Weekly Blog Friday 12th July 2024
Date: 12th Jul 2024 @ 11:17am
Attendance
Every week in our Celebration Assembly, we celebrate the class who has achieved the highest attendance for that week. This week Mrs Pickersgill's class had the highest attendance with 99.37%! Well done Year 5!
Please see below for the attendance figures for this week. The target attendance for all children is currently set at 97%.
Nursery - 86.67%
Reception - 95.91%
Year 1 Mrs Ronan & Mrs Birkinshaw - 99.03%
Year 2 Mrs Davies - 98.61%
Year 3 Miss Scott - 97.57%
Year 4 Mrs Wood - 94.24%
Year 5 Mrs Pickersgill - 99.37%
Year 6 Miss Dunn - 94.18%
Celebrating fantastic attendance!
Each week, each class with 100% attendance on a particular day will receive one letter from the word MAYFLOWER to put on their classroom door. Once a class has spelt out the word MAYFLOWER, a member of the class will bring all their letters down to the office to claim their prize from our box of Awesome Attendance Activities!
Please see below where each class stands at the end of today:
Nursery - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W
Reception - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L
Year 1 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E
Year 2 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W
Year 3 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y
Year 4 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L
Year 5 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A
Year 6 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F
This week, Year 5 completed MAYFLOWER for the third time and will be choosing their prize to enjoy next week.
Will any classes complete MAYFLOWER next week? We are really hoping to be handing out more prizes next week.
Stars of the week
Each week in our Friday Celebration Assembly, we celebrate our stars of the week. Each class teacher chooses 2 children from their class each week who have really impressed them. Please see below for who has been chosen this week, together with the reasons for them being chosen.
Nursery & Reception
Ada in Nursery for being a superstar this week. She has been really helpful with all of the new children that have been into school for transition. She has also done a really good job of coping with her own transition as well as helping the others settle in.
Fox in Reception for having a great week. Even though he has been dealing with lots of change he has coped really well. He has tried to help the adults as much as he can and tried really hard to listen and done his best to do what has been asked of him.
Year 1
Owen - Owen has really impressed me this week with his ability to work collaboratively, especially in his Computing lesson. He showed that he can take turns with his partner and support them so that they could both achieve to the best of their abilities. Owen always tries his best and never needs prompting to focus on his work. Keep it up Owen!
Mia - Mia takes responsibility for not only being the very best she can be but also for helping others in the class to be the very best they can be. She tries hard with all her work and supports other children in the class. Well done Mia.
Year 2
Ella and Isabella : The end of term, and especially the end of term at the end of the school years, involves many changes. Things aren't where they usually are and people aren't doing what they usually do. To help things run smoothly, the staff rely on help from some rather special children who will run errands, organise resources and help others. They do this by working collaboratively. Ella and Isabella were shining examples of working collaboratively to support the children and the adults in school this week. Well done to both of you and thank you for your help.
Year 3
Jesse - Jesse has shone this week for all the right reasons. He has had a brilliant transition to year 4, he’s been a great team player helping Mrs Wood and has been a great role model to others.
Olivia - Olivia is always demonstrating that she can work collaboratively, she is always helping her peers, she is the first to volunteer to help whether it be with work or a job. Olivia is a great role model to others and always goes above and beyond to be kind and helpful.
Year 4
Oliwia - Oliwia is an excellent partner to work with in class. She is always happy to share her ideas and strategies that she uses in her learning. She has demonstrated what an excellent partner she is by helping others with collaborative writing project in year 5 on transition day.
Tamara - Tamara works collaboratively in all lessons with partners and groups. She listens carefully to others and shares her ideas willingly. She always takes on board other people's ideas and suggestions and she does this with a smile!
Year 5
Ava B - Ava is always happy to take responsibility for jobs that she has been asked to do and she carries them out in a mature manner. When working in paired or group activities Ava always works sensibly and cooperatively; sharing her ideas and thoughtfully listening to what others say. She is always kind and sensitive and knows that some people may think differently to herself.
