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

• Friday 24th May 2019

  Fri 24 May 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear Parents,Guardians

   

  It is hard to believe we are at the end of the half term already. I hope you all heard about our visitor on Monday; Tony came with his guide dog and talked to the children about how he manages day to day and about the enormous difference his dog Hester makes to his life.  Tony joined us as we ran around the field in our different socks, all in the aim of raising lots of money for Guide dogs for the blind.  The children have had such a great attitude towards the event and have truly been walking and running their socks off.

   

  On Tuesday I had the opportunity to meet with other church school headteachers in Oxford.  The Oxford Diocese Headteacher conference always provides time for networking, reflection on our school and our provision as well learning from some inspiring speakers.  As I am sure you can imagine budgets were a high focus of many discussions and clearly a concern for every headteacher.  I wanted to take this opportunity to thank so many of you for supporting the school with a regular contribution.  This money is so valuable to the school; we have this month been able to replenish stationary and invest in new English books which we can see are having a huge impact on handwriting. We will send out the letter regarding the monthly contribution again after half term as we have new families and some of you may have missed the original letter. On Tuesday evening we had our Governor meeting.  Part of the meeting was discussing developments within school planned for the next few months; they are delighted with the new banner at the front of school, we cannot thank you enough for the support you give FOFSA and for their hard work.  The quote on the banner says that our school is an exciting place to be; it certainly feels like it.

   

  I have been pleased this half term that we have not had any pupil with more than 8 lates when arriving in the morning.  This is a significant improvement and I thank you all for your support with this.  Learning starts as soon as the children arrive and children often feel very self-aware when arriving late for school.  I continue to be concerned about our attendance figures and the impact this has on learning and wellbeing.  At the end of this term I will be awarding certificates for attendance of 98% and above.  

   

  The Year 2 children have now finished their SATs booklets; they have enjoyed doing them and it has been fantastic to see how confidently they work and how secure their learning is.  Writing assessments continue for both Year 2 and Year 6 until the end of June so support with home learning over half term would be greatly appreciated.  Phonics testing for Year 1 children take place during the middle of June and the children continue to work hard towards this.

   

  On Thursday we took our learning outside; the weather was perfect and the atmosphere around school was fantastic.  I joined Rosefinch singing Farmer in the den and Bullfinch in the ballcourt producing beautiful pieces of writing in a natural silence.  Thank you Mrs Dodds for leading the day and for your continued inspiration to take learning outside.  I have seen so many children this week to celebrate their writing especially from Goldfinch and Chaffinch, I have now run out of headteacher stickers!!

   

  We are finishing the half term with 10 children playing cricket in Shinfield; they played well and improved a lot.  Thank you Mr O'Reilly and also Mr Khan for the extra coaching!

  Mr O'Reilly has been working hard to plan Sports day.  We are changing the structure of the afternoon this year to ensure the children are more active.  We would like all children to wear a plain, team coloured tee-shirt for the day instead of their PE tee-shirt.  A separate letter has gone out regarding this.

   

  I would like to thank the staff for their hard work this half term; it is short but very intense and busy.  We have Wokingham moderations coming up after half term to check our assessments in Early Years and Year 2.  Report writing is also starting so I wish staff a good rest over half term.  Next term I will share staff arrangements for September.  We look forward to welcoming the new Reception families to our school; we  have allocated 16 of our 17 places which in a low birth year and with so many unfilled spaces across Wokingham, I are delighted.

   

  Have a great half term and we look forward to seeing lots of children at the NSsport Inset day on Monday 3rd June.

   

  Kind regards

  Jaquie Vanstone

   

• 17th May 2019

  Fri 17 May 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear Parents/Guardians,

   

  This week has been very much centred around assessments for the children;  the Year 6 children have been calm and smiley.  The children have worked with great determination and as a staff we feel very proud of their attitude.  They have loved the yoga and the toast each day and the ice cream and rounders was a great end to the SATs.  Our Year 5s have been taught by a supply teacher in the mornings this week and have been very considerate of the Year 6; thank you Mrs Gan for providing a fruit treat for them yesterday.

   

  It was a pleasure today to take 8 Key stage 2 children to a Madejski Football tournament.  They didn't do as well in the morning but won all their matches in the afternoon.  Connor, Barnaby, Mark, Jude and Nathalie all scored, with Mark being nominated by the team as Player of the tournament.

   

  This very busy week has ended with a fantastic sale from FOFSA; the bags and tea towels were a huge success.  Thank you FOFSA; there will be more opportunities to purchase these items.

