THIS WEEK AT BENTLEY...
Wow – I can’t quite believe we’ve reached the end of the school year!
It has been an incredible year, filled with so many wonderful memories, achievements and moments of joy. As Headteacher, I am incredibly proud of all of the children here at Bentley. They come through the gates each morning full of enthusiasm, ready to learn, to try their best and to support one another. Watching them grow – not just academically, but socially and emotionally too – has been a real privilege. Their kindness, curiosity and resilience shine through each and every day.
I am also incredibly proud of the staff team we have here. They truly are an amazing group of people who come into work each day with one clear purpose: everything we do, we do it for the children. This outlook shapes everything – from their commitment to helping every child succeed and be happy, to throwing themselves wholeheartedly into school events! Whether it’s taking part in Bentley’s Got Talent or being squirted with water pistols at the summer fair, the team always go the extra mile. I’m sure you will join me in saying a huge thank you to them, and in wishing all of the Bentley team a very well-deserved and restful break.
It has been an emotional week as we said goodbye to our wonderful Year 6 children. They amazed us all with their leavers’ production, and there was definitely a healthy balance of laughter and tears during the awards ceremony! Our Year 6 pupils are more than ready to spread their wings and embark on their next adventure at secondary school – we will certainly miss them.
A huge thank you must also go to our PTFA chairs – Sarah, Molly and Sarah – who do a brilliant job organising such fun events throughout the year, while also raising vital funds for the school. You truly are amazing and we are so grateful for everything.
And finally, thank you to all of you – our wider Bentley community. You are a fun, supportive and generous group of families, and we appreciate everything you do. From running and supporting PTFA events to volunteering on school trips, none of it would be possible without you.
Please can I ask that you take a few minutes to complete our Parent Survey – your voice is important to us. https://forms.office.com/e/Y2pL1DHcRf
With only two days to go, I would like to wish you all a joyful, relaxing and sunny summer break. We can’t wait to see you in September for another fantastic year ahead!
Mrs Hallett
HOUSEPOINTS
This week’s housepoints totals:
|
300 |
405 |
395 |
274
|
ATTENDANCE
Governors have set the attendance target for the school at 97%. The class with the best attendance last week was Year 1 with 100% attendance. Well done year 1!
Attendance figures for each class for last week are below:
SAFEGUARDING – EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS
Whilst we all look forward to the summer holidays, they can also bring challenges. If you feel that you or your child need any extra support during the summer holidays you may find the details below useful:
CAMHS are running support sessions for parents - Events – CAMHS
Hampshire Healthy Families – courses and online workshops including school readiness
https://www.hampshirehealthyfamilies.org.uk/events-courses-workshops
Hampshire Libraries run courses for parents including first aid and Makaton workshops
https://shop.hants.gov.uk/collections/learning-in-libraries
ChatHealth (5-19 year olds) – 07507 332417
Future in Mind are linked with CAMHS and offer support groups and courses – find upcoming events here.
No Limits Charity offer support for 10-17 years olds at Safe Haven, Upper Hale. They run drop in sessions Monday: 6:30 – 7:30pm and Thursday: 6:30 – 7:30pm To book an appointment for a one-to-one: Call 07918 259 361.
PIRATE DAY
Y2 enjoyed a wonderful day full of piratey themed activities. Everyone came in full pirate attire and we had some very impressive costumes and accessories. A maths clues hunt on the playground kicked off the day followed by the children writing their own pirate themed stories. In the afternoon, the class enjoyed designing their own flags and the water games finished off the day. 
SCHOOL MEALS UPDATE
We are very excited to be able to share the menu from Caterlink for September 2025 – April 2026. The meals sound absolutely delicious! We are also very pleased to confirm that from the start of the Autumn term the cost of the school dinners will be £3.00 per day.
You are welcome to provide a healthy packed lunch for your child instead of them having a school meal. Please ensure that it is nut-free, and double check labels (many chocolate spreads and bars have hazelnuts as an ingredient). We do have some children in school with severe allergies, so we are grateful for your support in helping to keep everyone safe. Please click here for some ideas and guidance for healthy packed lunches in schools.
MEASLES
Hampshire County Council have asked us to share the following important information with you:
From Autumn 2023 to summer 2024, England experienced the biggest outbreak of measles since 2012, particularly affecting children under the age of 10 years. Since the peak last year cases have declined, but local outbreaks have continued and we are currently experiencing an increase in activity particularly in London and the North West Regions. There is also an increase in measles abroad.
