NewsletterAutumn Term 2014

‘…..individual success for every child…..’Taken from The Mead School

Mission Statement

The Mead School

Dear Parents and Friends

WOW – what a wonderful term we have all enjoyed. We welcomed 44 newchildren and two members of staff into our family in September and now wecannot imagine life without them. Each has enriched our community andembraced all The Mead has to offer.

EXAM SUCCESSESHuge congratulations to the following members of Year 6 who have passedthe Kent Selection tests at Grammar School:-

Shaan BainsRebecca ColbranJames ConwayEmma DonovanTalia HardieScarlett KilcoyneEdward LahnerXavier LakeEdward Lynch

Alexander MaltbyJo PriceThomas PriceSofia RoyElla StanfordEmma StewartIsobel WarrenLeia Watts

At the time of writing we are still awaiting entry and scholarship exam resultsfor various independent schools.

HOT NEWS:Huge congratulations to Sophie Ovenden who has been awarded a dancescholarship to Bethany. This is The Mead’s first dance scholarship for 20years; so well done Sophie and Miss Victoria!

PLANNING PERMISSIONIt has always been quite difficult to manage the school entrance from ourupstairs offices. Despite video links and television CTV, we would be happierto have a downstairs office and reception area. To this end we havesubmitted two planning applications to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Thefirst is to create a new entrance to the Kindergarten down the side of theschool and the second is to construct a new office and reception outside thecurrent entrance with two new classrooms above. I am sure you will see theyellow posters go up outside the school before too long.

ANNUAL CYCLE RIDE IN AID OF THE ROYAL NATIONAL CHILDREN’SFOUNDATIONThe last Sunday in September saw a host of intrepid Mead cyclists take to the‘Forest Way’ cycle track – all ages, all levels and all speeds could be foundheading towards Forest Row and a much enjoyed barbecue with deliciouslyscrummy cakes before returning back to Groombridge.

It was a wonderful day – a chance to really enjoy a family activity – I could bespotted on a tandem with a trailer! – whilst raising funds for the Royal NationalChildren’s Foundation. We were thrilled that Chris Hughes, Director ofOperations of the charity, came to an assembly to receive a wonderful chequefor £650. Thank you everyone – see you next year – same place, same time!

WATER AID NEWSI am delighted to say that we have reachedour target of £2000 and will hand over acheque to Water Aid in assembly next term.The children have been wonderful in saving alittle from their pocket money and pesteringfamily and friends for donations. From thesmallest child in Kindy to the oldest in Year 6 Ihave been amazed by the children’scompassion and understanding and a realdesire to help those less fortunate thanthemselves. One child brings in coppers eachday, another saved up his entire pocket moneyover the year and gave it all to Water Aid saying ‘I will get lots of presents atChristmas and those people don’t even have clean water’. There are manysuch stories.

A huge thank you to children and parents!

Rachel Crouch

OTHER CHARITIESThank you once again for your tremendousresponse to the Samaritan Shoe Box appeal.92 shoes boxes are now on their way aroundthe world to children less fortunate.

You also generously donated £147 towardsthe Poppy Appeal and £110 to Movember notto mention all the produce that we were ableto take to ‘Soup Bowl’ as part of our HarvestFestival celebrations.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR ADOLESCENT DAUGHTERGirls seem to be growing up faster and faster these days and it cansometimes be difficult to know how best to help, support and simplyunderstand them during this time.

We are delighted to announce that we have invited Jules Wareham to come toThe Mead to give a talk to both staff and parents on issues related toadolescent girls.

Mrs Wareham is the head of girls’ boarding at Bethany School and has yearsof experience in this area.

The talk will be on Wednesday 11 February 2015 at 7.00 pm so parents ofdaughters of any age, please make a date in your diary as I’m sure it will be avery interesting and helpful evening. Equally, should you have an olderdaughter already at secondary school and would like to come, we would bedelighted to welcome you.

A letter with more information and a reply slip will be sent out nearer the time.

Debbie Latty, Y6 Form Tutor

E-SAFETYI attended an e-safety briefing in October, and among other sources, here aresome E-safety items in brief:

The number one fear for young people in telling their parents if they haveseen something inappropriate or had an approach online is that of their devicebeing taken away. Our advice is to underline how important it is to reportanything untoward.

Parents are encouraged to change their phone PINs every month, as therehas been a growth in children overriding the parent locks on purchases. It IS apain but doesn't cost any money.

Snapchat was recently in the news after their party Apps which usedSnapchat had their servers hacked. In school, we take the view that anypicture online should be one you are also happy to have outside your house!

If you have any e-safety worries, or concerns, please contact me to see if Ican help.

Stephen Lockyer

The School Council have had a busy first term. I have a great new team andthey instantly came with loads of ideas.

Our first mission was to explore the school and report any maintenance issues.Many things have been done because of the council’s beady eyes. We werealso fully involved in decisions regarding the new tranquil garden. The newlarge outdoor cushions have arrived and more is on the way!

We have also been trying to solve the playground equipment issue. We againentered into the initiative that enabled us to exchange unwanted clothes andtextiles for playground equipment (science equipment last year). Theunwanted clothes are either given toothers that are in need or broken downand recycled into new materials.This year we managed to save 260kilograms of unwanted textiles fromlandfill. Thank you to all of you whohelped us to reach this target. The schoolcouncil are now deciding what playgroundequipment they would like and it will beunveiled in the New Year!

Thank you, The School Council

ART

MATHS WHIZZ... FOR PARENTS?Usually, it is at these end of term newsletter moments when Irecommend that your child spends their spare holiday momentsbrushing up on their Maths skills using their fantastic Maths Whizztutoring programmes. And of course I do, Again.

But this holiday I would like to see more parents using Maths Whizz too.

If you have not yet set yourself up with a Maths Whizz parental account thenyou are missing out. Missing out, on the opportunity not only to get a detailedoverview of your children’s progress within all areas of their Maths Whizz; butalso missing the ability to send and share with your child bespoke certificatesand interactive stickers, these celebrate and enjoy their achievements andsuccesses gained within this interactive tutoring programming.

Setting up a parental account is child’s play. Simply go to the ‘console’ area ofyour child’s account and click on the orange ‘parent info’ button and follow theon screen instructions.

You will then be able to access their ‘dashboard;’ giving you access to boththe history of their completed lessons and tests as well as showing you theirprogress through their lessons from any chosen point in time. You will be ableto preview their next lessons as well as have access to other useful tools.

