Goodbye and thank you...

My final message extends to all members of the Robin Hood Community; staff, parents, governors and pupils.

It was in 2002 that I first walked through the doors of Robin Hood Primary School as a 28 year old Key Stage Two teacher; unmarried and full of hope for the future.

One marriage, two children and 13 very professionally fulfilling years later, I am saying a very reluctant and extremely sad Goodbye to Robin Hood and (for some time, at least), the fabulous city of Leeds. I have always said that the reason I have stayed so long is because Robin Hood simply is the best school not just in Leeds, but on the planet. The commitment and dedication of teachers and wider staff is second to none, the support of parents is excellent and the learning environment is one that makes coming to work each day, a real joy. But my mind has always been firmly focussed on the pupils, the heartbeat of our school and it is mainly they that have kept me here this long. Robin Hood pupils are full of life, each a wonderful individual with huge potential. There is a positive energy in Robin Hood which I believe sets us aside from other educational settings; learning with laughter. I have lost count of the number of days that my spirits have been lifted by just the simplest actions of our very brilliant children.

This is a very difficult letter to write as I genuinely feel that I am leaving behind something incredibly special; something which in many ways for me, will never be replaced.

I am infinitely grateful to everyone for all that you have done in supporting me on this long journey. I take with me the happiest memories and only hope that as my family and I move on to our new lives in Dubai, I will be as fortunate as I am now in being around people as wonderful as all of you.

From the bottom of my heart………………….thank you.

Goodbye (for now).

Gaynor Dale

Newsletter 18th December 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

A big thank you to those of you who came out to support the school Christmas performances this week. I am sure you will agree that the quality has been second to none… I am still smiling! Well done to all who took part.

The children have had a great time today for their Christmas parties; I have had a wonderful last day visiting classrooms, saying Goodbye to the children and busting some groovy moves!

I would like to share some great news regarding out Sports provision. This week our school had a fantastic time at the John Charles Centre for Sport. Pupils competed in a number of different water based events- from the egg and spoon race to water polo! We were extremely proud of the efforts of all pupils whose hard work paid off, resulting in 1st place in a water polo tournament and a 2nd place overall. Congratulations to all our pupils who represented the school, and a special thank you to Mr Malley in particular but also Mr Grenfell and Mrs Perry who were superb in helping to organise the events.

Well, what a fantastic last week. For me personally, it has been extremely bitter sweet; thank you all so very much for your kind words. Knowing that my time here has made a difference to your children really means everything to me. I am extremely grateful for all of your best wishes; my family and I intend to make the very best of our time in Dubai and we are lucky that we are able to take so many happy memories with us.

I know that you will all make Mrs. Harris feel incredibly welcome in January. In the meantime, have a restful, enjoyable and peaceful Christmas.

With warmest wishes and for the last time…

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 11th December 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Firstly, thank you all so much for your patience on Friday.

We had an unfortunate incident with a main pipe serving the new build, which needed fixing as a matter of urgency. This affected the flow of water into the school building whilst it was being fixed.

Well done to Yellow Team, who received their House Winner’s treat this week. The children have been racking up their points through their Headteacher’s stickers all of this half term and enjoyed a movie afternoon with treats.

I would like to pass on my sincerest thanks to those pupils and families who attended the Robin Hood Resident’s Association Annual Xmas event last Saturday. The Choir sang brilliantly and the performance was appreciated by all. Thank you to Miss Thackeray who organised the proceedings.

The children thoroughly enjoyed their pantomime performance in school this week. We wanted to bring the celebrations to Robin Hood in thanks to the children for all of their brilliant learning during 2015.

It was also great to see so many children enjoying their Christmas Dinner on Thursday; I definitely enjoyed mine. Debbie and her team did an outstanding job of providing a delicious feast and all with a good sense of humour.

I am really looking forward to my final week at Robin Hood and spending time with the pupils throughout our Christmas celebrations; parties and productions a-plenty!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PUPILS ON FRIDAY 11TH DECEMBER

Due to a burst water pipe, school will be closed to ALL PUPILS on Friday 11th December 2015.

