This week we have had a number of enriching opportunities for our pupils. Our pre-school and reception pupils were treated to a visit from Jungle Jo, providing them with hands-on experience with animal handling. And for our KS4 pupils today, we held a Health Fair where students were able to speak with professionals around their own health, closely linking with themes covered in our PSHE curriculum.

In addition to this, we launched our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with Year 9 pupils this week. We have already filled our 48 available places and have a small waiting list. It is wonderful see so many pupils and families value this award. While launching, we have had some queries from Year 10 pupils to ask why they can’t take part in the award. As this is our first year facilitating the award, we are limited in the number of places we can offer. Due to the timeline for this year (January launch rather than September launch), we anticipate that the expedition will take place at the start of next academic year. This would impact our current Year 10’s (who will then be in Year 11) preparations for their GCSE exams.

I have been invited to be one of three guest speakers at Christchurch Clarendon Park on Tuesday 25th February, 7pm – 9pm. I am humbled to be joined by Mezmin Malida and Camille London-Myo. The theme for the evening is #AccelerateAction and is organised by the St Phillips Centre and the Methodist Church. Please see the attached information flyer for further details and booking information. IWD FLYER 2025

PTFA Raffle

We are coming to the close of our big PTFA raffle (to be drawn on 14th February) and I want to thank all staff, children and parents for their support with this. Proceeds of the raffle will be going to school projects, such as the Forest School and funding for a new/additional mini bus.
As well as the £1000, £500 and £250 cash prizes, we have also secured 10 x £50 Amazon vouchers. These vouchers have kindly been donated by a number of our community lettings partners:

• Reshma’s Academy (Science Tuition) x3
• Phoenix Martial Arts x2
• 4Eva Fitness (Bollywood Fitness & Circuit Training)
• Siddhi Reiki & Yoga by Heena Dave
• Ajay Pitrola – Badminton & Pickleball
• Karan Maths Tuition
• AMC IT

We are grateful to all of our sponsors, most of the above run tuition or various Sports/Dance/Yoga/Martial Arts classes at the school. For more information on these please email [email protected].
All staff will do a final push to have any last ticket books issued early next week, and final money and ticket stubs collected by Tuesday 11th February. This will allow the SLT and PTFA to check that all issued books have been returned prior to the raffle being drawn on Friday 14th February.

PTFA EGM Election Notice letter

You are invited to the EGM rescheduled election, which is to be held at the school on:
Friday 28th February 2025 at 6.30pm till 7.00pm.

Please see link below for PTFA EGM election notice letter for further information.

PTFA EGM Election Notice Letter 2025

Please see Avanti way principles and values here and register your attendance to the EGM by emailing to [email protected]

ADVANCE NOTICE: The school will be closed to pupils (except Y11 students attending their mock exams) on Friday 14th February for a staff INSET day. 

Secondary Calendar

• Tuesday 4th February: DMU Inspire CSI Trip (selected students)
• Tuesday 4th February : Y8 Parents Consultation Evening (Secondary school will finish at 12:50pm)
• Monday 10th February: National Apprenticeship week
• Wednesday 12th February: ACWY Teenage Vaccination Y9 onwards
• Thursday 13th February: Y9 Option Evening ( 4:30 – 6:30pm)
• Friday 14th February:  Y11 Art mock exam
• Friday 14th February: INSET Day (School will be closed for students)
• Monday 17th February – Friday 21st February: Half term break

Primary Calendar

• Tuesday 4th February: Cinema Evening (4:00pm – 6:00pm)
• Tuesday 11th February: Pre-school Parents Workshop
• Wednesday 12th February: Reception/Y1 & Y2 Parents Workshop
• Wednesday 12th February: Reception height & weight check
• Friday 14th February: INSET Day (School will be closed for students)
• Monday 17th February – Friday 21st February: Half term break

International Women’s Day

Reading at home

Encourage a love of reading at home! Set aside time to dive into books, whether it’s together as a family or individually. Encourage children to explore different genres and share your favourite stories.  Don’t forget to keep track of your progress by completing the yellow reading log and aim to become the next Reading Champion! Remember, if you read at least 5 times a week, you will gain a stamp. Will you become your classes next Reading Champion?