Cohen - Cohen is able to use the resources that he has been given to complete tasks with independence and confidence showing great perseverance. He enthusiastically embraces new learning experiences and relishes a challenge. He has really enjoyed the sewing project that we have done this week. He has worked collaboratively with other children; sharing ideas and supporting his peers to help them to complete their sewing too. Well done Cohen!
Year 6
Our focus through school this week has been on one of our important learning powers: Be Collaborative. The adults across school have been looking for those children who show collaboration in all they do, learning with, and from, others. This week's Stars of the Week in Year 6 have been chosen with this in mind.
Ella and Annabelle - Having already completed their transitions to secondary school prior to this week, Ella and Annabelle have been a huge help in school whilst the rest of Year 6 have enjoyed their transition days to The Hayfield School. They have supported the adults and children in reception, providing additional teaching assistants in this phase of school. They have supported me with my new class for September during our transition days, and have also worked hard for Mrs Powell, preparing things on behalf of all Year 6 for their final week in Primary School. Thank you for your contributions this week girls!
I would also like to recognise all of Year 6 for being so collaborative over the last few weeks; they have supported younger children in school by reading their assessment papers to them and have done a fantastic job of supporting some of our lower KS2 children in their writing lessons. Thank you Year 6.
Headteacher Award
Each week in our Celebration Assembly, Mrs Powell chooses someone who has really impressed her during the week and presents them with her Headteacher Award trophy.
My superstar award for this week goes to Maddison in Year 2. What a superstar you are Maddison! You are always willing to share your learning and ideas with the other children in your class and are a fantastic role model in everything you do. Your smile and can-do attitude are a pleasure to see and I know Mrs Davies is really thankful to have you in her class.
Makaton Sign Of The Week
The children have recently started learning Makaton's 'Sign of the week' each week. Each Monday, the children learn the new sign for that week. We thought it would be useful to share the following week's sign with parents/carers on our Friday blog so you can get involved too if you wish. Please click on the link below to see the sign for the coming week.
https://makaton.org/TMC/News_Stories/SOTW/SOTW_Disability.aspx
Transition for September 2024
What a fantastic few days the children have had with their new teachers. We welcomed our new Nursery and Reception children in for transition this week, together with some chilldren who are starting with us in other year groups in September. We are looking forward to getting to know our new children and their families when they join us fully in September.
Year 2 sewing morning
On Monday, our Year 2 children were joined by some family members for a sewing morning. What a fantastic start to the week it was. The children made some pouches and the standard of sewing from the children was absolutely amazing! Thank you to those who gave up their time to help the children - we hope you enjoyed it as much as the children did.
Art Gallery
From Monday to Wednesday this week, we held our Art Gallery in school. Each year group had produced artwork based on different artists, all with different styles of art. We were blown away with the standard of the artwork and when it was all put together in the hall, it was a fantastic display. We had lots of visitors to the gallery and some really lovely comments about the quality of the work and how effective it was. Well done everyone!
Who was our HERO winner?
This week saw the return of our HERO week. During this week, each child who was 'Here, Every day, Ready and On Time' was entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a family cinema hamper. Congratulations to Jenson in Year 3, who was the prize winner and takes home a £20 Vue cinema voucher, some popcorn and some sweets. Well done Jenson! We hope you and your family enjoy your film and goodies.
Performances in school this week
This week has again been a particularly busy one in school! On Monday, we invited parents/carers of our Key Stage 1 dance club into school to watch their dance show. Led by Paige from Cre8ive Dance, the children were absolutely amazing! Their energy was relentless throughout the performance and what they have learnt in one term was fantastic!
On Wednesday it was the turn of our Key Stage 2 dance club. Again, they smashed the performance. There were lots of tricks and lifts involved, which were very technical but the children looked like they could do them in their sleep, they were so professional!
