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Dear Families,
Well, it’s been a busy start to another school year. The children have settled well into their new year groups; for some a different chair, for others a different classroom and for others a new school, yet all have embraced the challenge and are getting to grips with what is expected of them. The staff have come back enthusiastic and ready for another full-on year too and finally I am getting to meet more and more of you face to face at drop off and pick up times!
The start of a new school year is often a reflective time; a time to think about what we do well and where we could make a difference. As a school we have revisited our vision statement to ensure that we still hold the same vision and are on the right path to see it unfurl. Our Vision Statement can be found on our website and leads us when we are making decisions about the direction we want school to move in. It is:
We want all our children to leave Snitterfield as curious, inspired young people who have a sense of their own self-worth and are able to contribute positively to society.
To support the school in fulfilling this, we have been looking at the character strengths that we would like to see the children developing as they progress through school to help them become positive citizens of society. We have been introducing these character strengths through assemblies, stories and the children’s experiences. The strengths we are teaching about, encouraging and celebrating are: honesty, resilience, respect (for people and property), reflection (on learning and behaviour choices), curiosity and community awareness. Each week in celebration assembly children are celebrated for demonstrating these strengths alongside our celebration of learning and sports.
Within the first couple of weeks the school had elected the Head Girl and Head Boy (Anna and Etien) the House Captains (Archie and Lewis, Rosa and Esme, Meisha and Emilia, Sophie and Max), Sports Captains (Harvey and Sophie), School Reporters (Esme and Meisha) please look out for their contributions to the Newsletter, the ICT co-ordinators (Ben and Emilia) and our two Librarians (Alice and Anna). Children learnt about the British Value of democracy through the voting process and showed resilience and community awareness in the way they conducted themselves.
The Year 6 children have enjoyed taking on the responsibility of being buddies to Reception children. They have helped them settle into school, find their way around and get used to the routines of the day – including the lunch hall! I know that these friendships will grow as the year continues and it is a great opportunity to develop responsibility and community awareness.
We have had some COVID challenges in these last couple of weeks but I am hopeful that we are coming out of this particular episode. Fingers crossed that we are not so widely affected again. Please continue to be vigilant for signs and symptoms and encourage regular handwashing, LFT and PCRs if recommended.
Finally, you will find here information about an art competition run by Warwickshire Fire Service. This time you need to send the artwork direct to the Community Fire Safety Officer in Bedworth along with the signed consent form (not into school). The children’s entries to the Royal Mail stamp competition were amazing so I hope some of the children will choose to enter this competition too.
Thank you for your continued support of school and your children’s learning; I am looking forward to the year ahead.
Have a good weekend!
My quest for a normal term continues!
Its been a real month of two halves. September started with such optimism and so many smiles - singing in assembly, our Year 6 buddies helping the new Reception children settle into the school routine... and then... it's Action Stations! All hands to the pump and prepare to bring her about XO! (Sorry - I've been obsessing over "Vigil"). Thanks to you all for your co-operation and understanding once again! For those of you who have had to revert to home-schooling - an extra special well-done!
I want to pay tribute to my colleagues again for their amazing flexibility and capacity over the last week or so. It has been incredibly difficult to keep up with and understand the changing advice and guidelines over the last week or two and to then relay the messages to you in a clear way. I'm sure its been frustrating from a parental point of view, but please rest assured that the safety of your children is always our prime concern.
Let's hope that we will be returning to a more stable footing soon.
Does any one fancy a woodworking renovation project? Any fans of The Repair Shop, keen to flex their skills with drills? Our school noticeboard (by the gate on Bearley Road) is in a rather dilapidated state, but I think that it is salvagable. If any one has the time and the inclination to restore it to its former glory, please drop me an email.
Upcoming Events:
Year 6 will taking part in the Bike Right Level1/2 Bikeability course next Thursday & Friday (7/8th). Don't forget bicycles and helmets!!
Our wonderous kitchen staff will be marking World Mental Health Day on Friday 8th October with a special "Hello Yellow Lunch" - details below!
The doyen of Snitterfield photographers, Ed Tyler, will be in school on Thursday 21st October for the annual school portraits photoshoot. More details to follow in the coming weeks, but mark the date in the diary and get the haircuts booked!
A reminder about the rules regarding Leave of Absences in term time is attached below.
Stay Safe!
Mr Berry (aka Wayne)
Welcome Class One!
The newest members of the Snitterfield Primary School family have settled in brilliantly! They have spent the first month getting to know each other and everyone else in the school, getting used to the new routines and generally being awesome all over the place. Miss Findlay and Mrs Varley are very proud of the way they are settling into school. Their Year 6 buddies have been a big help too, so thanks to them as well. Here are some photos of what the children have been up to.
It's been a tough week for Class 2, as they have had to revert to home learning. It's been VERY quiet in school without them! Unfortunately, as they are not in school as I write - I'm not able to present any photos in this edition of the newsletter. Sorry! I promise a bumper photo dump in the October Newsletter!
Class Three have been brilliant as they coped with some chopping and changing of staff while Mrs W recuperated. This term thay are looking at "Ug - Stone Age Boy Genius". The children were asked to think about the main characters and role play how they might be feeling at various points in the story. They came up with some amazing ideas - the next step will be to turn them into their own play! Take a look at some photos of the creative process in action...
Report by Class Reporters Meisha and Esme
Here is a report on what we have been learning in Class 4 this month.
In English, we've been reading and listening to a book called "Middleworld" and then 'interpreting' the story. We are also learning how to edit and improve our work by rewriting a paragraph.
In Maths, we have been learning to write 1, 1000, 1,000,000, etc. We also learnt the '1089 Problem'. This is where you choose two 3 digit numbers then you subtract them. Once you get the answer you 'flip' it and add them. If you do it right, you will get 1089 EVERY TIME!
In Science, we have been studying solids, liquids and gases. We have been putting salt in a cup of water. We then dangled a string into the cup and left it for two weeks. It made a solid salt crystal on the string. We also used a candle to melt wax crayons to make a new solid shape. Our Dance lessons have been based on solids, liquids and gases too!
Our DT topic has been mechanisms and machines. We made a 'jumping man' machine - when you pulled a wire the man jumped up and down. We also made film boxes, where you can see different pictures as you pull a piece of paper round the box.
We have been scrapbooking in Art, based on an artist called Antonio Burni. We made some pictures and presented our work. All of them are different and cool in their own way!
On Monday's Sila & Sid, 2 teddy-snakes are awarded for good behaviour in the week before.
Here are a few photos of our busy month!
Story by Class Reporters: Meisha & Esme:
Everyone in our school took part in our Mini Marathon, which took place yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. The Mini Marathon was 2.6 miles and happened on our school field. This was not a sponsored event- we did it just for fun and exercise. The target was 18 laps of the field - everyone set their own pace and took their time to get to the finish! Even if they didn't quite make the full distance, everyone did their best! Here are some action shots!
WARWICKSHIRE FIRE SAFETY CALENDAR COMPETITION
Will this spark a creative fire? Did you see what I did there..?
How does it work?
Parents, guardians and carers can sign up to the scheme for free and start earning cashback on the things they buy in participating retail stores, including Sainsbury’s and Argos. As you spend you’ll receive 2% cashback in the form of eGift vouchers that can be redeemed in participating stores. By linking your spend to our school on the My School Fund website we’ll also earn 1% cashback on your spend.
Add that all up across our school’s network of families and together we can all make a big difference!
How to get involved
Visit myschoolfund.org to register for free and link to Snitterfield Primary School. From there, everything you spend in participating stores will go towards helping boost our budget, plus your own!
Sign up today at myschoolfund.org