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3. Autumn Term 2007 Newsletters

Dear Parents / Carers,

A very warm welcome back to all members of our school community, friends old and new, as the academic year 2007 / 2008 commences. A particular word of welcome to our new children and their families, predominantly in our Reception class but also dotted throughout the school. We hope that you will soon find yourselves to be part of the family that is our school and poised for what we hope will be a long and happy association.

The school has been very busy throughout the six week break with a number of building improvements, redecorating and re flooring taking place. For the first time I can almost report full completion, other than "snagging" to the toilet refurbishments in Reception / KS1 boys and the new teachers Planning and Preparation room. The redecoration of the corridors and cloaks area is complete with the only area awaiting re-flooring being the Infant cloaks area, (delayed as the builders were using this section), but due to be finished off before the end of the month. The works have given the whole school a lift and are part of the governors' long term plans to ensure that our school, despite its age, remains an attractive environment for both work and play.

Après School proved popular throughout the holiday period as did the LA sponsored activity week in August ? both good examples of the school helping to meet community needs and interests. I was particularly pleased to hear about the increased numbers attending Après school as the staff are working so hard to provide high quality childcare before and after school as well as during the holiday periods.

We are delighted to welcome Mrs Douglas back to the fold and her partnership with Mrs McMullen in Y2 bodes well for the children. We also are pleased to welcome Father Michael as our lead pastor this new term. He has had some time now to get used to his new parish and we look forward to his visits throughout the term.

Classroom teachers will soon be sending home their individual class planners / termly overviews, outlining key curriculum coverage and details of excellence and enjoyment activities, trips and visits etc. Please note homework details which may not be the same for all classes and PE days - children must be appropriately kitted out for PE and it would be most helpful if parents / carers can note the days when kit needs to be in school - we don?t want anybody to miss out.

The vast majority of "Out of School" clubs will begin next week and Mrs Rochford will be reminding the children verbally re places booked / remaining as information regarding the autumn term programme was dispatched at the end of the summer term and that seems a long time ago now!

A reminder that school dinners are costed at £8.50 per week or £1.70 per day. The LA in line with all others across the country have increased expenditure on healthy, nutritious ingredients allied to better staff training to endeavour to produce a very good package for our children. We are fortunate in having a first class kitchen team serving hot, freshly prepared meals in an attractive environment.

This term our school milk will be semi skimmed and available in cartons only which is a pity as the mini bottles are a throwback to earlier times and far more environmentally friendly, however the bottling plant has closed as the machinery is beyond repair! As a result the cost of school milk, currently £8.40 PA or £2.80 per term, may increase slightly.

I would be grateful if parents / carers and visitors to the school could park with care and consideration if they must park so close to the school. The council's interpretation of the Safe Routes to School scheme seems to have exacerbated the problems with parking in Harton House Road East, always the area of most concern, whilst assisting with the problem at the Eastern entrance to the school. The safety of our children however, is surely no less important than that of other children in other schools where far more robust measures are the norm? As things stand we need to be ever vigilant, but in these days of increased environmental awareness and as part of our healthy school agenda it is heartening to see an increased number of children walking and cycling to school. Keep up the good work.

Planning ahead our school open evenings are scheduled slightly later this year November 12 - 16, individual appointments nearer the date.

Half Term Week: Monday October 22 - Friday October 26.

Christmas Holidays commence at close of school on Friday December 21 until we open in the New Year on Monday January 7 2008.

Information relating to school performances / Nativity etc will be finalised in the near future. Can I remind you that further details, information about class activities and copies of all newsletters are available on our school website: www.stgregorysrc.ik.org Mrs Coates has again set up a great series of photographs / videos of the Y6 trip to Belgium in July - well worth viewing.

Finally, we do have a range of unclaimed "lost property", especially at Key Stage 2,some has been repatriated but we still have a number of items left. Please feel free to call in to re claim items before Thursday when the remaining items will be sent to the clothing bank.

I look forward to seeing you as the term progresses.

