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| School News (Updated 04-05-2007) |
Munching Mondays | |||
| School Calendar | ||||
| After School Activities | Ofsted Fantastic news! We have been awarded outstanding school status by Ofsted. Mrs Owen-Jones has been invited to London for a special presentation in February. Please view our latest Ofsted report. | |||
| Sun Hill 40th Ruby's Celebration | ||||
| School Uniform | ||||
| School Meals | School Profile The School Profile takes the place of the Annual Report to parents and eventually all school profiles will be lodged on a national web site. Please view our School Profile. | |||
| Playtime Snacks | ||||
| After-School Club | Hampshire Term Dates Hantsweb have full details of school terms, which can be very useful when planning future holidays! | |||
| Current Collections | ||||
| Out & About | School Meals The price of a school meal increases to £1.90 per day. | |||
| Favourite Websites | ||||
| Link to Ofsted Report | Dates For Your Diary | |||
| Website Feedback | DAY CLOSURE - 27th June and 30th June TERM STARTS - 21st April TERM FINISHES - 23rd July (See School Calendar for further information and other important dates) | |||
| School Profile | ||||
| Green Wheel Project | ||||
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| After School Activities | |
French Club 'Les Petits Futes' is a french club offering children a taste of the language and culture of France. It will be open to Year 1 and Year 2 pupils and children will attend the club for one hour every week. The sessions will be structured around a selection of themes and diverse activities such as stories, songs and language games. Places are limited and we operate a waiting list. For further information and to reserve a place for your child, please contact Mrs Myriam Sabia, 2 Erskine Road, Winchester SO22 4NZ on 01962 878391 or email mysabia@hotmail.com | |
Team Elite Team Elite provide a varied selection of sports courses for children of different ages, including football, trampolining and basketball. For further information please visit www.teamelite.co.uk | |
Alresford Kidsart Club A fun art club for Year 1 & 2 children. For further information please contact S. Hubble on 01962 736477. | |
Alresford Town Youth Football Club The local football club currently runs 10 teams in well established Hampshire Boys and Youth Leagues. The Club caters for boys aged from 5 to 17 and has around 150 boys currently playing for Alresford. For further information please contact Mrs Debbie Carter on 01962 733285. | |
Judy Sporle School of Swimming Expert swimmimg tuition is available for children of all ages and abilities at St. Swithuns School in Winchester. Tuition is available individually or in small groups and sessions are held on weekdays after school and Saturdays during term time. For further information please phone 01962 865989. | |
Appledown Centre The Appledown 'All Age Training Choir' provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of choir practise and choral singing for all ages. Choir training is based on the Royal School of Church Music 'Voice for Life' award scheme, and is suitable for Year 2 children upwards. For further information please visit www.appledowncentre.co.uk. | |
If you would like your club/activity added to this website, please email full details to the Helen Carpenter. |
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| School Uniform |
| Sweatshirts, Polo shirts and T-shirts are available to purchase from the school. Other items of uniform should be purchased from High-Street stores. All items feature the school logo. All items are available in sizes 3-4 years (104cm), 5-6 years (116cm), 7-8 years (128cm) and 9-10 years (140cm). Available in sizes small (24"), medium (26"), large (28") and extra large (30"). Please do not tumble dry cardigans. Please fill in an order form (available from the Parent’s Notice Board or from the Friend's Page) and return to the school office together with your payment. There is a school uniform grant available to parents on Income Support - please enquire at the school office for further details. Girls are now allowed to wear smart school trousers, please see School News for further information regarding girls wearing trousers. |
| The following items can also be purchased from the School office: All these items feature the school logo. If you have any further queries about ordering uniform, please contact Sarah Strong or Joanne Poupart (outside Class 4). |
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| School Meals |
