Headteacher Newsletter: Issue 6
Headteacher Newsletter: Issue 6 27.11.15
Cross Country – Year 3, 4, 5 and 6
Teams from Classes 3,4,5, and 6 took part in the second round of cross country at JFAN Wednesday 18th November, competing against other schools from Saffron Walden and the surrounding villages. All the children behaved very well and supported members of our school in all the races. Everyone did their best and should be proud of their achievements. A special well done to William Crabb who came 3rd in his race and who will be going through to the finals, competing against children from all over Essex, in the Spring term.
Years 5 and 6 visit The Cambridge Mosque
Years 5 and 6 enjoyed a very interesting visit to the Cambridge Mosque. Our hosts Riadh and Sabeen were most welcoming and had prepared drinks and snacks for us all. We learned a great deal about the faith of Islam and the many similarities it shares with Christianity and other world religions. The children were shown some Arabic writing and were delighted to be presented with beautifully written name cards illustrating how to write their own name. It was a most enjoyable and valuable opportunity to develop the children’s and staff’s understanding of Islam and to become more familiar with the history of Islam.
Years 3 and 4 Ancient Egypt Day
Years 3 and 4 (and some helpful adult volunteers) have had a wonderful day living the life of an ancient Egyptian, making crafts, sharing the gossip of the day and enjoying performing at a banquet for the Pharaoh. Well done to everyone for throwing themselves into the experience, we have all learnt so much.
String workshop with Nicola Benedetti
On Monday 16th November, Catherine Benbow and I went to RA Butler school to take part in a primary school strings workshop with professional violinist, Nicola Benedetti. I was playing the cello and Catherine played the violin. It was amazing and Nicola gave us some really good tips for playing as a group.
Beth Parker, Class 6
Parent Forum
A Parent Forum meeting took place last week to discuss the School Improvement Areas for this academic year and possible ways in which parents could support. A productive meeting took place and your class representatives will be contacting you regarding the following areas discussed at the meeting:
- To remind parents not to park at the shop for school events
- Enquire/gauge interest re a netball or basket ball club run by an external provider at £3.50 a head
- Collate a list of parents’ skills and interests for us to produce a school directory
- For a possible ‘Hobby’ week, asking parents if they would be happy to come in and demonstrate/talk about a hobby during a specified week – a similar model to Global and Professional Weeks. To develop pupil speaking and listening skills and their creativity.
Please note that the purpose of the Parent Forum is to support the school, working on the identified school improvement areas that are put in place at the beginning of the academic year. Other possible projects or areas that could compliment the identified areas are welcome via your class representatives. Any school queries or questions need to be channelled through your class teacher or the school office, so that the meetings can focus on the agenda items more fully.
Reception Learning Journeys
On Wednesday 18th November, parents and grandparents of Reception class came to see their children’s Learning Journeys. These journals are a record of their child’s progress and achievements and all the busy things that they have been doing at school so far. We had a remarkable turnout of parents and it was an absolute pleasure to see the children enthusiastically sharing their work with them. The parents were all sent home with ‘proud clouds’, so that they can contribute achievements outside of school. Well done to all the Reception children for being really proud and their families for coming in to share.
Drop in sessions
The School Nurse team are starting Drop In sessions after school for parents and/or young people to attend to chat about general health concerns for the children. They can give advice about behaviour, hearing or vision checks, growth checks or dietary issues, sleep and behaviour problems, or general health concerns,. Secondary children can also pop in. The drop ins will be every fortnight in the Children’s centre and parents can go to any venue.
01.12.15 3.30pm to 4.30pm Fairycroft Children’s Centre Saffron Walden
15.12.15 3.30pm to 4.30pm Spangles Children’s Centre Stansted
Dates for the new year to be confirmed but will continue every fortnight.
Waitrose Tokens for Clavering Primary School – raising funds for our outside area
Waitrose supermarket is supporting our efforts to raise funds for the school’s outdoor area. If you are shopping in Waitrose, Saffron Walden, please support us by claiming your green token and putting it in the fundraising box for Clavering Primary School. Please pass on this great fundraising news to friends and family – we have until the end of November to raise as much as possible.
Plants
As some of you may have noticed, work has started on the school gardens. At the far end of the playing field, backing on to gardens in Skeins Way, the heap of rubble has gone, the ground has been cleared and a hedge put in. Bringing together ideas from the whole school community, we are now ready to put in place the first couple of projects. This will be a quiet place of reflection with benches at the top, leading into a Reading Circle – a new outdoor classroom. This will be planted up with trees, kindly donated from The Tree Council, during National Tree Planting Week at the end of November.
Can you help us? We need the following plants for the flowerbeds. If you have any spare, could you pot them up bring them into school, please.
