February 2011

Thursday 17th February 2011

Half Way Through the School Year
As we break up for half term we can begin to reflect upon what has been a very busy start to the year. For our children there have been many things to look back upon as fine memories. There is no doubt that the children have no idea how lucky they are to be in a school where there are so many opportunities. When the group of children, who attend the Katakanu club, were paddling off merrily down the canal the thought occurred that they are so lucky to be able to enjoy such pleasures. Similarly, as the younger children stop to look at the aviary, with the budgies and cockatiels, they regard this as a normal experience at school when in fact it is far from the case. What we want for our children is the chance to have a happy time at school, to be children in a world where the pressure is always on them to grow up far too quickly and for them to be able to make the most of their talents. We hope that all children enjoy a well earned rest over half term and return ready to engage with their learning and the opportunities that will be there for them during the remainder of the year.

Car Parking
We seem to have made real progress with the new signs along Lock Lane, with parents being much more aware of the need to show courtesy and consideration when turning right out onto the A449. Having largely resolved this issue, our concern now is that, in a few cases, we are seeing some inconsiderate driving around the car park at the beginning and end of each day. Please would you be aware that parents are often escorting very young children around the car park on the way into and out of school. As a result we would expect that all users of the car park drive at a slow speed and remain vigilant at all times. As many parents have quite large cars, it is easy for a small child to be unseen in the car park form the vantage point of the driver and this is a further reason for special care to be exercised. We are grateful to all parents for their consideration in this respect.

St. David's Day
As it will be St. David's Day on Tuesday 1^st March, the Welsh flag will be flying on this day. Hopefully, some daffodils will have made it through by this date.

Parents' Evening
There will be a Parents' Evening for children in our Reception to Year 6 classes on Tuesday 1^st March. Details will be sent out this week regarding the evening.

Book Fair
We will be holding a Book Fair at the school on Thursday 3^rd March. Details of this day will be sent out
separately. We have recently been approached by a school in Worcester, South Africa, for a school partnership. The school, Worcester Primary School, faces a number of challenges as it changes to reflect the multi-cultural mix of the new South African state. We have said to them that we will be supporting the partnership with pupil letter exchanges, some shared curriculum projects and, potentially, with a sports visit in the future. Staff exchanges are also envisaged. As a first step, we would be grateful if parents could donate a book for the school library of our partner school and send this into school on the day of our book fair. The book could be new or a used one that is still in good condition, suitable for a child aged 3 to 13. Many thanks for your support of this partnership. We will be sending out further details of the partnership shortly after half term.

Y4 Broad Haven Trip Parents' Meeting
There will be a meeting on Thursday 3^rd March at 4-30p.m. for parents of children in Year 4, ahead of the Broad Haven trip next term. The meeting will be in P1, the Portacabin.

Assembly Visit
We are pleased that Reverend Stephen Agnew, Vicar of Claines, will be joining us for assembly on Friday 4^th March.

National Schools Rugby Tournament
The U9 boys rugby team will be competing in the National School Rugby Finals on Sunday 6^th March at Epsom. We wish them well on the day in what is bound to be a tough competition. The National Schools Cross Country will take place at Malvern on Sunday 6^th March, with a Hawford team taking place in this event.

Online Uniform Orders
Items of uniform ordered online will be delivered to school on Fridays and must be collected and signed for.  Would parents please note that it may take a day or two to process orders so any items ordered later in the week may be sent the following Friday.

Swimming Success
Congratulations to Natasha Beattie and Hannah Latham on achieving the Silver Swimming Challenge and to Peter Cotton on his recent Backstroke Bronze Speed Award. Lucy Short was awarded her National Swim Award Levels 3 and 4 certificates in assembly this week.

Sports Results
The U10 girls have played well in recent netball matches v Hereford Cathedral Junior School where the A team drew 6-6 and the B team won 6-0. In football matches this week, the U8 boys A team won 7-0 v RGS The Grange while the B team drew 1-1.  

Birthdays
We wish all children who will have birthdays over half term a happy birthday. Those who will be celebrating are: William Hewston, Vasco Veith, Adam Brotherwood, Phoebe Horne, Dorothy Walker, Sean Jarvis, Jessica Newman, Adam Rutter, Lucas Hall, Edward Hira, Arran Niccol, Mia Tranter and Maxwell Hawkes.

Posted On The Website This Week:
Kindergarten Wonderland Trip
Kindergarten - Year 2 Forest School Day
Kindergarten & Reception World Book Day
Y2 Parents' Evening
U9 Rugby Squad National Schools Finals

Thursday 10^th February 2011

Image Sharing
Many parents take photographs at school events in order to have a record of their children's school days. We are perfectly happy to allow this as it is such a wonderful way to remember the special days that our children spend at school. We ask that any images that parents record are for their own use and that they remain within the family's albums or are stored on personal computers or mobile devices. Given that any photographs taken might well contain images of other parents' children this is a sensitive issue and we need to ensure that images are not shared with others unless permission has specifically been given for this to be the case. We know that it is quite common for parents to share family photos though social networking sites such as Facebook and request that any such sharing is done in a manner which is mindful of the need not to post photographs which contain images of other children. This is vital if we are to maintain our current position of allowing parents to take photos at school events. We thank you for your support of school policy in this matter.

House Art Competitions
Next week sees the House Art Competition taking place. The Pre-Prep classes will be taking part on Wednesday 16^th February.

Deputy Head Announcement
Following the completion of the selection process, we are delighted to be able to announce that Mr Peters will be taking on the role of Deputy Head from September 2011. He was successful in a very strong field, with 21 high calibre applications and a shortlist of 5 being selected for interview. We are sure that you would wish to join us in congratulating Mr Peters on this fine achievement. Following this appointment we will be advertising remaining positions that will need to filled in September, with advertisements appearing in the Times Education Supplement a week tomorrow.

PA Quiz Night
Parents will be aware that the PA Quiz Night is on Saturday 12^th March. Teams need to be submitted soon for this event, which will be in the Cobb. We can only accept 20 teams so early team selection and submission is encouraged!

Y4 Reading Competition
Next week sees the Year 4 children taking part in this year's Reading Competition. This is an annual event with children selecting a favourite book to read from and discuss. It is always a delight with a good range of books being chosen and some enthusiastic readers coming to the fore. The heats will take place in class with the final being after school on Wednesday 9^th March.

Uniform Sale
We were pleased to hear that the recent Uniform Sale raised £152.40. We are grateful to all who both organised and supported this event. We will be meeting to fix a date for the next sale, which will be early in the Summer term.

Half Term Activities
Half term looks to be very busy, with bookings for places on our half term activities coming in daily. The Football Course will be on Monday 21^st February to Wednesday 23^rd February, with the Holiday Club being offered from Monday 21^st February to Friday 25^th February. We are offering a Spy School on Thursday 24^th and Friday 25^th February as well as a Rugby Camp on Thursday 24^th February and Friday 25^th February. Booking forms are available online and from the school office.

Year 5 Stoke Trip
The Year 5 children and staff all had a very enjoyable time on the Stoke Trip last weekend. The girls won both Netball matches 4-3 and 3-2 whilst unfortunately the boys lost 2-0 and 1-0 in their Football matches during very windy conditions. The rest of the trip consisted of meeting the Stoke players, watching the Stoke v Sunderland match, visiting Waterworld and also Emma Bridgewater's Pottery. Overall it was an excellent trip enjoyed by all.

Sports Results
The girls have had yet another successful week of Netball with three wins against Springfield. The U8 A won 5-0, U9 A won 9-0 and the U9 B won 3-1. The U11 boys played against The Downs this week. The A's lost 3-1, B's won 3-1 and C's won 4-0.  

Birthdays
We wish all children who will have birthdays over the next week a happy birthday. Those who will be celebrating are: George Kirkham, Phoebe Conyers, Leo Hall, Harriet Wales, Joshua Lawson, Charles Clark, Calum Slater and Hannah Woodcock.

Letters On The Website This Week:
Year 5 Malvern Trip Letter

                                                    

Thursday 3^rd February 2011