We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their 2 MMR doses. To see if your child is up to date with their MMR vaccines, check your child’s personal child health record (PCHR), known as the red book, or contact your GP practice. You may also be able to check their vaccination status on the NHS App.
Getting vaccinated means you are also helping protect others who can’t have the vaccine, including infants under one year and people with weakened immune systems, who are at greater risk of serious illness and complications from measles. They rely on the rest of us getting the vaccine to protect them.
Having two doses of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best way to protect your child and help prevent measles spreading, especially to those most vulnerable. Two doses of the MMR vaccine give you excellent lifelong protection. If you or your child have missed out, contact your GP surgery to catch up as soon as possible, especially if you are travelling to other areas in England or abroad.
There is information available from the NHS on the MMR vaccine.
There is information about measles on the NHS website.
This includes advice for parents and carers to check if their child has measles, including photos of the measles rash. The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness, so anyone with symptoms is advised to stay at home and phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice, rather than visiting the surgery or A&E, to prevent the illness spreading further.
ECO-UPDATE
Eco Council – Class of 2024-2025
A huge thank you to our 12 fabulous Eco Council reps from Year 1 to Year 6 for showing not only a passion for our environment but also an ability to enthuse and motivate others to take action. This year they have achieved a lot as a team. Here are some of their achievements – each and every member of Eco Council should be very proud:
- Introduced new waste legislation in school with our food waste collection
- Participated in Eco Conferences – Hampshire and Young ACAN
- Organised two stalls at the PTFA Christmas and Summer Fairs, raising money for our pollinator garden
- Taught the school about waste through an assembly
- Organised a competition to design a pollinator garden
- Started to create our pollinator garden
- Monitored our food waste throughout the year
- Awarded Eco Class of the Week
- Attended regular Eco Council meetings and shared important messages from our Eco Council meetings with their class
- Organised the Big Bentley Switch Off and saved 10% of electricity
Big Bentley Switch Off – 30th June – 11th July
The Big Bentley Switch Off came about after one of our Eco Council Year 6 leaders, Lexi D, asked to reduce our electricity usage as a school. Eco Council worked as a team to produce a poster and to remind their classes to switch off lights and whiteboards when not in use, leading to a staggering 10% reduction in our electricity consumption. It just goes to show the power of making small changes and this result will definitely inspire us to continue switching off lights, appliances and devices in order to continue to reduce our carbon footprint and electricity bill!
Alton Repair Café – Saturday 19th July
Alton’s very own Repair Café opens its doors this coming Saturday at Alton Community Centre at 10.30am – 12.30pm. So, if you have something small at home which is broken, why not take it along to be fixed. For more details, click here.
Big Butterfly Count – 18th July – 10th August
Why not get involved in some great citizen science this summer? Butterflies are an important indicator species and last year a national butterfly emergency was declared, leading us to create our school pollinator garden. To get involved in the Big Butterfly Count, click here. It’s free and great fun for everyone to get involved in - plus the information you gather is really important data for scientists who are monitoring our butterflies.
NORTH 2 SOUTH SUMMER CAMP
During the summer holidays (4th-6th August) Kathleen Proud and Sarah Forbes are running a holiday club here at school. Please see the poster below for more details.
ALTON RUGBY CLUB – GIRLS RUGBY
Starting in September (dates to be announced), Alton Rugby Club will be running weekly training sessions on a Sunday designed to introduce and develop rugby skills in a fun, safe, and inclusive environment.
Session Times:
U10 & U11s:10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
U12 & U13+: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
These sessions will be delivered by Jacko, their Director of Rugby, who currently coaches the Army Women’s Rugby Team and the Hampshire U16 Girls, alongside our Age Grade Chair, Fran, who together will be bringing an exceptional level of experience and passion to our new section.
This is a fantastic opportunity for young girls to get involved in rugby, make new friends, build confidence, and become part of their growing club community.
Please spread the word to friends, schools, and families—everyone is welcome to come along and give it a try!
In addition to players, they are on the lookout for anyone who would like to help run the new girls section with us - be that coaching, team managers or emergency first aiders. If you are keen to get involved in any way, drop them a message.
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Jacko or Fran at girlsrugby@altonrfc.club
They can’t wait to see you in September!
PTFA
Wow, what a year!
Thank you to everyone for their support, donations and help over this school year. We couldn’t do it without you.
We are busy counting up how much Bentley School’s PTFA has raised this year and will announce at the AGM in September. However, it is not all about raising money. We hope that all the children have enjoyed our PTFA events, had fun and made brilliant memories too.
We hope everyone has a brilliant summer holidays! 😀
