With just two weeks to go until half term, it’s amazing to think how quickly the first six weeks of the year have gone. School has been alive with energy and enthusiasm for learning and the children have got off to a flying start.
In recent weeks, Year 4 have been enthralled by the mysteries of the ancient Egyptians with an up-close experience of mummification. They had great fun taking part in a truly immersive day with lots of hands-on experiences. We’re looking forward to their Egyptian museum on the last day of this half term. Year 1 enjoyed their visit to Cartwright Hall recently and Year 5 went to Eden Camp to learn all about life in World War 2. Year 6 have visited Ripon Museum and explored our interesting village with resident expert, Maria Glott, to learn all about the Victorian heritage on our doorstep. Lots going on in all year groups, showing what an exciting place of learning our school is.
The UCI Road World Championships
If anyone was out to see the UCI bike race passing through Shipley on 28th September, you might also have spotted some brilliant art work on the field outside Shipley C of E School. Our Young Artists, along with Sharon Snaylam, joined forces with children from Shipley C of E to produce some cycling-based land art (see above). You’ll soon be able to see the results of this work hanging in our main hall.
Small Change Challenge
Many thanks to all of the families who have brought in their small change for this week’s challenge. You will be amazed at how much this can raise, helping to support the enrichment of our children’s school experience. Which class will have raised the most amount of money? We’ll announce the winning class next week. Many thanks to the Friends of Saltaire Primary School for their continued enthusiasm and support.
Office Doors
Please note that from Monday, our main entrance door will be locked from 9:30am until 3:00pm. This is to provide a further level of security for our school site. The office will continue to be open during this time but please use the buzzer next to the door to gain access.
Salt Bar Car Parks
Further to recent information regarding the use of the Salt Bar car parks before and after school, we have communicated parental concerns about the limited time provided for parking on their land. Having spoken to the company and expressed a preference for a longer parking window at the beginning and end of each day, a decision is now up to the proprietors of the bar regarding the matter. We will let you know of any further updates however the situation remains unchanged at the moment.
Maths and Phonics Training
We are delighted to have welcomed a wide range of visitors to our school over the last few weeks. Mr Evans and Mrs Davies have been hosting maths training events for trainee teachers, demonstrating our mastery approach and giving them the opportunity to work with the children in developing their skills. Mrs Abbott, our phonics expert, has also held a series of events focused on early reading. We are really proud to share examples of good practice, demonstrating the high quality provision our children receive each day.
School Council Pledges
Our amazing school council have met to discuss their priorities for the year ahead and have made three pledges to further improve our school. They focus on fun and leisure, helping to raise funds for the school and working to make sure that every child in school can make a difference. Further details can be found in the images above.
School Games Gold Award
Last week, we were awarded the gold standard for our school games offering. This award celebrates the broad range of opportunities provided for children to develop their skills in PE and sporting opportunities. I’d like to extend a big thankyou to Mrs Littlewood who spends many hours organising and developing sport and outdoor learning events at our school.
House Points
The children are really enjoying our new house point scheme and it is definitely a close-run thing. We have been adding the points up each week. The house with the most points on the last week of each half term will receive an extra playtime. Watch this space.
Key dates for your diary
Just a few dates you might want to add to your diaries for the next few weeks.
Friday 18th October - Music Assembly
Friday 25th October - Achievement Assembly
25th October to 4th November - Half term holiday
5th to 11th November - Book Fair
Tuesday 5th November - Open Day for prospective parents
Friday 8th November - FOSPS Spooky Disco
Friday 15th November - Year 6 Assembly
Friday 15th November - Frida Khalo Class (Mrs Abbott) Family Day
Monday 18th November - FOSPS Meeting @ The Hub
I hope you have a great weekend. See you next week.
Mr Rob Whitehead