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4. Summer Term 2007 Newsletters

Dear Parents / Carers,

The children seem to have enjoyed their Easter holidays with last week's warm weather proving a boost for all families - it's so much easier to keep the children occupied and content if the weather is kind. Certainly it was good to welcome the children back fit and well and ready for the busy but exciting term ahead.

It certainly looks like a packed agenda - typical of the Summer term and it may be an idea to note some of the following events in your diaries or keep this newsletter handy for future reference.

Healthy School Agenda / Safe Routes to Schools:

Our school allotment programme continues and to pass on a suggestion from one of the children, donations of packets of vegetable seeds are requested. We have onions and strawberries already in place but some variation would be nice. All packets should be directed towards Miss Watson - thanks in anticipation.

The children on the School Pastoral Council are looking for the school to be "greener" and to this end, have made a number of proposals one being a Walk or Part Walk to School Day. A trial day in the first instance and perhaps more regularly as the Summer term progresses. The class with the most walkers / part walkers will enjoy an extra session on the MUGA or other reward. Further news nearer the date via a newsletter from the School Pastoral Council.

First Communions:

Sunday June 10th at 12 noon, Holy Rosary Church.

Holy Days: please join with us to celebrate Mass at the Holy Rosary Church on:
Thursday May 17 - Ascension Day (All classes except for Y6 - SATS);
Thursday June 7 -Corpus Christi.
(We are closed on June 29th for In Service so no School Mass on SS Peter and Paul's Day this year).

SATs Week / Timetable KS1 and KS2:

Our Y2 children will be working through a range of materials with their teacher and other school staff throughout May and up to Half Term. The assessment period is more in the school's hands now and therefore may be extended to suit.

Our Y6 children will take the usual battery of tests throughout the week beginning Monday May 14 and ending Friday May 18. The preparatory period, now underway is equally important and good attendance is essential.
The children will be well prepared and there is little to be anxious or worried about - parents and carers note! As long as the children are present, fit and well then the week will fly past. The activities and booklets are always well presented and if past experience is to go by then the children will enjoy the challenge. Afternoon activities designed to balance out the day will help ensure that we have a good mix of work and play.

As well as Y2 and Y6 the May 14 - 18 week is the key Summer Assessment period for every class - so al the children will be busy with tests this week. These will be nicely paced and a change from the usual class routine.

Parents /Carers should note that on no account will holidays be sanctioned during this period.

Post Sats / Assessment week we will return to our Excellence and Enjoyment agenda with a themed week planned for the 1st week after Half Term.

Open Evenings:

Monday - Thursday evenings: July 9 - 14th. Specific appointment times will, as usual, be agreed nearer the date - individual class teachers will be in touch.

New Starters Induction Afternoons:

Tuesdays: 12th, 19th and 26th June - Individual Invitations Nearer the date.

Y6 Celebration Mass / Liturgy:

W/B July 10th - father Cornforth to confirm.

Thurston Week: Y5: April 30th - May 4th:

Excitement is mounting as the departure date draws closer and we look forward to Y5 and accompanying staff enjoying the "Thurston Experience".

Belgium Week: Y6: July 2 - 6th:

Preparations for the trip are well advance and a meeting has been scheduled for Thursday June 14th at 3.45pm. This will be preceded by a comprehensive letter / itinerary prior to half term which should cover every avenue.
Several children are still to return their 2 passport sized photographs and the accompanying form - please try to hand these in by the end of this week as we need to finalise the Collective Passport. Thanks in anticipation.

Holidays / INSET Days:

Monday May 7 - May Day;
Summer Half Term: Monday May 28th to Friday June 1st;
Friday June 29th - School In Service Day;
Summer Holidays Begin at 2pm on Friday July 20th (Return to School: Tuesday September 4th)
No Smoking School:

Could all parents / carers and visitors please note that the entire campus is a Non Smoking Area. As this is a vital part of our Healthy School Award it is essential that all are encouraged to comply. From July 1st All Public Buildings will be Non Smoking.

Another area that may need reinforcing is the No Dogs except Guide Dogs Rule.
A number of our children are very nervous of dogs - even well behaved ones and it has long been school policy to request that owners refrain from bringing their dogs into the school yard. Thank you for your cooperation.

