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Dunalley News 11/09/26

It has been another great week at Dunalley, with the children continuing to settle brilliantly into the new school year. It has been wonderful to see so much happy, purposeful learning taking place across the school.

News from School

It was particularly good to welcome so many of you into school this week for our information sessions with teachers. Thank you for taking the time to come along – we really enjoyed having you with us and hope you enjoyed spending some time in school with your children and their teaching teams. We know that family life is busy and that it isn’t always possible to attend events during the school day, so please don’t worry if you weren’t able to join us. We will make sure that the information shared during the sessions is sent home so that everyone has access to it.

There is lots to share in this week’s Dunalley News. We hope you enjoy catching up with everything that has been happening. Thank you, as always, for your support and for helping us to make Dunalley such a warm and happy community.

We hope you all have a really enjoyable weekend - we look forward to seeing everyone again next week.

Reception

Reception have been settling into school life this week. We have enjoyed exploring inside and outside, having school lunches and making new friends!

 

Y4 Samba Drumming

Year 4 had a great time this week learning about rhythm and how to create samba-style music. This was a great introduction to our learning about Brazil and sound! Thank you to all the parents/carers who came to enjoy the performance!

 

 

Important Information for Families 

Information for All

We are working hard to share information in a timely way and avoid sending too many messages. Please use the school calendar and newsletter as your main sources of information.  We will continue to send any required consent forms via Edulink and other essential messages sent via email.  

Meet the Teacher Events

Thank you to everyone who attended our Meet the Teacher events.  We hope you found your time in school helpful and informative.

If you were unable to attend, please do not worry. All the information shared during the sessions will be sent out next week.

Nut Free School

Please help us remain a nut-free school by refraining from sending any nut-based products in packed lunches or for snacks. Even a small amount of nut exposure can cause a serious allergic reaction for some of our children. By working together, we can help create a safe, inclusive environment.

Clubs

Clubs will run for 8 weeks from Monday 28th September.  Our booking form will be shared via email with families who have children in year 1 and above.  We also have some external agencies providing opportunities.

Clubs Information

Clubs

We are extremely lucky to have staff who run most of our clubs to provide these opportunities free of charge to our families.

External Clubs

We are delighted to welcome back the following external organisations, who will be running a range of exciting after-school clubs this term.

To book a place, please contact the club providers directly using the details below.

Places are still available for KS1 Football (Years 1 and 2), so don't miss out! Please note the different dates to school clubs.

 

School Day Timings

As we settle into the new school year, we would like to remind families of our school day timings to help ensure a smooth start and finish to each day.

  • 8:00am – Earlies & Early Birds (invite only). Children should arrive ready to enter the building at 8:00am.
  • 8:40am – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 school day starts.
  • 8:45am – Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 school day starts.
  • 3:10pm – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 collection.
  • 3:15pm – Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 collection.
  • 4:00pm - Rec, Y1 & Y2 Clubs finish
  • 4:15pm - Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 Clubs finish
  • 5:00pm – End of early collection period from Lates.
  • 5:30pm – Lates closes.

Our full attendance policy is always available on our website for information.

Contacting School

Please use dunalley@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk for all school enquiries and messages, as this inbox is monitored throughout the day.

For Nursery and Preschool enquiries, please email dnp@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk

For Family Support, please email familysupport@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk

Thank you for helping us ensure that your messages reach the correct team, who will respond directly or forward your message to the appropriate member of staff as required.

School Milk

Under 5's get milk for free, automatically every day.  Please register with Cool Milk if you would like your child to have milk each day in school once they turn 5.  

Cool Milk is the UK’s leading school milk supplier, working hand in hand with early years groups, schools, and local authorities.

Flu Vaccinations

Please click on the event in our families calendar or below for full details and to give or decline consent:

 

 

Information for Nursery & Pre School

Tapestry

Please make sure you have logged into your Tapestry account to stay up to date with your child's time with us.

 

Information for Reception, Year 1 & 2

Y2 Fire of London Visit

Please open the event in the families calendar or below to find information about outfits to be worn on the day.  Consent and payment information will be shared next week via Edulink.

Educational News

Numbots - Y1 & Yr2

As we begin the new school year, we are excited to continue using NumBots to support maths learning at home.  All you need to know about supporting your child with Numbots is accessible below:

Numbots - Y1 & Y2 cont...

Dear Parents and Carers,

Many of your children may already be familiar with NumBots from previous years. It remains a great tool in our classrooms for building understanding in addition, subtraction, number bonds, and place value—the essential building blocks for all future maths success.