Best Wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

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

Autumn Term Newsletter 2: Thursday September 27 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

The new term is well underway and reports from class teachers suggest that the children are adjusting very well to their new surroundings and to their new teachers. It is very usual at this time of year for some teething troubles to occur but these have certainly been kept to a minimum so far. However, should you feel that your child is not settling for whatever reason, then please call in and make an appointment to see the teacher or if the opportunity arises try to catch a quick word pre or post school. Liaison between all parties invariably helps the situation and if some children require a little additional support then we are happy to cooperate in the best interests of the child - always our priority.

Our new starters are now with us full time after a successful induction - a lovely, cheerful bunch of children who will bring much to our school and community. We are delighted to have them aboard and look forward to establishing true and lasting partnerships with their parents / carers.

To assist this aim we will be looking to invite all Reception Parents / Carers to share lunch with the children and to see at first hand the high quality meals on offer and our pastoral care arrangements in action. This will be followed with an afternoon social ran by SAPA - our School and Parents Association, later joining the children for story time before the close of school for the day. Invitations will be issued in due course.

Another avenue of interaction and involvement for all members of our community who can spare the time is the following schedule of Class Assemblies. This is a part of our annual routine that we are now looking to share. Please do not expect "big performances", as I say these are part of the school's catholic mission and opportunities to share learning across the school. Each class will take a turn and parents / carers / grandparents etc of children from the class are cordially invited to attend. Further details will be sent nearer the date by class teachers and though space will be limited we should be able to accommodate everyone within reason. Each assembly will commence at 11.35am on the following Wednesdays:

*October 3rd - Y5;
*November 14 - Y4;
*December 5 - Y3;
*January 23 - Y6;
*February 13 - Y2;
*March 13 - Y1.

The children will be more interested in plans for our Halloween Disco - on the day for once, October 31 from 4.30pm - 6.00pm - all the usual attractions, music, prizes, refreshments and fun. SAPA will confirm prior to Half Term.

We are hoping to attend All Saints day Mass as a school on November 1 at Holy Rosary 11am. This will be confirmed by Father Michael in due course but we would love to have a good turn out for what will be his first school Mass. Parents / Carers who can assist with escorting the children to Holy Rosary are invited to attend school from 10.35 am on the day.

Our school football teams are just getting to grips with the new season and Miss Watson is delighted to have the support of families when it comes to transporting children to and from games. We look forward to an enjoyable season.

Our out of School Clubs are progressing nicely with Mrs Pickering adding Netball coaching to our roster of outdoor activities. Miss Watson / Mrs Rochford are always looking for new ideas to extend the opportunities we can offer to our children - perhaps you can suggest something?

Many thanks for an excellent response to our request for you to update our data base of phone contacts / mobiles etc. To date virtually everyone has replied and Mrs Rochford is currently adding this information to our new system.

I look forward to seeing you as the term continues.

Best Wishes.

Yours Sincerely,

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

Autumn Term Newsletter 3: Friday October 5 2007

Dear Parents/Carers
Many of you will now be aware tha twe are holding a short sponsered walk for CAFOD as part of our Harvest celebrations this year and as a starting point for our Themed Week to commence WB October 15 (1.45 pm). The walk to Readhead Park will follow a similar format to last year's very successful fundraiser in aid of cancer research with games and activities in Pastoral Care Groups prior to our return. Miss Smyth will be sending a separate leter itemising precise timings / details etc. Staff plan to have the children back on site in time for dismissal at the usual time but please be patient if we do run a few minutes ver - little legs may not be quite as fast as we are anticipating!

After consultation with our Extended School Colleagues it seems better to plan our Halloween Disco for Thursday November 1st - Mrs Fenwick and her SAPA colleagues will be organising a fun evening and tickets /further details willbe issued in due course.

