Weekly Blog Friday 13th December 2024
Date: 12th Dec 2024 @ 3:53pm
Attendance
Every week in our Celebration Assembly, we celebrate the class who has achieved the highest attendance for that week. This week Mrs Ronan and Mrs Parkes' class had the highest attendance with 93.55% - well done Year 3!
Please see below for the attendance figures for this week. The target attendance for all children is currently set at 97%.
Nursery - 78.67%
Reception - 87.85%
Year 1 Mrs Birkinshaw & Mrs Ward - 73.46%
Year 2 Mrs Davies - 88.89%
Year 3 Mrs Parkes & Mrs Ronan - 93.55%
Year 4 Mrs Wood & Mrs Walker - 88.56%
Year 5 Mrs Pickersgill - 91.92%
Year 6 Miss Dunn - 92.16%
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
Reception - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A
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
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
Year 3 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E
Year 4 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W
Year 5 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F
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
This week, Year 6 have earned their third MAYFLOWER reward and will be choosing their reward to enjoy 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. Here are the children who have been chosen this week.
Nursery & Reception
Nursery Star of the Week goes to Billy. Miss Limb has been really impressed with how hard Billy has been trying this week to do what has been asked of him. He has been listening really carefully to instructions and double checking if he isn't sure what he has been asked to do. Well done Billy, keep up the good work!
Our star of the week for Reception this week is Junie, she is a friend to everyone in our class, always thinking about her actions and making sure that these are kind and caring towards other children. Junie thinks of the other children in the class before herself offering them a turn first in an activity or sharing resources. Junie is the first to offer her help to children and staff, holding open doors, tidying up and seeing if we need any help. Well done Junie 🙂
Year 1
Luke - Luke has been demonstrating incredible kindness this week. He has been making such an effort to be caring of all the other children, especially those younger than him. He has been thinking carefully about how to behave in the Mayflower Way at playtimes. I have also been really impressed with some of his writing this week- keep up the hard work, Super Star!
Jasper - Jasper has been a superstar this week, despite feeling a little poorly! He has been thinking about how to be kind online during our computing discussions and sharing some great ideas. Jasper is kind and caring of all the children and does a great job of making all of us happy with his funny stories and his beaming smile.
Year 2
This week, we have been thinking about how to show kindness on-line while keeping ourselves safe. The children have thought about how they can do this in school and at home. They created posters to promote appropriate behaviour on-line which had lots of important information presented in an eye-catching way.
Year 2's Stars of the Week this week are Connor and Emelia for suggesting lots of ways to be kind on-line. Well done, you are both fantastic digital leaders!
Year 3
Our Year 3 Stars of the Week this week are Ottavia and Olive. They have really taken on board what it means to be kind online. Ottavia is one of our digital leaders and Olive made a wonderful poster on how to be kind online. Well done girls - you are real role models for your peers.
Year 4
Lily - Lily has been looking out for children in the playground this week. She reminded other children of how to be kind and showed how kind she is by looking after someone who was upset. It is great to see that Lily understands what kindness is and demonstrates this every day!
Layla - Layla has been showing how kind she is by looking out for children who may not have anyone to play with. When she noticed children who were in need of a friend, she played with them and made sure they were happy. Layla demonstrates how kind she is every day!
Year 5
Noah is our Y5 Digital Warrior! He demonstrates a strong understanding of the need to use technology safely, responsibly, and respectfully. Noah can identify ways to report concerns about content and contact, applying his learning in practical situations, which is vital in today's digital age. Well done Noah!
Mason is showing increased confidence in lessons and is tackling challenges with a positive attitude, which reflects his growing maturity. Additionally, Mason is developing resilience, understanding that mistakes are natural and valuable for learning. Well done Mason, keep up the hard work!
Year 6
The focus across school this week has been on 'Digital Leaders' as part of our learning this week about being kind online. Our assembly on Monday had one important message: If you can be anything online...be kind'. This is absolutely crucial and this week's Stars of the Week in Year 6 have been chosen with this in mind.
