Easter challenge for the holidays. Could all images be sent to school by Monday 28th April. Thank you.

Dear Parents/Carers, We are pleased to confirm that we will be hosting our popular ‘family breakfast’ this term on Friday 11th April The 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. 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.   The KS2 hall will again feature our £1 uniform shop where you can purchase items of pre-loved school uniform for just £1. We have a wide selection of uniform, including jumpers, cardigans, hoodies, trousers, skirts and PE kit. Each item of uniform is only £1 but please bring change along. We will also be accepting donations of any good quality uniform that you would like to pass on. If you have any further questions, please contact the school office. Regards, Senior Leadership Team

Dear Parents/Carers, Hop to it! 🐰 Our Easter Raffle  is officially here, and it’s your chance to win egg-straordinary  prizes! Tickets will be on sale this week, in school. Tickets cost £1 per strip (cash only). Our Y6 helpers will be selling tickets throughout the week with the raffle draw taking place during our assembly, on Friday afternoon. We’ve got a cracking selection of prizes, including: Easter Egg Hampers  filled with delicious treats! Lots of Chocolate prizes  ! Gift Vouchers Berghaus Gore-Tex coats (Donated by Pentland Sports) Plus More Easter theme prizes to be won! Funds raised will go towards future school projects so all purchases of tickets are appreciated. Just a small selection of some of the Chocolate treats on offer!

Dear Families, We are excited to announce that English Martyrs’ Catholic Primary School has adopted Arbor, a new School Management Information System. By adopting Arbor we hope to make our communications with you simpler.  Arbor’s Parent Portal & Parent App offers the following functionality which we will be rolling out over the coming months. ·         In-App Messaging ·         Emails, SMS, Letters ·         Parents Evening Bookings ·         Book and Pay for Clubs and Trips ·         Pay for School Meals We will continue to use Tapestry to update you on your child’s learning. We will send further information next week on how to register for the Arbor Parent Portal, please look out for this information and register your child when prompted.  Following your registration it is recommended you download the Arbor app. We are really looking forward to getting started with Arbor and invite all our parents to familiarise themselves using the link below. Getting started - Log into the Parent Portal and the Parent App Please remember initially we will use the system for communications.  Payments and Parents Evening Bookings will be added in the new academic year. We will continue to use IpayImpact for payments until further notice, however please ensure your weekly lunch balances and school trips are paid in full by the due dates and there is nothing outstanding.

We would like to invite you to our 'Getting ready to write in Nursery' workshop. NNG1 Tuesday 8th April at 2.45pm - entrance via Harnham Gardens NNG2 Thursday 10th April at 2.45pm - entrance via Harnham Gardens

You are invited to attend our second Reception “Cuppa and Chat” session for parents and carers which will take place on Thursday, 3rd April at 2.15pm. This will be an opportunity to meet and talk to fellow parents. Mrs Foster and Miss Phelan will also be available and will be speaking to you about early learning goals. We will also have in attendance our OT (Occupational Therapist) who will be around for a chat and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have about your child's physical development etc. This will take place in our Key Stage 2 dining room and entrance to the building will be from the bottom gates on Netherby Drive. You can then enter school via the Year 5/Year 6 entrance/exit. We look forward to seeing you at this event.

Some of our Key Stage 2 children have been selected to take part in the Key Stage 2 Leadership Challenge at Walker Dome Activity Centre on Thursday 27th March 2025.   Loosely based on the Crystal Maze, members of the children’s’ team will take on different challenges.  They will need to communicate with one another to decide who might be best matched with each challenge.  Some are skills based, some involve light physical activity and some involve problem solving to give you a flavour.   The pupils will leave school just after lunch and the event will begin at 12:30pm, ending at around 4:00pm. The children will then return to school on the minibus at approximately 4:20pm. Please collect your child from the school office entrance via Beaufront Gardens.   Children will come to school dressed in the same equipment that they would for a PE day.   To confirm your child's attendance please email the school office office@emcps.co.uk  by no later than Monday 24th March to give permission for your child to attend the event.   Please email your child's name and class and note that you give consent for your child to attend this event and please note they must be collected by an appropriate adult at 4.20pm.

Dear Parents/Carers Over the past few months, our Drama club have worked very hard to put together their own performance of Alice in Wonderland. The children in Drama club are delighted to invite you to their show, which will take place on Tuesday 8th April at 3.30pm in our KS2 school hall. Please see poster below. Could you please let us know how many seats you require, by completing the form HERE . This will allow us to organise our seating plans in advance. Many Thanks

World Water Day is an annual event celebrated on 22nd March. It helps to focus our attention on the importance of water and the ways in which we can take action to tackle the water crisis. The theme for this Year's World Water Day is ' Save our Glaciers '. Challenge - Spread the word about saving our glaciers! Create a poster telling people about it and how we can work together to save our glaciers. All pupils in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 can take part and children have been asked to return any entries to their teacher by 24th March ready for a follow on assembly next Thursday.

On Friday 21st March 2025 we will celebrate Red Nose day in school.   All pupils are invited to come into school that day wearing something red .  The theme this year is supporting those in need during the current cost of living crisis, so we are asking pupils to bring in a food item (rather than a cash donation) which we will then donate to the Feeding Families charity.    Thursday 20th March is also International Day of Happiness and we are sure the food donations which will bring some happiness to others.  Please see list for suitable donations:

Newcastle City Council has informed schools that from Monday 7th April 2025 , they are increasing the school catering charge to £3 per meal. Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust recognises this is a significant increase for parents and the Trust knows the importance of a pupil receiving a hot, nutritious school meal. Consequently, they are doing what they can to limit the impact of this cost and have agreed to limit the price passed onto parents at £2.70 until April 2026 . If you pay for your child to have a school meal please ensure you amend your weekly payment to reflect this increase from 7th April 2025 which will work out at £13.50 per week. If you feel you may be eligible to receive free school meals please visit follow the link below to make an online application Apply for free school meals Apply for free school meals| Newcastle City Council