Please visit either the whizz.com site or email meifeaver@themeadschool.co.uk if you have any questions about setting this up.

In the meantime, I would like to say an enormous WELL DONE to all thoseMead pupils who have worked so hard on their Maths Whizz this term, as wellas to those who have already been awarded gold, silver and bronze usagecertificates over the course of the term.

Certificates for Maths Whizz, ‘Winter Whizzers,’ will be distributed in Januaryon our return from the break.

I Feaver

Literacy andLibrary Update

Move over the 3R’s, it appears to be time for the 2L’s!

What a frenetic, productive and successful term this has been! It has been ajoy to see the diversity of Literacy tasks and activities that pervade Meadclassrooms during the course of any term.

A tiny snap shot of literacy work in any particular week could see pupils, of allages; tackling tasks designed to stimulate responses to texts, create writing ofdifferent genres and purposes and further develop individual reading skills;pupils enjoying SPaG (spelling, grammar and punctuation,) tasks speciallydesigned to enhance and practise designated grammatical and sentencebased skills; pupils engaging in phonics lessons and activities designed tocement and build upon spelling accuracy and reading fluency as pupils moveforward through the school.

An enormous THANK YOU, to all those children whotook part in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s readingcompetition. Certificates have been awarded andthose who wished have been put forward into theprize draw.

The importance of encouraging children of all ages to read at home forpleasure can never be underestimated. So please take advantage of theforthcoming Christmas holidays, to find a moment of calm amidst theexcitement of the festive period and share the joy of reading with your child athome.

Thank you also to our parent librarians, Mrs Henry, Mrs Ames and Mrs Lakewho have continued to donate one lunch time each week to operate our fictionlibrary. They have been ably assisted by our team of pupil librarians, whohave been working hard behind the scenes organising stocks of fiction andnon fiction books as well as our many periodicals.

…MORE PARENT LIBRARIANSALSO REQUIRED!!

I would love to hear from you if you have an hour and a half to spare, once aweek. Should you be interested, please get in touch with me,ifeaver@themeadschool.co.uk and I will give you more information about thisfantastic role in school.

I look forward to the New Year and to welcoming author, storyteller andteacher, Patrick Ryan into school in January; he will be supervising andengaging children in creative writing workshops for all pupils from Year 1 toYear 6. More details to follow…

I Feaver, Literacy Coordinator

‘Ta Dah!’…a fantastic visit by author Anna Bogie to our

Kindergarten and Reception Infants.

On Wednesday 26 November author AnnaBogie came into school to read to Reception,Pre-Reception and Kindergarten children.Anna is a children’s picture book author andwrites books for 3 – 7 year olds.

Her debut book ‘Happy Hooves, Ta Dah!’ was published on 1 September2014 and the second book of the same series; ‘Happy Hooves, Oh! Oh! Oh!’was later published in October 2014.

Radio Kent came along to The Mead and recorded Anna reading to thechildren and answering some of their questions. This will be broadcast byRadio Kent in the run up to Christmas (the date and time to be confirmed.)

Before leaving the Mead, Anna signed and personalised her books for thechildren who had chosen to buy copies. We look forward to hearing about thenext book in the Happy Hooves series and would certainly welcome Annaback in school to share her talents with us once again.

I Feaver, Literacy Coordinator

MODERN LANGUAGESFrench and Mandarin have proved a huge success with the children this term.My office is sited next to the language room and I am amazed at the children’senthusiasm and ability to pick up two completely different languages – it reallyis very exciting.

FRENCH

For me, my first year at The Mead School and for some of the children, thishas been such an exciting term. I have tried my best to make my lessons funand challenging. My main target for your children is to make them enjoy adifferent language and to see them coming to my class with a smile on theirface and hearing them saying “we are having French now, great!”.

The children have been responding amazingly well to lessons, developingtheir kinaesthetic, speaking and writing skills.

With Key Stage 2, we made an important point on how to greet and presentourselves, singing and dancing. We have been very busy studying thedifferent topics they will need to progress in the future (French alphabet,grammar, numbers, time, places in school, how to give and receive directionsusing different types of transport, feelings, dates and combining differenttopics).

In Key Stage 1 and Reception classes, I have tried to make the children listento French language by reading (with visual) stories (knights, princesses,dragons and mini super heroes) in a fun way.

In Kindergarten and Pre-Reception,we sang, danced and played.

I am so excited that term two iscoming up soon with a lot of newtopics. Well done children for yourcommitment to French and I do reallyhope (I know you will) we enjoy termtwo as much as we enjoyed term one.

Je vous souhaite à tous un JoyeuxNoel et une merveilleuse nouvelleannée!Monsieur Stéphane.

PERFORMING ARTS: DRAMA & DANCEOnce again we welcomed The Young Shakespeare Company in for KS2 whospent the day ‘workshopping’ and watching a fantastic performance of‘Macbeth’. The children had a great day and were fully involved throughout.We are still cleaning the blood off the gym floor however!

RAD Ballet exams were held on Thursday 27th November with boys and girlsbeing entered in Pre Primary and Primary Ballet. The children were beautifullyprepared by Miss Emily and looked fabulous. Results are due next term. Year

2 and 3 girls who have taken their Primary exam and arenow Grade 1 will now go into LAVENDER leotards andwraps (no skirt). These are available from the danceboutique. Please don’t feel you need to buy a newleotard straight away, wait until your child has out growntheir pink.

On Friday 5 December, the school was treated to a tapdance display presented by three of our Year 6 dancers,Sophie Ovenden, Ella Stanford and Verity PinningtonJones. The girls are working towards their Grade 2exam and danced beautifully. Well done girls.

Don’t forget about our second hand ballet, modern andtap uniform list outside my room. Please sign up if youhave anything to sell and come and have a look if youwould like to buy some of your child’s dance kit secondhand.

Nativity 2014 was once again performed by ourwonderful EYFS children. King Charles Church waspacked with excited parents, grandparents, aunts,uncles, cousins, nannies and more! The childrenperformed with enthusiasm and confidence – Well done.A big thank you to Mr Zerpa Falcon for his wonderfulpiano playing, to all the EYFS staff for all their help andhard work this term and to Mrs Latty and Mrs Biggs forthe great set and costumes.

A big thank you to Miss Emily and Miss Lesley forrunning our viewing afternoons for Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Tap. The childrenperformed beautifully in front of their friends and family.

LAMDA exams have been confirmed as Monday 16th March and Tuesday 17thMarch. A timetable for these days will go up nearer the time.