Huge thanks to Paige from Cre8ive dance for working with the children and bringing out the best from each of them. She always knows how to work to each child's strength and the children always put on an exciting, polished performance.
This morning to round the week of performances off, it was the turn of our musicians. Our Year 6 brass group, together with the children who play guitar and woodwind, gave such a fabulous performance for their families and the rest of school. The sounds from the instruments was beautiful - they have really worked hard this year and all their hard work certainly paid off.
Thank you to Miss Hill, Mr Willis and Mr Latimer from Doncaster Music Hub who have been the most amazing tutors again this year. We are very lucky to have all three of you and look forward to working with you again next year. Miss Hill, we wish you all the very best and send lots of love to you as you head off on your maternity leave this summer. Please keep in touch with us and we look forward to letting everyone know when your little one arrives.
Colour Run
Yesterday saw the return of our PTA's Colour Run. After the success of last year's event, we knew that this is one event we just HAD to have in our calendar! Once again, our PTA put on the most wonderful of events which was superbly supported by lots of our families. Everyone was absolutely covered in paint by the end of the afternoon and were all ecstatic about that! Lots of the children (and adults!) played the game of 'who can get covered in the most paint'!!
Thank you once again to our wonderful PTA, who never cease to amaze us with how their events just get better and better each year. We can't wait to do this all again next year. Special thanks goes to Mr Dolby, our official photographer for the afternoon, who captured every moment so perfectly.
Here are a few photos from yesterday, As soon as we get all the photos from Mr Dolby, we will of course share them with you.
Office closure next week
In addition to the office being closed on Tuesday from 3pm, it will also be closed on Wednesday next week from 3pm. As always, if there is something urgent that needs to be dealt with on that particular day please leave a message on the school answer phone and these will be picked up prior to the office staff leaving.
Raffle next week
Next week, we will be holding an end of term raffle to raise funds for our outdoor areas. There are 4 prizes: a signed Doncaster Rovers shirt, a Doncaster Belles shirt, an Amazon echo pop and a chocolate hamper. Tickets will be on sale from Monday morning until Thursday after school, priced at £1 per strip of 5 tickets. The raffle will be drawn in Friday's celebration assembly.
Foundation picnics Tuesday 16th July
We are looking forward to our Nursery and Reception picnics next week to celebrate the end of the school year. As advised previously, the children will be making some sandwiches and decorating some buns. Depending on the weather this may be outside on the field, so you are welcome to bring a picnic blanket. If the event takes place inside, it will be in the Foundation classroom.
For Nursery, this event will take place at 11am and for Reception it will be at 2pm.
We would like to ask for a voluntary cash contribution of at least £1 per child please to enable us to buy the ingredients.
We hope as many of you as possible have returned your reply slips to say you can join us - please come to the school office to sign in.
Year 5/6 production 16th & 17th July
Our Year 5 and Year 6 children have been continuing to work so hard on their end of year production 'Go For Gold'. Those with lines to learn have been fine tuning their performances this week and are now really confident on stage. The songs are sounding brilliant too, so we know that you are in for a real treat.
The performances take place next Tuesday and Wednesday and will start at 1.30pm each day, so please ensure you arrive at the school office in plenty of time to sign in.
Rocksteady Concert Wednesday 17th July
As advised in the diary dates on our school blog and on the school website calendar, we wanted to invite families of those children taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions to our end of term concert next Wednesday 17th July, starting at 10am.
The children will be showcasing their learning and amazing talents - they have all done tremendously well in their Rocksteady lessons, so we are sure there will be some amazing performances.
Please come to the school office next Wednesday from 9.45am onwards. We are aiming for the concert to start promptly at 10am, so please ensure you arrive well in advance of the start of the concert.
