Warren Wood Primary School - DOC

							           Warren Wood Primary School
             Enjoying learning and working together to reach our goals
Issue 38                                                                              20th July 2012
Goodbye and Thank you!
Best wishes and lots of love goes out to all the year 6 children who are leaving us to attend their new
schools in September. We wish them all the best. All good wishes also to Mrs Borrett, Elm Class teacher,
Miss Curtis, Holly Class Teacher, Mr Pearson, Beech Class teacher and Miss Wilson, FS & KS1 LSA –
we wish them all the best for a bright and sunny future, all key members of the school as it worked hard to
improve and come out of special measures. All will be sorely missed. Finally, a very special Thank you to
all the staff at the school – teaching, support staff, office, kitchen, cleaning and site staff, lunchtime
supervisors, volunteer helpers, PTFA members, Governing Body members, Trust partners and to all you
parents who have supported the school this year. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, for
your constructive criticism and suggestions and for supporting the changes we have introduced and
trusting in our professionalism to make things better for your children.

Good News! Good News!
Congratulations and well done to the Year 6 children for the best end of KS2 results (provisional at this
point) for many years. Generally in Nursery and Reception Class our children are and have been well
below expected levels on entry. By the end of Key Stage 2 this year we are proud that in English 94% and
in Maths 85% of our children made expected or better progress from their KS1 starting points. 57% overall
including the Evergreen Centre attained Level 4+ in English and Maths combined, with a brilliant 34%
attaining the above average Level 5 in Reading and a good 20% in Maths. We would like to make further
improvements in our Maths so the progress is comparable with English, and within English with our
writing and spellings.

Staffing & Room Changes
Please note that Miss Gorf’s class are changing rooms, and therefore they will be known as Fir Class from
September, and Mrs Page’s Year 6 will be moving into Poplar Classroom, and therefore will be known as
Poplar Class.
Also note that: Due to unforeseen circumstances Miss Hammond, new classteacher for Larch appointed in
May, is now unable to take up her post. The post has been filled however with another teacher
Miss T. Knight, who has particular expertise and interest in the Early Years, having recently completed a
PGCE in Early Years. We are very excited at the prospect of her starting with the children in September.
She is visiting today to get to know the classroom and begin her planning with the Foundation Stage staff.
Parents will have the opportunity to meet with both Miss Knight, new class teacher for Larch and also with
Mrs Page, class teacher for Poplar Class (Year 6) early in the new term.

Ear Piercings
If you absolutely do wish your child to have their ears pierced, this week is a good time as over the
summer, there will be five or six weeks over which any wounds can heal before it starts affecting the
children’s learning. Please note: only one pair of small simple metal studs are advised for school days,
though even these must be removed for swimming and PE. Ear piercing should not take place at any other
time as this can have a negative impact on your child’s learning.

School Meal price increase
The cost of a school meal as of 4th September will be £2.10 per meal per day. Payment for the entire
week’s meals should be made each Monday with monies put into a sealed envelope. Please note school
staff do not open these – they are submitted directly to Chartwell staff for checking. We do hope to get the
All-pay system going early in the new year, but have yet to register enough parents to make the system
worthwhile – thank you for your patience.
Please note: In the first week, food deliveries are erratic therefore the menu compliance is not guaranteed;
please make sure your child is prepared for there to be a change to the menu.
Menus must be completed by the Friday of the week before for your child to receive their choice of
meal otherwise a jacket potato with a filling will be provided as the only option. Please do complete
these neatly and clearly with your child, ensuring that they have made a choice of meal that they will
eat.
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   http://www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/ - the online Ofsted survey for your views to be heard
The new term ...
The new school term will resume on Tuesday 4th September with Monday 3rd September being a staff development
day. Please have regard for the School Attendance Policy before booking any holiday – a request for holiday must
be made well in advance of booking and only one continuous period of up to ten days may be authorised and this
will depend on your child’s attendance for the previous year, which must be above 90% or for the terms so far.
Parents please note: please use this summer break to re-stock up on school uniform – yellow/gold t-shirt; grey
trousers/skirts and proper school shoes with white/black socks or tights. White t-shirts are not school uniform but
can be used in PE lessons. PE kit includes plain white or bottle green t-shirts and plain black or grey shorts,
sweatshirt & joggers for the winter.
Children are asked to bring a bottle of water to school to keep themselves hydrated to help concentration. Children
are permitted to bring fresh fruit or vegetables or dried fruit for a breaktime snack – please note snack bars and fruit
chews and yoghurts are not permitted for a snack. These can be part of the children’s packed lunch however.
Healthy packed lunches should contain food items from the five food groups – at least one round of sandwiches
(carbohydrates for concentration and slow release energy) or pasta or sausage rolls; lots of fruit and vegetables;
fish, cheese or ham (proteins for growth); a small packet of crisps or biscuits or cake. At lunch time children may
have a juice or squash. Please avoid sugar rich foods like chocolates as these make the children hyperactive and
less attentive of an afternoon. Please help your child to concentrate well to learn.
Sweets should not be brought in a packed lunch or as a birthday treat, and chewing gum is banned in school, as
these have no nutritional value and can often damage children’s teeth.
Headlice
During the holidays is a good time to make sure all little heads are completely clear. Please do check your child’s
hair daily and apply the necessary treatments. Conditioner followed by a thorough fine-toothed comb after every
shower/bath/hair wash is recommended to keep the hair clear, without using any chemicals to which the lice may
become immune. A little diligence from everyone at this time may mean we have a lice–free Autumn Term.