Newsletter 4th December 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

We ended last week with our highly successful Skipping Day. The children across school really enjoyed getting active then showcasing their skills in a whole school assembly. Well done to Mr Malley and the Active Team for organising such a fun event.

Keeping active, many children arrived to school on Wednesday for our “Scoot to School” event. There were Christmas themed scooters a-plenty and I have to say that many were very “bling” indeed! Well done to all children who took part.

HUGE THANKS to all who came along to help out at and support the School Xmas Fayre last Saturday. Over £1000 was raised, which is absolutely fantastic. We are very grateful for all of this support.

Our Christmas post box will be accessible from Monday. If your child brings in cards, please ensure the envelope includes the recipient’s FULL NAME and CLASS - Thanks.

I would like to politely remind parents and carers that communication with class teachers should be through a brief message on the door or via the school office, not by e-mail. Thank you.

We will announce our Merit Point winners for this half term, on Monday. Once this is announced, we will be asking winners to bring a drink and snack into school on Thursday for their Christmas Movie afternoon treat.

Only 21 days until Christmas!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 27th November 2015

What a great week! Firstly thanks to all of the donations for the Christmas Fayre. There are a huge amount of items which can be utilised. Please do come along and support the Christmas Fayre this Saturday, which takes place between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm. It promises to be a lovely, festive event and possibly your child’s first opportunity to visit Santa this Christmas!

We welcomed 16 visitors into school on Wednesday as part of our partnerships with the Maths Hub. We have been trialling and embedding some excellent approaches to teaching and learning fluency and mastery in Maths and were very pleased to be chosen as a host school to show off examples of excellent practice. My thanks to Miss Gascoigne for her involvement in this. 

We have achieved a further Sports Award. Last Friday the school was moderated by the School Games Council. We are proud to announce that Robin Hood has been awarded a bronze validation, which recognises the developments in our school sport. The Active team has worked hard to ensure that we continue to move forward in our sporting opportunities and we are extremely proud that we have been recognised for our progress in this area! We look forward to another exciting year ahead for our children.

Thanks to all parents who attended SEN review meetings this week. Class teachers, Miss Pyatt and Mrs Cookson were very encouraged by everyone’s positive engagement.

Finally, a request to ask that all parents respect the residents on the Rowans. The gate into school was intended as a safe route for walking parents and there have been several reports of inconsiderate parking. Thanks.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 20th November 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to you all for your contributions towards various charities over the past weeks. Children in Need was a huge success with the last figure showing that £2537 was raised. This is a huge achievement for all pupils who took ownership over and supported the activities. We also raised a fantastic £486.41 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

The ASA aquatics awards were last Saturday and we were lucky enough to be nominated for “Swimming Charter - Primary School of the Year”. These awards showcase the very best of British swimming from junior level right up to elite level. We were delighted to receive the Bronze award (out of 27 schools) and this was in recognition of the high quality provision we provide and the high percentage of children who met the national curriculum requirements of swimming 25m. A huge thanks to Mr Grenfell and Mr Knight for going to Leamington Spa to receive the award and a special mention to Mrs Moore for improving the quality and profile of our swimming provision.

Christmas performances/parties
11th December  9:30 - 10:30a.m.                           2:00- 3:00p.m.	Reception Christmas performance
15th December   9:30 - 10:30a.m.	Year 1 Christmas performance
15th December   5:00 - 6:00p.m.	Year 2 Christmas performance
16th December   9:30 - 10:30a.m.	Year 2 Christmas performance
16th December   1:45 - 2:45p.m.	Year 3/ 4 Christmas performance
16th December   5:00 - 6:00p.m.	Year 1 Christmas performance
17th December   9:30 - 10:30a.m.                              5:00 - 6:00p.m.	Year 3/ 4 Christmas performance
18th December	Christmas party day

