Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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26th January 2024
Fri 26 Jan 2024Good evening,
It is hard to believe we only have two weeks until half term. I have spent a little more time in classrooms this week. Seeing engagement in discussions and seeing how learning behaviours are developing is fantastic.
On Tuesday evening ahead of our Governor meeting, the governors enjoyed some time with our amazing FOFSA committee as a thank you for all they do. We celebrated the success of the Christmas fair and we also look ahead to the disco on Friday. We were very proud of the children last year for the behaviour they showed at the disco and I look forward to the fun of this one.
On Wednesday Mrs Wirth and I spent the afternoon with our School Improvement Officer. This is always supportive and it was exciting to share with her work the work we are undertaking to improve how we feedback to the children.
We have finished the week with a fantastic win for the girls. They won their football match 1-0 against Nine Mile Ride with Aizey scoring the winning goal. There was a unanimous vote for girl of the match which I don't think has happened before. Well done Briony!
We have so much going on next week with sport, a Goldfinch trip and the disco and all on top of a great week of hard work, learning and play. I am also hoping to have a little surprise for the children on Monday!
I have been pleased to see a response to my communication with the police around driving and parking, with wardens present on two different occasions. We are aware that there are traffic lights popping up in various places and thank you for the care you are showing.
I wish to finish with the wonderful news that Victoria from NSsport is expecting a baby in March. I know many parents know but I wanted to share the news with you all.
I wish you a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing you next week.
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
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19th January 2024
Fri 19 Jan 2024Good afternoon,
It has been such a cold week but we have enjoyed the blue skies and sunshine. It has been a pleasure to spend time on the playground with the children with so many different games and sports being played.
It has been lovely this week to celebrate so much learning that has been brought to me, some of the creative writing has been fantastic. Today I have been in Chaffinch with Mrs Baker and Mrs De Meyer and it is great to see how confident and happy the children are in their learning.
Yesterday I had a meeting with our Education Welfare Officer which I always find helpful. It is a time to reflect on the attendance of individuals but also to share the hard work that is going into our monitoring and supporting procedures. We have seen that parents are more willing to send their child in even if they are not 100%, knowing that if they are not well enough to be in school, we will send them home. Thank you for supporting us as the progress is beginning to show.
We have also seen an improvement in uniform this week and I thank you for this. Please can I just remind you that the winter uniform should be a white blouse or shirt not a polo t-shirt.
The term is beginning to feel very busy with events and trips being organised. Next week we have have a governors meeting and will also be having a gathering beforehand with the FOFSA committee to thank them. FOFSA held a meeting last night and the plans for the rest of the year look exciting.
I thank all the staff for their wonderful hard work and dedication and I thank parents for the support you show us. Whilst January can feel like a hard month, it is exciting to see progress and plans in action.
I wish you a lovely weekend
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
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12th January 2024
Fri 12 Jan 2024Good afternoon,
This first full week back has flown by. It has been great to see the children excited by their new learning.
I have led many tours this week in the run up to the Reception 24 application deadline. Harley in Chaffinch led one of the tours with me and I was delighted to share with Mrs Gan that she said on the tour that the couple would not believe how fun Mrs Gan's singing assemblies are!
Mrs Gan is busy organising WASMA 2024. This is a Wokingham concert held at The Hexagon in Reading in March. Key Stage 2 children are invited to join and the rehearsal commitments are set out clearly for parents and children to see in advance, please ask if you would like to know more and to possibly sign up. It is a wonderful experience for the children and provides special memories for parents and staff. I can't wait, especially with the title of At the movies!
We are delighted to see the children ready to learn and engaging so positively in the classroom. I would like to remind parents that we hold high expectations in regards to our uniform and I believe this supports the children to feel proud, smart and ready. We have had a few children without ties, please ensure a tie is always worn. Some children, especially in Goldfinch, have not been wearing black leggings or tracksuit bottoms for PE. They do need to be plain black with no logos, stripes or other colours.
We also wish to reiterate that the children in Rosefinch and Bullfinch should bring in their book bag each day. With staff changing books and the children needing to use them during the school day, it is essential that each child brings this rather than a rucksack which is not necessary. We thank you for your support with this to ensure the books are kept clean and neat and to enable systems in school to work efficiently to enhance learning.
My final request would be for children not to bring in toys and things from home, there is some sharing, swapping and gifting happening which often ends in tears, especially with the younger children!
It has been a pleasure to welcome Louisa to our school. Louisa is working for NSsport running Breakfast club and joining Victoria at After school club. The children have enjoyed getting to know her and we wish her a warm welcome.
Our value this half term is friendship. I have and will continue to explore friendship with the children through discussions and Collective worship. We will be focusing on the impact a strong, positive friendship can have on our own wellbeing and achievements.
On that note, I wish you all a happy, restful weekend with friends and family
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
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5th January 2024
Fri 05 Jan 2024Happy New Year!
I hope you have all had a good Christmas and New Year. It has been wonderful to welcome the children back.
The staff returned on Tuesday for two inset days. Over the two days we accessed some external training as well as training from Mrs Wirth to review and develop our Marking and Feedback policy. This session was fantastic and an opportunity to review what we currently do against up-to-date research and case studies as well as what some of our children think of the feedback methods we use. There will be more information shared with parents within the next term and we are excited to be making positive changes to support the learning and progress of the children.
It is important to us that parents feel connected to their child's learning. Curriculum information is all available on our website and I would encourage conversations at home around the new learning for this term. We have also decided to periodically send home one of your child's books for the evening/weekend to give greater sharing opportunity and the invaluable discussions that this can initiate. Ahead of us sending a book home, I will let parents know via my newsletter to avoid parents missing the opportunity as it will be vital that books are returned the next day.
I am looking forward to the term ahead and to seeing the progress the children will make.
I ended the term celebrating that 1/3 of children have 100% attendance. We know absence for illness is unavoidable at times but we thank you for sharing our high aspiration for strong attendance in the term ahead.
I would like to remind parents of the importance of safe parking and driving near school. I was very grateful for the support shown by parents following my communication last term and thank you for your continued care and consideration this term. Please can I remind you that if you are coming to Breakfast club or picking up from NSsport, please ensure you use the pedestrian gate not the car park for safety reasons.
I wish you a lovely weekend.
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone