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21.07.10
A final blog before we close for the summer.
As I have said in the newsletter it has been an incredibly busy year and we have enjoyed so many successes. As I write the sun is shining and I have every confidence that we will manage our sports days without a splash of rain.
Last week we enjoyed two fantastic shows; Beauty and the Beast and the Wizard of Oz. All the children performed so well and a huge thank you must go the all the staff who made the productions come to life.
We wish all our leavers well, both children and staff, some of whom have been associated with the school for over 20 years!
The children are certainly ready for a holiday....and I'm sure the staff are too. I have so enjoyed my first year at the helm and thank everyone for their support. I am so proud of our school.
Enjoy the summer and I look forward to seeing you all refreshed and raring to go in September.
Best wishes
Nicola Wood.
17.06.10
School is buzzing!
As part of our celebrations for the World Cup we are having a 'Month of Culture'. So far we have already enjoyed some drumming and I'm sure the children have talked about the Banghra dancing. Mr Jamin was quite the star!! Adeela the artist who came to school for the two days of dance told us she had never met such a well behaved, enthusiastic and welcoming group of children. How proud am I?! We are still looking forward to a day of storytelling form a professional storyteller, a tile art workshop where every child will paint a tile representative of the art of a particular country and a 'Big Art Project' where we aim to make 12 large World Cup mascots….watch this space!
Mrs Kay has had her baby, a boy named Joel who weighed in at 7lb 6oz. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Kay, we hope you get some sleep soon!
Our children have enjoyed many sporting successes recently. The rugby team represented us and Shepway in a Rugby festival. They were given a country: Australia and as part of the day had to wear fancy dress. Their hats with corks and stencilled T shirts won the judges over and First prize was awarded to Greatstone. The cricketers came third in a cricket festival this week although I think there might have been some discrepancy over the points system which meant we may have been placed higher. Congratulations to both teams.
I took the singing group to St Nicholas School for a singing event. The group had composed is own song with the support of local practitioners and were asked to perform to the local Age Concern as well as other schools. Again we had such positive comments about our children. Manners and good behaviour count for so much it is very rewarding when that is recognised.
The School Summer Fete is on Saturday 26th June from 2pm. We are all praying for good weather. Come along and enjoy a fun afternoon before settling down to (hopefully) watch England in the quarter finals!
The PTFA uniform sale is on Tuesday 29th June at 2.45pm hopefully on the playground. If you have unwanted school clothing items that are in good condition and are happy to be sold at this event please bring them (washed and ironed) to the school reception as soon as possible.
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes,
Nicola Wood.
19.05.10
We have some exciting new initiatives to share with you:
From next week the school will have the facility to contact parents/carers by text message and email. This is, I believe, a big step towards improving communication between home and school. Its use is extensive e.g. notifying school closures; reminders about parent meetings; advising if clubs are cancelled; celebrating your child's success; homework requests; notification of absence; communicating newsletter; dinner money reminders…… and I am sure lots more!
In order for this to be a success we must have your up to date contact details. If you have changed your mobile or telephone number since the last Data Collection Sheet came home for checking in October, please contact the office to ensure we have the correct numbers for you on record.
After School "Trailer":
From the beginning of Term 6 we should be able to offer a once a week after school facility for children. This is a mobile trailer which will be on the school site and is able to deliver a range of activities including Cheerleading, Drama, Generic Games and Arts and Crafts. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for children to choose activities to help them realise and reach their potential in a sport, craft or activity of their choice.
The trailer is staffed by experienced local workers who have all been CRB checked, have completed risk assessments and have Public Liability insurance. It sounds an exciting venture and when I have further details I will send them to you …….. Probably via a text message!
Breakfast Club: You should have received a questionnaire via 'Pupil Post'
Funding for Families on Low Income:
I mentioned in last week's blog the budget which all schools have been allocated to assist children whose families are either on low incomes or benefits. The aim is to help children access extended schools activities who might not otherwise be able to do so. This may include clubs in the community i.e. Scouts, Guides, swimming lessons, singing lessons, dance, art, sports and transport.
