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Term 3 Newsletter 31st January 2025

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31st January 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope this newsletter finds you well. There has been a tremendous amount of learning taking place, and I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the classes and witnessing all the progress. It’s truly wonderful to see our students' growth and enthusiasm.

Learning Focus

This term, we have been focusing on our behaviour expectations to ensure everyone can learn and achieve their best. To this end, we have introduced a new attention grabbing mantra. After we clap our hands teachers will say, ‘Safe hands, Voices Off, Magnet Eyes’. The expectation is that all children will stop and look at the class adult. This helps us give instructions or explanations with minimal distractions, allowing everyone to concentrate on learning.

We recently celebrated International Handwriting Day. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to shine a spot-light on handwriting across the school. This has been a particular focus for our teaching, as clear, accurate handwriting is an important life skill. As a result of this focus, our monitoring of writing books has shown a significant improvement in children's handwriting and presentation. To celebrate handwriting further, we have a new display of the progression of handwriting from Reception to Year 6.

Year 6 Practice SATs

Our Year 6 students have been working diligently on their latest practice SATs. Not only does this build familiarity with the format for the SATs in May, they also allow Mr Macey and myself the chance to identify areas for further teaching.

A big thank you to everyone who attended our SATs parent information session—it was great to have you there! Please do pop in if you have any questions.

First Aid Training

Congratulations to three members of staff who have completed first aid training this week.

Back in the classroom

On Tuesday, I spent a delightful hour with Fox class, teaching the first of my ‘Writing Workshops’. It was great fun and a fantastic opportunity to share in the writing process. I then moved to Reception Class and spent the afternoon making chocolate and cereal nests and exploring ways of making 6 by combining two groups of numbers. The children particularly enjoyed grouping the 6 chocolate eggs onto their two nests!

I feel privileged to be able to jump from teaching complex sentences at the top of the school to building foundational number knowledge and skills in Reception.

Big Brush Club

Reception and Year 1 students participate in the Big Brush Club every day. After lunchtime play, these children brush their teeth. This brilliant initiative helps children develop good oral hygiene routines early in life. On Friday, 24th January, we had a visit from the Big Brush Team, and the children received toothbrushing kits to take home. For more information about brushing teeth, please visit the Big Brush Club website: https://bigbrushclub.co.uk/families/toothbrushing-at-home/ .

Breakfast Club celebrating Chinese New Year

Our Breakfast Club celebrated Chinese New Year by making craft snakes, which were a huge success! Breakfast Club runs from 8:00-8:30 every morning and is a wonderful way for children to start their day with a relaxed breakfast and quiet crafting activities.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community.

Hannah Shillito

 

Photos

Big Brush Club

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Handwriting display

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Holocaust Memorial Day

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Diary Dates

Date Event
7th January All children return to school for Term 3
23rd January  National Handwriting Day
TBC Christingle Service - St. Giles Church - Families welcome
TBC Celebration Worship - St. Giles Church - Families welcome
13th February  Year 3 and 4 Gymnastics Competition 
14th February  Golden Time 

 

Clubs

We have a selection of clubs on offer in Term 2: 

Lunch time clubs

Tuesday: Running club - children must have spare socks and trainers to be able to join in.

Thursday:Quiet Club - Lego and book club in the library. Student Council run Computing Club

Friday: KS2 Drama Club run by Student Council

 

After school clubs 

Monday: 3.30-4.30 - Sports Club. TBC

Tuesday: 3.30-4.30 - Musical Theatre Club

Thursday: 3.30-4.15 - VIP Club - Year 6 only. 

Friday: 3.30-4.30 - Fun Football Kick Around - 17th January, 24th January, 31st January, 7th February 

 

As ever, if you have an idea for a club, please contact the office.

 

 

VIP

 

 

Collective Worship Entrance Music

This term the children will enter Collective Worship to the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.  This delicate and enchanting piece of music features the celesta, a keyboard instrument that produces a bell-like sound, which gives the piece its magical quality. The arrangement is characterised by its light, staccato notes and a gentle, flowing melody that creates a whimsical atmosphere. Different instruments, including strings, woodwinds and percussion come together to create this piece of music which helps us imagine the fairy-tale world and beautiful ballet of The Nutcracker.

Spurgeons Information

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Downloads

General Documents Date  
Wiltshire Attendance Letter 06th Dec 2024 Download
2024 December 18th Love came down at Christmas 20th Dec 2024 Download
Time Out for Parents 08th Jan 2025 Download