by admin | Jul 11, 2024 | Archive
Dear Families,
A midweek newsletter this time. I’m not trying to catch you out I promise!
Last week, I was out on Friday with Mrs Darling to celebrate the success of the Read Write Inc programme on phonics, and then I spent the weekend enjoying two Summer Fairs. Both were incredibly successful in their aim of raising funds for our children but more importantly, in the community spirited fun which was shared on both days (despite the torrential rain on Sunday!) It was absolutely lovely to welcome back ex-pupils and the families to both events. Yet another week for me to reflect on how fortunate I am to have the job I have. So, thank you to everyone who played their part in preparing for, participating in and clearing up after either Fair. You are so appreciated. Both events raised significant pots of money for the children to see the benefits of in the next academic year.
Given that we are thinking gratitude, I have a small favour to ask. We are collecting any donations for the Malton Foodbank in the run up to the Summer holidays. If you have anything to donate, as every donation helps, please drop them into school and I will make sure these reach the foodbank and therefore families in need. I also wanted to draw attention to this scheme which began during the pandemic
https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/media-centre/corporate-news/morrisons-introduces-food-parcels-for-customers-to-purchase-for-those-in-need2/
It isn’t only food. As you enter the store you can pick up a parcel which you then donate at the till. These can be food, but may also be a PE kit or school shoes. I picked up one over the may half term which was canned/dry good for children at home for the week. These vary in price and are adjusted to the time of year/local needs. My understanding is that these parcels are available in all Morrisons stores. I think this is an excellent strategic approach to support families in need. Equally, if you know someone who might benefit from support, Morrisons is certainly somewhere worth signposting them to.
So, back to what our children have been busy with. Last week, the Warthill children painted their tiles and they have been glazed, fired and returned: looking fabulous! We cannot wait to put these on display, thank you FOWS! We also had fun with junk percussion in a SAMBA session. (My ears have nearly recovered!) It was LOUD and lots of fun.
Today is the treat day for our soon to be Year 6 Leavers. We hope they have had a great day! I think it is fortunate we chose bowling and not a picnic given the weather! We will of course say our proper goodbyes at the Leavers’ Services on Thursday 18th July. These will take place at 9am at Warthill in church and at 2pm in Sand Hutton School Hall. Please remember that everyone is welcome to attend these services. At Sand Hutton this is an event for all classes as there are so few Year 6 pupils leaving. Please come along for a final sharing and I have booked the ice cream van from 2:30 so bring ‘ice cream money’ too.
Could I ask you to start having a look at home for any forgotten reading and library books which might have been overlooked so that we can have our shelves fully restocked for September. It is quite possible you have a few hiding somewhere! Many thanks for that.
I am sharing another website link now to the activities provided across the North Yorkshire region over the summer. Many of these are free or very cheap. There is a good variety; it isn’t all sport related. There is of course the reading challenge which is promoted at all libraries (and if this weather continues, that could be a really good shout!)
https://northyorkshiretogether.co.uk/feast-activities/
I don’t turn off my emails over the summer, even if I am on holiday. Should any families need support over the holidays, an email will reach me. I will support however I am able, depending on where I am.
Should you need support or make a self-referral please look on the attached website. Here you will find links to how you can be supported according to you concern.
https://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/
I know this isn’t the last newsletter of the year but it gives you time to look and come back to me if you have any questions before term ends.
Your children will be bringing home reports on Friday so I won’t bombard you with a further newsletter then. All children in our schools should be proud of what they have achieved this year, academically but also in embodying our values in everything they do!
Well done everyone!
Have a lovely weekend when it arrives,
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Jul 2, 2024 | Archive
Dear Families,
Happy Friday Everyone!
We have enjoyed a lovely sunny week in our schools which was a relief given that it was SPORTS’ DAY!
We really enjoyed seeing both our school communities coming together for this event. I do hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did. We felt it was afternoon of wholesome, good-natured and inclusive traditional fun! What could be better than that? This was all topped off with ice lollies! Thank you to the PTA and FOWS. Thank you to everyone who contributed to all aspects of planning this and to Mrs Drysdale for working our which competitors should be in each race. A lovely afternoon. (We hope that nobody on the far side of the tracks got too hot!)
It is difficult to believe that we will be in July when we return to school on Monday morning. Next week is already looking busy. This Friday YoYo will be working in Warthill and they will do the same on Monday at Sand Hutton.
It will then be a creative start to the week at Warthill, beginning with Day 2 of our Ceramic Tile workshops. I can’t wait to see these looking colourful! On Tuesday we are looking forward to a percussion workshop, also at Warthill. This will be delivered by the University. Wednesday is Transition Day for many of our Year 6 pupils. They will be finding out more about their new school and meeting new friends and teachers. We really hope you have a great day Year 6 pupils! We know that you will love it!
