Yippee the builders have gone! We got very used to having the builders around but just like having a relative to stay it’s such

a relief when you close the door after them. Thank you for all your patience and understanding throughout what has been a

difficult time for us all. Through it all we knew that the safeguarding and well being of children and

staff was a priority for our school. With the changes that have been made to the school visual and hidden we can now say that our school is safer should a fire or similar emergency break out and that is a huge relief to us. As we continue to work with the fire safety advisors we will have to review some of our procedures particularly in relation to parent numbers and visitors to school. We have always worked hard to maintain relationships with parents and certainly missed the opportunities to talk informally with you about your child on a daily basis, but we must follow the advice we have been given.After half term reception parents can continue to use the Porter Road entrance. Year 1 parents will be asked to deliver and collect their children from the classrooms. Years 2-6 children will continue to use the playground as a dropping off and meeting point. There can be no prams/pushchairs in school beyond the main entrance.Please help us with these changes.

Mrs L Sullivan - Head Teacher

Term dates for 09/10

Break up for Half TermFriday 23rd October

Back to SchoolMonday 2nd November

Break up for ChristmasFriday 18th December

Back to SchoolMonday 4th January 2010

Break up for Half TermFriday 12th February

Back to SchoolMonday 22nd February

Break up for EasterThursday 1st April

Back to SchoolMonday 19th April

OCTOBER 2009

HEAD’S

SPOT

Year 2 on their way to the Cathedral Quarter Wheel in Derby city centre.

DALE NEWS

Creative Partnerships News

We are sadly drawing to the end of our work with the Creative Partnerships, and have been reviewing the work and progress we have made. A group of children and staff were interviewed by our Creative Agent, Paula Moss, who was absolutely astounded by the positive and insightful comments about the whole process. As a school we have learned a great deal and have made many changes to the way school looks and the way we work with it.Although our work with the Partnerships will officially end quite soon we aim for the processes and ethos that have evolved from this to continue.

Family Learning News

Family Learning group enjoyed the whole year learning how to support their children in numeracy through fun activities. At the end of the year, they visited the Heights of Abraham, where they had a wonderful time.This year’s Family Learning group will be starting on Thursday 5th November.

Foundation Stage News

In Foundation Stage this term we have been learning all about ‘ourselves’. We have settled into school, made new friends and started lots of new activities. We are learning our letter sounds and numbers and are enjoying some new experiences. We liked dressing up as ‘Wild Things’ and wearing bright clothes. We are looking forward to going to see Cinderella next half term.

Year One News Year 1 had a wild half term! We followed Max on his adventures with the Wild Things; we went to the Zoo and saw many different wild things; we dressed up and had a rumpus in the classroom. We learned that humans are animals too, and that we all have five senses. All that and reading, writing, and numeracy too!

Year Two News

Year 2 had an exciting start to our topic on ‘Derby’ with a visit to the Cathedral Quarter Wheel. We all had a great time and were able to see the whole of Derby. Please remember to help your child with their Learning Log. Homework is given out on Fridays and must be back by Wednesday. Also remember that you must read with your child every night for 10 minutes.

Year Three News

Bonjour tout le monde!This year, Year 3 have started learning French – we know lots of greetings, classroom instructions, colours and some songs. It is very exciting.We have also been ancient investigators and have discovered about life and death in Egypt through looking at artefacts and photographs.

Sports News

• Morning and after school clubs have now started, and run from 8:00am to 8:50am and 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Remember that your child should aim to be physically active for at least 1 hour each school day.

• We have had the first two cross country league races at Moorways, with good success, especially Fatma (Year 3) and Hajarah (Year 4).

• Year 5/6 Karate Club is popular but there are a few spaces left on Thursday nights. A Karate Club for Year 3/4 will be starting in November.

• Swimming with the Year 4 pupils has started really well, but their progress would improve with regular family visits to the pools.

• 15 children are going on an exciting trip to Wembley Stadium in London during the half term.