We have a limited pot of money that is only available for a one-year period but we want to ensure we make the most of it. In order to do this we are offering to contribute to your child/children's activities i.e. if your child wanted to join the scouts we would provide funding to purchase the uniform; if your child wanted to attend dancing lessons, we would be able to offer a partial payment for the lesson or offer to pay for appropriate clothing. There are of course many other ways to help and you can tell us what would be beneficial for your child/children.
This funding could make the difference to your child's future - SO DON'T DELAY! In order to make sure we include ALL families who are eligible we are asking you to complete the slip on the letter that your child will bring home.
Uniform Sale:
The date of the PTFA uniform sale has had to be changed from Monday 28th June to Tuesday 29th still at 2.45pm hopefully on the playground. If you have unwanted school clothing items that are in good condition and are happy to be sold at this event please bring them (washed and ironed) to the school reception as soon as possible.
An Invitation from the Shepway Community:
After the overwhelming success of our Community Fayre held at Sandgate Primary in October, we will be holding our first Community Festival at The Leas Cliff Hall on Thursday 8th July.
The aim of the festival is to enable members of The Shepway Community the chance to explore wider opportunities available in our local community, to enrich their physical, social and cultural development.
The festival will run between 12 noon and 7.00 p.m.
The hall will be open from 10.00 a.m. to set up.
This is a valuable opportunity to engage with our community, promoting services and making links with others. Through this we can widen and strengthen the connections we share, making SHEPWAY a place where we are all proud to belong.
If you have any questions please contact me on 01303 257280 or by email at dan.file@sandgate.kent.sch.uk
Holiday Play Events:
There are FREE play events taking place over the May Half Term should you need an excuse to get out into the fresh air for a few hours and the children need to let off some steam!
FREE OF CHARGE, funded by the Big Lottery and staffed by three play workers who facilitate games/play for ALL ages.
PAINTING, STICKING, BEAD THREADING, BALL GAMES, MUSIC, STILTS, UNICYCLE, PUPPETS, BOARD GAMES, FACE PAINTING, PLATE SPINNING, TOYS & MUCH, MUCH MORE…..
EVERYONE WELCOME!
Monday 31st: Dymchurch Rec
Tuesday 1st: Lower Radnor Park Folkestone
Wednesday 2nd: Coastal Park Folkestone
Thursday 3rd: Jubilee Field Lyminge
Friday 4th: Fairfield Rec New Romney
Search for Shepway Play MAP on Facebook for all the latest info.
Family Football Event:
This is FREE to all families in the Shepway District.
The course is aimed at children aged 9 yrs+ to attend with their parents/carers to support their children with maths through fun games & challenges with a football twist. This then leads onto football coaching with a fully qualified football coach who is going to be working with the children each week to aid them on topics such as running & turning with the ball, speed, dribbling, heading and shooting!!
By the end of the course the children will be able to achieve their 'Young Sports Leaders Award' and will receive a certificate to show their success.
Finally..... to congratulate the families, we will be including a FREE exclusive trip up to the official home of Charlton Athletic, where they will receive entrance & a tour of the football grounds.
If you are interested in attending this fantastic event, please contact Lindsey Glanville on 07774 554171 or lindsey.glanville@kent.gov.uk.
Folkestone Film Factory:
Folkestone Film Factory is running a series of 5-day film making workshops for 8-15 year olds this July and August which are perfect for keeping young people busy and entertained. Children will get the chance to work with industry professionals, developing new talents and developing new skills, making new friends and working as part of a film crew. Workshops run Monday to Friday. For more information on costs and how to book please visit the website www.folkestonefilmfactory.com
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes,
Nicola Wood.
10.05.10
Two weeks into the new school term and lots of updates to give you.
The PTFA have met and you should have received flyers about a Boot Fair planned for the 30th May on Littlestone Green. This is one of two that the school will benefit from this year, the next is in September. Plans are also well underway for our school Summer Fete to be held on Saturday 26th June form 2pm. Keep your eyes open for further details. The PTFA will also hold a uniform shop on Monday 28th June from 2.45pm hopefully on the playground. If you have unwanted school clothing items that are in good condition and are happy to be sold at this event please bring them (washed and ironed) to the school reception as soon as possible.
