27 August 2026

We are looking forward to welcoming back all of our families! We hope you had a restful summer break and are feeling ready for an exciting new school year. The staff and I are very excited to see the children back in school on Wednesday 2nd September, full of energy and ready to learn.

As we look ahead to this new year, our overarching school-wide focus will be:

‘Inclusion at Our Heart, Excellence in Our Reach’.

This means that every child is welcomed, valued, and supported for who they are, giving them the strong foundation and confidence needed to stretch themselves and achieve their highest academic potential.

This ethos builds directly on our core Christian vision, which is to help every child live a full and meaningful life. We aim to teach our pupils to do good, to love one another, and to nurture their spiritual development alongside their academic success. This vision underpins everything we do, from our daily relationships to our wider curriculum, ensuring our children become confident, compassionate, and well-rounded members of our community.

To support this vision, our Christian value for this first half term is ‘Respect’. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring what it means to treat others with kindness, honor our school community, and care for the world around us. We encourage you to talk with your children about what respect means to them at home, as we reinforce these ideas in assembly and in class.

To ensure a safe, calm, and positive learning environment for everyone, we will also be taking time during the first week to reinforce our Golden Rules:
Our Four Golden Rules:

Kind Hands and Feet: We use our hands and feet to help others, not to hurt.

Kind Words: We speak to everyone with respect and use positive language.

Respect Property: We look after our own things, school equipment, and the belongings of others.

First Time, Every Time: We listen carefully to adults and follow instructions the first time - this keeps everyone safe, helps our learning stay on track, and shows respect for everyone in our school.

Please take a moment to discuss these rules with your child before they return so they feel secure in knowing what is expected of them.

Staffing
We have a great team working across the school this year. Please see below for your child's class breakdown and teaching staff:

Headteacher & SENCo: Mrs. Kelly Bowe
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Mrs Kelly Bowe
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL): Miss Katie Moore
Caterpillar Class (EYFS): Miss Wignall (Supported by Miss Turnbull)
Butterfly Class (Years 1/2): Miss Moore (Supported by Mrs Moore, Miss Libby, Miss Fisher, Mrs Hodgins)
Dragonfly Class (Years 3/4): Mr Corkill (Supported by Miss Summerfield)
Kingfisher Class (Years 5/6): MORNINGS - Mrs Bowe; AFTERNOONS - Mrs Elder (Both supported by Miss Baxter, Mrs Gibson)

We would like to invite you to join us for an informal ‘Meet the Teacher’ afternoon on Thursday 11th September at 2:30 PM. This will be a relaxed opportunity to pop into your child's classroom, say hello to their new class teacher and TAs, and let your child show you around their new learning environment.

Daily Routines, Timings, and Uniform
Our doors will open each morning at 8:30 AM, with lessons beginning promptly at 8:40 AM. Morning learning starts right away with targeted early activities, so ensuring your child arrives on time helps them settle into the day with confidence. Arriving promptly every day instills positive habits, ensures children do not miss out on essential learning, and allows the whole class to begin their day together smoothly.

The school day finishes at 3:15 PM.

Breakfast Club will be up and running from our very first day back, Wednesday 2nd September, opening at 7:45 AM.

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their full uniform:
Daily Uniform: Dark grey/black trousers, skirts, or shorts; pale blue polo shirt; navy sweatshirt/cardigan; black shoes. Blue/white checked dresses may be worn in warm weather. Uniform can be ordered via Gift & Stitch or Border Embroideries.

PE Days: PE will be on Wednesdays with Andy. Children should come to school wearing their PE kit (navy/black bottoms, pale blue t-shirt, optional pale blue hoodie, trainers). Please ensure children arrive in PE kits on their first day back (Wednesday 2nd September).

Clubs, Walking Home, and Important Dates
Our after-school club provision will begin the week of Monday 7th September and will run for a seven-week block up until the week of Monday 19th October. Available to children in Years 1 through 6. Details of the clubs will be sent home next week.

If your child is in Class 2 or 3 and you would like them to have permission to walk home independently at the end of the school day, please ensure you inform their class teacher via Class Dojo for them to do so.

Please also take note of our key term dates and assessment windows for the year ahead:
Term Dates 2026/2027
Autumn Term: Wednesday 2nd September - Friday 18th December
HALF-TERM: Monday 26th October - Friday 30th October

Spring Term: Tuesday 5th January - Thursday 25th March
HALF-TERM: Monday 15th February - Friday 19th February

Summer Term: Monday 12th April - Friday 16th July
EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY: Monday 3rd May
HALF-TERM: Monday 31st May - Friday 4th June

Schhol will close at 1:30pm on the last day of each full term.

Key Assessment Dates:
Year 6 SATs: 10th–13th May 2027
Year 4 Multiplication Check: Two-week window commencing Monday 7th June 2027
Year 1 Phonics Check: w/c Monday 14th June 2027

School Meals and Important Financial Information
We remain fully committed to providing delicious, nutritious school meals for our pupils. Barry, our cook, always goes above and beyond to ensure that all children have a meal that they enjoy. Despite ongoing rises in operational costs and ingredient prices across the board, we are pleased to share that we have managed to freeze our meal prices for the coming academic year.

From Wednesday 2nd September 2026, school dinners will remain the same as last year at £2.40 per day (£12.00 per week).

Dinner money should be paid directly to the school office on a Monday morning in a sealed, clearly labelled envelope. If it is more convenient for your family, payments may also be made half-termly or termly at the start of each term. Please note that children in Nursery must pay for school meals if they choose to have a cooked lunch.

Meal costs do not affect pupils receiving Universal Infant Free School Meals (Reception, Year 1, and Year 2) or families entitled to income-based Free School Meals. If you believe your family may be eligible for Free School Meals, we strongly encourage you to apply via the Cumberland Council online portal. Please contact the school office if you would like any support or guidance with your application.

For playtimes, fresh fruit is provided daily for all children. Pupils are also welcome to bring in their own piece of fruit or a healthy breakfast bar from home.

Attendance
Regular school attendance is vital to your child’s educational progress and personal development. Please be aware that holidays taken during term time cannot be authorised. In accordance with national rules across England, 10 unauthorised absence sessions (equivalent to 5 school days) within a rolling 10-school-week window will trigger a formal notification process. Because this is a rolling window rather than a fixed term, past absences continue to count if they fall within the preceding 10 school weeks.

Communication
For daily updates, rewards, and photos, staff will continue to use ClassDojo. Teachers can respond to private messages on ClassDojo between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday. ClassDojo messaging will officially reactivate for the new school year at 8:00 AM on Tuesday 1st September. Should you experience an urgent out-of-hours issue before then or over a weekend, please contact me directly via email at kelly@crosscanonby.cumbria.sch.uk.

Please check our school website over the coming days to view what your child will be learning across the curriculum this term.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support—we are looking forward to a brilliant term ahead!

Kind regards,

Mrs Bowe

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