Vinnie - Vinnie enjoys using computer systems in his own time as a hobby but always does so responsibly, ensuring that trusted adults know what he is doing online and asking permission from them before posting content. He is open and transparent and knows how to use technology safely and responsibly, whilst always being kind.
Elodie - Elodie is one of our kindness ambassadors and this role is perfect for her because she always treats others with kindness and compassion at all times - whether this be face to face or online. Elodie knows about the advantages and dangers of technology and can advise others about what to do if they need help online.
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 this week was a tough choice as lots of our children follow our promise of ‘if you can be anything online – be kind’. This pupil does their very best and embodies this in their words and actions every single day. Well done to Connor K in Year 2. He promotes this through his work as a Digital leader in school, and will help Mrs Ronan judge our competition entries on Monday to pick the winners of this campaign!
Makaton Sign Of The Week
The children are continuing to learn 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.
During the festive period, the Makaton Charity are once again doing their 'Countdown to Christmas' Advent, where they are joined by different schools, families, organisations, community groups, and choirs to help them sign. Please click on the link below to view their festive videos that have been posted so far this month.
https://makaton.org/TMC/TMC/The_Makaton_community/Countdown_to_Christmas.aspx
Thank You and Good Luck
Today we said goodbye to Mr Skeldon, one of our kitchen team. He is leaving to take up another opportunity in the local area. Mr Skeldon has been with us for a number of years and is a really valued member of our kitchen team. He is a really hard worker and always has a smile and something cheery to say to both adults and children and everyone will really miss him. Good luck Mr Skeldon - please come back and visit us from time to time. There will always be a friendly Mayflower welcome for you.
No Crossing Patrol Warden 16th and 17th December
We have been advised by Doncaster Council that there will be no Crossing Patrol Warden on Station Road on the afternoon of Monday 16th December and both morning and afternoon on Tuesday 17th December.
Christmas Postbox
Quick reminder that our Christmas postbox is in the main entrance near the school office. If your child would like to send Christmas cards to their friends, they can pop their cards in the postbox and they will be delivered to class as soon as possible.
Please make sure the name of the child the card is for is on the envelope, together with their year group. It would also be really helpful if the cards could have an elastic band round them or be in a small bag if they are all for the same class please, to help speed up delivery.
The postbox has been very popular so far. Thank you to our helpers who have been delivering the cards to classes for us.
Christmas Chocolate Raffle
Raffle tickets are still on sale for our Christmas chocolate raffle, priced at £1 per strip of 5 tickets. Tickets are available in each class and also from the school office before and after school each day. Tickets will also be available at all of our Christmas events. Thank you to those who have already bought tickets.
Thank you to those who have already donated chocolate for this raffle. We are beginning to get a lovely selection and these are displayed in the main entrance. Please don't worry if you are not able to contribute at this time - we appreciate that things are difficult at the moment and there is no pressure at all to donate anything.
Just a quick reminder that if you are able to donate anything, we are a nut free school.
The raffle will be drawn during the school day next Friday 20th December, which is the last day of this term.
Good luck everyone!
Rocksteady Concert
On Wednesday, the children who take part in Rocksteady music lessons performed for their families. Led by the band leader Alex, the children showcased their learning from this term. They almost blew the roof off! All the children who take part in Rocksteady always put their all into their lessons and it really showed during the concert. What they have achieved this term is amazing and their families and everyone in school is already looking forward to their next concert. Well done everyone!
PTA Christmas Shop Friday 13th December
Once again, our PTA excelled themselves with this morning's Christmas Shop. There was a really wide choice of items for the children to purchase, which were then wrapped and ready to go under the Christmas Tree. There is a huge amount of effort that goes into one of the PTA shops, both before and during the event. The shop is always one of the most popular PTA events and gives all the children the opportunity to get a little bit of something for their loved ones that they have chosen themselves, which means so much to them. Massive thanks to those who came and helped at the shop today.
