Another Fantastic Fortnight at Croxby!

Whether I am visiting classrooms, enjoying lunchtimes outside or celebrating achievements in assembly, I am constantly reminded of what a special place Croxby is and how fortunate we are to have such wonderful children, families and staff. The collective efforts of our whole school community to improve attendance are making a real difference. We are now in the top 25% of FFT schools for excellent attendance, which is a fantastic achievement and reflects our shared understanding that Every Day Matters. Thank you for your continued support in helping our children to be HEROs: Here Every day, Ready to learn and On time.

Firstly, I would like to share some exciting personal news from our staff team. Huge congratulations to Mrs Webster, who is expecting a baby and will be leaving us in February to begin her maternity leave. We are absolutely delighted for her and know that you will join us in wishing her and her family every happiness as they prepare for this exciting new chapter.

Our Key Stage 2 children have already given us something else to celebrate. Everyone knows how passionate we are about reading at Croxby, and I am delighted to share that we have made the Reading Plus Start-Up Challenge National Leaderboard for two weeks running! Out of hundreds of schools taking part, our children are currently averaging an impressive 4.2 reads per week, which is a fantastic achievement and something they should be incredibly proud of.

Now, I have to admit that those who know me well will know I can be slightly competitive... especially when it comes to showcasing our fabulous school! The Reading Plus Start-Up Challenge offers schools the chance to win £150, and with prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, there is everything to play for. We are encouraging all of our Key Stage 2 children to aim for the recommended five reads each week to help us climb even higher up the leaderboard.

As if that wasn't enough motivation, our Weekly Reading Plus reads also contribute towards the TCAT inter-primary competition, where we are competing against our friends at Hessle Penshurst and Keyingham. So come on, Team Croxby! Let's keep reading, keep challenging ourselves and show everyone what can be achieved when we work together.

As the weather begins to change and we inevitably see more rain arriving, I would like to remind families about the importance of suitable outdoor clothing. One of the things we love most about OPAL is that it provides children with rich opportunities to explore, create, collaborate and be active outdoors. We know the huge range of benefits outdoor play has for children's physical development, wellbeing and social skills. It is also, quite often, gloriously muddy! Please ensure your child has suitable outdoor clothing and wellies available so they can fully enjoy playtimes whilst staying as clean, dry and comfortable as possible.

Talking of OPAL play, we are also launching an exciting new challenge linked to our journey towards achieving the OPAL Gold Award. To make our playtimes even better, each year group will be given responsibility for enhancing a specific OPAL area around school. Over the coming weeks, further information will be shared with your child's year group about their theme area and how families can support. There may be a little friendly rivalry involved, and the winning year group will be rewarded with 30 minutes extra OPAL playtime with me! Mrs Mason has kindly agreed to take on the important role of judge, and I cannot wait to see the creativity, teamwork and ideas our children come up with.

Friday assemblies continue to be one of my favourite times of the week. There is something truly special about coming together as Team Croxby to celebrate success, recognise effort and share proud moments. I love hearing about children's achievements both in and out of school and seeing the excitement on their faces when their hard work is recognised. Of course, there is also the singing. Hearing hundreds of voices singing loudly and proudly is always a highlight, even when the song choice happens to be an 80s classic! (Let's be honest, the old ones are the best!)

Finally, I would like to thank you for your continued support. The positive relationships we have with our families are one of the greatest strengths of our school community. If you ever have a concern, a question or simply feel you would like a conversation about anything at all, please remember that our Senior Leadership Team is always happy to listen, help and support.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Mrs Wright
Headteacher

There is something special about the possibilities of the very first page in a new exercise book. As the year unfolds, those pages become filled with new knowledge, growing confidence and achievements to be proud of.

Across Croxby, our curriculum continues to help children live out our values, in this section, you will find examples of how children have been Working Hard, Being Kind and Aiming High over the past fortnight, along with information about the exciting learning taking place in each year group.

Don't forget to check Arbor to celebrate your child's positive points and talk together about their successes!

Please find below a link to the 'Not in our Community' webpage. 'Not in our Community' (NIOC) is a safety and crime prevention campaign in the Humber region funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside. Further details are below.

• Target Audience: Children and young people (school years 6–11), parents, carers, and professionals.
• Main Goal: Raising awareness to prevent child criminal and sexual exploitation, grooming, and wider community safety risks.
• Topics Covered: Violence against women and girls, anti-social behaviour, knife crime, substance use, online harm, hate awareness, and radicalisation.

Not In Our Community

Key Safeguarding Information

If you have a concern about a child, please report it immediately to a member of the school’s safeguarding team below. 

Please note that if you have a safeguarding or child protection concern regarding a pupil outside of school hours, then you need to contact one of the numbers below: 

Hull: 

• EHASH - (01482) 448 879 option four 

• Emergency Duty Team – (01482) 300 304 (Out of hours) 

East Riding: 

• SAPH – (01482) 395500 

• Out-of-hours Team – (01482) 393939 

Nurture Nest

Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health & Wellbeing

At Team Croxby, we know that children’s emotional wellbeing is just as important as their physical health and learning. Children can experience worries, big emotions, friendship difficulties, anxiety, low confidence, changes at home, bereavement and many other challenges as they grow.

You don’t have to wait until a problem becomes overwhelming before asking for support. Early support can make a real difference.

Support available in school

There are lots of ways we support children with their emotional wellbeing at Croxby.

Our ELSA and wellbeing support can help children to develop their emotional understanding, confidence and resilience. Depending on their individual needs, children may receive:

• 💬 1:1 emotional wellbeing support
• 🌈 Small-group interventions around emotions, friendships, resilience and self-esteem
• 🧠 Support with understanding and managing big emotions
• 🌊 Strategies for worries and anxiety
• ❤️ Bereavement and support with loss and change
• 🌱 Support with confidence, self-esteem and resilience
• 🏫 Support around school-based anxiety and attendance
• 🤝 Help with friendships and relationships
• 🧘‍♀️ Opportunities to use calming, sensory and regulation strategies
• 🛟 Access to a safe, calm space when children need help to regulate

We also have our Wellbeing Hub, supported by our ELSA and Wellbeing Ambassadors, providing children with a calmer option at lunchtime where they can take part in activities such as colouring, drawing, reading, construction and Lego.

Children are also supported through everyday classroom approaches, including emotional check-ins, regulation strategies, sensory resources, movement breaks, quiet spaces and trusted adults.

If you have concerns about your child's emotional wellbeing, please speak to your child's class teacher, SENCO or Mrs O'Connor (ELSA). We are always happy to listen and help you consider what support might be appropriate.

🌟 Remember: asking for help is a strength

Every child has difficult days, and every family needs a little extra support sometimes. You don't have to have all the answers.

Talking to your child, listening without judgement and helping them know that their feelings are safe to share can be a really important first step.

If you're worried about your child's wellbeing, please talk to us. We would much rather have a conversation early and explore what might help than for a child or family to feel that they have to manage alone.

Together, we can help our children to understand their emotions, build resilience and feel supported as they grow. 💚

🎉 Events
The last two weeks have also provided many opportunities for children to engage in memorable experiences and strengthen their connections with the wider community.

🍰 Macmillan Bake Sale
 A huge thank you for all the cake donations and to everyone who supported our bake sale. Together, Team Croxby raised £93 for Macmillan Cancer Support, helping the charity continue its vital work supporting people affected by cancer. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity and support.

🌍 Fairtrade Fortnight
 Our Eco-Council took a leading role in promoting Fairtrade across the school, delivering a whole-school assembly and encouraging children to think about how everyday choices can make a positive difference to farmers and workers around the world.

🌾 Harvest Festival
Year 3 proudly led our Harvest Festival celebrations and welcomed our special guest, Pastor Peter from Bricknell Methodist Church. Together, we reflected on gratitude, sharing and caring for others in our community. We are grateful for the food bank donations received, which will support families facing difficult times. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

🌼 Year 1 Debutots Visits
Our Year 1 children have begun their Debutots visits to Magnolia House, bringing different generations together through storytelling, imaginative play and shared activities. These visits help develop confidence, communication skills and empathy while creating meaningful connections with residents.