Week 14 14 December 2012

Good afternoon,

Welcome to what is our last newsletter of 2012! A great end to the term, the school is in a frenzy of

Christmas preparations. Thank you all for coming to see our Christmas productions this year - you collec-

tively donated just over £500 towards the school which we will spend putting back into future productions

and creative arts within the school. Keep your eye out next week for the News and Mail who I am told are

doing a fairly big coverage of the three productions. Many of you very kindly commented on how good you

thought each of the productions were. I have to say staff work very hard to put together the productions

in their spare time and deliver the curriculum alongside these.

One of our biggest highlights for the school this week, and in fact this year, is our positioning in the Prima-

ry School league tables. We were delighted to see ourselves placed in the top 10% of all Surrey schools.

League tables are based not just on outcomes at the end of Key Stage 2 but on the progress that children

make throughout their whole schooling time at Pyrford, which is described as ‘value added’. We are particu-

larly proud of our achievements and I thank staff, parents, governors and children for their support – to-

gether we all make this school a happy, successful and inclusive place.

The staff and children, along with a few of our governors enjoyed our Christmas lunch which we held yes-

terday. The staff ‘cabaret’ act is always a treat! Today the children are enjoying acting workshops and a

theatre production of ‘Peter Pan’.

Going in to next week, we have Christmas activity afternoons to look forward to, Christmas parties, the

Junior disco, the Headteacher’s tea party and the ‘Good to be Green’ treat for those children in Key Stage

2 who have remained green all term. We shall be awarding certificates to those children who have been

green all term next week. A flyer was sent out last week about the Junior disco which the staff are kindly

running on behalf of the Friends this year, but to remind you of the details, Wednesday 19th December 6 -

7.30pm in the Infant Hall, please drop off and collect at Peatmore entrance only. Children should bring £2

towards the cost and will be provided with a drink and crisps. They may also bring additional change to

spend at the tuck shop.

Term will end on Thursday 20th December at 1.30pm. We will be holding our annual Carol Service in the

Church of the Good Shepherd at 9.30am, we would be delighted if you would join us.

Finally, please do enjoy spending some time with family and friends, keep safe and enjoy all the festivities

which the Christmas season brings. We look forward to welcoming you

all back on Monday 7th January 2013.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

With very best wishes

Kathryn Krynicki

Headteacher

Following on the parent’s information evening on phonics, spelling and

grammar, the Middle Leadership Team have put together a document

with many of the queries from parents. This will be attached as a sepa-

rate file, along with the school newsletter.

Winning Raffle Tickets:

Thank you for supporting our raffle at the Christmas Produc-tions and ‘Congratulations’ to the winners. Your prizes are available to collect from the school office.

Orange 281 (503282)

496

White 465 (AM7S1G47)

368

Pink 464 (A99D2F4S)

432

459

Green 003 (AQ8LAH4L)

078

180

161

Blue 391

472

405

Yellow 104 (AS1D6H5N)

124

A message from Mrs Lines:

‘I want to let you know how proud I am to

have been involved in putting on a truly

AMAZING production of Joseph. KS2 you

did a fantastic job. A big ‘Thank You’ to

all the teachers for your help and to every

single one of you who took part - Well

Done. Thank you also to Mrs Nightingale

and the recorder ensemble for starting

the show; to Mr Fastiggi for all your tech-

nical help; to Jemma Carder for being

our sound engineer and most important-

ly, Drama Club. I knew before you left my

Year 5 class in July that a musical would

be the way forward with such a talented

bunch but I never imagined that you

would be able to perform so well and with

such confidence. It has been a privilege to

work with you all, if not a little dramatic!

Finally, my thanks to - Mrs Green for

agreeing back in July that a musical was

a good idea and even being crazy enough

to offer her help!

Again, well done to you all - Mrs Green

and I want front row tickets to every West

End debut performance! You are all

Stars!

And finally, Choir, you’ve got some holi-

day homework! Please check the school

website for words and music for the piec-

es we are currently learning, particularly

if you are coming to the 02 as we have lots

still to learn. If you are attending the 02

and haven’t ordered a t- shirt could you

please let the office know as the order

needs to be processed before Christmas!

