An important aspect of our PSHE work this week has also been around being kind to yourself and I certainly hope that we all get to achieve this over the Easter break! At school so much learning goes beyond the academics and is about how we all treat one another and so much starts with being comfortable in our own skin and liking ourselves. Our resilience work over this whole year has certainly helped our children to reflect on this and they have all created a Heartsmart card to celebrate what they like about themselves – and as their (very biased!) headteacher I think that there is so much to celebrate for each and every pupil at our school. They are a super bunch!

My personal self-Kindness aim for the holiday is firstly to get my own children to empty their book bags and plan for any homework task (before the final weekend!) and secondly to attack the uniform pile as they seem to have grown exponentially and we need a good sort out for the summer. Then we can relax and enjoy the holidays properly. Wish me luck…

This week at school learning has been fantastic…

Yr 6 have set a great example to the school in Kindness Week and presented their ideas to the other classes

Yr 5 took to the stage and wowed us in ‘The Mystery of Magpie Manor’ – they were terrific and we all enjoyed their three shows very much! 

Yr 4 have been getting stuck into their geography curriculum and set out yesterday afternoon on a map reading walk where they spotted symbols and also enjoyed our beautiful local landscape.   Click here to see some pictures from the day

Yr 3 have come to the end of an English Learning Journey to write diary entries and Miss Hand said that she is so proud of their excellent effort getting into the style of the character.

Yr 2 had a wonderful visit to learn even more about the Antarctic at the super Gilbert White museum – it’s certainly worth a visit to Selbourne if you have not been there yourself recently! 

Yr 1 have been working on practical capacity mathematics and enjoyed lots of hands on measuring – especially with sploshy water.

Yr R learnt a super new game called Floating Islands which Miss Smith says is a team game which is great to develop kindness to others.

We announced the class winners and overall winner of the School's Primary Engineer Award this week - click here to read all the details.

Have a super holiday and we will look forward to seeing everyone back to school on Tuesday 23^rd April after the bank holiday weekend. Everything you need to know for the first week back at school can be found in the Parents section of the website on the What's happening... page - or by clicking here.

Katy Pinchess, Headteacher

 

Well done to…

...all the children who took part in Lucy Lawrence’s ballet shows last weekend. They had a wonderful time and learnt so much from the experience in a real theatre. Great work!

...everyone involved in the amazing Bentley Ball and Promises Auction last weekend. What a wonderful evening of fun - click here to read about both events

...the hockey team who played a friendly last night at Lord Wandsworth. Great team work and a lot of fun. “Thank you to Eliza Bell and Miss Kirby for taking us”

...all the children who received a big well done for all their hard work in a very special assembly on Thursday celebrating so much effort and lots of thinking and trying new learning - click here to read about all the awards given

 

Thank you to...

...the Mizen family for their generous donation to Years 1 and 2

 

First aid alert

There has been a case of shingles reported in school. Please look out for symptoms of chicken pox and seek medical advice as required. It has been a very long term and the clocks going back last weekend seem to have added to the tiredness of children and grown-ups so be alert that children may feel a little run down and more susceptible to bugs.

 

Anti-bullying

Governors have recently updated our Anti-bullying policy - click here for details

At our school we take kindness very seriously and we have always encouraged our pupils to be thoughtful and compassionate. We have many ways of promoting our good behaviour expectations and deal with any issues. The vast majority of issues do not continue long term. All people and situations are different but if your child is upset, or having a conflict with another child, here are some top tips;

• Listen to your child. Sometimes they just need to share their perceptions and know someone else acknowledges their feelings.
• Praise your child for talking about this. Tell them relationships can be difficult and you will always love them for who they are. They are being brave by talking.
• If they find it hard to speak to you then find a kind adult who can help. To help them on their maturing journey it is great for them to have different adult mentors - a godparent, a grandparent or a family friend. An older sibling or cousin can help, but sometimes a little more distance in age is helpful to allow them to speak and not be judged.
• Try not to take sides. It can be easy to make judgements or to see one party as being ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. This can be unhelpful and also feed into your child’s views. If they see you don’t like another family/child, they will distrust them too.
• Try not to allow them to wallow in this. Try to refocus them and help them to be positive again. This might mean listening to story tapes or going for a walk or doing something distracting.
• Be positive. This can be as simple as a hug or some special time together without reference to what is going on. A movie in PJs, going camping in the garden or just reading a positive storybook together.
• Encourage your child to develop their own interests and try to have a balance of solo interests where they can be happy in their own company (without having to be entertained by others!) and friends beyond school (Cubs/Beavers/Rainbows, sports, arts, family and neighbours). This will help them to develop confidence and also for when they head onwards to secondary school.
• Help your child to say ‘No thank you’ at times with grace. Sometimes being with someone who is upsetting you is not the best idea and rather than attend the party or go for a play-date some time apart is the better option.
• Help them to forgive and forget. Holding a grudge does not allow them to move on and often develops into a more serious issue.
• For some children it can help to know that other people have experienced the same things they are experiencing. Talk to your child about times when you struggled or you had a falling out.
• If there is an ongoing issue please come and let us know at school.

 

Governors at the gate - Feedback

Our focus this term for Governors at the Gate was our curriculum. It was pleasing to hear how parents and carers appreciate the broad curriculum offer from the school. Positives include;

• French offered from Year R is a real strength
• Focus on mental maths with the school purchase of TT Rockstars is excellent and has clearly helped fluency and extended home learning
• The pupil responsibilities and particularly the Year R roles which help to develop character
• The breadth of clubs is fantastic and gives many enrichment opportunities for children to try new activities and develop subject interest
• Maths lessons have been an eye opener to show what is being taught. Thanks to teachers for inviting and welcoming parents and carers to come into school and take part. 
•  Mixed feedback as ever about homework – whether there is too much or not enough.
• The inclusive culture of the school is much appreciated. High praise for how the school is supporting emotional well-being through Heartsmart and resilience work.

Thank you for sharing your views about the school. Our next Governors at the gate survey will be about the Vision and Ethos of the school prior to a review taking place in the autumn.

We will have a parent governor role coming up for nomination next term and would urge anyone interested to get in touch. I am happy to have a conversation about the expectations and commitment required.

Dave Ibbotson, Chair of Governors