September 2011
Thursday 29th September Open Morning Second Hand Uniform Sale KG2 Trip Assemblies Informal Concert Charity Dinner Birthday Calendar Quiz Night Women's Football Sports Results Birthdays Charity Lunch Assessments Days Assembly Visitor Year 4 Trip 4JB Overnight Camp Ashes Hollow Field Trip Birthday Calendar Quiz Night Music Awards Year 6 Sports Tour Sports Results Birthdays Charity Dinner Parents' Information Evening Swimming House Tug of War Uniform
Calendar Photos Trips to Bournville and Back to Back Houses Dukes Barn Parents' Meeting Year 4 Overnight Camps Quiz Night ESSKIA Qualifying
Dance Certificates Birthdays Welcome Back Opro Gum Shield Fitting House Tug of War Activities Meet the Teacher Evening PA Committee Meeting Individual Photos 6CR and 6LB Overnight Camp Insect Day Calendar Photographs King's Service Uniform Charity Dinner New Gates Year 4 Camps Birthdays
Harvest Festivals
Parents are warmly invited to join us for the Harvest Festivals on Friday 7th October. The Pre-Prep (Reception to Year 2) Harvest Festival will begin at 10-00a.m. and the Prep (Year 3 to 6) Harvest Festival at 2-30p.m. We would be very pleased to receive items for the Festivals at school from Wednesday 5th October. The conservatory will be made available for donations. We will be giving non-perishable items to the Salvation Army, with fruit and vegetables being sold off at the end of the school day and any money raised also being given to the same charity to assist in their work with the homeless. We are grateful to all parents, in advance, for their customary generosity and support.
Our first Open morning of the school year will take place on Saturday 8th October, from 9-30a.m. to 12-30p.m. We will be requesting support from the children on the day and therefore would be grateful if parents could assist by bringing in their children where this is the case. The older children will be acting as guides on the morning with the younger children involved in activities. If you know of friends who are contemplating seeking places at the school in the near future we would be pleased if you brought this date to their notice. It is becoming imperative that parents who are seeking places at the school make an early application as we have considerable demand for places in Kindergarten and Reception though to 2013, with places being quickly taken up.
There will be a second hand uniform sale in the Music Room at 3-00p.m. on Friday 14th October. Items for the sale should be brought into the office from Tuesday 11th October clearly marked with the name of the child and the price that parents would like for the item.
Our Kindergarten 2 children will be visiting Perry Farm on Tuesday 4th October and Wednesday 5th October.
Parents with children in Mrs Baxter's class are invited to join us for morning assembly on Wednesday 5th October, when the children will be leading the assembly. Assemblies generally begin at 8-45a.m. On Monday 3rd October we are pleased to be welcoming Rev. Stephen Agnew, Vicar of Claines, to take our assembly.
The first Informal Concert of the school year will take place in the Music Room at 4-15p.m. on Thursday 6th October. Parents are welcome to join us for this concert.
Arrangements are now in place for the Charity Dinner on Thursday 6th October. There will be a welcome drinks reception at 7-00p.m., with the bar being open from that time and wine orders being taken. We hope to be sat at tables from shortly after 7-30p.m. Rory Underwood will be speaking from around 10-00p.m.
We have July and August remaining available for sponsorship in this year's Birthday Calendar. The odd small advertisement is still available for other months. We have been pleased to see such a good response to the opportunity to advertise and should have the calendar on sale in November.
Bookings are now being taken for the Quiz Night on Saturday 15th October. Booking forms should be left in the school office. This is always a great evening, with teams fighting for the honour of being Hawford quiz champions and a fish or chicken supper being served midway through the evening. There is space for only 20 teams so early booking is advised.
If you want to get fit, have some fun and meet new people, please come and join a small group of Hawford mums on a Tuesday night. We meet on the hard surface at 7.30pm for an hour of exercise and training run by Mr Bethell, usually ending in a game of footie. No experience is necessary and we welcome every level of fitness! For further information ring Julia Letts on 01905 453023.
In recent rugby matches, U8 and U9 boys drew 15-15 v Winterfold and won 15-5 v RGS The Grange. U11 A won 40-10 v Bluecoat. In hockey matches this week, the U9 A won 4-0 v Winterfold, U10 won 2-0 v The Elms and U11 lost 2-1 v The Elms.
We wish all children who will have birthdays over the next week a happy birthday. Those who will be celebrating are: Pranav Mayilahanan, Christopher Rodgers, Aislin Slater, Bonnie Cannon, Thomas Poole, Alexander Warner, Ben Bartlett, Jack Fletcher, Tom Otley, Bryony Gillgrass, Owen Preston, Cerys Preston and William Wales.