   

  Mrs Dodds has organised a wonderful week supporting Guide Dogs for the Blind.  The children can come in wearing any socks they like for 'Walk your socks off week'.  Sponsor forms have gone home and we hope you can support us.  On Monday we will start the week with a special assembly.  

  On Thursday next week we will be taking our learning outside for Outdoor classroom day.  This is always a fantastic day and hopefully we will be in the sunshine!!

   

  With only a week to go before half term, can I remind you that if you wish to book your child onto the NSsport Inset activity day please do so.  I will inform you by next Friday if we need to cancel due to low uptake.  The day is always enjoyed by the children and can be used for childcare reasons or just as a treat.  Please see details on the Office updates on how to book.

   

  I wish you all a wonderful weekend

  Jacquie Vanstone

   

   

• 10th May 2019

  Fri 10 May 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear Parents,

   

  I hope you all enjoyed the bank holiday weekend. This week, although shorter, has felt very busy.  The Year 6 children have their SATs next week and are ready!  I have spoken to them about remaining calm and seeing it as an opportunity to show what they can do.  Mrs Wirth and Mrs Williams do an amazing job of supporting the children with toast and yoga in the morning and treats in the afternoon.  The tests are important and the children have worked very hard; they now need a fun and relaxing weekend.

   

  I have spent time with the Year 1's this week checking their phonics.  They will have their phonics check in June and are all making great progress.  Please continue to support with phonics home learning and reading as this has such a huge impact.  The Year 2 children also have their SATs during May, again they are prepared and have been working very hard.  They will be unaware that they are being tested and will complete 'booklets' which they all enjoy!

   

  I would like to thank all the staff for their continued hard work.  There are such pressures on us all and as a school we try hard to keep this balanced for the children.  I read on the BBC website about schools cutting playtime down to fit in more lessons.  We are proud of our balanced provision and I thank all staff for their commitment to this.

   

  It was such a pleasure walking around school today.  I heard Bullfinch reciting a text in their Talk4Writing, Chaffinch acting and reciting poems and raps, Goldfinch enjoying rounders on the field and Rosefinch not wanting to stop tidying up!!  The Year 5 girls are currently having some extra sport on a Friday afternoon; they were so excited and happy to be doing it.  Sport has such an impact on how we feel so thank you Mr O'Reilly.  Miss Parish  has started her Maternity leave today; we will really miss her and can't wait to meet her baby boy.  We welcome back Mrs Coulson next week and Mrs Gan will be in on a Thursday morning and Friday all day; it will be wonderful to have them both in school.

   

  There has also been so much in the news this week regarding the extensive role of head teachers due to financial pressures on schools.  This is something I would not deny however due to so many generous people and companies we have several exciting projects planned for the summer.  This week we have been informed that the funding from the diocese to redesign the front carpark is available to us.  We therefore plan to separate the pedestrian and vehicle access and in doing so create a lovely outdoor learning space.  Fofsa are in the process of having a banner created and displayed at the front of school.  Through a parent, we have the support of Legal and General in the redecoration of the main corridor from Goldfinch to Bullfinch.  We also have diocese funding to repaint the hall.  Finally and most exciting of all is that a plan has been submitted to Wokingham for planning permission to build a conservatory onto the school as a nurture space; all thanks to Sean Barley from Nirvana Spa.  If approved this will be a wonderful addition to the school and a great space to support and nurture our children.  I feel so fortunate that our school has such incredible support with so much to look forward to.

   

  I wish you all a great weekend and a relaxing one for our Year 6 staff and children alike.

  Kind regards

  Jacquie Vanstone

• 3rd May 2019

  Fri 03 May 2019 Jacquie Vanstone

  Dear Parents,

   

  It has been a great week with so much outdoor learning taking place and the class gardening areas all look much better.  Well done to the children who won the Easter garden competition and thank you to Mrs Dodds for organising this. 

   

  The children are working very hard towards their assessments.  I would like to thank you for the support you give with home learning.   It is so important that the children are supported and it can make a significant difference on the amount of progress made.  Please could you ensure that your child is reading every day.  Times tables, number bonds and spelling recapped on daily can really help the children remember them.  If we can help you in any way please speak to your child's class teacher.

   

  We had school and class photos taken this week; the children all looked very smart and we were very lucky with the weather.  Most children are now in their summer uniform; please can all children be in their summer uniform by May half term.

   

  Science club started this week and the children all came out very excited and pleased with their session.  It looked great fun and they all made and tested rockets.  Some parents have asked if there are spaces, currently the club is full and I will enquire if they would run the club again in the future to accommodate other children wishing to attend.  

   

  I wish you a wonderful Bank holiday weekend and look forward to seeing the children on Tuesday.

   

  Kind regards

  Jacquie Vanstone