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Newsletter 12 5/3/10
Pupil activity:
I’m sure everyone has noticed the cold weather over the past 3 months of winter. Can any of the children tell us about any changes that they may have noticed recently in the natural environment which may have been caused by this prolonged cold spell of weather? We would be very pleased to receive children’s suggestions on paper next week. Any paper based format will be accepted (written information, words & pictures, lists, painting etc) – please hand them into your class teachers who will make a display of your thoughts.
Hot Meals:
I am delighted to say that to date the school meals have been a great success. Both the quality and quantity of the food is very good. The children are saying that they enjoy the food very much and quite a number of the “airline trays” are returned completely empty. It is lovely to see them eating well, and being so polite during the lunchtimes. On average we are serving 25 pupil meals per day which is an uptake of 71%. If your child wants to have a hot school meal and you are unsure about how to use Parentpay/Paypoint stores etc please just ask in the school office. If your child is absent from school and they are due to have a hot school meal we must cancel the meal with the kitchen by 9.30am. By 10.00am the kitchen staff have already taken all the orders and the meals are being prepared. Therefore you must contact the school before 9.30am for each day that your child is absent to prevent you from being charged for a meal that your child is unable to eat. Please also check that your Parentpay account is in credit regularly.
Forest Schools:
The children have now completed 2 of the 6 Forest School sessions with the Ernest Cook Trust. The children are thoroughly enjoying the experience of learning from the outdoor environment. They have been learning different aspects of their science whilst outdoors. Like adults many children learn best through a combination of listening, seeing and doing. It is also an important platform for the children to develop their language and communication skills. In addition there will be opportunities for the children to work as individuals, in pairs and small groups.
The environment allows the children to experiment and experience the outdoor environment in a safe and controlled manner. Pupils are encouraged to try things out by making informed judgements. This ideology encourages pupils to make decisions before they act. I’m sure you have noticed that they do get muddy in this environment and it is for this reason that we expect children to wear water proof outer clothing so that their other clothing remains clean and tidy. With the continued cold weather please ensure that your child comes to school adequately wrapped up.
Parents Consultation Evenings:
It was good to see the vast majority of parents being able to attend our recent parent’s consultation evenings. I’m pleased to say that we managed to see 77% of parents over two evenings. If for some reason you were unable to attend on this occasion and would like to discuss your child’s progress with the class teacher please don’t hesitate to arrange a short meeting with the member of staff at the end of the school day.
World Book Day:
On Monday 8th March pupils in class 1 & 2 will be engaging in activities directly related to reading books. Jude Emmett will be coming into school for part of the day as a story teller. All pupils are being asked to come to school on Monday dressed as a character from a book. The day will be set up to encourage children’s love of books and to celebrate our fascinating and complex language which we all use, in different ways, to communicate between each other.
Multiplication Tables Reminder:
The table below will help you to see which tables your child should be working on. In school we tend to teach children methods to calculate individual multiples along side some repetitive work. At home we would encourage children to write out their table(s) then “look cover write and check” as well as repetitive chanting. As the children move up through primary school their accurate & efficient knowledge of multiples becomes increasingly important. I would not expect the children in Reception to be learning their tables but I would like to see them identifying their digits from 0 to 9 and being able to sequence them correctly. Just give them the chance to say the numbers so that they can begin to associate the sound patterns when they speak.
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Phase within the school |
Multiplication table |
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By the end of KS1 they should know… |
2, 5, 10 times tables |
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By the end of Lower KS2 they should know… |
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 times tables |
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By the end of Upper KS2 they should know… |
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 times tables |
NB Multiplication tables only need to be learnt up to x10 as many of our systems now work in base ten or metric rather than imperial.
Victoria Hall – Spring Café:
FOSS will be serving delicious home made food between 9.30 and 3.30pm in the Victoria Hall. So if you are in Bourton-on–the-water during Saturday do call in and for a coffee and a cake – who knows you may even win something to take away with you on the Tombola stall. Remember all the money raised goes to FOSS to provide resources to support your children in school so do tell neighbours, friends and relatives about this event.
Football Match:
Last Thursday afternoon the school football team played against Stow Primary. As we have fewer children in upper KS2, the bulk of the school team consists of younger players. This was very noticeable at Stow, who were able to put out a team of children from years 5 and 6. There was a gripping first half with Sherborne dominating the field. However, despite their great efforts they were unable to keep up their challenge during the second half. All of the team should be commended for their perseverance and playing with such great spirit. All praise must go to Peter, Mason, Robert, Charley, Jenny, Lydia, Esme, Archie and Kemal.
I would like to thank all the parents for supporting the children on such a cold damp afternoon. The next match will be here against Bledington on 18th March.
Vouchers (Sainsburys & Tesco):
We are once again collecting vouchers from the supermarkets. So if you have received any vouchers recently or are offered any in the future we would be very grateful if you could donate them to school so we can purchase a broad range of school equipment.
Clubs:
No drama 10th March.
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Club |
Person in charge |
Year |
Day |
Time |
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Drama |
Mrs Wood |
Juniors |
Wednesday |
3.15 – 4.00pm |
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Football |
Mr Itah |
Juniors |
Thursday |
3.15 – 4.00pm |
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Gardening |
Ms Paxton |
Y1+ |
Thursday |
12.30 – 1.00pm |
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Running |
Mr Pudifoot |
Y2+ |
Friday |
3.15 – 4.00pm |
Please see Calendar tab for diary dates