Weekly Blog Friday 6th December 2024
Date: 5th Dec 2024 @ 12:08pm
Attendance
Every week in our Celebration Assembly, we celebrate the class who has achieved the highest attendance for that week. This week Miss Hoggart's class had the highest attendance with 96% - well done Nursery!
Please see below for the attendance figures for this week. The target attendance for all children is currently set at 97%.
Nursery - 96%
Reception - 83.75%
Year 1 Mrs Birkinshaw & Mrs Ward - 79.44%
Year 2 Mrs Davies - 95.80%
Year 3 Mrs Parkes & Mrs Ronan - 95.81%
Year 4 Mrs Wood & Mrs Walker - 95.88%
Year 5 Mrs Pickersgill - 88.11%
Year 6 Miss Dunn - 94.41%
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
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
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
This week, our Reception class enjoyed their reward of some movie and popcorn time.
Who was our attendance HERO this week?
This week we had a real push on encouraging all children to be Here, Every day, Ready and On time. Every child who arrived on time for school every day this week was entered into a prize draw, with a chance to win a movie night hamper for the whole family to enjoy.
Congratulations to Sophia from Reception who was the worthy winner of our movie hamper this time. We hope you and your family enjoy this treat.
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
This week Foundation stage staff would like to give all of the children in Nursery and Reception the 'Stars of the Week.' They have all been amazing at learning the songs, some of them with actions, and sang beautifully. They were all fantastic during all of our performances, they remembered when they needed to get on the stage, where to stand and were brilliant performers. We are really proud of all of them.
Year 1
This week we have chosen... ALL OF YEAR ONE!
They have been absolutely incredible in our nativity and we are so proud of them! They sang their hearts out, showed off their groovy moves and learned their lines wonderfully. A special mention to Darcy too, who sang the most beautiful solo and Aaron and Jasper who had a lot of lines to learn. It is hard work preparing for a show, but they did their best to be patient and enthusiastic.
You all have star quality and that shone through in all of our productions!
Year 2
My stars of the week are:
All the children who took part in the nativity this week - for showing determination in learning their lines; collaboration in supporting and encouraging each other; courage in standing on stage and acting and singing in front of the rest of the school and their families; and being collectively responsible for putting on a brilliant performance full of razzamatazz! We are so proud of all of you.
Year 3
Florence - Florence is a really good friend to her peers. In the classroom, she is always supportive of others and works hard to make sure that everyone is included in discussions. At break times, Florence is always happily playing with peers and is able to resolve conflict herself, identifying the emotions and feelings of others with ease.
Isaac - Isaac is always kind to others and treats others the way that he would like to be treated. He listens carefully to what his peers say and always responds appropriately. Isaac is a good friend and this is evident in the way that he interacts with peers.
Year 4
Maddie D - Maddie has been a super friend this week. She has looked out for other children who were unwell and checked in on them. She gave up her break times to ensure her friend had someone to talk to when they were not feeling well.
Mason - Mason is a very caring and kind member of Year 4. He is always looking out for other children and lets adults know when he sees someone who is upset. He checks in on them to make sure they are ok and does what he can to help other people.
Year 5
Oliver S-C - Oliver is kind and caring and is sensitive to the feelings of others. He is very supportive and will always celebrate his peers achievements and be there for them when they need him. Oliver always checks in on his friends to make sure that they are ok and will speak to an adult if he is concerned about his friends being upset or worried. You are such a good friend Oliver! Keep being you!
Jack - Jack's confidence is developing which is really pleasing to see and he is much more focussed. He is completing much more work now which is great and shows the hard work he has been putting in. Jack's resilience is developing and he is beginning to understand that he can learn from his mistakes. Keep up the hard work Jack!
Year 6
The focus across school this week has been on kindness; adults across school have been paying particular attention to those children who show kindness towards others and this is perfect for Y6 this week as there have been so many children who have gone out of their way this week to just be kind.
It has been so hard to choose this week because in Year 6, we are so fortunate to have a class full of kind children. The Stars of the Week this week have really stood out to me for doing random acts of kindness across this week. They notice when adults and other children are not feeling their best and do whatever they can to make them feel better - from writing little notes to making small gifts and just checking in with people. You have made a huge impact this week with your little acts of kindness and I really appreciate all of you. This week's Stars of the Week are: Rose, Bella, Sophie and Esme.
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.
This week’s Superstar Award goes to a pupil who is always striving for the Mayflower way, thinks about how people feel, and tries to make the difference when she can. She looks after those in her class and all around school too. She even has the wonderful ability of making a positive difference to everyone’s day.
Sophie M – when people who need a pick me up see you, you really brighten their day.
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
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
Our Christmas postbox is now 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.
Christmas Chocolate Raffle
Raffle tickets are now 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 (with the exception of a Tuesday afternoon, when the school office is closed). Tickets will also be available at all of our Christmas events. Thank you to those who have already bought tickets at our Foundation and Key Stage 1 performances - our Head and Deputy boys and girls have loved speaking to you all as they sold the raffle 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 on Friday 20th December, the last day of this term.
