Dear Families and Friends,

What is the purpose of school? What is the role of St Bart's in our local community? Each of our personal schooling experiences influences how we see school for our children. We all want our children to be safe and happy, make friends, learn how to read, write and use numbers, gain knowledge about the world, and equip them for their next stage in life. At St Bart's, we also want to nurture every child's character, laying a firm foundation for adult life, based on clear Biblical values and a broad understanding of being human. We want their experiences to be as positive as possible, so that they will look back on their own time with us and want something similar for any children they may have.

It is a complex task, and we can't (and shouldn't try to) do it alone. We need to work in close partnership with families. That's why we need you to get involved in school life. We need you to talk to your children about what they have learnt. We need you to get your children to school, on time, every day (unless they have a temperature). We need you to read the information that we send home. And we'd love it if you could come and join in school events.

Our PTA met this week, but only a few parents came. To make wider school events, like discos and fayres, a continued success, we need your help. We have begun planning a quiz night for the grown-ups (more info to follow), and have even begun considering some events around Easter-time. All of these events create great memories, whilst raising vital funds for school. Over the years, we've used these extra funds to buy iPads, play equipment and lots of books. Many of these things need replacing, so it's really important that we do all we can to keep things up-to-date - especially the technology we use in school.

Speaking of technology, this digital world is changing rapidly, and it is so important that we know how to keep our children (and ourselves) safe whilst exploring it. That's why we've put together a workshop for families which will explore how to use digital technology safely. When Artificial Intelligence is making it difficult to tell fact from fiction, how can we help our children navigate this ever-increasing aspect of life? So, please come along on Thursday evening at 6pm.

To demonstrate the power of school parents, one of our PTA members contacted Etika, our uniform provider, and has arranged a special 25% discount, only for St Bart's, for the month of February. Just use the Promo Code SB25 when checking out. Wow! Thank you.

Have a good remainder of the weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Restall & The St Bart's Team