For parents of children in Year 5 I have received information about transfer to Secondary School 2011. Arrangements for Grammar School Testing are as follows;
Registration opens: 1 June 2010
Registration closes: 2 July 2010
Tests for Children: 14/15 September 2010
Assessment decision letter sent to parents: 18 October 2010 to arrive 19 October 2010
Parents will be able to register for the Kent Test on line via www.kent.gov.uk/ola If you register online and provide an email address, you will receive your child's assessment decision via email on 18 October 2010. Information leaflets will be distribute this week.
Congratulations to our Early Years Team in Classes 1 and 2 who achieved 'Outstanding' in their recent Moderation visit from the Local Authority. All adults working in these classes provide a high level of teaching for our children and we are so fortunate to have the absolute dedication and commitment of both Mrs Roberts and Mrs Mills.
This week the Governors will be out in force asking for your help in completing a questionnaire relating to various aspects of School life. We would very much welcome 10 minutes of your time in order to gain as many views and as much information as possible. Parent voice is incredibly important in ensuring we are offering the best possible value for money.
I have been asked to pass on a link to a local web site: www.greatstone.net This is the website for Greatstone and has information about its history, places to eat and drink, local shops, places to stay, local tradesmen, local services and much more. Do check it out!
Brockhill Park Young Farmers Club invite you to a 'Farm Open Afternoon' on Saturday 22nd May from 2.30pm until 5pm. Entry is free and the afternoon includes reptile handling, horse care in action and a sheep shearing demo. Having enjoyed the recent Lambing Day and seen many of you there too this should be well worth a visit.
Emma Lou's Dance troupe have started new classes in the assembly hall New Romney. 9-10am is tiny tots ballet/tap (3-5 years) and 10-11am Junior ballet/tap (6-9 years) all classes are priced at £3 per child. Further information on 07805954280.
Free 6 Week Course will be running Every Tuesday Starting 18th May 12:30 - 2:30pm at New Romney Children's Centre. The course is called 'Speakeasy' and aims to help parents deal with the potentially difficult area of talking to their child about sex and relationships. A Crèche is available. To Book Your Place, Please Call 01797 369270 or 07500885367
I have been given some information about funding to help low-income families access out of school activities. If you are in receipt of Free School Meals and think this may apply to you come and have a chat.
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes,
Nicola Wood.
31.03.10
……And finally we have arrived at the Easter Holidays. What an excellent term it has been and I am delighted by the number of great achievements Greatstone Primary has had. A special thanks must go to our parents and carers who have been so generous. In total we raised £816.65 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Fantastic!
How brilliant was our 'Decorate an Egg' competition? We had 224 entries in total which were all amazing. The judges certainly had a hard task choosing a winner from each class! Photographs of the winners are elsewhere on the website. Despite the weather so many of you supported our children by coming to see their eggs and once again you were generous in your giving with a total of £377 being raised by the Easter tombola. This was of course a very successful first venture for the newly formed PTFA and thanks go to them for all their efforts. No doubt they will come up with further activities and events to challenge us!
Reception children were invited to take part in a competition run by Eden the florist in New Romney. They had to design an Easter card and these are now displayed in the shop window. The winner was Megan and the runner up Taylor. Well done!
Mr Geddes has requested any old net curtains!!! Strange you may think, however he assures me they are to act as netting for the outdoor planting beds, and not as furnishing for his motorhome!
May I wish you all a very happy Easter and I look forward to seeing you all on our return to school on the 19th April when the children should be wearing their summer uniform. Let's hope we have the weather to go with this!
Nicola Wood.
18.03.10
This term seems to be flying by. I can't believe we shall soon be breaking up for Easter. It has been lovely to have Mrs Ransley back in school this week. Miss Grimes will continue to cover for class 3 until after Easter when Mrs Milbourn is expected to return to school.
The newly established PTFA is working hard with plans for Easter, details of which should be coming out to you via pupil post. There will be a chance to learn more at next week's open evenings.
