October 2011 Newsletter
Scholastic Book Fair
We will be holding a book fair from Wednesday of next week. Please come along after school on Wednesday or during Open Afternoon/Evening to have a look.
Reading
The Government recommends that reading is taught as part of a guided session. All children at our school are involved in daily guided reading sessions where the teacher and teaching assistant are teaching the children the skills they need to become successful readers.
The books the children bring home to read are for practice and each teacher aims for the children to change their books at least once a week. Other books will be available in school and we strongly suggest that you encourage your child to read lots of other reading materials at home - their own books, comics etc.
We will be sending home some information to support reading at home after half term.
Spellings
The spellings that are sent home each week are to support the work done within school. In KS1, children are taught phonics and in lower KS2 they are taught spelling patterns, which the children can then apply to their work. Spelling lists which are sent home, are for practice. In upper KS2, children are given more ambitious words to learn to extend their vocabulary.
High frequency word lists are available; these are words that cannot always be sounded out and that the children need to know by sight.
Start of the school day
After half-term we would like to introduce an informal early opening of the school from 8.50 am each morning. We would like the children to come straight into school, where morning activities will be waiting for them. There will no longer be a teacher on duty in the playground so we expect all children to come in. We feel a staggered entrance will reduce any disruption in the morning and stop parents having to wait outside in the cold!
Lateness
As we will be starting the day more promptly, as the children won’t need to line up or all come in together, we would ask that you make an extra effort to ensure your child/ren arrive at school promptly, so they don’t miss the start of the first lesson.
If your child is late to school, can you please bring them to the office so their arrival can be noted as registers may have already been taken.
We would also appreciate if parents needing to come into school can make sure they do so through the office, so they can be signed in. From a Health & Safety point of view it is vital that we know who is in school at all times.
New Governors
We would like to welcome Mrs Katie Clorley and Miss Amy Pearson as new LEA Governors along with Mrs Lisa Kelly as a new Community Governor.
Values
We have 12 Values that we will be following with the children. A new value will be introduced every half term. We have just been thinking about happiness and as some parents will know we have had a song of the week linked to that value. We would appreciate any help parents can give in coming up with songs that link to the other values - as some are a bit tricky. A prize will be given to the family who can come up with the most songs linked to:-
- Happiness
- Love
- Pride
- Unity
- Responsibility
- Humility
- Peace
- Co-Operation
- Respect
- Tolerance
- Freedom
- Honesty
Rights and Responsibilities
We have also been looking at Rights & Responsibilities with the children as a way of helping all the children to make the right choices. The children chose:-
- The right to be healthy
- The right to learn
- The right to have fun
- The right to be safe
Attached to this Newsletter you will find a new Home-School Contract which links into this and would appreciate it if you could read through it, sign BOTH copies and return ONE copy back to school.
Samaritans Purse Shoebox Appeal
We are once again collecting shoe boxes for the appeal and after last years amazing donations we are asking if you could once again either donate a filled shoe box or send in any items that we can use to fill shoe boxes in school. Please send in your boxes or items by Monday, 21st November - THANK YOU!
Lunchtime Staff required
We are still recruiting lunch time staff - if you are interested or know of anybody who may be interested in working on a Tuesday and/or Thursday lunch time please contact Mrs Butterfield in the school office.
Half-term
School closes for Half-term next Thursday, 20th October and re-opens on Monday, 31st October.