September 2009 Newsletter
Welcome back. We hope you enjoyed your summer break. As usual, there are numerous activities in school and we thought you would like to know about them. We are going to try and do a short news sheet each Friday. This will keep information fresh and tell you a bit more about what each class is doing the following week.
Contact details
Please remember to update your contact details if you change address, telephone or E-mail details. This is really important in case of emergency.
Dinner Money: now £9.25 per week (+ 80p for playtime drinks)
Mrs Dent tries her best to accommodate peoples' preferences of payment for dinners. She does find it a bit tricky though when envelopes of cash arrive without a child's name on! Please make sure the name and class is clearly written on the front. If you would like your child to have a drink of milk or pure fruit juice in the morning this is 80p per week. Thank you.
Uniform
At the start of the new academic year, the children look very smart in their new clothes and we would like to thank you for supporting our uniform policy. It helps to make all the children feel included and prevents children feeling any peer pressure to dress differently. However, as all jumpers etc look very similar, please can you ensure items are named so they can be returned to their owner if mislaid.
Music
Last year, we asked how many children would like to play the trumpet. Only two replied they would. However, if anyone has changed their mind, please let us know. We need a minimum of four children to request tuition from the Music Service. We do have violins and flutes in school which we can loan out at a very small cost and we would be willing to buy trumpets for use the same way. This helps offset the initial outlay on something they may not like. There are currently 2 violins and 2 flutes available, as well as keyboards for use in school. Please let us know as soon as possible if your child is interested. Ms McDonald is continuing to run recorder groups.
Farewell
At the end of this term, Mrs Leggot will be retiring. She has been at Croft School for twenty five years and has contributed an enormous amount to the life of the school and the many children she has taught. We shall miss her warm smile, continual enthusiasm and energy and her talent for making the very best of any situation. As a musician, linguist and Maths and RE subject leader, she has been inspirational, and we shall miss her love of palindromic numbers! She has recently co-ordinated the visit of our two friends from Sri Lanka and the plans for Harvest are already underway. We hope to celebrate her retirement at the end of term and will let you know more nearer the time.
Topics for this term: whole school art theme - Matisse
Reception: Ourselves, Farms, Christmas
Y ear1/2: Sound & Hearing, Island Homes
Year 3/4: Romans, Materials, Photograph frames
Year 5/6: Ancient Greece, Rivers, Solids, liquids & gases
To help your child, it would be lovely if you could read some books with them about the subjects, take them to a library, or do some research on the Internet with them.
Football in the curriculum
The FA Tesco Skills programme, coached by James Lofthouse, is being run free in our school on Thursdays for 6 weeks. All classes will benefit from the initiative. Reception have a short lesson starting at 9.40 am and all other classes get an hour. If you would like to find out more, visit www.thefa.com/skills The site is full of information and ideas on skills and challenges which your children can practise at home.
Reception are learning all about Ourselves.There will be a workshop for parents on Monday 14th September at 3.30 pm when you can find out how the children learn sounds and letters.
Class 2 will send out a separate letter.
Class 3 are looking at stories with familiar settings and how photograph frames are made
Class 4 are focussing on writing biographies and autobiographies (y6) and recounts (Y5), Slipper making (they might need to bring theirs in to look at), and Greetings in French.
Fruit
If your child is in class 3 or 4, they are no longer part of the scheme which provides fruit at morning break. However, your child is very welcome to bring some in for morning break.
Tuck shop
The School Council will start up their tuck shops again soon and a rota of classes will be drawn up. The money they raise goes to a Charity of their choice. If you have any suggestions for what sort of foods you would like them to sell or are willing to support them, please let school know and we will pass on your names.
Our new School Councillors are: Y6 Jack Carvey, Jeorgia Henderson: Y5 Harry Chapman, Esme Farrow, Y4 Charlotte Wolstenholme, Edward Wingate, Y3 Ellen Corry, Dominic Hancock
Harvest in Croft
The Harvest weekend in Croft begins on Friday,16th October with a Harvest Festival in Croft Church at 7.00 pm followed by supper in Croft School. The family church service will be on Sunday, October 18th at 11 am. This will be for all ages and hopefully as many pupils as possible will sing a harvest song as part of the service.
Our school Harvest Festival will be on Monday 19th October at 2.15 pm in the School Hall followed by a sale of produce. We hope children will bring gifts of produce to either the church or the school and all proceeds will be sent to an appropriate charity.
Out of School Club
The Out of School Club is busy once again with a wide programme of art/craft/sporting activities. If you would like to book your child in, there are one or two spaces after school most nights. They are running a dance club on Wednesdays which will be free for those in the Out of School Club and £2 if you would like to join the dancing only. Please let Coral or Kerry know if you will be needing a place for half term as soon as possible as they are beginning to put together an exciting programme of all sorts of different activities. (Tel: 01325 722615)
Parents Association
The first diary entry is the Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 28th from 10.30am - 12.30 pm. but there are bound to be other events so watch this space! They have provided the school with new staging, a weather station and some lovely new book bags for Y5/6.The regional NCPTA newsletter has recently published an exciting story of our 50p trail and you can read all about it on www.ncpta.org.uk
Holiday absence
The Department for Children's Services and Families (DCSF) have once again asked schools to remind parents and carers that children should be absent from school only for medical reasons or unavoidable special occasions. The maximum amount of time which can be authorised by the Headteacher is ten school days. Beyond this, the absence is unauthorised and has to be reported unless there are very exceptional circumstances. Please contact school if your child is going to be absent.
Swine flu
There are currently no cases in school. However, experts predict that this will change over the coming months. If your child displays flu-like symptoms, please do not send them to school. Contact NHS Direct or your GP for advice.
Water Bottles
A further reminder: please remember to wash your child's water bottle regularly and send it back into school. Every child has been given a new water bottle and it is much more hygienic for them always to use their own bottles rather than use plastic cups which can spread germs quickly. Replacements are 40p.
Health and Safety
Please remember to enter only by the pedestrian access gate. Taxis, delivery vans and cars frequently use the car park gates and this is not a safe way to enter the school premises.
Punctuality
Please would you remember that school starts at 9.00 am promptly and children should, unless in the Out of School Club, be picked up at 3.30 pm. We understand that there can be emergencies and we would always take care of your child on these rare occasions.
Photographs
Individual children's photographs and family groups will be taken on Wednesday, November 4th. in the afternoon. A slip will be sent to indicate whether you wish your children to be taken as a family group and/or individually. Younger children can have their photograph taken at the end of the day.
Governors
This term we have to appoint four new Parent Governors and voting papers should now be with you. Please return them by Monday, 21st September at 9.00 am. The first meeting for the new Governing Body is on Tuesday 29th September at 6.30 pm. We shall be reviewing our School Self-evaluation Form and setting targets for achievement at the end of Key Stage 2 for 2011.
Celebration Worship
Every Friday we celebrate the many achievements of the children - academic, care for others, sporting, musical etc - in a special Collective Worship. This is usually held at 10.10 am in the School Hall and is open to everyone.