Primary Cinema Evening

We are delighted to announce a Cinema Evening Event for our Primary students  (Reception to Y2 ) on Tuesday 4^th February.

If you would like your child to attend the event, please book ticket via Parent Pay.

 Please note:  parents  need to collect their child as normal at 2.45pm, unless they have an afterschool club on that day.

Please return back to school at 3.45pm via the main Reception to sign in.

Collection: As this event has been opened to Krishna Avanti Primary pupils, we are asking for all Avanti Fields Parents to wait outside of the Reception classrooms for dismissal. Please be mindful there may be a large number of pupils to dismiss so we are asking politely for your patience regarding this.

NSPCC – Number Day

We are excited to announce that Primary will be taking part in Number Day 2025 on 7^th February, a fun-filled day organised by the NSPCC to celebrate the magic of numbers and support a fantastic cause!

Theme: Numbers, Numbers Everywhere!

£1 donation requested from each pupil who wishes to dress up. Donations will go directly to the NSPCC to help continue their vital work.

COMPETITIONS

On this special day, we invite all children to come dressed in numbers—their favourite number, a lucky number, or even a whole equation! Let your creativity run wild:

• Transform into a human calculator or a dice.
• Wear a T-shirt covered in your favourite numbers.
• Come as a giant clock, ruler, or domino!

Prizes for Best Dressed!
There will be a prize for the best-dressed pupil in each class, so get those thinking caps on and let your imagination soar. The crazier and more creative, the better!

Special Competitions by Year Group

Pre-School and Reception: Number Art Competition

• Task: Create a piece of artwork (number collage) featuring your child’s favorite number using any materials they like—paint, collage, or craft items.

Year 1 and Year 2: DIY Board Game Competition

• Task: Design and create a board game with a math-based theme. Include numbers, shapes, or simple math challenges to play the game. Use materials like cardboard or paper for your creation.

Submission Details:

• Deadline: Please submit all entries by Wednesday, 5th February 2025.
• Winners: We will announce the winners on Number Day during the assembly.

Pre-school: This week, Pre-school have been singing songs and nursery rhymes linked to Handa’s surprise. We have learnt the hello song “Jambo” and “we went to the animal fair”. We even created our own song “little Handa had a zoo” and sung it to the tune of Old McDonald had a Farm. We have enjoyed learning about Chinese New Year and created our own snakes and paper lanterns.

Reception: This week, Reception enjoyed an amazing workshop with Jungle Jo and learnt about different minibeasts. Did you know that the mucus of a snail can heal any cuts you might have? We also met Jo’s African Snail, Brian, Tilly the Tarantula and Twiggy the Stick Insect. We saw Syd and Sydney the cockroaches, and Bindi the snake! Did you know that when a spider’s web gets destroyed, they can eat it and recreate another beautiful one? 

Year 1: This week Year One children have been learning chopping skills in DT and have been busy healthy snacks.

Year 2:  This week Year 2 have been amazing artists and designers! They explored the vibrant world of Tinga Tinga art, creating their own bold and beautiful designs. Then, they worked together to craft a stunning class patchwork blanket, showcasing their research, design, making, and evaluation skills. Do you know which part of Africa Tinga Tinga originates from?

Stars of the week

All pupils who were a star of the week joined the ‘top table’ for lunch. A huge well done to: ……..

RRSA Article of the Week

Article of the Week – Rights Respecting Schools Award (unicef.org.uk)

RRSA Articles of the Week

Week 4: Holocaust Memorial Day

Article’s you could explore which link to this topic: 2, 19, 37 and 38

Article 2 – The Convention applies to every child without discrimination

Article 19 – Protection from violence, abuse and neglect

Article 37- No child should be tortured, sentenced to death, imprisoned unfairly or treated in a cruel or inhuman way

Article 38- No child under 15 should join the army and children should be protected in war

This week, we focused on learning about Holocaust Memorial Day. On the 27th of January, we remember the six million Jewish people who were killed during the Holocaust, alongside millions of other people who were killed under Nazi persecution and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Each year across the UK, thousands of people come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future. We know they learn more, empathise more and do more.

Here is a linked activity you can do at home:

What makes you different from other people in your family and from your friends? What’s good about being different? Draw a picture of yourself with the title ONLY ONE ME. 

