FORTNIGHTLY NEWSLETTER: ISSUE 2

Building Work update

I am pleased to report that the building work has virtually finished. The builders are now just tidying up a few areas.

Class walk years 5 and 6

Classes 5 and 6 went on their autumn class walk last week. The morning started off grey and cloudy but luckily the sun came out as we set off from school with our OS maps of the village. The children used their maps during the walk to identify key features such as the windmills and the footpaths we were following. As we walked through the fields the children also looked for signs of autumn and even tasted some of the delicious blackberries. Our walk was about 5km and we only had one short rest, eating our snack while we all enjoyed the view. Hopefully our walk will encourage more of the children to enjoy the area we live in, while still following the Countryside Code.

School Council Representatives

Congratulations to the pupils who have been elected by their class members to represent them on our School Council. Our new members for this academic year are:

Year One:        Matilda and Freddie

Year Two:        Keira and Ben

Year Three:     Uma and Harry

Year Four:        George and Ella

Year Five:        Heidi and William

Year Six:          Thomas and Georgia (Clerk to Council – Jessica)

The Key Stage Two representatives will be attending a School Council Conference with representatives from local schools on 9^th October. The children will learn what it means to be a School Council representative. They will also be writing an action plan for the school.

Friendship Week

House Captains were chosen to represent their respective houses this year:

Oliver               Captain – Jessica Barker          Vice Captain – Sophie Eldrett

Wymarc           Captain            – Daisy Collett              Vice Captain – Maddie Dudley-Scales

Wales               Captain – Elliot Wood             Vice Captain – Amelia Donker

Ludgate           Captain – Georgia Carter         Vice Captain – Joseph Berrett

Saville             Captain – Harry Chalk              Vice Captain – Lawrence Aggarwal

Children and staff have enjoyed a very busy week involving many and varied activities centred around friendships. Children have made collages and patchwork quilts to represent their house groups, as well as composing music and songs, making friendship bracelets with loom bands and working in teams to problem solve and create games together. Class 6 have been working hard towards completing their Play Leader training. Other activities back in class have included drama, role play and circle times.

It has been lovely to see the children so engaged and developing and strengthening their friendships. We are particularly proud of our older children, who have really stood out for their encouragement and support for the younger members of school.

Languages Day

We celebrated languages day today with children wearing hats they created themselves to represent countries from all over the world. They looked fantastic – thank you to parents for your support with that homework.

We have had visitors in all classes teaching us games, songs and rhymes in languages including French, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Italian, Turkish and Romanian. Children and staff have enjoyed this immensely and learned lots.

Year 6 welcomed and served visitors coffee and cake this morning in French and provided themed French menus.

MacMillan Coffee Morning

Our coffee morning was well attended and a great success. Thank you to everyone who came to support it. We will let you know how much we raised soon.

Harvest

Next week, we will be celebrating harvest in school. This year we will be collecting non-perishable foods for a local food bank. Please would you be kind enough to donate one or some of the following food items:

• Tea bags
• Instant coffee
• Biscuits
• Cereal
• Sugar (500g)
• Rice (500g)
• Pasta (500g)
• Tinned soup, baked beans, rice pudding etc

Could you please make sure that the items have a long use-by date.

Many thanks for your support with this good cause.

Mrs Course

Cake Sale

Class 2 will be holding a cake sale next Wednesday, 1^st October, to raise money for their classmate Jude. Cakes will be on sale for 20p.

Friends of Clavering

The Friends of Clavering Annual General Meeting took place this week to review the year and organise events for the next. The Friends raised around £9000 for the school last year, which is an amazing achievement and an excellent source of funding for the school. Much of this went towards ICT equipment, which includes laptops and ipads for the pupils. Other funding has supported The Wider Opportunities provision and reading resources.

On behalf of the school I would like to thank the Friends of Clavering and the parents that have contributed to this amount. Without this extra funding, alongside the cuts that are being made to school funding, we would not be able to maintain the high standards of education in the form that we currently provide.

A special thank you to Emma Caton, the Chair of Friends, Amanda Crabb, the Secretary, and Emma Copeland, the Treasurer. Emma Caton is leaving this position. We would like to thank her for the support she has given the school and for all her hard work. We would like to welcome Amanda Crabb and Rachel Betts to the role.

Parent Forum

We have updated our list of Parent Forum representatives. Please see below –

• Year R Katherine Elphick and Helen Casson
• Year 1 Sarah Holmes and Victoria Collier
• Year 2 Rosie Mackenzie and vacancy
• Year 3 Kym Elliston and Jane Chetcuti
• Year 4 Lucy Hill and Jacqueline Berglund
• Year 5 Sonja Phipps and Jayne Hartley
• Year 6 Sophie Chalk and vacancy

Cross Country Years 3,4,5,6

A reminder that the Saffron Walden Primary School Cross Country league series starts the new season with the first race on Monday 13^th October. As usual it will be at the Friends School starting at 1600 hours.

