Monday 31st October 2016 November Newsletter Dear Parents ...
Monday 31st October 2016 November Newsletter Dear Parents/Carers, I hope that you have all had a relaxing half term break and are ready for an exciting half term ahead. The children are settling back into familiar routines and some are enjoying some Halloween activities. New Logo: Thank you for your help in updating our school logo. We took feedback from pupils, staff, parents and governors on board to bring our existing logo a bit more up-to-date. The tree is exactly the same as the one on the Tesco school uniform but without the bench which many felt looked cluttered and reflected a bench which no longer exists in school. We are now going to gradually phase the new logo through the school which will eventually appear on school uniform. Goodbye: Last half term we said goodbye to Mrs Dyer, our Year 3 teacher who has moved to a school closer to her home. We will all miss her energy and enthusiasm. A big thank you also to the kitchen staff, Geraldine and Liz, who have both moved on too. We welcome Daniel Wright and Annemarie Bush. Website Launch: Thank you for your ideas for our new school website last month, which we are planning to officially launch on Thursday 17th November. We will provide more details shortly. Stibbington Trip: Our Year 6s are back from their residential trip to Stibbington which was a great success. I heard that they learnt, ate and (surprisingly) slept a lot. They were evacuated as WW1 children, completed a treasure hunt around the lake and on their last evening toasted marshmallows on a campfire. Thank you to the hard work of Mrs Arnold, Mrs Hodson and Mrs Seymour who organised the trip and cared for the class so well. The parents of Year 6 also organised leavers’ hoodies for the trip which look fantastic and are being worn proudly by the children. A big thank you especially to Tanya Stubbings for her coordination of this task across a very large class! KS2 Library: We are in the process of revamping our KS2 library which is looking very inviting with a giant bean bag and new furniture! The Travelling Book Fair is coming on Friday and will run after school (in the hall or reception classroom) for a week and all commission raised from the sale will go into restocking the library books so please do come down and buy! Thank you to Mrs Ould, a Year 5 teaching assistant, who has very kindly bought the school some new dictionaries for the school. Macmillan and John Huntingdon Charities: We thank you all for your kind contributions for our coffee morning and Harvest Festival last month. We raised £190 for Macmillan and donated 5 very heavy boxes of food to JHC. Car Park: A concern has been raised about parents parking in the turning circle before the school car park which has forced some people to turn in the staff car park, which as you know, is always full of cars in the morning. Please can parents take care when parking as we want to avoid vehicular access to the school as it poses as risk to our pupils and children in buggies? Thank you. Parents Consultations: A reminder that parents consultations for all classes except Reception and Year 3 are taking place this week on Tuesday and Thursday. You should have all received your allotted times but please see your child’s class teacher if you are not sure when you are meeting. Any parents unable to make the meeting will need to arrange an alternative date/time to see the class teacher. As a school, we are aiming for all meetings to take place by the end of November.