Talking of Christmas, we are looking forward to treating the children to a professional Pantomime performance of Cinderella in school on Wednesday 9^th December.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 9 13th November 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,
What a wonderful week we have had!
We started the week with an assembly highlighting the significance of Poppy Day and took opportunities to think about those who lost their lives in the World Wars as well as those who continue to fight for our country. We have created a school display to remember our heroes and highlight the importance of the Poppy Appeal.
Our Champions of Change (Year 5/6) have continued to lead fund raising activities for Children In Need, which has cumulated in our assembly today, Robin Hood’s Got Talent and non-uniform day. It has been fantastic to see the children take ownership over these events and even counting up the funds and putting into spreadsheets- great life skills. We even had a visit from the real Pudsey Bear.
We held our Governor’s Day yesterday and welcomed Mrs Millson, Mrs Findlay, Mr Reid, Mrs Hey and Councillor Mulherin. They were all highly impressed with how polite, engaged and motivated the children are. They made many very positive comments on the quality of teaching and learning and how we are very competently working on our areas for development. I felt extremely proud to show off such confident and brilliant learners as well as the very best teachers and assistants.
I must also mention another highlight of this week which was the Nursery assemblies; the confidence of our youngest learners is truly amazing- a joy to watch!
School Gate from The Rowans
The gate at the bottom of the playground will be open for a trial period for children coming into school from The Rowans. This trial will be from Monday 16th November up to the Christmas break. The safeguarding of our children is paramount and the possibility of other traffic using The Rowans will be monitored. The gate will be open from 08:45 until 09:00 and from 15:00 until 15:30 unfortunately it cannot be open any other time as this effectively creates a security and safeguarding issue of access into the playground. We will welcome feedback from parents living on The Rowans.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs Dale

Newsletter 8 6th November 2015-2016

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Hope you all had a great and restful half term.

Our pupils enjoyed a Bonfire menu this week and were very excited to talk to me about the excitement of the Fireworks events they were going to be attending.

Some parents have been asking if we are partaking in the Operation Christmas Child appeal this year. We will be collecting shoe boxes up until the 16^th November. Please refer to the leaflets that have been sent out.

The children have been fantastic this week, baking buns and washing cars for the Children in Need charity. They really are being Champions for Change; it’s great to see!

Anti-bullying week is coming soon. During the week of 16^th November, children will be partaking in a whole host of activities which will help them to identify and deal with bullying better. More information to follow…

Next Thursday, we will be hosting a Governor’s Day. Governors are invited to come and visit school for all or part of the day to see the fabulous learning and other fantastic opportunities that we offer our pupils. We are extremely proud of our school and are keen to show it off!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 7 2015-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

I cannot believe that half term is upon us already!

What a great half term we have had with lots of fabulous learning and wonderful experiences.

Thanks to you all for attending the Parent Consultations this week; we really value having that time with you.

We enjoyed our first PTA event of the school year on Tuesday at the Fashion Show, which not only was a very enjoyable evening but also raised in the region of £250 for our PTA funds. My sincerest thanks to all who attended and supported.

Well done to the “Red Team” who won the prize for receiving the most house points this half term. Pupils celebrated with a toy afternoon treat.

This year Children in Need is running a campaign for schools called 'Champions of Change'. It is encouraging school children to be enterprising in devising their own fundraising activities within school. We are very proud to say we will be taking part in this, with our year 5/6 children taking the lead in becoming Champions of Change and leading the fundraising across school as part of their enterprise development. This will culminate in a non-uniform day on Friday 13th November where children will be asked to come to school dressed as something they might want to be when they grow up. More details about the events will be coming after half term so watch this space! 

Have a great week with lots of Halloween-y fun!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 6- 16th October 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

It’s been a wonderfully creative week! We started our Monday with our annual “Big Draw” event. The children created lots of interesting pieces of art work built around a different story. The outcomes were then displayed in the hall which really showed the impact of these large scale pieces. Thanks to the many parents, carers and pupils visiting the hall on Tuesday after school to marvel at displays.

Today was all about the Harvest Hunt celebrations. Many came along to join in the hunt and we are grateful for all of the food contributions that have come flooding in. Mandy, our local reverend joined us for a Harvest assembly this morning and spoke to the children about the tradition of Harvest. She will be assisting us in distributing the collection to the less fortunate within our local community.

If anyone is interested in booking a stall at the PTA Xmas Craft Fayre on November 28^th, please email

robinhoodprimarypta@gmail.com.