School Admissions – Primary and Secondary – Apply Now!!

To apply quickly and easily for primary and secondary school places go online to www.essex.gov.uk/admissions

For secondary applications – (children in year 6) apply between 1 September 2014 to 31 October 2014

For primary applications – (child born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011) apply between 10 November 2014 to 15 January 2015

Free School Meals Funding

If you have a child in Key Stage One and are receiving the free meal which is part of the universal offer you could be missing out on this additional funding for the school, which will support your child with their learning, if you meet the criteria below. You have to apply for this funding.   If you think you meet the criteria below then please follow the guidance below.

You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:

Income support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
You will not normally be eligible if you receive any amount of Working Tax Credit
Please provide this information when requested as schools use this money to help support your children within the school environment to achieve their full potential in education.

How to apply

Go online to www.essex.gov.uk/educationawards
Or

Apply over the telephone or request an application form by calling 0845 603 2200

ACHIEVEMENTS

STAR OF THE WEEK

Week ending September 12^th

Reception        Abigail Van-Rooijan – for being a brilliant listener and a great helper

Year One         Oliver Dyster – for being an excellent role model to all children in Class One

Year Two         Albany Newton – for being extremely polite and helpful

Year Three      Mazie Wicks – for being a really caring friend and including others at playtime

Year Four         Ella Rixon – for being polite, helpful and considerate

Year Five         Levi Draper – for being very helpful and polite in class

Year Six           Ziggy Wicks – for an excellent approach to his learning – positive and enthusiastic, also being proactive in his efforts to uphold the class code

Week ending September 26^th

Reception        Charlie Birch – for brilliant writing of his name without his name card!

Year One         Abigail – for her enthusiasm in sharing her knowledge to identify leaves.

Year Two         Freddie Lawton – for his brilliant responses in Guided Reading

Year Three      Harry Clark – for reading with super expression in Book Club – a great improvement

Year Four         Sam Elliston – for his enthusiasm for our topic on the Romans

Year Five         Alex Taylor – for all the effort she is making in her work

Year Six           Amelia Donker – for a very positive approach to all her learning and classroom activities

IT DIDN’T GO UNNOTICED’ AWARD –

19.9.14                        Thank you to year 6 for being excellent buddies to the Reception children

THE TIDIEST CLASSROOM OF THE WEEK!

Our cleaners are judging the tidiest classroom each week. The winners are announced in assembly on a Friday. The class that has won the most times at the end of a term will be awarded an afternoon with an activity of their choice or an extra playtime.

Winners:

Week beginning –

8.9.14: Year 6

15.9.14:    Year 2

Ooo000ooO

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

September 3rd                         Staff inset day

September 4^th                          Autumn term starts for children

September 12^th                        Non-uniform day for the most house points last term – Ludgate

September 18^th                        Meet the Teacher evening (7 – 7.30 even classes. 7.30 – 8pm odd classes)

September 22^nd – 26^th           Friendship Week

September 24^th                         School Improvement Evening for staff and governors

September 26^th                          Language Day/MacMillan Coffee Morning

October 2^nd – 9^th                     Book Fair

October 3^rd                               Non-uniform day for Sports Day winners – Wymarc

October 6^th – 10^th                    Book Week

October 7^th                               Visiting Poet Paul Cookson

October 9^th                               School Council Conference

October 16^th                             School photographs

October 22^nd                            School Disco

October 24^th                             Staff inset day – school closed

October 27^th – 31^st                   Half term

November 11^th                            Bag 2 School

November 14^th                            Sharing assembly – invitation for class 5 parents to attend

November 20^th                            Film Night 3.30pm – 5pm

November 21^st                              Sharing assembly – invitation for class 2 parents to attend

November 25^th and 26^th            Parent consultations

November 26^th                             Non-uniform day – for bottles and chocolates for the Fayre

December 3^rd                           Book Bus

December 4^th                          Tray Day 3.15 – 4.00pm

December 5^th                           Christmas Fayre

December 6^th                           Spirit of Christmas for school choir – pm

December 10^th                                     KS2 dress rehearsal am

December 10^th                                     KS1 dress rehearsal pm

December 11^th                                     KS1 performance pm

December 11^th                                     KS2 performance eve

December 11^th                                    Reception Nativity play am

December 15^th                                     Christmas Shopping Morning

December 17^th                                     Christmas lunch

December 19^th                                     Term ends for Christmas – 3.15 pm

January 5^th                               Spring term starts

REMINDERS:

• Swimming for this term is for year 2 and 3 on Mondays.  Please make sure your payments are up to date, the cost is £4.00 per week, £52.00 per term. Please make cheques payable to Clavering Primary School.
• Please could we ensure that children keep off the front gardens along Stortford Road.

If you have any questions at any time then please feel free to make an appointment

Have a good weekend

Rosalind Allsop

Headteacher