Thank you to all those parents and children coming to support our panto boyson Tuesday 16th December. I look forward to seeing you all there in themorning ready for the 10.30 performance. Break a leg boys!

Most of you will have met my Modern and Tap maternity cover by now. MissLesley took over from half term and the children are really enjoying theirlessons and continue to improve. I am sure you will all welcome RajereFerjani who will be covering all my drama and LAMDA lessons. I am sure thechildren are going to really enjoy her classes.

Lastly I would like to say a big adieu to all the children and parents. Thank youfor bearing with me this term as I have got bigger, slower and more tired! AsI’m sure you can guess I certainly won’t be disappearing as Master Hall No 1will be starting in Kindergarten and Master Hall No 2 will no doubt be joiningMini Meadites as soon as we have some sleep patterns established!!HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Miss Victoria

MUSICThe Music Department has been as busy as ever. Now we are nearing theend of a very long term which seems to have fallen into three parts. First wewere welcoming in the newcomers and getting everyone settled with theinstrument they wanted to learn. Next came demonstrations in assembly thathas created a tidal wave of enthusiastic beginners, mostly on violin and pianobut also, cello, guitar, drums, clarinet, flute not forgetting brass and recorder,and hopefully harp.

The first half of term ended with a rousing Harvest Festival at King Charles theMartyr. There was great singing from each year group and of course Choir,and a very good band of instrumentalists. Cauliflowers Fluffy requires ademanding set of notes on recorder with lots of flats and sharps.

After half-term the Choir were invited to give a little concert at the Baptistchurch in Frant Road. This was a first for us although classes have visited thechurch during RE lessons. As well as a variety of songs there were solos fromLeia Watts on cello, Sissy Ellse and Ben Fasham, voice, Lara Donelly, pianoand Emma Sabbatini, violin, most of whom were practising for exams. Mr.Zerpa-Falcon accompanied.

Victoria Longhurst helped outwith Assembly and recorders.She has been giving pianotasters and will be joining theteam of Peris next term,teaching piano and harp. Mrs.Parker is leaving at the endof term. She is hugelyrespected and we shall missher. Thank you for all youhave done.

All year groups have workedvery hard to get their carols

from memory for the Carol Service. They have also learnt other skills andtheory along the way: e.g. how many beats in a bar? What is common time?How to beat time; major and minor; calypso rhythm and so on.

We have had a carol competition this term and various children have had a lotof fun composing. Results on the last day of term!

We have just received the ABRSM exam results which are excellent:Ashleigh Clarke gained a Grade 1 Pass on flute, Alice Davies a Grade 2 Meriton flute, Lara Donnelly a Grade 1 Distinction on piano, Isabella Ellse, a Grade2 Distinction for singing, Olivia Ellse a Grade 1 Pass on cello, EmmaSabbatini Grade 1 Distinction on violin and Alexander Evans passed hispreliminary on piano.

For your diaries:O2 Concert for Choir Wednesday 28th JanuaryPro Concert to raise money for instruments Saturday 7th March 7.30pm–details to followSpring Junior Concert Thursday 12th March 4.00pm in the dining roomIt only remains for me to say have a Happy Christmas and enjoy all yourmusic-making!

Sarah Stuart-Pennink

Steps in Time, steps out again!On Wednesday 5th November, Years 4, 5 and 6 were lucky enough toenjoy the entertaining and interactive performances, staged by OllieNaylor, who is the brain behind the ‘Steps in Time’ dramatic company.

The hugely talented Mr Naylor transported Year 6 back to the days of theSecond World War in his role as ‘William – the World War 2 evacuee.’Year 5 met Mr Naylor in the guise of ‘Charlie – the Victorian Shoe ShineBoy,’ discovering some of the features of everyday life VictorianEngland, finally Year 4 experienced a trip to Ancient Greece,experiencing some of the sights, sounds and characters of AncientGreece!

The children were electrified by these fantastic performances thattransported them all on historical learning journeys, really bringing tolife the differing History topics encountered.

We look forward to welcoming ‘Steps in Time’ back to the Mead in theNew Year, when our Year 2 discover more about the Great Fire and ourYear 3 experience Tudor life at close quarters!!

I FeaverLiteracy Coordinator

EYFS EVENINGIn November, we welcomed over 50 parents to the school to share with themthe way that we progress through Early Years and beyond. The canapes wereprepared by some of the Year 6 Cookery team, Anita and Monsieur Stephane,and they were incredibly ‘moreish’!

After Kindergarten and Pre-Reception presented photos of activities so far thisterm, we were treated to an impromptu Phonics session by Mrs Hunt, whileMiss Peace explained our new assessment tool, Tapestry, allowing the EYFSstaff to track the children more easily.

I covered our approach to individualised teaching, nicknamed the LearningDNA, where I explained how we stream the children and monitor against theirexam scores and targets, providing as individualised a learning experience aspossible.

The final treat was six of our current Year Six presenting their experiences ofThe Mead, from those who'd been here from Reception, right through to TaliaHardie, who has been with us for little over a year. As ever, the children stolethe show!

Many thanks to all those attended - if you would like to speak to any of thestaff about progress or transition at The Mead, please don't hesitate to get intouch.

KINDERGARTEN & PRE-RECEPTIONWe are, at the time of writing, knee deep in glitter, fairy lights and nativitycostumes as we hurtle towards the end of term and our most favourite ofcelebrations …. Christmas!

Our nativity has been a major focus for the latter part of the Autumn term, asMiss Victoria has guided the four early years classes towards two mainperformances, one in front of the whole school, and the other in front offamilies and loved ones. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

Talking of which, our ‘Grandparents Day’ back in November also proved to bea beautiful, emotional experience, as we treated these most precious ofrelations to ten (ten!) songs, tea, homemadecakes and a tour of not only our classrooms butthe whole school (thank you Year 6 tour guides!).This has become an eagerly anticipated annualevent, the photos from which are now part of alarge wall display outside Mrs Hunt’s classroom –do please have a look when you are passing.

Other photos on display include those taken(again by Trini Vargas, Rosa’s mummy – thankyou!) at our most recent forest school morning upat Hargate Woods. This was an initiative that we,as a department, embraced last year, and aredelighting in it’s continued success, both in termsof the obvious enjoyment gleaned by the children,and their learning in all areas of development –come rain or shine!

