Dear Parents,
I hope some of you were fortunate enough to witness the Northern Lights this week! What a treat!
We have had another packed week in our schools and have much to share with you both in showing you what we have been doing and making you aware of the plans we have afoot.
I wanted to mention again our Sand Hutton Reading Café morning and thank those of you who attended, even though this is a little while ago now. We do intend to repeat this as a visitor event for a further occasion in the future. I know those who were able to join us found it an enjoyable and informative experience. On the subject of reading, both schools have up and coming Book Fairs, to coincide with respective Parents’ Evenings. These raised money for both settings last year and therefore we have taken the decision to repeat this.
Miss Heffernan says….
There will be a reading competition for all pupils to win a £10 book voucher to spend at the Scholastic fair on Parents’ Eve.
Pupils must create an a4 poster about why they love reading (name on the back). The Reading Ambassadors at Sand Hutton have designed this competition for the federation and will support me (Miss Heffernan, as English Lead), in choosing a winner. Entries need to be in by Friday 18th Oct and we will announce the winner in Well-Being Week (more information to follow later in the letter about this!)
GOOD LUCK
https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/bookcases
Due to this half term being particularly long, we have set aside the four-day final week for a well-being focus, entitled Wonderful Me. Included in this week will be the packing up of the Christmas Boxes, leaflets went out during the week and we already have contributions coming into school for. (Thank you! Keep them coming.) Evidence shows that one of the biggest boosts we can enjoy for our own well-being comes from doing something for someone else. We know how much the children enjoy this activity. The week will also include opportunities to work outside and participate in sports and mindfulness activities. At Warthill the FOWS have financed a pop-up sensory room for the day and we have booked this for this week too. We plan to invite children to fully participate in a variety of meaningful activities at a point in the half term when they would be the most tired and therefore often the least productive.
Linked to well-being, I recently attended a conference where the key speaker was author Paul Dix. If you are interested in his work, google the book, When the Adults Change. While he was an obviously entertaining speaker, he also talked very seriously in terms of changing lives for children through his strategy; Positive Noticing. As he talked, I was aware how much of this was already embedded practice in our schools to which we don’t necessarily give a name. He was also an advocate of simplifying ‘school rules’ to three simple threads such as Ready, Respectful, Safe. We have decided to adopt this approach since it mirrors what we already do and will mark the launch with Positive Noticing Day on November 13th.
https://www.positivenoticingday.com/
We hope that you will support us in this and will send more information closer to the time.
Only yesterday, we received a phone call out of the blue from some very kind people offering to bring owls to show our children. This visit was a direct enhancement to our Class 1 and 2 curriculums for different reasons. We had looked into booking someone and the cost was beyond our budget. So the timing was like magic! The time they offered to come clashed with the online lesson with the author Class 3 already had planned but we didn’t want to forgo the opportunity. We are so pleased that we managed to work around very tight schedules in school and with the visitors to ensure that all our children benefited.
I wanted to tell you, in detail, about the two events.
Class 3 did our school proud in the online lesson this morning and even had one of their questions read out. I know how much they have been looking forward to the lesson and reading the book. They were really deeply affected by the lesson and decided to take into their own hands what they wanted to do next! I walked in to a lesson of letter and rap writing groups. Ask them about sea turtles….. Class 3 you made us all smile! (PTA you may be getting something in your inbox!)
Meanwhile, Classes 1 and 2 gathered in a very chilly Early Years outside area with Katie and Simon, and their four owls. They asked incredibly mature questions. They were respectful and quiet. Each of these children had time to hold an owl, if they wanted to. We had many, many smiling faces! Our visitors very kindly agreed to stay and squeeze in a short session with Class 3 between the online lesson and swimming…oh to have such a tight schedule. While the time was limited, they did have the opportunity to view, at close hand, these very beautiful birds. Due to the time limits, only a few of this class had time to hold these birds. I hope the others weren’t too disappointed.
The visitors said that our children were the best audience, adult or child, that they had EVER shown the owls to. They described them as intelligent, knowledgeable, inquisitive, respectful and gentle. Even though we felt we had been given the gift from them, they showed immense gratitude to us. If anyone would like to find out more information or donate they can be found on Owls.And.About.
I just wanted you to know how much your children were a credit to the school today in both these activities. I hope that you can let them know just how proud we all are here. I think they put a very small school on the map today!
Friday is a very busy day here and I feel so fortunate that we were able to fit this in at such short notice
What an incredible experience!
I will end the Newsletter today with some reminders. Firstly, those Asda Reward points are mounting up. Please consider our schools when you shop. We will be able to make use of this funding. Thank you for anyone who has already downloaded the Asda Rewards App and named one of our schools.
Also, if clearing out before Christmas, please consider our recycling bins. I believe they also take toys. The Warthill one certainly does. There is a comprehensive list on display on the side. It is an excellent funding stream for our schools.
Saturday, weather willing, is a further Big Help Out at Sand Hutton. I will be opening school from 1pm (event officially 2-4pm). Anyone willing to give their time to spruce up the outdoor areas in school and meet other parents is very welcome!
Next Tuesday afternoon is Warthill Parents’ Evening. We hope to see you all there. Please make an appointment if you haven’t already.
Wednesday is Sand Hutton’s Harvest Service in church at 2pm. The PTA will be providing refreshments. Please see the posters around the gates.
The Christmas Services in both schools are confirmed if you haven’t already noted these times and dates.
Sand Hutton Wednesday 11th December 2pm and 6pm
Warthill Tuesday 17th December 9am and 5.30pm
I believe that concluded a rather longer than usual newsletter for this week. We are so proud of our schools and we always appreciate your support, however you are able to give it. Should you need any additional support from us, please don’t hesitate to let someone you feel able to speak to know and we will help where we can.
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools