Dear Parents and Carers,
The week started with Reception having an open morning. Once again this was a very popular event with both children and parents. All classes were excited to show their important visitors their learning in books and the wider class environment. Not so many tears this time when it was time to say goodbye (from parents or children!).
Our whole school assembly was led this week by Jo G, one of our year 3 teachers, who leads RE in the school. She spoke about how we are currently in the period of Advent, which is very important in the Christian faith, as well as being a time when we experience lots of exciting things in the lead up to Christmas. She also shared the origins of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah which begins on the 8th of December. The assembly ended with Jo sharing a letter from none other than David Attenborough! Alfie in Jo's class had written to him to ask what we can do as individuals to combat climate change. The advice was loud and clear - to use less of everything and that if we all do this, collectively it will make a difference, which is a particularly important message as we head towards Christmas. (Thank you, Alfie, for sharing this with us!)
This week has been the start of our in-school Christmas festivities with winter performances. It has been delightful watching the children perform and hear their lovely songs, poems and narration. It hs also been lovely hearing the songs echoing throughout the school. It has been lovely to see so many parents & carers be able to join us at the performances. I look forward to the remaining year groups who will perform next week. Please remember to dress your child/ren in festive clothing or an outfit that is important to them on the day of their performance.
On Thursday Year 1 went to Leeds Castle in support of their topic this term: ‘Monsters, Dragons and Castles’. The trip offered exciting opportunities for the children to be actively involved in a workshop that retold the story of 'The Swan Princess', a Russian fairy tale. The workshop contributed greatly to developing children's storytelling skills, language and ideas for creating their own stories. The children also had time to explore Leeds Castle and its rich history. The beautiful grounds offer a variety of trails to follow, a castle adventure playground and a maze, which led to an underground grotto, all of which everyone enjoyed, children and adults! For many, the Narnia trip through the castle was a highlight of the day. See photos here.
Thank you to everyone who has uploaded the Arbor App. It is so important we sort out the teething problems prior to using it in the spring term. We understand that there have been glitches which we are sorting, both individually and with Arbor. Please be mindful the office is also managing the admin for the winter performances and are trying to spin many plates! If you have not already, please follow the link that was sent via email last Friday (1st Dec). However, if you did not receive the email, it is likely that we do not have your correct email address and you will need to come and check.
We had one INSET Day still to be confirmed. I am now able to confirm that it will be Thursday 25th July and the last day for this academic year will be Wednesday 24th July and we will finish at 2pm.
Last Friday, reception and year 1 were treated to a brilliant musical performance put together by Catapluf Music, a company which is run by a Kilmorie family. Using rhythms and beats played on both musical instruments and everyday objects, the children were encouraged to participate and find their groove. Everyone had lots of fun and we hear the children talked lots about it at home that evening, as they recounted their exciting cultural experience. Thank you Adriano and Carolina. You can see the photos here.
On Monday we sent an email with the link to this year’s parent survey. If you have not already completed it, don’t forget to as it closes at 11:55pm on Monday (11th December). Parental voice is important in helping us to hear from our community what we are doing well and understand areas that we can further develop. Click here to complete the survey.
If you have more than one child, either complete one survey using an average viewpoint for your children or do separate ones for each child. It is a short survey this year with only 12 questions, which we hope will mean you all have the time to complete it!
Further to a safeguarding review, we will from Monday only be opening the main gate at the end of the school day. This means that both senior leaders will be on the gate, enabling us to ensure we have an oversight of children leaving and, be available for answering any questions that parents may need answering.
Enrichment clubs for spring term - last, but by no means least, the timetable for the spring term enrichment classes is available on our website. As per previous terms, we are sharing the timetable with you ahead of the bookings opening. We are looking at booking options available on Arbor for spring term enrichment –do please download the app ready. More information will be sent out next week, confirming how and when the bookings will open.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Julie
Lost Property - please remember to check the lost property shed, by the main gate.
To align our festive lunch with 
Keeping children safe online this Christmas. 
A massive thank you to Louise (parent in YR1 and YR4) for organising the trees and to her helpers for giving up their Sunday, and braving the cold, to make sure all the Christmas trees were collected. We have received many compliments on how lovely they are. Thank you to those who purchased a tree from us - this alone raised just over £1000 for school! 
Winkworth