 
Hello everyone,
Well, this week is the last week of the whole school year and what a weird year it has been. COVID 19 has been something that has challenged us all in one way or another at different points. Like I have said before you have all been HEROES with coping witch such big changes, whilst also producing high quality work. I have attached a 'A to Z of Wellbeing' for you to think about what you will need as the lockdown begins to relax to make sure you are mentally looking after yourself. I have also attached a 30 challenge activity pack further down this blog to keep you busy and positive during the summer holidays! Parents if you are interested in this for your child either print off from the link below or contact the school for a pack. Ruth and I were reflecting on the lock-down on Friday during the keyworkers children circle time and we both said how grateful we our for the little things and how we will never take simple things for granted. What are you more grateful for now? We can talk about this more in September! The reason I have used the photo above is because normally at the end of the year, it is the children who will make cards or tell their teachers 'thank you' for their hardwork. However, I wanted to use this opportunity to say THANK YOU to YOU because each one of you have touched all of the teachers lives throughout this year. We really appreciate you all showing rights respecting behaviour, and being so kind to eachother. We appreciate how you use your growth mindset to complete the work and make teaching such a joy for all of us. We appreciate how you smile and ask us how we are feeling, make us wonderful cards, trust us with your worries and fears and make us feel so proud. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANKYOU!! I will wrap this up now, but please all remember to have a safe, restful summer holiday. We cannot wait to hopefully see you all in September! Keep being the stars that you all are! Big Smiles Emily :) 
'How luck are we to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard...'
ELSA Support Summer Holiday Challenge Diary 2020
What you can do if you feel worried...
''“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl'' Hello everyone,
I hope you are well. Monday 6th July we will be welcoming Year 4 and 5 back into school to say goodbye to their teachers and meet their new teacher and TA! We really hope you can make it - we have made it as possibly as safe as we can! If you cannot make it, please do not worry. We will still be thinking of you and we will miss you but we understand. Today I want to talk to you about being GRATEFUL. Did you know finding things to be grateful about can really boost wellbeing. definition:feeling thankful or showing thanks for kindness or something pleasing. Things we can be grateful for:
Gratitude Jars...I have attached an activity you might want to do at home! This gratitude jar will help you to look for the positives in your lives. 'Being Grateful' is strongly linked to being happy. The jar without lines can be decorated with pictures, photographs and words. Make it colourful. It could also be used each day and you could add just one thing for that day they you grateful or thankful for. Of course you could make an actual jar with a lovely label and ask the child to fill it each day with things they are grateful for. I will attach the file if you have a printer but if you don't, either draw out your own jar, or fill a box or jar around the house with all the things you are grateful for. 
Click here to print:
Here are some other ways you can express gratitude... Say please and thank you. Our manners show that we do not believe we are entitled to anything, and that in fact, we appreciate whatever comes our way. Help someone less fortunate. This could be your neighbour down the street, grandma, or someone you know who is in a tough spot. Send out thank you cards/.Give someone a gift. Express your gratitude for those who have added value to your life. Look for awe-inspiring moments in your day. Share your gratitude at bedtime. Take five minutes at the end of the day to ask yourself about what you are thankful for that day. Compliment others. Share the things you appreciate about another person. Write a letter. Write a letter to someone who has touched his life in some way. Create a family gratitude list. Post it on the fridge. Add to it when necessary. Create a family gratitude journal. Leave it somewhere where everyone can access it and encourage your family to write in it whenever they are feeling grateful. Always look for the positive.Find something positive in frustrating situations and discuss it.. Take gratitude walks.While you walk, look for the simple pleasures in the day, such as the warm sun or the birds singing and express appreciation for them. Use this time to ask your kids what they are grateful for. 
Hello everyone,
How are you doing? I hope you have started to gather together your thoughts/questions for us to try to answer. Remember you can talk to us on Purple Mash or email your Question mind maps to [email protected] On Friday, you will receive some information about an invitation to come into school to meet your new teachers and for us to wish you a happy summer holiday. We are really hopeful that most of you every will be able to come back to school for a short time to see your friends, say goodbye to your teachers and meet your new ones. This will happen in the playground (hall if raining) and in groups no bigger than 15 children, physically distanced. At school Joan and Barbara are working super hard to finalise the times/days so make sure you remind your parents to keep their eyes peeled for more information! Something that I also want to share with is that we will be saying goodbye to Shay and Louise at the end of the school year. Shay is going to be working in a school in Newham, closer to home, and Louise will be pursuing her passion of working with children with complex needs in a special school. Both Shay and Louise will be greatly missed by us all. They have really made a difference to us all at VPS- their kindness and support will be remembered. Today I want to share with you a special story and an activity that I love about 'making a difference' . Hope you enjoy it. Be safe, Be kind. Be YOU! Emily. 
The Starfish StoryAs you read this story I want you to think about these two questions:
What is the message of the story? What could the starfish represent? 
Did you enjoy this story? Every-time I read it, it warms my heart!
The starfish story is such a powerful story to help people understand that the smallest act of kindness can make a huge difference! Doing something kind or helpful for someone, no matter how small it is, makes a huge difference! I will leave you with a sheet that you can track all of the times you complete a small act of kindness or support someone! Give it a go and see if you can fill the whole sheet! 
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