Good luck everyone!
Rocksteady Concert Wednesday 11th December
We are really looking forward to those children who take part in the Rocksteady music sessions showcasing their learning in their end of term concert on Wednesday 11th December. Parents/carers of the children involved should already have been notified of this concert by the Rocksteady team.
Alex, the band leader, is once again blown away by the talent of the children involved. Each group just gets on with their sessions and are always enthusiastic and determined to achieve their very best.
If you will be coming to the concert, please come to the school office to sign in. Please arrive by 9.50am at the latest to ensure that the concert can start on time.
PTA Christmas Shop Friday 13th December
Don't forget it's our PTA Christmas Shop next Friday during the school day. Each class will get the chance to visit the shop to buy something for their loved ones (and maybe just a little something for themselves too!). It would be really helpful if the children could bring their money to school with them please, as the office staff cannot guarantee that they will be able to get any money handed in after the start of the school day to the children. The office don't have any cash now, so please make sure that if you have more than one child in school they bring separate money for their visit to the shop please.
If you are able to help at the shop, even for a short time, please let us know and we will pass this on to our PTA for you.
Christmas Market in school Monday 16th December from 2pm
Our children are well underway with their preparations for our Christmas Market which will take place on Monday 16th December from 2pm on our upper playground. The market offers a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to showcase their creativity while learning about budgeting and entrepreneurship. With each class starting with just £20, the challenge not only nurtures teamwork and resourcefulness but also builds a sense of community as friends and families come together to support the effort.
The competitive aspect, where the winning class receives a special treat, adds extra motivation while ensuring that all profits benefit the Bawtry Mayflower PTA. This is a wonderful way to enrich students’ experiences at the school. It’s inspiring to see such a collaborative and meaningful approach to fundraising.
We would like to invite parents/carers/extended family members into school from 2pm on Monday 16th December to view and hopefully purchase the items the children have made. Your attendance at this event will ensure that our wonderful PTA can continue its valuable work in enhancing the children's time at Mayflower.
Some of the suggestions have been really creative so we are looking forward to seeing the finished products. We will share with everyone next week what each class will be making and how much each item will cost. We anticipate that everything will cost between 50p and £3.
Staff and children will be on the stalls from 2pm to 2.45pm selling the products. We are hopeful that the market will be able to continue until 3.30pm to allow those who can't come during the school day to have the opportunity to visit the market with their children after school. However, this will only be possible if we can get some parent/carer volunteers. If you are able to help on the stalls from 2.45pm to 3.30pm could you please contact the school office. Unfortunately if there are no volunteers, the market won't be able to continue beyond 2.45pm.
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.
Christmas Performances
This week has seen the start of our Christmas festivities. Our Foundation and Key Stage 1 children have performed their concerts and nativities. All the children were absolute superstars! They all took everything in their stride and were very excited to wave to their grown ups as they prepared to deliver their lines or sing their songs. A lot of work, both at home and in school, has gone into these performances and we would like to thank everyone involved for making these performances the very best. We have had some lovely comments from those who have watched the performances and we hope our children are very proud of themselves, as we certainly are.
On Wednesday this week, some of our children who take part in our choir sessions sang at the annual Residents Lunch at Bawtry Hall. We have had some fantastic feedback from some of those attending the event. Our choir really did us proud, singing beautifully and their behaviour was exemplary. It is always a pleasure for us to attend community events and this one in particular is really special to us and something we have been taking part in for a number of years. Well done to everyone involved.
This afternoon, we had the wonderful team from Chaplins Pantos in school to perform 'Jack & The Beanstalk'. It was wonderful to hear all the children getting involved with the songs and phrases from the panto. The children all had an amazing time. Thank you to our PTA who very kindly funded our panto again this year.
Health services in Winter
Asda Rewards
We wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who linked our school to their Asda Rewards app this term. We are pleased to announce that £596.29 has been raised, which is phenomenal! This will be added to our PTA funds and we will let everyone know what this money has been spent on. What an amazing difference that amount will make to all our children, so thank you again.
Holiday Activities
Lunch Menu for week commencing 9th December 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.
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 9th December - Foundation children walking to the post box with staff/Year 6 children to post their letters to Santa
Tuesday 10th December – Year 1 to Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery
Tuesday 10th December - Year 4 parents meetings PM
Wednesday 11th December - Rocksteady Concert 10am - for those children taking part in the Rocksteady music sessions
Wednesday 11th December - Nursery & Reception Christmas craft workshop 9am to 10am
Wednesday 11th December - Year 4 parents meetings PM
Friday 13th December - PTA Christmas Shop
Friday 13th December - deadline for Y2 National Emergency Services Museum takeover in school contributions
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 - further details to follow
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
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 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