Mr Adam Peacock, our Sports Coordinator will be leaving us to take up a new challenge for the Summer in Greece. Adam has been a real asset to the school over the past year and he will be missed - we wish him well in his new position and hope to see him back, certainly to do some coaching perhaps, later in the Autumn term.

Out of school activities will be continuing and a schedule for the Summer term will soon be updated.

I look forward to seeing you all as the term progresses.

Best Wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

K. J. Smithson.
Head Teacher. Back to top

Summer Term Newsletter 2: Wednesday May 2 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

Many of you will now be aware that Father Cornforth has been asked to take over at another parish in the Diocese. This has come as something of a surprise considering the recent changes that have impacted across our local churches and is doubly disappointing it that it follows hard on the heals of Father O Reilly's departure to Tudhoe in Durham.

Father Cornforth has been an excellent servant to the people of Holy Rosary, St Gregory's and St Bede's for the last 15 or so years and especially to our school, where he has always looked to be the main point of contact and mentor to both children and staff - we will certainly miss him.

We will need to liaise closely with parishioners, governors, staff and children to discuss the best way of marking our appreciation and of wishing him farewell - thus we will return to this issue in future communications.

Some of you will also be aware that we bid farewell to a long standing member of staff, Mrs Carol Smithwhite, who left after 18 years loyal service at St Gregory's. Typically, Carol did not want a fuss and preferred to leave quietly after a low key presentation of flowers and a cheque to the memorial fund for Claire Coiley a former pupil, who tragically died at a very young age some years ago. We will carry fond memories of Mrs Smithwhite and wish her well for the future.

Our Y5 children are currently enjoying the "Thurston Experience" at the outdoor centre near Coniston in the Lake District. The children and staff enjoyed a safe journey and a relatively good night's sleep! I'm hopeful they will all be tired out and ready to sleep through by the time I arrive to support the new staff team we have in place. The weather is glorious at the moment and the children have been cycling, canoeing and hill walking. A group are set to climb the "Old Man" of Coniston tomorrow so I hope the weather holds. The last time I was there, same time of year; we had thick snow and actually went skiing!

I will be away from early Wednesday morning and return later on Thursday night in good time to return to school on Friday.

A reminder that the school will be closed on Monday May 7 for the bank holiday.

Best Wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

K.J. Smithson.
Head Teacher. Back to top

Summer Term Newsletter 3: May 22 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

As you will be aware, father Cornforth will be leaving the Parish in July after 15 years service. Throughout this period he has been a great source of support and encouragement to our school both as our pastor and as an active governor.
He has also helped run the school football team, accompanied classes on trips and visits, prepared every First Communion class, held an annual barbeque for our Y6 children and this is really only the tip of the iceberg.

We hope to mark his leaving with a suitable gift and to support this fundraising we propose to hold a non uniform day this coming Friday, May 25 with a donation requested: 50p per child or £1 per family. This should ensure that we can collect a tidy sum towards buying him a suitable gift - what to buy is another issue and suggestions are welcome.

The non uniform day will also, as it is the last day of this Half term, serve as a cheerful ending to what has been a busy period of tests and assessments.

A special word of praise to our Y6 children who coped exceedingly well with the demands of National Test week. They were invariably energetic, composed and committed throughout and I was extremely pleased with their attitude and effort. Parents / carers are to be congratulated too, many attended an evening awareness raising session with Miss Carrahar and helped ensure that the children were not over-hyped but calmly focused upon the task in hand. All the children were present who could be - indeed attendance was so good throughout the school we may have to consider holding tests more often!

Please note that Year 2 Tests are still continuing and should conclude by the end of the week.

Results of tests and all assessment progress will be reported during our Summer Term Open Evenings - Week Beginning July 9th.

Many of you will be aware that one of our children suffered a nasty break after an accident in school. A full investigation has taken place and the source of the accident can obliquely be traced to several boys playing with a football in a part of the school grounds. The loss of the ball up a tree led to a chain of events resulting in the accident.