We have enjoyed many topics this term for whichthe children have shown great enthusiasm.Dinosaurs were very popular at the beginning ofterm with games being played both inside and

outside in the grounds. This led on to observing the beautiful changes Autumnhad to offer. The children all showed great interest in Diwali, the Hindu festivalof light. They acted out the story, dressing up and showing great expression.This can also be said for our topic on pirates. The imaginative games thechildren played were a joy to watch.

Other highlights this term have included the re-introduction of French lessonsinto Kindergarten and Pre-Reception – with the amazing Monsieur Stephane(or Monsieur Bonjour as he is known to his small friends). We are very luckyto enjoy and benefit massively from weekly specialist lessons in music, PE,swimming, ballet, judo and yoga – and French is a welcome addition.

Before signing off, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our lovelyfamilies for their support, warmth and good humour this year, and would likewish everybody a very happy Christmas. See you in the New Year.

Jane, Mrs Archer, Jenny, and Ellen.

RECEPTION INFANTSSeptember saw us welcome in our new Reception children with an importantquestion: If you could buy any pet what would it be? The answers of coursevaried but one brave child decided on a dragon. This made us laugh andthen discuss if they are real or not? Had any one seen one? Or heard tales ofold about them?

This interesting theme saw us reading ‘Zog’, ‘George and the Dragon’, ‘Janeand the Dragon’ and ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ to name a few titles of booksabout dragons we read. Our first display was a friendly fierce one with usmaking our own Pet Dragons and naming them.

We have learnt about Our Planet and its native animals and seasons. TheReception Infants enjoyed a very special now annual private trip to ‘TheBritish Wildlife Centre’, seeing animals like Badgers, Weasels, Wild Cats andFoxes up close. I think all Reception children can tell you they live on PlanetEarth in the country of England and name their favourite native animal!

The Early Years Team held our Second Grandparents Day on November10th. We sang ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ accompanied by Ms Longhurst on herharp. This followed with an Autumn Poem and an up-beat ‘He’s got the wholeworld in his hands’. Freshly made cakes by all the EYFS staff and Mrs Culleywere served by Year 6’s to our special guests accompanied by tea and

coffee. The children were so proud to show their guests their classrooms andcurrent classroom displays.

Children made poppy badges and proudly wore them for some time after the11th November. The 100th Anniversary was simply covered andexplained. The whole school silence made an impression on them in theplayground. They also commented on hearing the Tunbridge Wells canonsignalling the start and end of the two minute silence.

Our Eco lesson saw us enjoying a factual PowerPoint Presentation by MissPeace about Electricity and it sources. We learnt about traditional methodsand new Eco versions available. We have also studied and enjoyed the book‘The drop goes Plop’ teaching us all about the Water Cycle process.

Festive celebrations began early with us welcoming Anna Bogie – author of‘Happy Hooves – Ta Dah’ and her new book ‘Happy Hooves Oh, Oh,Oh’. She read both of her books to us and then asked questions to her veryenthusiastic audience. Radio Kent was also on site to record the experienceand we hope that an excellent edition will be edited and broadcasted beforeChristmas. As this goes to print we are still waiting to hear the date andtime. We would like to say ‘A VERY BIG THANK YOU’ to Rebecca, our OfficeManager, for organising this amazing event.

The children have amazed us with their confidence and volume in this year’sEYFS Nativity. A very jazzy version was performed this year. Well DoneReception Infants for all your hard work and preparation we are so proud ofyou all.

Merry Christmas from the Reception Team, Mrs Hunt, Miss Peace, Megan, Joand Ellen

YEAR 1A wonderful term getting to knowyour lovely children! We have beenvery busy in recent weeks gettingthe classroom ready forChristmas...with a little bit oflearning thrown in for good measure!We have been finding out about OurLocal Area in Geography whichinvolved a very happy local walk tovisit the Pantiles. We've also learntabout Homes in the Past andfocused on Victorian artefacts. InScience we studied Animals andthen this term learnt about theproperties of Materials. In Art our 'piece de resistance' must surely be thesculpture portraits we made out of clay and then painted, they look wonderfuland were a lovely way to finish our topic on Self Portrait. The children havealso shown huge improvement in their reading and writing by looking atvariety of texts and learning to write a sentence with cursive handwriting. Ithas been a real pleasure to teach your children and I wish them all the bestfor the rest of the year.

Have a Happy and Merry Christmas,Miss Seymour and Sandy

YEAR 2The children have all settled in to Top Infant life and have been working hardall term.

In Geography this term we have been comparing India and the UK. Thechildren made several comparisons between Chembakolli and TunbridgeWells. They compared homes, schools, education, festivals and located themboth on a world map. To further enhance their learning we enjoyed a visit to alocal Indian restaurant where we all enjoyed an Indian lunch. The childrenwere very lucky to be invited into the kitchen to help make chapatti bread.

In Science we have been looking at ‘Health and Growth’ and ‘Materials’. Wehave thought about how we are different from other animals, exercising tostay healthy and we had a lot of fun disguising ourselves and thinking about

lifecycles. We also tested different materials to discover if they were stretchy,bendy or squashy.

In History we have been thinking about ‘Remembrance Day’. We have madeour own poppies, written our own poems, talked about the importance ofNovember 11th and explored HMS Ocelot and experienced life in an air raidshelter at Chatham Dockyard.

In Literacy we have written firework poems, learned our weekly spellings,improved our use of adjectives and have learnt about story writing. We reallyenjoyed reading our acrostic poems during assembly to the whole school.

In Numeracy we have looked at number bonds, ordinal numbers and numbersequencing. We can write our own addition and subtraction sentences,learning how to tell the time and we have been learning our two times and tentimes tables.

The children have loved the Christmas activities during the last two week ofterm, decorating Christmas biscuits and even making a stocking for the end oftheir beds on Christmas Eve!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Mrs Morgan & Mrs Moral

YEAR 3We have enjoyed a very busy term. All the children have settled really wellinto Key Stage 2 and are fully participating in all the extra activities offered tothem. We are, as I write, making brochures to advertise the wonders of ourclass! (Literacy, information writing!) I though you would like to read some oftheir suggestions:

‘Learning is fun. We learn interesting things and do science experiments. We have lovely old Victorian desks and our own pencil cases. We have fun clubs. Our class work together as a team. We have good friends. We have class rules. We are kind, caring, happy and helpful. We have ‘good work’ sweets and yummy lunches! We had Viking day when we learn lots about Vikings.’

No, I didn’t bribe them! They are a wonderful enthusiastic group of children!

