Newsletters

MACMILLAN CAKE SALE  

Thank you so much to all the parents who supported our Macmillan cake sale by sending in cakes (there really were some delicious ones!). The children thoroughly enjoyed being able to buy (and eat!) the cakes on the day and we managed to raise a wonderful £320 for Macmillan. Well done everyone! 

FLU IMMUNISATION 

If you did not complete the forms in time for your child to receive the flu immunisation, the system has reopened and if you follow the instructions to submit a form you will be invited to a community clinic. 

YEAR 4 NEWS

What a fantastic start we have had to Year 4 - The children have settled into their new routines brilliantly. They have shown that they are ready to learn, enthusiastic and eager to take on the challenges that Year 4 brings. We are incredibly proud of the positive attitudes they have shown already. 

Wonderful Writing 

We have made a fantastic start to our English work with Gregory Cool. The children have produced some wonderful descriptive writing, using ambitious vocabulary and imaginative ideas to bring their settings to life. Their writing has really transported us to Tobago. 

We are also encouraging the children to become word collectors. Whenever they come across an interesting, unusual or ambitious word while reading, we would love them to record it in their reading diary. Building a bank of exciting vocabulary will help them to become even more confident and creative writers. 

In Maths, we have been busy developing our understanding of place value and shape. The children have worked hard and are becoming increasingly confident at explaining their mathematical thinking. We have also set MyMaths tasks for the whole of this half term. These are designed to supplement the learning taking place in class and provide children with an opportunity to practise key skills at home. Please check your child's reading diary for their MyMaths login details. 

Our trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace was a huge success.  The children represented Year 4 wonderfully and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the palace, learning about Roman life and seeing some of the incredible remains for themselves. 

The trip has given us a fantastic starting point for our Romans topic, and we are now looking forward to immersing ourselves in Roman Britain over the coming weeks. We have lots of exciting learning planned! 

We have recently spoken to the children about our Year 4 residential. We would love to see as many children as possible taking part. Residentials are such a wonderful opportunity for children to develop independence, resilience and confidence, as well as creating some very special Year 4 memories with their friends. 

Finally, a little reminder about the importance of regular reading and times tables practice. Reading little and often makes such a difference to children's vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and confidence. Please continue to aim for five reads each week, recording these in reading diaries. Times tables practice is equally important, so please keep working on these regularly at home too. A few minutes of practice little and often can make a huge difference.  By the end of Year 4, pupils are expected to be fluent in their times tables up to 12, so it is essential these good habits start now. 

Well done, Year 4, on such a brilliant start! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see what the rest of the term brings.  

LIBRARY NEWS  

Pupil Librarians help Mrs Library Dunn to keep the Library organised and tidy, with every book in the right place. (We have over 8,000 books in our library, and every one of them has its correct place on the shelves. The Pupil Librarians enthusiastically tackle this mammoth task every day when re-shelving returned books.) 

All our pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 have the opportunity to become Pupil Librarians. In September, 30 keen pupils filled in application forms, then received training for several days, before taking a challenging test. 13 new Pupil Librarians joined our team to work alongside our 2 existing Year 6 pupils, who are showing the new ones ‘the ropes’. 

As well as helping to keep the Library running efficiently, the Pupil Librarians also help with displays, caring for the books, setting up and judging competitions, and of course, making Bosmere Bookhogs, (which we sell for 50p each to raise library funds).

The ‘Design a Bookmark’ Competition was very popular, with 15 pupils entering their black and white designs for both sides of a bookmark. This year, the winner was Sophie S 4W with runners up: Prayosha C 5B, Freya M 5B, Sara I 5P and Daisie M 6B. The winners’ creations are photocopied and available in the Library for all the pupils to take and colour in, to make their own unique bookmarks.

The Library isopen to all the pupils as a Quiet Space to retreat to if activity on the playground becomes too much for them. Many come in to read quietly, while others settle on the floor using some of our ‘How to draw …’ books to create images of animals, monsters, flowers, or whatever catches their imagination. 

