Weekly Blog Friday 18th October 2024
Date: 17th Oct 2024 @ 8:23am
Attendance
Every week in our Celebration Assembly, we celebrate the class who has achieved the highest attendance for that week. This week Mrs Ronan & Mrs Parkes' class had the highest attendance with 96.77% - 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 - 88%
Reception - 94.79%
Year 1 Mrs Birkinshaw & Mrs Ward - 91.98%
Year 2 Mrs Davies - 95.11%
Year 3 Mrs Parkes & Mrs Ronan - 96.77%
Year 4 Mrs Wood - 93.46%
Year 5 Mrs Pickersgill - 92.31%
Year 6 Miss Dunn - 96.73%
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
Reception - M A Y F L O W E R M
Year 1 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M
Year 2 - 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
Year 4 - M A Y F L O W E R M A
Year 5 - M A Y F L O W E R M
Year 6 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W
This week, Year 3 completed 'MAYFLOWER' for the first time and have enjoyed their prize of some movie and popcorn time this afternoon. Each class gets to vote for the activity of their choice and movie and popcorn certainly seems to be the most popular at the moment!
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
I have chosen Wynter to be the star of the week in Nursery this week. Wynter is kind and caring towards her friends. She always likes to try and be helpful and do jobs for her teachers. Wynter has been trying really hard to do good sitting and listening when she is on the carpet.
Oscar is our super star in Reception this week. He has been a caring and fantastic friend to everyone in the class, making them feel included in all of our activities. Oscar always helps his friends especially at tidy up time and is a fabulous help to his teachers.
Year 1
Louie W - Louie is such a kind and caring boy. He has been playing and talking to lots of different children this week. He has enjoyed working with different members of the class too. Louie has been seen helping others without being asked. He keeps our classroom and playground tidy and shows a great deal of respect to school resources. Well done, Louie!
Hugo - Hugo loves to make others smile! He has an infectious laugh and a fabulous cheeky smile! Hugo cares for his friends and does his best to play nicely and include anyone else who wants to join in his games. Hugo loves the new outdoor play equipment and has been setting a great example of how to make sure it is all tidied up and looked after.
Year 2
My stars of the week are:
Henry - for being a fantastic ambassador for caring for our school environment. He is the first person to put things where they belong and help look after our equipment. He tidies up after others and encourages other people to do the same. He genuinely cares and this is such an amazing attribute to have. Thank you, Henry.
Seren - for being "the mother hen" of Key Stage 1. Seren loves to look out for others and care for them. She is a fantastic role model to younger children and gives up her own free time to play with them and support them. Thank you Seren for all you do for others.
Year 3
Keira - Keira is a very caring and kind member of our class. She always goes out of her way to show kindness and support to others. Keira is a wonderful friend and is always there to give her friends a hug if they need it.
Tillie - Tillie shows her caring nature at all times. She is always kind to others and a very supportive partner. Tillie always works hard and has a strong work ethic in all that she does.
Year 4
Elliot - for mastering a new method when learning how to subtract 4 digit numbers with more than 1 exchange. Well done Elliot for working so hard and being determined.
Dylan - Dylan is so caring about everyone and the environment, both the environment at school and the wider environment. Thank you for being you Dylan - we are so happy that you are part of our Mayflower family.
Year 5
Rory - Rory is always kind, always respectful and he always tries his best. He is polite and well-mannered and he is an excellent role model for other children. Well done Rory, keep up the hard work!
Joe - Joe works hard in every lesson and shows real determination to improve his learning. He is able to listen to and act on advice in order to ensure that he is being the best that he can be. Well done Joe, keep up the hard work!
Year 6
This week in school, we have been focussing on looking after the planet and looking after each other. The adults across school have been looking for those children who help others and do what they can to look after them, whilst, at the same time, looking after our school environment. This week's Stars of the Week in Year 6 have been chosen with this in mind.
Ella - Ella is always looking after others. She is kind and compassionate and always notices when her friends are not quite feeling themselves. She has really looked out for others this week and sought help when her friends have needed it, staying by their side until they have felt better. Your friends are very lucky to have you on their team Ella!
Jack R - Jack is always looking out for others. He comes into school every day with a smile on his face and a kind word or greeting to the adults in class. He is a supportive partner in class, offering guidance and support to enable others to complete their work independently, whilst making sure that his own work is completed to the highest possible standard. He also looks after the school environment and if he can see that something needs doing in class, he just does it!
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 this week is Evie in Year 4. She is an amazing friend and looks out for others. She always tries to help create a happy place for everyone in school. This week was about giving thanks for the blessings we have. Thank you Evie for being such a kind and wonderful member of our Mayflower community.
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. Please click on the link below to see the sign for the coming week.
https://makaton.org/TMC/News_Stories/SOTW/SOTW_Food.aspx
Safety around school
It has been reported that there are quite a few parents/carers and children walking up and down the driveway at the Station Road entrance to school at drop off/collection times. Could we please ask that everyone uses the path to ensure the safety of all our school community. Could parents/carers of Nursery/Reception children please stand to the left of the path so there is space for other families with children further up the school to pass.
Christmas Design Project
If you haven't already returned your child's artwork and order form for the Christmas Art Project, please remember that the deadline for this to be back in school is next Monday, 21st October at 3pm. Please hand them to your child's teacher.
As advised previously, the company cannot accept any late orders to ensure that all orders are back in time for Christmas.
The deadline for ordering items with Xmas4Schools is Friday 8th November. Parents/carers will receive a message from Xmas4Schools when the order system is open.
Secondary applications for September 2025
If you have a child who is currently in Year 6 and you haven't yet applied for their Secondary school place for September 2025, don't forget that the deadline to do so is 31st October.
If your home address is within the Doncaster Council Local Authority, please click on the link below to make your application.
https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/secondary-admissions
If your home address is outside of the Doncaster Council Local Authority, you will need to apply through your Local Authority for a nursery place.
National Offer Date is 3rd March 2025 - parents/carers will be emailed their decision, using the email account used to apply.
Reception applications for September 2025
If you have a child who will turn 4 years old on or before 31st August 2025, the application process for Reception places for September 2025 is now open.
If your home address is within the Doncaster Council Local Authority, please click on the link below to make your application.
https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/primary-admissions
If your home address is outside of the Doncaster Council Local Authority, you will need to apply through your Local Authority for a nursery place.
The deadline for applications to be made is 15th January 2025. National Offer Date is 16th April 2025 - parents/carers will be emailed their decision, using the email account used to apply.
Please label your child's uniform!
Could we please ask parents/carers to label all items of their child's uniform. If a child misplaces an item of uniform and it has their name in it, we can return it straight to them. We have much less chance of being able to do this if the items don't have names in.
The picture below is the lost property just in our Foundation Stage over the last 7 weeks! If your child is in Nursery or Reception and they have any missing items of uniform, please speak to a member of the Foundation team.
Harvest donations - a huge thank you!
A massive THANK YOU to everyone who was able to donate to our Harvest collection this time. We were absolutely blown away by the amount of donations. Bassetlaw Food Bank came to collect everything yesterday (as unfortunately St John's Foodbank has now closed) and were overwhelmed by how many items had been donated. They wanted to pass on their thanks, as it is only through donations like these that the foodbank can continue to provide their invaluable service.
Flu Vaccinations
If you haven't yet completed the consent form so your child can have their flu vaccination next Thursday 24th October, please ensure you do so as soon as possible. The deadline to complete the online form is next Tuesday, 22nd October.
The link was re-sent by email on Wednesday to those who hadn't yet completed the form.
Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Don't forget that there is still time to take part in the Christmas Shoebox Appeal. Leaflets are available from the school office.
The deadline to return the shoeboxes to the school office is by Friday 8th November at the very latest please.
As a reminder, the idea of this is that families fill a shoebox for a young family - the shoebox can include items such as toiletries, small toys, sweets/chocolate etc. We would collect the shoeboxes in and then the family who have suggested taking part in this would deliver the shoeboxes to enable them to be distributed. Families who take part are then able to track where in the world their box is delivered to.
If you would like to take part, please do not spend a fortune on your shoebox(es). Here are some ideas from Link to Hope on what you can include in your shoebox. Think about crafting or making something handmade. Find the present that is in your drawer that has never been used; the candle that you were given for your birthday; the scarf that you have three of; the multipack of socks that if a couple of pairs were missing you wouldn't notice; use the Buy 1 Get One Free offer on toothpaste the next time you are shopping; the small perfect cuddly toy that is sitting in your local charity shop just waiting to find a new home.
Further details of the appeal can be found by clicking the link below.
https://linktohope.co.uk/shoebox-appeal-2024/
Board Games Club
Mrs Ward is hoping to set up a board games club at lunchtime. If you have any board games which have all the pieces in them and you no longer play them, we would be really grateful if you would consider donating them to enable this club to get up and running.
If you do have any board games that you no longer want, they can be handed in to your child's class teacher or the school office.
Lunchtimes at Mayflower
Our PTA has had a 'gift tree' in the main entrance to school recently. There are gift tags on there and parents/carers are able to take a tag from there and purchase or donate the item on the tag. We have collected a wonderful array of items and have been able to put together some boxes of equipment and toys for the children to play with at both breaktimes and lunchtimes. As you can see from the pictures below, the children are being very creative with the equipment and love spending time making and sharing their creations.
We can never have enough play equipment, so if you are having a clear out in the run up to Christmas and have anything suitable to donate we would be really grateful. Suggestions include dolls, cars and balls but anything that is suitable for children aged 4 to 7 would be fantastic. Thank you to those who have already donated.
Mrs Stanfield and Mr Skeldon, our kitchen team, work really hard every day to provide nutritious meals that the children will enjoy. Mrs Stanfield takes notice of those items on the menu that aren't as popular as others and makes changes accordingly. We are so lucky to have such a fabulous team in our kitchen and the children regularly show their appreciation for the food they receive. Mrs Stanfield's sprinkle sponge is a particular favourite with the children (and staff!).
