Dear Parents and carers,
We have been lucky with the weather so far this term and the children have been able to get outside and get plenty of fresh air. The sandpit is still proving popular with all age groups.
Last week Class 5 shared about their Brainwave unit in assembly. We start each year with the Brainwave units which get the children to think about their learning skills and how they actually learn. Class 5 took us for a ‘Trip around the brain’, explained about Mindfulness and Relaxation and asked the other children, ‘What type of learner are you?’. We had some great answers from the audience. This week class 4 continued with the Brainwave theme and shared their ideas about some other important aspects of learning. They acted out some informative skits to help us understand cooperation and collaboration. Then they raised our understanding of the terms Global Awareness and International Mindedness. Both classes did a great job of sharing their learning. Well done!
On wednesday 13th October there will be a virtual Primary Coffee Morning where all of the classes will be sharing videos of their assemblies or assembly preparation. Keep your eye open for the official invitation.
For the last two weeks there has been a great deal of excitement in school. It has been time to select students councillors and class representatives for the student voice. Anyone who wanted to stand had to prepare a manifesto and present it to their class. The students, after listening to their ideas, then voted for who they wanted to represent them. We had more candidates than ever this year, which was great. Many students put a lot of work into their presentations. For classes 3 to 5, we had a second round of interviews with myself and Ms Relf from secondary. All of the candidates gave a good account of themselves and it was a very hard decision to pick the final winners. We were able to announce the student councillors and class representatives today in a whole school outdoor assembly. We have introduced the Primary Student Voice to include more classes in this process and so class 1 and class 2 also have class representatives this year. Have a look at their proud faces here.
The ‘settling in’ meetings will be taking place next week. I hope you have signed up for a time slot. The teachers will be sending out Google Meet invitations for these virtual consultations – some may already have sent them!
We had planned to take the EY children to Sporthal Den Willecon today for a Rollebolle activity but unfortunately, due to traffic conditions, the bus did not arrive to take us. We are trying to arrange the visit for another day. All of our primary teachers are looking for day visit opportunities.
I will just mention now that most years we take class 3 and 4 Primary students to a centre in Herentals where they enjoy sporting and physical activities, learn to be independent in a protected environment and have a fantastic time. Some of the activities may include archery, Ice skating and BMX biking. The letter informing parents of the details and costs will be sent out in the next few weeks. Here are a couple of pictures from a previous trip.
Let’s hope the weather holds so we can all have a wonderful weekend.
Very best wishes,
Sharon Short
Head of Primary and Designated Safeguarding Officer.