Thursday 22nd September
Homework Review
We have been undertaking a review of our Homework Policy, following the feedback we received from parents during the last academic year. The questionnaire returns, and the comments added by parents, provided the basis of this review. While it is not always easy to satisfy all of the conflicting opinions, what seemed to be apparent was that most parents of the younger children felt the balance to be right while parents of older children were somewhat concerned that the busy nature of the school and the increasing number of after school commitments that children made it difficult to allocate appropriate time to homework tasks. All respondents supported the need for homework and felt that this should be a regular habit. Many questioned the need for weekend and holiday homework tasks. Parents were in favour of reading and learning homework but there was not a great deal of support for project based work. With all of the above points, and many other responses in mind, we have revised the policy in draft form. It will be available on the Communication to Parents section of the website soon, along with a form for further responses from parents. We aim to introduce the revised policy, with amendments where we feel appropriate, by early October. Thank you for your responses to date and for your assistance in this review.
We have been very pleased to see such a remarkable response to this year's Charity Dinner. Ticket sales have been very pleasing and this promises to be a terrific occasion. Tickets are still on sale although we are quickly approaching the capacity for this event. If parents wish to attend but do not wish to purchase tickets for a table of 10, we would be happy to accommodate them at suitable tables on the evening. Please would you contact the office if this is the case.
Children in Years 3 to 6 will be undertaking a number of assessments on Monday 26th September and Tuesday 27th September. These will provide us with information that we will use to form planning for our children over the next term. There is no need for the children to do any revision ahead of these assessments.
We are pleased to be welcoming Mr Keyes, Head of King's School, to our assembly on Monday 26th September. Mr Keyes is a regular visitor to our assemblies.
Our Year 4 children will be taking part in a trip to the Severn Valley Railway on Wednesday 28th September as part of their study of evacuation during World War 2.
The children in 4JB will be taking part in the final overnight camp on Thursday 29th September. Following this we will be putting the tents away until the Spring. The recent camps have been greatly enjoyed by the children.
The Year 6 classes will be visiting Ashes Hollow for a day of Geography fieldwork on Friday 30th September. This will form the basis of much of their geographical work for the remainder of the term.
There are still a few months available for sponsorship in this year's Birthday Calendar. We have been pleased to see such a good response to the opportunity to advertise and should have the calendar on sale in November.
Tickets for the Quiz Night on Saturday 15th October will soon be available. This is always a great evening, with the usual rounds of impossible questions and a fish or chicken supper. Details of the evening will reach parents soon.
Congratulations to Henry Queen (Grade 1 Percussion with Merit) and Hannah Latham (Grade 1 Guitar with Merit) on the recent award of music certificates in assembly.
Mrs Goodayle would like to remind parents that the outstanding balance for the York Tour must be paid by Friday 23rd September. If you have any queries please contact Mrs Goodayle at
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Our Under 11 rugby teamed played magnificently to win The Elms Sevens on Saturday. We won all of our games, playing some super flowing rugby. In a tough group we beat The Grange Monmouth 21-7, Abberley 14-12, KSA 19-0, RGS The Grange 26-0, and Hereford Cathedral 28-7. The team were presented with their medals in assembly. In hockey matches this week v Hereford Cathedral Junior School the U10 A won 4-1 and the U10 B won 5-0.
We wish all children who will have birthdays over the next week a happy birthday. Those who will be celebrating are: Peter Dorrell, Sam Hartshorne, Henrietta Hodges, Lydia Goodman, Maddie Weymouth and Jonny Sproule.
Thursday 15th September
Tickets for the Charity Lunch on Thursday 6th October are selling really well and it looks like this event will be sold out. To date we have sold 210 tickets. Parents wishing to attend should complete the appropriate form and return it to either the school office or St. Richard's Hospice. If any parents would like to sponsor a champagne reception, could they please contact the Head. Sponsors will be entitled to display promotional materials at the event and on tables.
It was good to see so many parents at the recent Meet the Teacher Evening. Presentations delivered at the evening are available for all parents to view on the website.
Families who use the swimming pool at weekends should be aware that the opening times are now 1-00p.m. to 4-00p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays.
The house tug of war was contested most keenly last week, with the winners overall being Bredon with 34 points, closely followed by Clent and Malvern with 28 points and Kinver with 22 points.
Parents of girls in Year 3 will have received clarification this week that their daughters will require a pinafore to comply with the Winter uniform requirements. Parents are reminded that skirts worn in Years 4 to 6 should be those supplied by Schooltogs and not variants on this design. Swimming caps with the school logo, required by boys and girls for swimming lessons, are available from the school office for a price of £3.
There is a parents' meeting on Monday 19th September for the forthcoming York Sports Trip in H1 at 4-15p.m. The children will be setting off on Friday 23rd September, playing matches in
Photos for this year's school birthday calendar will be taken on Monday 19th September. Sponsorship for the calendar is selling quickly, with 6 months already being taken. If you would like to place an advertisement in the calendar, please advise Jill Cartwright in the school office.
Next week will see the Year 5 children visiting Bournville and the back to back Houses in
There is a meeting for parents of Year 5 children on Wednesday 21st September to provide details of the Dukes barn trip at 4-30p.m. in the Portacabin.
Our overnight camps continue next week with 4JW camping out on Thursday 22nd September.
