12 October 1998
Dear Parents,
A note to remind you about forthcoming events and to keep you up to date with news.
Literacy Evening: This takes place at 7pm in school on Wednesday 14 October. It should last about an hour and it will be a chance to find out about the new national literacy strategy. An LEA consultant will be present to explain the components of the ‘Literacy Hour’ and to answer your questions; there will also be an opportunity to have a look at the kind of books and texts each class will be studying over the year. Please do come along if you are able.
Book Fair: This arrives in school on Wednesday and books will be on sale every day after school for a week. Those coming to the Literacy Evening will also get the opportunity to have a look at these books: ideal Christmas presents!
Harvest Festival: This will take place at 2.45pm in school on Thursday 22 October. This year we are asking the children to bring an item of produce: some fruit, vegetables, a display basket, some flowers, tins etc, which we shall auction at 3.15pm after the service. We warmly invite you to the service and also to the auction, the money raised going to Oxfam.
Parents’ Evening (Mon 19 to Wed 21 October: 2.30pm onwards): You will shortly receive an appointment with your child’s teacher to discuss how your child has settled into the new year and to find out about the work that is planned. If there are any problems with the times allocated, please have a word and we’ll change arrangements.
Recent Events: Last week had a decidedly ‘arty’ flavour to it. Tuesday saw the visit of a professional artist who worked with Years 1, 2 and 5 on aspects of Aboriginal art. The day after, a member of the London Festival Orchestra explored the music of the Aboriginees with our Year 5s, the children learning about the didjeridoo, then mading and playing their own instruments. Cumbria Arts organised these projects.
National Poetry Day was marked with a visit by Mrs Wright’s husband who entertained our Nursery, our Reception class and Years 1 to 6, with a number of poetry readings which were much enjoyed. This was followed by an informal session during which different classes of children read their favourite poems, and also those they had written themselves. Many thanks to Mr Wright.
Our New Website: Yes, we’re now ‘on the net’. The school has its very own web site which was described by the Quality Assurance division of Cumbria LEA as ‘a very well designed web-site.’ On this you can find details of the latest school projects – including for example, the Aboriginal topic, and much, much more. Many thanks to Mark Robinson for the countless hours he has put in developing and refining the site – a labour of love! If you have the facility, dial up http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk to see what I mean, and if you have any good links suitable for the children, then perhaps you could e-mail us on: mrobi85036@aol.com, or daraven-hill@portables1.ngfl.gov.uk. We’d be pleased to hear from you!
SATS Results: Our Year 6 SATs results for 1998 were extremely good, and well above the national average. 74% of our children achieved the national standard (Level 4) or above in maths and 85% did the same in English.
Help in School: If you are able to give the school some help by hearing children read, we’d like to hear from you: have a word with Christine Wright, Janet Bagot or myself. Don’t be shy!
Would anyone be available one weekend soon, before the frosts come, to seal and paint the concrete slabs on the playground which contain the children’s handprints from the SMART BBC project? If so, please have a word.
Finally, if any parents have an interest in helping with after school clubs, we’d like to hear from you: help with netball, football with the younger children etc…
Parent Staff Association and Parent Governor Elections: Elections will be taking place in the near future and we shall be notifying you soon about how you can become involved in the life of our school.
Jewellery: A reminder that jewellery is not part of our dress code in school, and that, for reasons of safety, we are obliged to exclude a child from participating in PE if earrings are worn. Thank you for your support in this matter.
Head Lice: A perennial problem, I’m afraid. We’ve had a couple of instances of head lice recently, so please check your child’s hair carefully. In the event that anything is found, either seek advice from your chemist or have a word with us in school.
Start of School: A few children are arriving at school after 9am. School starts at 9am, when we expect all children to be in their classrooms on their own, ready to work. The exterior door locks are set for 9.05am after which the only access into school is by ringing the doorbell at the main entrance. We appreciate your co-operation in this important matter.
Congestion - Beginning and End of the School Day: We very much welcome the support many of you give your children by coming into the classroom at the beginning and at the end of the school day, particularly those who have children in the nursery or reception classes.
However, because our corridor areas are very cramped, and, in some cases our class sizes quite large, could we ask that where possible, the children in Years 1 to 6 are left in and met from the playground. However, please don’t hesitate to let us know if this would cause a problem.
We are very keen that the times both before and after school are available for parents of children from all classes to have a quiet word with the class teacher or with myself, so do please make use of this whenever you wish. Once again, many thanks for your assistance.
And Finally…. We are delighted to inform you that the school is entering into a Guardianship Project in partnership with the National Trust, commencing next month. The initiative will last at least a year, all children in the school participating in a variety of environmental projects - from developing a raised sensory and aromatic garden in the Key Stage 1 (Infant) playground (Key Stage 1 children), to woodland and river studies (Key Stage 2 children). We are to launch the partnership and the project formally in mid November and all parents will be invited to attend this: watch this space!
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening, at the Parents’ Evening and also at one of the PSA events soon to be organised.
Yours sincerely,
David Raven-Hill