Autumn Newsletter 3 [Friday 22nd September]
Dear Parents & Carers
Our school council members travelled to London on Tuesday to visit the Houses of Parliament to learn more about our democratic process. They took part in an educational session where they discovered how new laws are created, debated & passed. Bill Esterson, our MP, held a question & answer session with the children; he was accompanied by Caitlin Stark, his parliamentary assistant. Woodlands staff were thrilled to see Caitlin as she used to be a former pupil at Woodlands – I’ve got a feeling Caitlin will be sitting as an MP in the House of Commons one day! The children also managed to fit in a trip on the London Eye too. I would like to thank Mrs Mowatt & Mrs Coleman for accompanying the children on this trip; not only is it a very long day, it is a huge responsibility too. I’m sure this is a day that the children will remember for a considerable time. The children were superbly behaved throughout the trip with staff at the Houses of Parliament continuously commenting on their conduct & manners. The icing on the cake was the following email from a member of the public who was travelling back on the same (very crowded) train home:
Dear Woodlands school team,
On Tues I was on a train back from London with a group of Woodlands pupils and staff.
The train was late, crowded, and it was the end of what must have been a long day. All the pupils were amazingly well behaved, polite and a pleasure to travel with.
They were a credit to your school
Dr Dan
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Our children must have made a great impression for a ‘random’ member of the public to email the school. I’d like to thank ‘Dr Dan’ for his kind words & for taking the time & trouble to contact us. ?
Josh Lacey visited school today to talk to our KS2 (Y3-Y6) children. Josh is a published author & has written a range of books. Today he focused on his series Time Travel Twins: ‘Roman Invasion’ & ‘Viking Attack’. The children were thoroughly entertained by Josh & were keen to find out about how he goes about writing his stories.
We’ve been asked to share the following NHS guidance with you: ‘Is my child to ill for School?’ It is a wonderful guide to help parents decide what to do if their child is suffering from a range of ailments or illnesses: from sore-throats to threadworm; scarlet fever to head lice; coughs & colds to conjunctivitis; and many more! It can difficult as a parent to work out if your child is ok to go into school, especially after the pandemic. This guide gives simple, practical advice – please follow (& save) the link below to check out this excellent document. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Here’s this week’s ‘nudges’… [re Nursery question. Hairy McClary from Donaldson’s Dairy must be one of the greatest children’s books ever written - my favourite character has to be Scarface Claw ‘the toughest Tom in town.’]
Nursery
We have been reading ‘Hairy McClary from Donaldson’s Dairy’. Who is your favourite character in the story?
{Communication & Language: ‘Hairy McClary from Donaldson’s Dairy’ Lynley Dodd}
Reception [Red & Blue]
Can you sort/match things in your home?
{Mathematics: sorting & matching}
Y1&2 [Green, Yellow & Purple]
What are the 3 primary colours & what colours can you make with them?
{Art topic: ‘Colour & Shape’}
Y3&4 [3A, 3/4M & 4G]
Why is Pompeii historically significant?
{History topic: ‘The Romans’}
Y5&6 [5D, 5/6P & 6R]
What are the names of the special lines used on a globe or a map to pinpoint a location?
{Geography topic: ‘Spatial Sense’}
This week, our whole school attendance is 96.6% - just below our 97% target. We have 0 classes with 100% attendance & we have 5 classes equalling or bettering 97%: Red Class (97.0%), Blue Class (99.1%), Green Class (98.3%), 3/4M (99.3%) & 5/6P (99.7%).
We had 2 classes who had no late marks this week: Red Class & 3/4M. We had 27 late mark across the whole school. 23 late mark were ‘before the register closed’ – that’s before 9.20am & 4 late marks ‘after the register has closed’, that’s after 9.20am.
We still have a few places left on our reception class open mornings on Thursday 5th & Tuesday 10th October from 09:30-10:30. This gives families a chance for a parent to accompany their child (who would be starting reception in September 2024) to see what actually goes on in our reception classes. I have attached a flyer with further details & instructions on how to reserve a place.
Have a grand weekend
KD Williams
Headteacher
Last word
What do you call an elephant with no eyes?
A trumpet!
Thanks to Benji
