July 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week the children thoroughly enjoyed the visit from Music Umbrella on Thursday 22nd June, there was plenty of singing, dancing and amazing music playing from the Music Umbrella team.

As we approach the last few weeks of this academic year we continue to have lots of busy events taking place, so please look at the upcoming diary dates below. I look forward to seeing many of you joining us and your children.

Sports day for Reception on Wednesday 28th June, starting at 9am and Years 1 to 6 sports day on Thursday 29th June at 9am looks set to go ahead as the weather is looking promising. If we have to cancel due to weather we will email all parents in the morning.

If you are coming to join us for sports day on 29th June, please come through the pupil entrance which will be open from 8.45am. PLEASE LET ALL CHILDREN COME INTO SCHOOL BETWEEN 8.30 and 8.45 FIRST. PARENTS ARE TO WAIT OUTSIDE THE GATE AND WILL BE LET IN FROM 8.45AM. TO KEEP OUR SCHOOL SITE SECURE THE GATE WILL BE CLOSED PROMPTLY AT 9AM.

Sports day for Years 1 to 6 will end with a final class race and the children will then return to their classrooms following their final race. It is expected that all children will remain in school for the rest of the school day. Once the event is over, parents will be directed to leave by the pupil entrance gate (we aim to finish by 11.30am).

Your child's school report will be sent home on Friday 14th July. Your child will come home with an envelope, please remind children that reports are to opened by parents/carers.

Karen Armstrong
Headteacher, Jupiter Primary School

Latest news

vaping-leaflet-hertfordshire-a5.pdf

Vaping

We want to alert you that last week a few children have told staff in school that they have tried vaping. Although pupils may just be making these comments as they think it makes them look cool, this is extremely concerning news and I am writing this to encourage all parents/carers to talk with their children about the dangers of vaping/smoking and support you as parents to keep your children safe.

The law states that it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to any under the age of 18 in the UK. This includes online.

Hertfordshire Council have released this statement for parents (19 June 2023):

The number of 11-17-year-olds using vapes in Great Britain has seen an increase, reaching 7% in 2022 compared to 4% in 2020. While this trend is worrying, it's important to note that most vaping among young people is experimental. Regular vaping is primarily limited to children who currently smoke or have a history of smoking. The surge in youth vaping coincides with the introduction of inexpensive and appealing disposable vapes. These products have gained popularity among children and young adults, largely due to extensive promotion on social media. National and local efforts are underway to tackle the issues. We have developed this leaflet for parents/carers which includes a section on how to have conversations with your child about vaping:

Please click on the link to the left to read the newsletter from Hertfordshire Council.

By learning about vaping, parents can:

Talk to their kids about its health risks.
Recognise if their child might be vaping.

If you would like any further advice or support please come and speak to us.

Mental Health

As we strive to offer continuing support to all of our children at Jupiter and go above and beyond. We are always seeking new ways of helping to support them with strategies to improve/ maintain good mental health.

Please have a look at the information below and give it a try!

This app has been verified by Mind Hertfordshire network.

Lumi Nova is a digital therapy delivered through a fun and engaging mobile game to help 7-12 years olds learn how to manage and reduce symptoms of anxiety . The app is based on CBT and helps young people break their worries down in smaller challenges, for them to be able to build resilience and skills to support them longer term, gain confidence and overcome their worries. Young people will be able to choose their own challenges (based on their worries) from a selection of challenges that come under the categories of social anxiety, separation anxiety and phobias.

Here is a link with all the instructions on how to get the app: Lumi Nova - WithYouth.

There is no need of formal referral, however a trusted adult’s help is needed to download and set up the app. Indeed, once on the website above the trusted adult can click on “Get Access” button and complete the sign-up form. The trusted adult will then receive a text message with a link to get started and will need to complete a short survey. Once complete, the trusted adult will receive another text message with their game key and download link. Once the app is downloaded, the trusted adult can unlock the game with their game key and the young person will be able to access the app.

Safeguarding Governor visit

Jupiter's safeguarding link governor carried out a safeguarding visit with children last week. Her findings were really positive and a credit to all the staff in the school who ensure that safeguarding remains a high priority. Please read below the report comments:

The children were overwhelmingly positive about Jupiter and their experiences at their school. Their positive comments included: happy and positive playtimes, friendships, lessons and how the staff made them interesting, creative theme weeks e.g. Arts Week, and their teachers who they said provided challenging and interesting work.
The children reported that they felt safe in school and they could rely on their teachers and the other adults at Jupiter to support them. They spoke confidently about the ways staff at Jupiter keep them safe. These included the school site, levels of supervision and first aid, PSHE lessons and assemblies teaching them how to keep themselves and their school community safe including using the internet. They knew what to do if they had a worry or if they saw incidents of unkindness and they knew that they could trust the adults to help them overcome problems.
When asked what one thing they would ask for to improve the school, they found it hard to come up with ideas because they think so highly of their school. 1 child wanted lessons to go on for longer, another wanted the school to go up to Year 10 so that they could stay longer. 1 child mentioned they would like to be able to use the outdoors more for their learning. It was noted that Jupiter already had plans to develop a science discovery area and has invested in Forest School training for staff.
The visit confirmed that Jupiter School is a cohesive community where children feel safe and listened to and their opinions are valued. The children are justifiably very proud of their school.