A polite reminder that children need a water bottle in school so that they can stay hydrated throughout the day. Thanks.

Unfortunately due to an unforeseen rise in prices we will have to increase the price of school dinners to £2.40 per day/£12.00 per week from Monday 2^nd November.

Hope to see many of you next week during the consultations and at the PTA Fashion Show.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Dale

Harvest Hunt- 16th October 2015

Newsletter 5- 9th October 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Autumn has well and truly arrived and the temperatures have dropped. Please ensure your child has a warm coat for school.

You should have received this week notification of times for our first Parent Consultations of the year, which take place during the week beginning 19^th October. I hope you will find these brief meetings a valuable way to find out how your child has settled into their new class and to maximise opportunities for us to support each other for the benefit of your child.

Monday is our annual “Big Draw” event. Please send your child to school in plain clothes. The children will be engaging in some magnificent drawing activities based on story themes. You are all welcome to join us from 3p.m on Tuesday 13^th October to view the outcomes which will be displayed in the hall.

Please ensure that all school photograph orders are handed in to the office no later than Wednesday 14^th October.

Advance notice- Please note that if your child is in Year 6 and attending Rodillian High School next year, their last day at Robin Hood will be Friday 1^st July 2016.They will start Rodillian on Monday 4^th July 2016.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 4 2015-2016

Dear Parent/ Carer,

It was lovely to see the children and many siblings looking super- smart and smiley ready for photos on Wednesday, which you should have received on Thursday. Could you please return your orders to the school office as soon as possible.

This week, I have visited many classrooms as part of my first round of formal classroom observations. The classrooms really do look stunning and the teaching and learning is on a par with the best I have ever seen. There is some inspirational practice which takes place here at Robin Hood and I am looking forward to sharing outcomes through our up and coming assemblies.

Following on from last week, I hope that as many of you as possible will join us for the PTA Fashion Show. To make this really worthwhile, we need to sell quite a few more tickets so please do email Kay at robinhoodprimarypta@gmail.com or enquire via the Facebook page.

I would like to thank all of those who have attended various Parent Meetings over the past few weeks. Communication with parents is very important to us so we appreciate your support and input at these meetings. Please remember that the School Calendar on the website is updated frequently for your reference and past newsletters can be accessed via the Newsletter or Phase blogs also on the website.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 3 25th September 2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

First of all, some PTA news. As always we are planning to fully support the PTA events in the coming year and I continue to work closely with Kay, our PTA Chair to ensure that events run smoothly and there is a good level of teacher and staff participation. The funds raised are very much needed and so we appreciate all support, offers of help and participation from parents and the wider community. The first big event will be the Fashion Show on Tuesday 20th October 2015. The PTA are in need of donations for the raffle so kindly ask that if you have anything, to bring them into the school office, where they will be picked up or any questions to contact Kay Millson at PTA robinhoodprimarypta@gmail.com or via the PTA Facebook page.

Individual School Photographs will be taken on Wednesday 30^th September. The photographer will be available in the hall from 8:00a.m. to take photographs with younger siblings who do not attend our Nursery or school. All siblings in school will have their photographs taken together as well as individually.

Our Harvest celebration will be taking place this year on Friday 16^th October. It will take a different form to previous years. This year we will be holding a Harvest Hunt before school from 8:15 am. Please put this in your diaries and we will provide the details in a separate letter- it promises to be fun!

Following on from last week’s newsletter, please note that KS1 phase assembly will take place at 2:30 pm on Friday 16^th October.

We would like to make you aware that on a Friday afternoon the lost property box will be put inside the school office reception area for parents to come and look through on a weekly basis.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 2 2015-2016

Dear Parent/ Carer,

It’s been a great first full week for our pupils and it has been a pleasure to go in and out of classrooms seeing the fantastic teaching and learning that has been going on.

Miss Pyatt will this year be studying for her Post Graduate Certificate of Special Educational Needs and taking on the role of SENCo alongside Mrs Cookson. I am sure that she will be a great support to Mrs Cookson and the families we work with.

