The end of another year is here and I cannot believe it – it seems to have passed by in an instant.  I can honestly remember distinctly the end of last year and it just seems like last month .  I am looking forward to the holiday and I will be somewhere very hot this time next week (or at least I hope it will be).

Today, as always, has been dominated by the Year 6 leaving. There have been tears but there has been mainly excitement as they prepare for the next stage of their educational journey. We, of course, will miss them but we hope that we have done a good job in preparing them for secondary school life and I have to say that I am confident that these children will be fine. It has been a pleasure having them in the school and I hope that they feel the same about their time in Little Heath.

It is also sad for us because we are losing Mrs Hopkins and her family as she is returning to her native Canada. She has been a real asset to the school and I am so grateful for all she has done for the school -her support and devotion to Little Heath has been much appreciated.

I have also been fortunate to receive a number of gifts from children and parents and I would like to thank them all for their kindness and generosity. All that is left for me now is to wish you all a lovely holiday. I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, September 4^th.

The end of term is hurtling towards us and we are all caught up in the end of term mayhem that always exists at this time of year. Although busy, it is an exciting time of year and the children love it because of all the different activities going on. It does make them very tired though, so it can make them a little more irritable.

Today the Year 6 held their ‘Apprentice ‘ event which is part of a ‘Young Enterprise ‘ project that they have been working on. All the other children love to walk around and see all the different stalls that they have created and the Year 6 have to pitch their wares in the hope of becoming the winner. This award goes to the group that has raised the most money from their project but before we let them know this they have to go through a gruelling feedback from some members of staff that makes Alan Sugar and his panel look like a bunch of pussycats. All the money raised does go to a charity that is selected by the children so it is all in aid of a good cause. I will let you know the winner in my next blog.

Last Friday, as the Year 6 were on their school journey, children from Year 4 and Year 5 took part in the Primary Schools inter schools cricket tournament. There were about 12 teams involved and I am pleased to announce that Little Heath were the runners-up. This is a particularly good achievement when you consider that most of the other children were all from Year 6. I would like to congratulate all those that took part and once again I would like to thank Mr Mills for all his efforts in training and organising the team.

Another big event that took place this week was ‘Little Heath’s Got Talent’ which we held on Tuesday night. It was a great event and all the children that took part really did themselves proud. It was a real variety show which included acts which ranged from speed stacking to gymnastics floor displays. As has become the norm at these events the staff did a little number at the end and, because we had a very sympathetic audience, it was well received although I do not think that any of us will be giving up our day jobs soon. I have included a couple of pictures in my blog this week so those of you who did not attend do not feel like you missed out.

Next week is the last week of term. I think we are all ready for it even though I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed. We still have a lot to pack in before we finish though. On Monday most of the year 5 and 6 are going to the Para World Championships. On Wednesday it is the popular teachers versus Year 6 rounders match although I will not be there as I have to attend a meeting away from the school. On Thursday the whole school will watch the Year 6 dress rehearsal of their leavers show which is called ‘Villian’s Got Talent’. Finally, on Friday, we are having our ‘Leaver’s Assembly’ so we can all say goodbye to our Year 6. This is always a sad time because most of these children have been with the school for eight years and it will be sad to see them go. Do remember that as it is the last day of term we will be finishing at 2.00pm.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I will not see you on Monday as I will be at the Queen Elizabeth stadium with Year 5 and 6 but I will see you all on Tuesday.

I am typing this as I wait for Year 6 to return from their school journey on the Isle of Wight. I think that it has flown by but perhaps parents and staff feel differently. Mrs Zegallo used to put pictures up on the blog so that parents could see their children enjoying themselves but unfortunately the signal is so bad in the Kingswood Centre that it is not possible for her to do this. I am sure that she will be able to share all the pictures with you on her return. We will definitely see some of the photographs in the ‘Leavers Assembly’ when all the children are presented with an image of themselves – I always consider that one of the highlights.

Last Saturday we held our Summer Fayre and everyone I spoke to said they had an enjoyable time. I think it is always a good sign that when the time for the end of the event arrives nobody is rushing to leave and that was certainly the case last Saturday – it did help that the weather was very kind to us. It was also the official opening of our new foundation building and I know that all who saw it were very impressed. It is certainly an improvement on the old building - although I always admired what Mrs Robinson managed to create inside it - I felt like I was walking into an Aladdin’s cave.

We have not had the final amount that was raised at the summer fayre confirmed although it does look very promising from the early figures I have received. I would like to thank all those who attended for their generosity and give special thanks to all the members of the PTA and those who supported them in helping to run and organise the fayre. As well as raising money these events help to enrich the life of the school.

As is typical of the end of term there are a lot of things happening in school and next week is no exception. On Tuesday we our having our Talent Night and for those that have not yet purchased tickets there are still some available. This is always a fun night which is enjoyed by everyone. On Wednesday we are holding a ’Big Maths’ event in school which is just like the ‘Big Draw’ but this time the children will be completing mathematical problems. Parents have all been invited to this and we would love to see as many of you as we can on the day. All classes have been given a time slot but if you cannot make the one that has been allocated to your child’s class (or you have 2 children in school) you can come and take them out of class at a time convenient to you or you can join the session that we are having after school which runs until 4.00pm.

Next Thursday is ‘Secondary Transfer Day’ when most of the Year 6 visit their new secondary school. We take advantage of this situation to allow the remaining children to meet their new teacher for next year. I will be sending home a letter on this day to inform parents of which members of staff will be working with their child in the new academic year. Then, the following Tuesday, on July 18^th we will be holding our ’Meet the Teacher’ sessions. We have decided to do these before the start of the new term so that parents know what the expectations are before the new school year starts. Letters will be coming home about this on Monday. They will follow the normal format.

On Friday the Year 6 will be staging their ‘Apprentice ‘activity which is always popular with the rest of the school. For those who do not know about this the Year 6 children have to plan events which encourage pupils from the rest of the school to come and try them. We do ask that the rest of the school bring some small change into school so they can try the different events but again, more details about this will be sent home on Monday when Year 6 return to school.

With all that happening in school I will have to make sure that I have a good rest over the weekend - I am sure that all those that have been to Kingswood will be taking it very easy too.  Have a great weekend and I will see you all again next week.