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The Wriggly Nativity!

Congratulations to our EYFS and KS1 children for their fantastic production of the

‘Wriggly Nativity’. Their level of performance was amazing and could not happen without

the hard work and commitment of our staff team - thank you all. We then followed the

plays with our Christmas Fayre; children always look forward to making novelty products

and selling them on to family and friends. (See inside for photos.) The PTA also

supported the event with a range of stalls, activities, very busy tombolas and raffles.

The on-line auction was another great success and the raffle was drawn on Friday’s

celebration assembly.

KS2 attended St.Mary’s, Doverdale for a Christingle service last Wednesday, and we

will end the term, as we always do, with an afternoon of Christmas music and songs on

Friday 20th December at 1pm. It has been wonderful to see in the media the benefits

of singing both physically and emotionally. I am really pleased that some pupils are

singing solo for us and others playing a variety of instruments. I would particularly like

to thank Mrs Anna Martin, our music specialist for all her support.

Newsletter No.2 1 6 T H D E C 2 0 1 9

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Christmas Fayre stalls

Happy Customers

St. Mary’s Doverdale,

Christingle service

Christmas events at Sytchampton

Primary

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Snow Procedures :

In the event of severe winter weather, the decision to open or to close the school is extremely difficult and we will do everything possible to keep the school open.

It is not only the issue of opening, which could prove difficult as many of our staff have to travel quite some distance, it is also then the problem of closing early and getting everyone (staff and children) home safely.

If school is to close due to extreme weather, a text message will be sent by 7.15am so please keep your mobile phone switched on and to hand. If your number has changed recently please contact the office to ensure the number on file is correct.

New Year Health and Safety reminder

BEFORE SCHOOL

Staff are not out on the playground until 8.45am in the mornings, and it is important that children are

supervised by a parent or carer until this time. Please do not allow them to play ball games or go on the

play equipment as it can be very busy before school.

If you arrive after the children have lined up in the morning and after the bell, it is very important that

children are brought into school via the office and signed in so Mrs Bishop or Mrs Lawson can add them to

the registers. If office staff do not see children arrive, they will not be on the registers and it is crucial that

these documents are correct in case of a fire drill/evacuation.

May we also remind you that parents are asked NOT to enter classrooms without first reporting to the

school office. It is of utmost importance that we are aware of who is on our premises at all times. The

coded children’s entrance door is only to be used during the school day, and not before or after school. If

you wish to see a class teacher please ask Mrs Bishop or Mrs Lawson to arrange this for you at a time

convenient for staff.

PTA Thanks

The new laptops to fill our trollies are now on order and will be ready for use in classes for New

Year. Ipads have also been purchased, one per class , and the total donation from the PTA has been

an amazing £8,500.

The Christmas transport to the cinema and our regular party visitor has also been funded by the PTA.

But it is not all about fundraising—it is about the fun and engagement

we have as a community when friends and family come and support

our events , sharing refreshments, winning prizes and creating things.

The recent Christmas wreath making activity was proof of this; with

happy customers taking home their own personalised and very pro-

fessional wreaths, as well as raising £205 profit!

The Christmas fayre also provided a range of activities and once more

the raffle and on-line auction have been a great success.

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Wrap around care sessions

Our breakfast club and after school club is a great success and we know that parents value this service. As a result, we are near capacity on many days so please understand that we cannot always accommodate ad hoc sessions. Please try to give as much notice as possible of additional requirements for both after school and breakfast club sessions.

Text messaging service

Please ensure that your mobile number is up to date and advise the school office of any recent changes. We are aware some parents may not be receiving all our texts promptly – if you have downloaded the Eduspot app on your phone it may be that some messages appear in your text box and some go via the app (which are not always seen). We have not launched the app to parents but are aware that some messages encourage you to download it - so please do set notifications to alert you to new text messages if you wish to use the app.

AFTER SCHOOL

At the end of the day we would ask that parents/carers leave the playground promptly (and by 3.15pm

at the very latest) so that afterschool club have the space clear for them to use.

When collecting your children at the end of the day it is important that staff handover to the

designated adult; this is particularly important when we have students on site who are not as familiar

with our families. Could you therefore, please walk down onto the playground rather than waiting at

the gate . Staff need to clearly see who is collecting a child to ensure that they are supervised before

they enter the car park.

If your child is due to be collected by someone different or going home with a friend could you please

ensure you speak to the school office or class teacher in the morning to relay this information rather

than asking your child to pass on the message.

LITTER - can you help by encouraging children not to drop litter. We have also contacted the local farm

owner in Cow Lane to ask him to remind his staff to do the same.

Please note that our staff carpark at the front of school is for staff and visitors only. Staff use the car

park at different times of the day, if they are at meetings or on courses, and some are part-time.

Parking is very tight, as is the entrance off the A449, and there is only one available space for disabled

use which is now kept clear.

PLEASE can we remind all parents to park considerately in the village hall carpark, and to leave the

lane clear for access. Please continue to show consideration for our neighbours and other traffic using

the lane by keeping the hedge side and the area in front of the bungalow adjacent to the Village Hall

clear. Please do not stop in the lane to drop children off or park against the fencing. We are aware of a

large pot hole at the entrance to Cow Lane so please take care in this area—this has been reported to

the Parish Council and we are awaiting news of remedial repairs. Thank you.

We wish all of our school community—pupils, families, friends—a peaceful and Merry

Christmas. Enjoy the break and we look forward to welcoming children back into school on

Tuesday 7th January (WAC is available on our staff training day, Monday 6th January if

required - please book with the office if not already done).

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Date General Information

Notes

6th Jan TED DAY – Training staff

WAC available 8.30am—5pm please book via office if not already done so

7th Jan School opens for Spring Term 1

10th Jan Celebration Assembly 2.30pm

13th Jan Vision tests for Reception children

15th Jan Eagles trip to RAF Cosford

16th Jan Music tuition starts

21st Jan Ospreys to LEGO experience PTA Meeting 6.30pm at Kings Arms, Omb

24th Jan Celebration Assembly Chinese New Year 25th Jan

29th Jan Hawks and Eagles VR experience in school – earthquakes.

30th Jan Rags 2 Riches collection Fundraising for School Fund

5th Feb Yr 1 Pyramid Gym festival hosted here at Sytchampton

7th Feb Celebration Assembly

11th Feb Safer Internet Day

12th Feb Hearing tests for Reception children

14th Feb Break up for Half term PTA family Valentines disco 1.30 -3pm

15th -24th HALF TERM

24th Feb Start of Spring term 2

25th Feb Chance to Shine Cricket sessions with Ospreys and Hawks start.

Shrove Tuesday – inter House pancake races

28th Feb Celebration Assembly

1st Mar St.David’s day

5th Mar World Book Day Dress up theme tbc.

6th Mar Non – uniform for Mothers Day gifts

13th Mar Celebration Assembly

17th Mar St Patrick’s Day

18th Mar Mother’s day Secret room 22nd March Mother’s Day

27th Mar Celebration Assembly RGS The Grange Y3 netball & football festival

1st Apr Easter Egg Hunt PTA Easter eggs

3rd Apr Easter Assembly Last day of term

4th— 19th April Easter Holidays Easter Sunday 12th April

20th Apr Summer Term starts