Autumn Newsletter 12 [Friday 2nd December]

Dear Parents & Carers

As I said in last week’s newsletter, preparations have begun for our Christmas shows. On Tuesday, I bumped into Mrs Fortune after our reception classes had practiced Ralph the Reindeer for the very first time… she was looking a wee bit bewildered. Mrs Fortune explained that the first line of the show is, “There were 2 days to go before Christmas & Santa was up to his eyes.” Mrs Fortune had smiled encouragingly as the first child prepared to say their lines. This was a big occasion for a 4 or 5-year-old; being the person to say the first line of the first rehearsal is a nerve-wracking experience. There was a slight hesitation in the delivery of the lines. Seeking to help, Mrs Fortune held up 2 fingers & then pointed to her eyes. The child, gratefully accepting this prompt, held 2 fingers aloft & proclaimed, “There were 2 days to go before Christmas & Santa was blind...”

I’d like to thank Rachel Fitzsimmons for leading the session ‘How to talk to your child about puberty, sex & relationships’. We know how important these topics are & this was reflected by a very good turnout of parents. Hopefully, this is something we’ll be able to run again in the future.

Here’s this week’s conversation ‘nudges’ to help you find about your children’s learning…

Nursery

Who are the characters in Little Red Riding Hood?

{Literacy}

Reception [Red & Blue]

Can you think of some things that sink & float?

{Understanding the World}

Y1&2 [Green, Yellow & Purple]

Can you describe your perfect pet?

{English topic: ‘WANTED: The Perfect Pet’ Fiona Robinson}

Y3&4 [3G, 3/4M & 4T]

In your opinion, was Alexander the Great a good ruler?

{History topic: ‘Ancient Greece’}

Y5&6 [5D, 5/6P & 6R]

What is the difference between a thermal conductor & a thermal insulator? Can you give examples of each & where they could be used?

{Science topic: ‘Properties of Materials’}

This week, our whole school attendance has fallen to 92.8%. We had no classes with 100% attendance this week & only 3 classes exceeding our 97% target: Yellow Class (98.3%), 5/6P (99.0%) & 6R (97.5%).

We only had 3 classes who had no late marks this week:  Red Class, 3/4M & 5/6P. We had 48 late marks across the whole school. 41 late marks were ‘before the register closed’ (that’s before 9.20am) & 7 late marks ‘after the register has closed’, that’s after 9.20am.

Have a good weekend.

KD Williams

Headteacher

Last word

I bought my friend an elephant for his room.

He said, “Thanks.”

I said, “Don’t mention it…”