Looking ahead we have two imminient invitations to our Recpetion Parents / Carers:
* Thursday October 18th: Parents/Carers afternoon tea ( 2pm) followed by stories and songs with the Reception children. This is a good opportunity to meet some of the cohort you will belong to as your current child progresses through school. Also SAPA (School and Parents Association), who provide the refreshements will give a brief introduction to the way they help the school and of course support eh children;
* Tuesday November 6th: Parents / Carers are invited to join the Reception children and their Pastoral Care friends for lunch. A very good opportunity to enjoy a school meal alongside your son/daughter and see how they fare alongside their Y6 helpers / friends.

Special invitaions to follow.

Congratualtions to our Recpetion chidlren on 100% attendance / 100% On time this week - they will enjoy a session in the MUGA next Tuesday. Just for information out of the 5 weeks back an Infant Class has won the BEst Attendance award 4 times - Come on Juniors!

Well Done to Y5 ho were the first class to invite family members along to join in with their Assembly on Wednesday. An excellent turn out witnessed a thought provoking and well delivered message.

The children may have informed you that the "Quiet Garden Area" is currently out of bounds - this is because the area has recently been replanted with replacement shrubs / plants and the gardeners suggest a "bedding in" period to allow the plants a chance to again a foothold. This is a very attractive area and we are all hopin that both existing and new plants can fluris so that we can all enjoy them for years rather than months. To this end I would be grateful if you can remind your children or supervise them pre and post school to confine their play activities to other areas of the school site until further notice. Many thanks in anticipation.
A mention for our "B" team who scored a resounding 4-0 victory at St Joseph's earlier this week with goals from Callum Amess (2) Daniel Constable and Carlo Minchella. These are our youngest footballers in competitive action and they played excellently - Well Done. Thanks again to parents /carers supporting their children and the school by helping with transport. Sometimes this can prove tobe a problem but usually there are enough people helping out and given early warning it can well be possible to organise lifts - please five the shcool a ring to see what can be arranged.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the sponsored walk next week.
Have a good weekend.
Yours sincerely,

K.J. Smithson. Back to top

Autumn Term Newsletter 4: Thursday October 18th 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

Last Thursday saw our second sponsored walk / fun and games afternoon held at Readhead Park. We were blessed with a mild day, an excellent turn out of parent helpers / walkers and enthusiastic, well behaved children. As a result we had a lovely afternoon and have raised almost £200 for CAFOD. I was very proud of the children's behaviour both on the journey and as they played at the park. Grouped with their Pastoral Care families in an open setting, away from the confines of class or school yard gave a true measure of how seriously our older children take their duty of care towards the younger members of the group.

Tomorrow sees the final deadline for all admissions to all types of school for children due to start in September 2008. Should there be memories jogged by this reminder it is essential that you contact the Town Hall and ensure that your child's details are logged. We have tried to assist with this requirement as far as our Y6 children are concerned but I believe there are a small number who need to respond direct with the Admissions Section at the Town Hall, if they are to meet the deadline.

Just recently we have had a number of problems with dog's dirt around the yard and play areas. It seems certain that someone nearby is letting their dog(s) roam and allowing them to foul our grounds. The children have been warned to be on the look out and any finds are reported to staff and cleared, however it is something they should not have to be on the alert for in their own school. The children have reported that two spaniel type dogs have been seen in the grounds recently and I have relayed this information to the dog warden. I cannot believe that one of our parents / carers are responsible as we are all aware that dogs are not allowed on school premises. Could I ask you to be vigilant and keep an eye out for the culprit? Thank You in anticipation.

The children are very much enjoying our themed week. We have had a number of trips and visits, and these as usual, so well supported by parents / carers. Also a wide range of cooking has taken place this week from cakes and popcorn to soup - I sampled all the fair on offer and can report that the produce was very enjoyable. It seems that we have a number of budding chef's to take up the mantle from the current TV generation.

Our Half Term holiday will commence at close of school tomorrow and we will reopen on Monday 28th at the usual time. On Thursday of that week, November 1st, we will be celebrating Mass at Holy Rosary church at 9.30am - please note the changed time. All are welcome to celebrate with us at what will be Father Michael's first school Mass. Anyone willing to help escort the children across to Mass should meet at the school at 9.10 or just come into the main Reception area after your child has entered school.