A very happy Christmas to all of you! Rachel Crouch

Year 3 Poetry:

Sea, sun and Night Sky by Ollie Ellse Fireworks by Emma Sabbatini

The wavy sea Fireworks shooting in the skyOverlapping then crashing Like scattered dandelionSoftening after a storm Tearing thoseFor that’s what the sea does Fluffy clouds apart.The sun People gasp at the sight,Hovering in outer space Never they saw such a light!Lighting up the world Fireworks spreading rainbow coloursWith its power In the sky.The night skyCovering the sunDarkening the housesMaking us sleep

By Sienna Hardie

Take me on a rideTo where the waves flow and the wind blowsTo Mars by the startsTo soft sand on the landTo the seas with the breezeLet me fly in the sky.

YEAR 4The start of a new term and a new academic year is always a busy time, andlife in Year 4 has been no exception. Your children have risen to thechallenge of a more onerous timetable and homework regime admirably, andwe never cease to be amazed at their enthusiasm for taking on even moreactivities and clubs in their already long and full days.

We have been really pleased with the way in which the children have appliedthemselves this term, working hard in all subjects and bringing a wealth ofpersonal experiences to their learning. A highlight of our literacy programmewas the visit from Jane Maltby, who shared with the children what life as ajournalist is like, leaving many of them inspired to embark on a career as areporter, and honing their interview skills on their poor, unsuspecting teachers.The children have been enthusiastic about our topic of the Ancient Greeks inHistory, and have taken part in lively discussions about routes, transport andjourneys, and whether or not to build a bypass in Geography, but Mrs Biggs’Science lessons have definitely won the popularity stakes this term, withskeletons and bones proving a firm favourite. Finally, do take the time to havea look at the online information sheets created by your children as part of bothLiteracy and ICT.

As the colder weather sets in, we wish you all a very happy Christmas andlook forward to welcoming your children back in the New Year.

The topic Habitats has also been a winner and we have explored theplayground and pond area. Some of the children got a bit wet and everyonewas muddy but we discovered a number of different creatures. Our next tripwas Hargate Forest a marvellous area not far from school where again thechildren were not afraid to get dirty!! I have loved teaching the year 4s thisterm and can't wait for our next adventures! Have a great Christmas everyone.

Stephen Lockyer , Jill Faure & Lisa Biggs

YEAR5

Year 4 celebrating Shabat

adhereDefinitionsverb (intransitive)1. (usually followed by to) to stick or hold fast2. (followed by to) to be devoted (to a political party,cause, religion, etc); be a follower (of)

3. (followed by to) to follow closely or exactly4. ⇒ adhere to the rules

(Source: Collins, English Dictionary.)

Every Year 5 child has immersed him/herself into every aspect of life at TheMead as they started their new school year in September. 5F and 5A havethrown themselves into Year 5 activities with unflinching gusto andenthusiasm!

We welcomed a number of new Year 5 pupils tothe school in the Autumn Term and just like theirexisting Mead classmates, they have workedhard to adhere, understand and learn what it is,that makes The Mead so special.After a long Summer break our pupils have hitthe ground running; adopting new routines,adjusting to increased work loads and learningtheir new timetables.

From investigating nuclear power at Dungeness Power Station with Mr Agnewand Mrs Culley, to exploring the social and economic changes that took placeduring the Victorian Age at the Museum of Kent Life with Mrs Faure as part oftheir Historycurriculum,researching riversand their features inGeography toexploring a widerange of text andSPaG basedobjectives withinLiteracy sessions,Year 5 have truly got‘stuck in’ to their term.

The breadth of ourchallenging Year 5 curriculum enables each individual to explore and extendthemselves within a wealth of opportunities from academic and dramatic tosporting and musical challenges during the course of any school day.

Well done to everyone in Year 5! Have a wonderful Christmas break. MrAgnew and myself look forward to welcoming you all back into school onTuesday 6th January with plenty of enthusiasm for the new term (as well as afully packed pencil case and of course, a named gluestick!)Mrs Feaver & Mr Agnew

My Victorian School Day by Alfie McNeill, Year 5I woke up feeling happy. It was Friday. I like Friday, it is my favourite day. Iwent through the boys’ door at school. The first lesson was ReligiousEducation. Miss Martha is very strict, she canes students for fun, includingme!

The next lesson was arithmetic, one of the three Rs. I like arithmetricbecause I am good at it. Most people are not good at it, like Jan. She gotcaned for getting the answer wrong. That looked painful.

English. I hate English because I am dyslexic, but most people do not knowabout dyslexia so I was whipped six times and then put in the hanging cage.

PE. PE is the last lesson of the day. It is called the drill. It is challenging but Ilike it.

When I get home I get beaten twice in a row!.

‘Dark by Eddy Heffernan, Year 5

The villagers of Hadlow Down feared the old house by the name of Treetops.It was by far the biggest house in the lane also the grandest. But now it washaunted; the long rafters had fallen or were rotting and windows were boardedup .The once luxurious garden was covered with weeds, brambles and nettles.At night foot steps could be heard from inside.

Sometimes you could see a pair of bloodshot eyes or a shadow in the dust.The woods in which they lived were dark and unloved. Bears and wolvesprowled the woods; it is said that it is haunted with spirits .Everyone that hasever gone in has never come out...

Everyone that had ever walked past the old house instantly did not like itexcept a boy called Ged .One day he went into the house, he walked downthe drive and opened the door…

Earlier he had felt a constant pull in his head; it pulled and pulled at the backof his mind never stopping. It was as if there was a hand twiddling with thewires in his brain. He soon felt like a mouse in a trap because it would notlet its firm grip on his brain go.

He walked through the open door and wiped away a curtain of cobwebs andsaw the inside of the house; it was so grand! By the door were two guardswell you could say they were .I pulled off one hand and thousands of purewhite doves flew out . Giant pictures hung on the wall pictures of braveknights or sun sets .Also there were cabinets with shells, crystals and therewas one long sword with ancient writing on it. As he went further in he sawmore and more great wonders like a picture of the family or a huge carvedfireplace.

He walked up the old staircase which shuddered under his weight. The stairswere covered in weeds .He got to the top and plunged into darkness…

It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dark but he soon saw well enough.He saw a mummy [not your type of mummy.]

It was slumped in a chair .Suddenly its eyes glowed red. Ged felt as thoughhis soul was fading and a new soul was rising Ged tried to fight it but failed hefelt like he was falling into a black hole; he was trying to grasp at somethingbut could not. Then silence. Aah! His senses stopped and there was stillnessand the dark...’