I have been given details of various local events which may be of interest to you:
Firstly a free workshop available to parents called 'Getting the best out of me and my teenager' to be held on Wed 24th March 12:30 - 14:30 at Phase II Youth Centre, Station Road, New Romney and Wed 31st March 19:00 - 21:00 at Hythe Bay Primary School. Anyone interested in booking a place should contact Jane or Claire at Partnership with Parents 01622 350640 or email parentforums@kent.gov.uk
Free EASTER HOLIDAY Family Play Events April 2010
11am-3pm
Tuesday 6th Salthouse Close, Brookland
Wednesday 7th Greatstone Car Park (Within Ball Court)
Thursday 8th Downs Road Play Area, Folkestone
Friday 9th Uphill Play Area, Hawkinge
Monday 12th Lympne Recreation Area (Nr Village Hall)
Tuesday 13th The Leas (West End), Folkestone
Wednesday 14th Upper Radnor Park, Folkestone
Thursday 15th Burmarsh Rec, West Hythe
Friday 16th Folkestone Academy
WET WEATHER PLANS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR SOME OF THE PLAY DAYS CALL FOR MORE DETAILS OR CHECK WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
For further information visit:
www.shepway.gov.uk Or call: Tamasin Jarrett 01303 853277
Or Search for Shepway Play MAP on Facebook to become a friend and gain updates.
And finally Brockhill Park Performing Arts College Lambing Day which is to be held on Sunday 28th March from 10am. If you and your family have enjoyed BBC2's Lambing Live series then go along and see it for real!
I look forward to seeing you at the Open Evenings but as always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes,
Nicola Wood.
05.03.10
How lovely to see the sun shining this week, it certainly makes all the difference to how we feel! I shall start with some good news; Mrs Ransley is recovered enough to return to school. We are really pleased about this as both the staff and children have missed her. We are, however, really grateful to Miss Grimes who has become a member of the 'Greatstone Team' and has worked tirelessly to ensure class 6 have enjoyed the best possible learning opportunities. Miss Grimes will take over the cover for class 3 until Mrs Milbourn is able to return to school.
A small group of parents and I had a successful meeting to discuss the possibility of re-establishing the PTFA. The chocolate biscuits went down a treat and it was decided to 'give it a go'. I am really grateful to those parents who attended and warmly invite any other interested parents to our next meeting on Tuesday 9th March at 9.15am (with coffee and biscuits!)
We have had several visitors in school over the past couple of weeks and all have been so complimentary about the standard of work and behaviour they have seen throughout. It makes me a very proud Headteacher.
I know some of our year six children have been very disappointed not to have been offered a place at their first choice secondary school. As a school we will do all we can to support you in pursuing a placement which best suits your child. Please contact me if I can be of any help. Miss Stanton, one of our parent governors, has kindly agreed to meet with those parents intending to appeal for a grammar school place in order to outline her experience of the process. A date for this has yet to be arranged.
On Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th March we shall be holding our open evenings which are an opportunity for all parents to meet with their child's class teacher to discuss progress. On this occasion parents are offered a 10 minute appointment which is coordinated so that those parents with more than one child in school are given times that follow on from each other. All parents are invited to come to the school hall first where your child's books will be available for you to enjoy. We shall be sending a letter home next week with more details.
I have been given some information about a government drive to help low-income families who currently lack access to a computer and/or internet to get online at home. The programme is aimed at those that need it most. If you are a low-income family in receipt of certain benefits you could qualify for a grant to buy a computer and/or a minimum of one year's internet access. Further details are available on www.homeaccess.org.uk or telephone 0333 200 1004
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes,
Nicola Wood.
05.02.10
We are well into term 3 and there is such an industrious atmosphere in our school at the moment. The children are not only working very hard to achieve class reading and maths targets they are also becoming very determined writers with our celebration assembly emphasis on 'Writers of the Week'.
We currently have three student teachers in school who are working under the close supervision of our experienced staff. They are providing teaching and learning of a very good standard, offering our children a range of exciting learning opportunities.
