Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the first edition of our newly formatted school newsletter, now available on our new school website. We are pleased to bring you this easy-to-access update, keeping you informed about all the fantastic learning, achievements, and events happening at our school. 

This half-term has been filled with enthusiasm, hard work, and wonderful experiences for our pupils. From classroom activities to special events, we are incredibly proud of their efforts and progress. In this newsletter, you will find key highlights, important updates, and upcoming dates to keep in mind.

Thank you for your continued support. We hope you enjoy exploring our new website and this updated way of staying connected.

Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable half-term break!

Best wishes,

Claire Hammond

We are pleased to announce that our whole school photo is now ready for purchase via the QR below.

Site Management 

We are fortunate that we have had extra funding approved for some major work in school which will provide extra learning provision and wider opportunities for our children, including outdoor learning, cooking, food technology and opportunities for sensory integration. 

Phase 1 of the works will commence over the half-term holidays with the landscaping of our forest school to section off areas, adding new fencing and creating paths to make the area fully accessible to all. The forest school will include nature areas, a fire pit, climbing and various outdoor learning zones. We will keep you updated with this progress.

Over the summer holidays, work will begin to develop two classrooms to provide our school with a food technology room and a new Additional Resource Provision. This is exciting news as it will mean that our children will have a fully resourced space to develop skills and knowledge, and further life skills. 

World book day, Thursday 6th March

At Bel Royal, every day is a day for enjoying reading, but World Book Day is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate a love of books and reading.

Dress Up as your Dream             

We will be celebrating World Book Day by dressing up as our dream. What do you want to be when you grow up? What is your dream job?  What is one of your lifetime ambitions? Whatever it is, whether you want to be a builder, travel the world, swim with dolphins or become an engineer, we invite you to dress up as your ambition (dream)!

Extreme Reading 

Where is the most extreme place you have ever read? Up a tree, on top of a mountain or standing on your head, we want to know. Your World Book Day challenge is to bring in/post on Seesaw a photo of you ‘extreme reading’. You could get the whole family involved! Please send in or post photos by Monday 24^th February, ready for our whole school display.

Book Swap

We will also be hosting a whole school Book Swap. To participate, children are invited to bring in 1 book that they no longer want, but is age appropriate for other children in school. They will then receive a book swap token which they can use to take a book home from our ‘Book Swap’.

A World of Folktales and Legends by local author, Penny Byrne

This book is being gifted to all pupils in Year 3 and Year 4.

The book contains stories, songs, proverbs and recipes and several stories have been translated into their language of origin. It was commissioned by the International Cultural Centre and will be launched to coincide with International Mother Language Day on 21 February. 

Community Language Celebration and Film Launch (lead officer: Sam Losh)

Come to the town library and see the exclusive launch of a film packed with tips on how to support multilingual children and young people.  Eat food and meet members of the multilingual  community, listen to music and take part in a community piece of art with Arthouse Jersey, members of the multilingual, French Experience and Jèrriais teams.

A link to the films will be posted following the launch event, along with a new mlinfo@jeron.je contact email address. 

The Assistant Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Deputy Carina Alves, will be attending the film launch event.

Date: Saturday 1^st March

Where: Town Library

Time: 10 – 12pm

Who for: Children and all who support multilingual children (children must be accompanied by a responsible adult)

Clubs

After half term there will be a few changes to our school run clubs:

• Cooking club:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will have to cancel the cooking club for the foreseeable future. We will be in touch when we are ready to re-open.

• Sewing club:

Sewing club will continue to run on Tuesdays from 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm

• Football clubs:

The football clubs will continue with Mr Dolman until Easter and change to Cricket club after the Easter Holidays.

We will be opening the Friday Football Training to our Year 4s to join our Year 5’s and Year 6’s

Year 4 can book their space for training via our school website Bel Royal Primary School - Clubs

• Netball:

Ms Greystone will continue with Netball matches until the Easter Holidays.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries.

Purple Crocuses

Over the next few months, you will hopefully see an abundance of purple blooming around our school ground, thanks to the Rotary Club of Jersey.

Rotary International has been working for decades towards the final eradication of Polio, a dreadful disease that primarily affects children up to 10 years of age. They have invited us to celebrate this achievement with displays of purple crocuses that we have planted around our school. The purple flowering each Springtime will provide a reminder of the success of the global campaign to 'End Polio Now.'

Each class has enjoyed the experience of planting and knowing that they are helping towards making the world a safer place for children in other countries.

The Genuine Jersey, Jersey Royal Potato Growing Competition 2025 sponsored by Homefields

Once again we will be taking part in The Genuine Jersey Royal Potato Growing competition. The children have been busy planting their seed potatoes and hoping to beat last years score.

Key Stage 2 Residentials

At Bel Royal, we aim to construct a curriculum that is ambitious, relevant and designed to give all groups of pupils the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. ​

A significant part of our planned curriculum is to provide various wider opportunities that provide memorable experiences and the development of lifelong skills.

Each of our Key Stage 2 classes have the opportunity to enjoy a residential trip in the Summer Term, slowly increasing the overnight stays from Year 3 upwards to get them ready for their ultimate off-island residential in Year 6. These residential trips offer numerous benefits; both educational and personal.

Over the coming weeks, you will be invited to an information evening regarding the trip for your child's class where we will share further details. In the meantime, please keep a note of the planned dates and get in touch if you have any queries.

Mobile Phones 

We have noticed an increasing number of mobile phones being brought into school. Please be reminded of our mobile phone policy below.

Mobile phones are not permitted in school, unless prior approval has been granted by the Headteacher for specific safeguarding reasons, such as medical needs or other exceptional circumstances. This policy ensures a safe and focused learning environment while prioritising the welfare of all pupils. Any requests for exceptions must be made directly to the Headteacher and will be carefully considered upholding our commitment to safeguarding. We appreciate the cooperation of parents and guardians in supporting this policy, which helps us create a secure and respectful school community. 

Mobile phones that are brought to school must be, and remain, turned off during the school day and handed in to the class teacher or office to be kept securely throughout the school day. Individual pupils are responsible for their own phones and the school cannot accept responsibility for these should these break, be stolen or lost.  

Liberation 80

2025 marks a very special year for Jersey and Bel Royal School.

This year, Jersey will be celebrating 80 years since the liberation of Jersey. To mark this special occasion, we will be taking part in different activities and celebrations.

On the 6th May we will take part in a mock 'evacuation' exercise with St Lawrence Primary School.

On the 8th of May we are planning to hold a streetparty/BBQ picnic in the top playground with a dress down day wearing something red and white. The brass section of the Jersey Music Service will come to school and play some music from the 1940s for us. 

More details and information will follow closer to the date.

Bel Royal School's 50th Anniversary

On the 20th November 2025 we will be celebrating 50 years since the official opening of Bel Royal Primary school by Lady Fitzpatrick in 1975.

We are in the beginning stages of planning a special celebration for our Golden Jubilee. More information will follow closer to the time.

In the meantime, if you have any photos, newspaper articles or information about Bel Royal School, please let us know.