YEAR 6 NEWSAs always, this term has been a very busy one for year 6. We started with 11+exams the week after returning from the summer holidays and shortlyafterwards were rewarded with the excitement and anticipation of the annualIsle of Wight study trip.

For some (but not all) this is their first experience of being away from homeand being entirely responsible for themselves. As life lessons go, learning toput the duvet inside the cover and making your own bed from scratch must befairly high on the ‘to do’ list!

The three days spent on the island are completely filled with visits andactivities, from Osborne House via Shanklin Chine and the Botanic Gardens,to the delights of Carisbrooke Castle and its resident donkeys.

The children have spent this term working on their precious topic books whichwill provide a permanent record and reminder of all their experiences.

This is a time for the children to come together as a co-operative group andthey always return tired, happy and rather more grown up than when they left.

Year 6 have also acted as wonderful guides on Open Day, ‘Granny Greeters’on Grandparents’ Day and chefs cooking and serving their delicious creationsto appreciative visitors.

Some have honed their skills as public speakers at the EYFS Seminar heldthis term and their confidence and maturity shone through at this event.

As Christmas approaches, they have taken on the task of spearheading theannual Carol Service, learning lines for readings and poems, practisinginstruments and designing covers for the Order of Service. All this while stillcontinuing with a normal, packed school timetable.

In November Year 6 took part in the Primary Mathematics Challenge. This isheld under the auspices of the Mathematical Association and the childrenhave to complete an increasingly challenging question paper in 45 minutes.Some of the questions were quite thought-provoking, for example;

Last year Gareth was 13 times older than his son Herbie.This year Gareth is 10 times older than Herbie.In how many years’ time will Gareth be 7 times Herbie’s age?

All the children deserve to be congratulated for having a go but specialmention should go to the following children, who all gained certificates for theirperformances.

Bronze Certificate Silver Certificate Gold CertificateJames Conway Becky ColbranEddie LynchJo Price Scarlett Kilcoyne

Alex MaltbyLeia WattsElla StanfordXavier Lake

With so much happening, it is hardly surprising thatthe time in their final year seems to be passing veryrapidly. They all deserve a restful Christmas holiday!

Heather Waight & Debbie Latty

WINTER TERM UPDATE FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE MEAD SCHOOLWell, I don't know about you but I cannot believe it's Christmas already! Itbarely seems like five minutes ago that the term started!

The FOM have run several fun and successful events including the non-uniform PJ day, which the children absolutely loved. The Quiz night, despitethe small numbers that turned out, was a fantastic evening. I hope you allenjoyed the opportunity to view and hopefully purchase the handiwork of yourbudding Picasso through My Child's Art.

We are finishing the end of the year with the raffle of the inspired and verycreative Class Christmas Hampers. A big thank you to everyone for theirdonations and to the Class Reps for organising the hampers. Mulled wineand mince pies will be available on 10th November from 15:30 - 17:15, prior tothe Carol Concert. Raffle tickets will be available on the day too for friendsand family to purchase. We will also run a lucky dip for the children, so pleasebring your 20 pence pieces.

Next year holds yet more fun events on the FOM calendar, with the first onebeing New Year celebrations of hot chocolate and a cake sale on Thursday22nd January at both pick up times.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support, aswithout it we could not raise the funds for additional items for your children.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year,

Donna BrewerFOM ChairWeb: www.fomtw.co.ukEmail: friendsofthemeadfomchairs@rocketmail.com

HOUSE NEWS

ThackerayThackeray continues to go from strength to strength, with the yellow flag stillvery much in evidence in the playground. This term our main focus has beenChildren in Need. We raised well over £300, which is fantastic as we realisethat there have been a lot of charitable initiatives to support this term. Oursincere thanks to all children and their families for their continued support andvery generous and delicious contributions for our cake sale.

On the sports front, we have taken part ininterhouse netball and football and won theinterhouse swimming fun races, witheveryone trying their best. Our SportsCaptains, Verity Pinnington Jones andEdward Lahner have been stalwart in theirpersistence in reuniting lost property, muchof it still unnamed, with its owners. At thispoint please could we extend a plea to ALLpupils to ensure that their possessions arenamed?

We would like to thank House Captains, Becky Colbran and George Briggs fortheir determination in getting everyone’s house points in on a weekly basisand keeping the book up to date.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

ChalybeateAfter a few wet and windy months of hard work and good work collecting wehave eventually seen our lovely green flag flying on the flagpole this term. Wescored 20 points for the U8 & U9 football, 20 points for U10 & U11 football, 20points for Infant swimming races and 12 points for Junior swimming races. Weare all very proud and excited at our results so far as with a total of 92 we wonthe Inter-house Sports Competitions this term.

The autumn term’s J4 House Captains; James Conway and Talia Hardiealong with the Sports Captains; Alex Maltby and Ella Stanford haveworked tirelessly in their positions of responsibility, completing the housebooks weekly, guiding various visitors around the school and have taken ontheir roles wholeheartedly and with great enthusiasm.

We have enjoyed supporting the various fund raising events this termparticularly Water Aid which has reached its target of £2000 and look forwardto organising our own fund raising event next term to raise much neededfunds for our chosen charity, Help Tibet.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Mrs Waight, Mrs Crouch, Mrs Morgan, Miss Peace, Myriam and Sandy.

WellingtonWe have enjoyed meeting every week and sharing our news with each otherand this term we have welcomed new members to the house from Receptionupwards. All of the Wellington staff have been very impressed with the waythe House and Sports Captains have embraced their responsibilities bykeeping the house book in order and by wading through the never-endingmound of lost property. Just a gentle reminder to ensure that all property isnamed clearly!

The children have been very busy this term earning good works by beingpolite and kind to others and by working hard. Well done Wellies, keep it up!

Inter-house sports brought mixed results. Although some of the results didnot go our way all the children enjoyed taking part and a good time was hadby all!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.Wellington Staff

GREEN TEAMOnce again thank you to my Green Team who have been working hard toensure our school is as green as possible! This term we have organised ourmonthly Walk to School campaign and hope to see even more of you walkingto school next year (New Year's Resolution anyone?!). We also encouragedeveryone to participate in our termly 'Switch Off Sunday' campaign and weloved receiving the photos of how the hour without electricity was spent. Alongwith encouraging every class to recycle paper, we are also trying toencourage them to only recycle paper that has been used on both sides andkeep other waste paper for reuse. I wish the Green Team all the best for therest of the year and I'm sure the green activities will go from strength tostrength under the guidance of Mrs Biggs next year.