Joss Bay Trip on Tuesday 17th July 2012
What a lovely day everyone had – the weather was perfect, the children excellent and the staff relaxed. Thank you
to everyone who helped with supervision and helped to keep the children safe. Many of you expressed how much
the children enjoyed their day, even if they did bring half the seaside back in their socks and shoes! Thank you to
Mrs Russell for organising and coordinating the trip.

Year 6 Activities this term
A Year 6 presentation evening took place on Monday 16th July at 7pm – parents and carers and families of Year 6
children were invited to come along and hear about their child’s and their friends’ achievements from their
teachers. A small presentation was made to each pupil and this year we were fortunate enough to have Mrs Rose
Collinson, Director of Children’s and Adults Services in Medway. The event was well-attended by parents and
families, together with Governor and staff representatives and also Councillor Trevor Clarke.

The Year 6 Leavers party which was held on Wednesday 20th July was a great success. The children had a bouncy
castle and a disco before tucking into a magnificent buffet meal organised by Mrs Tracey Cooke and her helpers.
The final part of the party was enjoyed the most as the children and staff took part in a water fight, which got most
of us completely drenched. Thank goodness the drought order had been lifted.

Platinum standard homework certificates
A whopping 71 children achieved Platinum Homework Awards this term. A few children did consistently
well week by week, with the best levels of participation being in Spruce Class and the best quality of
work last year being in Pine Class (they had the most platinums). Special certificates were awarded to the
children achieving Platinum level homeworks. Thank you to Mr Terry Brown, Chair of Governors who
came to present the awards.
100% attendance certificates
Congratulations to the 16 children for 100% attendance all year – the children have each received a book
token in appreciation of the wonderful, impressive effort they have made to get to school regularly and a
voucher from the Ice Bowl for a free session of ice skating for up to 3 people.
Good to be Green Awards
Once again a pleasing 136 of pupils have been Green all term, while an even more impressive 56 children
who been Green all year through – not a mean feat in any sense of the word. Each child who remained
Green all term received a ‘Good to be Green’ badge in addition to their certificate, and each child who
has been Green all year was also awarded a ‘Good to be Green’ writing pack. This year we invited
parents to join us for this assembly as there is sometimes a perception among parents that children who
are consistently Good receive fewer awards, which we absolutely refute and yet there was only one parent
who supported this assembly.

Summer Reading Challenge – Story Lab 2012 in partnership with Medway Libraries
Medway Libraries (your nearest one is on the Thomas Aveling site) are running a Summer Reading Challenge
again this year.
Children are asked to read six books from their local library throughout the holiday and receive a reward for each
book completed, and when all six have been read a certificate and medal will be awarded to those who have shown
dedication and perseverance in lasting the course.
Research has shown that without continued reading and writing over the holidays children experience a dip in their
learning when they return in September, which then takes up new learning time to plug.

