26 Jun 2009 - Newsletter highlights - 26th June 2009

Staffing

I am delighted to report that Mrs Cowlishaw has been appointed to cover the remaining part of Mrs Young’s maternity leave, and will be working in Year 3 with Mrs Millard from September. We are expecting Mrs Young to return in February.

 

We were really pleased to welcome Mrs Cordall, Deputy Head of Foundation Stage and Key Stage 2, back to school this week, following her maternity leave.

 

Yesterday we said goodbye to Mrs Holland, one of our regular and favourite supply teachers. Mrs Holland has a long connection with the school, and is now retiring so that she can enjoy a whole programme of exciting travels and adventures. We shall miss her.

 

 

Next Year’s Classes

The arrangements for next year are as follows:

 

YRL will become Y1G (Miss Groves)

 

YRC will become Y1B (Mrs Beacham)

 

Y1G will become Y2T (Mrs Turner)

 

Y1B will become Y2A (Mr Allen)

 

Y2T will become Y3T (Mr Tidmarsh)

 

Y2A will become Y3MC (Mrs Millard and Mrs Cowlishaw until Mrs Young returns)

 

Y3T will become Y4M/Y4T (Mrs Manning, and then Miss Thomas when Mrs Manning starts her maternity leave )

 

Y3EF will become Y4H (Mrs Harvey)

 

Y4M will become Y5C (Mrs Corbet)

 

Y4H will become Y5J (Mr Jones)

 

Y5J will become Y6N (Mrs Nelson)

 

Y5T will become Y6D (Miss Dobson)

 

 

The children will have the chance to visit their new classrooms and meet their teachers next Thursday morning. Both Mrs Corbet and Miss Dobson are visiting on that day from their schools in Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire.

 

PGL Residential Visit—Important

Thank you to those of you who have returned the forms about next year’s Y6 visit to PGL.

 

Next week, the Governors will be making a decision whether this trip can go ahead.

 

As you know, the costs for this trip are split into the obligatory charge for board and lodging and a voluntary contribution. We accept and fully understand that some families have difficulty in meeting the full cost of the trip, and in the past we have covered the shortfall either through the school budget or by seeking support from local charities.

 

Several parents have expressed concern to us, however,  that other parents have told them that they do not intend to pay the voluntary contribution, even though they can afford to do so. It is not the school’s place to make any sort of judgement on this, although it does put us in a very difficult position. The school budget is very tight this year, and we cannot afford significant additional expenditure—neither can we count on a large sum being granted from charity. The trip is a wonderful part of the children’s Y6 experience, and we would be very disappointed if we weren’t able to go ahead with it.

 

If you would like to discuss this, then please call in to see me.

 

 

Choir

Please note, there will be no Tuesday Choir Practice after school on 30th June. Mr Groves will be having a joint practice for both the Tuesday and the Wednesday Choirs on Wednesday afternoon during school time.

End of Term Events

 

Tomorrow – Summer Fayre at school from 2pm-4pm

 

Friday 3^rd July – Class Assembly – Y2A 9.55am

 

Sunday 5^th July - Songs of Praise Service at school 3pm

 

Monday 6^th July – Junior Sports Afternoon – start 1.40pm

 

Monday 6^th July - Reception/Y1 transition meeting 3.30pm

 

Tuesday 7^th July – Infant Sports Day – start 1.45pm

 

Wednesday 8^th July – Concert (all Music Groups) 6.30pm

 

Friday 10^th July – Class Assembly – Y3T

 

Monday 13^th July – Reserve date for Infant Sports

 

Monday 13th July—Y2/Y3 transition meeting straight after school

 

Tuesday 14^th July – Y6 production 2.30pm

 

Wednesday 15^th July – Leavers’ Disco at Bowden Hall (Y6 and Y5) – 6.30pm – 8pm

 

Thursday 16^th July – Reserve date for junior sports

 

Friday 17^th July – Y6 Leavers’ Assembly – 9.55am

 

Friday 17^th July – End of term 3.15/3.20pm

 

 

Transition Meetings

In order to ease the transition from Reception into Year 1, and from the infants into the juniors, we are holding short after school transition meetings on Monday 6th July (for current Reception children and parents) and Monday 13th July (for current Y2 and parents).

