Canon Tomlinson
I’m sure you were all saddened to hear the news of Canon Tomlinson’s passing this week. He had been ill for some time and certainly in the past couple of years had managed to fulfil his commitments to the school less and less.
I for one am hugely thankful that our paths crossed, albeit briefly. He was a man of great intellect, wit and humility and on the occasions where we were able to spend time together he fortified my instinct in doing what I believe to be right and not following whatever the latest trend happens to be. For that reason Ian will have a lasting impact on me and whatever I do in the future I know that I will have cause to remember him and reflect on his words, ideas and beliefs.
A memorial service is being held on Friday 25th November 2016 at Appleshaw Church at 2pm. In order that members of staff and families are able to attend and as a mark or respect, school will close at 1pm that day. Children can have lunch at school and then be collected in the usual way at 1pm. If children are attending the service they should wear school uniform. If you do plan to attend, then please consider walking; there’s very little parking near church and it will be busy.
Class Teacher Vacancy
Unfortunately we haven’t had any applications for our teaching vacancy. I am discussing our options with senior staff and governors and will let you know what arrangements we have made for January as soon as possible.
School Grounds Tidy Up
All welcome from 9am on Saturday to help us tidy up the school grounds. Amongst the tasks we’ll be tackling are:
- Turning the compost heap
- Strimming and clearing the hazel coppice
- Collecting up dead wood
- Weeding
- Cutting back the willow
We’ll be grateful for any time you can spare on the day – it really is good fun!
Shakespeare Schools Festival
Oak Class are looking forward to performing Macbeth on November 15th at the Lights theatre. Tickets have now gone on general sale, so if you would like to see the performance (parents of pupils in Oak Class have already had the opportunity to buy tickets) then please contact the Lights Box Office on 01264 368368.
Boys and Learning
We had a vigorous discussion about boys and their learning on October 17th. Thank you to those of you who were able to make the workshop. While there is a danger in generalising, there were some common themes that emerged and subtle changes in the way that we approach tasks with boys are already being introduced. The conclusions and thoughts expressed were as follows:
- Are expectations high enough for boys in Early Years settings? We certainly notice a difference between boys & girls on entry to school, particularly in maturity.
- What is EYFS experience for boys? What male role models do boys have in nursery/pre-school?
- How is writing promoted at pre-school/nursery?
- What are the expectations for boys at home? Do boys see male role models engaging in reading and writing at home?
- Are there accepted attitudes to boys “It’s just because he’s a boy” especially to reading/writing & behaviour that wouldn’t be tolerated with girls?
- School – girls are better self-motivated, boys find it difficult to see the ‘point’ of what they are doing.
- Boys need clear purpose in their learning, being blunt and VERY clear with expectations.
PTA
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 17th November at The Walnut Tree Pub. All welcome! There are several events taking place this month and next; please check out the diary dates below. Remember you can ‘like’ their Facebook Page to keep up with the latest news and events: https://www.facebook.com/appleshawstpeters/
In the run up to Christmas many of you will probably be doing at least some of your shopping online. Did you know that you can help raise money for school simply by visiting https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/? You’ll need to register and link to our school, but once you have done that you can shop online at many major online retailers. Find out more on the Appleshaw PTA Facebook Page.
Parent Forum
Only one parent was able to attend the recent Parent Forum meeting so I will be looking for some new recruits soon! However, we did have some agenda items to discuss namely;
- Homework
- We discussed how, particularly for parents of pupils in Year 3, the expectations and routines for homework have not been clear enough. We agreed that a letter at the beginning of term more clearly explaining the expectations, along with a guide to accessing Google Classroom would have been helpful. Google Classroom now has the facility to enable parents to receive alerts via email when homework is set. We will be trialling this soon.
- School council
- We discussed the nature of school council and the fact that some children have had the role before. We discussed having more than one councillor for each year group on a regular basis to increase the likelihood of being elected. I will take the issue back to staff and the school council to discuss.
- School lunches
- We discussed over-cooked vegetables and the fact that sometimes pupils don’t receive the meal they ordered. I have passed concerns to the local area manager who will investigate the situation.
- Recruitment
- We discussed keeping parents updated on progress towards appointing a new class teacher for Maple Class. I will certainly keep parents updated about the class teacher situation but I will not be offering a commentary on the process. The replacement teacher for Maple Class will be someone who is completely right for Appleshaw School and can offer us the skills that we are looking for.
Stand Up To Cancer & Macmillan Cancer Support
Thank you for supporting the recent coffee morning, cake sale and non-uniform day. Over £300 was raised.
Flu Vaccines
These will be taking place on November 22nd; letters to follow next week.
Parents’ Evenings
Our first parents’ evenings of this academic year while be held at the end of this month. Last year I trialled an electronic booking system, but it didn’t work so well in the summer so I am resorting to good old paper this time. Please look out for the letter next week and return the reply slip to school as soon as possible.
Christmas
We have several events happening in the run up to Christmas including: a nativity play by Willow and Beech Class, a ukulele concert (Beech Class), Carol singing at Millway House (Oak Class) and our Carol service at church to name a few. Please check the diary dates below to see what’s happening when.
Many best wishes,
Ian Hickman
| Date | Event |
| 5/11/16 | SATURDAY – School Grounds Tidy Up – all help welcome! |
| 7/11/16 | Open Day for parents of children starting school in September 2017 |
| 9/11/16 | Whole Governing Body Meeting |
| 15/11/16 | Oak Class perform ‘Macbeth’ at The Lights Theatre – 7pm |
| 22/11/16 | School Nurse – Year 6 height/weight checks
Flu Vaccinations for pupils in Years |
| 25/11/16 | Canon Tomlinson Memorial Service at 2pm. School will close at 1pm. |
| 28 & 29/11/16 | Parents’ Evenings & Travelling Book Fair |
| 2/12/16 | PTA Christmas Disco |
| 5/12 & 7/12 | PTA Christmas Wrap-up |
| 6/12/16 | Beech Class Ukulele Concert @ 9:15am |
| 6/12/16 | Oak Class Carol Singing at Millway House @ 2pm |
| 8/12/16 | PTA Wreath Making Workshop 7:30pm at school |
| 9/12/16 | Willow & Beech Class Nativity Dress Rehearsal performance to the school and Grandparents @2pm |
| 12/12/16 | Willow & Beech Class Nativity performance to parents @ 2pm |
| 13/12/16 | Willow & Beech Class Nativity performance to parents @ 9:30am |
| 14/12/16 | Christmas Lunch |
| 15/12/16 | Carol Service at Appleshaw Church – 6:00pm |
| 16/12/16 | To be confirmed: Christmas Music Concert – 1.30pm at School – all welcome. |
| 16/12/16 | Last day of the Autumn Term |
| 3/1/17 | Day Closure for Staff Training |
| 4/1/17 | Pupils return for the Spring Term |
| 4/1/17 | Pantomime – ‘Pinocchio’ |
| 23-27/1/17 | ‘Bikeability’ for Oak Class |