On the evening of the same day we will be have our Halloween Disco (4.30 - 6.00pm: 50p entry). This is always a fun filled event fancy dress (not compulsory), loud music, dancing and refreshments. I believe SAPA are sending a second letter to publicise the event.

I hope the children enjoy the holiday and that you all get the opportunity for family time.

Best wishes.

Yours Sincerely,

K.J. Smithson.
Headteacher. Back to top

Autumn Term Newsletter 5: Monday November 5th 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

Our Halloween Disco was very successful in terms of attendance and enjoyment and the feedback from both children and parents was positive. The event was only possible thanks to the help of the "magnificent seven" parents / school support staff on duty. Three stalwart SAPA members helped set up and clear up assisted by Mrs Wright and Mrs Coates and I were on duty throughout.

The pressure on the declining SAPA membership is becoming immense and we need a huge injection of energy, ideas and volunteers - from chairperson / committee members to occasional helpers at big events like the discos and the summer fair.

The feedback I am getting, (Thanks to Pastoral Council Members for this!) is that our School and Parent organisation (SAPA) is a bit of a mystery to many and this is something that needs to be rectified. SAPA has been in existence for at least 20years, a few of the current team will not thank me for informing people that they have been involved for the majority of this period - a remarkable level of commitment to our school, these few regulars have been absolutely fantastic and I salute their achievements on behalf of all children, past and present.

SAPA have been independent of the school since my time as headteacher although we are always fully consulted as to events, fundraising opportunities and where to target funds. Their support has been invaluable in providing all sorts of additional opportunities for our children:

*Via subsidising school trips and visits;
*Theatre companies and performances in school;
*Both the KS1 and KS2 play areas were fully funded by SAPA;
*Computers and ICT equipment;
*Audio and Visual Equipment including part costs of the screen in the Reception area;
*Sports Equipment.

The list contains a good flavour of the overall contribution and I'm sure you will agree that their support, which is essentially your support, is hugely important and not something we would like to wither on the vine.

I fully appreciate that opportunities to support are impinged upon by work and family commitments but as the attendance at the disco showed it is good fun to come along and enjoy the events and we hope to attract "new blood" to help this to continue. To this end if you can spare some time across the year, please consider completing the tear off sheet at the end of this letter and returning it to school or to Mrs Clare Scott, who has very kindly agreed to lead the new SAPA, by next Monday (November 12th). Once we see the response we can take things forward. Thank you very much in anticipation.

Our Open Evenings are scheduled for next week: Monday 12th - Thursday 14th November. This term's meetings will focus upon assessment and target setting via the interim report document (Y2-Y6) and general teacher assessment / target setting for classes Y1 and Reception. Parents receiving interim reports should fully discuss them with your child (ren) and be sure that they are clear about how they can move their learning forward. Last years questionnaire around this system was very favourable in clarifying the purpose of the reports - if we all know what we are aiming for we can support the children's progress. The children should be able to discuss their targets with you and further clarification via the class teachers will be helpful.

Please remember that time is limited - we have avoided excessive delays recently and I am hopeful that this will continue. If you feel that the circumstances require time then please see if we can negotiate a follow up meeting. The staff always do their best to accommodate such requests if they are really necessary. Interestingly enough I am going to my own daughters Open Evening this Thursday, one night only for the whole 450 pupil school - they must be very organised!

Please note also that Mrs Nickels will be available to speak to parents on Tuesday evening, usually our busiest night.

The last day for our shoe box appeal is next Tuesday November 13th - thank you so much for the donations so far, they will make such a difference to disadvantaged children in Rumania.