There will be new menus after half term and these will be added to the school website next week and will also be shared on the weekly blog as usual.
More World Mental Health Day Fun!
Year 2 wanted to share with us some pictures from their activities during World Mental Health Day last week.
PTA Halloween Disco
Upcoming PTA events
Year 5/6 and Year 3/4 movie nights
Letters will be coming home in the first week back after half term for the movie nights for our Key Stage 2 children. If your child would like to attend the event, details of when the reply slips need to be returned will be on the letter.
We will provide plenty of time for the reply slips to be returned to school. It is really important that reply slips are returned by the deadline shown on the letter as going forward, we will not accept any late reply slips.
For both of these events, we will need a minimum of 2 volunteers to enable them to go ahead. If you are willing to help, please email admin@bawtrymayflower.doncaster.sch.uk and we will let our PTA know.
Parents Guide - Keeping Stress In Check
Mrs Westerman, our Family Manager, has asked us to share a parents guide entitled 'Keeping Stress In Check' which may be helpful. Please click on the link below to view the guide.
Keeping stress in check - parents guide
Free Parenting Clinic
Half Term Activities
The Trans Pennine Trail Team have uploaded their spooktacular Halloween half term activity pack onto their website. This is available free to download by clicking the link below. The pack contains lots of fun activities for the half term break that include making a fab paperback hedgehog, some spooky Halloween painted leaves and some Halloween cookies as well as an Autumn scavenger hunt, a Wordsearch and some Autumn facts and Halloween jokes to try on family and friends.
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.
The activity pack can be used ‘on the go’ by downloading it to a mobile or can be printed at home. The team are also happy to send out printed copies to people who don’t have a printer or are unable to access the PDF. If you would like a printed copy, please email your name and address to info@transpenninetrail.org.uk and the team will post a copy out to you.
https://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/welcome-to-our-childrens-page/
Family Activities
Lunch Menu for week commencing 21st October 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.
Monday 21st October 3pm - deadline for Christmas Design Project artwork and order forms to be back in school. The company cannot accept any late orders. Change of date – was originally Friday 18th October.
Thursday 24th October - Flu Vaccinations for Reception to Year 6
Thursday 24th October – Key Stage 1 Spelling Bee during Key Stage 1 assembly (children only)
Thursday 24th October – Year 3&4 Spelling Bee during Key Stage 2 assembly (children only)
Friday 25th October – last day at school before October half term
Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November – October half term
Thursday 31st October – deadline for Secondary school applications for September 2025
Monday 4th November – first day back at school after October half term
Monday 11th November – Year 5 visit to Lincoln Castle
Tuesday 12th November – Reception and Year 6 height and weight checks with the school nurse during school time
Tuesday 12th November - PTA Bag2School Clothing Collection - further details to follow
Wednesday 13th November – provisional date for parents evening. Date subject to change. Further details to follow.
Thursday 14th November - PTA Year 5/6 Film Night - £3 entry includes snack and drink. Further details to follow. We will require at least 2 parent/carers volunteers to enable this event to take place.
Thursday 21st November - Flu Vaccination catch up session for those not at school on 24th October
Friday 22nd November - PTA Winter Charity Ball
Thursday 28th November - PTA Year 3/4 Film Night - £3 entry includes snack and drink. Further details to follow. We will require at least 2 parent/carers volunteers to enable this event to take place.
Thursday 28th November - deadline for non-refundable deposit for Year 4 residential at Hollowford to be paid. Further details to follow.
Monday 2nd December - Key Stage 1 Nativity Dress Rehearsal 10.30am
Tuesday 3rd December - Foundation Nativity Dress Rehearsal 10am
Tuesday 3rd December - Key Stage 1 Nativity Performance 2pm
Wednesday 4th December - Foundation Nativity Performance 10.30am
Wednesday 4th December - choir singing at Bawtry Residents Christmas Lunch at Bawtry Hall
Thursday 5th December - Foundation Nativity Performance 10.30am
Thursday 5th December - Key Stage 1 Nativity Performance 2pm
Tuesday 10th December – Year 1 to Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery
Wednesday 11th December - Rocksteady Concert 10am - for those children taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions
Friday 13th December - PTA Christmas Shop
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)
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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 9th July 2025 - Music Hub (guitars, woodwind and brass) Concert 9am - for those children taking part in guitar/woodwind/brass lessons in school
Wednesday 9th July 2025 - Rocksteady Concert 10am - for those children taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions
Thursday 10th July 2025 - PTA Colour Run (if the weather isn't on our side on this day, the event will be moved to Thursday 17th July 2025)
Thursday 17th July 2025 - alternative date for PTA Colour Run if weather isn't suitable on Thursday 10th July 2025
Friday 18th July 2025 – last day at school before Summer Holidays
2025-2026 School Year
Wednesday 1st October 2025 - individual/sibling photos