Thank you PTA for everything you do for our children. Without you, we would not be able to do the 'extras' for our children and it means a lot to everyone.
Christmas Market in school Monday 16th December from 2pm
We are really looking forward to our Christmas Market which takes place next Monday, 16th December from 2pm on our upper playground.
If you will be coming to the market, please enter via the Station Road entrance and come to the school office. Once signed in, you will be able to go and sign your child out from their classroom to visit the market stalls with you.
Staff and children will be on the stalls from 2pm to 2.45pm selling the products. Thank you to those parents/carers who have been in touch with our PTA to say they will be able to help on the stalls from 2.45pm to 3.30pm. This means that the market will be able to continue after school on Monday.
If you will be visiting the market, we would appreciate it if you could bring cash please if possible. There will be a card machine available which will be situated in one place throughout the market - the member of staff or parent/carer on the stall will direct you should you need to pay by card but cash is preferred to make things easier for the children on the stalls.
Below is a list of the items that each class will be selling, together with the prices of the items.
Foundation - Personalised snow jars £2.50, personalised log disc decorations £2.50, snow globe decorations £1, Christmas wreath £1
Year 1 - Christmas tree decorations £2.50, personalised snow globes £1, candy canes £1
Year 2 - Melting snowman biscuits £1, pencil Christmas trees £1, personalised photo tree decorations £2, candy cane decorations 2 for £1
Year 3 - Pencil Christmas trees £2
Year 4 - Rudolph plants £2, glittery baubles £1, reindeer decorations £1, Christmas keys £1
Year 5 - Reindeer food £1, reindeer hot chocolate cones £1
Year 6 - Chocolate lollipops (milk, white and dark chocolate) £1
Once you have finished at the market, you are welcome to take your child home. The exit from school will be the Station Road gate until 3pm - after 3pm, all the gates will be open.
Carols round the tree Tuesday 17th December
We are looking forward to our Carols round the tree event straight after school next Tuesday in our lower hall. We hope as many families as possible will be able to join us for a good old sing-a-long! There will be free refreshments served at this event.
Christmas Dinner 18th Wednesday 18th December and Christmas Party Food Friday 20th December
If your child usually has a packed lunch and you haven’t already pre-ordered the Christmas Dinner or Christmas Party Food for them for next Wednesday and Friday respectively, they will just need to bring their packed lunch as usual.
Please remember that if you have ordered either or both of these meals, the payment is due prior to the meals being taken please. The payment can be made against payment item 'Dinner Money for Bawtry Mayflower Primary School' on ParentPay.
Christmas Jumper Day Wednesday 18th December
Next Wednesday, we would like the children to wear a Christmas Jumper with their school uniform. We are not asking for a donation for this particular day, as we had a fundraising Christmas Jumper non-uniform day earlier this month.
Christmas Church Service Wednesday 18th December
Our children from Year 1 to Year 6 will be visiting St Nicholas' Church next Wednesday morning for our Christmas Service. We will be leaving school straight after the registers have been taken that morning. If you will be walking to church and back with us, please come to the school office once your child has gone into class.
If you would like to join us for the service and haven't yet let your child's teacher know, please let them know at the beginning of next week.
School office closed after school Wednesday 18th December
The school office will be open next Tuesday 17th December after school, but will be closed after school on Wednesday 18th December instead.
PJ & Film Day Thursday 19th December
Next Thursday, 19th December we would like the children to come in their pyjamas if they would like to, as each class will be having a Christmas film afternoon.
Christmas Party Day Friday 20th December
We would like the children to wear party clothes/non-uniform next Friday to celebrate the last day of this term.
Friday Tidy Volunteers
Over the October half term holiday the outdoor area in Foundation Stage has had a revamp and a thorough clean and tidy. We have also invested in some new sets of equipment that the children are loving using, not to mention our shiny new shed!