Some great news - our school has been shortlisted as one of the Finalists for this year’s ASA Aquatics Awards 2015 for the ASA School Swimming Charter: Primary School of the Year Award. A ceremony will be held in Leamington Spa in November to hear if we are winners but in the meantime I would like to thanks Mrs Moore who has been a key driver in improving our swimming provision, also Mr Knight and Mr Grenfell for the expertise and support that has impacted on the quality of swimming lessons for our pupils.

Thanks to those who attended Welcome Meetings this week. Please be assured that further information regarding new assessment systems will be shared in the coming weeks.

Dates for your diary:

The Big Draw community drop-in: Tuesday 13^th October 3p.m.

Parent Consultation Week: week beginning 19^th October (details to follow)

Year 3/ 4 assembly: 23^rd October 2:30 pm

Reception assembly: 6^th November 2:30 pm

Nursery (1) assembly: 11^th November 11a.m. 

Nursery (2) assembly: 13^th November 2:30p.m.

Year 5/ 6 assembly: 20^th November 2:30

KS1 and Harvest celebration to be confirmed next week.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Newsletter 1 2015-2016

Dear Parent/ Carer,

WELCOME BACK! It was brilliant to see so many of you outside school on Wednesday and I have to say, the children have come back with nothing but enthusiasm and an eagerness to be the best they can! They have all settled exceptionally well into their new classes.

We welcome a number of new staff this week; Miss Johnston in Year 1, Mr Hallows in Year 5/ 6, apprentices Miss Moon and Mr Lamb in Year 3/ 4 and teaching assistant, Mrs Crossland in Nursery.

Teaching staff started the week off with two very busy and valuable training days which incorporated training on the use and development of Google apps for education, assessment without levels and the Big Maths scheme. It was extremely good use of our time and these agendas will undoubtedly impact on the quality of our classroom provision this year.

I started the week with an assembly which explained to the children about Queen Elizabeth becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history; I was impressed to see how many children already knew this!

Our Reception children have been settling in well this week, coming in for half of each day; we look forward to the first full week for all children from Reception upwards, next week. We also look forward to settling in the Nursery children over the course of the week.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Issue 39 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

We have almost come to the end of the school year so I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their support this year.

We had a great poetry day at the start of the week, where several children won prizes for their fantastic performances. Andy Craven- Griffiths joined KS1 classes to teach them ways to perform certain types of poems. We also gave out the June Wood Award to two children who were deemed “All-Rounders” by their teachers. Well- deserved and well done!

With the Year 3/ 4 trip to the Lyceum Theatre to see the “Horrible Histories” show and a wonderful Golden Day in the mix, it has been a celebratory and fun week.

In light of some queries regarding payment of trips, I would like to ensure that everyone is aware of the “Charging and Remissions” policy on the website. Hopefully, that will answer any questions. I also take on board that some of the key info from this policy needs explicitly stating in letters home about trips so we will ensure that into next year, this is made clearer. Thanks for your suggestions.

Well everybody, we have two days left before we break off for 7 weeks so have a great summer if I do not see you before and remember that the first day back will be Wednesday 9^th September 2015.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Issue 38 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

We are very happy to welcome back Miss Thackeray this week, who returns from her maternity leave following the birth of her daughter last year. Miss Thackeray will be covering Miss McSorley’s class until the end of term.

I am pleased to confirm that Mrs Sarah Crossland will be joining us as a Teaching Assistant in Nursery from September. Sarah has already added great value to our team as both classroom volunteer and lunchtime supervisor.

Some key dates for next year- Please take note of these and remember, we populate the school calendar on an on-going basis for your convenience:

TRAINING DAYS 2015-16- 7^th and 8^th September- The children return to school on the 9^th September. 4^th January 2016, 11^th March 2016 and 4^th July 2016.

SATs week 2016 will be the week beginning 9^th May.

REMINDER-School reports will be given out on Friday 17^th July. Year 6 parents will receive them in the post and we aim for them to arrive no later than next Friday.

We are all excited about the Transition Day on Monday- do drop in and meet your child’s new teacher if you can. You will be informed of dates for more formal welcome meetings at the start of next term before the end of term.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Issue 37 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

This week has been one to remember for so many different reasons…where do I start?

