Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 20th September 2019
Date: 20th Sep 2019 @ 4:38pm
In our Collective Worship this week, we have focussed on what we can learn from the story of Noah’s Ark. We have talked about care for animals on earth and I shared how our school catering company, Edsential, have become the world’s first certified sustainable palm oil company. We also looked at the rainbow and how it was a symbol of hope that God would make all well following on from the floods. We talked about how we can make people feel good if they have not been having a nice time and we agreed that it always starts with a smile. We hope that the children will share their beautiful smiles with others!
In our No Outsiders Collective Worship we listened to Wagner’s Bridal March. We talked about how Wagner’s Dad died when he was very young and he was brought up by his Step Dad. We also looked at a photograph of two men dressed in wedding outfits and one was holding the hand of the other. We shared that one of the men was the Father of the bride and at the point it came to walking his daughter down the aisle, we went and got her Step Father to ask him to walk her down the aisle too. He said 'Come with me. You've had just as big of a part in raising this child. It’s time you and me walk our daughter down the aisle together. For me to thank him for all the years of helping raise our daughter wouldn't be enough. There is no better way to thank somebody than to assist me walking her down the aisle.’ We talked about how there are lots of different types of families, but central to all families is love. We shared the following bible verse from 1 Corinthians 4-7 to help us understand this: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.
Magic Breakfast
For those of you who are unfamiliar with our morning bagel routine, we are working in partnership with the National Breakfast Programme and Magic Breakfast to provide our children with a free bagel each morning on arrival to school, for which the funding is available until the end of March. It is well documented that children who have eaten breakfast before school are more alert and ready to learn than those who don’t, so we are trying to encourage those good habits as routine. Please encourage your children to take a bagel, perhaps it may help your routine at home when mornings can be busy and it can save you valuable time, or perhaps it can be an added extra to their breakfast. They are usually available from around 8.30am each morning.
Musical Instrument Tuition
Further to last week’s information regarding musical instrument lessons, we also have lessons available on the guitar and ukulele. Lessons are held in small groups of 6 or 7 and the syllabus is kept up to date with current popular songs and theme tunes that the children will know and love, to ensure they keep enjoying the sessions. Lessons are half an hour long and cost £6.50 per lesson. To find out more information, adults can contact Erica at office@frontrow-music.com or 0161 282 8731 for more information.
Applying for Secondary and Reception Places for September 2020
If you have a child in Year 6, the application round has now opened for you to apply for a secondary school place. It is very important that you do this before the deadline which is 31st October, otherwise your application will be classed as a late application and could have a severe impact on your preferred school choice. Before making your application, it is important you view the Transferring to Secondary School information booklet. To apply, you will need to create an account or login if you have an existing online account.
As a school, we are a partner primary with both The Winsford Academy and Hartford CE High School which means that applications for children from our school are considered above some other categories, should the school be oversubscribe. Further details with regards to this can be found in the ‘Transferring to Secondary School’ information booklet in the link above.
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2020, or know of a child who is, then the application round is also open for them to apply for their Reception place. The timescale is slightly different for this and you have until 15th January 2020, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting School information booklet. To apply, you will need to create an account or login if you have an existing online account.
#WakeUpWednesday
The next guide in the social media mini-series focuses on the pressure for the perfect online appearance. With almost every child now on social media, whether it be sharing, following or simply browsing, imagery is central to their experience. However, what they perceive to be a ‘perfect’ picture may not always tell the whole truth which is why National Online Safety have created a guide to help parents and carers understand how their children are affected in their pursuit for similar ideals. Please click on the handy guide below.
Confirmed Dates for the Autumn Term 2019 – additions to last week are highlighted
Thursday 26th September: European Day of Languages
Sunday 6th October: All Together Service in St. John’s Church Hall at 11am Blakemere to take part, but all members of our school community are welcome.
Friday 11th October: Delamere class trip to Nantwich
Wednesday 16th October: Parents Evening from 3.10pm until 6.10pm
Thursday 17th October: Parents Evening from 4pm until 5.30pm
Bookings for Parents Evening are made by parents online via our school website. .
Friday 18th October: Individual photographs
Thursday 24th October: Harvest Service in St. John’s Church at 9.15am. All welcome.
Friday 25th October: School closes for half term at 3pm
Monday 4th November: School opens at 8:45am
Sunday 1st December: All Together Service in St. John’s church at 11am
Hatchmere to take part, but all members of our school community are welcome.
Monday 2nd December and Tuesday 3rd December: Linmere to take part in the Winsford Education Partnership Christmas Concert at the Lifestyle Centre
Tuesday 10th December: School nurses to carry out Nasal flu vaccination for all children
Tuesday 17th December: Carol Service in St. John’s Church at 1.45pm. Collection from Church for all children at 3pm, not at school.
Thursday 19th December: Whole school pantomime visit
Thursday 19th December: School closes at 2pm for Christmas
Have a lovely weekend,
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon