Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
-
20th October 2023
Fri 20 Oct 2023Dear Parents and Guardians,
I wanted to finish this half term by thanking you for your support. The children have had a fantastic half term and we have been impressed with transition throughout the school.
This week we have given out badges for various leadership roles within the school and more will follow next half term with Sports leaders and Subject Leaders. The School Council have held a number of meetings and enjoyed organising and running the Cake sale yesterday. £108 was raised which will be used to buy resources for Chess club and then saved for further club ideas later in the term. Lucca in Chaffinch was keen to have a chess club and it is wonderful to see how one person's idea can lead to such a positive team achievement. The cakes looked delicious and I thank all those who contributed.
Next half term will be the exciting run up to Christmas but with so much exciting learning first.
This term has been filled with trips, visitors, creations and a lot of hard work. I have spent time in each class, each week and the love for learning shines out. Strong attendance is so important for the children and I am pleased that our overall attendance has risen over the half term. Governors and staff are monitoring attendance closely and I am hopeful that by us working together with parents, we can ensure this improvement continues. I have noticed that parents are more willing to send their child in even if they are not feeling 100%. This is important for their learning and their understanding of commitment and resilience and I am pleased that parents trust that we would be in touch if a child needed to be at home. This slight shift in approach, however small, can make the difference between a child being persistently absent or not, as well as how much progress they make.
I wish you all a lovely half term. We have an Inset day on Monday 30th October. NSsport holiday club will be running through next week and also on the Inset day.
I encourage you to look at the calendar for key dates next term. I will send a Christmas diary sheet summary in the first few weeks as I know this can be helpful in the run up to Christmas.
Once again, thank you for your support and have a safe and happy half term.
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
-
13th October 2023
Fri 13 Oct 2023Dear Parents and Guardians,
What a fantastic week we have had! It began with Chaffinch enjoying a day of learning at Rushall farm. I know the staff felt very proud of the children, not only for their behaviour but for the way they responded to questions and tasks. They were commended for their knowledge, vocabulary and positive attitude. Thank you to all the staff and parents who supported the trip.
Our Fofsa AGM was an opportunity to celebrate the hard work that takes place to support our school so well. The committee have exciting plans and lots of new projects. The cookies and second hand uniform sale was a great success this afternoon.
Tuesday gave us the challenge of finding something yellow to wear to celebrate Hello Yellow for our mental health! We focused on resilience and understanding that we need to develop three types of resilience; emotional, mental and social resilience. I enjoyed working with Goldfinch to explore this in greater depth. The other focus was on us mattering, knowing and understanding that we all matter.
Also on Tuesday Mrs Metcalfe had organised for a talented artist to meet with each class and share her work and some of the skills and techniques involved in her art. It was inspirational and I have seen some children showcasing their art since the visit. If you wish to look at her work please search for her - Just Bee.
Thank you to all the staff for their time and hard work leading up to and at the Learning review meetings. It was a pleasure to see parents and I hope you found the meeting supportive and informative. This week has given me the opportunity to be in every class and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Learning reviews have hopefully given you a glimpse into this.
On Thursday afternoon Mr Fox led an assembly for the children using his and our favourite songs and videos. It was such a treat, especially to see Reception children dancing and singing confidently and with such enjoyment.
I want to say a huge well done to our football boys today. They attended a tournament at Cantley Park and got through to the Semi-final with 12 goals scored and just one conceded. It was fabulous to see them play so well as a team, showing care towards their opponents and showing determination to achieve. I am so proud of the team and grateful to Mr Sheikh for coaching the boys.
I know you will join me in congratulating Mr and Mrs O'Reilly on the arrival of their baby boy, Sonny. Isaac thought he would be called Baby O! According to Alfie Finn, (our player of the tournament) the success in the football was to honour their baby, apparently he has brought us luck!
I look forward to a great final week before half term and wish you a lovely weekend.
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
-
6th October 2023
Fri 06 Oct 2023Good afternoon,
I hope you are well.
This week began with me having the opportunity to meet with our School Improvement Officer. It was great to celebrate our Summer results from Early Years through to Year 6. It is rewarding to see how the changes we have made in specific areas of the curriculum have already significantly impacted the progress of our pupils. The leadership of staff both in the classroom and in the curriculum areas in which they lead, ensures we are always looking ahead with a desire to improve and confidence in what we deliver. This meeting was also an opportunity to reflect on our behaviour policy. As staff and governors, we are proud of how we manage and support behaviour in school and our strong vision and values lead us.
We were very lucky with the weather on Tuesday to be able to attend our Harvest service at church. The readers were confident, the quality of singing made Mrs Gan very happy and the donations will make such a difference to families needing the Crowthorne foodbank. Thank you for your support.
On Tuesday afternoon, we held our first Prospective parent meeting for Reception 24. It was wonderful to hear the feedback from the tours of how inviting and exciting our school is. The children who led tours, did a fantastic job at representing our school.
Next week we begin with Chaffinch going on a River trip which I know they are very excited about. I have enjoyed seeing snippets of Geography and PE lessons which have demonstrated their enjoyment in the Rivers topic as well as fantastic understanding and use of technical vocabulary.
On Tuesday next week, the children are asked to come in yellow clothes or in uniform with yellow accessories, either is equally supportive of the mental health messages focused upon on this day. The day is Hello Yellow which celebrates us supporting our children with their mental health. There will be a focus on this in classrooms with some extra exciting things through the day. Rosefinch and Bullfinch will still have PE so if they are in yellow non uniform, please make sure it is appropriate and safe for PE.
I would like to make a change to drop off and pick up from NSsport clubs. For Breakfast club and Care club, please use the pedestrian gate to access the white door and for parents and children to leave along that path as well.
For sports clubs, please enter through the carpark to wait for your child and once they are dismissed, please walk along the pedestrian path to exit the school site. To ensure there is no vehicle movement whilst parents wait, we will close one of the car park gates. We have changed this to ensure it is as practical and safe as possible and we will review it at half term. Thank you for your support.
I have thoroughly enjoyed time in all four classrooms this week. Throughout the school the children are working with determination and focus. I look forward to seeing parents next week both at Learning Reviews on Tuesday and Thursday and at the FOFSA AGM on Monday evening. So much of the learning, enrichment and school environment is strengthened by the contribution FOFSA make. Please support us at our AGM, it would be great to see lots of parents there 8pm-9pm in school.
Finally, a huge well done to the boys who played football tonight. It was a hard match against a good team. Thank you Mr O'Reilly.
I wish you a lovely weekend
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