• There are many sports clubs available in the area over half term. Please see the sports board for details.

• During half term there are 2 football days at Dale on Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th October from 10:00am-3:00pm in the MUGA.

• Badminton for Year 4/5/6 beginners will start on Thursdays at 8:00am next half term.

Year Four News

We have settled so well into life in Year 4, establishing class, routines and expectations. Our topic began broadly by looking at the seven continents and now we are studying Europe in more detail. 4H and 4JB have made an incredible start at the swimming pool and those that stop behind have learnt how to strut their stuff Morris Dancing.Year 4 have also started an art project to measure Dale based on the work of a Slovakian artist, Roman Ordak. Over the next few weeks they will endeavor to measure the entire school community, recording heights on the wall outside the school office.

Year Five News

We have been learning all about space and in particular our Solar System. We

had a great visit to the National Space Centre where we saw actual rockets and satellites. We have learned why we have night and day, different seasons and the phases of the moon. We are getting very good at persuading people either when we write or debate different subjects. We also had a Divali day where our parents came and joined us in different activities.

Year Six News

This half term has seen us getting our teeth into our Victorian topic, with a Victorian School Day, visit to Pickford House and learning that “children should be seen and not heard”!! Now that our class routines and rules are established, we are looking forward to a more creative 2nd half-term, launched by a trip to the Black Country Museum on Thursday 5th November.

School Meal Information

School meals will now cost £2.00 per day, totalling £10.00 per week per child from Monday 2nd November 2009.

Please remember if your child brings a packed lunch to school it must be brought to school at 9:00am. We will not accept late lunchboxes except in exceptional circumstances. Sandwiches, fruit and healthy snacks should be included in lunchboxes. Please remember we do not allow chocolate or fizzy drinks in lunchboxes.

If you think you may be eligible for free school meals, please enquire at the school office.

Please remember to pay for any meals your child is taking during the week on a Monday to your child’s class.

As part of our role we monitor punctuality and have noticed there has recently been a

significant increase in the number of children arriving late. It is the parents legal responsibility to make sure their children attend school everyday and on time. We work closely with the Education Welfare Officer (EWO), and must inform you that

if any child is late on three or more occasions this may result in a visit from the Education Welfare Service.

Further to the letter that was sent home in July regarding extended holiday leave, we would like remind parents that they must arrange an appointment with the Mentors before booking tickets. Holidays taken without authorisation may result in penalty fines from the Education Welfare Service and loss of school place.

How to contact us:Telephone 01332 760070

Emailadmin@dale.derby.sch.uk

AddressDale Community Primary SchoolPorter Road, Derby.DE23 6NL

Head TeacherMrs L. Sullivan

Year 6 children taking part in a drumming workshop

Governor’s SpotThe Governing Body are working hard to make our school a safe and caring environment in which children can excel and fulfil their potential. In order to do this effectively we must work in partnership with the whole school community and welcome any comments or suggestions that parents and carers would like to make.

The Board of Governors consists of the following individuals listed below:

Mr Rizvan Bhatti - Vice ChairMs Julie Blackwell - Staff GovernorMr Dilbag Bola - Staff GovernorMr Hardial Dhamrait - LA GovernorMr Mahroof Hussain - LA Governor & ChairMr Zafar Iqbal - Staff GovernorMrs Alison Johnson - Staff GovernorMrs Zabada Mahmood - Community Governor

Councillor Amar Nath - LA GovernorMr Shahban Rehmat - Parent GovernorMr Mohammed Sharief - Community GovernorMrs Linda Sullivan - Staff GovernorMrs Zamida Waheed - Parent Governor

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how we can improve the school further, please feel free to contact me or any other Governor. We will be more than happy to listen to your views and make adjustments where appropriate to improve the education of our children. You can contact us in person, by emailing governors@dale.derby.sch.uk or by letter. Please leave all correspondence at the school office.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Mr Mahroof HussainChair of Governors

Learning

Mentors