Good evening,

It is incredible to think that Monday will be the 1^st December.  The singing in school is fantastic as classes rehearse ahead of the Christmas play. Thank you to those who were able to join us for our Advent Service.  The singing was beautiful, and the service gave a hopeful message for Christmas with a valuable reminder of the importance of patience. Thank you Reverend Gemma.

I have many Christmas reminders which I hope will be helpful.  The FOFSA committee have already organised a successful Wreath night, and they are working hard towards what I am sure will be a wonderful Christmas fair on 13^th December.

As part of the auction, we have the prize of upgraded seats for the Christmas play.  This is a great prize to bid on, and I attach the link here.  What could be better than watching your child perform from the front row with a goodie bag to enjoy!

https://www.pta-events.co.uk/finchfofsa/index.cfm?event=event&eventId=108849&bidPlaced=true

The jarbola entries can be brought into school before Monday 8^th December.  They will then be judged by staff and a prize per class will be announced and awarded at the Christmas fair.  Jarbola is a fantastic opportunity for some Christmas creativity! Separately to Jarbola, we also need jars in school as we collect them ahead of our Carol Service.

Raffle tickets have gone home, so please send any envelopes back to school. We really appreciate your support and if you are able to help at the fair, please let us know.

This week has started and ended with sport; Mr O’Reilly has been so busy.  The sports hall athletics on Monday was a brilliant event to go to with many of Goldfinch.  We were grateful to have the Wellington College minibus to support the transport for this event.  We then had a great 5-0 win boys’ football match, a super tag rugby tournament and a girls’ football match today.  We are proud of our sports participation and this week has been a celebration of the teams displaying positive attitudes, great team work and resilience.  Well done to all who have represented the school.

I have had the pleasure of children from different classes sharing their learning with me.  This is always lovely as the children talk with such confidence and passion about their learning, progress and achievements.  Chaffinch had a visitor this week, Sandra Pullen.  She shared her experiences and knowledge through her travels and is an inspiration for our children.

Moving onto next week, we have rehearsals planned, two more football matches and a mufti day on Friday.  We have lots of tours next week for prospective families for Reception 26.  It is a low birth year, and we ask for your support in encouraging friends or family to join us for a tour if they have children looking for a school place.  We are so proud of what we offer, and the children love to show families around.

I finish with the exciting news that we have planning permission for an extension at the front of school. I will keep you updated as plans progress.

I wish you a lovely weekend

With kind regards

Jacquie Vanstone