Newsletter Wednesday 19th January 2005
Spring 2005
Sponsorship 'Heroes and Leaders' Quiz
Village Hall
Healthy Eating / Living
New member of staff
Chess Congress 2005
Year 6 Booster Groups
Tag Rugby
Gloscat - Family learning Project
Headlice
P.E. Kit
Lateness
End of Term 3 Holiday: Mon 14th to Friday 18th February
Academic Year 2005 - 2006
Child Action Project
Dates for your Diary
NON-UNIFORM DAY
Spring 2005
It's the Spring term and once again, Christmas has come and gone so quickly. Here at school we are all busy tackling this term's curriculum, as it looks to be a very short term [in comparison with the Autumn term]. The news from South-East Asia has occupied the minds of everyone around the world and our hearts go out to all those who were affected by it. As more and more information comes our way, we realise that the future for the Asian children is pretty dire and that money is needed to begin building their communities again.UNICEF has created 'school-in-a-box' kits, which contain items to set up a temporary school anywhere for up to 80 pupils. This kit costs £97 and would be a particularly appropriate focus for fund raising.
So in order to make a contribution from our school we intend to do two things:
· Join in with the National non-uniform day on Friday 21st January, whereby we hope that all children will make a minimum donation of 50p
and
· Give 50% of the money we gain from our sponsorship event [see next item] in February.
We are hoping that we may be able to fund the purchase of several 'school-in-a-box' kits. It is very humbling to think that for the price of ten Year 6 Mathematics books, a temporary school can be set up. Back to top
Sponsorship 'Heroes and Leaders' Quiz
This year's sponsorship event will be based on heroes and leaders and we do hope that everyone will join in. As in the past, children will be given a fact sheet [with the answers] and plenty of time [several weeks] in which to learn the facts. The sheet will be divided into sections so that children can decide with their parents on how many sections they may wish to tackle. This is a sponsored event but we do respect any parent who may not wish their child to participate in the sponsorship element. However, as it is a knowledge-based event, we will expect all children to take part in the learning of the facts. A more detailed letter will accompany the knowledge sheet next week.We do hope that you all agree with our decision to give 50% of all money collected towards the Asian children's educational future. Back to top
Village Hall
We expect to be hearing fairly soon about when work will start on the Village Hall build. The design proposal does look very exciting. Back to topHealthy Eating / Living
We think the time is now right to be committing our time and energy to thinking about how we relate to food and live our lives. With this in mind, I propose to set up a committee [parents and headteacher] to investigate how we could become a healthy-eating school. More on this will be sent out shortly. Back to topNew member of staff
Two weeks ago we welcomed Mr Woolston into Innsworth Junior as both our new deputy headteacher and Year 4 classteacher. The children have responded well and the staff are pleased to 'have him on board'. Please introduce yourself to him if you see him at the gate. Back to topChess Congress 2005
This year's Chess Congress will take place on Sunday 6th March (tentative date) at St. Mary's R.C. School. This is an event where our best chess players compete to become the Girl or Boy Chess Champion of Gloucester. The scores of the six highest scoring children go towards a team award. More details will be given out at Chess Club on Friday. Back to topYear 6 Booster Groups
Next week, any Year 6 pupil whom we feel could benefit from a little extra Mathematics tuition in a small group setting, will receive a letter, inviting them to attend our early morning booster sessions. These will take place from 8.20 a.m. to 8.45 a.m., Monday to Thursday, week beginning 31st January. Other English booster sessions will take place on three Saturdays, 16th, 23rd and 30th April. English booster letters will be sent out later in the term. Back to topTag Rugby
The Year 6 pupils are very fortunate in having three Sports students from Hartbury College come into school on Monday afternoons to help improve their rugby skills. These sessions are taking place on Monday 17th, 24th, 31st January and 21st February. Appropriate P.E. kit must be in school. Back to topGloscat - Family learning Project
Our last planned ICT course, run by GLOSCAT here at school, had to be cancelled because of a lack of interest. I need to know whether parents now feel that there is still a need for these type of courses. A course would normally run for ten weeks and be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Please contact school if you feel you would like to improve your ICT skills on a Gloscat course. Back to topHeadlice
Just a reminder that headlice are never far away and that we must be proactive every week. Please can I ask you to do a weekly Sunday head check as a matter of routine. Thank you. Back to topP.E. Kit
Despite the letter asking for P.E. kit to be in school on a Monday, we are still having children being unable to take part in their lessons. Why? No P.E. kit in school! Back to topLateness
This is still a problem for a few families. Please ensure that your child is in school by 8.50 a.m. Obviously unexpected situations occur, but they should be the exception, not the rule. Back to topEnd of Term 3 Holiday: Mon 14th to Friday 18th February
I did start this letter by saying that this was a very short term! Here's the proof!P.S Year 6 Parents: Please do not book holidays for SATs week - Monday 9th - Friday 13th May. Absences count against the school. Thank You. Back to top
Academic Year 2005 - 2006
The first day back for the children in the new academic year will be Tuesday 6th September 2005. Back to topChild Action Project
I am sure that by now most parents will be aware of the government's green paper 'Every Child Matters'. This deals with every child having the following rights:-· Being healthy
· Staying safe
· Enjoying and achieving
· Making a positive contribution
· Achieving economic well-being
As part of this initiative we have Child Action Project taking place in our area. This project is about putting parents in touch with people or organisations who can help them with any child-related concerns. With parental agreement, I am able to refer the child to Karen Watson, Project Manager, who will then meet up with the family. If you think this service could be of help, please speak to me. This service is there to be used and the funding has been given to make it work. This service is for you. Back to top
Dates for your Diary
A copy of the Spring Term events and activities will be sent home shortly. Back to topNON-UNIFORM DAY
Don't forget the non-uniform day this Friday, 21st January, in aid of the Tsunami Disaster Fund.This is a national event and we hope to raise as much money as possible. Thank you. Back to top