Every week, children will be learning about an ‘Article of the Week’. This will help our children to learn and develop an understanding about the Convention on the Rights of the Child articles. Please help them learn this Article of the Week, and what this means.  

Primary School Calendar

February

11^th– Pre-school parent/ carer workshop 8.00am- 9.00am

12^th – Reception parent/ carer workshop 1.30pm- 2.45pm

14^th– AST staff training day, school closed.

17^th-21^st – Half Term

We have an abundance of exciting events taking place throughout the academic year. Please ensure you keep up to date with the Primary school calendar to ensure you do not miss out on anything: Calendar – Avanti Fields School

Premier Education Holiday Camp

Please see link below for booking details and further information.

Avanti Feb- Half Term Holiday Camp

Children’s Mental Health Week – Health for Teens 

 Wicked Writer’s Competition

please see link below for further information

Wicked Writers competition

Maths Tuition

Benefits of Maths Tuition:

• Experienced GCSE & A-Level Maths Teacher
• Build your child’s confidence
• Learn in a small group environment
• Tailored learning specific to students at Avanti (working with the Maths department)
• Provides instant feedback
• Classes held at Avanti Fields School

Classes starting in January 2025.  For registration or further information please contact on  [email protected]

Community Activities @ Avanti Field

‘Get Fit & Active in 2025’

We have a number of new classes starting in January including some free ones, most providers first class is free or low cost for you to try it out.

We have partnered with Panthers Hockey Club and Rounders England to provide new classes.

We have expanded our Ladies Only Classes – Rounders, Badminton, Hockey, Bollywood Dance & BollyJam.

To find out more or register for any of the classes please use the following link:-

https://krishnaavantips.wufoo.com/forms/z1nqh0i70d8s885/

If you would like to suggest other classes you are interested in or know of a coach/teacher that is looking for a venue to host sessions please email [email protected]

PTFA EGM Election Notice letter

You are invited to the EGM rescheduled election, which is to be held at the school on:
Friday 28th February 2025 at 6.30pm till 7.00pm.

Please see link below for PTFA EGM election notice letter for further information.

PTFA EGM Election Notice Letter 2025.docx

Please see Avanti way principles and values here and register your attendance to the EGM by emailing to [email protected]

Musical Concert  – Bhavik Haria

‘The PTFA is delighted to announce our first major event of 2025, as we kick off the year with a memorable musical evening in the company of our long-time supporter and friend, Bhavik Haria.

As always, guests will be mesmerised by the beautiful fusion of live contemporary and traditional sounds of Bollywood, Ghazals and Bhajans, as Bhavik Haria and his group of musicians take us on a melodious musical journey.

The event is on Saturday 1st March 2025 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are on sale now – and they always sell fast, so do book yours early to avoid disappointment! And please promote the event to your friends, family and networks. We’ll even be selling light and tasty snacks on the night, so it won’t just be your soul feeling full!

All profits from the event will go directly towards funding school activities and projects.

For tickets: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/avanti-fields-ptfa/t-gaovkyl

For event sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch with us on [email protected]

Communications – Wherever possible please use the contact form on our website to get in touch. This is detailed on the website at https://avanti.org.uk/avantifields/contact-us/. The appropriate member of staff will pick up the message and get back to you as soon as possible.

Absence

To report an absence to the school, parents should contact us by 8:00am (primary) and 8.30am (secondary) 

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0116 326 6813 (Option 1 to leave a voicemail) 

Please remember to state your child’s full name, tutor group and reason for absence. If your child is unwell, please could you give a brief description of the symptoms. 

All education research highlights how crucial it is to a child’s academic progress and wellbeing they attend school , on time, all of the time. Therefore, a reminder that it is important that families organise events or holidays outside of school time to ensure that their child is at school as often as possible.   

The school works closely with the Education Welfare Officer at LCC, and we do seek to ensure that any requests for authorised absence are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, in a sensitive manner. However, the school can never authorise a family holiday or a trip abroad to visit family members during term time.   

This academic year, families will have two weeks at the October half-term, three weeks at Christmas and two weeks at Easter for extended family holidays. Please do ensure that if booking holidays, they fall within the holiday periods.