Year 1 children were truly inspired by their trip to Whipsnade Zoo this week. They were particularly fascinated to observe meerkats, as they have been learning lots about them in this term’s story ‘Meerkat Mail’. We were so proud of the curiosity and intelligence shown by every child as they asked deep and meaningful questions about each animals’ appearance, habitat and behaviour.

There were many highlights of the day, one of which was the children’s workshop about how safari animals use camouflage to keep safe. The children learnt that lions are colour blind, which means that a Zebra’s stripes act as the perfect camouflage amongst tall wavy grass.

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Floreat Montague Park School Newsletter – Friday 29th June 2018

MARVELLOUS

FMP NEWS

Using all that brain power was sure to make for tiring work! A well-deserved nap was had by many on the way home!

Well done to Gandhi class for being such wonderful Floreat role models all day.

SPORTS DAY TIMINGS The timings for Sports Day, on Thursday 12th July, will be as follows:

Nursery 8.45am – 9.15am(Part-time children are invited to

stay all day)

Reception 9.15am – 10am

Year 1 10am – 10.30am

. Sports Day will take place on our Astroturf Pitch, parents and families are welcome to stay for the whole morning or alternatively just join for their child’s year group. We recommend that families bring rugs and/or folding chairs to sit on to enjoy the races. Please be reminded that there will be a mum’s race and a dad’s race, so bring your trainers along if you’d like to get involved!

Please send children into school in their PE Kits, with Floreat hats and water bottles. They will stay in their PE Kit all day, so there is no need to bring uniform.

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RACE FOR LIFEWe will also be holding a whole school ‘Race for Life’ in aid of Cancer Research during the lunchtime of Sports Day. All children will have the opportunity to be sponsored by friends and families in advance of the race and each child will receive a medal in our Friday Assembly.

Nursery and Reception children will run, jog or walk for ten minutes, whilst Year 1 will do the same for twenty minutes. The teachers will join in and encourage the children to get to the finish line.

Look out for Sponsorship forms in book bags on Monday 2nd July.

OUR BRILLIANT NEW TEACHERSMeet our brilliant new teachers. Miss Jones will teach in Reception, Mrs Hamblin will teach in Year 1 and Mrs Rothwell will teach Year 2.

Miss JonesOwens ClassReception

Miss Jones has been teaching in Reception for three years at a local school. She graduated from Nottingham Trent University where she studied Psychology with Criminology. After working as a Teaching Assistant she found her passion for Early Years, she then completed her PGCE at Reading University, specialising in Early Years and Key Stage One.

Miss Jones is really looking forward to joining Floreat Montague Park due to our unique educational approach within the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is a passionate advocate for outdoor learning and the ways in which it can enhance learning. She is especially looking forward to developing her class’ character virtues during Forest School Sessions.

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Mrs HamblinCurie Class

Year 1

Mrs Hamblin has been teaching in Key Stage One and Early Years for fourteen years. She graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree in Primary Education. Her extensive experience gives her a deep understanding of young children’s development and how they learn best. She is passionate about ensuring that all children reach their full potential.

Mrs Hamblin has worked at two large primary schools in Reading and Wokingham and is very much looking forward to joining the Floreat Montague Park team in September. Mrs Hamblin will work for four days per week, Monday to Thursday. Mrs Harper-Cole/Mrs Hilary will teach Curie Class on a Friday.

Mrs RothwellMandela Class

Year 2

Mrs Rothwell joins us with 23 years of experience across both state and independent primary schools. She graduated with a degree in Music and then went on to gain a Post-Graduate Degree and Masters Degree in Education. Mrs Rothwell’s specialisms are Maths and Music and she is an accomplished violin and piano player, talents which she is looking forward to sharing with the children. She has a particular passion for teaching Year 2 and is always thrilled to see the progress children make throughout this important year.

Mrs Rothwell is looking forward to joining Floreat in September, as we are a growing school with lots of opportunities. She believes that children work and learn better in a calm environment, and this is one of the many reason she has chosen to join Floreat.

MEET THE TEACHER DAY

Miss Jones, Mrs Hamblin and Mrs Rothwell will be in school on Monday 2nd July to meet the children, look out for them at the end of the day to say “hello!”

CLASS NAMES AND THE MEANING BEHIND THEM…

Named after inspirational people from history and throughout the world, these people have been specially chosen as they each perfectly embody a Floreat character virtue. At the beginning of next year your child will learn about the meaning behind their class name. Read on to find out more…

BRAVERY

As the first female pilot to fly solo around the world, Amelia Earhart was certainly one gutsy woman! Miss Lipyeat will talk to the children about how they can show braveness throughout their year in Nursery,

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especially at the beginning of the year when coming into school all by themselves!

CREATIVITY

Leonardo Da Vinci is probably most famous for painting the ‘Mona Lisa’, however what many people do not know is that he was also a sculptor, an architect, a poet, a composer and an inventor! Mr Davis will show his class examples of Da Vinci’s work and teach them the importance of creativity, always encouraging every child to have their own ideas and opinions.

PERSEVERANCE

If Jesse Owens doesn’t embody perseverance, we don’t know who does! Winning four Olympic Gold Medals in the same year, he said “in order to make dreams become a reality it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self - discipline and effort”. Miss Jones will share these wise words with her class and help them to persevere in all that they do!

SERVICE

Known for serving and caring for others, Mahatma Gandhi served not only the people he met, but his country as a whole. Miss Lang will encourage her class to recognise how good they feel when they serve others. To quote Gandhi: “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

CURIOSITY

As the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, Marie Curie is an incredible example of somebody who showed curiosity to find out more. Mrs Hamblin will encourage her class to have curious minds and always ask questions to learn as much as possible. She will also share Curie’s famous quote with them “be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.”

FORGIVENESS

Nelson Mandela sets the highest example of forgiveness. He became an emblem of peace when he was able to reconcile with all those who had previously been instrumental in his imprisonment. Mandela famously said: “Everyone can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite”. Mrs Rothwell will share Nelson Mandela’s message with Year 2 to support them to understand the maturity and courage of true forgiveness.

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ASSISTANT HEADTEACHERAs you may be aware we were recruiting for an Assistant Headteacher to cover Mrs Hyatt during her maternity leave.

We are delighted to announce that Mr Davis is going to be the Assistant Headteacher from September 2018 to May 2019, when Mrs Hyatt returns. He will continue to teach in Reception and will lead 'teaching and learning' from the classroom. Mr Davis has made an outstanding contribution to the outcomes for children during his time as a Reception Class Teacher and will continue to drive standards in his role as Assistant Headteacher.

MEET THE GOVERNORSThe Governing Body run termly meetings with a focus on curriculum, safeguarding, resources and outcomes for pupils. They also form an integral part of all recruitment processes. To find out more about each of our governors, have a look at the Governance section of our website.

Chair of Governors – Ed Venables

Vice-Chair of Governors – Katrin Burt

Community Governor – Oliver Parent Governor – Rishi 6

Whittle Kalanke

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