During the meetings, the class teacher will talk you through how your child is settling into his/her new year group, progress across all areas, targets and also achievement in spelling. I will be available in the hall for a general chat, or more specifically to support you with your child’s learning at home. Please do drop by and see me if you would like me to show you the school’s handwriting style, talk you through the way we teach maths or phonics, or any general queries you may have. Due to a number of concerns raised by parents about sessions overrunning, we are going to be trialling a new timer system which will buzz when ten minutes are up to help everyone stick to their timings. If you require more time than this, please do arrange another time to see your child’s teacher. Please also let us know how this system worked for you after the event as we would love to hear your feedback. Homework Policy: We are going to be looking into homework this half term and would like to know your views. Please leave your comments on our Survey Monkey for us to consider: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/icknieldhomework. If you have more than one child, please may we ask that you complete a survey for each child as we appreciate that your experiences and views may vary from class to class. Children on the Wall/Scooters/Bikes: We have been approached about children who are walking or sitting along the wall near the bike shed. Can I please remind everyone that this is extremely unsafe and to remain vigilant about this matter. If a child is on the wall, please do alert their parents immediately, or for older children, notify our school office. Similarly, concerns have been raised about children travelling across the playground at the beginning and end of day on scooters or bikes. Again can I ask parents to not allow their children to do this as this can be dangerous? Thank you for your understanding. Football Match, Icknield v Babraham: On Monday 10th October, 11 Year 5 and 6 children took part in a friendly football match against Babraham Primary School. The final result was a 2:2 draw and the teams were well matched. Well done to all those who took part. We were particularly impressed by how well they played together as a team and their good sportsmanship. We felt very proud of them all and are looking forward to organising more football matches to include all those children who expressed an interest in taking part. A special thanks to Mrs Seymour for managing the team and to Babraham School for providing the referee. Sam Breary: On Friday 21st October, Sam Breary, National, European and World Champion Sailor, came into school to work with children throughout the school on their fitness and motivation, and gave an inspiring talk to the children during assembly about how he overcame bullying and challenges to become a sporting success. Star Writers: Congratulations to the winners of this month’s writing competition. Their work is proudly displayed in our school foyer. They are: Year Group Name Reception Leo Year 1 Chloe Year 2 Noah Year 3 Neri Year 4 Holly Year 5 Domnic Year 6 Rhys November Value: We are going to be looking at the value of patience this month alongside learning skills in our assemblies. Best wishes, Anneka Stockdale Headteacher
During the meetings, the class teacher will talk you through how your child is settling into his/her new year group, progress across all areas, targets and also achievement in spelling. I will be available in the hall for a general chat, or more specifically to support you with your child’s learning at home. Please do drop by and see me if you would like me to show you the school’s handwriting style, talk you through the way we teach maths or phonics, or any general queries you may have. Due to a number of concerns raised by parents about sessions overrunning, we are going to be trialling a new timer system which will buzz when ten minutes are up to help everyone stick to their timings. If you require more time than this, please do arrange another time to see your child’s teacher. Please also let us know how this system worked for you after the event as we would love to hear your feedback. Homework Policy: We are going to be looking into homework this half term and would like to know your views. Please leave your comments on our Survey Monkey for us to consider: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/icknieldhomework. If you have more than one child, please may we ask that you complete a survey for each child as we appreciate that your experiences and views may vary from class to class. Children on the Wall/Scooters/Bikes: We have been approached about children who are walking or sitting along the wall near the bike shed. Can I please remind everyone that this is extremely unsafe and to remain vigilant about this matter. If a child is on the wall, please do alert their parents immediately, or for older children, notify our school office. Similarly, concerns have been raised about children travelling across the playground at the beginning and end of day on scooters or bikes. Again can I ask parents to not allow their children to do this as this can be dangerous? Thank you for your understanding. Football Match, Icknield v Babraham: On Monday 10th October, 11 Year 5 and 6 children took part in a friendly football match against Babraham Primary School. The final result was a 2:2 draw and the teams were well matched. Well done to all those who took part. We were particularly impressed by how well they played together as a team and their good sportsmanship. We felt very proud of them all and are looking forward to organising more football matches to include all those children who expressed an interest in taking part. A special thanks to Mrs Seymour for managing the team and to Babraham School for providing the referee. Sam Breary: On Friday 21st October, Sam Breary, National, European and World Champion Sailor, came into school to work with children throughout the school on their fitness and motivation, and gave an inspiring talk to the children during assembly about how he overcame bullying and challenges to become a sporting success. Star Writers: Congratulations to the winners of this month’s writing competition. Their work is proudly displayed in our school foyer. They are: Year Group Name Reception Leo Year 1 Chloe Year 2 Noah Year 3 Neri Year 4 Holly Year 5 Domnic Year 6 Rhys November Value: We are going to be looking at the value of patience this month alongside learning skills in our assemblies. Best wishes, Anneka Stockdale Headteacher