At the start of the week, we took pupils from Years 1-6 to the South Leeds Stadium to enjoy their Sports Day; what a fantastic experience! The children loved the opportunity to race on a real athletics track whilst parents and school friends cheered on from the side. Thanks for your support.

The Festival of Learning day was a huge success with children carrying out activities of their choice across the day resulting in super quality outcomes; look out for the Festival of Learning blog created by our pupils, soon to be published on the website. Following a Year 6 violin performance and the school Big Dance performance, the community braved the fierce heat and joined us for our celebrations for the Grand Opening of the new building. It was such a privilege to be part of such a key event in the history of our school and we all felt very proud showing off the new building work to the community. It was great to welcome Alicia Blagg, our special guest and Great Britain gold medallist for diving who gave her inspirational story to the children of Robin Hood. A special thanks to those Year 6 children who did a great job of conducting the Guided Tours through school.

Which leads me onto my last comments….today we say goodbye to our Year 6’s with mixed emotions; sadness that they are leaving us but pride and celebration as we reflect on the years that they have all achieved such magnificent successes in an endless amount of ways. I hope that they all take a great deal away with them and continue their journey to even greater success with similar enthusiasm and commitment that we have seen day in, day out. Goodbye and good luck to you all.

Mrs Dale

Issue 36 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Today we bid farewell (for a while anyway) to Miss McSorley, who is commencing her maternity leave. We would all like to wish her very well indeed as she embarks on the most amazing journey with her new baby.

Next week will be a very busy one as we prepare for the leaving celebrations of our Year 6 pupils. There will be a prom, fish and chips and our leaver’s assembly amongst the special events. But please don’t forget everyone, that the Festival of Learning will take place next Wednesday (1^st July) to mark the official opening of the new building. Please come along! You will receive a flyer next week and there are posters around the school reminding you of what is happening that day. Please note that the Big Dance Performance at 3pm will be on the playground, not the top field as previously stated- a wise decision to safeguard against inclement weather!! We had a whole school practice on Thursday and I have to say, it looked great!

Following on from Reception’s Sports Day today, we will be continuing our school Sports Days next week as previously mentioned at John Charles Centre for Sport.

We welcomed local authority external moderators of our KS1 standards earlier this week. We are pleased to report that they agreed with all judgements made by the KS1 staff, which we are delighted about. Well done to all KS1 staff for their hard work in preparing for the process.

Finally, please note that Reception – Year 6 parents will find out who their new class teacher is on 6^th July; shortly ahead of our Transition Day on 13^th July.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Dale

Sports Day 2015

SPORTS DAY REMINDER MONDAY JUNE 29^TH

AND TUESDAY JUNE 30^TH 2015

We hope you are all as excited as we are for Sports Day next week. Please ensure that your child comes dressed in their PE kit for the day (shorts or leggings, white t-shirt and suitable footwear). If the weather is cold, pupils can bring tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top in a stringed bag. Similarly, if the weather is warm a hat and sun cream are advised. A red, yellow, blue or green bib will be provided for your child. A water bottle is essential for the day. If your child has a school dinner they will be provided with a packed lunch. Please refer to the following information:

Monday 29^th June 2015 John Charles Stadium LKS2 and UKS2

Year Group	Time of races
5/6	9:30- 11:00
3/4	13:00- 14:30

Tuesday 30^th June 2015 John Charles Stadium KS1

Year Group	Time of races
1	9:30- 11:00
2	13:00- 14:30

Year 1 and Year 5/6 children

Please ensure that your child arrives at school no later than 8.50am on the day where they are visiting the John Charles Centre. The coaches are due to leave for the John Charles Centre for Sport at 9.00am and if children are late this will affect the smooth running of the day. If they are not on time they will be unable to attend.

Spectator Information

Parents are invited to come and watch the races and parking is available in the long stay car park or car park A (parking limited to a maximum of 3 hours). There will be part of the stadium where spectators will be unable to sit as the children will all need to sit together. This will be signposted for your convenience.