 Meals are provided by Hampshire Caterers and the children have a choice of hot main courses and a selection of sweets. Water is also provided for everyone (including children with packed lunches). Please visit www.myschoollunch.co.uk to see current menus and further details. New regulations which set minimum nutrional standards for all school lunches came into effect in April 2001. This was the first regulatory standard for over 20 years and further details can be viewed here. Please send dinner money for the week in a named envelope or purse into school on Monday morning. Parents may also pay by cheque (payable to HCC) for the week, month or half-term and should pay at the school office. The cost of school dinners is £1.80 per day / £9.00 per week. |
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| Playtime Snacks |
| The school operates a milk scheme, organised by the parents, to provide the children with a drink of milk at morning play. It involves paying in advance for a third of a pint of milk each day. Letters are sent out at the end of each term to enable parents to order milk for the following term. Orders cannot be accepted other than at theses times. Milk is FREE for all children under 5 years of age. Please contact your class teacher for further details. A child who does not have milk may bring a carton of fruit juice or a small flask of squash instead (not a fizzy drink). A healthy snack of fruit, cheese or raw vegetables may be eaten during morning play if required.   NO NUTS PLEASE. Please do not send cheese dips, cereal bars, fruit winders or biscuits. |
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| Alresford After-School Club |
| The After-School Club is for children from 4 years and 9 months to 12 years. We are based at The Chapel in The Dean in Alresford and are managed by the Youth Association. The club is registered with Social Services and is Quality Assured by the Kids Club Network We offer:
For further information please contact Angela on 01962 734276 (between 4.00 - 6.00p.m.) or 01962 771709 (between 7.00 - 9.00p.m.). |
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| School Collections in the Hall |
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It would be really appreciated if you could cut out the tokens before sending them into school. If you are able to help with counting the tokens please see Mrs Minall in the School Office. |
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| Out & About |
| This section contains a selection of great days out to keep the little ones (and big ones) happy during school holidays and weekends. We welcome any suggestions and recommendations, particularly, details of any activities in the Alresford area. If you know a great, family-friendly, place to picnic, explore or cycle, please let us know and we'll include details. We hope to build up a varied selection of activities, which can be enjoyed by everyone. Please send us any suggestions by email. Many thanks. |
| Marwell Zoo Zoological Park Winchester Tel: 01962 777407 www.marwell.org.uk |
Paultons Park Family Leisure Park Romsey Tel: 023 80 814455 www.paultonspark.co.uk |
Birdworld Bird Park and Gardens Farnham Tel: 01420 22838 www.birdworld.co.uk |
Watercress Line Mid-hants Steam Railway Alresford Tel: 01962 733810 www.watercressline.co.uk |
| Romsey Rapids Swimming Leisure Centre Romsey Tel: 01794 514202 www.the-rapids.co.uk |
Otter, Owl & Wildlife Park Wildlife Conservation Park Ashurst, Southampton Tel: 023 80 292408 www.ottersandowls.co.uk |
The Hawk Conservancy Bird of Prey Park Andover Tel: 01264 772252 www.hawk-conservancy.org |
Exbury Gardens Gardens and Steam Railway Beaulieu Tel: 023 80 891203 www.exbury.co.uk |
| Alice Holt Country Park and Cycling Bentley, Alton Tel: 01420 23666 |
Moors Valley Country Park Adventure Trails and Cycling Ashley Heath, Bournemouth Tel: 01425 470721 www.moors-valley.co.uk |
Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum Gardens with Activity Trails Ampfield, Romsey Tel: 01794 368787 hillier.hants.gov.uk |
Beaulieu National Motor Museuem Beaulieu Tel: 01590 612345 www.beaulieu.co.uk |
| Longdown Farm Activity Farm Ashurst, Southampton Tel: 023 80 293326 www.newforest-online.co.uk/longdownfarm |
INTECH Interactive Science Centre Morn Hill, Winchester Tel:01962 863791 www.intech-uk.com |
Whitchurch Silk Mill 28 Winchester Street, Whitchurch, Hampshire, Tel:01256 892065 www.whitchurchsilkmill.org.uk |
Please send us details of any educational activities and local museums. |
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| Favourite Websites |
| This new section contains links to other websites recommended by parents, children and staff. Please email details of any websites you think would be of particular interest to others and we will include a selection of them here. Many thanks. |
| CBBC Games, cartoons and art activities from Children's BBC |
GREAT LITTLE TRADING CO. High quality toys, gifts and kids clothing. |
HAMPSHIRE LIBRARIES Renew and reserve books from your local library online. |
EARLY LEARNING CENTRE Buy toys, gift vouchers and request a catalogue. |
| FUNKIDRY Hooded Towels. Great for taking on holiday. |
LEGO Join the Lego Club, play games and buy Lego products online. |
