7 Sep 2007 - September Newsletter from the Head
Dear Parents,
I hope you all had a very enjoyable summer break.
We are also very pleased to welcome Mr Cotterill and Mrs Ginty, our new Year 3 class teachers and Mrs Bugg, our new music teacher. Mrs Bugg will be in school on Fridays and will work with all classes.
Congratulations to Miss Rivers who was married in the summer holidays. She is now Mrs Peck.
Many congratulations to Mrs Reyneke who gave birth to a baby girl, Hannelie, Alice on Monday 20th August. Mother and baby are doing well.
HARVEST FESTIVAL
Our Harvest Service will take place in school on Tuesday 9th October at 2.00p.m. and will be conducted by Rev. Andrew Marsden. You are very welcome to attend, but seating will, as usual, be limited. We hope to finish the service by 3.00p.m. in order for parents to collect children from the Infant School.
This year our Harvest will be going to COATS (Crowthorne Old Age to Teen Society) who have asked if we could provide:
- Canned tomatoes / soup / beans
- Canned and dried fruit
- Pasta and rice (dry not canned)
- Sugar
- Coffee
- Tea
- Biscuits
- Sweets (not chocolate)
All food should be in date by at least 4 months
We would also appreciate seasonal fruits, vegetables, flowers and foliage to decorate the hall. Gifts should be sent in on the morning of the service only please, and the children will be asked to bring them straight to the hall when they arrive at school.
I appreciate the difficulties involved in making arrangements to have toddlers looked after during the daytime, but please bear in mind that young children can spoil the occasion for our pupils and parents if they are noisy.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
I am delighted to see what a great effort parents are still making to send their children in correct school uniform, including low heeled school shoes rather than trainers. I would like to remind everyone that we also have a special school PE kit, which is a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts. The t-shirts can be ordered from the PTA via an order form which can be collected from the school office. Could you also please ensure that your child has an apron or old large shirt for art and craft to protect their uniform.
Children regularly manage to lose items of clothing etc. and I know that this is extremely annoying for parents, especially if they are new. We do our best to reunite children with their belongings but it is most important that everything is labelled clearly. I have already discovered that several Year 3 children do not have their sweaters and coats labelled!
CAR PARKING
This subject is one that crops up regularly in my letters but unfortunately we still have a few parents who disregard our parking rules despite the fact that they are made for safety reasons. We understand that parents are often in a hurry but in the interests of the safety of all children, please do not park on the yellow zigzags outside schools when dropping or picking up your children. The yellow zigzags are there for a specific reason. It creates a sterile area to enable children to cross the road safely when entering and leaving the school.
Please consider the following points of information:
- The zigzag lines and the areas opposite the zigzags need to be kept clear.
- The zigzag areas are not a drop-off zone
- Children who walk to school are too small to see around parked cars.
- Parking is a community matter, not just a school or police matter.
Please be considerate to our neighbours, pedestrians and other drivers.
HEADLICE
This is the time of year when headlice can become a problem. Please check your child”¦s hair at least once a week. Friday night is a good time to do this as any outbreak can be treated during the weekend. Please also ensure that long hair is fastened back whilst in school as an added deterrent. Frequent combing with a fine-toothed comb also helps.
HEALTHY EATING
Some new parents may not be aware of our healthy eating policy regarding break-time snacks. The children are not allowed to eat anything other than fresh fruit or vegetable items at break time so please do not send them with pre-packed items such as ”„Winders”¦, cereal bars, crisps or sweets etc. This also helps us to avoid litter. At lunchtime, crisps are allowed in lunchboxes as part of a packed lunch but again please avoid sweets. Please note that anything containing nuts should not be brought to school. We have a number of children who suffer from nut allergies and we have to be very careful to ensure that they are not in any contact with nuts.
I know that a number of parents like to send in sweets for the class when their child has a birthday but please do not feel that this is something that you are obliged to do. In fact the government are actively discouraging us from giving out sweets at any time during the school day and we would appreciate your support on this matter.
MUSIC LESSONS
We regularly have peripatetic music teachers in school to teach guitar, violin, brass, woodwind and recorder. If you are interested in your child taking instruction in any of the above instruments, please contact the school office.