Thursday brings water fight fun to Sand Hutton. I know that you will have received a separate letter about what you need to wear/bring on that day! I would REALLY LOVE to be able to join you Class 3…..but I will have teach Class 2 so you will need to go ahead without me!( What a shame. ) Warthill, your water fight is yet to come. Stand by!
Next weekend will see both schools’ PTAs host their summer fairs. Sand Hutton will be holding theirs between 12 and 2pm on Saturday 6th and Warthill’s on Sunday 7th at the same time! I have done my absolute best to book good weather for both occasions. I hope to see many of you there. Thank you to Sand Hutton PTA and FOWS for organising these events which are fun for all and raise funds for events such as the two trips we enjoyed last week. We do appreciate you!
All that remains is for me to wish you a happy weekend.
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Jun 26, 2024 | Archive
Dear Families,
This is a somewhat delayed Friday newsletter as Friday proved to be an exceptionally busy day at the end of an extremely full week.
Last week was one of those weeks when I felt incredibly lucky to have the job I have. This is not because I spent one day on the beach and one day at the wildlife park….although this was a real bonus. However, my feelings of good fortune were linked to these two days out. I was privileged to take two separate schools of well-behaved, well-mannered and appreciative children out and about. Both days out were filled with joy!
On the beach, we had fun building castles and making sand sculptures, Year 6 tried to dig the biggest hole possible and Mrs Naylor created her own stegosaurus. We finished our day with a paddle and I discovered that the sea was not nearly as cold as I had imagined! That doesn’t mean I would want to swim in it though! The children made us all fell very proud! Thank you FOWS for the opportunity to have this experience together.
At the wildlife park, we had a full timetable: workshops, playground fun, animal spotting and lunch in the sunshine. This was a venue that staff learned existed for the first time and we cannot wait to go back! The animals, especially the otters, kept us entertained! (For any children who didn’t know, the otters got their lunch in the end and were quiet once more!) Staff commented on the children’s excellent behaviour. Thank you, PTA, for the opportunity for us to have this experience together!
At Warthill last week we said goodbye to Mr Craven, after he joined us on the beach. Then on Friday we had the first of our ceramic’s days, creating wildlife tiles for the back fence. I can’t wait to see the finished versions! They are looking super. Well done everyone!
So, to this week. After all the worrying about whether the field would be dry enough for Sports’ Day, we are now facing a heat warning. I have looked at the temperature for Wednesday and the field and have decided that since it will be an afternoon event only, it will go ahead on Wednesday afternoon. The children will be in the shade by the hedge. However, please send sun screen and hats as well as additional water. They will only need to leave the shade for a race at a time and then return to their shaded mats. Parents, however, will be on the sunny side of the tracks. Should you wish to bring shade/parasols etc, we are very happy for you to do so. Managing the forecast seems to a better option than postponing and risking a reserve day being rained off.
I hope you have a lovely week and enjoy the sunshine which has taken such a long time coming!
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | Jun 14, 2024 | Archive
Dear Families,
We have had an exciting week in our schools and we are looking forward to some adventures next week!
Two lots of sharing assemblies has meant that we have been able to celebrate our children, in and out of school. If you haven’t already seen, please look on our X account and see the sculpture photos which have had a response from the Tate Modern Gallery. Well done Class 3 and Mrs Rodgers. Great work!
This week, at Warthill, we have found out about the ceramics project. We are beginning to make a new tile panel on our back fence. We are really excited about how this will look and we have already started thinking up the designs on our minibeast theme. Ceramics Day 1 is next Friday!
At Sand Hutton we were visited by the ‘bubble lady’ from York University Chemistry Department. After an assembly with captivated everyone, children worked with ‘bubbles’ of all things! The floor is gradually recovering. I hope that you heard all about it at home.
Through the letter box at Warthill yesterday we received a piece of History. A beautiful stitch sampler, completed by a pupil from our school in 1885. It came with a card and gave us a little census information but no return address so we will have to investigate for ourselves. The family name is Hopper and Wilson from Stockton on the Forest. If you can shed any light on our mystery, please feel free to add to the information we already have!
Please save the dates for our summer fair weekend of fun. Sand Hutton will be holding theirs on Saturday 6th July and Warthill on Sunday 7th July. I have booked lovely weather…..there must be some coming soon!