KITBAG Buy those essential football shirts, whoever you may support! |
THE RED HOUSE Children's books reviewed and available to buy online. |
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| School News | |
| We have included a selection of news taken from past School Newsletters, which we consider to be useful and helpful for parents. We also have special 'News Features' which can be found at the end of this section. Our current features are: Impact of Munching Mondays on Year One Reading Log Update - Instructions on how to complete your child's reading log. | |
| School Inspection | |
| I know you will be delighted to hear that Friday’s inspection went exceptionally well. I am now awaiting the first draft of the report which is then sent to HMI for validation. I am hoping to be able to officially publish the findings before half term. We received 70 completed questionnaires and Mr Pye informed me that they were overwhelmingly positive. He hopes to be able to include some quotes from the huge number of comments made in the final report. The staff and I really appreciated your support on Friday. We have been ready for the inspection for some time now, but the experience is always very intense and quite stressful as everybody wants to show the school in its very best light. With your support we were very well able to do so, and your children in particular were fantastic! One comment Mr Pye did make, which I would like to (unofficially) share with you, is that in his experience he has heard children in one or two other schools discussing their learning in similar depth, but they were in the top end of a primary school. He was astounded that infant aged children could have such knowledge of themselves as learners. | |
| Staff | |
| We welcome Mrs Tracey Anderson to our school. She will be teaching Class 3 whilst Mrs McGrory is taking her maternity leave. We have now had two of our three expected Sun Hill babies. Elliot Wilson was born on 24 November 2007 and Lewis William Foster was born 27th December. Mums and babies are all well and our third baby should be with us by the end of the month. | |
| Partnerships | |
| This year, all Key Stage 1 (Infant) pupils attending schools in the local area have been receiving support from Perins Sports College. On Thursday 10 May, all Year 2 children from all of the schools that feed into Perins (7AS Partnership Schools) have been invited to attend a multi sports morning on Sun Hill Junior school field. We have been working with our 7AS Partnership schools on an art project for the past 18 months. I know you are very aware of the work that the infant and junior school has been engaged in, but I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to an exhibition of children’s work from the whole partnership (Sun Hill Infant and Junior Schools, Ropley Primary, Cheriton Primary, Four Marks Primary and Preston Candover Primary) in the community centre on Saturday 16 June. This event has been sponsored by the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies. | |
| School Baseball Hats | |
| These are available from the school office. Priced at £3.75 for baseball style, £4.00 for legionnaire style. PLEASE MAKE SURE ALL HATS ARE NAMED. | |
| Suncream | |
| Children are able to bring in their own (named) suncream to keep in their drawers. However the children do need to be able to apply it themselves, so you may need to help them practice this at home. Experience tells us that children do end up applying a lot of cream! You may therefore find it more economically viable to invest in longer lasting protection that only needs one application before school! | |
| Comic Relief | |
| I am sure that you will be pleased to hear that we raised a total of £159.07 for Comic Relief on Friday 16 March. We are now very busy collecting shoes for the Blue Peter Shoebiz Appeal, so why don’t you take time over the Easter holidays to have a good hunt in the families’ wardrobes? | |
| Tesco Vouchers | |
| Once again we are attempting to collect sufficient Tesco computer vouchers to be able to order a second laser printer. This one will be sited on the west side of the building giving Year 1 and Year F access. The printer that we ordered last year will remain in the office and will be used by Year 2 pupils as well as the office staff. We need just over 21,000 vouchers, so please ask any family and friends to support us by collecting on our behalf. | |
| School Meals | |
| The price of a school meal increases to £1.80 per day, £52.20 for the summer half term from 1 April 2007. Please pay promptly on a Monday morning with cash or cheques, made payable to HCC. After Easter there will be the option for the children to choose a picnic bag. The price is the same as a hot school dinner and the money needs to be sent in the same way. | |
| Munching Mondays | |
| Next term we are going to focus on carbohydrates and encourage children to include different kinds of ‘healthy’ carbohydrates in their lunch boxes. The children will therefore need to have in their lunch boxes 2 pieces of fruit or veg, 1 item of dairy, and 1 carbohydrate that is not refined white bread to get their Munching Monday point for their class. On Monday 16 April we will be having a tasting day to help you to identify the different kinds of healthy carbohydrates that your child has enjoyed in school on that day. We will include different kinds of bread including brown, pitta, and those with grains. We will also offer the children tortilla wraps, pasta, rice and couscous to try. The children will then be asked to select their favourites, and we will display them on the classroom windows. Please let us know if your child already has a favourite healthy carbohydrate that we could include. We would also be grateful if you could let us know if your child has an allergy to any carbohydrate e.g. gluten intolerant. | |
| School Signage | |
| Our sign competition this Easter is to create a new ‘report to the school office’ sign to be placed beneath our large ‘Welcome to Sun Hill’ Sun. It can be of any shape and needs to include similar text to the current sign but be a little friendlier in tone, and with the addition of pictures or symbols. As last year, the competition will be judged by the governors and the winning sign will be made up professionally. Your child should have brought home a separate A3 ‘competition sheet’. | |
| School Grounds | |
| It is good to see that both shelters are being made use of during the current spell of bad weather. The governors and I are aware that the shelter on the infant field is getting very muddy underfoot. We are going to trial the use of bark chippings as a surface for a more ‘natural’ effect, but if this does not work will invest in flooring similar to that in the junior shelter. Just before we broke up, the path behind the umbrella house was relaid. This proved quite a challenge as we did not want to go too close to the trees as the roots will once again push up the slabs. The only alternative was to cut down either or both trees. We are aware that at the moment the new path is a little narrow which makes pushing buggies awkward. Hopefully when the slabs have ‘bedded in’ and the grass has re-grown the situation will improve. The governors Buildings & Grounds committee will monitor the site once a term and will keep an eye on this. | |
| Friday Book Club | |
| Katharine Harrison Clow has been running the Friday Book Club (in café) single handedly for sometime now and she would love some help! Please contact her through the school office or in café on a Friday. Katharine has agreed to do a little presentation in assembly shortly to explain to the children what the book club is and how they can join. We will also send some information home after the presentation. | |
| Computers | |
| I am delighted to be able to announce that our laptops will be delivered early in the new term. It will obviously take a while to get them up and running but we are all very excited by the new learning opportunities they will give us. Mrs Carpenter, who currently spends half of her week working as our ICT technician, is planning to run an after school session for parents (and children) who are not familiar or confident in the use of computers and the internet during the second half of the Spring term. I will send out more information in January. | |
| Travel Plan | |
| You will have noticed that two new wooden structures have appeared in our grounds. These have been funded by the County Council and are pedestrian waiting areas providing shelter for parents who walk to school in poor weather. Several parents commented on the need for this in the original survey which was carried out two years ago now. Infant school parents are of course, welcome to shelter in our umbrella house, the two shelters on the Year F playground or in the entrance porch. | |
| Parent Reading Help | |
| The past couple of years has seen a considerable drop in the number of parents who come into school to help with reading. We appreciate that this is largely due to parents returning to the workplace, but pupils are really missing the opportunity to practice and apply all the reading skills that they are taught in class. We have therefore decided to slightly alter our approach and reduce the time commitment by introducing the idea of “reading buddies”. Research shows us that with very young children, the “little and often” approach works best. Therefore, if you could come to school 15 minutes early at the end of the day a couple of times a week (or at anytime convenient to you) to pair up with just one child and become their reading buddy we would love to hear from you! We are also extending our search out into the wider community and would love to hear from grandmas, granddads, neighbours and friends who might enjoy this opportunity. No educational experience is necessary, just a love of books and an enjoyment of spending time helping a child. All volunteers will be fully briefed and required to undergo Criminal Record Bureau checks. | |
| Book Bags | |
| Book bags are now on sale at the school office and will now cost £4.00. Unfortunately we have been unable to source a supply of book bags with straps that would cost less than £5.00. | |
| Adventure Playground Equipment/Cafe | |
| Just a reminder, for new parents especially, that children should not play on any school equipment inside or outside school. All of the children are told that to use the adventure playground or PE apparatus they need to be appropriately dressed and supervised. We would be grateful if you could reinforce this message, and also ensure that younger siblings do not climb on the equipment. On dry days, after half term, each class will have the opportunity to play on the adventure playground. See classrooms doors for timetables. Girls may wish to wear trousers on their ‘day’ or bring in tracksuit bottoms (otherwise they will need to wear their PE shorts). | |
| Vandalism | |
| PLEASE CALL 0845 045 45 45 if you see anybody on the site that should not be there, particularly early evening. If the police get sufficient calls they will act! | |
| School lunches | |
| Some pupils can experience severe allergies to nuts. We are therefore once again asking for your help to prevent a problem occurring by not including peanut butter in packed lunches if possible and not giving your child nuts to eat as a playtime snack. | |
| Artsmark Gold | |
| Fantastic news! We have been awarded Artsmark Gold by Arts Council England. This is a national award which recognises commitment to the full range of arts – music, dance, drama and art & design. The award can be achieved at three levels, Artsmark, Artsmark Silver and Artsmark Gold. Very few Infant schools in the country have been awarded Artsmark Gold and we are delighted with this outstanding achievement and very, very proud! | |
| Munching Mondays | |
| This term we want to focus on cutting down on sugar in lunch boxes, with the expectation that the two portions of fruit/vegetables and healthy sandwich filling will continue. Children will be awarded a point therefore for a lunch box containing a healthy sandwich or sandwich alternative, two portions of fruit and/or vegetables and a healthy alternative to a chocolate bar as a dessert. The next healthy eating newsletter will contain some recipe ideas. In the meantime here are some ideas to try out over the weekend – fruit muffins, maltloaf scones, raisin fairy cakes, cereal bars (but check the sugar content!), flapjacks, rice crispy cakes, home cooked popcorn, mini packs of dried fruit, yoghurt covered raisins and of course yoghurts and fromage frais. Last term we introduced the idea of a ‘bonus point day’. This worked well as our long term aim is for lunchboxes to be healthy every day not just on Monday! Bonus point days are quite random and may not happen every week. Last term we found that the healthy sandwich filling was, on the whole, maintained throughout the week, but often the fruit and vegetables were not. | |
| Lost Property | |
| PLEASE DO COME IN AND CHECK! | |
| Parking | |
| PLEASE can you ensure that you do not allow your child to walk across the school car park at the beginning and end of the day. Although the car park is now only used by members of staff it is used constantly. All children would benefit from a reminder to use the zebra crossing and walk sensibly around the footpaths. | |
| Registers | |
| Every year schools are now required to set attendance targets. A schools ability to meet these targets is reported on annually and forms part of the data gathered about the school, which is ultimately used to make judgements about a schools performance. I would therefore like to once again request your help in maintaining up to date, accurate registers. If your child is unwell please let us know by telephone or email Beverley.minall@sunhill-inf.hants.sch.uk. Similarly if your child is late arriving in school due to medical treatment please try to let the office know in writing before hand. Messages do sometimes go astray. If you receive a note requesting help regarding an absence please do fill it in and return it to school as soon as possible. A late arrival (after 9.30 a.m.) is counted as an absence for that session. Please ensure that your child therefore arrives on time. Classroom doors will close at 8.55 a.m. which is the official start of school. After this time you will need to bring your child into school via the main school entrance. Finally I would like to say a big thank you to all of those parents who arrange to take their holidays during school holidays. Nobody understands more than teachers how difficult and expensive this can be, but every hour a child spends in class really does make a difference. | |
| Uniform Recycling | |
| Many parents offer us uniform when their child has grown out of it. Some we keep as 'spare clothing' and some we pass on directly to children. If you have any uniform at home that you no longer require (it does need to be clean and of good quality) please bring it into the office, and we will offer it to new parents for a nominal sum. Next year we hope to be able to offer this 'recycling' service on a more regular basis, e.g. once a month in café if there is sufficient interest. | |
| Brownies and Guides | |
| I have received a letter from Mrs Jo Curtis, District Commissioner of Girlguiding Alresford District. They welcome new members of all ages. Rainbow Guides 5-7 years Brownie Guides 7-11 years Guides 10-14 years Young Leaders – 14-18 years Adult Leaders 18-65 years For more information please telephone Mrs Curtis on 01962 733629 | |
| HCC Returning to Teaching Course | |
| Anyone considering a career in teaching or a return to the teaching profession and is interested in attending a suitable course is advised to c heck out the Hampshire County Council website at: www.teach.hampshire.gov.uk. Once at the website, would be newcomers to the profession should then select “Taster Courses”, those wishing to return should select “Return to Teaching”. Those without access to the internet can contact the office via telephone on 01329 316224 or by post: Recruitment Team, EPS, The Parkway, 94-96 Wickham Road, Fareham, Hants PO16 7JL. | |
| Ofsted | |
| Ofsted have launched a new 'honours list' of England's most successful schools and colleges. I am delighted to say that Sun Hill Infant School is included in the honours list as one of only 234 school in the country that have been mentioned in the Chief Inspector of Schools annual report twice over the last decade. | |
| Guided Reading Books | |
| Over the last year we have had problems with guided reading books not being returned from home. The cost of replacing these books is very expensive, and it has been decided to change the system in the hope that this will reduce the number of books being lost. Your child will now bring home their guided reading book in a clear zippy wallet. This is to be kept at home until their next guided session at school, approximately one week later, when the classteacher/teaching assistant will check the book off and replace with a new guided reading book. PLEASE ensure these books are look after as they are part of a set of 6. Unfortunately the school will have to make a small charge if a book is lost, starting after half term. It is important not to mix the guided reading books up with other books sent home i.e. shared or individual reading books. Please have a look at home to check if you have any school books mixed up with your child’s own books. There will be a Book Amnesty until half term for you to return these. | |
| Shredding | |
| As you can appreciate we generate a lot of shredded paper at school. If you would like any for pets bedding etc. please let Mrs Minall know. | |
| Drinks | |
| Children can help themselves to drinks throughout the day whenever they wish. On particularly hot days you may like to send your child with two drinks, one preferably of water. A good way of ensuring that you child always has a cold drink is to put water into a small bottle and freeze it overnight. They then have a constant supply of cold water during the day as it gradually defrosts. Can I remind all parents that children do not need to bring a drink for lunchtime. The children are provided with water to drink by the dinner ladies at lunchtime, have access to the water fountains during lesson times and may have a drink from their flasks at playtime. | |
| Charities | |
| We collect used stamps for leprosy, silver foil and used greeting cards for guide dogs and foreign currency for refugees and displaced people. The main collection point is in the school hall. Each year we also support a specific charity. This year's charity is Thatu, which supports self-help and home-grown projects in poorly resourced communities in South Africa. | |
| School Inspection | |
| We are all delighted with the results of the recent school inspection. If any parent wishes to read the full Ofsted Report it is available for loan from the School Office or online by clicking HERE. | |
| Playground Equipment | |
| Please could I remind you that children are not allowed to use the large play equipment (in either the infant or junior school) before or after school. The children are reminded of this regularly, but if it is not reinforced by parents they tend to think they can get away with it – until a teacher appears of course! In school time, due to health and safety regulations, the children have to wear appropriate clothing and footwear (e.g. P.E. kit) and are supervised at all times. It is difficult to help children understand the importance of this if outside school hours children are allowed on the equipment unsupervised in normal clothes. | |
| Free School Meals | |
| As from 6 April 2003, children whose parents are in receipt of the following 'support' payments will be eligible to receive free school meals: - Income Support (IS) - Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (IBJSA) - Support under part IV of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999 - Child Tax Credit, but who are not entitled to a Working Tax Credit, and whose annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) does not exceed £13,230.00 - Children who received IS or IBJSA in their own right are also eligible to receive free school lunches. Please see Mrs Minall if you think you are eligible and wish your child to have a free school lunch. | |
| Reading Log Update | |
| A few queries have arisen regarding the Reading Logs. Please see our News Feature for further information on completing the logs and we hope this will answer any questions you may have. | |
| Sundial | |
| Please can you encourage your children to use the Sun Dial as intended. Infant school children are aware that they can walk along the paths and sit on the seats, but that they should not climb on any part of the sundial or jump through the hedges. I would be grateful if you could remind your children of this if necessary and also of course talk to your pre-school or junior school children. | |
| Pushchairs | |
| We would be grateful if you could avoid bringing pushchairs into the school in the mornings. Not only do they cause an obstruction, they also bring in mud, leaves e.t.c. You are welcome to bring them into the main entrance porch in very inclement weather if you need to come into school for any reason. | |
| Medicines | |
| Can I remind all parents that if your child is prescribed medicine that needs to be taken during the school day, a medical form is completed, giving permission for a member of staff to administer the medicine to your child. Forms are available from the school office. During her last visit to the school, the school nurse confirmed that if medicine needs to be taken three times a day, then this can safely be given at home and does not need to be brought into school. The child can have a dose before school, after school and before bedtime. Therefore only medicine that needs to be taken four times a day, or at a specific time of day, should be brought into school. | |
| Cafe Reminder | |
| A reminder to parents, old and new, to visit Sun Hill cafe, which is open on Friday afternoons, from 3.00 – 4.00p.m. in the school hall and is run by volunteers. Please come along and have a cup of tea and a cake. It is a good way to make friends and also raise money for the school. We are always looking for volunteers to serve or bake cakes. Please contact the Friends of Sun Hill if you are interested in helping. | |
| Café Safety | |
| A reminder that if your child attends café with you on Friday, they should remain with you in the hall for reasons of safety and security. Also, the children are to refrain from using or climbing on any of the apparatus. The children know this is a school rule and I should be grateful for your help in reinforcing it. | |
| Playtime Snacks | |
| Can I please remind parents that children may bring fruit, cheese or raw vegetables to eat at morning playtime if they wish. Please do not send them in with cheese dips, cereal bars, fruit winders or biscuits. If your child does not eat fruit, vegetables or cheese please do not worry. The majority of children, as they get older, do not have a snack at all, preferring to spend their break time playing with their friends. | |
| Security | |
| Due to our new security system, the front door will now be locked from 9.15 to 3.15 daily (and after 4.00 p.m. and before 8.45 a.m.). To gain access to the school during the day, please press the button on the keypad located on the right hand side of the door inside the lobby. Mrs Minall will then use the intercom system to let you know that the door has been released. On the odd occasion when Mrs Minall and myself are out of the office, you may need to wait for a few minutes to gain admittance. I hope you will agree that any minor inconvenience to ourselves is far outweighed by the confidence we can now have in the children's security. | |
| Interests and Achievement Board | |
| We would like to invite the children to bring in any certificates, awards, and medals e.t.c. Or any photographs of interests that are carried on outside of school hours. These will be displayed in the hall for a while and will be returned to the child. Please encourage the children to bring in things that they have achieved or are proud of doing outside school. | |
| Good behaviour | |
| At the beginning of the school year the children work with the teachers to decide on their own class rules and are reminded of the school rules, which are displayed in several places around the school.
To help the children remember exactly what good manners are, we use the mnemonic: We expect all the children to remember their manners and keep the rules all year. | |
| Collecting Children | |
| Please let your child's class teacher know if your child is be collected by anyone other than yourself or the After School Club e.t.c. A telephone call to the office or a note will ensure that your child's teacher can hand pupils over to collecting adults, with confidence. | |
| Uniform | |
| If your daughter wishes to wear trousers as part of her winter school uniform, we would be grateful if you could purchase "uniform" trousers rather than black lycra fashion trousers. Smart, tailored uniform trousers for girls are available at Marks & Spencer, BHS and other uniform outlets. | |
| Earrings | |
| In the interest of health and safety children are not allowed to wear earrings during P.E. If your child has pierced ears, please check with the class teacher to find out on which days P.E. is timetabled. Earrings can then not be worn on these days, or you can provide a small container and teach your child to remove his/her earrings. Alternatively, you could provide a headband to be worn over the ears or some surgical tape. Unfortunately a number of nasty accidents have occurred due to earrings being worn in P.E. lessons and all schools now have very clear health and safety guidelines to follow. | |
| KIM OWEN JONES Headteacher |
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| Impact of Munching Mondays on Year One |
| Statistical evidence was gathered from the children in year one who were present in school on both occasions (September 2005 and July 2006), and who had a packed lunch on both occasions. Data to measure the impact of munching Mondays was deliberately not gathered on a Monday in order to measure overall impact of our healthy eating initiative. In September 2006 41% had one or more pieces of fruit or vegetable in their lunch box In July 2007 76% had one or more pieces of fruit or vegetable in their lunch box. This represents an increase of 35% Extra anecdotal evidence which support the overall success of this initiative in helping children to recognise the importance of a healthy diet and their willingness to try to make changes is as follows; 'I have got a healthy sandwich filling and raisins in my rice pudding' 'I have got pasta and an apple cereal bar' 'Mummy should not have given me this chocolate bar!' 'I don’t have any fruit but I do have a healthy sandwich (why is your sandwich healthy?) because it is ham and brown bread'. One child when asked by me what he had in his lunch box today, opened it, took out the packet of crisps a ran to the door with them calling 'mummy, mummy, I don’t want crisps today!'. I did reassure him that they were the healthier kind with low salt and low fat, and that actually I was only looking fro fruit or vegetables (he had some strawberries). It is important to note that year one do a lot of work on healthy eating as part of their curriculum, which enables the Munching Monday initiative to be put into a real learning context, rather than it being just a 'one off activity'. Our greatest successes are with the one or two children who began the year with a very unhealthy lunch box, and whilst they still may not have fruit or vegetables or a healthy sandwich everyday, do on some days, and can talk about what makes a healthy packed lunch. Kim Owen Jones July 2006 |
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| Reading Log Update |
| A BIG THANK YOU to all of you for trialling our new reading logs. We hope you have found it useful to have the opportunity to have regular dialogue with your child's teacher about the progress of their reading. We would like to clarify a few queries which have arisen and hope to answer any questions you may have. How often do I write in my child's log? Please feel free to comment as much or as little as you would like. Your comments are extremely valuable and give us vital information about your opinions, texts and your child's preferences. Which books can I comment about in the logs? ANY type of book can be written in the log e.g. shared books and library books. If your child is reading longer texts, a chapter or page numbers can be included in a section and this can count towards their next reading sticker. How can I use the target from the log to help my child? The targets are designed to be important steps in learning and should be challenging but achievable. When reading with your child, remind, question and reiterate the target so that our child will apply and focus upon this when reading. How do I know how my child is progressing with their target? The target will be commented on in the log at least every two weeks and should inform about progress on that target. Your child's class teacher regularly checks the target and will change or extend it when they have assessed it. We hope that this update helps to clarify any queries. Please contact your child's teacher or Mrs Wilson, the Literacy Coordinator, if you have any more questions. |
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| Website Feedback |
| We would like to find out what you think about our school website and we welcome your comments and suggestions. We are particularly interested in hearing from all our pupils, so children, if you have any thoughts and ideas you would like to share with the school, we would love to hear from you. We may even display your comments on your Year Page! Please send all comments and suggestions via email. Thank you. |
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