Another week has flown by and here we are at the summer half term –we have even had some weather this week which has made it feel like summer – at last! The big event in school this week was the Oakmere mini marathon which all the Key Stage 2 classes took part in. This is a wonderful event that all the local schools participate in and even though none of our children finished in the first three in either the Year5/6 or the Year 3/4 event all the children really tried their best and did the school proud. I think that many of the children are already looking forward to taking part in this event next year because they had such a good time this year.

I know I keep going on about it but I keep seeing children wearing earrings around school and I know that their ears are not newly pierced. I did ask if people could check their children’s ears a few weeks ago but may I please ask again that if your children’s ears are not newly pierced that they take their earrings out during the school day and wear no earrings or hole retainers instead. We have this rule in place for health and safety reasons and we do not want a child to get a badly damaged ear before parents respond to our request.

As I wrote earlier we now have the summer half term break to look forward to which is lovely and then we return for the second part of the summer term which is always action packed. When we return we only have a four-day week because we are having our occasional day on Monday, 5^th June so all that is left for me to do is wish you all a fabulous holiday and I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday, 6^th June.

 It has been quite a quiet week in school this week because there has not been a day when all of the classes have been in. Year 6 were on their PGL trip from Monday to Wednesday, they were out on Thursday and then went to Stanborough Lakes on Friday. Year 4 and 5 also went to Stanborough lakes on Wednesday and Thursday respectively so you can understand why the school has been a quiet place to be in this week – it is going to feel really strange (and probably noisy) when all the classes are in school next week.

For those classes in school today we had a lovely end to the week as it was the Year 1 assembly. Their assembly was based on their learning from this term and they did a lovely job in presenting it to their families and the school. I would like to thank them for doing such an amazing job and I would like to thank Ms Davis, Mrs Alimadadi and Mrs Rexhaj for all their support in helping the class put their assembly together. Although these assemblies do not last long they involve a lot of work for all those involved.

Next week is another busy week in school. On Monday we have one of our sharing assemblies and if your child is involved in that you will have been informed by letter.  On Wednesday there is an Open Afternoon for parents with children in Years 1-6. It runs from 3.00pm -4.30pm and we start it during the school day so children can share their learning with their parents. On the same day we are running a relationships and sex education meeting for parents who have children in Years 5 and 6. This is so parents can see the resources we are going to use with the children during these sessions and ask any questions about what is going to be taught.

The annual KS2 Oakmere mini-marathon is taking place on Thursday and all children in Years 3-6 are taking part. If you have not done so can you please sign the permission slip on Arbor so your child can travel by coach to and from Oakmere – otherwise some children may find themselves having to walk there and back as well as running a mini-marathon. After such a busy week it is just as well that we have the half term holiday to look forward to.

The weather has finally got better this week and apparently it is going to get warmer over the weekend so we might be able to get outside and not have to be wrapped up like an arctic explorer. Hopefully the warmer weather will hang around so we can actually start wearing our summer wardrobe – I haven’t even got mine down from the attic yet. Whatever you do this weekend I hope you have an enjoyable time and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday morning.

 It has been a very busy week in school even though we did have the additional bank holiday at the beginning of the week. Year 6 have been doing SATs all week and Year 5 have been to Lincolnsfield. As usual the Year 6 found that the SATs week passed very quickly. Year 5 also found that the trip they had been looking forward to all year passed very quickly and they were home before they knew it. I expect both year groups will sleep very well tonight although Year 6 do not have much time to relax as they go on their school residential on Sunday. They are going to Osmington Bay, Dorset, from Sunday to Wednesday and I am sure that, like Year 5, they are going to have an amazing time.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the school staff who have given up their own time so that children in Year 5 and 6 can go on a residential trip – without their generosity trips like this would not be possible.

Next week is another action packed week in school. It starts on Monday with ‘Walk to School Week’. Although we encourage the children to walk (or ride or scoot) to school every day, we do draw attention to the benefits of not coming by car during this week. Children who are not driven in a car to school benefit from additional exercise which is good for them as well as helping to improve their mood and behaviour. It also helps bring down congestion from cars which helps improve the local air quality and makes the local area a safer place for pedestrians. I know some families, because of where they live, need to drive to school, but I do ask that you park a little further away from the school during this week and walk the last 10 minutes to school.

Years 4, 5 and 6 also have an additional treat next week because they are all going to spend the day at Stanborough Lakes, taking part in activities on the water. It is a treat for them because the school is using its Sports Premium money to pay for this. We are doing this to help expose them to a greater range of sports activities so that children who do not enjoy the more traditional sports may find something that they want to continue with after their day at the lakes.

We will be ending the week with a great treat because it is Year 1 assembly on Friday. I always enjoy the class assemblies and I know that the children –especially the younger ones – love it when they have their parents coming in to watch them perform in school.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Apparently it is going to be a lot warmer over the weekend so I hope that it is true because so far in May the weather has not been great. I will be in school on Sunday to wave the Year 6 off on their residential and I will see the rest of you all on Monday morning.

 I am writing my blog a little early this week as I have to prepare for our Coronation event. I am looking nervously out of the window hoping that the weather is going to be kind to us and allow us to perform outside but you never know with the British weather. So far this morning we have had both heavy rain and sunshine in the space of an hour. Whatever happens I know that the children have enjoyed learning the different dances so I hope you all enjoyed their performances. I hope the children also like the gift we have given them of a little badge as a memento of the coronation of King Charles III.

I have to have a little moan now. I have noticed that a number of children who have had their ears pierced for a long time are wearing earrings in school. If children do not have newly pierced ears they are allowed to wear ear retainers so the holes do not close up but nothing else. Children are only allowed to wear earrings for approximately 8 weeks when their ears are newly pierced and during that time the earrings need to be taped up all of the time. Can you please ensure that your child does follow this rule as I will be getting children who should not be wearing earrings to remove them in school.

Due to the coronation we have another 4-day week next week but we have a lot to pack into those days. Year 6 have their SATs tests next week so it is a week they always dread but after it is all over they always say that it was not as bad as they thought it would be. I am sure that they will all do themselves proud. I would just like to remind everyone involved with the SATs that children always perform better after they have had a good night’s rest so please ensure that if your child is in Year 6 they do get to bed at a reasonable time. It is also an exciting time for Year 5 because they are going on their residential to Lincolnsfield so if your child is in this year group you need to ensure that they have slept well before they go because they have an active few days ahead of them.

The coronation is an historic event and I have never witnessed one in my life time so I am quite excited about watching it this weekend. Whatever you are doing I hope you all have a great time and I look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday Morning.