Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you to all parents for baring with reverting to the old entrance ways for a week, while our new hall windows are fitted. We are anticipating this to be finished by the end of the week and therefore we will go back to entering and collecting via the rear playground gate. The hall will certainly be cooler with the additional window openings, as well as anti-sun glass which reduces heat.
Collection of children
We have had a few situations recently with children being adamant that they are not travelling home by the school bus. Just to make parents aware, the school will follow the normal routine, unless the school has been informed otherwise by parents.
Sun cream
Please would all parents apply sun cream to children (preferably waterproof sun cream), particularly with the warm weather we are experiencing.
Swimming
The swimming pool has been enjoyed by Hazel and Beech class this week. With water clarity issues on Wednesday, I am very grateful to Carina Simonds for facilitating swimming lessons on Thursday this week. The weather has been kind and the temperature lovely for our first swim sessions.
We would ask that all children have swimming kit in school everyday, as this will facilitate spontaneous swimming sessions if time and weather allow. It would be appreciated if all pupils were to have a swimming hat, this can be of either latex or cotton material, just to help keep the filters clear!
Athletics
We took 26 children to the Yeovil Athletics Arena this week to participate in the Gillingham Schools Athletics Meet. For 15 of the children taken, this was the first time they represented our school!
Children took part in track and field events, with all participating with gusto and trying their absolute best. I applaud all the children who showed such willingness to be involved. Some walked away with medals, but I have to say that all deserved awards for not only their excellent behaviour, but attitude in which they competed.
Cricket
8 children from Years 4 to 6 took part in a Cricket Festival at Blandford Cricket Club on Friday. This was a participation festival, played under ‘Dynamo Cricketing Rules’. All had the opportunity to bat and bowl, and all represented the school brilliantly.
Raffle
A massive THANK YOU and a large round of applause to The Whitfield family who ran a raffle at the Stour Row Open Gardens on 27th/28th May. An incredible £249 was raised, with the proceeds going towards PTFA funds.
PTFA Jumble Sale – 17th June 10 – 12 noon
It’s time for a ‘summer clean’ and bring any sellable wear and donations to school for the PTFA jumble sale! Donations of any clothing, toys, household and garden items would be welcome, but NO electrical goods please.
If you are keen and willing to offer a hand on Friday 16th June after school to help set up, your assistance would be welcomed. Equally, if you are willing to help behind tables on the day, please contact a member of the PTFA or myself.
We are still looking for : A Lunch time helper & a handy person
Lunchtime helper – supporting staff with the distribution of lunches, filling the dishwasher and tidying the hall afterwards. Not overly glamorous I know but we do have fun! This is a paid position, with daily hours of 11.30 – 1pm, so why not be paid to have a bit of fun!
We are also seeking a ‘handy person’ for 4 hours per week. This again is a paid position with flexibility as to when you carry out the 4 hours. No tickets required, but practical skills ideal. Duties included weekly fire alarm and emergency lighting testing, along with carrying out odd jobs around the school as needed.
If you are interested in either position and would like further information, please contact Mrs Pike or myself.
Class News
Oak Class
This week Oak Class have been putting the finishing touches onto their statues of Zeus and using ghold paint to replicate the work of Phidias the Greek sculpture and artist. As a way of thinking more deeply about Percy Jackson and the Lighten Thief, the class watched the film. In Maths Year 6 have been looking at algebra and Year 5 have been studying negative numbers.
Next week pupils will be looking at ratio, multiplication and division.
Chestnut Class
Chestnut Class have enjoyed reading and retelling the story of the Giants who couldn’t swim. This is an Irish myth about how the Giants Causeway was created.
In Maths the children have been focusing on time. They have been looking at am and pm and learning key time facts – number of days in each month, a year and a week plus how minutes, seconds and hours are related.
In Art, the children have been learning about collage in preparation to create their own later on in the half-term.
Next week, the children will be continuing their learning about Eastern Europe. Here, they will identify the physical features found in some Eastern European countries.
Beech Class
This week, the children have started their new topic ‘Beside the Sea’. The core text is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak and the pupils have been acting out the story and generating vocabulary to write character descriptions about Max. In maths, the children have started new topics. The Year 1s are practising using positional language and the Year 2s are working on time. Next week, the class will be writing their own character descriptions about the Wild Things.
Hazel Class
Hazel Class have written their own version of ‘Dear Zoo’, with a their own pages being used to create a book, which will be shared in next week’s assembly. The children have also been sorting animals by features and have created bar charts for the number of pets. Within Maths pupils have been learning how to represent number sentence in a variety of ways including using the part part whole model, as well as on a ten frame. In Literacy the class have been reading ‘The Lion Inside’ and have been considering words and their meaning, such as craggy, sparkled, dry and meekest, with a view to further developing vocabulary.
Diary dates for the forthcoming week and beyond
Friday assemblies 14.50 from this Friday
| 14th June
|
Afternoon | Sports Day starting at 1.30pm |
| 17th June | 10 – 12 noon | PTFA Jumble Sale in the school hall
|
| 17th & 18th June
|
Poetry & Art display in Stour Provost Church | |
| 21st June
|
Afternoon | Sports Day reserve date |
| 25th June –28th June
|
Oak Class residential trip to Hooke Court | |
| 5th July
|
All day | Year 6 Moving up day |
| 5th July | Morning | School internal moving up day (current Reception – Year 5) |
| 6th July
|
09.00 – 10.50 | Moving up day for New Reception children
|
| 10th July
|
14.00 | Play in the Hall |
| 11th July
|
14.00 | Play in the Hall |
| 11th July
|
18.00 | Play in the Hall |
| Friday 14th July
|
17.00 – 19.00 | Summer Celebration on the school field. |
| 18th July
|
14.30 | Art Gallery – parents invited to come in and see children’s art and DT work through the classes. |
| 20th July | 15.20 | End of Term for children |
| 21st July
|
INSET DAY |
Best wishes,
Mrs B