We are looking for volunteers who would be willing to give up half an hour of their time to give our outdoor area a ‘Friday Tidy.’ This would involve giving the area a sweep, collecting up any leaves, debris etc., putting away resources for the weekend and ensuring that all the sets of resources are complete. This is a task that needs doing on a weekly basis, but we appreciate not everybody could commit to doing this. Even an offer of once or twice a term would be incredibly helpful and beneficial to the children.
We will provide you with a hot drink to thank you for your trouble. Please could you confirm whether you would be available to help by either speaking to a member of Foundation Stage staff or emailing/phoning the office.
Year 3 Kindness workshop
Last Tuesday, Year 3 took part in a kindness workshop with Tanya from 52 Lives at the school of kindness. We were one of three schools taking part from different parts of England.
We explored what kindness looked like, we learnt that there are three qualities of kindness; friendly, generous and considerate and we found out who Jamie was and how she founded 52 Lives from one act of kindness.
We then had the opportunity to create either a poster, poem, card or medal to give to someone else to show them some kindness.
Bawtry Playgroup
Trans Pennine Trail Christmas Holiday Activity Pack
The Trans Pennine Trail team have put together a Christmas holiday activity pack which contains lots of activities that will keep young minds entertained during the Christmas break.
The pack will encourage them to embark on a Winter Treasure Hunt, solve a word scramble, and test their knowledge with a fun quiz. They’ll also be able to craft a hanging star decoration and make wildlife-friendly magic reindeer food to spread a little holiday magic. And they’ll be able to delight family and friends with a selection of Christmas cracker jokes guaranteed to bring a smile to the face.
The pack is aimed at primary school children with help as necessary from their parents or carers, and older children may enjoy some of the activities too. Please click on the link below to view the pack.
https://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/welcome-to-our-childrens-page/
Lunch Menu for week commencing 16th December 2024
Please see the menu below for next week. This menu also includes Christmas Dinner Day on Wednesday and Party Food on Friday. There may need to be last minute changes to the menus on occasion, to take into account availability of items or delivery issues.
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.
Monday 16th December - Christmas Market in school from 2pm onwards
Tuesday 17th December - Carols round the tree after school in the lower hall - refreshments being served
Tuesday 17th December - school office open after school today - closed Wednesday 18th December instead
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Jumper Day - no donations requested
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Service at St Nicholas' Church 9.30am for children in Years 1 to 6 (walking to church straight after morning register - we would love family members to join us for the walk to and from church and to enjoy the service)
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Dinner Day - for those on school dinners and those who have completed the online form. If you didn't order the Christmas Dinner or your child doesn't want a Christmas Dinner, they will just need to bring their packed lunch as normal.
Wednesday 18th December - school office closed after school today
Thursday 19th December - Christmas film and pyjama afternoon
Friday 20th December - Christmas raffle to be drawn today
Friday 20th December - Christmas parties - non-uniform/party wear
Friday 20th December - Christmas party food for lunch - for those on school dinners and those who have completed the online form. If you didn't order the party food or your child doesn't want party food for lunch, they will just need to bring their packed lunch as normal.
Friday 20th December – last day at school before Christmas holidays
Monday 23rd December to Friday 3rd January 2025 – Christmas Holidays
Monday 6th January 2025 – first day back in school after Christmas holidays
Wednesday 15th January 2025 – deadline for Reception applications for September 2025
Tuesday 21st January 2025 - Nursery fine motor skills workshop 9am
Thursday 23rd January 2025 – Year 3 visit to National Coal Mining Museum
Friday 24th January 2025 – Year 2 National Emergency Services Museum Takeover Day in school. Change of date – was originally Wednesday 22nd January 2025.