Sadly Mrs Milbourn has broken her arm. If you have a child in class 3 and have any concerns at all about any aspect of their school life during her absence please make an appointment to see me. Mrs Ransley is still suffering with a damaged disc in her spine and we are grateful to Miss Grimes for providing consistency for class six.
Unfortunately I have only had five replies from parents who wanted to find out more about how and what their children are learning. I will therefore rethink ways in which we can communicate this important information to parents and carers and get back to you.
There will be a meeting to discuss the possibility of setting up a PTFA on Tuesday 23rd February at 9.30am. Anyone with an interest is welcome to attend….I shall provide coffee and cakes!
If you are wondering what the building project is currently going on near the parents waiting area, we are replacing the old workshop with a workshop and storage space. This is contrary to popular belief that we are building a swimming pool!!
I have been given a 'Local Children's Partnership Childcare Directory' which signposts every type of child care facility available locally. This document will be kept in the school entrance hall for your reference.
There will be free family play events locally during half term week, our nearest will be St. Peter's Church Hall and will be held on Wednesday 17th February. Further details are on the notice board in the entrance hall.
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes,
Nicola Wood.
13.01.10
Well what a snowy start to the year! Well done everyone for your efforts in getting the children to school. Let's hope that warmer weather will soon be coming our way…and by that I mean temperatures above freezing!...and we can all get back to normal. If we do have to close the school for any reason then the information will be on the three local radio stations; Radio Kent, Heart and KMFM and there will be a message on the home page of the website. Sadly it is not possible for us to telephone parents who leave answerphone messages requesting a return call.
As you will have seen from the latest newsletter the only club running this term will be the parent/child ICT club on Wednesdays. Do come along, there are no set tasks just the opportunity to work with your child, or by yourself, on whatever you wish. A full set of clubs will be running again after the February half term.
The children are working very hard to achieve class reading and maths targets. Throughout the school our focus in reading is on gaining information from fiction texts, particularly to do with characters. In maths all children are working on subtraction. Your child should know their targets and what they need to do to achieve it. We are also working hard to improve standards of writing throughout the school, hence our celebration assembly theme of writing this term. Each week the whole school works on writing linked to a particular key word, last week's was Christmas and New Year, this week the word is 'Weather'. Children write in a range of forms e.g. diaries, stories, poems, discussions, instructions and two writers of the week from each class are given an award in Friday's assembly. Photographs of recipients are put on the web and their names entered into the Golden Book.
If you are interested in hearing more about how children learn and what our policies are please complete the tear off strip on the bottom of the newsletter and return to the school office
I have an invitation to all parents/carers to attend the next meeting of the Shepway Rural Parent Forum which will be held on Monday 25th January 2010 at Haguelands Farm, Burmarsh from 10am to 12 noon. Details are on the notice board in the entrance hall.
A reminder about the free parent support programme which is running from Thursday 7th January for 12 weeks from 9.15am until 12 noon at the Family Centre St Nicholas School. Further details are on the notice board in the school entrance hall.
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you wish to share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Best wishes and keep warm!
Nicola Wood.
14.12.09
Well the excitement in school is tangible! We are doing our very best to ensure the children are ready to 'burst' home on Friday!
This week sees the culmination of all the hard work that has gone into the preparation for the Christmas Shows. Sheep, kings and carol singers are a regular feature of the school corridors! The shows will be on Tuesday and Wednesday at 2pm for infants and 6pm for juniors. The nursery performance will be on Wednesday at 11am.
We are inviting parents to complete questionnaires regarding extended schools provision prior to Wednesday's performances. By completing a questionnaire you will automatically be entered into a prize draw with the opportunity to win a range of family games including Jenga, Monopoly, Indiana Jones DVD Game and Hungry Hippos.
I have been asked by a parent if as a school we are interested in establishing a PTFA. The answer is a very definite YES. We used to have a very active parent association, unfortunately lack of time and various other commitments meant the committee had to fold. However, with renewed interest we may be able to re-establish this valuable element of school life. If you are interested in this venture please do contact me on the email address below.