This term, the library is also being used as a relaxed space for our popular after-school Rag Rug Making Club, open to Year 5 pupils. After starting with a small sampler piece of hessian, pupils have moved onto larger squares, following their own designs of patterns and colours. 

MEET THE GOVERNOR 

Name: Irina Gaveika-Subashov 

Background: I have a background in banking and law, with 5 years experience in each sector, specialising in debt collection, restructuring and legal proceedings. After moving to England more than a decade ago, I worked in retail before starting my own photography business, specialising in newborn, maternity, family and wedding photography. I hold Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Business Management and speak English, Russian and Latvian. I'm also the mom of two lovely girls. 

My current role as a Governor: Alongside my general governing responsibilities, I'm a Year 5 and PE link Governor.

Interests: I'm lucky to do what I love, as photography is both my profession and my hobby. In my spare time, I enjoy reading detective and romance stories, hiking in forests and, whenever possible in the mountains. Most of all, I love spending quality time with my family. Sometimes, I just wish there were more than 24 hours in a day to fit in all the things I love doing!

WELLBEING TIP 

Reassurance is a natural response that reduces distress in the short-term.  

* Reassurance can be addictive: the more the child gets reassurance, the more they will want it/think they need it. The child may also believe this is the only way they can deal with their heightened emotion. “It’s OK if Mum cuddles me or takes me home it will be better”. This is not the case.  

* Cutting out reassurance can be attempted gradually but the parent/carer needs to be in control and consistent.  

* Cutting out reassurance is not about not responding at all; it is about responding differently.  

* Children need to be able to feel that they can deal with their fears or worries themselves and are need to “test” whether or not their thoughts are accurate. With constant reassurance they are not able to do this.  

* Overprotective parents want to protect their children from physical, mental, or emotional pain, want to ensure that their kids are happy and content so they may “soften the blows” of everyday life. This is a parent maintaining the child’s behaviour.  

* Children are far more resilient than perhaps they’re given credit for! Kids need the ability to learn how to “bounce back”! It may be hard to leave your child in distress, but they learn to get through it with practice and parental consistency.  

* Parents/carers often step in and “rescue” their child from a situation or occurrence because they believe they are unable to handle it. With over reassurance or maintaining the child’s behaviour will not enable the child to build resilience and coping strategies.  

Take a deep breath and allow your child to find their way. They can do it! Come and chat to Mrs. Lever and Mr. Adam at our regular coffee morning on Fridays and find out more about the Nurture Program; formerly Family Links.   

AUTUMN PTA UPDATE 

The PTA held its AGM in mid September. Each year we take an opportunity to look back at the year since the last AGM to think about the fundraising we’ve done over the course of the year, what we’ve spent money on and what events we’re planning for the year to come. 

At the AGM, we said thank you to Mrs Marsh our out-going chair who will continue to support us when she can (as her new job allows) and goodbye to Jacqui Green our out-going treasurer. Big thanks to Miss Emery, a long-standing member of the PTA who has volunteered to be our new chair and hello and welcome to Liza McGill, a parent who has joined the PTA to be our new treasurer. 

The PTA fund made a big difference to the school over the last year, funding the following: 

· The new school minibus 

· Author visits during Book Week 

· Autograph books for Year 6 

· Year 6 leavers BBQ and disco 

· Costumes for pupils attending school dance competitions 

· Book prizes for top readers 

· 3 new keyboards 

Our aim for this coming year is to purchase 30 laptops and we understand we will need around £16K for these. A lot of the money is already in the account from last year’s events, and we hope that our autumn and Christmas fundraising will get us up to the full amount we need so that we can buy the laptops early in 2027. 

Next events - coming up fast are the Halloween discos and next half term we will enjoy all our usual Christmas events: raffle, Secrets Room, Christmas cards and performance costume photos. 

Would you like to help but meetings are not for you? Don’t hesitate to get involved in other ways… 

- Please sign up as a parent helper at a disco or other event. 

- If you own a business or work for a company and would like to donate a raffle prize, we would love to hear from you!