Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• 15th February 2019

  Fri 15 Feb 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear Parents,

   

  This half term has flown by; it has been incredibly busy and with so many coughs and colds going around, I think we are all ready for a weeks holiday.

   

  This week we have been interviewing for Mrs Weston's role.  We had a fantastic response to the advert and spent a day interviewing.  We are delighted to have appointed Jackie Lawrence as a full time School Business Manager.  Jackie has been associated with the school for a long time as a parent, FOFSA member and governor and I am sure you will join me in congratulating her and welcoming her as a member of staff.  There will be a handover period between now and Easter and celebrations for Mrs Weston.

   

  It was a pleasure to reflect on the School Development Plan with the governors on Tuesday evening.  The focus was on English and Maths and I shared the developments made within the subjects.  These changes are linked to how we teach, how the children record and work and also how, as staff, we support and develop each other.  In future meeting we will be considering the impact of the changes both from the point of view of children and staff as well as the impact shown in the assessments we are carrying out.

   

  After half term the Monday is an Inset day.  As staff we will be joining our Cluster schools for training in the morning and then will be working together in school during the afternoon.  NSsport will be running the Inset day activities in school and all children are welcome.  You need to book via their website. 

   

  In the first two weeks after half term we have Learning Reviews; thank you for signing up to them.   We also have a Chaffinch Brass Concert and our Church Ash Wednesday Service, weather permitting our church service will take place in church. I look forward to seeing you at these events.

   

  This half term has been a busy time for music with the KS2 choir working extremely hard, preparing for WASMA and children and teachers are sharing with me various exam successes as some have been busy practicing for and entering music exams. After half term we are holding our next Music Achievement Assembly on Thursday 28th February. We would be delighted to see certificates / trophies achieved by the children and if anyone would like to perform a piece of music we would be delighted to hear it. Please could I ask that you submit a slip of paper to the office by Tuesday morning registration with your child’s name, class and achievement or piece they would like to sing/ play. This will give Mrs Gan time to prepare certificates for all the children. We look forward to listening to some wonderful music.

   

  I wish you and the children a great half term and thank you once again for your continued support this term.

  Kind regards

  Jacquie Vanstone

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• 8th February 2019

  Fri 08 Feb 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear Parents,

   

  I would like to begin my update by thanking you for your support following the decision to close last Friday. This is always a difficult decision but having driven into school the decision was much easier to reach; the short journey was not a nice experience and not one I wanted others to have to make. Following on from this, we had ten of us clearing the front carpark on Sunday so that we could safely open on Monday. Thank you to everyone who has helped us last week and this week.

  This week has been busy with SATS meetings for parents in Years two and six which were both well attended. If you need any further information to support your child at home, please come and see us.

   

  The staff are working hard to continue the development of our English and Maths provision. Mrs Wirth led our staff meeting on Maths and it is exciting to see the impact of the changes we have made. Mrs Dodds led staff training yesterday based around Talk4Writing; our collaborative work is allowing us to implement changes quickly yet strategically. This week Mrs Martinez took a group of Chaffinch children to an Eagle House Spelling Challenge; they had a great time and did very well. We are planning further enrichment opportunities for both English and Maths, one being World Book Day. On Thursday 7th March we welcome the children to dress up as a book character of their choice, please be as creative as you can!

   

  After our Collective Worship on Tuesday Reverend Julie spent some time in Rosefinch and Bullfinch to discuss her role within the Parish. The children had lots of questions and it was great to give them the opportunity to ask the questions first hand; thank you Reverend Julie.

   

  It was fantastic to have such a big audience for our children's Internet Safety Assembly. It was a pleasure to see the children sharing their learning on such an important issue. Afterwards I met with a group of parents to discuss the issues in greater depth. I will share notes from the discussion soon. Please can I remind you that Mrs Dodds has a relevant book which is available for parents to borrow and we would recommend it.

   

  Sadly next week we will be saying goodbye to Miss Donna Gray. She has worked as a Lunchtime Controller and also in Chaffinch. She has been a wonderful asset to our school and has worked with such dedication and care. We are very sorry to see her leave but wish her every happiness in the future.

   

  Finally I wish to remind you of Bags2School, the collection date is the 15th February. FOFSA have met this week and are working hard on behalf of our school so all support is gratefully received.

   

  Have a lovely weekend

  Jacquie Vanstone

   

   

   

  

• 1st February 2019

  Fri 01 Feb 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear All,

   

  After driving into school this morning I have decided to close the school for today. I do not feel it is safe for staff or families to travel to school.  

   

  Kind regards

  Jacquie Vanstone