Newsletters

27.06.22

A Tuesday newsletter, hopefully, maybe Wednesday! Well that could upset the equilibrium of everyone's week. We have, over the course of the term been hit with a few staffing difficulties. As you will have realised Sharon has been off, suffering from complications post COVID. Sharon is now on her way back to us, working at 70% full health. It's lovely to have Sharon gradually returning to us - she was missed. I must pass on my sincere thanks to Anna however for a stunning job working full time and covering for us. Lest we forget as well, Anna has already retired once! Thanks Anna. Thanks also to my very good friend Sarah at All Saints, who lent us Joanna, her bursar, to do all the stuff only a bursar can do.

As you know, we doubled teaching in class 6. There was a reason for this. We knew that Claire would need time off intermittently throughout the year, and having two teachers in there would make learning continuous for a cohort that has had a turbulent time with us since starting. We have known for a while that Claire will need a planned operation, and this is now imminent. Although Claire will hopefully come back and see the kids before summer holiday, Claire actually leaves us on Friday for her op. We thank Claire for her kindness and her contribution to school life over the past 12 months, and we wish her all the very best for her future, hoping to see her again soon. Thank you to Tracy O'Neill for teaching alongside Claire in Class 6 and we wish her all the very best for the future.

In other staffing news, Charlotte leaves us at the end of term to take on a position over in WIgan. Once again we thank Charlotte for being with us over the last 2 years and wish Charlotte all the very best for the furture.

We will be joined next year by 2 outstanding and highly experienced teachers. Carol Glover, who will teach in reception with Siobhan, and Katie Blackledge who will teach in year 5, alongside Mark Holmes.

Lisa Towers, a former Teaching Assistant of ours and one of Yarrow's graduates teachers also joins us as a class teacher - it will be great to have Lisa back with us, albeit in a different role! We wish her well as she starts her teaching career with us.

Karen Barclay remains with us as a teacher across the Collaboration. Karen will be teaching mornings only, over at Mossy! This is an exciting challenge for Karen! And thankfully we will still be seeing a lot of her over the year.

The teaching line up, and class structure for next year!

(We will text out classes next week)

I am absolutely delighted with the teaching line up for next year—full of talent, enthusiasm and passion! I think it's amazing, and I have very high hopes for next year.

We’ll hopefully have a lot of laughs, make a few mistakes of course, but get most things spot on to the benefit of all, enjoy ourselves and thrive. We are filtering through changes still—you know that, not just following our small expansion, that’s easy, more the 2 intakes of 40, following lost appeals, of which we have just one year left! A few years back.

Classes 1 & 2 Reception kids—our new children. Welcome!

Siobhan Horder (Mackenzie after summer wedding!)

Carol Glover

Located in the current reception base

Class 3 30 Year 1 Children

Rachel Smith.

Green Promenade room

Class 4 Year 1/2 Children (15 of each)

Emma Smith am & Jenny Leap PM

Located in the Orange room along the promenade

Class 5 30 Year 2 Children

Lisa Towers based in the promenade Purple room.

Class 6 30 Year 3 kids

Andrea Millar covering Georgina Berry's maternity leave. Located in the Blue room along the promenade.

As you walk upstairs lets call the upper room, 1, 2, 3 and 4, starting with Tom's in a clockwise direction

Class 7 Year 3/4 kids

Angela Makepeace. Upper room 2. (Where she is now!)

Class 8 Year 4 kids

Thomas Norris. Upper room 1 (Where he is now)

Class 9 Year 5 kids

Mark Holmes Upper room 3

Class 10 Year 5 kids

Katy Blacklegde Promenade old room!

Class 11. Year 6.

Rob Horne AM & Naomi Harrison PM. Upper room 4

Anne Fothergill will continue teaching in all classes

Michelle Johnson and Nic Cook, our Assistant Heads will be assisting me in the running of the school, and have their own intervention and Covid Catch Up Timetable.

Next year, Nic Cook will be head of School. (remember that Michelle and Nic alternate year on year as head of School)

As school fills up, and the expansion filters through, we will end up with 2 mixed aged class. A year 1/2, a year 3/4. This is not a problem at all, and makes zero difference to the quality of a child’s education. Some schools celebrate “all our children are taught in single aged year groups” Well firstly, if this is the only thing a school can celebrate it’s in a sad state of affairs, and secondly it’s a nonsense. In a single aged class a child can be born on 1st September 2019, and a child in the same class can be born on 31st August 2020! The new curriculum lends itself beautifully to mixed aged classes, indeed at the last census, the majority of children in the country were taught in mixed aged classes. So—let’s please ignore all those nonsense rumours.

