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2007 / 08 Number 9 . 4th January 2008
Dear Parents,
Just a brief
newsletter this week to welcome everyone back to school after the break and
give you some reminders about events already planned. On behalf of everyone at
school may I wish you all a very Happy New Year. We
look forward to a successful and enjoyable 2008 in school.
Staff News
Ailsa MacKenzie has now started her maternity leave
with her baby expected in the next couple of weeks. We are all eagerly awaiting
news of the birth and will let you know as soon as we hear anything.
We welcome Mrs Sarah
Small to our staff team. Sarah will be teaching Yellow Class over the next
few terms. Sarah spent a considerable amount of time in school at the end of
last term helping to plan for year 1 and getting to know the children. We hope
she will enjoy her new role with us.
Family SEAL Events
Assembly : Monday January 7th 9.15am
What is a friendship token ? If you
would like to find out please come along to our next Family SEAL assembly on Monday
January 7th at 9.15am when we will be introducing this
term’s theme of ‘Getting on and Falling Out’. The assembly should last about 20 minutes and
we look forward to seeing you there.
Getting on and Falling
Out Workshop
The next workshop in our series takes place on Wednesday
January 16th meeting in the canteen from 9am for a 9.15am start. We
will be looking at understanding each others feelings as the main theme and
making puppets with the children.
Friendship Week (Anti
Bullying Week) January 14th to 18th 2008
You may be aware that a national anti-bullying week is held
each year in November. As the dates always fall in the middle of our
preparations for Christmas we are holding our week at the beginning of this
term as we did last year.
During the week our assemblies and many of the activities in
the classrooms will focus on what friendship means and anti-bullying behaviour
in particular. We have planned some activities across the three year groups
with the aim of further extending friendship beyond the children’s own classes
and providing younger children with older ‘buddies’.
This is also part of our SEAL theme of Getting on and Falling out.
We will be sending home a copy of our anti bullying policy and leaflet to all children in reception and new to the school in other year groups. If you have mislaid your copy there will be some spares available outside the office.
Where was Mrs Claridge
on the first day of term ?
There is no truth in the rumour that I had an extra day off
while the rest of the staff got back to work !! I was
invited to talk to a group of
School Grounds Working
Party Morning
Please come along on the morning of Sunday 20th January
and help to give our school grounds a mid winter tidy up. We will be on site
between 10am and 1pm carrying out a range of tasks in the wildlife area,
organic garden and outdoor classroom area. We are also hoping to replace some
of the fruit trees which we had to move a few years ago and unfortunately have
not flourished. Please bring secateurs, forks and
spades. Although we need adult strength for the main tasks you can bring the
children along to help too. Tea and coffee will be provided to help keep you
warm.
Christmas Group Photos
Last term we took a group photograph of each
class in their nativity costumes. We will have these professionally copied onto
special photo certificates which make a really nice souvenir of your child’s
performance. As last year we will be sending for the number ordered by each
class. Please order your photos on the form overleaf by Monday January 14th
enclosing your payment. The photos are also shown but larger colour copies of
each (before being copied onto the certificate) will be displayed on the notice
board in the playground.
Food For Life Group
A reminder that our next meeting is
on Thursday January 10th at 1.15pm in the canteen. If anyone is interested in getting
involved please come along. Members of the school catering service will be
giving us more information about where the food for school dinners comes from.
We will also be looking at ways of continuing to increase the numbers of
children eating school meals in preference to bringing a packed lunch.
Parent Governor Elections
We have two vacancies on the governing body for Parent
Governors. The vacancies have arisen due to Lucy MacDonald and Dick Daniel
reaching the end of their terms of office. Both Lucy and Dick have been highly
supportive and hard working governors but their children are now at the
juniors. Our governing body meets once per term in school usually on a Monday
evening at 6.30pm. Each governor also serves on one or two of the three sub
committees and is expected to spend some time in school during the school day.
Please see the attached letter for details of how to make nominations.
Severe Weather
The threat of snow seems to have passed for the time being.
In the meantime we will endeavour to complete this year’s emergency contact
pyramid and let you have it as soon as possible.
Dinner Money
A reminder that the cost is now £1.85
per day. Please
pay in advance on a Monday morning and hand the money in a named envelope into
your child’s classroom. It is always helpful to have the days required written
on the envelope too. Please could any late dinner money be placed in the red
pockets outside the office. There are spare envelopes
on the shelf in the lobby should you require one.
Winter Sickness Virus
The widespread nature of this virus and the ease of passing
it on has been in the news this week. If your child is
unfortunate enough to become ill with sickness and/or diarrhoea we do ask that
they are kept away from school until at least 48 hours after the last
symptoms. Hopefully with everyone’s care we can escape the worst of this nasty
bug.
Yours sincerely
Jo Claridge