Dear Parents and Carers
Half term is fast approaching and it seems almost inconceivable that we are now at the end of term 5! With Easter falling late this year, a term length of only 5 weeks, a Bank Holiday set within this and the formality of SATs in Years 2 and 6 the term just seems to have disappeared! It is of course great to be busy and to have plenty to look forward to in the coming term.
With the heating finally turned off for the summer, it is nice to be able to open the windows and allow the warmth of the sun to enter into our lives once again. The onset of summer brings a richness of colour to our countryside and the added bonus of extended days to appreciate and enjoy the great outdoors. Our surrounding environment provides us all with a wealth of opportunities to explore our fascinating country.
Welcome:
I would like to extend a warm welcome to several new pupils who have recently started at Blockley School. They are; Lacie-Mai and Amelie in Class 1, Lilah in Class 2, and Edward , in Class 3. They are already settling in well and getting use to their new classroom environments. I’m sure that everyone will continue to help make these children feel included in all aspects of school life.
Giving their utmost:
During the second week in May, children across the school were given a range of assessments and tasks to complete so that we can gauge whether individuals and groups of pupils are making progress and gaining a good understanding in English and Mathematics.
At the same time the Year 2 and Year 6 pupils had to sit formal SATs assessments which are compiled by the DfE. The Year 2 SATs papers form one piece of evidence which helps teachers to make an accurate overall judgement of how your child is developing according to the 2014 National Curriculum. The Year 6 pupils have also had the opportunity to show the examiners what they have understood and to apply their learnt skills. The results of these National exams will not be available to schools until July 2017. As with all exams they are important but at the same time we must keep the results in perspective as testing children at a very young age is not always the most accurate reflection of an individual’s overall ability. Children at the very young age of 7 and 11 years old still have a lot of their educational career in front of them and we must always remember that children develop and respond in different ways and at varying times in the early life.
In school, we were all very proud of the way that they all managed to cope successfully with the added stresses that are often associated with these unusual situations. Now that they are complete I hope that they can all get back to fully appreciating their primary education.
Residential:
The trip to London was a huge success story and enjoyed by both staff and children alike. I would like to convey my immense gratitude to; Mrs Dodgson-Hatto, Miss Overton-Short, Mrs Miles, Mrs Pettit, Mr Jones and Miss Riddle, for their commitment and kindness towards all the children, their organisation to make this trip a very memorable experience, their ability to work closely as a team and still summon up a sense of humour first thing in the morning – thank you all so much.
The children had a wonderful time and we are very proud to say that the staff received many very positive comments about their good behaviour, courtesy and politeness.
New IT equipment:
During this academic year we have managed to purchase 5 new Interactive Touch Screens, one for each of the classrooms across the school. These make excellent teaching tools especially when used interactively with the children. These, along with the laptops last year, make for a substantial investment in our ICT facilities.
Musicate Day Wednesday 24th May 2017:
We held a whole school Musicate day to coincide with a visit from Jess our Musician. We spent the day as mixed aged groups, from Receptio
n to Year 6 taking part in a variety of activities related to our Music Building Blocks. All the children were engaged and participated to the very best of their abilities. Jess was extremely impressed at how the children worked together as a team and at how respectful and thoughtful they were to each piece of music they listened to. A big thank you to all the staff and children who embraced Music for the day.
PE Kit:
Could all parents regularly check that their children’s PE bag is in school each week? We presently have a number of children who have no PE kit in school and we don’t have enough spare resources to kit them all out. It is really important that your child has the right clothing to fully participate in PE lessons.
Parent Support Advisor (PSA):
Our PSA is Tracey Baker and she works directly with parents and carers to ensure the best possible outcomes for children by providing access to information for families. Tracey can help parents and carers by offering friendly, non-judgemental support for a range of issues such as: poor attendance, behaviour concerns, family issues such as bereavement, separation or lone parenting. Tracey is available most Thursday mornings in school. If you have not already spoken to her and would like to do so please make an appointment at the School Office.
Sharing Assemblies:
Following on from class 4’s lovely sharing assembly to day the final few will occur as follows:
9.00am Friday 9th June Class 1
9.00am Friday 16th June Class 2
Please note that class 5 will not be participating in a sharing assembly this term as they will be at the heart of the school performances on the 11th and 12th July.
Looking Forward:
During the first week back in June all classes will engage in a timetable of PSHE events when the Life Bus comes to visit Blockley Primary. Also during this first week of term 6 classes 1 and 3 will have the chance to participate in several workshops which are being put on at the school by Longborough Festival Opera. Later in the term we have our Sports Day at the Prince of Wales Stadium (Monday 3rd July) followed shortly afterwards by the School Production which this year will be ‘Joseph’.
Annual Reports:
As in the past we will be issuing a written report to parents and cares about your children’s progress and development throughout the 2016-17 academic year. These will be sent home on Friday 14th July.
School Photographs:
The school photographer will be in school on Tuesday 6th June and Wednesday 7th June to take individual photographs of the Year 6 pupils and to take photographs of all the Class groups.
BEd Students:
I would like to welcome back our two teacher training students, Hannah Kelly and Abi Pearson to classes 2 and 4. They will both be in school up until 21st June next term.
And Finally:
A brief reminder to everyone that children start back to school on Tuesday 6th June as the staff have an In Service Training day on the Monday. May I take this opportunity therefore to wish everyone a happy, relaxing and safe half term holiday.
Best wishes and kind regards
Mr Pudifoot
Headteacher