Parents might wish to place in their diary an entry for Saturday 15th October, when we will be hosting a PA Quiz Night, with the usual fish or chicken supper. This is always a most popular event. If you wish to assist the PA by providing feedback on any aspect of our events, or provide suggestions for future events, we would be pleased to receive your comments. You can do so by emailing directly to
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Good luck to Henry Queen, Bertie Phillips, Josh Lawson and Tom Bulpitt who are all taking part in the English Schools Ski Championships qualifying round this weekend.
Well done to the following children, who were awarded Music Certificates in assembly recently: Beatrice Beever, Grade 1 Piano with Merit, Michael Nice, Grade 1 Singing with Merit, Henry Queen, Grade 3 Piano, Imogen Carter, Grade 1 Flute, Alfred Annable, Grade 3 Violin and Grade 3 Piano, Emily Warner, Grade 1 Piano, Olivia Howard, Grade 1 Piano with Merit, Harriet Wales, Grade 2 Piano and Grade 1 Flute with Merit, Jazmyn Ball, Grade 2 Piano, Rayne Bulpitt, Grade 1 Flute, George Hale, Grade 2 Clarinet, Tom Hale, Grade 2 Clarinet with Merit, Emma Hill, Grade 2 Clarinet, Sam Hartshorne, Grade 1 Clarinet and Archie Parker-Smith, Grade 1 B Flat Cornet.
We wish all children who will have birthdays over the next week a happy birthday. Those who will be celebrating are: Holly Jennings, Beatrice Beever, Thomas Edwards, Isabella Trow, Matilda Cook, Ellie Deehan, Gomathi Parathasarathy, Freya Sainsbury, Christopher Hearn and Tom Bulpitt.
Thursday 8th September 2011
It was good to see the children returning on Wednesday after the Summer break. Term has started purposefully and we are greatly looking forward to the new school year. This is always a time for resolutions and it has been pleasing to see the children taking on board the need to start the year with a firm resolve. The Summer break has been very busy here, with a great number of children involved in the activity weeks, the football and rugby camps and the holiday club. While it was good to see so many children nothing beats having all of the children back and we are pleased to see them returning with tales of the Summer. We also extend a warm welcome to the children who are joining the school this term and wish them happiness and fulfilment during their time at Hawford.
On Friday 9th September we will be fitting gumshields for those children whose parents have requested an OPRO gumshield.
The first House event of the school year takes place on Friday 9th September, with the House Tug of War being keenly contested during the afternoon.
School activities begin on Monday 12th September. The activities sheet was sent out with the end of term mailing and can be viewed on the school's website.
Parents with children in Reception to Year 6 are invited to join us for the 'Meet the Teacher' evening on Monday 12th September at 7-00p.m. This evening will begin with drinks in the Cobb, following which teaching staff will be talking to parents about the year to come, routines, homework, expectations and the like. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and also a chance to meet the staff over a drink at the end of the evening.
The first PA Committee meeting of the new school year will be on Tuesday 13th September at 7-30p.m. in Mrs Bradley's classroom. The Committee will be looking at the events for this term, in particular the Fireworks Display and the Christmas Fair. We look forward to welcoming parents to these events later in the term.
We will be taking individual photographs of the children on Wednesday 14th September and Thursday 15th September. These will be made available to parents shortly after these dates.
The camping season continues for the first part of this term with the Year 6 and Year 4 overnight camps at school. The Year 6 camps will take place next week with 6CR camping out on Wednesday 14th September and 6LB camping on Thursday 15th September.
We will be having an Insect day at the school on Thursday 15th September. This will be an opportunity for the children to see some of the insects in their natural habitat around the school. On the last occasion that we organised such a day we encountered 114 species of insect and, although it is unlikely we will see so many this late in the year, it will be interesting to see just what the children find.
We will be taking photographs for this year's PA Christmas calendar on Monday 19th September. This date is different to what is in the calendar. For parents who are new to the calendar, this involves each of the children in a group photo, taken by month of birth, for a 2012 calendar which should be available for sale in November. We will be seeking sponsorship for each month, with details being circulated to parents shortly after we have taken the photos.
Our Year 5 and 6 children will be taking part in the whole school Cathedral Service in Worcester on Friday 16th September. Details will be circulated to Year 5 and 6 parents shortly. This service will begin at 9-00a.m.
Parents will have the option of sending their children in to school in either Summer or Winter uniform until half term. After this break, all children should be in Winter uniform. Uniform lists can be found on the website.
Tickets for the Charity Lunch on Thursday 6th October are selling really well and it looks like this event will be sold out. Parents wishing to attend should complete the appropriate form and return it to either the school office or St. Richard's Hospice.
Parents will see that we have installed gates at the end of the entrance path into the school and also next to the school office. These will be closed during the school day, with visitors having to enter through the school office. The code, which we are happy for parents to know, is 1985.
The dates for these are: 4JW – Thursday 22nd September and 4JB – Thursday 29th September. These dates are the same as on the school calendar and are correct where as the dates on the letter sent home are incorrect.
We wish all children who will have birthdays over the next week a happy birthday. Those who will be celebrating are: Rosie Conyers, Emma McGrory, Louis Healey-Maddams, Lewis Edwards and Charlie Waddington.