We have been looking ahead to next year and planning for both our schools as we will have slightly uneven groupings across year groups. This said, we have decided, in order to ensure that the broad and balanced curriculum continues to be effective, that children move into new classes in the way they have been doing. Eg.Warthill children in Year 2 will move to the Junior Class and at Sand Hutton, children in Year 2 will move to Class 2 and those in Year 4 to Class 3. However, because of numbers and individual need and considering the best use of adults to support, there may be different grouping created to meet need across different aspects of the curriculum. This is what we already do in phonics groups and so our children are used to this.
Finally, please visit this link to win books for our library. Here is a message from Miss Heffernan.
https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools-prize
Above I have pasted a link to a comp for us to win up to £1000 of National Book Tokens for our library!
It takes a couple of seconds to complete. Feel free to ask family and friends complete it too.
All that remains is for me to wish you all a happy weekend.
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | May 14, 2024 | Archive
Dear Families,
Despite it being a short week, this has been a very busy time for us. You may or may not be aware but we have had significant staff absence and this has impacted on both settings. Some of this i.e. covid, will resolve itself naturally, however, we do have staff members who we anticipate will be absent for a longer period of time. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter and we know that cover staff from agencies, even when available, doesn’t always afford us the same knowledge of home, families and pupils as our own highly skilled staff.
Despite the unexpected changes this week, Class 2 at Sand Hutton were able to go on the visit Mrs Smith planned to FERA. Mr Craven was able to come along too. Our children were praised for their good manner and scientific knowledge and vocabulary by the scientists there. Class 2 you made me very proud!
This morning we enjoyed a sunshiny sharing at Sand Hutton and look forward to repeating this at Warthill next week. In the meantime, Warthill FOWS have booked exactly the right weekend for their coffee morning, tomorrow at 11am at school. I can’t wait to have an informal catch up and I am very excited to see the miniature gardens the children have been asked to create. Hopefully there will be many families attending to enjoy the sunshine. I should also mention that FOWS have organised a music workshop with the University of York which is booked for July 2nd. We are very excited about this too. Thank you FOWS.
This morning we enjoyed our May sharing at Sand Hutton and next week we will be sharing at Warthill. Please come and join us if you are able.
Finally, a huge sending of best wishes for our Year 6 children in both schools who are looking forward to showing how much they have learned in the SATS tests. We know from experience that while there maybe a little anxiety in the lead up to these initially, children invariable enjoy the process once it begins. We will have reassured your children about this and know that you will do the same. Good Luck Year 6 pupils. We know that you will all do your best and that is the most anyone can ask…I think there are usually a few sweeties on tables too (just for the teachers obviously!)
Have a lovely weekend everyone and enjoy the sunshine while it is here.
With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
by admin | May 9, 2024 | Archive
Dear Families,
I hope that you are looking forward to a long weekend. I am not sure it will be wall to wall sunshine, but we have had a brief glimpse of sunshine and increases in temperature this week. It has felt promising!
Thank you Mrs Darling for organizing our visit from The Dogs’ Trust.
While some of us were a little disappointed that Mrs Hill didn’t bring a ‘real’ dog with her, we understood when she explained that a different school and different children day after day would be stressful for a dog. The main focus for her workshops was to teach our children how to understand the world from the perspective of a dog. This means they can be safe when encountering an animal out and about and also be responsible owners for their own pets. I hope the children in both schools enjoyed the sessions.
Class 1 at Sand Hutton have had a busy week. They have a visit from Mr Fox, showing them how to clean teeth correctly and they were sent home with a smashing bag of goodies, Thank you Mr Fox! Then yesterday they spent the day out on a visit with Mrs Jones and Mrs Darling, returning home with delicious bread they had baked themselves.
I have been contacted by a number of parents at Sand Hutton who are aware of complications with the pick up and drop off situations with the buses. As you are aware, the yellow zig zigs are there to prevent parking and stopping. The buses have always pulled up in front of the school gate, which is the only safe place, to let children get on and off. A member of the public has made a complaint about this and legally bus drivers can be issued with tickets. A risk assessment has been carried out regarding alternatives and has determined that the only safe place to stop is where buses are stopping at the moment. This means signage changes or re-painting I believe. While this is frustrating, we cannot act above the law and it has been escalated to the highest department in the LA. Thank you for you offers of help. It will take time to resolve and thank you for your patience in the meantime.
On happier notes. Please enjoy the longer bank holiday weekend with your children. The shorter week leads happily in to FOWS coffee morning at Warthill on Saturday 11th May. Everyone is welcome and we have booked some sunshine. I am looking forward to seeing all these miniature gardens! What a super idea! Thanks FOWS!
Have a great weekend. With every best wish,
Beverley Pawson
Headteacher
Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools
