March 2012 newsletter

29^th February 2012

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

Welcome back to school after the half term break. I hope you all had a lovely time with your children. They certainly returned to school looking happy and well.

As this letter goes to print we only have 5 weeks of this term remaining until we break for Easter so let's make the most of every minute of it.

Thank you to all of you who are continuing to send your children to school every day. Our attendance figures are improving all the time and that is pleasing to see. Listed below are a few things you can do to help us:

• Always emphasise the importance of attending school to your child.
• Make sure your children are on time and have everything they need for the day.
• If they are sick or have the flu, please make sure they have enough recovery time.
• Put them to bed early and make sure they have plenty of sleep and a healthy diet.
• Please ring school before 9am if they are ill.
• Please do not take them on holiday in term time.

We will ensure that while they are in school we:

• Look after them to the best of our ability.
• Make our learning environment as exciting as possible.
• Keep them safe at all times.
• Communicate well and regularly with you, our parents.
• Give you as many opportunities to come into school as you would like.
• Praise them regularly for their good attendance.
• Do all we can to help you support your children.

Every half term you will receive a letter indicating your child's attendance for the year so far. Ideally it should be above 95% but we appreciate that some illnesses may lower this percentage. Attendance becomes the concern of the Local Authority when it falls below 95%. Please do not be offended if you receive a letter stating the next steps if attendance does not improve. This is a letter sent out by all schools in Somerset and is worded by the Local Authority. I know that you will all appreciate how important a good education is, particularly in these economically straightened times.

Some dates for your diary:

Tag Rugby for Year 5/6. A separate letter has gone out to those involved.

Strong class assembly is at 2.30pm.

The choir will be singing at Sunningdale Lodge.

Lower School trip to Weymouth. £5 donation per pupil please. Those in receipt of Free School Meals will be funded.

This is a non uniform day in exchange for £1, in aid of Unicef, organised by the School Council.

Rowling class assembly is at 2.30pm.

There is a cross country competition after school at Mudford Rec. Please find attached a form to complete if your child would like to run. We will return to school by 5.15pm.

We will be taking 20 Year 5/6 children orienteering after school. Please find attached a form if your child would like to compete. We will return to school by 5.15pm.

This is a non uniform day for the Easter Bingo in exchange for an Easter egg or £1 donation.

Ahlberg class assembly is at 2.30pm.

Parent's Evenings. Please find attached the form for you to complete stating the time/times you would like to meet with staff. For parents with children on the SEN register, there is also an opportunity for you to meet with Mrs Ogden. Please note this is the LAST Parents Evening of the year, as you will receive a written report in the summer term. I would therefore urge you all to make the most of this opportunity.

There is a High Fives competition for our netball team. A separate letter has gone out to those involved.

Dahl Class assembly at 2.30pm.

The 21 children who have been playing Basketball on a Tuesday morning will be taking part in a tournament at Yeovil College. We will return to school around 6pm.

Music Spectacular at Westlands Sports complex. Arrangements to follow.

We are holding an Easter Bingo at 6pm. Please come and bring the children; it is always such good fun and there are lots of prizes, too!

There will be a Celebration assembly at 2pm. All parents and guests are welcome.

We break up today for two weeks' holiday, returning to school on TUESDAY 17^TH APRIL.

This is the last INSET DAY of the year.

As you can see it is a busy half term and I would urge you to keep a copy of the newsletter to hand to help the children get organised. Copies of all newsletters can also be found on the website or can be collected from the office.

The following clubs are running at the moment:

Monday

Street Dance and Netball

Tuesday

Basketball, Extra Maths and Table tennis

Wednesday

Imagineering

Martial arts - for 4 weeks only

Thursday

Rugby and Table Tennis

Thank you to all the staff who give up their time so generously. The children are very lucky indeed.

BADMINTON CLUB

Mrs Lipton has started a Badminton Club for the Upper School children which will be on Tuesdays after school 3.40 to 4.30pm. Any interested children should get a permission slip directly from Mrs Lipton.

Swimming will continue until the end of the year. It is a very important part of our curriculum, so please ensure that your child comes with a towel and costume and the correct amount of money. Can I just remind you that if your child is poorly but well enough to go to school they can come in after the swimming session. Please do not send them in if they are not swimming; we will have no staff to look after them as they will be accompanying the children to their swimming lesson. This also applies to children who are late. Children will need to be collected from school if they arrive after the coaches have gone and returned to school when their classes return at 10.15am.

We are currently awaiting our final budget figures but our indicative figures show that we will be approximately £70, 000 down on last year's amount. This is a huge blow for us and will inevitably have a huge impact on what we can pay for to support you and the children. Thank you to all of you who pay your way, enabling us to organise the most wonderful things for your children. You can rest assured that we will do all we can to continue to do this.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over the next few weeks. School is a fun place to be and you are always welcome here.

Happy Easter everyone,

Judith, the staff and governors.

Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2012