The weather has matched our enjoyment levels and there was a fantastic turnout at Cross Country on Tuesday. Bentley achieved some great results to start the season – well done everyone!

We also had a lot of interest in the first two of four sessions running for the grown-ups about the curriculum and how you can help at home. Thank you to everyone who came along yesterday to hear our Maths Leader Mrs Rushin, and to speak to Miss Smith and Mrs Vogel about maths in the Infants. Whilst we are very aware there is never one date which can suit every busy family, we had a great take up of places over the day and in the feedback 100% of participants said that they found the session useful. Junior parents - if you haven’t already, please do try and sign up to come along to one of the sessions next week (or send a member of the family back up team to report back! Everyone is welcome). We are here to help and to try and support you with the jargon and expectations.

In the latter half of the Autumn term Mrs Miffling will be leading four more sessions about English. As a staff we have worked very hard to ensure that our own Grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) met the expectations for each year group and it can be tricky! These sessions are here to help and to debunk some of the mysteries, so that you can feel more confident to help your children at home. As we say to the children ‘there is no such thing as a silly question’ so please come along and we will try to help. Dates and sign up instructions will be given nearer the time. 

It has been a glorious week of autumnal sunshine so I hope that you can enjoy some of it this weekend too.

Mrs Katy Pinchess, Headteacher

 

Amazing Deeds and Big Well Dones!

We are always awed, proud and full of joy to hear about the fantastic things our children and families get up to at home so please let us know!

There can only be one school where the Under 10 champion sailor goes to school and that is Bentley! A HUGE congratulations to William (Year 5) who spent the Bank Holiday weekend at the RS Tera National Championships in Brightlingsea where he walked away with the trophy.  We are very, very proud of you!

Last weekend Rhys (Year 1), his younger sister and Dad all took part in Ironman Wales.   Not only was this an amazing achievement for them all, but they kindly offered to be sponsored for our African link charity, Kaira Konko and has raised over £1,000.  The funds will go towards the Sitahuma, one of the many bush schools, who are in desperate need of support. The money raised by Rhys and his family will go a long way towards the project to develop teacher accommodation.  If anyone would like to make a donation to Kaira Konko, please let the school office know.

 

Aldi’s Kit for Schools Promotion

As many of you may know, Aldi’s current promotion could mean a massive £20,000 for Bentley!  All you need to do is collect the stickers when you shop at Aldi and bring them into school.  We will then fill up the massive poster in the dining hall and send it off! Every participating school will receive an exclusive sports kit and we could win the big prize!

 

Do you shop at Rymans?

They are giving away free money! Namely 50p every time you spend £5, in the form of vouchers for schools.  We are always in need of all things stationery, and would be very grateful for any vouchers you collect.

 

A few reminders…

…please don’t ride scooters and bikes on the playground at any time

…we have children with severe nut allergies in school and so we are strictly a NUT FREE school. Please be mindful when making packed lunches – no Nutella, no peanut butter, no nuts of any kind.

…if your child is unwell, please call the school office on 01420 525010 between 8.15am and 8.45am to let us know

…if your child is going home with someone different, please write the details in their reading record or tell the member of staff on the gate in the morning

…please book Breakfast Club and After School Club online the day before needed where possible (instructions can be found here)

…please pay for all school lunches in advance by clicking here

…please collect children at 3.15pm, if they are not participating in a club. All children not collected by 3.25pm (unless in an emergency) will go to After School Club and be charged for the session

…if your child needs prescribed medication at school, please complete a medicines form and hand in to the school office with the medication.  Forms are on the spinner or can be downloaded from here.

…please shut the main gate behind you when you leave – it is our ‘front door’

…we prefer children not to have mobile phones or any other electronic gadgets school – if they need theirs, it should be turned off and, unless they are in Year 6, they are stored in the school office. Year 6 have a separate storage area in the classroom. Children are responsible for collecting their gadgets at the end of the school day.

…snacks should be fruit or vegetables only (unless a care plan is in place)

…packed lunches should be healthy – no sweets or fizzy drinks, please

 

Charitable Donations to School

Over the last twelve months we have received £1,200 in regular or one off donations from parents, grandparents and friends of the school via the MyDonate page. We are enormously grateful for your support and this money has been added to our PTFA total throughout the year, allowing us to equip the school in a time of funding shortfalls. Some donations have been set up for a £1 a week, £2 a month or more. Every penny has benefitted the children. 

The MyDonate page is now closing on the 30th September and you may want to ensure that any direct debits are ended with your bank. We do however have a new provider which also allows for the additional Gift Aid donations to benefit our pupils.

If you would like to make a monthly or one off donation towards our school you can set this up at Wonderful.org. It is very much appreciated.

 

Clubs

We work really hard behind the scenes to set up all the super clubs and music lessons running across the year. Without your support the clubs run by small business providers cannot continue and we would remind you that all payments should be paid before Monday to ensure that you child may continue to attend.

There are just a few places still remaining in a few clubs if your child would like to get involved;

• Hockey on Tuesday afternoons (open to any child in Year 4 to 6). Contact Clive at clive.harder@tiscali.co.uk to join up
• Hockey on Wednesday mornings (open to intermediate and beginners from Year 1-4) with Mr Hammerton. Places requested through the office
• Ceramics on Thursday afternoon 3.15-4.15pm, where children are guided to create some beautiful pieces to treasure forever. Contact the office if you would like a place
• Library club with Mrs Scott-Bromley from 8.00-8.45am which can be requested via the office
• Most music providers can accommodate additional pupils – click here for their contact details

The vast majority of club providers prefer children to be dropped off and independent, so unless the coach/teacher has requested that you stay, then please leave them to get on. Should you be stranded in Bentley waiting for a child (or two!) and you would like to use the time purposefully (in the warm) we are very much in need of some volunteers to shelve books and sort displays in our busy library. See Mrs Pinchess or Mrs Miffling for more information.