Next week we look forward to seeing you for our first Parents Evening appointments of the year on Tuesday and Thursday. Please check your date and times carefully and make sure you are outside the classroom five minutes before the appointment so teachers don’t have to track you down, wasting time from your assigned time. Please help teachers to stay on time, as you each have a ten minute appointment and if required a further meeting can be set for after half-term. The childrens’ books will be set out in the dining hall for you to look at before or after the appointment. Please do not take these out of school.

Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) have chosen their learning highlights from this week…

Mrs Evamy was so proud of Year R as they went on their first ever school walk to go apple picking. They had a lot of fun with their Year 6 buddies.

Year 1 wowed Mrs Siers with their super Harvest acrostic poems. They were very careful with their colouring and decoration too.

In Year 2 Mr Fay noticed some amazing deep thinking as the class tackled partitioning and worked on speedy number bonds.

Year 3 had Miss Oakley showing off in the staffroom about their great personal development and growing independence as they adapt to Junior expectations.

Year 4 have been working very hard to understand subtraction with exchanges and Mrs Phillips was very pleased with their resilience.

Mrs Pryce commented how Year 5 have had a week of showing much more grown up Upper Junior behaviours. They are working well as a class team – great work!

Year 6 have impressed Mrs Patey by getting into the Learning Pit of long division. She says ‘keep going everyone – you can do it!’

I can’t quite believe that next week is the last week before half term. It’s going to be fun but busy with Safety week, some Harry Potter fun for Juniors, Parents evenings, X-Factor and ‘Be bright be seen’ day too!

Mrs Pinchess, Headteacher

 

Staff updates

We bid Mrs Vogel goodbye for now as she heads off on maternity leave today. She wanted to say a huge thank you for the lovely cards and gifts she received. It is all very much appreciated.

Some sad news for us, but exciting for them…

Mrs Phillips, our Year 4 LSA and Breakfast Club assistant, is moving to Norfolk so next Friday will be her last day. She is sad to leave us after two very happy years here, but excited to head to a beautiful part of the country as her husband retires and to live closer to her mother too. Good luck and keep in touch!

Mrs Drew, our super Admin Officer, is also leaving to a brilliant new job but will be staying locally, so hopefully we will all still get to see her! We know she is a whizz at so many different things and we have been lucky to have her on the staff since 2016, and previously to that as a Bentley parent and PTFA Chair. We are not quite sure how we are going to manage without her, but she is doing a brilliant handover with the Office Team. Natalie will be with us until Bonfire Night, so please do drop into the office and say a quick hello before she goes!

New staff welcomes…

You may spot some familiar faces have joined the staff team as we have welcomed three parents into the staff team.

Mrs Bingeman is working two days a week as an LSA in Year 2.

Mrs Hamid has joined the office as a part time Admin Assistant.

Mrs Dorosh is starting in the Breakfast Club team next week.

We are advertising for a Junior LSA and another Admin Assistant – click here for more details if you, or someone you know, might be interested - please spread the word.

 

School lunches

The current national economic climate is resulting in significantly increased costs around food and pay, with food prices expected to escalate further. Despite all efforts from HC3S and their suppliers, prices have now moved above budgeted levels, which means the current meal price is no longer viable. There is no room to further reduce food costs without reducing the nutritional content or size of meals; regrettably this means HC3S have no option but to increase the school meal to £2.80 per day from Monday 31 October 2022 for Junior children.

If your circumstances have changed and you believe you may be eligible for free school meals, please click here to check or contact the school office for assistance.

 

Parent worries

We all have them about our children, no matter what age and stage they are at! Here is a really useful website with lots of good advice. https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk/

There are also some really helpful YouTube videos created by CAMHS (Child & Adult Mental Health Service) which you may like to take a look at.  They are 10-15 minute films focussed on supporting primary aged young people with their mental health. There are series of activities they can try which will support good mental health. All the films do a check in which encourages young people to think about and understand their emotions – click here to access the videos

 

Secondary School Applications

The deadline to apply for secondary school is fast approaching!  Applications should be made through your home council by 31st October. 

 

Hedge trimming

The hedge in the car park by the recreation ground will be trimmed on 18th October and so be aware that access to parking will be limited on that day.

 

Personal Technology in School

We have noticed that lots of children are wearing smart watches or Fitbits to school.  Some of these watches are very expensive and can easily get lost or broken.  Some can receive email messages, play music or send texts, none of which is appropriate whilst at school.  Therefore, we have made the decision to only allow children to wear simple analogue or digital watches in school.  If your child wears one, they will be asked to remove it and take it to the office where it will be kept safely until the end of the day when they can collect it.

If your Upper Junior (Y5/6) child brings a mobile phone to school, they need to hand their phone into the office when they arrive where it will be kept safely for the day.  It is then your child’s responsibility to collect their phone at the end of the day.  It is never appropriate for a younger child to bring in a phone.

 

Reading Challenges

The Summer Reading Challenge 2022 has drawn to a close and Alton Library tell us 492 children take part of which 322 completed the challenge, reading at least six books.  19 pupils from Bentley signed up to Gadgeteers, with ten reading all six books.  We also ran our own reading challenge this year and are delighted that 15 children took up the challenge.  Certificates will be coming home next week.

 

Film Night…

… was a huge success! Huge thanks to Katherine Bingeman, Jaed Chapman, Joanna Coughlin, Tamryn Evans, Lisa Haynes, and Natalie Ryan for their help in the day, and to everyone who came along.

 

We need your Christmas Jumpers & Nativity Costumes!

We are having a sale on 2nd November and, alongside the usual uniform items, we will be selling Christmas jumpers and nativity outfits.  If you have any you wish to donate, please leave them at the school office.

 

 

Click here to find out what’s happening next week and

here to get more information about what’s going on in the local area