Wednesday 5th February 2025 - Prostrike sponsored event - further details to follow
Thursday 13th February 2025 - PTA Discos - Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 3.10pm to 3.50pm (Nursery and Reception parents/carers to stay with their child), Years 3 to 6 4pm to 4.45pm. Entry £1 - there will also be a tuck shop at this event
Thursday 13th February 2025 – Young Voices concert at Sheffield Utilita Arena
Friday 14th February 2025 – last day in school before February half term
Monday 17th February 2025 to Friday 21st February 2025 – February half term
Monday 24th February 2025 – first day back at school after February half term
Thursday 27th February 2025 - PTA Bag2School Clothing Collection - further details to follow
Tuesday 18th March 2025 – Year 2 visit to Austerfield Study Centre
Wednesday 19th March 2025 - Rocksteady Concert 10am - for those children taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions
Wednesday 26th March 2025 - Nursery & Reception Easter craft workshop 9am to 10am
Thursday 27th March 2025 - PTA Gifts for a loved one shop. Gifts from 50p to £3
Friday 28th March 2025 – last day in school before Easter holidays
Monday 31st March 2025 to Friday 11th April 2025 – Easter holidays
Monday 14th April 2025 – first day back at school after Easter holidays
Wednesday 16th April 2025 - PTA Easter Egg Hunt
Wednesday 16th April 2025 – Year 6 visit to Crucial Crew. Year 6 will do their Easter Egg Hunt on a different day this week.
Thursday 17th April 2025 - Nursery maths workshop 9am
Friday 18th April 2025 – Good Friday – school closed
Monday 21st April 2025 – Easter Monday – school closed
Wednesday 23rd April 2025 to Friday 25th April 2025 - Year 5 residential to PGL Caythorpe Court
Monday 5th May 2025 – Bank Holiday – school closed
Thursday 8th May 2025 to Friday 9th May 2025 - Year 3 residential to Austerfield Study Centre
Thursday 15th May 2025 – Y4 parents meeting for Hollowford residential in Year 4 classroom 3.10pm
Wednesday 21st May 2025 - Nursery phonics workshop 9am
Thursday 22nd May 2025 - class photos
Friday 23rd May 2025 – last day in school before May half term
Monday 26th May 2025 to Friday 30th May 2025 – May half term
Monday 2nd June 2025 – Training Day – school closed to pupils
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 – Training Day – school closed to pupils
Wednesday 4th June 2025 – first day back in school after May half term
Thursday 5th June 2025 - PTA Discos - Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 3.10pm to 3.50pm (Nursery and Reception parents/carers to stay with their child), Years 3 to 6 4pm to 4.45pm. Entry £1 - there will also be a tuck shop at this event. Change of date - was originally 26th June 2025. Portakabin on top playground open for refreshments if parents/carers have children in both discos.
Friday 6th June 2025 - PTA Bag2School Clothing Collection - further details to follow
Thursday 12th June 2025 - PTA Gifts for a loved one shop. Gifts from 50p to £3
Monday 16th June 2025 - Big Talk in school - further details to follow
Wednesday 18th June 2025 – Sports Day – Foundation AM, rest of school PM – timings to follow
Thursday 19th June 2025 - PTA Summer Fair
Wednesday 25th June 2025 to Friday 27th June 2025 – Year 4 Hollowford Residential
Tuesday 1st July 2025 – Year 2 visit to Cleethorpes
Wednesday 2nd July 2025 - Nursery & Reception sewing morning 9am to 10am
Wednesday 2nd July 2025 - Music Hub (guitars, woodwind and brass) Concert 9am - for those children taking part in guitar/woodwind/brass lessons in school. Change of date - was previously 9th July
Wednesday 2nd July 2025 - Rocksteady Concert 10am - for those children taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions. Change of date - was previous 9th July
Thursday 17th July 2025 - PTA Colour Run. Change of date - was previously 10th July
Friday 18th July 2025 – last day at school before Summer Holidays
2025-2026 School Year
Wednesday 1st October 2025 - individual/sibling photos