Have a restful holiday,

Mrs Lines

GOVERNORS’ VISIT REPORT

We paid a visit to the school on Tuesday 4th December with a focus on the three reception classes. It was a very interesting couple of hours during which we were able to observe a phonics teaching session based on the letter ‘y’ and were impressed by the level of participation and attentiveness of the whole class, not to mention the technology available! We also saw pupils undertaking a wide range of activities, including vari-ous arts/craft work, designing postcards on the computer, exercises on writing to Father Christmas and help with spelling through to that day’s dot task which involved an arithmetic challenge on taking away. All the children were able to move freely and safely between the three classrooms and the outside spaces, to choose which of these activities to engage in. The children made us feel very welcome, and were happy to explain to us what they were doing. At break time, we met with Mrs Munro, Mrs Murray and Mrs Brockway who explained the careful planning that lies behind the various apparently random activities! Each activity is designed to encourage some aspect of learning, such as numbers, writing, taking turns and sharing, or motor skills. There is also a longer term overarching theme, which during our visit was “celebration” – a fitting topic in the run-up to Christmas! We met later with the Head and Mrs Munro to talk about our visit and to gain a greater insight into the re-wards and challenges involved in teaching children of this age and range of abilities. We are very grateful to them, and their Foundation Stage colleagues, for planning our programme and giving us so much of their time. Roger Allen Richard Cartledge Foundation Governors

On Sunday 9th December ten children from Pyrford School’s

Cross Country Club took part in a Border League race in

Lightwater Country Park. This was a proper undulating, mud-

dy cross country course and presented an exciting challenge

to the children, who are used to training in the flat environs

of Pyrford School. The children ran varying distances ranging

from 1350m for the U9’s, 1600m for the U11 girls and 2750m

for the U11 boys. All the children who took part ran superbly

in a highly competitive race consisting of mostly club runners.

Congratulations to Joseph Monday, Owen Parsley, Alex Clif-

ton, George Ainslie-Andrews, Antony Jackson, Luke Allington,

Niamh Allington, Ellie Monday, Theo Elliott and Thomas Vice

for taking part and racing so well.

Caroline Cockle

The Governors wish to thank Parents and Friends for all their support to

the school over a very busy term. Now is the time to refocus ourselves as

we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. Whilst we cannot go

to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth, we can in heart and soul remember

those who are less fortunate than ourselves in this troubled world. We

can, however, joyfully celebrate Christmas with our families and

friends. We wish you all a Peaceful and Joyous Christmas and no

doubt, a New Year filled with opportunities and challenges. Roy Davey Chair of Governors

Golden Book Awards

week beginning 10 December

Well done to all the children for their accomplishments!

Hazel - Alexander Lyon for being a fantastic mouse in our Nativity Play. Beech - Joshua Stimson for making an excellent effort at school. Ash - Bronte Oliver-Watts for making fantastic progress in reading. Oak - Raheem Hussain for fantastic reading. Pine - Hafsah Khan for really good writing. Hawthorn - Zahra Rasab for brilliant retelling of ‘The 3 Billy Goats Gruff.’ Cedar - Alayna Hussain for great written work. Elm - Ophelia Vanderburg for her excellent Ro-man Gods work.

Maple - Maya Khan for a great improvement in her reading. Larch - Alex Clifton for his excellent sportsman-ship and rugby skills. Birch - Kate McMullan for her great ICT work. Rowan - Ellisya House for always working hard and trying her best. Willow - Thomas Baxter for excellent listening and singing in the Christmas production. Laurel - Israr Hussain for fantastic work in maths. Holly - James Miller for a super science investi-gation.

House Points - Cumulative Total

Atholl Ashdown Kielder Brecon

Total Points 1472 1823 1624 1234

SCHOOL ADMISSIONS INFORMATION Surrey County Council is consulting with parents and schools on the proposed admission arrange-ments for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools and its Relevant Area for September 2014. Full details of the consultation and the changes be-ing proposed are available at www.surreycc.gov.uk/schooladmissionconsultations2014

AND a reminder that if you have a child who is due to start school in September 2013 (date of birth be-tween 1st September 2008 and 31st August 2009) you have until 15th January to apply for a place online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/admissions

The new menu for January was

sent out this week and needs to be

returned by Tuesday, 18th Decem-

ber.

The cost for this 4-week menu will

be £40, with the exception of Y1 &

those attending the o2, who will

owe £38. The money does not need

to be paid until January, however.

Three of our ex-pupils who now attend Fullbrook will be selling cakes near to ‘Peter’s gate’ on the playground on the last day of term at 1.30pm. The girls are raising money for the ‘Learn to Earn’ project. I know that they would be grateful for your support, so please come armed with some change!

Lost Property

Early next week, all lost property

will be laid out in the hall (or per-

haps outside if it is fine) for your

children to claim. Please check

yourselves if your child is missing

something - especially a winter

coat or sports kit. We have a lot of

unnamed clothing that has been in

the lost property bin for quite a

while!

School Dates for the Diary Description Date Time

KS1 Xmas Party / KS2 Activity Day 19/12/12 during school day

Xmas Disco for Juniors 19/12/12 18:00 - 19:30

End of Term Christmas Church Service @ CoGS 20/12/12 9:30 - 10:00

Last Day of Autumn Term 20/12/12 finish at 13:30

INSET DAY 21/12/12 all day

Christmas Holidays 22/12/12 - 06/01/13 16 days

Spring Term Begins 07/01/13

Guildford Astronomical Society workshop with Yr 5 09/01/13 am

PERFORM drama workshops for Yr R - 2 23/01/13 in school throughout the day

'Young Voices' Concert @ London o2 Arena (choir) 30/01/13 11:30 - 22:00

Yr 1 to Windsor Castle 01/02/13 all day

Life Education Bus w/b 11/02/13 all classes visit throughout the week

Spring Half-term 18/02/13 - 22/02/13 5 days

Yr 6 - 'Play in a Day' Theatre - Ancient Greeks 28/02/13 all day

Bikeability Course - Week 1 04/03/13 - 08/03/13 5 days (am only)

Bikeability Course - Week 2 11/03/13 - 15/03/13 5 days (am only)

Yr 4 Indian Dance Workshop 13/03/12 09:00 - 12:00

Yr 5 Residential to Fairthorne Manor, Southampton 19/03/13 - 22/03/13 4 days

Yr 2 to Brooklands Museum 19/03/13 all day

Yr R to Ladyland Farm 22/03/13 all day

Last Day of Spring Term 28/04/13 finish at 13:30

Easter Holidays 29/03/13 - 14/04/13 17 days

INSET DAY 15/04/13 all day

Summer Term Begins 16/04/13

Yr 4 Residential to Kingswood Centre, Ashford, Kent 01/05/13 - 03/05/13 3 days

May Day Bank Holiday 06/05/13 all day

Yr 3 to High Ashurst Residential Centre, Leatherhead 09/05/13 - 10/05/13 2 days

Yr 4 to Mosque 15/05/13 12;00 - 14:00

Yr 1 to Wisley Gardens 20/05/13 all day

Pizza Express trip - Yr 3 (one class) 21/05/13 9:30 - 11:30

INSET DAY 24/05/13 all day

Summer Half-term 27/05/13 - 31/05/13 5 days

INSET DAY 03/06/13 all day

Pizza Express trip - Yr 3 (one class) 06/06/13 9:30 - 11:30

Yr 2 Pedals course 06/06/13 10:00 - 12:00

Yr 2 Pedals course 07/06/13 10:00 - 12:00

Yr 5 Intech Planetarium trip 10/06/13 all day

Yr 4 to National Gallery, London mid-June tbc all day

Yr 2 to Sealife Centre, Brighton w/b 17/06/13 tbc all day

Yr 6 Residential to Osmington Bay, Dorset 24/06/13 - 28/06/13 5 days

Last Day of Summer Term - Holidays begin 24/07/12 finish at 13:30

CHRISTINGLE You are invited to attend the Church’s Christingle Service. It will take place in the

Good Shepherd on Sunday 16th December at 4pm. It is a simple child-friendly service

reminding us of the reason we celebrate Christmas. Your candle collection tubes for

‘The Children’s Society’ can be taken along and handed in as well.