Newsletter No 3 / 29th January 2010

Chair of Governors – Carl Mannering
We would like to thank Carl Mannering for his commitment to the school during his term of office as Chair of Governors. Mr Mannering has decided to step down from this role, pending a potential house move, but will, for the present time, remain as a member of the Governing Body. We are grateful to Jolyon Roe for agreeing to take on this role, at present, in the short term.


Traffic and Pedestrians in the School Car Park – Safety Matters
With the additional number of staff and pupils we now have at school and Little Bears, the pressures on the car park have also increased – and so the potential for a tragic accident.
The car park is currently available to parents and carers to park in to help prevent traffic congestion in Cratlands Close but children and traffic are not an ideal mix and in compliance with Health and Safety directives we are monitoring this situation. In the interests of the safety of all children we would like to remind parents and carers that children should be collected in person from the school pedestrian gate* and closely supervised at all times. Drivers are requested to consider parking elsewhere in the village and walking along Cratlands Close to school, whenever possible. Additionally, drivers who have no alternative but to use the school car park are reminded to be extra vigilant when parking/maneuvering and to observe the 5mph speed limit both within the car park and the approaches to/from it. (* Foundation Stage pupils must be collected from their classroom).

We are aware that the current waiting arrangements for parents and carers are far from ideal and we are in the process of pursuing plans to develop a waiting area within the school grounds. In order to achieve this without compromising school security, we plan to make changes to the fencing between the pedestrian gate and Class 1 and provide an increased area of tarmac by widening the existing pathway. There will also be a fence between this waiting area and the car park, preventing children from exiting directly into the car park. We are hopeful that these improvements will be made during Spring 2010.

School Uniform
Following on from Nikki Howlett, Tracy Perring has kindly volunteered to take over the sale of school uniform. As most of you will know Nikki did this valuable job for several years and, as Nikki was frequently ‘on hand’ in Little Bears many parents were used to ‘popping’ into Pre-School to pick up items of uniform. Whilst Tracy also works in Little Bears she doesn’t work there every day and wishes to minimise disruption. With this in mind Tracy would like to trial a ‘school uniform shop’ each Wednesday from 3.15pm in Little Bears, commencing 3rd February 2010. This will enable parents to come and make purchases following collection of children from school and provide an opportunity to view what is available. This may not however suit everyone in which case Tracy can be contacted by e-mail at tracy.perring@talktalk.net. Parents should also please be aware that purchases need to be paid for upon receipt.


“Little Cooks” After- School Club
This club is now fully subscribed and has been very popular and the following pupils have a confirmed place: Lola Odell, Ben Drake, Abby Wright, Betsy Elliott, Amy Freeman, Sophie Hector, Naomi Woodwards, Oliver Perring, Jake Day, Chloe Scragg, Alex Birtles, Amber Tomkins, Emily Drake, Andrew Oakley and Matthew Ellis.

Little Bears News
We have been busy this week getting very messy exploring with shaving foam. We have been making wonderful patterns and writing our names. We have also been making animal collages. We would like to welcome Wyatt Bullock, who started at Little Bears this week.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 2nd February Drama Workshop for Class 1 pupils 3.15-4.15pm with Creation Theatre Company
Friday 5th February UNICEF Day for Change & School Council Cake Sale for Haiti
Sunday 7th February Christingle Service at St John the Baptist Church, Stadhampton at 4.00pm
Tuesday 9th February Drama Workshop for Class 1 pupils 3.15-4.15pm with Creation Theatre Company with parent particpation
Friday 12th February “Jian-zi” competition Break up for February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 22nd February Return to school after the February Holiday
Swimming sessions begin for Class 3 pupils (6 sessions in total)