I have been given some information regarding a free parent support programme. This will run from Thursday 7th January for 12 weeks from 9.15am until 12 noon at the Family Centre St Nicholas School. Further details are on the notice board in the school entrance hall.
A reminder for anyone who feels their child needs homework over the holidays!! As a school we have subscribed to a site called Mymaths.co.uk. The children will need a login and password to access this site which is suitable for children aged 7 and above. Obviously I cannot publish details of the login etc here but your child should know or failing that, speak with the teachers or myself.
And finally, some information regarding local dental services….why not??!!
Are you looking after your children's teeth? need to find an NHS Dentist, need an emergency appointment or just need advice, then ring the East Kent NHS Dental Help line 0808 238 97 97 or text 07943 091958
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you want share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk.
With best wishes for a very Happy Christmas,
Nicola Wood.
03.12.09
I don't think there is an area of Greatstone School that isn't covered in glitter! Come to that I don't think there is an adult or child that isn't either! The build up to Christmas is certainly underway and it is a pleasure to sit in my office and listen to the singing rehearsals going on in the hall. We are certainly in for a treat on the 15th and 16th December.
I have been given some information about a Shepway Rural Parent Forum which will be held at Haguelands Farm on Monday 7th December between 10am and 12 Noon. The idea of the meeting is to find out more about services for children, young people and families in the area and the future of these services. If you are interested then do go along, or if you want more details there is a flyer on the school noticeboard by the office.
As a school we have subscribed to a site called Mymaths.co.uk. The children will need a login and password to access this site which is suitable for children aged 7 and above. Obviously I cannot publish details of the login etc here but your child should know, or failing that speak with the teachers or myself.
Just a couple of reminders: Christmas dinner day will be on Thursday 17th December and on that day children are invitied to wear home clothes, maybe with a festive theme, in return for a donation to Starfish Malawi our charity which sponsors our link school in Malawi. Also, next week, if your child wishes they may buy a raffle ticket for a teddy. Tickets are 10p each and any money raised will go to the Children's Hospice.
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you want share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Only two weeks until the Christmas holidays!
With best wishes
Nicola Wood
23.11.09
Last week culminated in our very successful efforts to fundraise for Children in Need. I don't think I have ever seen so many cakes in one building! The children certainly enjoyed making and selling them although no doubt not quite as much as they did eating them! Thank you for your generosity. In total I am proud to say we raised £360. Our next fundraising event will be a donation to wear festive clothes for our Christmas dinner day which is on Thursday 17th December.
Classes 11 and 12 had a super day at the Museum of Kent Life where they experienced life as a Victorian. Photos will no doubt be on the website soon. Thanks to all parents and carers who did a fantastic job of dressing the children in authentic costume.
We had two children from the school council represent us at the extended schools forum. This is an initiative which aims to help young people on the Marsh work together and develop community cohesion. Watch this space for more details of the project.
Thank you to all parents who have voted in the parent governor elections. We have had a very strong response so far.
A reminder that Wednesday 25th November is an Open Day for parents of prospective reception pupils.
Last week's celebration assembly rewarded 'tidy people'. Children were nominated for a range of tidy qualities such as keeping their tray tidy, picking up coats, looking smart or having neat work. Enjoy seeing the winners in the Hall of Fame section on the website. This week we are looking for good team players.
Let's hope the weather calms down a bit for the next week, children and windy weather are not a good mix!
As always if you have any comments about our school, good or bad, that you want share with me I can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
Only four weeks until the Christmas holidays!
With best wishes
Nicola Wood.
12.11.09.
This week we celebrate the success of our 'Futsal' team. Futsal is a 5-a-side indoor football game. It has similar rules to ordinary football but is played with a weighted ball which reduces bounce thus requiring players to be even more skilful with their footwork. In futsal there are no 'throw ins' but the ball is kicked on and the team must consist of both boys and girls. Our team played in a two part competition arranged via the sports partnership. The competition was held at the Harvey Grammar School and our team successfully won all their matches on the second day of the event. This placed them fourth overall. I was very proud to hear such positive comments about our children, not just about their individual football skills but also how their teamwork shone through. Well done and a special thank you to Mr Morgan-John and Mr Sullivan for all their help.