Happy Green ChristmasMiss Seymour and the Green Team

**** STOP PRESS!!! *****Following an assessment on Monday afternoon we have just been told wehave achieved the Green Flag Award, meaning we are now officially an

ECO SCHOOL!This is an internationally recognised award that we have been working

towards for some time and we are all over the moon that we have achieved it!Thank you so much to all Green Team members past and present, the staffand management for helping us implement our ideas and, of course, to you

for supporting our campaigns!Look out for our official Eco Schools Green Flag which will be raised on our

newly purchased flagpole soon!Yours proudly,

Miss Seymour and the Green Team

COOKERY – YEARS 3 & 4We have been very busy this term making apple & blackberry crumble, pizza,nut free chocolate brownies, vegetable quiche, chocolate fridge cake, sweetcorn & pasta salad, lemon flower sweets, sausage rolls and mince pies.

We have also learnt to use a sharp knife safely, to peel and chop fruit andvegetables, to make breadcrumbs and to roll pastry.

At the end of every cookery session the children wash and wipe up, cleantheir workstations and sweep up any mess. They are getting very good atclearing up and I hope that they will all help you at home this Easter with boththe cooking and the tidying up afterwards.

We also held a Christmas biscuit decorating competition and we used icing,silver balls and lots of different coloured shapes. Phoebe Douse and AshleighClarke came joint first for their very carefully decorated snowman andChristmas tree.

Have a lovely Christmas holiday! Mrs Morgan

Year 5 & 6 Cookery Club withtheir Halloween pumpkins

BOARD GAMESWe have chosen and playedquite a variety of games thisterm including Snakes &Ladders, Ludo, Monopolyand Chess.

The children have eitherplayed those available in school or have brought their own game in from home.They have played fairly and always stuck to the rules.

We hope next term to have a few more members to join us on Tuesdays afterschool.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Mrs Morgan

PHOTOGRAPHY CLUBI can't believe that another term is almost over! Photography Club haveproduced some amazing work both on their cameras and on video. Using acollection of electronic devices we have studied a different theme each weekand compared notes on our work. This term the children have looked atmotion, life at school, games and sport and nature. We have also broughtback, by popular demand, What is it? where the children try to outfox eachother by taking pictures of every day objects at weird angles and/or out offocus. I have added two of these photos below, happy guessing!! We hope tohold an assembly of our work in the New Year and also invite the parents in tohave a look.

Have a Happy Christmas. Lisa Biggs

THE OFFICE MANAGER’S BITA new term and new academic year have started very well from theperspective of the Office Manager’s office. We have all enjoyed the wonderfulcomments in last term’s inspection report and work hard at keeping up ourhigh standards. Following the full school inspection the kitchen staff wereagain well rewarded with another 5 star rating from The Food StandardsAgency after a spot inspection on them in September. A huge well done toAnita, Mel, Sarah and Lisa for keeping their kitchen so well to deserve thisaward whilst still nourishing us through the colder months.

Sitting where I do I cannot help but hear the super work being done in the newmodern foreign languages department. Fen Burley’s (Mandarin) andStéphane Carnoy’s (French) enchanting lessons ring out from next door, all ofwhich I very much enjoy, not all of which I understand! What I do know is howmuch the children are enjoying and benefitting from their being at our school.

Juliet Tindall is also a great asset to our extra-curricular teaching resource asshe encourages her pupils in such a wonderfully gentle and nurturing way.

The results of the summer works are put into play with new a climbing walland tranquil garden being huge hits with the children. I do hope that theintroduction of the lockers has helped you in your (and now my) weeklysearch for kit. Please can I urge you all to take all kit home every week to bewashed, sorted and if needs be, renamed so that we can try to keep lostproperty to a minimum. Also please can you name sports kit on the outside ofthe garment so that it is very clear for us to monitor when kit is walking.

During this term we have continued to invest in the IT within the school toupgrade facilities to enable the best possible teaching for your children andwe will continue to do this. We have also laid down plans for investment in thekitchen for a new cooking system that will enable Anita and her team to furtherimprove their offering to the children.

You may also see in the coming months some planning applications that wehave put to the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. There are two plans, firstlyto allow for a side access to the right hand side of the building as you face itand secondly to extend the front of the building to allow for an entrance hall, anew classroom and a dedicated modern foreign languages room. Theseplans have all been incorporated into the long term development plan for theschool. Also embedded in this plan is the fundamental doctrine to remain asone of the most competitively priced schools in the area offering anoutstanding standard and breadth of education in a family-orientatedenvironment. In our planning and forecasting we have married these twoambitions.

Nigel Wheeler has settled very well into the school casting his quiet magicaround the school in the early mornings fixing things we didn’t even knowwere in need. Nigel is a huge asset to the school and we thank him for all hishard work this term.David and Margaret remain in the heart of the school keeping all safe andsound. Dauda continues with us coming into the school every evening tosweep away the debris of the day.

Please accept the termly reminder, that invoices are due on or before the firstday of next term i.e. 6th January 2015. Do use electronic transfer where

possible and remember that the transfer may take three working days and toreference your payment with your child’s name.

Fees for the year 2014 / 2015As previously reported the fees for the academic year are: Kindergarten£1,625.00, Reception Infants, Year 1 & 2 £2,990.00 and Years 3 to 6£3,315.00.

Other activities are being charged at the following rates:

We continue to offer over 20 after school clubs and supervised prep sessionsavailable to all children in Year 3 and above free of charge, a feature uniqueto the Mead. These are:

Art, Choir, Cricket, Computer, Construction, Debating, Drama, Eco,Filmmakers, Football, Geography, Hockey, Masks & Crafts, Netball, Papiermache, Photographic society, Public speaking, Reading group, Rollerblading,Rugby, Science, Sewing, Sport, Textiles and Video.We have also extended our wrap around care provision to 6pm within theMunch Bunch session, this is charged pro rata and have Early Yearsexperienced staff at every breakfast session to allow for an early drop of evenfor our youngest children.

ParkingPlease remain vigilant in regards to the parking around the school includingbeing aware of our neighbours’ drives as we have constant reminders fromthe council in this regard. Please also respect the rule of not entering the carparking area in your vehicle at any time. This is for the safety of our staff andchildren.