Looking further ahead our Christmas schedule:

School Christmas Dinner (All Packed Lunch children invited to the celebration): December 12th;
Reception / KS1 Nativity Performance: Friday December 14th at 2pm;
Christmas Parties: KS1 - Tuesday Afternoon December 18th;
Y3 / Y4 - Wednesday Afternoon December 19th;
Y5 / Y6 - Thursday Afternoon December 20th
Friday December 21st is the last day of term.

Macbeth: Y5 / Y6 performance: Wednesday January 23rd 2pm and 4pm.

Many of our new Reception parents / carers are coming along tomorrow from 11.50am to enjoy a school lunch alongside their children and the children's pastoral care partners.

I look forward to meeting you at the forthcoming events.

Best Wishes.

Yours Sincerely,

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

Change to Nativity Performance Date - now Monday 17th Dec

Due to our pianist being unable to make the original date we have had to change the date from Friday 14th to Monday 17th!
Hope you can still make it! Back to top

Autumn Term Newsletter 6: Thursday November 15 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

Please accept my apologies that due to illness the second Y2 Open Evening has had to be cancelled. Both this and the Y4 dates will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Mrs McMullen's absence has also hindered our preparations for our "Pirates" day tomorrow, however we are still planning to go ahead and some further clarification may well be useful:

*Fancy Dress is not obligatory, any pirate item allied to own clothes will be fine / otherwise just see the day as a "non uniform" day (£1);

*Pirate eye patches will be on sale tomorrow only (£1);

*Class Prizes for best outfits.

I'm sure we can have a fun day and raise funds for Children in Need and the Jubilee Trust.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best wishes.

Yours Sincerely,

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

Autumn Term Newsletter 7: Monday November 26 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

The inaugural meeting of SAPA 2007 is scheduled to take place on Monday December 3^rd at 2.30pm in the dining hall. Mrs Scott has done a tremendous job in raising awareness and communicating enthusiasm re SAPA and I think we can look forward to an enterprising new period in the history of this great school organisation.

Many thanks to all who have expressed an interest – you, and all others are very welcome to attend next Monday.

Our Open Evenings, though disrupted through unavoidable staff absence, again attracted almost 100% attendance. Mrs McMullen is unfortunately, still poorly and our good intentions of rescheduling the Y2 appointments this week have had to be put to one side, however, we are looking to slot appointments in on Wednesday 5^th December and Thursday 6^th December (Actual Times to be confirmed but please try to keep these evenings free). I again apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Our Assembly rota will continue next week with all Y4 parents invited to attend an Advent themed assembly by our Y4 class. Assembly begins at 11.35am and parents / carers are invited to attend from 11.20am. This is part of our weekly worship and will be a simple but enjoyable affair rather than a “production”. It has been our aim to better involve parents / carers in the prayer life of the school and our Y5 contingent enjoyed their visit in October.

A reminder that chewing gum is not allowed on the premises. Unfortunately, some of the children appear to have forgotten this rule and used gum has damaged carpeting and new flooring within the school. I am sure this polite reminder will do the trick.

Looking ahead, the cook informs me that the school Christmas Dinner is to be on Wednesday December 12^th. Usually, almost all the children attend and to keep this tradition going all our regular “packed lunch” children are invited to join in on the day. If your child usually has a packed lunch I would be grateful if you could indicate by the end of this week if he/she will join with us. Older children are well capable of passing on a message to Mrs Rochford verbally; younger children may require a note. The cost of the meal for newcomers will be £1.70., payable WB December 10 2007.

Further ahead, the school’s nativity performance; “The Very Hopeless Camel” is scheduled for 2pm on Monday December 17^th. The production, enlivened by an entire new set of costumes should rival anything on offer at the region’s theatres this Christmas! Individual Key Stage or Class Parties will follow later the same week – class teachers will inform parents / carers in good time.

Thank You for your cooperation.

Best Wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

K.J. Smithson.

Head Teacher.

