Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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28th July 2019
Fri 28 Jun 2019Dear Parents,
As you will be aware we have sent out a letter this week regarding staffing for next year. The Reception parents also know which class their child will be in. There are many opportunities for you to be in school over the next couple of week so please keep an eye on the calandar.
Next week we have Sports day and I will send home a separate letter about this on Monday. We are keen to have some more adult support so please let me know if you would like a job on the day. We also need gazebos so if you have one we could borrow we would be grateful. We will have a slightly earlier lunch so we would encourage packed lunch if possible. The children looked great in their coloured t-shirts on Wednesday so please make sure your child has one in school next week.
We also look forward to welcoming our new Reception children on Thursday afternoon; I know the Year 5 children will be excited to find out who their buddy will be.
I hope you enjoy the weather this weekend although take care in the heat. I look forward to seeing lots of you at the Church Fete tomorrow, 1-4pm at the Memorial Park. I will also be taking Bingo and Caramel, our guinea pigs, to church on Sunday; please join me! The Pet service poster in on the Office Updates.
Have a lovely weekend
Jacquie Vanstone
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23rd June 2019
Sun 23 Jun 2019Dear Parents,
As we approach the end of term, the weather is still not very summery. We are looking forward to Sports Day in a couple of weeks and the children have been working hard in preparation during their PE lessons. Please can I remind you that all children should have a plain t-shirt in school that is appropriate to their team colour. We will be using them next week in preparation for the day so please make sure they are in school and labelled.
It saddened me earlier this week that many of our neighbours were unhappy with the parking and the lack of consideration shown by some parents. I understand the pressures of morning drop offs, but please ensure you do not block any driveways or park inappropriately. The owners of the Greyhound pub kindly allow our parents to use their car park during school drop off times. The walk is quick and easy, if you haven't used the car park before please try and see if this would work for you; I am sure for many of you it would.
Chaffinch had a fabulous morning at Moor Green Lakes; they were lucky with the weather and enjoyed pond dipping and many more activities. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful learning resource within walking distance. Thank you Mrs Dodds for organising such a valuable experience.
I would like to thank you all for supporting the Church Fete by donating gifts and bottles on Friday; it will make a big difference and I am pleased that we are able to support in this way. I look forward to seeing lots of you at the Fete next Saturday. Following this, next Sunday, the church will be having a special service to bless and celebrate our pets. We will be taking our guinea pigs, Caramel and Bingo and I would be delighted if lots of children could join me.
Whilst we have so many exciting things happening at school over the next month, I am very concerned by the number of holiday requests I have received. I will of course consider each one but unless the circumstances are exceptional I cannot authorise them. There will be a number of fines issued by Wokingham this term but my greatest concern is the missed learning and the impact this has on pupils and our school. Please consider plans carefully and think about the impact time away from school has your child's learning and progress; as well as our school attendance figures. I am however excited to be awarding many certificates at the end of term for attendance of 97% and above which applies to many children.
I finish with the great news that planning permission for our conservatory has been granted. We are now looking forward to the build taking place and our school having a new and bright nurture space; I will keep you updated.
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
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14th June 2019
Fri 14 Jun 2019Dear Parents,
It has been such a wet week but we have managed to get the children outside for most playtimes and lunchtimes. Bikeability was happening come rain or shine; it is great for the children to experience cycling in different conditions. It is so important that the children can ride safely and I thank parents for organising for the bikes to be in school.
On Tuesday this week we had two visitors from Wokingham to moderate our Year 2 assessments. The visitors observed us reading with the children, looked at books, assessments, SATs papers and other records. Mrs Crowe and Mrs Guillaume have worked incredibly hard to bring all this together and were both highly praised for their hard work and the accuracy of their judgements.
I have carried out the Phonics check with the Year 1 children this week; it is fantastic to see the progress the children have made, especially over the past few months. Results of the check will be included in with your pupil's end of year report.
The letter went out this week to invite Reception parents into school to speak to Mrs Leen or myself regarding class arrangements for next year. Mrs Leen has not been in school this week and will not be in next week; please come and see me.
All staff are incredibly busy writing reports but there are still so many enrichment opportunities being planned for the next month. Chaffinch enjoyed a visit from Sandra Pullen this week to share her experiences of Kenya. It was lovely to hear one of the children say that they wish to travel the world like she has to experience all the amazing things she has; Sandra has clearly inspired our children. Chaffinch will be going to Moor Green lake this Thursday and we are busy planning a Keystage One trip for July.
Today 7 Year 4 and 5 boys took part in a Madjski tournament, they won and drew lots of matches and played very well. Thank you Mrs McDowall and Mr O'Reilly. Following on from this Fofsa held their Movie night. It was well attended and I heard lots of children leaving saying it had been 'awesome'. Thank you to the Fofsa committee who work hard to organise so many fundraisers both for enjoyment and to support the school financially. When I show people around our school and tell them about the ipads, the playground markings, the furniture, the smart boards, every time I say that we couldn't do any of this without the support of Fofsa.
I am pleased to inform you that Mr Fox has kindly installed a foam antibacterial hand pump in the lunchtime servery. We always encourage the children to wash their hands but as they come in from the playtime I fear that many do not in order to get in the lunch queue! Each child queuing for a cooked lunch will be able to use it once prior to collecting their food. Children who are packed lunch or cooked lunch still have the opportunity to wash their hands but I felt that this may ensure all children have clean hands prior to eating. If you do not wish your child to use the pump please tell them not to.
Please check the diary sheet which will be published today, we have a mufti day planned to support the church fete and the is information on the money raised for bags2school and the Guide dogs. On Friday 21st June the tree stump at the front of school will be removed during the school day. This will not impact drop off or collection but I wanted you to be aware that this will happen between 10am and 2pm.
As you can see, it has been a busy week! Have a lovely weekend
Kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
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7th June 2019
Thu 06 Jun 2019Dear Parents,
I hope you had an enjoyable half term. The staff started the week with an Inset day to focus on the curriculum. There is a new Ofsted framework in place for September with the quality of the curriculum as a key aspect of it. We are proud of our curriculum offer which we have not compromised. Staff worked hard and we are all excited about the learning and enrichment to come.
NSsport had a very successful Inset activity day with a great number of children attending. The children enjoyed their day and I thank NSsport for providing such a fun packed day. You can already sign up for the two Inset days in July on their website.
On Tuesday we were visited by two moderators who spent the morning with Mrs Leen checking our Reception assessments. They were very complimentary of how well we know our children and of the judgements made. Next week I will be carrying out the Phonics Screening for Year 1 children. We do use past papers so the experience is familiar to the children; today one of the boys said 'Are you doing phonics again, Mrs Vanstone, you really like phonics!' Please support your child at home with reading; we can clearly see the impact this can have even over a very short space of time.
Mrs Wirth led a great Achievement assembly on Wednesday with certificates, HOC badges, Step badges and Pen licences all given to very deserving and proud children.
The children were pleased to have Kaleb and Eli in school on Thursday. Staff who were able, attended the service for Mr Mareya which was a moving celebration of a wonderful man, thank you Reverend Julie. The family are in our prayers and whilst the funeral took place Mrs Leen led collective worship and prayed for them.
I am delighted to finish my newsletter by sharing that Miss Parish had her baby boy on Thursday morning weighing 8lb. I will keep you updated as we hear more from her; we send huge congratulations to her and her family.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend
Jacquie Vanstone