Dear families,

It’s hard to believe we’re already a month into the new school year! A very warm welcome back to all of our pupils and families – and an especially big welcome to all of our new starters. It’s been a real pleasure to see how well everyone has settled in and how much energy and enthusiasm they’ve brought to the start of term.

Our new Muddy Bairns Daycare is thriving. The children have settled in incredibly well to our outstanding provision, which provides a happy, secure, child-focused learning environment. We continue to get daily enquiries about the provision. If you know anyone who is looking for a daycare setting for their child, and they’d like to book a visit, please ask them to either ring the school office on 0191 6250100 or email muddybairns@greenfieldsprimary.org.uk

We’ve hit the ground running with some fantastic events already. The farm trips have been a real success, giving the children the opportunity to experience a real-life working farm. We believe that experiencing a working farm provides our children with significant educational benefits, including increased empathy, practical life skills, and a deeper understanding of food systems and environmental stewardship. It also boosts children's confidence and independence, develops their curiosity and sensory skills through hands-on activities, and promotes physical and mental well-being by spending time in nature.  

We hosted our first SEND coffee morning of the year, which was a success, and had a session for parents and carers to talk them through our behaviour policy and Right Respecting values. Our after-school clubs have started back up and are as popular as ever, family cooking has started again on a Wednesday evening and Children’s North East have started Wideopen Youth Club again which runs on a Monday evenings from Greenfields, 4.30pm-6pm and is for children 10 years old and over.

There's so much more to look forward to this half-term, such as our sponsored walks, harvest festival, world mental health day and our autumn discos.

As always, if you have any questions or need support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the school office or via email – we’re always here to help.

Best wishes,

Mrs Gemma Robertson

Headteacher

Farm Trips

Year 1 to Year 6 had the best time on their farm trips. It's not often children get the chance to go to a real-life working farm and we are so pleased that we were able to give our children this opportunity. From seeing how ice cream is made, to sitting in tractors, they experienced it all. Everyone who was involved in the trip commented on how well behaved and well mannered the children were - we were very proud of them all.

Did you know…

? Attending school every day helps children build strong routines that support learning and confidence.

? Missing just 1 day every 2 weeks adds up to nearly 4 weeks of lost learning over the school year.

? Children with good attendance are more likely to reach expected levels in reading, writing, and maths by the end of Key Stage 1.

We understand that sometimes children are unwell and when that happens, it’s important they rest and recover. But if your child is feeling a little tired or unsure, coming in can often help them feel better once they’re with their friends and teachers. If your child is going to be absent, please remember to let the school office know as soon as possible (by 9.15 am) and if you ever have concerns about attendance or morning routines, we’re always here to help.

This morning, we had a fantastic harvest festival with Reverend Gerard, who helped us to think about gratitude. Thank you so much for your generous donations.

Behaviour at Greenfields

We are entering our second year as a Rights Respecting School. Rights Respecting behaviour starts with the children and the school community learning about children’s rights, putting them into practice every day. It is not just about what children do but also, importantly, what adults do. In Rights Respecting Schools, children’s rights are promoted and realised and adults and children work towards this goal together.

Alongside this, we take a reflective approach to behaviour. We know that behaviour is a form of communication and, just like adults, children will make mistakes sometimes. What we feel is extremely important is that, if a child makes a mistake, they learn from it. If a child's behaviour escalates beyond this, we do have to look at more serious consequences. However, the hope is, that with a consistent behaviour management approach and Rights Respecting behaviour this will not happen.

Mrs Bank's SENDCo Update - welcome back!

It's hard to believe we’re already a month into the new school year! The children have made a fantastic start to the term, and it’s been wonderful to see them settling so confidently into their new classes, routines and learning environments.

As SENDCo, my focus this past month has been on supporting smooth transitions, particularly for pupils with additional needs and ensuring the right plans and provisions are in place from the start. Teachers and support staff have been working closely with me to review support strategies and make sure every child is given the opportunity to thrive.

We’re excited to share that new quieter calm spaces have been created across the school and within classrooms. These calm areas are designed to provide pupils with a quiet place to take a break, self-regulate, or access support when needed. Early feedback from both children and staff has been really positive, and we hope these spaces will continue to make a meaningful difference for those who benefit from them.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another successful and positive term ahead.

Mrs Banks, SENDCo

Parking Around School

Please park safely and considerately when dropping off or picking up your children. Please do not block people's drives or park over drop-down kerbs, as this limits access for wheelchair users and those people with buggies.  Thank you to those people who continue to park safely. 

Our next PTA meeting is on Monday the 13th of October straight after school drop off (8.45am) in our Community Hub. They will be looking at upcoming events in school, including the much-anticipated Christmas Fayre. We need as many helpers as we can get, so if you are free please come along.

Dates For Your Diary

Week beginning 20th October 2025:

CELEBRATION OF LEARNING EVENTS –

Monday 20th October: Year 2 9am-9.30am

Tuesday 21st October: Year 1 - 9am-9.30am

                                         Year 3 - 2.30pm-3pm

Wednesday 22nd October: Year 5 - 9am-9.30am

                                                Year 4 -  2.30pm-3pm

Thursday 23rd October: Preschool & Nursery - 8.30am

                                            Reception - 2.30pm

Friday 24th October: Year 6 class assembly - 2.15pm

 

Thursday 23rd October is our Autumn Disco:

2.30pm-3.15pm - Year 1, 2 & 3

3.30pm-4.30pm: Year 3, 4 & 5

Our Muddy Bairns Daycare and Nursery & Reception children will have an Autumn disco in classes that day. More information to follow.

 

October Half Term: Monday 27th October to Friday 31st October. Children will return to school on Monday 3rd November.

 

Monday 3rd November - Wednesday 5th November: Year 4 Robinwood Residential

Tuesday 11th and Thursday 13th November: Parent's Evening

Tuesday 25th November: Year 3 - 6 Theatre Royal Pantomime Trip

Thursday 27th November: Year 1 & 2 Theatre Royal Pantomime Trip

Friday 5th December: Year 5 class assembly - 2.15pm

Saturday 6th December: Greenfields Christmas Fayre 11am-1pm

Wednesday 10th December: Christmas Movie Night Reception-Year 6 until 4.30pm

Thursday 11th December: Christmas Jumper Day

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCES:

Monday 15th December: 9.30am - Preschool

                                             10.30am - Nursery

                                             1.30pm - Reception

Tuesday 16th December: 9.30am - Upper School (Year 4-6)

                                              1.30pm - Lower School (Year 1-3)

Wednesday 17th December: 9.30am - Lower School (Year 1-3) 4-6)

                                                  1.30pm - Upper School (Year 4-6)

Thursday 18th December: 9.30am - EYFS & Key Stage 1 Carol Service at St                                                                               Columbas Church

                                                 11.00am - Key Stage 2 Carol Service at St Columbas                                                                          Church

Friday 19th December: INSET DAY - School closed to all pupils

Statutory Assessment ates:

-11th - 15th May 2026 Year 6 SATs week  

-8th June - 12th June 2026 Year 1 Phonic Screener  

-1st June - 12th June 2026 Year 4 Multiplication Check