Newsletter: 12th March 2021
Posted on March 12, 2021 | By Mr Cole
Cross Country Tournament
A huge well done to the whole school for taking part in this week’s Family Group Cross Country Tournament. Although I was sadly in meetings all Tuesday morning and missed being on the field, the sounds of children encouraging each other and having fun was clear to hear from the Offices and it was heartwarming to hear the school together again at last.
Mr Davies has asked me to pass on his thanks to the children for the way they encouraged each other, both as spectators and also touching moments when children went back to help someone left behind or who had fallen over. The morning was a great display of sportsmanship and every sinlge child who took part was able to complete their course, running to the end.
The results of the Family Group competition is as follows:
| Family Group | Beech | Elder | Hazel | Oak | Silver Birch | Sycamore | Willow |
| Position | 4th | 1st | 6th | 7th | 2nd | 5th | 3rd |
| Points | 28 | 44 | 26 | 23 | 33 | 27 | 30 |
Congratualations to Elder Family Group who will hold the Cross Country Trophy until next time.
Individual stars of the year group races are shown below. These include some spectacular personal performances – well done, everyone! These children will receive Certificates next week:
| Year 6 Girls | Year 6 Boys | ||
| 1st | Jasmine Van Santen | 1st | Connor Lovell |
| 2nd | Daisy Barker | 2nd | JJ Brennan |
| 3rd | Joanne Ward | 3rd | Dan Broom |
| Year 5 Girls | Year 5 Boys | ||
| 1st | Imogen Trevor | 1st | Isaac Richards |
| 2nd | Isla-Mae Simmons | 2nd | Farley Wright |
| 3rd | Josie Heywood | 3rd | Ravi Sanders |
| Year 4 Girls | Year 4 Boys | ||
| 1st | Elayna Newman | 1st | Faris Saade |
| 2nd | Bluebelle Brett | 2nd | Dexter Jones |
| 3rd | Isla Dickson | 3rd | Allan Ward |
| Year 3 Girls | Year 3 Boys | ||
| 1st | Isla-Mae Chisholm | 1st | George Cann |
| 2nd | Georgia McGuire | 2nd | Alfie Appleton |
| 3rd | Ella-Mai Heard | =3rd | Cobain Pennington |
| =3rd | Sidney Grantham |
| Year 2 Girls | Year 2 Boys | ||
| 1st | Olivia Richards | 1st | Henry Maycock |
| 2nd | Bea Peck | 2nd | Arthur Coles |
| 3rd | Rebecca Fairbairn | 3rd | Logan Anderson |
| Year 1 Girls | Year 1 Boys | ||
| 1st | Elsie Grantham | 1st | Jenson Appleton |
| 2nd | Ariah Bass | 2nd | Alfie Booker |
| 3rd | Mollie-Jo Brennan | 3rd | Alfie Butters |
| Year R Girls | Year R Boys | ||
| 1st | Seren Saade | 1st | William Cann |
| 2nd | Juniper Wonnacott | 2nd | Kaleb Fryer |
| 3rd | Maggi Mcneil | 3rd | Monty Coles |
Photos of the event can be found here
Preschool Summer Term Sessions
Session booking for next term in Sunflowers is now open. The online booking form can be found here: https://forms.gle/HPBTSYoxpdFj9rN19
Please could you ensure any booking requirements you have are completed by next Friday 19th March so we can turn around the processing of your request before the Easter holidays.
Morning arrivals
We are noticing a significant number of children arriving before their designated time in the morning and this is causing congestion at both entrances, and also potentially compromising our bubbles. Please could I urge you to not allow your child to queue up to come into school until the following times:
- Sunflowers & Cranford Class: from 8:45am
- Burscott and Stroxworthy Classes: from 8:55am
- Alminstone & Ashmansworthy Classes: from 9:05am
Bus children should come straight into school once the bus/taxi arrives, not queue out on the road.
Thanks for you help – I know this makes morning tricky but it is vital we do everything we can to reduce the risk of spread if we are unfortunate enough to have an outbreak at school. We do not want to be sending multiple bubbles home if we have a positive case because of unnecessary mixing.
Red Nose Day
I am sure you’ll be aware that Red Nose Day is next Friday. Unfortunately we have taken the decision not to mark RND this year – the school is only just beginning its process of re-settling and at the moment it is more important for things to be calm and children to focus on their class and their learning. What we could achieveby way of celebration would also be extremely limited in our class bubbles. However, we will do some RND-type activities later in the term so please don’t think we have forgotten altogether.
Sleep is Important!
With re-opening to all our children, and the loss of routine that has come with successive lockdowns, it’s really important that all our children are getting the sleep they need to be emotionally and physically ready for school. This week, Professor Tanya Byron presented some important thoughts on the need for sleep in children and also how good quality sleep may be achieved:
The change from a school routine to lockdown and now back again has been seen to impact negatively on children’s sleep patterns and some children are now experiencing sleep disruption as a result. Sleep is crucial to all of us, especially to children and young people whilst they are still growing. Children need sleep because:
- It is needed for physical and mental development
- It recharges children’s ‘batteries’ so they have energy
- It is needed for memory, learning and growing
- It helps keep children’s immune system healthy so they can fight infection.
Children aged 4-6 tend to need 10½ to 11½ hours sleep. At this age sleep problems are very common and most children will resist going to bed and may wake in the night. They may also be afraid of the dark. A good bedtime routine and gentle reassurance should help. Older children, aged 6-12, need around 10 hours each night. They may have similar problems to some adults in getting to sleep and may worry about school, friends or family. In order to re-establish a good sleep routine, following the lockdown disruption, Professor Byron recommends no screen time for at least 45 minutes before going to sleep, a set ‘winding down’ routine of a shower/bath, quiet reading/story time and snack. The food your child eats can affect their energy levels and sleepiness. Foods that are high in carbohydrates have a calming effect whereas foods high in sugar or protein make a child more alert – if you are having supper before bedtime, try a snack based on carbohydrate such as toast, bagel, porridge or a non-sugary cereal.
“Encouraging your child to sleep…is as important as ensuring they eat properly and go to school.” – Professor Tanya Byron
Well done to our super-learners this week….
Cranford Class: Maggi – always being kind to her friends in class; Seren – working hard with her long piece of writing and not giving up
Burscott Class: Logan A – being helpful and caring in class; Riley – making links in multipliction
Stroxworthy Class: Genevieve – Amazing sportsmanship helping and supporting her peers in the Family Group Cross Country; Jamie – Taking initiative and being very kind and helpful, clearing away Forest School equipment for the class
Alminstone Class: Mary Jane- super imagination in her literacy work; Isobel – amazing effort in everything this week
Ashmansworthy Class: Roy – trying hard and making positive contributions to lessons; Morgan – great focus and hard work in all his lessons.