Dear Parents and Carers,
A rather long newsletter, packed with information linked to end of term events and details about clubs for next term. Read on to find out more!
Breakfast Club and After School Club Costs
There will be a 10% increase to Breakfast and After School Clubs costs from January 2024. This is due to Prime Sports incurring increased VAT costs themselves. The company are absorbing a proportion of the increase themselves in an attempt to remain reasonably priced for parents.
After School Sports Clubs
Next week will be the last week for after school sports clubs, i.e. in the last week of term there will be NO After School Sports Clubs running.
Next term the following sports clubs will run:
Monday: KS2 Handball (Chestnut and Oak classes)
Tuesday: KS1 Handball (Hazel and Beech classes)
Friday: KS2 Hockey (Chestnut and Oak classes)
Sports Clubs are free for children to attend and subsidised out of the school’s PEPPSA (sports funding).
Music
Please note all music lessons will now restart in January.
I also have a child in school who is keen to re-establish guitar lessons, and I wondered if there were any other children who would be interested in the opportunity of learning the guitar? If so please let me know, so we can hopefully arrange tuition.
New Club Idea
I would welcome your comments and views regarding alternative clubs for the children. One possible club is a ‘Kids with Bricks’ club. This possible club would run after school at a cost of £3.99 + VAT per child per session. The club would be supervised by a member of our staff, but run by MiCreation, who set the scheme of work and provide weekly videos to kick start the children’s imagination. The company provides the resources. If your child would be interested in this club, do please let me know as I am keen to gauge interest.
Nits
I am sorry to say nits are still making a ‘friendly’ appearance in school. I would ask all parents to regularly check their children for nits and treat appropriately. Please see NHS guidance Head lice and nits – NHS (www.nhs.uk) for further information.
Amazon Wish List
I would like to thanks those parents who have donated a number of books from our Amazon Wish List. They have been very gratefully received – THANK YOU!
Should other parents wish to purchase a book(s) from our Amazon Wishlist please follow the link below:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/YET20JTJSAIO?ref_=wl_share
To purchase from the list: a) Browse the List.
- From the list page or the product detail page, select Add to Basket.
Note: When you order, the item will be moved to the purchased section of the recipient’s list. You can enter a gift message and request gift wrap.
- Continue shopping or proceed to checkout.
- To complete your order, follow the on-screen instructions.
No matter how you choose to donate a book, a sticker will be placed in each and every book donated, for the children to acknowledge and appreciate where the book has come from.
Easy Fundraising
Just a reminder that if you are buying gifts this Christmas to please sign up and use the Easy Fundraising site for your searching and purchasing. This will generate money for the school, without costing you a penny!
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support–a–good–cause/step–1/?char=81709&invite=9XQW2U&referralcampaing=c2s&utm_campaign=refCROtest
Winter Reading Challenge
It’s back! Spark a love of reading even in the most reluctant reader with the free online Winter Mini Challenge. Unlock rewards for reading and find fun activities on our dedicated children’s website. The Winter Mini Challenge is an online, bitesize version of The Reading Agency’s annual Summer Reading Challenge. This summer, they teamed up with the Youth Sport Trust and public libraries to bring you Ready, Set, Read! – a Summer Reading Challenge that empowered hundreds of thousands of young people to read and play, keeping minds and bodies active over the summer break.
Following the success of Ready, Set, Read! The Reading Agency are delighted to extend the themeinto the Winter Mini Challenge. With the holidays approaching, now is the time to encourage familiesto discover the joy of reading or to build on good reading habits!
Tackle the holiday reading ‘dip’ and join in at wintermini.org.uk from 1 December 2023.
More information on the Challenge can be found on the website.
Please would interested children collect a reading record from the office.
Up and coming events
School Nativity – 5th December at 14.00 and 7th December at 16.00
The school nativity will have two performances, 5th December at 14.00 and 7th December at 16.00. On the 7th December, children will be given a refreshment after school and then change into costume ready for the final performance. Please contact Mrs Pike to reserve your seats for both events.
Beech and Hazel classes will be performing on stage, with older year groups singing.
Refreshments will be available for adults prior to each performance.
Please note that on 7th December the school electricity will be shut off for 10 mins at some point between 5 – 6pm. I would therefore suggest that parents have torches to hand for exiting the school, in case we loose power at 5pm!
Christmas Jumper Day – 7th December
National Christmas jumper day is on 7th December. Children are welcome to wear a Christmas jumper all day.
Friends of Stower Provost
Wreath Making
Take the opportunity to be creative. 4 spaces only remain for 5th December, 18.30 – 20.00. Cost £25 per person, with mulled wine, mince pie, conversation and all the necessary elements to make yourself a wreath to be proud of!