The football was a large size 5 match ball, a type allowed only on the MUGA. As we have a number of children well capable of striking the ball powerfully, match balls are not permitted in other parts of the school in case a younger child is hit - a too frequent occurrence in the past. Bearing this in mind there is no need for any child to bring a ball to school - we have more than enough of the correct size for each class as well as match balls for the MUGA.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

As afore mentioned the school will close for the Half Term holiday this Friday at 3.30pm. We reopen for the final period of the Summer term on Monday June 4th.

Best Wishes.

Yours Sincerely,

K.J. Smithson.
Head Teacher. Back to top

Summer Term Newsletter 4: Wednesday June 13 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

As you will probably be aware we held our second "Themed Week" of the year last week when as a school we focused on "Fair Trade" and just what exactly this means and how we can influence peoples lives in far off places for the better just by the way we shop. The children were very engrossed and eager to learn and there has been some very high quality work completed as the week progressed with every year group making an excellent contribution to the theme.
I'm sure that they will have shared some of their learning with you and perhaps had more to say about the weekly shop than is usual! We hope that this didn't strike the wrong chord with you and that you enjoyed listening to what they had to say. Many of you of course will be committed to the principles of "Fair Trade" and it may well be an area we can go on to support together as a school community in the future.

Thank you for contributing to our collection via "Non Uniform" day, for Father Cornforth - the day raised £158 and with staff and some governor contributions to come we should have enough for a decent gift. Thanks also to the two parents who supplied gift ideas - both good ones but both done before, so we are still at square one! We will get some further advice and take it from there. Watch this space.

Visitors to school may have observed that there are some official signs awaiting unveiling immediately outside the school? These are to do with parking and vehicular access / waiting restrictions which are to come into force before too long. I am not certain yet of the detail or the timing but a change to parking habits will be necessary for some. Indeed this will come as a timely reminder as close to school parking at peak times is almost back to the bad old days and the potential for an accident is again very high. Additionally, the potential for conflict within the school community and with the neighbours is also increasing and I'm sure you will agree that this is something to avoid.

Once the restrictions are in place then they will be enforced and if requests for cooperation are set aside then maybe a stiff fine will be more of a deterrent. With this in mind I would request that all parents / carers who travel to school by car begin to think of some alternative solution or drop off point.

It may be possible for some to consider dropping of older children in the "Old Ship" car park ( if I can get permission from the landlord which is by no means certain) leaving them with a short journey along Harton House Road / HHRE with no major roads to cross? The Holy Rosary car park is also available but the journey on foot would mean at least one major road to cross although there is a crossing assistant on duty on Marsden Road.

There may well be no easy solution and every family needs to think what best suits them with regard to their own children?s safety and the safety of others.
I'm sure all will do their best to comply and hopefully the transition will be a success.

Also from July 1 all public places must become "no smoking" zones and as a school we will now come under this new law with smoking banned by law rather than the school just adopting a "no smoking" policy throughout the site, which is how we stand at the moment. Anyone found smoking on school premises will be liable to a spot fine of £30 /£50 or £200. Should a business or school fail to prevent smoking in a smoke free place then the fine can reach £2500! Naturally I am hoping that there will be no problems in this area and I thank all smokers within our school community for exercising restraint whilst on school premises both now and especially from July 1.

Leaflets and other information will be available in school for anyone who may require assistance in helping to give up the habit - please call at the office should you wish to see what is on offer.

Looking further ahead our Y6 children are making excellent progress with their "Enterprise Project" and the results of their efforts will be available for view / purchase on Thursday July 12 from 2pm to 3.30pm. Last year?s sale was a big success and a celebration of innovation and effort - please feel free to call in or to perhaps provide your child with 50p or so to spend on the day.

Looking further ahead our Y6 Leaver's Assembly is scheduled for 11am on Thursday July 19th and though more formal invitations and information will be sent to Y6 parents nearer the date early notification does help at this busy time of the year.

A further reminder that Open Evenings commence WB July 9th and that our Sports / Fun Day will be Tuesday July 17th.

I look forward to seeing you as the term progresses.

