News Letter ~ March 2005

A belated thank you to everyone for the help and support with all the Christmas activities last term. Also, thank you to Mrs Jane Barstow for the time and effort she put into producing videos and CD's of the Christmas Play.

Mrs Helen Hodgson as School Secretary at the beginning of term. She is available in the school office during the following hours:

Monday, Tuesday & Friday ~ 8.30am - 1.00pm

Thursday ~ 8.30am -3.30pm

Mrs Ann Marie Glover as Lunchtime Play Leader and Teaching Assistant. She is currently working with Mrs Gwilliam with Year 1 & 2 children.

Miss Gemma Cleary, Student Teacher from University College Worcester, completing her school experience with Mrs Gwilliam and the children in Years 1 & 2. Miss Cleary completes her teaching practice on Friday 11^th March. She has been very successful member of the teaching staff and we wish her well as she embarks on a teaching career.

This term we have purchased an additional 5 laptops. Four have been purchased through the school budget and one was funded by a very generous donation from Grafton Charities. These are in addition to the 8 laptops purchased last term using our government grant. The laptops are used by everyone in school, but primarily by children in Years 3 and 4.

We are now in the process of purchasing an interactive whiteboard that will be fitted in Mrs Gwilliam's classroom. This is being funded by money raised and donated by the 'Friends'.

Lots of people have been very busy in recent months and we now have a total of 13 story sacks. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and to Helen Hodgson for co-ordinating this project with such enthusiasm. The sacks are now being used in school and we now need to decide how you can also use them at home.

This is an ongoing project. If you would like to become involved then see Mrs Helen Hodgson in the school office.

All the books purchased from monies donated by the 'Friends' and Grafton Charities have now arrived in school.

Mrs Rachel Ryan has started to categorise the books and is about to embark on colour coding them according to a simple Dewey system. If you would like to help with this, or be involved in running our library then please see either Mrs Ryan or myself. It is a very small library but we would like to run a simple lending system with the children and I am looking for parental help to do this.

This terms topic work has been on 'Ourselves' and included areas of learning such as:

• Our bodies

• Teeth

• Healthy eating

• Personal safety

• Himbleton village

• Himbleton church

• Key Stage 1 ~ Mexico

• Key Stage 2 ~ Chinese New Year

Mrs Rose, Advanced Skills Teacher for Modern Foreign Languages in the Pershore Pyramid has continued working with our children in Key Stage 2 teaching them basic French and Mrs Dominique Pickerill (Oscar's mum) has continued teaching conversational French throughout the school.

Unfortunately, Mrs Gwilliam and I were unable to secure places on a training course to 'brush up' our own French. I have been informed that we are on the top of the list for the next course and hope to be able to teach French in our school in the near future.

Year 4 children in the Avonbrook Cluster Schools will be meeting together on the afternoon of Wednesday 9^th March at Inkberrow First School to participate in a song festival.

The children will travel by coach. Please complete the consent form at the end of this Newsletter and return to the school office as soon as possible.

Please note that the children will return to school after the end of the day but within 'After School Games Club Time'.

Two students from Pershore High School will complete their work experience in school during the week of March 14^th - 18^th.

The last session of 'Forest School' for this term will be on Thursday 17^th March and we will begin again next term on Thursday 14^th April

Pease can I remind you that the children need to wear comfortable old clothes and waterproof trousers and a cagoule type coat. Fashion items have been appearing more and more and are inappropriate especially when it is cold and damp outside.

Mrs Bob Green from Bishops Wood Environmental Centre delivered a mixture of native trees at the end of last term. We have planted them in the 'Forest School' areas. This week in 'Forest School' we are hoping to plant 200 English Bluebells ' weather permitting'.

During the half-term break Mr Gent and Mr Paterson built a semi-permanent shelter on the field that will be used as base camp for 'Forest School'. The shelter will also provide much needed shade during the summer months. This project was funded by a private donation.

The children and staff from Field House Nursery in the village will join us for 'Forest School' on Thursday 10^th March.

A visit to the school is taking place on Friday 18^th March as part of our Personal, Social and Health Education programme. The Caravan visits us every two years and delivers an on-going programme for our children. It provides a unique experience for children in nurturing self-esteem and developing an understanding of the wonders and complexities of their bodies.

The Caravan will be sited on the school playground for the day and will also be visited by Crowle First School. Activities are as follows:

• Reception - All About Me

• Year 1 - My Wonderful Body

• Year 2 - Human Machine

• Year 3 - Meet the Brain

• Year 4 - Great to be Me

The schedule for the day includes a short session for parents and will be from 8.50am until 9.00am. This is not a drop-in session, so in order to gain the maximum benefit from the programme you need to arrive a few minutes before the start time.

Following on from last terms meeting on reading, a presentation on the various techniques used to develop writing in school will be held on Tuesday 22^nd March, 7.30-9.00pm. Further details are attached for these parents.

FUNDRAISING

Each year the children take part in fundraising events raising money for a worthy cause. This year we will be supporting Mexico Child Link, an organisation that provides a range of services for abandoned and orphan children in Mexico.

The core project is a small farm where the children, many ex- street children, are cared for in a family setting and where they learn practical skills and self-sufficiency.

Fund raising week will take place during the last week of term, Monday 21^st March to Thursday 24^th March. The programme of events is to be confirmed but will include the 'favourites' eg sale of cakes at break, pyjama day, own clothes day, bad hair, line of coins and bring and buy.

Children in Years 3 & 4 will organize many of the activities throughout the week. All children will handle and spend their own money - with help if necessary! Only small amounts of money are needed and it is helpful if this is small change and kept in a named purse or money bag.

An end of term Easter Service will be held at Saint Mary Magdalene Church, Himbleton on Thursday 24^th March at 9.00am. Everyone is invited.

The children should be taken straight to Church on that morning.

We urgently need items of school uniform that can be used when "accidents" occur. We especially need socks, and girls and boys pants.

A uniform order form is attached to the end of this Newsletter. Should you wish to make an order, please complete and return the form with payment by 11^th March 2004. Please make all cheques payable to 'Himbleton CE First School'.

As part of our Physical Education programme in school, a weekend camp will be held for all children in Years 3 and 4. The camp will begin on Friday 8^th July and go on until lunchtime on Sunday 10^th July and will be held on he school field. It is anticipated that all the children in Years 3 and 4 will attend. This event will be funded by money raised and donated by the 'Friends of Himbleton School'.

Further details will follow nearer the time with a meeting for the parents of those children taking part. In the meantime if you require any further information please come and see me.

As you are aware Homework is one of the actions in our School Development Plan for 2004-2005 and is copied below:

I would now like to set up a group of parents who will work with me to put together a Homework Policy. There are guidelines for us to be working within, but it is important that the policy supports the needs of us all - children, parents and teachers.

It is also important that the working group is representative and therefore should have at least one parent from each year group. Once the working group has been formed we will work together and plan the best way forward. It is our aim to implement the new policy in September.

This affects you all, you and your children, so please volunteer by completing the slip at the end of this Newsletter!

Following the Local Education Authorities recent successful OfSTED Inspection the LEA has awarded an additional school closure day to all schools in the county.

Our additional school closure day will be taken on Monday 11^th July. This is the Monday after our weekend camp.

Yours sincerely

Mrs C A Gent