There has been a lot going on in school this week. We had a ‘Sharing Assembly’ on Monday which I always enjoy because I do like seeing what the children have enjoyed learning over the last half term. I know some of the children get very nervous presenting in front of the whole school but I think that this is an important skill that they will need in their future lives and the more they practise the better they will get.

We had an ‘Open Afternoon’ for parents of children Year 1-6 on Wednesday afternoon and I am glad to say that it was well attended as usual. This is good because it has been proven that when parents take a positive interest in their child’s learning then it has a positive impact on the progress that their child makes. It also has a good impact on their progress if a parent engages positively with their child’s school.

Yesterday, all of Key stage 2 took part in the Oakmere mini – marathon. This is an annual event in which lots of the primary schools in Potters Bar take part. The principle behind the marathon is that all the children take part in a fun, active event so it will encourage them to exercise and they get an opportunity to socialise with their peers from other schools. Where you finish is not important although we were pleased that Nathan in Year 6 finished 3^rd in his race. However, we also had another special mention for one of our pupils because Aayan in Year 4 had injured his leg before the marathon and could not run it but he did still take part and walked the course. He may not have finished first but it was still a great achievement and truly captured the ethos of the whole event.

I have also been holding auditions for the ‘Talent Night’ which will be held on Thursday, 13^th June at 7.00pm. We do have a lot of talent in school and I know it is going to be an enjoyable evening. I hope to see many of you there. Tickets will be on sale after the half term and will be £4 each.

That is all for now. We have a half term break ahead of us which I know everyone is looking forward to even though it has only been a very short half-term. I hope you all have a very enjoyable break and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, 3rd June.

It has been quite an exciting and busy week in school. The Year 6 have completed their SATs tests, Year 5 have been to Lincolnsfield and the Reception class performed their class assembly this morning. With all that has been going on I found myself quite shocked to realise that at the end of next week it is the half term holiday – the year is just flying by.

The assembly this morning was really good. I know that the ‘Reception’ children have ‘cute ‘ appeal which helps them to please an audience but their assembly was very entertaining and well presented. It was all about what they have been learning in class. I would like to thank the children for their great performance and I would like to thank Mrs Sheenan, Mrs Howe and Miss Chandler for all their hard work in putting it together.

The KS2 SATs are over for another year and I know that Year 6 are happy about that. As I predicted, the children all said that they were not as bad as they were expecting and they all thought that the week passed very quickly. The results for them will come out in July but I do ask parents to remember that they are only evidence of what the children can do in a test and that the real evidence of what they can do is evidenced in their books and in the classroom –and also what they can remember when they leave us and are not in the pressure situation of an exam!

Next week is another busy week in school. It is ‘Walk to School Week’ so please encourage your child to walk, cycle or scoot to school. If you drive please park a little further away from the school so that your child can walk part of the way. On Monday we also have our half termly Sharing Assembly and if your child is taking part you will already have been informed. On Wednesday it is our Open Afternoon for parents of children in Years 1 – 6.  This is an opportunity for parents to see the work that their children have completed over the last half term. It has only been a very short half term so I hope parents remember this when they look at the books but I know that the children have still produced some quality work in that time.

On Thursday it is the annual ‘Oakmere mini - marathon’ and all the children in KS2 take part with many of the other local primary schools. Although medals are given out to the winners, the main focus of the event is participation and the children can run it at any speed they like - the focus is on finishing. I always love this event and it is good to watch. If you are free at 10.30am next Thursday you may want to pop down to Oakmere to watch. In the afternoon I am also holding auditions for our talent night which we hold once every 2 years. It is always a popular event and I am sure that it will be no different this year. The date for the talent night is Thursday, June 13^th .

After that it is half-term. I am hoping that we have good weather because I am staying in England for this break. I also hope that the weather is good this weekend because I am attending a wedding and my outfit would not really do well in the rain –I may have to see if I can buy an umbrella to match!

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend. I am sure that with all the events that are happening next week I will see many of you during the course of the week.

I am thinking of changing the name of the school from ‘Little Heath Primary School to ‘Half Finished School’. This is because we have got many projects going that are half finished. This includes our windows, our new tech room, the new outdoor classroom and the new climbing frame in the KS1 playground. I am trying to get excited for when everything is finished and imagining how great the school will look. All of the projects are expected to be finished by the second half of the summer term at the very latest so let us hope there are no hiccups to get in our way to hinder our progress. The weather certainly has not helped us this week and I did receive some sympathy from parents about us having to get windows removed and replaced in torrential rain. The worst affected were the office staff and I have to say that they did not complain much. The new windows are looking very good and hopefully they will also help to keep the school warmer during the winter months.  

We did have a lovely end to the week thanks to our Year 1 assembly. It was an excellent assembly about some topics that they have covered in class and everyone who watched it said how enjoyable it was. I think that if I am ever getting a new house in the future I will certainly get one of them to design it for me. I would like to thank all the children for giving us such a wonderful performance and I would like to thank Ms Davis, Mrs Reusch and Mrs Lawrence for all their hard work in putting it together – it is much appreciated.

Next week is the week that all Year 6 dread the most because it is the KS2 ‘SATs’ tests. Quite naturally the children do feel anxious. However, I would like to reassure them by saying that after the first test, past children have all said that it was not as bad as they thought it was going to be and then before they know it all the tests are over. I am sure that it is going to be the same this year. I would ask that all the Year 6 parents make sure that their children get plenty of sleep next week.

As well as the SATs, Year 5 are going to Lincolnsfield next week for their first school residential trip and I know that they are looking forward to it.  As I am helping to administer the SATs test I will not be able to ‘wave them off’ but I will make sure that I see them before they leave. I know they are going to have a good time and I would like to thank Miss Davis, Mrs Robinson and Mrs Pittson for giving up their free time to make this trip possible.

Apparently the weather is going to improve by Sunday so hopefully we will see some sunshine over the weekend. Whatever the weather, I do hope that you all have an enjoyable time and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday morning –I may even see some of you at the PTA quiz tomorrow night. 

We have had quite a busy week in school. On Monday we had a representative from the railway come and talk to the children about how to keep safe when they are on the train. Year 4 were then taken down to Potters Bar station and had a ride on a train so they had first-hand experience of how to stay safe when using the railway. They all had a great time although some of them were disappointed that they only travelled to the next station and back and not to London as they had first thought. I think they were hoping to spend the afternoon seeing all the sights and possibly have a nice lunch in a restaurant. If that had been so I definitely would have joined them.

On Tuesday we had class photographs taken. As requested the children did all look extra smart - I could tell that many of them had spent a lot of time on their hairstyle for the occasion. We will see whether their efforts have been worthwhile when the photographer sends the proofs of the photographs to the school. While I am talking about uniform can I just remind everyone that in the summer girls can wear socks that are grey or white and boys can only wear grey socks. I am seeing some of the pupils wearing a big selection of colours which are not school uniform. Please support the school in ensuring that your child is in the proper uniform all of the time.

We do have a treat this weekend as it is a Bank Holiday weekend so we do not have to come back to school until Tuesday. I do not think that the weather is going to be as good as it was over the Easter weekend but I am sure that will not stop us all enjoying our extended weekend. When you come back next week there may be a little disruption in the KS2 entrance as workmen are due to come in to replace all the windows in the office area of the school but we will let you know if you need to come in a different entrance.

Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday morning.