Friday 8th December – 8.50am
Our Praise and Celebrate assembly will change from 2.55 to run in the morning due to the Hall being set up for the Christmas Bizarre.
Friends Christmas Bizarre – Friday 8th December – 15.30 – 17.00.
The Bizarre is back with stalls and games to be enjoyed by all. Come and join in the festive fun between 15.30 – 17.00!
Christmas Disco – Thursday 14th December – 15.30 – 17.00.
The Friends will be running a Christmas Disco for all school pupils on Thursday 14th December. Hazel and Beech Class children will have their disco 15.30 – 16.15 followed by refreshments and Christmas based art activities until 17.00. Parents of course may collect from 16.15 if they prefer.
Chestnut and Oak pupils will have classroom based Christmas activities and a refreshment between 15.30 – 16.15, followed with their disco 16.15 – 17.00.
Children are welcome to bring in a change of clothes. At the end of the school day pupils will change and then enjoy the disco fun! Ticket cost £2 a child.
Parents are most welcome to come to the hall and help supervise if they wish. Should anyone wish to volunteer their services, please contact Sam Wattridge.
Class news
Oak
This week, we have loved going back to our whole curriculum. In maths, Year 6 have entered the fascinating topic of fractions which is such a big part of their maths curriculum. Year 5 have been dividing and multiplying by 10,100 and 1000. We made the discovery that if you divide something by 10 and that quotient by 100, you are actually dividing it by 1000 – this was very exciting to find out. In English, we have been starting to look at the life of Katherine Johnson, who worked as mathematician (known as computers then) at NACA and then later NASA – she was the one who checked John Glenn’s trajectories on Friendship 7 in 1962. We also looked at how we know the earth is spherical with the aid of a lamp and a globe. In DT, Oak used pneumatics and paper engineering to create some very lively paper and card characters. In our Tuesday assembly, we chatted about our Ready, Respectful, Safe motto and then discussed ideas and reminders for how to make the dining hall a great half hour for everyone – children and staff alike! (Mrs Clasby)
Chestnut
This week, Chestnut class have learned all about Iron Age farming techniques. Lots of the children are now able to confidently say several animals in French. In maths, Year 4 have been learning about area and the Year 3s have been continuing their unit about addition and subtraction. In science, the children have learned the difference between endoskeletons and exoskeletons and can identify animals that have each of these and some that do not have a skeleton at all.
Beech
This week, Beech class have been starting to independently write their letter to our felt tip pens asking them to come back. The children have thoroughly enjoyed writing this letter and are looking forward to sending it to the pens next week. In maths, the children have been looking at the properties of 3D shapes and exploring how they can be sorted and identified.
Beech class have continued to be in the Nativity zone and practicing their play every day! We have been practicing on the stage and doing really well. The children have been finishing off their learning about activists and have been having fantastic conversations about their impact and what they have allowed to change for us now.
Hazel
Children have been continuing with rehearsals for the Nativity next week. EYFS children have been learning the 3 Billy Goats Gruff story and have learnt about different types of bridges and have built some in a similar style. Year 1 pupils have been investigating materials and their properties, in Science, and why some items are made of the materials they are, because of their properties. The new word for the week was ‘transparent’.
Diary dates (dates in red have been added this week)
| 4th Dec | 18.30 – 20.00 | Friends Event – Wreath Making – FULLY BOOKED | |
| 5th Dec | 14.00 | School nativity – KS1 and Reception on stage, KS2 singing | |
| 5th Dec | 18.30 – 20.00 | Friends Event – Wreath Making – 3 PLACES REMAINING | |
| 7th Dec | All Day | Christmas jumper day | |
| 7th Dec | 16.00 | School nativity – KS1 and Reception on stage, KS2 singing | |
| 8th Dec | 8.50 | P&C Assembly (in the morning due to the bizarre set up) | |
| 8th Dec | 15.30 – 17.00 | Christmas Bizarre | |
| 13th Dec | 12.05 – 12.30 | Local Food Links Christmas Lunch | |
| 14th Dec | 15.30 – 17.00 | Christmas Disco
Hazel & Beech Classes: 15.30 – 16.15 Disco 16.15 – 17.00 Class activities Chestnut and Oak Classes: 15.30 – 16.15 Class activities 16.15 – 17.00 Disco |
|
| 2nd Jan | INSET DAY | ||
| 3rd Jan | 08.40 | Spring Term starts | |
| 22nd July 2024 | INSET DAY | ||
| 23rd July 2024 | INSET DAY | ||
Best wishes,
Best wishes,