Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Netball club
Fri 18 Oct 2019There is no netball club on Monday 21st October. -
18th October 2019
Fri 18 Oct 2019Dear Parents,
The weeks are flying by and before realise it will be half term. I have again had the pleasure of spending lots of time in classrooms this week; it is wonderful to see the children so engaged in such purposeful learning.
Chaffinch have had a wonderful week; they have produced some fantastic writing on Tuesday and then on Wednesday they had their river trip to Rushall Farm. They were very lucky with the weather and only a few got really wet! I was so proud to hear the feedback from staff at Rushall Farm and our parents who helped. Well done Chaffinch and thank you to all who were involved.
'Chaffinch were inquisitive learners with wonderful behaviour and a great knowledge of rivers.' Rushall staff.
'It was a fantastic day, the children were so enthusiastic, their questions and knowledge on the subject of rivers blew me away.' A parent helper.
Sadly the Luckley football and netball tournaments were both cancelled due to the weather. The children were disappointed but it has been great to see how keen the girls are to play netball and improve ready for when the tournaments does take place.
Next week will be very exciting with our Year 6 going to PGL, Chaffinch have a Harvest trip at Wellington College and on Thursday we will be taking some children to Warren Lodge to spend time with the residents during a special open afternoon. On Thursday Rosefinch and Bullfinch have a family learning event; please join the staff and children to share and celebrate their learning, siblings are welcome too.
All this enrichment is wonderful for the children and brings their learning to life; it certainly makes our school and busy and exciting place to be.
I wish you a lovely weekend
Kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
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11th October 2019
Fri 11 Oct 2019Dear Parents,
I have had such a wonderful week spending time in each classroom. On Monday morning Mrs Dodds and I carried out an English learning walk and on Thursday I spent time in Chaffinch and in a Music lesson. It was fantastic to see the engagement, learning and behaviour of children throughout the school. Learning was focused and creative and the consistency and progression is great to see. Our new Reception children are so happy and settled; Mrs Gan even had them writing simple notation in Music!
We were very lucky that the weather on Tuesday enabled us to have our Harvest service at church. The readers read beautifully and the children enjoyed giving their gifts; thank you for your generosity.
On Thursday 10th October it was National Mental Health Day. We use the term 'mental health' with the children just as we so commonly talk about our physical health. We do a lot to support the children; some of this is through PSHE, RE, mindfulness activities, yoga, massage, relaxation and nurture. We are very fortunate to have Kate Meads as our family support worker; she is happy to meet with you on a Monday afternoon and will help in any way she can. In school Mrs Beakhouse has allocated nurture time to carry out activities with children and offer guidance and advice. It also has to be mentioned that Bingo and Caramel, our guinea pigs, provide wonderful nurture to us all! There is so much in the media surrounding staff wellbeing in schools; as governors we are committed to caring for all staff. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their hard work and dedication and thank you for the appreciation you show, it makes an enormous difference.
This afternoon the boys had a home football match against Crazies Hill Primary School and won a fantastic 7-0. Barnaby, Jude and Jasper all scored and Harry scored 4, well done Boys. We are looking forward to the netball and football tournament next week for Year 5s at Luckley House, I wish them luck!
Wishing you all a lovely weekend. Please remember the Finchampstead Shopping Evening is at 7.30pm until 9.30pm this evening at the Memorial hall and also to fill the bags 2 school bags ready for collection next week.
Jacquie Vanstone
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4th October 2019
Fri 04 Oct 2019Dear Parents,
It has been a great week celebrating and further encouraging the positive learning behaviours of our children during the Learning reviews. It has provided a great opportunity for me to catch up with many of you and I thank you for your continued support. The 5Rs (readiness, resourcefulness, responsibility, respect and resilience) are vital for all children to progress and succeed; they are referred to everyday at school and with the same messages at home our children are becoming more independent and confident. This was evident with many Goldfinch children showing our prospective families around school on Thursday. It was a pleasure to listen to the children as they spoke confidently and with great pride.
This evening the football team played against Bearwood in a league match. Despite scoring two goals, we lost but there are lots more matches coming up. Thank you Mr O'Reilly for organising them all.
Next week I will be spending more time in the classrooms which I am really looking forward to. We also have our Harvest service at church; please join us if you are able to.
I wish you all a lovely weekend
Jacquie Vanstone
