Ingleby Mill Primary School

Newsletter

April 2015

Welcome back to the last term of the

academic year! The children have arrived at

school smiling every day this week which is

always good to see. They have made a very

settled start and the vast majority have

shown great determination to succeed in their

learning. Keep up the great work.

This term we are looking forward to sunny

days and learning that sees us ready to take

on new challenges ahead: it wont be long

before the children are saying Goodbye to

this years teachers and Hello to next

years!

Playground & Site Safety We would like to remind parents that cycling/scooting on the school grounds is not permitted. All riders (both children and adults) should dismount before entering the grounds. We would also ask that you avoid walking across the school car park as this greatly increases the risk of accidents.

Saying Good Bye

At the end of the summer term, Mrs Shaller

(our assistant head teacher) will be retiring

after many years dedicated service to the

children of Ingleby Mill. She is one of the

founding teachers in the school, having been

here since its opening almost twenty years

ago. Her contribution to the life of the school

and its children has been truly outstanding

and we will miss her greatly. She has plans to

fill her days with adventures and is planning

on doing some voluntary work. We are hoping

that she will come into school occasionally!

Lots to Celebrate We have much of which to be proud and dont always blow our own trumpet hard enough so I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some good news stories.

Comic Relief: You helped us to raise over 1560 for this very worthwhile cause: thank you for your AMAZING support;

Our Cross Country team made it through to the Tees Valley Finals and came back with medals galore. A HUGE well done to all participants whose attitudes and behaviour were exemplary;

Our Y3/4 Tennis Players represented the school in the Stockton South Cluster tournament with the boys winning 15 out of their 16 games and coming an impressive 2nd overall: fabulous news;

Our choirs Old Time Music Hall event to commemorate 100 years since WW1 played to a packed out audience which included veteran members of the DLI. It was truly magnificent and a credit to the performers and their teachers;

Our Eco Team made it through to the final of the Northern Echos Schools Awards as well as having already won 2000 from NEPIC;

Our schools designs and ideas are being used in other schools now our Trees of Hopes and Dreams and our British History Timeline are being used to engage children in schools in other parts of Stockton;

One of our Y6 pupils, Hollie Evans, won the Stockton Childrens Book of the Year prize for the best review;

Outdoor Developments: as the weather improves, you will see our outdoor developments beginning to take shape. We already have our own beach area and giant storytelling chair to help with delivering the national curriculum and our mud kitchen and music walls are in progress. Keep an eye out over the coming months for the changes.

National Curriculum Tests/End of Year Assessments Children in Year 1 (and a small number in Y2) will be tested on their phonic knowledge during the week of 15th June. The test is a national requirement and each child will work with their teacher on a 1 to 1 basis.

National Curriculum tests for children in Year 2 will take place later this term. These are not formal tests and are used only to verify teachers own judgements about how well children are performing against national expectations. The information reported to parents of children in Y2 will be based on each childs performance in speaking & listening, reading, writing, maths and science and whilst evidence from the tests will be used as part of the judgement, your childs work from their day to day learning will be the main evidence base. These judgements are reported to the local authority and to the Department for Education. Level 2B is the current national average for children at the end of Y2 though very many of our children exceed this expectation. This is the last year when levels will be reported and from September 2015, there will no longer be any level reporting at all: children will be assessed against Age Related Expectations, though we are still awaiting final details from the Department for Education. Assessments for children in years 3, 4, and 5 will be completed towards the end of this half term. The information from these assessments is also used alongside teachers own assessments in reading, writing, spelling and maths. The judgements are reported to parents and governors, as well as to the Local Authority via the School Improvement Partner. Pupils in Y6 will take their formal tests in reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation and maths during the week of 11th - 15th May. These tests are determined by a national timetable and must be administered according to strict regulations. Writing assessments will be based on a range of pieces which have been completed over the year. Results and teacher assessments are reported to partner secondary schools, the local authority and to the DfE and will be reported in the national school league tables when they are published in the autumn. Level 4B is the national average for children at the end of Y6 and again, we would expect that very many of our children will exceed this. Again, this is the last year when levels will be reported and from September 2015, there will no longer be any level reporting at all: children will be assessed against Age Related Expectations, (though we are still awaiting final details from the Department for Education). Parents will receive a summary of their childs outcomes with the annual report.

IMPS School Uniform Please ensure that you child comes to school dressed according to the schools uniform policy. Children should wear:

Navy sweatshirt/jumper/cardigan;

White polo shirt/shirt;

Grey trousers, shorts, skirt or pinafore;

Blue gingham dresses in warmer weather;

Black shoes (no trainers);

We do not insist that sweatshirts/polo shirts carry the school logo. Kitchen Staff Required If you are looking for a couple of hours work around the school day, our Cook is looking for a new member of staff. You should be flexible, able to work as part of a team, enjoy working with children and have some experience of food preparation though training will be provided. This post is subject to DBS check. For further information, please speak to the Cook or to the admin team.

Packed Lunches

Please be mindful that children should not

bring glass bottles, fizzy drinks or sweets of

any type (including chocolate bars) in their

packed lunches. We would also request that

you do not send in any products containing

nuts as we have children in school with severe

nut allergy. The small number of children in

Reception, Years 1 and 2 who bring packed

lunches should have grapes and cherry

tomatoes cut in half as these foods pose a

choking hazard. Water bottles for classrooms

should contain only plain water. Thank you for

your support with this.

Advance Dates: please cut out & keep! May Half Term: 25th 31st May inclusive PD Day: 1st June (school closed to children) Children break for summer: Friday 17th July