As I type this I can hear loud laughter coming from the hall as the children are watching the performance of Dick Whittington. It is bringing a happy end to what has been an eventful and busy half term. I am sure you are all looking forward to the Christmas holidays – I know I am and the children certainly are –their excitement has been off the scale over the last couple of days.

Even though we have only been here 3 days it has been an action-packed week in school. We started the week off with our last Sharing Assembly of 2023 and in the evening we had our annual KS2 Carol Concert. The church was packed and it was great to see so many family and friends in the church to watch the service. It really was a lovely concert and the children who attended should be proud of their performance. I would also like to thank all the staff who made it possible – especially Mrs Lawrence who co-ordinated the concert and prepared the children so well for their performance. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had the KS1 and KS2 Christmas parties which I know the children really enjoyed. KS1 had a special visitor at their party as Father Christmas made an appearance and I know the children were very thrilled and excited by that as they could not wait to tell me that they had seen him (some even thought that they had seen his reindeer and sleigh on the roof.) After the pantomime this morning we will be finishing the day in the hall with a rousing performance of the 12 Days of Christmas which is very noisy but the children love it.

Before I go I would like to thank everyone who has given me a gift. They are lovely and very much appreciated. All that is left for me to do now is to wish you all a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year and I look forward to welcoming you all back on Monday, 8th January.

 The children are all sitting in their classrooms quietly watching films bringing a quiet end to a very busy and noisy week. I have to say that the week did not get off to the start I had hoped. The whole school was excited at the thought of watching the Foundation Stage and KS1 Christmas shows but there ended up being no school on that day because of a broken boiler. Fortunately, we managed to get it fixed very quickly and we were able to come back the next day. I hope this interruption was not too inconvenient for you. I know these disruptions are never easy to manage but we need to follow health and safety guidance to ensure that the children are safe in our setting.

Fortunately, we were able to go ahead with our Christmas shows for families and friends and they were enjoyed by all those who watched them. The Nursery and Reception children performed some lovely Christmas songs for us and Key Stage One performed  ‘Lights, Camel ,Action’ which tells the story of the nativity through the format of a talent contest. All the children did the school proud and I would also like to thank all the staff who worked so hard to put these shows together. Without their continued commitment we would not be able to have these wonderful events which are a highlight of the Christmas season.

The children all looked very festive today in their Christmas jumpers which helped set a lovely atmosphere for our Christmas dinner. If you have not already made your donation you can still do so by using the Just Giving link which the school sent to you by text. The Christmas Jumper charity supports ‘Save the Children’ which helps to support children all over the world who are in need. I think we can all agree that this is a very worthy cause.

The fun has not ended in school yet as there is plenty for the children to look forward to next week. On Monday morning we have a Sharing assembly and in the afternoon the Foundation stage and Key Stage One children have their Christmas party to look forward to. In the evening it is the KS2 Carol Concert which we are holding at Christ Church. On Tuesday, KS2 are having their Christmas Party and on Wednesday the whole school is watching the pantomime ‘Dick Whittington’ which is always a popular event. I think after all that the children will be ready for a holiday although the excitement will be continuing into their holiday as it is Christmas.

Have a great weekend everyone. I am sure that you will all be busy with Christmas events and preparations but as we still have three days to go until the end of term please do make sure that the children do not become over tired as they will not be able to enjoy the events that we have planned for them in school.

 We are, like I am sure you all are, in the middle of Christmas preparations.  The school is all decorated for Christmas and the younger children are in the final stages of rehearsal for their Christmas performances next week. I know they are all very excited to perform to you and I know that you will all be very excited to see them perform. These shows are certainly a highlight in my calendar.

I hope you all received the link for our parent questionnaire. We have kept it open for over the holiday and into the new year so that we can get as many people as possible to complete it. Your opinion is very important to us and we want to know what you think about how we are running the school. Even if you think you have something to say that we do not want to hear please do complete the questionnaire. We are always open to suggestions that will help to make Little Heath a better place to be for everyone.

I know that it is getting towards the end of term but we still need everyone to follow our rules and that includes those for uniform. I am seeing an increasing number of children coming to school in trainers and these are not part of school uniform. There may be a good reason why children do not have the appropriate footwear for a day or two but it should not be longer than that.

Next week is a very busy week in school. As well as the Foundation and Key Stage One performances on Tuesday and Wednesday we have Open Afternoon for parents with children in Years 1-6. This runs from 3.00pm-4.30pm on Wednesday afternoon. This afternoon gives the parents in these classes an opportunity to share the learning that their children have covered over the last half-term.  It is not a session where teachers will discuss your child’s progress with you. On Friday it is also Christmas Jumper Day and we are also having our school Christmas lunch on this day as the children will all be dressed in festive jumpers.

 The PTA are holding the draw for their Christmas hampers on Friday 15^th December as well.  Some of the hampers are on display under the Christmas tree in the main entrance and all those that have seen them are saying how impressive they look (see picture below) so if you want a chance of winning one please do not forget to purchase your raffle tickets. The link to buy them is on the front page of our website.

 I hope you all have a great weekend. We are experiencing a lot of illness in school at the moment so try to ensure that your children get plenty of rest so they are well enough to enjoy the last week and a half of term. I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday morning.

 I think we can all agree that winter has definitely arrived.  For the first time this term I have had to defrost my car before coming to work in the mornings. Some people do not like the cold but I love it when the sun is shining and there is frost on the ground – especially at this time of year when Christmas is approaching. It really helps to set the mood for all the festive celebrations.

I am afraid that I am going to have to have a little moan. Unfortunately, some of the neighbours close to the school have been complaining that parents are parking their cars across their drives. I am sure that I do not have to remind you that it is against the law to do this and if people persist in doing this the neighbours are going to get the police involved. I would also like to ask you if you can respect our no car zone in front of the school. This has not happened for a long time but I have noticed recently that more and more parents are driving their cars up to the school entrance to drop off their children for school. We try to keep the area in front of the school a pedestrian area only so that it is safe for the children to come to and from school. We do not want an accident to happen before people start following our request.

We have started putting our decorations up in school and this always causes great excitement amongst the children. I know that some parents also started with their Christmas decorations last night because they attended a wreath making event organised by the PTA and apparently some lovely wreaths were made. The PTA also managed to raise an impressive £289 for the school which is always good news. I would like to thank our amazing PTA again for all their efforts in fund raising for the school –it is much appreciated.

 It is lovely being in a school at this time of year to see all the enjoyment that the children get from the Christmas period. I am sure that you are going to be busy with your Christmas preparations at home but I do hope that you get some time to relax over the weekend.  I look forward to seeing you on Monday morning when apparently it will still be cold.