12 Sep 2008 - Newsletter highlights - 12th September 2008

Year 6 Secondary Transfer

Children in Year 6 will have brought home an information pack with details of the arrangements for Secondary Transfer.

Please note that your application for secondary school, whether made electronically or on paper, must be made no later than the closing date of Friday 5th December 2008.  This is extremely important as any applications received after this date will not be considered until after 2nd March 2009.  The Local Authority would like parents to apply online if possible as this will ensure you are aware that your application has been received.  If you wish to use a paper form, this must be returned direct to Shire Hall.

If you would like advice on the transfer process, then please contact Choice Advice, a free impartial and confidential advice service for parents and carers of children who are moving from primary to secondary school.  Choice Advice can give advice on all aspects of the secondary schools admission process.  Getting advice from the Choice Adviser will not guarantee your child a place at your preferred school, but the Choice Adviser can help you to explore the options so that you can make the best decision or your child.  The number to call is freephone 0800 988 8042. 

Please note, that although school staff are happy to discuss your child and his or her abilities and strengths, we are unable to make any specific recommendation about individual schools.

Library Helpers

We are in need of one more Library Helper to support us on Thursday afternoons.  This involves issuing books to children and checking in returns.  If you are interested in this, please see Mrs Cooper, or give your details to the Office so she can contact you.  Thank you.

Forms

You have recently received Data Collection and Offsite Visit Permission Forms by pupil post.  Please could you return these to the School Office as soon as possible.

School Nurse

We have a new School Nurse working with us.  Kate Amos is available for advice on many issues to do with children, including questions about behaviour.  She will be in school for 'Drop in Sessions' every term, and the first of these is to be held on Thursday 25th September at 9am.  Please just call into school if you would like to meet her.  If you need to speak to Kate on the phone, then the number for the School Nurse Team is 529781.  She is an excellent source of information and practical advice.

Nut Allergy

We have several children in the school who have a nut allergy and would suffer a severe reaction in they came into contact with nut products.  It would be really helpful, therefore, if you could please avoid using nut products in the children's packed lunches and playtime snacks.  It is very difficult to avoid nut products completely, as so many foods contain nut traces, but if you could avoid using foods such as peanut butter, nut biscuits and bars, and whole nuts, we would be extremely grateful.

Harvest Festivals

The dates for our Harvest Festivals are Wednesday 1st October (infants) and Tuesday 7th October (juniors).  Children should be dropped off at the church first thing, please, rather than coming to school ffirst, so they have to walk only one way.  We should be grateful for offers of help with the walk back.  Please let your child's class teacher know if you are able to do this.  Thank you.

The children are invited to bring gifts of food for the services.  These should please be tinned or packet items rather than fresh produce.  Parents are welcome to attend the services - your gifts of food will be received gratefully too.

Clubs

Some of our music clubs will be starting next week.

All existing members of the recorder clubs (beginners, intermediate and advanced) are welcome to practices on Thursday 18th September and Thursday 25th September after school (finish 4.15pm).  After these sessions, Mr Groves and I will let the children know which groups are meeting on which days and who is in each.

The Orchestra will have its first practice on Wednesday at 8.15am.  Choir will start on Tuesday 23rd September (not next week because we are hosting the Inter Schools Quiz) after school until 4.15pm.

Netball for Years 5 and 6 will be held on Wednesdays after school, starting on 24th September.

Please look out for news of the Football Club, which will start later in the term.

Merit Badges

We have new Merit Badges in school, which will be awarded weekly in each class (not Reception just yet) for positive attitude, acts of responsibility and kindness, hard work, ploiteness - in fant anything the teacher wishes to recognise and make a fuss of in the class.  The badges will be worn for a week and then returned so that they can be awarded to someone else.  If your child is wearing a Merit Badge, please ask him/her to explain why.