am each morning for breakfast.   There is no requirements for how schools use the optional KS1 tests. The tests have been designed for pupils in Year 2 who have completed the relevant KS1 programme of study, are moving on to KS2 and will reach the age of 7 by the end of the academic year 2024 to 2025. At English Martyrs’ we will administer these tests during our whole school assessment week straight after half term replacing the usual test the pupils undertake termly.   However, these SAT’s only give us a snapshot of each child’s ability on that day, they do not recognise, nor celebrate, what makes each of our children special and unique. We know that our children will do their very best and no matter what the test outcomes are, we at English Martyrs school all know our children’s individual talents and gifts and rejoice in their awesomeness!   Thank you to our parents and carers for supporting their children during this time.   Prayer for our children during SAT's   God our Father, as our pupils begin this time of tests, they may feel some anxiety and frustration. Help them to stay focused. Give them a clear mind to perform to the best of their ability. Grant them silence so that they may process the knowledge they have obtained. Let them sleep peacefully at night, so that they are refreshed and renewed. Be with them, Lord, during this time. Undoubtedly, there will be moments when they want to quit and give up. Please sustain them, Lord. Calm their nerves and anxiety, Guide them during times of trouble and self-doubt. Help them to realize that they have done my best possible work. Thank you for the many talents and gifts you have given them and for the opportunity of education. Help them to never doubt my own awesomeness. Amen.

School will be providing Year 6 with a free breakfast each morning of SAT's week (Mon - Thurs) from 8.15am (entry via Netherby Drive). This is a great opportunity for all children to come together to relax and eat a healthy breakfast.  Year 6 staff will be available to support any pupils who may be feeling nervous or anxious, and we strongly encourage all pupils to attend.  Please email the school office ( office@emcps.co.uk ) if your child will not be attending.  We ask all children arrive at school no later than 8.40am during SATs week.  Many thanks for your continued support. English Martyrs' staff.