3 Oct 2008 - Newsletter highlights - 3rd October 2008

Walk to School Day

Plans are well underway for our Walk to School Day on Wednesday.  The Walk and Stride will leave the BMI car park at 8.30am, so please be in plenty of time.  Parking is also available at the Pavilion.  Those children in Year 4 who are bringing bikes for the cycle training should either take bikes to school first, or should push them.  They will not be allowed to ride along with the Walk & Stride.  The children will be carrying flags to represent our link with schools in Italy, Poland, Germany, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

 

We are expecting interest from the press, who may want to photograph children walking to school.

 

The School Car Park will be partly cordoned off in order to leave room for the bike activities, so please do not use it on Wednesday morning.

 

Children in Year 3 and Year 5 will be out and about in the village during the day and so will need warm coats.  We still need some help from parents (CRB checked) for the Year 3 walks (10.10am - 12.30pm) please.  If you can help, please let us know.

 

We shall also have an International flavour to our school lunch, with a special menu - Pasta Bolognaise or vegetable pizza with garlic bread and sweetcorn and Italian style ice cream.

 

Travel Plan

The first meeting of our Travel Plan Working Party was held yesterday.  A School Travel Plan is a written document whih outlines a series of practical steps for improving children's safety on the jouney to and from school.

 

The plan should result in benefits for pupils, parents and the wider community: it will assist pupils and parents in identifying healthy and sustainable transport options and help to reduce the numbers of cars on the road at peak times. In addition it will contribute to the improvement of the environment around the school.

 

Harvest Festivals

The Infant Harvest Festival Service was held this week, and was a lovely occasion.  Well done to all the children, and thank you to those parents who joined us and especially to those who helped with the walk back to school.

 

The Junior Harvest Festival takes place on Tuesday, and children should be dropped off at the church first thing, please rather than coming to school.  Sorry, it is not possible for us to look after infant children earlier on that day so I suggest that juniors are dropped of at the church first (8.40 will be fine) and younger brothers or sisters brought to school or 8.50am (8.55am Reception) as usual.

 

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.

 

We will need help with supervision on the walk back from the church.  Please let your child's class teacher know if you are able to come with us. Thank you.

Butterflies

The children in Year 2 have been learning about minibeasts in their Science topic this term, and as part of their work have been observing the development of caterpillars through their life cycle to butterflies.  Yesterday, amidst great excitement, the Year 1 and Year 2 classes were able to release the newly emerged butterflies and to watch them warming their wings in the autumn sunshine and then flying off to freedom.

 

Governors

The Governing Body held its first meeting of the new school year on Wednesday evening.  Beth Gill was re-elected as Chair and Mike Stratford was elected as Vice Chair.  Sadly, the Governing Body has received the resignations of Stan Skinner (LA Governor) and Andrew Liddle (Parent Governor).  Many thanks to Stan and Andrew for the support they have given the school in their Governor roles. 

 

We shall be holding an election for a new Parent  Governor very shortly, so watch out for details of how you can take part.

 

School Meals

Please remember that school meals are cooked to order and must be booked and paid for in advance.

Eid Mubarak

Best wishes to all members off our school community who are celebrating Eid ul-Fitr this week.

 

Year 6 Residential Visit

Children in Year 6 who are taking part in next March's residential visit should have brought home a letter requesting the next payment.  Please could this be paid as soon as possible.  Thank you.

 

Music Tuition

We offer tuition in violin, woodwind (flute, oboe, clarinet), piano and brass instruments from teachers from the County Music Service.  If your child is interested in learning an instrument, please come and ask for further details in the office.  There are spaces for some instruments, and we keep waiting lists for others.

 

Visits and Visitors

Yesterday, the Year 6 children were very excited to have a visit from a World War 2 airman.  The Year 6 classes have been learning about the Second World War in their history lessons, and they were enthralled by Squadron Leader Webb's story.  He told them about his 55 missions as a radar operator in mosquito aircraft, and also about how a few years ago he met up with a German pilot shot down by his own plane.  The two servicemen chatted over a meal, discussed the foolishness of war and ended up as friends. What a wonderful real-life example of reconciliation and forgiveness!

 

Morrisons Vouchers

We are collecting the Morrisons Let's Grow vouchers, which we shall be redeeming for gardening equipment.  Please bring your vouchers to school and put them in the collecting box in the entrance hall. Thank you.

 

Wear something yellow day

Thank you to everyone who joined in with the Wear Something Yellow Day.  The children had great fun planting the marcissus bulbs, and we shall let you now next week how much was raise to the Myasthenia Gravis Association.

Music Clubs

Here is a reminder about the arrangements for our Music Clubs.  Recorder Group 1 will meet on Thursdays before school (8.15am), Group 2 on Tuesdays at lunchtime and Group 3 will meet on Tuesdays before school (8.15am).  The children should know which group they are in, but if they have forgotten, there is a list in the Office, so please check with us!

 

Choir will meet after school on Tuesdays.  Orchestra practices will take place on Thursdays after school.

 

Recorder Group 3 (my group) will meet on Monday next week at 8.15am. This is because of the junior Harvest Festival on Tuesday.

 

There will be no Recorder Group 2 or Choir practice on Tuesday 14th October.

 

Attendance for September

Here are the percentages for attendance for each class for September:

 

YRL - 100%

YRC - 98.6%

Y2A - 98.2%

Y3EC - 98.1%

Y4H - 98.0%

Y1B - 97.9%

Y2T - 97.8%

Y5Y - 97.5%

Y1G - 97.1%

Y5J - 96.0%

Y6T - 95.7%

Y6N - 95.5%

Y4M - 95.0%

Y3T - 93.9%

 

Our school target for the year is 96%

 

Please remember that holidays during term time will be authorised only in exceptional circumstances, such as parents' work commitments or a family crisis.  Full details are given in the Attendance Policy sent to all families (available on the Prospectus & Documents page of this website).

 

No swimming for Y5 next week because of Walk to School Day activities. Last swimming session will now be 3rd December.