PARENT HELPERS
I am always delighted when parents are able to come into school to help with a variety of activities such as listening to readers, assisting with computer work, art, cookery or technology. We are also very keen for every class to have a parent helper to assist the children with changing their library books. If you can help in any way please let me or your child's class teacher know.
New parent helpers need to be police checked before working in school but this is not too onerous. If you have not helped in a school before, and do not have a certificate, a form is available from the office.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
We are constantly trying to reduce the amount of paperwork sent out to parents and a number of you have given us your email details. We do want to send information via this route but need to be sure that it reaches the required destination. If you would like to receive letters electronically please ensure that you keep us up to date with any email address changes.
We will be using data collected from the Kingswood trip paper work to update Year 6 details. However, we will be asking Year 4 and 5 parents to check and return contact details. If you have changed any of your details please let the office know.
SUPERMARKET VOUCHERS
Please continue to bring these into school.
POND DIPPING
At the end of last term the Environmental Club had a wonderful time pond dipping at Dinton Pastures. Thank you to all the parents who helped.
SCIENCE CLUB
This club will start after the October half term and will run until the February half term. It will be held during Tuesday lunchtime in the terrapin.
BRIGHTEN UP WITH BULBS
Did you notice the bulbs by the school gates last spring? Yet again we would like you to bring a bulb to school over the next few weeks. The bulbs must flower before March before the grass is cut e.g. daffodils and crocuses. We will plant these during lunch break. Please bring your bulbs in a named bag.
WEATHER MONITORING
So far we have not received a date for the annual rainwatch project week. It is likely to be at the beginning of November. Children will be given details later.
CHESS CLUB
Mr. Hutton will be setting up a lunch time chess club and would appreciate donations of chess sets which you may have lying around at home that you no longer need.
SPORT
A lunch time club for Year 3, 4 and 5 girls and boys has started. It will initially focus on tag rugby but after approx. six weeks this will change to a different sport.
The Year 6 boys after school football club has started and it is hoped that a year 6 girls netball club will start soon.
PTA
Don't forget that the PTA children's disco will be on Friday 5th October at 6.00p.m in the Infant School
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. S. Stevens
Headteacher
I hope you all had a very enjoyable summer break.
We are also very pleased to welcome Mr Cotterill and Mrs Ginty, our new Year 3 class teachers and Mrs Bugg, our new music teacher. Mrs Bugg will be in school on Fridays and will work with all classes.
Congratulations to Miss Rivers who was married in the summer holidays. She is now Mrs Peck.
Many congratulations to Mrs Reyneke who gave birth to a baby girl, Hannelie, Alice on Monday 20th August. Mother and baby are doing well.
HARVEST FESTIVAL
Our Harvest Service will take place in school on Tuesday 9th October at 2.00p.m. and will be conducted by Rev. Andrew Marsden. You are very welcome to attend, but seating will, as usual, be limited. We hope to finish the service by 3.00p.m. in order for parents to collect children from the Infant School.
This year our Harvest will be going to COATS (Crowthorne Old Age to Teen Society) who have asked if we could provide:
- Canned tomatoes / soup / beans
- Canned and dried fruit
- Pasta and rice (dry not canned)
- Sugar
- Coffee
- Tea
- Biscuits
- Sweets (not chocolate)
All food should be in date by at least 4 months
We would also appreciate seasonal fruits, vegetables, flowers and foliage to decorate the hall. Gifts should be sent in on the morning of the service only please, and the children will be asked to bring them straight to the hall when they arrive at school.
I appreciate the difficulties involved in making arrangements to have toddlers looked after during the daytime, but please bear in mind that young children can spoil the occasion for our pupils and parents if they are noisy.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
I am delighted to see what a great effort parents are still making to send their children in correct school uniform, including low heeled school shoes rather than trainers. I would like to remind everyone that we also have a special school PE kit, which is a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts. The t-shirts can be ordered from the PTA via an order form which can be collected from the school office. Could you also please ensure that your child has an apron or old large shirt for art and craft to protect their uniform.
Children regularly manage to lose items of clothing etc. and I know that this is extremely annoying for parents, especially if they are new. We do our best to reunite children with their belongings but it is most important that everything is labelled clearly. I have already discovered that several Year 3 children do not have their sweaters and coats labelled!