We had two parents attend our afterschool ICT club this week. I hope they found it worthwhile and it would be good to see more uptakes over the coming weeks.
As promised Mr Jamin, Mr Morgan-John and I will be holding a meeting for those parents of Year 5 children who are interested in information regarding the secondary school selection tests. This will be held on Tuesday 1st December at 5pm in the school hall.
Several parents attended our teacher/parent consultation evening on Tuesday and I have been asked whether this is something new that I have introduced. I have to say it isn't and that we have held them termly for about five years. The concept came about in response to a parent questionnaire where it was highlighted that parents felt they weren't kept well enough informed about their child's progress. Despite the fact that the consultation evenings have not always been well attended we have maintained the opportunity for parents to come and discuss progress or concerns with teachers. The dates of the consultations are published in the newsletter and appointments are made via the school office. The format varies from our formal parent evenings which are held in March where all parents are invited to come and see their child's work and then attend a ten minute interview with the class teacher. Of course these are not the only opportunities to speak with class teachers and appointments can be made whenever necessary via the office.
I have also been approached about the possibility of having a 'clip on tie'. We have contacted our uniform supplier and this is a line that they are in the process of launching. As yet they cannot give us a costing but watch this space!
In assembly this week we will be celebrating effort with reading, see the web site for the award winners.
Finally, some information for anyone who has a child who will be 5 between 1st September 2010 and 31st August 2011. We are having an Open Day on Wednesday 25th November at 9.30am and 1.30pm. This will give you the opportunity to see our reception classes in operation and to tour the rest of the school. There is no need to book just come along and enjoy!
With best wishes
Nicola Wood.
03.11.09
Well I'm always up for trying something new so here goes…the launch of the Headteacher's blog!
As we move more and more into a technological age I thought we should make further use of our already impressive website, very many thanks to Miss Booth who works tirelessly on this for us. So many things go on day to day in school and, as you will see from the November newsletter, there's not always room to tell you everything!
This term I am particularly excited by the launch of our parent/carer and child 'Together We Learn' ICT club. Working together with parents and carers is something I feel very strongly about and our computer suite is an excellent facility begging to be used. Further details about the club are on the November newsletter (which if 'pupil post' fails you is also available on the website!). Below are the terms of use:
- All children to be accompanied by a responsible adult
- No personal USB storage devices to be used. Saving work for home use can only be done using a disc which can be
- purchased from school at a cost of 50p
- Login will be through 'parent' username only
- Printing is permitted at a cost of 5p per sheet
- The school's e-safety policy applies to any parent/carer/child using the after school facility
- Pushchairs/prams are not permitted in the ICT suite
- No food or drink to be consumed in the ICT suite
We had some pleasing Kent Test results and I would like to congratulate all pupils who took part. Their results show that they all tried their hardest, well done! Feedback from Mr Jamin and Mr Morgan-John from our recent 'Meet the Teacher' evening highlights some anxiety from current year 5 parents regarding the procedure for entry into secondary education for 2011. During the coming term we plan to have an afterschool meeting where we can address any concerns. Watch this space for further details.
Our celebration assemblies are proving to be a great success with the children. At the beginning of each week the children are told a specific theme that their class teachers are looking out for. This could be behaviour based e.g. 'being a good friend' or academic e.g. 'brilliant maths'. On Fridays awards are given to two children from each class whose teachers feel have been exceptional in the chosen area. This week we are looking for children who are ICT whizzes! Check the website on Fridays to see the award winners.
Don't forget Mrs Ransley is holding a book fair on the 16th, 17th and 18th November after school in the hall. An ideal time for some Christmas shopping. Unfortunately as a result of the Book Fair we will be unable to have dance club on the 16th.
Absences: May I remind you that if your child is unwell could you notify the school office 01797 363916 on the first day of absence.
Finally (for now!), I have thoroughly enjoyed my first term as Headteacher of Greatstone Primary and very much look forward to our future together. I would welcome any comments about our school from you and can be contacted direct on headteacher@greatstoneschool.co.uk
With best wishes
Nicola Wood.