One area where we can improve, and a valid concern of some parents raised a few years back was the constant changing of friendship groups. Now, if I’m honest this concern is normally burdened more by the adults than the child…. However…

At the end of reception we group children into mini classes, or groups, of 15 —group a, group b and group c. So within for example reception, children will be put into these 3 groups—creating mini “classes” if you wish. And it will be these groups that move, not individual children. I’m explaining this badly, I know that, and I know what I’m on about… bear with me…

So in the future reception children will be

Reception A (15 children randomly selected)

Reception B (15 children randomly selected)

Reception C (15 children randomly selected)

And the children will always be with their little group of 15, so that as they progress through the school they will always know 15 children, yet will meet all the year group in different year groups.

So school may look like this one year.

Class 1. Rec A Rec B (30 reception children)

Class 2 Rec C Year 1 A (15 reception children 15 year 1 children….. A mixed aged class)

Class 3 Year 1B and year 1C children.

The following year it could be 1A children would go into a straight year 2 class with, for example 1C children—so groups 1a and 1c meet up. With 1B going into a mixed aged class with 15 year 2 children!

This way children meet up with everyone in their year group every other year, yet stay with friendship groups because it will be groups of 15 who are moving, not individual children.

As always, any questions pop in and see your class teacher, or a member of SLT.

STEM week has got off to a brilliant start...

Mossy Lea are here for the full week and we had a whole school assembly about 'Our Wonderful World' to kick-start the week. The children then went straight into their STEM week activities. Today Class 4 have been at Reed's Refillery, Prags is in doing a 'Blood Science Workshop' and lots of upcycling is happening around school... not to mention we have SSP in for Reception multi-skills! School is alive this morning and the atmosphere is brilliant!

Break Time Snack

A polite reminder - if you are sending a snack in for your child's morning break - please ensure it is a healthy snack. We encourage fruit or vegetable sticks.

SUMMER FAIR

Monday 11th July 6-8pm

PTFA News – The theme this year is “The Queen's Jubilee ” -

We have 3 “non uniform” days , these are calendared, thanks to Simon Newell who keeps the website much more up to date than I ever did. For those of you new to the school, we do not charge any money for the days, but ask if you would mind supplying us with bottles, any unused, or new soft toys, books, games, chocolates, toiletries, or any prizes that can be used for the tombola stall—just like we did at Christmas!

On Monday 27 June we shall start selling programmes on the playgrounds… you could win £5 by having the lucky programme number.

Raffle ticket have been sent home! Prizes to be announced… Tickets are £1 a strip, please write your name on the reverse of your strips and return to school along with the money. Further tickets can be obtained from the office.

We are always looking for new sponsors to provide a star prize for our raffles. If you, or the company you work for are able to provide a suitable prize, please contact asmith@littlekickers.co.uk who is coordinating the raffle, amongst other things!

Can you provide us with any cakes, or refreshments of any type to sell at the Fair? These would be most gratefully received in school, on the Monday of the Fair.

And finally… if nothing else; please come to school and support the PTFA in this major fundraising event! The fair will open at 6.00pm, and will be phenomenal. I know how hard the PTFA are working. I look forward to seeing you there! Let’s hope for great summer weather….

New traditions will be formed this year. Stalls will be outside, on the Junior Playground, like they were at Christmas. Refreshments in the hall; year 6 games INFANT yard, Junior Yard and MUGA. There will also be Fair Rides which will be on one of the Yards

The Entrances to the fair will be either through the junior playground, if you have a programme, through the infant playground if you are without programme, or Fountains Close – with or without a programme.

You will be able to access the school hall from the Infant or Junior Yard, cutting through school if necessary!

We will be asking for volunteers to help us set up, ticket up etc, manage stalls etc and this is another occasion when we really do rely upon your help. I will ask naomi to do this via Forms, again like we did at Christmas.

Stem Focus Week

All Day

From 27 Jun and every day until 01 Jul

Reception Multi-skills summer session,