Issue 15 2014-15

Newsletter Issue 15

Friday 19th December 2014

Dear Parent/Carer,

Thank you all so much for entering into the Christmas spirit this week through your attendance at the Christmas productions, providing festive clothing and bringing in tasty treats for the parties. Santa has made TWO appearances this week and to see the children’s faces was absolutely priceless.

Parking

Once again, the parking situation has hit crisis point with some inconsiderate drivers parking on the Zig Zags or even in the gateway to school, both areas being an absolute no-go. A delivery lorry for the school kitchen had to park on the Goldsmiths earlier this week because he could not get into the grounds which is totally unacceptable. Again, I must remind you that the Gardner’s Arms has an ample car park and with a little bit of efficient time management, will provide a much less stressful parking solution whilst we continue the building work. Thank you.

Building update

On a brighter note, we have now had the official handover of my Headteacher office and a new staffroom. The new staffroom is a welcome relief to all of us but I must congratulate all staff for their patience during this time. This means also that we will be able to move once more from the main school mall to the Year 3/4 corridor without having to go outside. Work on the hall will commence in the new year and we hope that there will be minimum disruption so that assemblies can still go ahead.

Staff update

We are sadly saying farewell to Mrs Chapman this term, who has been working with us as a Teaching Assistant in Reception. We are hoping however that it will be a temporary goodbye as Mrs Chapman may return in the Spring Term on a voluntary basis. We would all like to thank Mrs Chapman for her fantastic contributions to our school and in particular, the Early Years. We will be welcoming our new teaching assistant, Miss Hobson into Miss Mees’s class from January.

Lunchtime supervisor

We are looking to appoint a Lunchtime Supervisor to join our talented team as soon as possible. The lunchtime experience for our pupils has improved significantly since September and we would like somebody who has the energy and positive attitude to be able to make a difference for our children at this important time of the day. Please could you approach Mrs Smith in the school office if you are interested in this role and you feel that you may be a suitable candidate. Thank you.

Training day

Please remember that the first day back is a training day (5^th January). Teachers will be in school discussing ways to develop our Numeracy Curriculum.

School will re-open to the children on Tuesday 6^th January.

Moving forward and learning together

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 11^th February in the hall at 8:15 a.m. The topic for discussion will be Reports and how to make them more user friendly. Please do come along and give your views. We will make arrangements for your children in school if they need to come along too.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of you for your support this term; there have been so many changes to policies and practice driven by the government and with the major building works taking place, this term could have been much more challenging than it has. However, with everyone’s understanding and support, we have maintained our high professional standards and attitudes around the school have remained positive. I warmly thank all of you for that and hope that this continues into the new year.

 

PTA news

Well we managed it and it took a lot of persuading but Santa did take time out of his very busy schedule to hand out presents to everyone at the school on Wednesday.  I think it is safe to say EVERYONE, including the teachers enjoyed it I know I did! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the PTA in 2014, whether that be as a volunteer or attending one of our events. As you all know without the volunteers to help organise and run the events none of them would happen.  We are at risk of not being able to hold as many events in 2015 as we have done in the past due to lack of volunteers in the background, so PLEASE make it your New Year’s resolution to give up ONE HOUR of your time in 2015 and ensure that YOUR children do not miss out on the wonderful memories we can create.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and I look forward to seeing you all in 2015.

Mrs Dale