Parents Race

We hope to run a teacher and parent’s race and this will take place if there is time after the children have ran their races. If you would like to take part please wear your fastest running shoes just in case!

Thank you,

The Active Team

Issue 35 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Our Year 2 Camp-Out has this week concluded our school residential trips for this academic year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your financial contributions towards these and for supporting the school to provide what we feel are excellent enrichment opportunities for our pupils. The children have given fantastic feedback and behaviour has been exemplary throughout!

We are getting closer to our Festival of Learning/Official opening event on July 1^st. The PTA will shortly be putting up some posters outlining the main aspects of the community event after school but presently I would just like to share the following program for the afternoon:

2:30- Year 6 Violin performance (Hall)

3:00- The Big Dance- Whole School except Nursery (Field)

3:30- Punch and Judy

From 3:30- Guided Tours of the new build conducted by our Year 6s- you will be required to sign up for your 10 minute tour on the day

4:30- Official opening of the new-build

There will also be bouncy castles, food available, fun sports activities plus much more. Our new Headteacher for January, Mrs Harris, will also be in attendance and is looking forward to meeting many of you on this day.

Please clear your diary and come along to support this one time only event! See you there.

Have a great weekend

Mrs Dale

Issue 34 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Reports from the Year 4 Residential last week were overwhelmingly positive; thank you to everyone who helped make the trip possible for the children. Following this and the very successful Year 6 London Residential, next week Year 2 will be enjoying their “camp-out”, which is something new for Robin Hood but promises to be another fantastic experience for our children.

I would like to congratulate “Friendly Faces” this week who have once more achieved a 5 STAR grading following their food hygiene inspection. Well done to Louise, Jill and Matthew for their continuing successes.

At the end of this term, we will be saying goodbye to our apprentice teaching assistants, Miss Ward and Miss Bayliss and also to Miss Habberjam, who have all successfully secured appointments for a September start.

Please be reminded that the Sports Day for years 1- 6 will be at John Charles Centre for Sports and will take place at the following times:

Monday 29th June Year 5/6 9:30 - 11:00

Monday 29th June Year 3/4 13:00 - 14:30

Tuesday 30th June Year 1 9:30 - 11:00

Tuesday 30th June Year 2 13:00 - 14:30

Have a great weekend  everybody.

Mrs Dale

Issue 32 2014-2015

This half term has been another incredible one with lots of immersive learning experiences.

The Foundation Stage has been learning about Castles, Kings and Queens.  The learning environment continues to be outstanding, from castles to role-play in to pictures and labels full of information.  The Foundation Team do an amazing job each half term to create such stimulating environments. 

Key Stage One pupils were engrossed in a ‘Robot Wars’ afternoon where they worked as part of a team making their own remote controlled robot and then competed against each other for the strongest robot!  Such afternoons enthuse the children even more and provides them the opportunity to see ‘robots’ in all their forms.

Year 3/4 pupils have been learning about apartheid which was experienced by many black people living in South Africa and were very proud to show off their incredible autobiographies about Nelson Mandela and his fight for freedom.  The topic was spectacularly concluded this week with an African Arts Day, learning how to play African drums and learning traditional African dances.

Year 5/6 pupils were involved in a Launch Day for the ‘Best of British’ topic. They took part in a series of workshops that included trying British foods, Morris Dancing and hands-on activities to help them understand the British Monarchy.

I would like to say “thank you” to all the staff at Robin Hood for their hard work and dedication and a huge “thank you” to our pupils for the incredible amount of effort they put in to their learning.

Have a lovely half term.

Miss Hinton

Deputy Headteacher

Issue 31 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

It has been an eventful week, especially for our Year 6 pupils, who have impressed us all greatly; they have come into school every morning ready to face the challenges ahead. Our message has been consistent; although the SATs tests help to validate attainment to an extent, they certainly do not define our pupil’s successes. At Robin Hood, we believe that “Success is in the journey, not the destination” and that it is the learning process and ongoing achievements every day that have and always will be most important in EVERY subject. WELL DONE YEAR 6!

