Lead Encourage Aspire Respect Nurture
Dear Parents/Carers,
Thank you for your support this week during our Ofsted visit. A report on the school will follow and we will send this out as soon as we are able to. Apologies for the inconvenience of postponing parents/carers evening but the teaching staff look forward to meeting with you on 2nd/3rd March 2020.
Staff Training
While teachers in school teach all subjects to the pupils, individual teachers have specific responsibilities for subject areas and have an overview of this subject across the whole school. This term subject lead teachers have been able to attend training related to their subject to help enhance the way they can co-ordinate their curriculum area.
The mental health of our pupils and staff is very important to us. We want all of our pupils to reach their full potential and to be happy while at school. Staff have completed training in the area of mental health so that they can support the pupils and each other to ensure that we all remain healthy and in a good place mentally.
Staff have also received annual update training on asthma, anaphylaxis and epilepsy.
Sharing Assembly
We have enjoyed wonderful sharing assemblies this term. These are a real opportunity for the pupils to be able to showcase their work and gain confidence speaking in front of an audience. This illustrates the broad curriculum that the pupils experience gaining incremental knowledge and skills throughout their Blockley Learning Journey.
Wildlife Project
We have linked with the church this term in setting up a wildlife project in the churchyard. Initially this has involved siting bird boxes, bug houses and hedgehog boxes. The pupils will be involved in monitoring the wildlife and ensuring the boxes remain habitable.
Bishops Visitor
We enjoyed welcoming the Bishops Visitor to school and showing what has been happening in the school since she last visited. She enjoyed watching an Open the Book assembly and speaking to pupils about their time in school. She was pleased to be able to go into the classrooms and see the pupils at work from designing and constructing hedgehog refuges to investigating homophones.
Governors in School
We held our Governor in School week this term. This is an opportunity for Governors to come into school to gain a complete picture of the school how it works so that they can govern effectively. Governors visited different classrooms and lessons and enjoyed speaking with the pupils regarding their work.
We are pleased to welcome Anna Stanley to our Governing Board. She has volunteered in the school previously so is already familiar with the staff and pupils.
Cross County
38 pupils were able to attend the cross-country event at the Fire College in Moreton-in-Marsh this year. This was against other schools and our pupils ran very well with maximum effort. Well done to all who took part.
Floorball
We are looking forward to the Floorball final in the early part of next term. Well done to Team A for getting this far in the competition.
Daily Mile
The Daily Mile has become an embedded part of our curriculum designed to prepare the pupils for their afternoon of learning. The success of this event was celebrated when the Daily Mile representative visited school and was impressed with the way this has been implemented within the school and the positive impact it has had on learning.
Dogs Trust
The pupils were able to learn more about keeping themselves safe around dogs and being a responsible dog owner during a whole school assembly this week. No real dogs in sight but a full-sized soft toy Labrador was present for the assembly!
FOS
We have just received another box of maths resources that were on back order which completes the purchases made by FOS donations. These are really aiding the pupils with their understanding of mathematical concepts and form a vital part of our teaching materials. Thank you again.
Please continue to support FOS by attending the cake sale on Friday after school.
Big Pancake Day
We are looking forward to supporting the Church Urban Fund by having a Big Pancake Party! During the afternoon of 25th February 2020, on Shrove Tuesday, pupils will be participating in various activities followed by a pancake treat. Money donated will help reach more families experiencing food poverty through hundreds of projects, supported by the Church Urban Fund, that are working to tackle hunger in Britain. Your donation will help those struggling to put food on the table.
American Museum Visit
On Thursday 27th February we shall be welcoming a member of the American Museum of Bath’s outreach team into Class 5. There will be a range of activities relating to their topic of The Americas focusing on Native Americans. They are looking forward to furthering their understanding in this interactive way.
Parents/Carers Evening
These will now be held on 2nd and 3rd March. The time slots previously arranged will remain the same. If you now have difficulty with the time arranged please speak to the office.
School Nurse Visit
Each year in England, school children in Reception and Year 6 have their height and weight checked at school as part of the National Child Measurement Programme. This is due to take place by trained NHS staff on Thursday March 5th 2020. At the same time the reception pupils have their vision checked to ensure that any problems can be picked up early in their school life.
World Book Day
We will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. Please help your child to dress up as a character from a book. As it is a literacy celebration no film/TV characters please – unless the book came first!
Safety in the Car Park
We all want the pupils to be kept safe. It is therefore vital that we all drive safely when arriving, leaving and parking at school. Please drive very slowly near the school and in the car park to ensure that accidents do not happen. All pedestrians need to use the paths were possible and keep your children close by. Thank you.
Menu
A reminder that we will start back on week 1 of the current menu.
Packed Lunches and Break Time Snacks
We have a number of pupils in school with nut and seed allergies. To keep the children safe we ask that nut and seed products are not brought into school. Please no peanut butter, nutty chocolate spread, nut/seed bars or any other products containing seeds/nuts. All of the school lunches are nut and seed free. Thank you for your understanding.
Term 3 and 4
Term 3 ends on Friday 14th February at 3.05pm/3.10pm. Term 4 begins on 24th February.
We look forward to seeing you all again at the start of term 4 refreshed and ready to LEARN.
Blockley School Staff