Communication and Community
Contact Details
When joining the school your contact details will have been recorded. Please remember to update these details should you change address, job or mobile phone. It is vitally important that we are able to contact you in the event of a school closure or illness / accident involving your child. It is preferable that you are able to leave a land line number for use during the day should your mobile phone be switched off.
In the case of children living with different parents at different times of the week at different addresses it is very important that both parents contact details are available together with information of who to contact in the event of a problem at school.
We also operate a text service to communicate with parents. Please make sure your details are up to date ! Thank you.
Communication
Newsletter
The school newsletter is produced every Friday. It is posted on our website and ClassDojo. You can also be added to the email mailing list and receive the newsletter electronically each week (simply send a blank email with the subject “newsletter” to greenmount@bury.gov.uk
Included in the newsletter are celebrations of children’s achievements together with information of events in the school year. Usually, this is advance warning of an event which you will receive more detail of closer to the time.
Other Letters
In addition to the newsletter you will receive information from individual teachers regarding school visits / activities and information which is relevant to your child or your child’s age group. Letters about PTA events and other activities are also sent home in this way. Please check children’s bags for letters and encourage them to deliver them home to you. We post a copy of every letter we send home on our website.
Class Dojo
We also use the Class Story and School Story features of Class Dojo which are like social media posts. We share photographs of what's going on in school or information about how you can help your child at home.
Text Messaging Service
Important messages are also sent home via text message - please let us know if you change your mobile phone number.
Website
Our website has a vast array of information about the school including copies of the statutory policies.
Sending information into school
If you need to send letters into school we have a system of class boxes which are available first thing in the morning in classrooms for collection of items destined for the teacher or school office. Please use this system of communication rather than leaving things in the school office. There is also a box in GOOSE which can be used to send items through to school.
Getting messages to school
If you need to send a message into school re a sick child / lost property etc we do have the school answer phone. Staff will collect messages at frequent intervals through the day.
The school office is staffed from 8.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. when you can speak to a member of the office staff. At any other time you are welcome to leave a message on the school answer phone and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
You are welcome to email us at greenmount@bury.gov.uk
Please note that we do not use the instant messaging feature of Class Dojo.
Messages to Staff
Messages handed into or left with school office staff will be passed onto staff promptly. If you find that you need to speak with a member of staff please try to do this at the end of the school day if at all possible. Staff are busy in the mornings ensuring that they are ready for your child’s learning opportunities.
Staff must be in classrooms available to supervise all children from 8.50am. If however, your need is urgent please ask to see Mr Griffith who will be able to deal with your query or problem as soon as possible.
Class teachers will be only too happy to arrange to see you at the end of the day.
Infant parents could easily slip a message in to the child’s Reading Record book if it is of a less urgent nature.
Whilst there is a messaging function on Class Dojo, staff are not expected to respond to messages outside of working hours or during the taught day.
Messages can be left for staff by telephoning the school office,
Newsletters
Our weekly newsletter "The Greenmount Guardian" is published each Friday.
It is available on the school website and also Classdojo. If preferred, it can be sent via email.
The newsletter is for both parents and children. We celebrate children’s achievements in school and children appreciate seeing their work and achievements in print. Also advertised are the main events coming up in the next few weeks. This gives some advanced warning. We are also able to demonstrate some of the work that we are doing as part of our School Development Plan to raise standards in our provision, which of course is an ongoing part of our work.
We place it on our website and also Classdojo.
An electronic copy can be emailed to you each week – please send a blank email with the subject “newsletter” to greenmount@bury.gov.uk to be added to the mailing list.
Parents' Evening
There are two specific opportunities to meet with your child’s class teacher.
In October:
This is a short, getting to know you meeting in which your child’s class teacher will
discuss your child’s curriculum targets in English and Maths with you. This is also an opportunity to inform the teacher of any of your concerns / knowledge about your child’s interests that you have. If however, you know that you need a lengthy discussion please arrange a separate appointment with the class teacher. This will hopefully avoid any lengthy delays for other parents on the evening. You will receive information about the available discussion times approximately two weeks in advance.
In February/March:
At this stage of the year it is reassuring to know that your child is making every effort with their learning and they are continuing to make good progress towards the targets set at the beginning of the school year. Yr 1 – Y6 parents will receive information about appointment times approximately two weeks before the interviews.
The Reception teachers hold drop in sessions for parents during the Spring term. You will receive information giving you details about appointments etc from the class teachers.
In July:
This is the traditional school report time. We do expect that children will continue to make good progress throughout the year and the final report should bear no nasty surprises. It is for this reason that there should only be the exceptionally rare occasion when a parent should need to discuss the report with their child’s class teacher. If you feel that this is necessary please contact the school office for the teacher to contact you.
PTA
All parents and carers are part of the PTA.
You will receive newsletters and information from the PTA at regular intervals telling you about meetings and ways in which you can get involved in the fundraising events throughout the year. The first meeting of the year is usually near the end of September. The group is very welcoming and won’t force you into anything you are not happy with. Neither is the group formal or exclusive. Please give it a try - your input will be most welcome.
Governors
A full list of the members of the Governing Body is available on the Meet the Governors page.
The Full Governing Body meets three times a year and sub – committees and working groups meet approximately six times per year.
The role is purely voluntary and the team includes Parent Governors / Staff Governors and Local Community Representatives. If you are interested in supporting the Governing Body please let Mr Griffith know and we will keep you informed of vacancies and opportunities to get involved.
