As we were unable to meet with all of you at Church today I have recorded a short end of term message for the ‘grown ups’. Please click here to watch it

Yann came to school today to deliver a special ‘Christingle in a bag’ for each child. We were so very pleased to see him! Don’t forget to watch the fantastic Christingle starring our Year 3 and 4 pupils on YouTube at 4pm on Christmas Eve - click here for the trailer.

Thank you so much for your kind words and generosity to all of us as staff this Christmas, and over the term. The staff team have worked hard to follow all (changing!) government expectations, on top of their passion to support each child pastorally and academically after the lockdown. I am very proud to work with such a great team of people.

As parents and family, your wearing of masks and following the COVID rules, means that as staff and children we have continued to feel safe at school. To know that we are all working together with Love and Courage in our Community has been so vital in 2020. A year where our school values have never felt so important.

I wish each and every one of you a safe and happy holiday. Christmas blessings to all!

Mrs Pinchess, Headteacher

 

COVID

As you are all aware we expect any member of our school community to self-isolate and get a test if they have COVID symptoms. If we then receive notification of a positive case where a child or adult has had face-to-face contact within school then we have to alert all parties to self-isolate as required by Public Health England. This remains the case in school term time, but also for six days after we break up for Christmas to maintain the school’s role in contact tracing. This timing allows for any positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases to be identified and for relevant contacts in the school to be traced.

If a pupil, member of staff or visitor to school develops symptoms within 48 hours of being in school, and they then test positive, you must contact the school in term time by emailing the school office. From Saturday 20^th December we require you to ring or text our school mobile on 07519 146 546 with your child’s name, class and the details of whether you are self-isolating with symptoms or have a positive COVID case confirmed. Mrs Pinchess will have the phone at home and check it for calls and messages between 10am and 12pm every day up until 24^th December.

Should you have to self-isolate, or have a positive case confirmed after 24^th December, then please email the school office.  Whilst we will have passed the point where new cases require the rest of the whole school bubble to self-isolate, it will be useful to know for our planning for the start of the new term.

 

Update from Madame Jones and the Eco-Council – December 2020

Led by Lewis and Sienna in Year 6, our Eco-Council reps were chosen by their classmates earlier on this term. Through our half-termly meetings with Madame Jones, it has been clear that the children care passionately about animals, litter and the plastic problem. So, with this in mind we started our work by setting up the bird feeders which are now being enjoyed by a wonderful range of birds, as well as a very greedy squirrel who has learnt that the bird seed is kept in a large red box!!!

This week Madame Jones and Eco-Council launched an exciting project with each of the classes through our new termly environmental lessons.  Following the children’s passion for plastic and litter, it was fitting that the school embarked on the journey towards Plastic-Free Schools status, organised by the organisation Surfers against Sewage (SAS) – more details to follow next term and also by clicking here to view the SAS website. In addition to the launch of this project, the children have been exploring how we can have both a negative and positive impact on the ocean through our use of plastic at home and school.  There are lots of different resources to support our children’s understanding of these issues, here are a few to get you started which were used in this week’s lessons:

• World Wildlife Fund – click here
• Book – Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts (it is available from Waterstones or as a read-aloud story on Youtube)
• Song  - Can you Imagine? by Petersfield-based SOS from the Kids – click here

 

Thank you …

…to all of our governors for all their hard work, both in support and challenge this term working creatively in the COVID circumstances, with Virtual meetings and new ways of working, it is much appreciated.  Our Chair David Ibbotson, James Aston, Nick Austin, Eliza Bell, Natalie Drew, Paul Harrison, Becky Miffling, Trevor Nixon, Esther van Rooyen, Laura Wellstead, Greg Dalton, Rev. Yann Dubreuil, Claire Aston, Mark Desborough and our clerk, Judith Araque.

…to Kathleen Proud, our PTFA Chair, who has worked so hard this term with huge enthusiasm and determination, to come up with great COVID safe ideas to raise much needed funds for our super school.  Read at her end of term report below. 

…to our super PTFA Class Reps who have continued to work creatively to support fund raising, to share information and welcome new families into the school – you are all terrific! Sarah Cordina & Amy Bingham, Cat Ogden & Elise Cavanough, Amy Wolfe & Sophie Ince, Sarah Forbes & Lisa Prichard, Cress Mizen & Sarah Stanley, Sarah Forbes & Sophie Ince and Lucy Catchpole & Alison Lopes

… to the Anfield, Cavell, and Thurman families for the lovely book donations

…to all the super parents and children who looked under beds and behind sofas to return library books back at school today. Keep them coming in January if you find any more!

... to all our parents, grandparents and childminders - for your consideration and respect of all our new COVID measures. We miss you all and look forward to welcoming you all back into school as soon as it is safe to do so in 2021!

 

S.T.E.P Awards

Good manners are not only encouraged, but expected at Bentley and excellent manners and behaviour is often mentioned by parents, relatives and visitors who come to the school as well as when pupils are out on school visits. We want all of our children to follow the 'Sorry, Thank You, Excuse Me, Please' (S.T.E.P.) code all the time.  Each term three children from each year group, who have shown superb manners over the term in many different situations as noted by all staff, are selected to receive a S.T.E.P. award.  In a special assembly, in front of the whole school plus teaching staff and parents, each child is presented with a certificate and a special badge.

We are incredibly proud of our S.T.E.P. award winners this term.

Year R – Anna, Josie, Montanna

Year 1 – Gabriel, Seb, Zoe

Year 2 – Anwita, Chloe, Will

Year 3 – Amelia, Gabriel, Harriet

Year 4 – Imogen, Oliver, Willa

Year 5 – Annie, Harry, Isaac

Year 6 – Emily, Lily, Michaela

 

Attendance

Attendance this term stands at 98.08% across the whole school - fabulous!  Thank you parents and carers for getting children into school each day, ready for learning. 

Class          Attendance      Late marks

Year R       97.03%             41

Year 1        98.20%             15

Year 2        98.52%             6

Year 3        99.1%               30

Year 4        96.97%             11

Year 5        97.99%             20

Year 6        99.07%             14

 

School Lunches

A reminder school lunches need to be paid for in advance.  You can pay daily, weekly or for the entire term via www.scopay.com.  Lunches next term will cost £145 (£72.50 up to half term).

 

Resources to support your child’s mental health

As you are hopefully aware, we have LOTS of great resources available for every family on our COVID section on the website. There is a new resource with some good suggestions which can benefit you at home - click here to access it. 

 

End of term update 

We haven’t been able to do so many of our usual fundraising this year – no Welcome BBQ, no Bonfire Night, no Christmas Fair – and yet you have raised an astonishing £7,000!  I cannot thank you enough for all your super new fundraising ideas and willingness to adapt to our current situation.  Your donations, purchases and support are always amazing – but even more so at this this strange time.  I know all our children will benefit from this astounding total.

Thank you!

Kathleen Proud, Chair, Bentley School PTFA