Best Wishes,

K.J. Smithson.
Head Teacher.
(PS: I am awaiting a reply re the parking but I am less optimistic that this is an option - confirmation ASAP). Back to top

Summer Term Newsletter 5: Friday June 22 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

I can confirm that the whole school will attend a special Mass at Holy Rosary church next Thursday (June 28th at 2pm) and that all are invited to join with us for what will be the last Mass we will celebrate with Father Cornforth. Please meet at the church from 1.45pm or accompany the children - we will set off around 1.35pm and any assistance would be most useful. The original purpose of the Mass was in thanksgiving for our First Communion cohort but the occasion now takes on a wider meaning. The children will return to school immediately after Mass and be dismissed as usual on the bell at 3.30pm.

As most of you will be aware, Friday June29th, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, is an In Service day for staff and a holiday for children. We will reopen at the usual time on Monday July 2 by which time the majority of our Y6 children and staff will be well on the way to Belgium.

During the week July 2-6 Miss Carrahar will be in charge of the day to day running of the school, however, as she will be working with classes across the school during this period any minor enquiries should be directed to Mrs Rochford who can then liaise with staff on your behalf. I?m sure the week will proceed smoothly.

The school Nurse will be visiting on Thursday June 28th to meet with our Y6 children, as well as recording Heights / Weights etc, she will be delivering the LEA "Growing Up" talk and DVD. Y6 parents are aware of this but should note that an accompanying booklet will be distributed to all children and this will be distributed to parents via the children in a sealed envelope at home time. The contents are age related and best isolated from our younger children hence the envelope.

Further ahead I received confirmation that our Y3 and Y4 children are very much looking forward to entertaining you with their version of "Joseph" on Friday July 13th. At the minute we hope to manage two performances at 2pm and 4pm - further details on the tickets from Y4 soon.

Parents will naturally be thinking ahead to the Autumn term and the organisation of classes / teachers from September. The proposed changes will be discussed at Governor level at the Summer Term meeting on Tuesday June 26th and parents should be assured that any changes are in the very best interests of the children, maximising the talents we have available, responding to the realities of more flexible staff contracts and as a response to our recent Ofsted report.
It is always difficult in a one form entry school to plan any changes that do not involve a class / teacher becoming reacquainted over the primary phase, however this should not be seen as a problem more as an opportunity as the curriculum and setting will be very different, and often invigorating practice. Imagine a school where every teacher stayed with the same year group year after year - what flexibility would exist, what skill development, what opportunities to widen experience and grow as a teacher? Change can be challenging but is very necessary and schools are well placed, given their vast experience of change in recent years, to cope and indeed thrive.

I will write again prior to the end of term to publicise the changes and I'm sure that once the new term is underway the mini reorganisation will run smoothly and reflect the best interests of children and staff.

Thanks are due to one of our parents / neighbours who liaised well with police officers leading to the apprehension of some youths who had damaged / stolen school property. We are having a slight increase in problems with youths climbing on the school roof and roaming the school grounds and your vigilance is appreciated. Should you see anyone up to no good please ring the local police who are delighted to cooperate with residents living close to the school. Amazingly, a recent overhaul of the new garden area confirmed that several shrubs / plants have been removed! This area is a lovely spot for the children to enjoy especially as it is maturing so nicely therefore it is disheartening to think that someone has decided to improve their own gardens at our expense.

Please note that the Parking Restrictions come into place very soon with the signs unveiled today - I have no doubt that after a short period of grace, parking wardens will be in the vicinity of the school at peak times to enforce the regulations. Unfortunately, my idea re the "Old Ship" as a drop off point has been turned town by the manager on H and S grounds.

I look forward to seeing you next Thursday and later during open evenings WB July 9.

Best Wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

K.J. Smithson.
Head Teacher. Back to top

Summer Term Newsletter 6: Monday July 16 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

The end of term is fast approaching and with the busy schedule continuing right up to Friday July 20th with school scheduled to close for the end of the Summer term at 2.15pm (Please note the time).