Policies and ProceduresPlease may I take this opportunity to remind you that any policies andprocedures you may require to view are shown on our website. If for anyreason you do not find what you are looking for there, do not hesitate to askeither Elizabeth or myself and we will guide you.www.meadschool.info/policies/

So all that remains is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a HappyNew Year. Rebecca Hall - Office Manager

SPORT REPORT – DECEMBER 2014

Swimming110 swimming badges were won this term across the school and heartfeltcongratulations to all pupils who earned their badge.

Football:For the second consecutive year, we have not lost a single match this term.The U11 won 3-0 against Fosse Bank but due to the bad weather and floodedpitches, the Skippers Hill match had to be cancelled. The U9 drew 3-3against Beechwood, and beat Skippers Hill 7-0. Fantastic!

ISA Football:As last year, we took our team to the ISA London South tournament at CrystalPalace. It was a glorious day which started with fog and finished in thesunshine.The 16 best schools in London and the South of England competed in 5-a-side matches. Our group was very strong and we finished 6th.

Tag/Contact Rugby:Next term will be wet, muddy and cold; please can you add gloves, Mead hat,towel and a plastic bag to your son’s / daughter’s PE bag. Year 5 and Year 6will be playing contact rugby therefore the boys will require a gum shield.Year 3 and Year 4 will be playing tag rugby and a gum shield is not necessary.

The new lockers are reducing the amount of kit lost but we can still improvethe naming. I am checking the PE kit at every lesson and any kit named onthe outside will automatically give a good work to your child. Please helpthem!!! By naming outside, I can also track the children “borrowing” kit! Forchild protection, I cannot look inside their clothing.

Inter-house results this term:

Thackeray Wellington ChalybeateU8 + U9 Football 5 10 20U10 + U11 Football 10 10 20U10 + U11 Netball 10 5 20Infant Swimming 18 10 20Junior Swimming 22 16 12Total 65 Points 51 Points 92 Points

A big thank you to all parents for supporting their teams and helping us withthe transport.

Years 3 & 4 Netball

Considering that the weather for many of our Monday afternoon gamessessions has been rather inclement, all our year 3 and year 4 girls have hadto put their game faces on, ignore the ghastly weather and try their best in allaspects of our sessions.

Anita and I have seen the girls work hard on their passing, footwork, markingand shooting skills; they have certainly shown a far greater understanding ofthe basic rules of netball. We have at least one match to prepare and practicefor next term.

Well done girls.

Years 5 & 6 NetballThe girls have had a fantastic term on the netball court. They have all beenvery enthusiastic and particularly competitive this year. We have playedgames against Skippers Hill and Sacred Heart School this term and remainunbeaten. The first team won comfortably at Skippers Hill and also at home toSacred Heart. All the girls in year 5 and 6 played against Sacred Heart. Thefirst and second team won their matches and the third and fourth teamnarrowly lost.

I am looking forward to another successful term after the Christmas break. Iam particularly looking forward to once again competing in the South ofEngland ISA Netball tournament.

We wish you a Merry ChristmasPierre Leroy and the PE department.

Matches Spring Term 2015DATE BOYS

(RUGBY/ FOOTBAL)GIRLS

(NETBALL)WED7 Jan

No Matches No Matches

WED14 Jan

14h30. U11 Rugby workshop atSkippers Hill.

Thursday15 Jan

14h45 U9 tag RugbyAt Beechwood

WED21 JanThursday22 Jan

14h45 U9 tag RugbyAt Skippers Hill

Friday23 Jan

ISA Netball Tournament atLingfield Notre dame.

WED28 Jan

U11 Quadrangular tournament atSkippers Hill

WED4 Feb

14h45 U10/U11 9 a sideTag Rugby At Fosse bank

WED11 FebThursday12 Feb

14h30 U8/U9 netballAt Skippers Hill

WED18 Feb

Half Term Half TermWED25 FebWED4 Mar

ISA Tag Rugby FestivalAt the Mead

WED11 MarThursday22 Jan

14h45 Home U8/U9 tag RugbyAgainst Fosse bank

WED18 Mar

KEY DATES FOR SPRING TERM 2015Tuesday 6 January Start of Spring Term. First Infant swimWednesday 7 January First Kindergarten & Pre-Reception swimFriday 9 January First Junior swim & first judo sessionMonday 12 January Chinese New Year presentation to Reception and

Years 1 & 2 by ‘Perform’Tuesday 13 January Eco AssemblyMonday 19 January Forest School for Early Years childrenThursday 22 January FOM event – hot chocolate & cake saleFriday 23 January Year 2 presenting assemblyTuesday 27 January Key Stage 2 writing workshops with Patrick Ryan,

storytellerWednesday 28 January Key Stage 1 writing workshops with Patrick Ryan,

storytellerChoir singing at Young Voices Concert at O2

Friday 30 January Year 5 trip to Tunbridge Wells MuseumTuesday 3 February Reception presenting assemblyFriday 6 February Year 3 presenting assemblyWednesday 11 February Steps in Time performance to Years 2 & 3

Jules Wareham talk to parents and staff regarding‘Supporting Adolescent Daughters’ – 7.00 pm diningroom

Thursday 12 February FOM Valentine DiscoFriday 13 February Non-uniform day – fancy dress

Break up for half-term at 12 noon from schoolMonday 23 February Return to school from half-termTuesday 24 February Infants finish all swimming badgesWednesday 25 February Kindergarten to finish all swimming badgesTuesday 26 February Parents can view Infant swimming sessionThursday 5 March World Book Day. WE Day for Year 6.Friday 6 March Junior fun Inter-House swimmingSaturday 7 March Concert by professional musicians at 7.30 pm –

details to followMonday 9 March Trip to see LSO by Year 3 & 4 – to be confirmedTuesday 10 March Infant Mini Races. Parent Consultations 4-6pm

(no Junior clubs)Wednesday 11 March Open Day 10.00 am – 12.00 & 2.15-3.15pmThursday 12 March Spring Junior Concert at 4.00 pm, dining room

Parent Consultations 5.30-7.30pmFriday 13 March Junior Fun Swim

FOM Auction of Promises – to be confirmedMonday 16 March LAMDA Exams. Parents can view ballet & jazz

lesonsTuesday 17 March LAMDA Exams. Infant fun swimThursday 19 March Parents can view modern & tap lessons.Friday 20 March Easter Service at 11.15 am at King Charles the

Martyr Church – term ends at 12 noon from thechurchReturn to school on Thursday 16 April

Saturday 21 March ISA Judo Competition. Ski trip leave.

Thank you for all your support and involvement in school life – we are verylucky as a community that your children are blessed with home and schoolworking so closely together.

I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and every best wish for 2015.