CAR PARKING
This subject is one that crops up regularly in my letters but unfortunately we still have a few parents who disregard our parking rules despite the fact that they are made for safety reasons. We understand that parents are often in a hurry but in the interests of the safety of all children, please do not park on the yellow zigzags outside schools when dropping or picking up your children. The yellow zigzags are there for a specific reason. It creates a sterile area to enable children to cross the road safely when entering and leaving the school.
Please consider the following points of information:
- The zigzag lines and the areas opposite the zigzags need to be kept clear.
- The zigzag areas are not a drop-off zone
- Children who walk to school are too small to see around parked cars.
- Parking is a community matter, not just a school or police matter.
Please be considerate to our neighbours, pedestrians and other drivers.
HEADLICE
This is the time of year when headlice can become a problem. Please check your child”¦s hair at least once a week. Friday night is a good time to do this as any outbreak can be treated during the weekend. Please also ensure that long hair is fastened back whilst in school as an added deterrent. Frequent combing with a fine-toothed comb also helps.
HEALTHY EATING
Some new parents may not be aware of our healthy eating policy regarding break-time snacks. The children are not allowed to eat anything other than fresh fruit or vegetable items at break time so please do not send them with pre-packed items such as ”„Winders”¦, cereal bars, crisps or sweets etc. This also helps us to avoid litter. At lunchtime, crisps are allowed in lunchboxes as part of a packed lunch but again please avoid sweets. Please note that anything containing nuts should not be brought to school. We have a number of children who suffer from nut allergies and we have to be very careful to ensure that they are not in any contact with nuts.
I know that a number of parents like to send in sweets for the class when their child has a birthday but please do not feel that this is something that you are obliged to do. In fact the government are actively discouraging us from giving out sweets at any time during the school day and we would appreciate your support on this matter.
MUSIC LESSONS
We regularly have peripatetic music teachers in school to teach guitar, violin, brass, woodwind and recorder. If you are interested in your child taking instruction in any of the above instruments, please contact the school office.
PARENT HELPERS
I am always delighted when parents are able to come into school to help with a variety of activities such as listening to readers, assisting with computer work, art, cookery or technology. We are also very keen for every class to have a parent helper to assist the children with changing their library books. If you can help in any way please let me or your child's class teacher know.
New parent helpers need to be police checked before working in school but this is not too onerous. If you have not helped in a school before, and do not have a certificate, a form is available from the office.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
We are constantly trying to reduce the amount of paperwork sent out to parents and a number of you have given us your email details. We do want to send information via this route but need to be sure that it reaches the required destination. If you would like to receive letters electronically please ensure that you keep us up to date with any email address changes.
We will be using data collected from the Kingswood trip paper work to update Year 6 details. However, we will be asking Year 4 and 5 parents to check and return contact details. If you have changed any of your details please let the office know.
SUPERMARKET VOUCHERS
Please continue to bring these into school.
POND DIPPING
At the end of last term the Environmental Club had a wonderful time pond dipping at Dinton Pastures. Thank you to all the parents who helped.
SCIENCE CLUB
This club will start after the October half term and will run until the February half term. It will be held during Tuesday lunchtime in the terrapin.
BRIGHTEN UP WITH BULBS
Did you notice the bulbs by the school gates last spring? Yet again we would like you to bring a bulb to school over the next few weeks. The bulbs must flower before March before the grass is cut e.g. daffodils and crocuses. We will plant these during lunch break. Please bring your bulbs in a named bag.
WEATHER MONITORING
So far we have not received a date for the annual rainwatch project week. It is likely to be at the beginning of November. Children will be given details later.
CHESS CLUB
Mr. Hutton will be setting up a lunch time chess club and would appreciate donations of chess sets which you may have lying around at home that you no longer need.
SPORT
A lunch time club for Year 3, 4 and 5 girls and boys has started. It will initially focus on tag rugby but after approx. six weeks this will change to a different sport.
The Year 6 boys after school football club has started and it is hoped that a year 6 girls netball club will start soon.
PTA
Don't forget that the PTA children's disco will be on Friday 5th October at 6.00p.m in the Infant School
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. S. Stevens
Headteacher