Astrantia major, Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Heart), Aquilegia, Anemone x hybria ‘Honorine Jobert’ (white), Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, Ajuga reptans (bugle), Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ (common bistort), Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’, Geum ‘Mrs Bradshaw’, Crocosmia ‘Star of East’, Heuchera (purple), Lychnis Coronaria (either white or pink).
Any help will be gratefully received. Thank you.
Sonja Phipps
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 primary applications – (child born between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012) apply between 9 November 2015 to 15 January 2016
An opportunity to raise funds for Clavering Primary School when shopping online:
To raise funds for Clavering Primary School before shopping online –
- please click on easyfundraising.org.uk
- then click on Friends of Clavering Primary School.
Every purchase through many websites (including Amazon and John Lewis) raises a percentage for the school.
Snow Patrol
It’s getting to that time of year again – if you would like to volunteer your services to help Mr Docking to clear the school grounds in the event of snow, please let the office know so that we can compile a list of names. We are very grateful for any offers of help, so that school can, where possible, remain open.
ACHIEVEMENTS
STAR OF THE WEEK
Week ending November 13th
Reception Chloe Pemberton – for fabulous writing all week
Year One Olly O’Hara – for fantastic writing
Year Two Hermione Barker – for putting in 100% effort at all times
Year Three Lily Betts – for super focus in our writing in role about the Egyptians
Year Four Gianluca Ravazzotti – for using pastels artistically in his leaf art
Year Five Molly Hood – for her excellent homework on Sir Isaac Newton
Year Six Chloe Davies – for beautiful remembrance poetry writing in R.E
Week ending November 20th
Reception Chloe Sundler – for her fantastic dancing in PE
Year One Ted Rotheram – for trying his hardest at all times
Year Two Abigail – for excellent reading and writing
Year Three Oscar Kellett – for really confident work adding fractions without support
Year Four Patrick Neagu – for his understanding and use of similes, antonyms and synonyms
Year Five Sam Elliston – for his interesting choices of adjectives in his GPS sentences
Year Six Ryan Matthews – for asking intelligent questions at the mosque
IT DIDN’T GO UNNOTICED’ AWARD
19.11.15 Elizabeth Balaam – for being a kind friend to someone when she could see they needed cheering up
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
14.9.15: Year 5
21.9.15: Year 2
28.9.15: Year R
5.10.15: Year 5
12.10.15: Year 6
19.10.15: Year 6
2.11.15: Year 4
9.11.15: Year R
16.11.15: Year 5
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
27th November Sharing Assembly 2.45 – an invitation for Year 2 parents
2nd December Parent Consultations 3.30 – 5.30pm
3rd December Parent Consultations 5 – 7pm
4th December Christmas Fayre
5th December Spirit of Christmas
8th December Tray Day – 3.15 – 4.00 pm
9th December KS2 Dress Rehearsal 9.45 am, KS1 Dress Rehearsal 2.00 pm
10th December Reception Nativity 11.00 am, KS1 performance 2.00 pm, KS2 performance 7.00 pm
14th December Christmas Shopping Morning
16th December Christmas Lunch
16th December Cross Country event am.
18th December End of term
4th January Spring Term begins
REMINDERS
- A gentle reminder, please could you ensure that cheques sent into school for payment of school trips, swimming etc are separate from each other and from dinner monies. This is due to separate bank and budget accounts. All money should be sent into school via your child’s class in an envelope stating their name, class and amount enclosed. Thank you.
- Please ensure children bring in coats now that the weather is getting colder. Also please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
- Swimming for this term is for year 2 and 3 on Mondays. Please make sure your payments are up to date, the cost is £5.00 per week, £65.00 per term. Please make cheques payable to Clavering Primary School.
- Please note during periods of transition eg primary to secondary, pupils should not be taken out of school to look around schools. Secondary school tours during the school day are meant for parents only. Taster days or entrance tests are an exception to this. If you have any questions at any time then please feel free to make an appointment
- Please remember do NOT park at the shop for school events (eg class assemblies, school plays, Tray Day and Sports Day) only for drop off and pick up. The Fox and Hounds are more than happy to accommodate parking at all times. Parking at the shop prevents customers from accessing the shop.
- Healthy and Safety notice regarding the wearing of earrings during PE
We have been informed by Essex that The Primary Code states that all jewellery is to be removed for PE lessons and taping over earrings is not allowed. This means that if pupils cannot take their earrings out they will have to sit out of PE until a time that they can be removed. Schools have to comply with this guidance.
If your child is about to have their ears pierced it is advisable for it to take place over the summer so that the earrings can be removed for PE ready for the start of the Autumn term.
Have a good weekend
Rosalind Allsop
Headteacher