Latest News

December 2nd

Mrs Claus

We have been busy preparing a wonderful space in the Outdoor Classroom to welcome Mrs Claus when she visits Burnside later this month. It looks wonderful, even if I do say so myself!!!

Unfortunately, it seems that Mrs Claus is scheduled to meet the children from Nursery on the same afternoon as our Movie Night. We don't want the children to miss out so - children from Nursery who have booked a ticket for the movie will visit Mrs Claus prior to the movie starting.

Our aim is to allow these children to start preparing to see Mrs Claus from 2.30pm (their parents are welcome to join them if they wish).

Charity Fund raising

Thank you all so much for your generosity.

We raised £276 for Daft As A Brush

£317 for Poppy Appeal

£358 Children In Need

Children In Need Christmas Sparkle

The church (Nazarene) will be open on Saturday 3rd December from 10am until 3pm for anyone who knows a neighbour or a friend in need of a little Sparkle this Christmas time. Feel free to contact Rob on 07368 279816 for any more info. Let's make Christmas Sparkle for our local community

Safeguarding

Please remember to bring ID if collecting your child from the school office during the school day. Although the admin staff know a lot of you by name and sight, they do not know everyone due to COVID which has meant many of you haven't been into school very often. Please also inform staff if another family member is collecting your child from Out of School Club. Although you may know the office staff well and they know you well, if someone you don't know is covering office you will be required to show ID. So it is always best to bring some form of ID with you. If you have informed us a relative is coming during the day to collect they will also need to bring ID which corresponds to the name you provided. I know it may seem impersonal but the children’s safety is our priority. Bringing ID can save time as it means we don't need to upload details from our systems and then proceed to ask you random questions to verify your identity. Thank you in advance for your support

Welcome Back and Goodbye

Just a quick message to let you know that on Monday we are excited to welcome back Mrs. Stewart, one of our reception teachers, who is returning from maternity leave to work alongside Mrs McCaw. Many of you will already know Mrs Stewart as she has worked at Burnside for many years and I am sure you will welcome her back.

I would like to express my deepest thanks to Mrs MacDonald who has been covering and has gone over and above the remit of a supply teacher. In order to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible, we have arranged with the supply agency that Mrs MacDonald will continue to work at Burnside until the end of term. Mrs MacDonald has loved working at Burnside and has promised to come back to Burnside should we need any supply cover in our Early Years in the future. 

Latest News Round Up

9th December

Mrs Claus

We are SO EXCITED for Mrs. Claus to visit next week. Please check the timetable for your allocated time/date, you do not need to book, just make your way to the front of the school in the outdoor area and stand and wait for your turn. All children will receive a small gift and Mrs.Claus can have her picture taken with your child, but please bear in mind that this is kept to a minimum to keep wait times short. We will be selling hot chocolate and mince pies, there will be a donation box where all money raised will be donated to Daft as a Brush Charity.

Reminder from the NHS to get your child vaccinated over the Christmas holidays We would like to remind parents of school aged children to to keep up to date with their child’s vaccinations. This winter break from school presents a great opportunity to go out and get them vaccinated. Most children aged 1-9 years old need to receive the polio vaccination to keep them safe from its devastating effects.

Whilst it is urgent for your child to have the polio vaccination now, it is also important to check your child is up to date with their covid, flu and MMR immunisations during the winter period. Lots of appointments are available through local pharmacies and booked appointments at vaccine centres. If your child missed their flu vaccination in school, you can call the flu catch-up number to find out where to get a flu vaccine.

Why is the polio booster so important? Polio can result in life-long paralysis and other disabilities, and in extreme cases, even death. There is no cure for polio, immunisation is the only protection. We have not seen a live case of polio in the UK since 1984, and it is advised that we prevent any community spread.

More information and frequently asked questions about the polio vaccination programme for children is available from the NHS Scarlet Fever and Invasive Group A Strep As this is the first winter without pandemic restrictions in two years, you and your children may be more susceptible to the usual winter bugs and viruses this year. Winter bugs and viruses are usually mild, but can sometimes become more serious.

More information about when to keep your child away from school and nursery is available: NHS, Is my child too ill for school? You may have seen the news recently about the Group A strep bacteria. This is a common bacteria found in the throat that can cause a range of illnesses, including tonsillitis, scarlet fever and some skin infections. Scarlet fever Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, but it is highly infectious. Look out for symptoms in your child, which include a sore throat, headache, and fever, along with a fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel. On darker skin, the rash can be more difficult to detect visually but will have a sandpapery feel.

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect your child has scarlet fever, because early treatment of scarlet fever with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection. If your child has scarlet fever, keep them at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others. When to seek help As a parent, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement. Contact NHS 111 or your GP if: your child is getting worse your child is feeding or eating much less than normal your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration a baby in your family is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38℃, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39 ℃ or higher your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty your child is very tired or irritable. Call 999 or go to A&E if: your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs there are pauses when your child breathes your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake Good Hygiene Measures On 2nd December 2022, UK Health Security Agency (UK HSA) put out an alert on the national rise in cases of scarlet fever (caused by Group A Streptococcus) and Invasive Group A Streptococcus. This is across all regions in England. For us, this means: pupils with specific conditions such as scarlet fever should stay off school until GP and/or clinical assessment and not return for 24 hours after starting antibiotics; where there maybe many co-circulating bacteria and viruses, we re-emphasise good hygiene including: more hand-washing or sanitising during the school day until the end of term. Parents may send pupils to school with a small bottle of hand-sanitiser, if you wish; reminding pupils of the 'catch-it, kill-it, bin-it' approach to respiratory hygiene, including taking a lesson time to talk to pupils and perhaps watch a video. tell us if your child has been diagnosed with scarlet fever because we must also tell Northumberland health protection team if there are 2 or more cases in a class.

Latest News

December 16th

Remember to check the Calendar!!!

We are approaching one of the busiest times of the year and it's easy to forget what is happening in school. I often don't know if I am coming or going!!! Our school calendar has all the dates and information you will need. You can even set up alerts to your device to help you out!!

School Christmas Lunch - 19th December

Don't forget that the school kitchen is preparing the Annual Christmas Lunch Special. If your child would like a school meal that day simply pay on the School Money App.

Illness

Please could we ask that if your child has a heavy cold, cough, temp & generally feeling unwell that you DO NOT send your child into school.

We are experiencing a high number of severe cough/cold symptoms, especially in our younger children and we are trying to minimise the spread of this throughout school. We appreciate this is the time of year for these common illnesses but we are only trying to help all families stay safe and well for Christmas. 

Nursery Lending Library

Please could we ask that all of the Lending Library Books be returned by Wednesday (14th Dec) to allow us to prepare them for the New Year. Thank You

Latest News

Keep up to date with all the news happening in the school at the moment. Articles are added during the week. Parents are encouraged to check regularly. Our weekly newsletter, emailed directly to parents, summarises content for the week.

Remember to check the Calendar!!!

We are approaching one of the busiest times of the year and it's easy to forget what is happening in school. I often don't know if I am coming or going!!! Our school calendar has all the dates and information you will need. You can even set up alerts to your device to help you out!!

School Christmas Lunch 19th December

Don't forget that the school kitchen is preparing the Annual Christmas Lunch Special. If your child would like a school meal that day simply pay on the School Money App.