How NumBots Works

  • Story Mode: A step-by-step learning journey where pupils unlock new levels, earn coins, and build calculation fluency at their own pace.

  • Challenge Mode: Quick 1-minute timed games designed to test recall speed and precision.

  • Custom Shack & Badges: Children can use the coins they earn to unlock fun items and customize their unique robot avatar.

Tips for Home Success

  • Aim for 3 Minutes a Day: Short, consistent practice is key. Aiming for just 3 minutes or 1 Story level per day works wonders without overwhelming your child.

  • Build a Routine: Try setting a quick daily reminder on a phone or smart assistant (e.g., Alexa) right after school or before reading time perhaps.

  • Support when Stuck: Year 1 and 2 pupils may occasionally encounter tricky levels. Reading the question together or hunting for clues on the screen is a great way to keep it stress-free.

Getting Logged In

  1. Log In: Visit numbots.com or download the free NumBots app on iOS/Android.

  2. Details: Your child’s updated login details can be found in your child's reading record. 

Please see the attached parent guide for further information.

For a quick 2-minute overview of how you could integrate practice at home, watch this short video: NumBots Parent Tips & Tricks.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child build confidence in maths. If you need assistance with logins, please let your child's class teacher know.

Kind regards, 

Mr. L. Jones

Maths Lead

  1. Numbots Parent Guide.pdf
    PDF File

 

 

 

Information for Years 3, 4, 5 & 6

YR4 Swimming

Please check Edulink for up-to-date information about this terms swimming.  This has changed since your Meet the Teacher meeting.

Secondary School Open Days – please check their websites for full details

Pittville School: Pittville School

Pittville School Open Week will run from Monday 21st September until Friday 25th September and is an excellent opportunity to see our vibrant school in action. Open evening is from 6pm on Thursday 24th September.

During open week, you can book on to a tour of our school led by the Headteacher or a member of our Senior Leadership Team.

If you wish to have a tour outside of the days/times please ring the Headteacher’s PA on 01242 650902 or emailing achieve@pittville.gloucs.sch.uk.

Balcarras: Balcarras School

Open Week: 14th - 17th September

See website for details.

 

Cheltenham Bournside School: Cheltenham Bournside School

Open Evening: Wednesday 30th Sept 5.30 - 8.00pm. 

See website for other open events.

 

Cleeve School: Cleeve School

Open Evening: Thursday 1st October 5.30 - 8.00pm. 

See website for other open events.

 

 

 

Y6 Secondary School Applications

Year 6 children will bring home information about the secondary school application process next week.  Please make sure you note the 31st October deadline. 

We highly recommend you read the following document: Secondary School and Academy Admissions and fully understand each school's entry requirements and if your child has a realistic chance of getting a place. 

When completing your application, you should list up to five schools in order of preference. These are preferences, not choices, and we strongly advise against listing only one school.

Feel free to pop into school if you require any support with your application.

 

 

PTFA News

PTFA Meeting

Thursday 17th September, 7.30pm, venue TBC

Everyone is very welcome to come along and share ideas or email dunalleyptfa@gmail.com

Pre-Loved Uniform

Please visit the PTFA online shop to view our range of products: Products | Dunalley Primary School PTFA.  We welcome donations of items with the Dunalley logo only.

Parent Kind

The PTFA are members of Parent Kind who have curated a series of free webinars for parents, run by our team of parenting experts and professionals,

You can access them at the following link: Parent webinars | Parentkind

 

Community News

Boulders

18 FREE climbing places at Boulders Cheltenham – Saturday 12 September

Boulders Cheltenham has 18 FREE climbing places available this Saturday.

They’re running an instructor assessment day, so they’ve added 3 free sessions to give their newer instructors plenty of climbers to work with.

It’s a great chance for children to:

  • Try climbing for free
  • Enjoy a fun, active session
  • Build confidence
  • Experience Boulders in a friendly, supportive environment

No discount code is needed.

Places are first come, first served, so if you’d like one, book here:

https://climber.hellocapitan.com/bouldersuk/schedule/event-type-details/3745/

Enjoy! 🧗

Kind regards,

Thomas and the Boulders Team
Boulders Cheltenham

 

Dates for your Diary:

Don't forget to click on the title of the event to find out a little more.  Then click your back button to return to the calendar or newsletter.  Please check the information as some tweaks have been made since last week.

 

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