Next week looks set to be a very busy one too; our Governors will be carrying out an assessment to select a new Headteacher to join our school following my departure. We will give you more news as we have it. Also next week many of us will be heading to London for the Year 6 residential, which we are all very much looking forward to.

Congratulations to Mrs Comstive, who attended a special Long Service Award Ceremony this week to mark her 25 years at Robin Hood. We feel so honoured to have benefitted from Mrs Comstive’s incredible support over the years and the school looks forward to a great many more!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Family Fundraiser Day- 16th May 2015

Issue 30 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

We now have some finalised dates for the summer term:

Year 4 Resi- 3^rd-5^th June

Nursery Assembly- 3^rd June (11am) and 5^th June (2:30pm)

UKS2 assembly- 12^th June (2:30 pm- 3pm)

LKS2 assembly- 19^th June (2:30 pm- 3pm)

Reception Sports Day- 26^th June (1:15 pm-2:30 pm)- school field

KS1 assembly- 26^th June (2:30 pm- 3pm)

UKS2 Sports Day- 29^th June (9:00 am)- John Charles CS

LKS2 Sports Day- 29^th June (12:00 am)- John Charles CS

Year 1 Sports Day- 30^th June (9:00 am)- John Charles CS

Year 2 Sports Day- 30^th June (12:00 am)- John Charles CS

Year 6 Prom night- 30^th June 5:00 pm- 6:30 pm

Official opening of building community event- 1^st July

Year 6 Leavers Assembly L- 2^nd July

Reception Assembly- 10^th July (2:30 pm- 3pm)

FKS1 Poetry competition and June Wood Award- 2:00 pm- 2:30 pm – 14^th July

KS2 Poetry competition and June Wood Award- 2:30 pm- 3:00 pm – 14^th July

School closes- 21^st July

We would like to hold a non-uniform day next Friday (15^th) to raise money for those affected by the dreadful earthquake in Nepal. I feel it is important that we educate our pupils to have a good understanding of what is happening in our world right now but also promote the British value of generosity and charity. Please bring in £1 to support this cause.

And a final GOOD LUCK to all of our Year 6s who will be doing their SATs tests next week; we are proud of you all.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Dale

Issue 29 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

We are now entering the final month of our building work and you will have received a letter this week stating that the new office will be accessible from Tuesday and giving an alternative route into the school for pupils in Miss Mees’ and Miss Snowden’s classes.

Please ensure that if your child has a dentist or doctor’s appointment during school time, that the office are informed in advance. Several children have been collected from school for such appointments with no prior indication. Thanks.

More staffing news- Miss Sutcliffe, one of our Communication Support Workers, will be leaving at the end of the year. Miss Sutcliffe will be moving on to study for her qualification to become a Teacher of the Deaf. I know that she will excel and thrive on her new journey.

If you have the opportunity over the coming months, please visit Tropical World as the Robin Hood artwork is now installed and on display. The stunning pieces are the fruits of our Art Club’s labour. Mrs Chin and Miss Morris have done a brilliant job of leading the sessions; they really do look fantastic!

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend!

Mrs Dale

Issue 28 2014-2015

Dear Parent/ Carer,

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break.

There has been a significant amount of work carried out on the internal building work over the holidays and the new Office area and classrooms are nearing completion. The external ground works are well underway and it is lovely to see some of our pupils watching the diggers in awe!

I would like to share some staffing updates with you at this time. I am delighted to tell you that Miss Thackeray will be returning back to school full time from early July following the birth of her daughter last year. At the end of the school year, we will sadly be saying goodbye to Miss Snowden who is returning to East Yorkshire to reside. Some more lovely baby news; Miss Lambert is expecting her first child and will be going off on maternity leave shortly into the new academic year (huge congratulations!).

We have 3 new teachers joining us in September; Miss Steel (no relation to Mrs!), Mr Hallows and Miss Johnston, who has trained with us during this year as part of her final placement.

Finally, please ensure that if you have been previously signed up to Parentmail, to change your details over to Parentmail X, as communicated last half term. Please see Mrs Holland if you have any queries.

Have a great weekend and here’s hoping for more sunshine!

Mrs Dale