Autumn Term Newsletter 8: Tuesday December 10th 2007

Dear Parents / Carers,

The school has been hit particularly hard by staff absence these past few weeks with a number of staff, both teaching and non teaching absent at the same time. My thanks are due to staff within the school and from our supply partners who have worked additionally hard to try to maintain the day to day quality and continuity we value. Naturally, we will all be delighted when we are back to full strength and I would be grateful if you could bear with us in the meantime. Without going into detail it has been a very worrying time of late and therefore I was delighted to receive some good news late yesterday that helped to lift everyone’s spirits. As a result we can look forward to having our full teaching team back in place, perhaps even before the end of term.

The Key Stage 1 children are in good voice and high spirits as they prepare for their Christmas production. Tickets have been “sold out” for some time now and I’m sure we will all enjoy their production on the 17^th at 2pm. Remember SAPA’s offer of refreshments from 1.30pm – please come along early and visit the stalls and purchase a raffle ticket from 1.30pm, in the dining room. Our Christmas raffle seems to last almost as long as the performance itself – to keep to this tradition a few more prizes are needed. Please send any unwanted gifts or donated prizes to school in good time. Many thanks in anticipation.

We do get many requests from parents to video or to take photographs of our performances; however, to enable this to take place, all parents / carers of children involved in the production must be given the opportunity to decline on behalf of their child / children. Should any parent object to photographs or videos of the production being taken then I would be grateful if they could inform me in writing before Friday December 14^th. To continue on this theme, should there be no objections, then parents or carers who do wish to record the event should do so with regard to the other spectators. There will be an opportunity at the end of the performance for parents to approach the stage and take a few photographs prior to the children returning to their classes.

Following the raffle and once the children have had time to get back into uniform, parents / carers only can collect their child from the Reception class teacher. All other children in the class and the rest of the school will be dismissed at the usual time.

I am delighted to inform you that the school has received confirmation that we have retained our “Active Mark” award for 2007. Miss Watson and her team, including Mrs Rochford have worked hard to promote the range of after school opportunities for our children. Recently our Y1 children took part in athletics fun and games both during and after school hours. Activities for the younger children are something we are trying to promote. The “Kids Get Fit” mini gym has proved very popular but is in demand, we can only secure this course once or at most twice per term, however, Miss Watson has been successful with a bid for funding which may well result in the school being able to purchase our own set of equipment. This is great news and would enable us to run our own courses throughout the year.

Out Y5 and Y6 children are stepping up rehearsals for their Spring Term production of “Macbeth” – thanks to parents / families who are assisting with costumes and props, your help is very much appreciated.

Applications for admission to our Reception class 2008 are very high and whilst it is nice to be popular and oversubscribed the other side of the coin can see many families disappointed. Given the numbers it will be necessary for the school to request that all RC applicants present proof of baptism as soon as is practicable. We will be doing our own checks via Father Michael who has a list of applicants to compare against the baptismal registers of Holy Rosary and St Gregory’s. However, this will not include children who were baptised at other parishes in the region. If you have a child due to be admitted in September please assist the school by delivering a copy of their baptismal certificate prior to the end of term.

Though we can all love Christmas it cannot be disguised that it is a particularly busy and often very stressful time of the year for all families. I do hope that your preparations go well and that the children enjoy the build up to the great day.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Infant performance.

Best Wishes.

Yours Sincerely,

K.J. Smithson.

Head Teacher.

3. Autumn Term 2007 Newsletters

Autumn Term Newsletter 1: Tuesday September 4 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 2: Thursday September 27 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 3: Friday October 5 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 4: Thursday October 18th 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 5: Monday November 5th 2007

Change to Nativity Performance Date - now Monday 17th Dec

Autumn Term Newsletter 6: Thursday November 15 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 7: Monday November 26 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 8: Tuesday December 10th 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 1: Tuesday September 4 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 2: Thursday September 27 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 3: Friday October 5 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 4: Thursday October 18th 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 5: Monday November 5th 2007

Change to Nativity Performance Date - now Monday 17th Dec

Autumn Term Newsletter 6: Thursday November 15 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 7: Monday November 26 2007

Autumn Term Newsletter 8: Tuesday December 10th 2007