Please support your child by ensuring they take part in this challenge or that they read to you at least four days each
week and this year I would suggest children practise their writing skills by keeping a diary (for FS and Infants this
might be a picture/captions diary but for Juniors should include some page long writing – using the thinking hats to
guide their writing is a good plan. For example where did I go/what did I do this week – what do I know about this
place/this activity, what was good about this and why, what was not so good about it and why? How did I feel at
various points about it? What has this led me to wanting to do next?) Any piece of writing structured in this way
into paragraphs is a good piece of writing.
Finally do keep up the number bond knowledge and tables practice – so children do not forget.

Year 5 Summer School – 23rd July – 27th July 2012
As I have done ever since I have been at this school, I will be offering a Summer School for current Year
5 pupils going into Year 6, each day during this week from 9-12pm. This will cover some of the learning
and familiarisation needed for pupils sitting the Medway tests but the club is open to all pupils wishing to
attend provided that they are willing to learn for a concentrated period. This is a demanding session.
Please note all children who have signed up for this should report to the school office for 9am promptly.
Children may bring a bike for riding in the school playground. The school will accept no responsibility
for child riding their bike on public roads and pathways, even if coming to or leaving school.

From September - parents/carers please note:
For the safety of our children the Governing Body has responded to the need to keep our children safe by funding
the installation of electronic gates to the car park and CCTV monitored mechanised gates to replace the pedestrian
gates to the office. This installation will take place in the Summer holidays and will have the added benefit of
keeping our children safer while in school.

Additionally exit doors from the classrooms, and to the playgrounds will become security doors, with staff
requiring key fobs to let parents, pupils or visitors in or out of the building, alongside high level push button exits
on some doors. All doors of course will be safety enabled to ensure they open in an emergency.

Please in the meantime keep your children safe by using the appropriate paths and pedestrian access gates at all
times. Please do not cut across the car park.

Of course we must never assume that these safety measures will completely eliminate risk, and therefore there is
always a need for everyone to be vigilant at all times. Please continue to report anything suspicious or of concern to
you.

Attendance Expectations at Warren Wood
We have an expectation that every child (except in extreme circumstances) will have attendance at 95% at least, but
of course 100% is preferred and those pupils with full attendance in the year will receive a book token to recognise
their very special achievement.
Attached are the School Term dates – please have regard for the School Attendance Policy before booking any
holiday – a request for holiday must be made well in advance of booking and only one continuous period of up to
ten days may be authorised and this will depend on your child’s attendance in the term.
I do not authorise:
    - holidays in retrospect (at least three weeks’ notice must be given)
    - holidays or any absence where pupil’s attendance is around 90% or less
    - the odd days taken as holiday
    - where attendance is very low and there is no medical evidence relating to frequent absences
Under these circumstances, each unauthorised absence could incur a fine per child, per parent! Basically this is
because if your child is not in school they are not accessing the learning and this is unacceptable.

If pupils have contagious illnesses and are not allowed in school by the doctor, the school can provide work for
your child, if they are well enough, to complete. It is the parents’ responsibility to request this work and ensure it is
completed and returned then the attendance can be marked differently. Please note this is only in extreme cases.
Work cannot be provided for a holiday taken in term time or pupils kept at home on snow days when the
school is open as this would equate to the school condoning truancy.

Term Dates – 2012-2013
Please note no absence is authorised in the first week of term and no absence will be authorised in
the week ending Monday 23rd July 2013 for Year 6 pupils

Term 1
             Mon 3rd Sept – Fri 26th Oct 2012
             (Staff development days Mon 3rd Sept & Mon 10th Sept)
             Autumn break: Monday 29 October to Friday 2 November 2012
Term 2
             Mon 5th Nov – Fri 21st Dec
             Christmas break: Monday 24 December 2012 to Friday 4 January 2013
Term 3
             Mon 7th Jan - Fri 15th Feb 2013
             February break: Monday 18 February to Friday 22 February 2013
Term 4
             Mon 25 Feb – Thu 28 Mar 2013
             Spring break: Friday 29 March 2013 to Friday 12 April 2013
Term 5
             Monday, 15 Apr - Fri 24 May 2013
             (Staff Development Days Mon 15th Apr & Fri 24th May)
             May break: Monday 27 May to Friday 31 May 2013
Term 6
             Mon 3 June 2013 – Tue 23 July 2013