Year 6 Leavers Assembly Friday 19th July
Next Friday, we will hold our annual Leavers Assembly for our Year 6 families. This will start at 9.15am. We would like to invite Year 6 parents/carers into school from 8.45am that morning for refreshments before the assembly starts. A letter should have come home with the Year 6 children today regarding this. Please return the slip on the bottom of the letter on Monday, so that we gauge how many families will be joining us. Please come to the school office to sign in and the office staff will then direct you through to where the refreshments are being served.
If you cannot join us for the refreshments, please ensure that you do arrive on time for the actual assembly itself, as all the staff want to say goodbye to the Year 6 children and will therefore be in the assembly from 9.15am onwards.
No school-run after school clubs next week
This week was the last week for our school-run after school clubs for this school year. We hope the children have enjoyed their clubs. Please see below regarding the running of the clubs from September onwards.
No guitar/brass lessons next week
This morning's concert was the last session of the year for our guitar and brass groups.
Woodwind lessons as normal next week
Mr Willis will be joining us next week as normal for the last woodwind lessons of the school year.
Wraparound care/after school clubs September 2024
First Step Active Care, who currently run our wraparound care for children aged 4 to 11, will be widening their offer from September to include after school clubs. These will replace nearly all of the clubs currently offered by school. School-run clubs will now happen during school (for example choir in Autumn Term) or after school (for example tutoring in Spring/Summer term). Details regarding these will be sent from school in September.
From September, all enquiries regarding wraparound care and after school clubs should be made directly to First Step Active Care. Please ensure they have all the information they need regarding dietary/health needs and special requests you may have involving groups or worries.
The leaflet with the details of how to book was circulated to parents/carers this week. We have been advised by Frist Step Active Care that the booking system for September should be open shortly.
Charge for school dinners - Year 3 and above
If your child will be in Year 3 and above from September, there is a charge for their school meal unless you are entitled to means-tested benefits.
From September, the cost of a school meal will increase from £2.80 per day to £3.00 per day. With this new price increase, school will still be subsidising a portion of each meal cost per child.
School meals should be paid for in advance of the meals being taken please.
Spelling Bee
In September, we will be holding a Spelling Bee competition for the children in Years 1 - 6. This is an event that our Year 6 children have participated in at Hill House School for the last two years and have thoroughly enjoyed so we are excited to be able to hold our own event for all the children in Key Stages One and Two to enjoy.
In preparation for this event, your child's new class teacher has shared the common exception or statutory spellings for their year group with them during transition days this week so they can begin to learn the spellings that will form part of this competition.
Lunch Menu for week commencing 15th July 2024
Please see the menu below for next week. There may need to be last minute changes to the menus on occasion, to take into account availability of items or delivery issues.
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Diary Dates
Please see below our current diary dates. It may be that there are dates on here that involve your child that you haven't had any information for yet. Please don't worry, information will come out in plenty of time prior to the date concerned. Dates that have been added since the last blog are shown in bold.
Tuesday 16th July - Nursery picnic 11am, Reception picnic 2pm
Tuesday 16th July - Year 5/6 production 1.30pm
Wednesday 17th July - Year 5/6 production 1.30pm
Wednesday 17th July - Rocksteady concert 10am (for those parents whose children are taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions). Change of date and time due to change of Rocksteady day.
Friday 19th July – Year 6 Leavers assembly 9.30am. Year 6 parents/carers to come in to school from 8.45am for refreshments before the assembly starts
Friday 19th July - last day before Summer holidays
Monday 22nd July - Training Day - school is closed to pupils
Tuesday 23rd July - Training Day - school is closed to pupils
2024/2025 School Year
Wednesday 2nd October 2024 - individual & sibling photos
Thursday 24th October 2024 - Flu Vaccinations for Reception to Year 6
Thursday 21st November 2024 - Flu Vaccination catch up session for those not at school on 24th October
Thursday 8th May 2025 to Friday 9th May 2025 - Year 3 residential to Austerfield Study Centre
Thursday 22nd May 2025 - class photos