Looking back, last week was a cause for celebration on several fronts with our Y3 and Y4 children bringing the week to a close to tumultuous applause from the packed audiences who attended their sparkling production of "Joseph". The talent on display had to be seen to be believed as everything seemed to come together on the big day. I was so very pleased to see the children radiating smiles, with their self esteem and sense of achievement there for all to see. The whole production team and performers deserve the highest praise, certainly it does them great credit when one considers the age of the children. Both audiences were hugely appreciative and deserve credit also for their involvement with costumes and make up. Well done everybody!

No sooner had our Y6 children returned from our successful visit to Belgium, where their behaviour and enthusiasm was exemplary, before they were busy with the final preparations for their Enterprise day on Thursday. This was another resounding success and a great reward for their planning, preparation and cooperative skills. We certainly have some entrepreneurs amongst us! It was noticeable that the first thing the children did on the Friday morning was to joyfully wave their share certificates in anticipation of a good return - and this from a class who can't remember their homework at times!

Thanks to your tremendous support the whole day saw £998 raised, which even after outlay and expenditure still represents a very tidy profit.

That the Y6 class were successful in this enterprise should come as no surprise as they are a particularly talented, hard working and cooperative group of children who have made the very best of the opportunities here at our school over the past 7 years and we will all have mixed feelings of pride and loss as we bid them farewell at the end of the week. We are holding a celebration for the children on Thursday at 11am - this is a special event for close family and should be well worth attending given that these children have so much to be proud of.

It will be an opportunity also to say farewell to several families who have travelled the learning journey with us several times - thank you for your support and encouragement, it has been a great pleasure to work with you.

From September the class organisation will be as follows:

Reception: Mrs Pickering;
Y1: Mrs Coates;
Y2: Mrs Douglas / Mrs McMullen;
Y3: Miss Smyth;
Y4: Mrs Wilson;
Y5: Miss Watson;
Y6: Miss Carrhar.

Once again we will be able to rely upon Mr Allon and Mrs Holt to provide high quality support and release time. We hope to welcome back Mrs Johnson also after her long absence. In addition our full complement of CA staff will be in place to provide invaluable support throughout the school.

We bid a very fond farewell to Miss Joanne Simpson who has worked very hard throughout her NQT year and will be missed by all of her colleagues and especially by her Y4 class. Thank you Joanne - we wish you success with your career and special good wishes for your forthcoming wedding.

Miss Watson has been planning tomorrow's sports day for some time now and it promises to be a full but entertaining day with plenty of opportunities for the children to participate and enjoy a mix of activities and traditional races. As these will continue throughout the day parents / carers are welcome to call in at any time. My understanding is that the majority of "races" are continuing throughout the morning with more activities planned for after lunch including the fun run and summer fayre type activities.

The "Wheel of Fortune" will run as usual alongside other stalls - any last minute gifts of bottles / prizes etc will be gratefully received - we haven't really had time to "bang the drum" too much this year so if you haven't donated so far tomorrow is not too late! Thank you in anticipation.

As you know we always try to run Sports day regardless of he weather - it has to be bad before we call it off. We do have Wednesday as a reserve option but as the forecast is the same for both days - showery, we aim to go ahead tomorrow.

We have several jobs planned for the summer break with new KS1 Reception / Boys toilet refurbishment, new flooring to the main corridor and repainting so school will be a busy place. Our Apres School organisation should not be adversely affected as water supply will only affect the toilet areas for a short period. Also we have a LA sponsored play week scheduled - details in the local press.

It is amazing to think that we are here again at the end of another academic year but there it is. Thank you as always for your support and encouragement and best wishes for an enjoyable break with your children.

Best Wishes,

K.J. Smithson.
Head Teacher.

PS: A brief final newsletter may be circulated later in the week to convey news of the success of the fundraising element tomorrow.

PPS: Dinner Money from September is £1.70 per day / Milk Money £2.80 per term - £8.40 p.a. Back to top

4. Summer Term 2007 Newsletters

Summer Term Newsletter 1: Thursday April 19 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 2: Wednesday May 2 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 3: May 22 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 4: Wednesday June 13 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 5: Friday June 22 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 6: Monday July 16 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 1: Thursday April 19 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 2: Wednesday May 2 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 3: May 22 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 4: Wednesday June 13 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 5: Friday June 22 2007

Summer Term Newsletter 6: Monday July 16 2007