SUMMER FAYRE

 

Tomorrow 2pm

 

Please come and support the Friends’ Association  

 

Swimming

There will be no Y3 swimming next Thursday, as the children will be meeting their new class teachers. There will be a replacement session for Y3 on Thursday 16^th July.

 

Questionnaires

Thank you to those of you who have returned the Parent Questionnaire. Your comments will be very useful in informing our future plans. Beth Gill, Chair of Governors, will be in touch with those of you who included contact details on your form.

 

Governor Drop In Session

The Governor Drop In Session for this month will be held on Monday after school. You are very welcome to make an appointment at the Office to see Beth Gill, Chair of Governors.

 

Bishop’s Visitor

This week we were pleased to welcome Miss Sue Marlow, our new Bishop’s Visitor, to school. Miss Marlow joined us for assembly and then toured the school with our School Captains.

Lightbox

The Reception Classes now have a lovely new lightbox which was brought with the profits from the selling of our canvas bags. If you would like to see what your money went towards, please feel free to come in and have a look. It is currently in YRL’s classroom.

School Nurse

Clare Hicks, our School Nurse, will be holding her drop in session next Friday morning, 3rd July, instead of on Tuesday. If you have any concerns about your child’s welfare and would like a chat with Clare, please call in to see her. She will be available from 8.45am.

 

Community Family Worker

Mariana Gozman, our Community Family Worker will be holding her next drop in session on Thursday 9th July. Please call in before school if you would like to talk to her.

 

Chess Club

As you know, our Chess Team did brilliantly well in the National Semi Finals at Prestatyn over the weekend. 36 teams were competing, and most of these were from independent schools, with only a few state schools represented.

 

The team played 6 rounds over the two days and scored 18.5 points overall, finishing in 5th place and returning home with a gold trophy. This was a tremendous achievement and we are very proud of them all.

 

Thank you to Mr Jones for organising our participation in the event, to Mr Jones Senior for all his coaching, to the parents and families who supported the team at Prestatyn, to Mr Attwood and Mrs Rawlins for providing the smart new polo shirts… and of course to the players themselves—Michael Ashworth, Harry McLaren, Ben Attwood, Ryan Rhoda, Alex Rhoda, George Edwards.

Songs of Praise

Please remember the Songs of Praise Service, taking place here at school on the afternoon of Sunday 5^th July. If your child is a member of the Tuesday or Wednesday Choir or the Advanced Recorder Group, please return the permission slip as soon as possible.

School Photographs  

The orders for class and leavers’ photographs must be received by Monday 29th June 2009.

 

Limousines

We have received information from a senior licensing officer who has asked us to inform you that if you are arranging for a driver and vehicle to transport your child to the Leavers’ Disco or on the last day of term, you should check the vehicles and drivers are licensed by the relevant local authority, where this is required.

 

The local authority is concerned that students may be using vehicles and drivers that do not have the appropriate licences. It is also important to remember that whilst vehicles and drivers used in connection with weddings and funerals are exempt from needing licences, this would not be the case if they are also used for transporting passengers to other functions. Vehicles that can accommodate more than 8 passengers may need to operate under a PSV Operator licence and are regulated by the traffic commissioners who can be contacted on 0870 606 0440.

 

Walk to School Week

It’s Walk to School Week

 

Hey, what fun!

 

Here’s what I have noticed

 

On the normal school run

 

Lots of cars with lots of smoke

 

No wonder the ozone layer is broke!

 

So come on everybody, let’s go green

 

Leave your cars at home that’s what I mean

 

Either walk, cycle or trike

 

I really do love my bike