Newsletter 10 - 15th November
Dear Parents
Parent Teacher meetings Thank you to all our parents who attended these meetings last week. Your great support of our work helps to ensure that we can provide your child with the very best education possible.
Today, I choose joy! As part of our commitment to supporting good childhood mental health, we encourage children to be resilient and joyful - to choose to see what is good, positive and enjoyable in their lives, rather than focusing on the negatives or what went wrong. So, here are some questions that you might like to ask your child when they come home from school, to help them to remember and focus on the good and the positive things:
What was the best thing you did at school? What was the kindest thing you did for someone else today? What was the most interesting thing your teacher said today? What’s the best thing about your daily schedule? Which is your favourite subject? Who did you enjoy talking with the most? What was the best game at break time? What equipment did you use from the Huff and Puff? What were you proud of doing today? What was the funniest thing someone said at lunch? Tell me something you learnt about a friend today. Which is your favourite day of the week at school? What did you reflect on at Worship? If you were the teacher, what would you teach the children about? What made you smile today? What did you see on the field that was beautiful today? What did you like about the weather today? What are you looking forward to at school?
Canvassing on Afterschool Club and Breakfast Club We are once again going out to parents to establish whether there is enough interest for an Afterschool and Breakfast club to run on our site. In order to pay the staff, the insurances, the contribution to running costs for the school and other resources, we would have to have at least 20 children signed up for each session. The payments would have to be termly in advance, to ensure that the provider can realistically take the risk of starting the provision here. By our estimation, the cost for an hour of Breakfast club might be of the order of £2.70 per hour per child, and the cost for an afternoon at Afterschool Club (3.00pm – 6.00pm) would be about £8 per child per afternoon.
If there is enough interest (i.e. at least 20 children signed up for each session) I shall start to explore providers in the local area to see whether there is anyone prepared to run the clubs. Please complete the paper form that will have been sent home with your child this week, and return to school by Friday 29th November.
Policies Each year at this time I like to summarise in the newsletter some of our most relevant policies and procedures, so that parents are familiar with them. This week, we will discuss briefly the Complaints Policy and Procedure. We work very hard to try to ensure a good outcome of any complaints made to the school. However, if you feel dissatisfied with the outcome of a complaint, you can invoke our Complaints policy. The first stage is the “Informal” stage, which requires that you write to the Headteacher (or to the Chair of Governors if the complaint is about the Headteacher) with details of the complaint. This will be investigated and a response given to you. If you are still not satisfied, then the second stage is the “Formal” stage, which involves writing to the Chair of Governors (or Vice Chair if the Chair has already been involved) and the matter will be investigated again and a response given. If you are still dissatisfied, the third stage, the “Appeals” stage involves a panel of three people being convened, one of whom is independent of the school, to review the matter and respond to you. After this, if you are still dissatisfied, under certain conditions you could write to the Education and Skills Funding Agency or Ofsted, but they would respond only after the rest of the Complaints Procedure has been followed and only if the matter conforms to one of their criteria for treating complaints. We always hope that our openness and willingness to respond swiftly and appropriately would ensure the best possible outcome.
Recyclable clothes will be collected on Tuesday morning (19th November).We are paid 50p a kilo for reusable clothes that people will want to buy and wear as affordable clothing around the world - all clothes need to be something you’d wear out yourself or pass on to friends and family, no uniform.
Parents and Friends Association (PFA) As ever, we thank our wonderful PFA who work tirelessly for the enrichment of our children’s education through their fundraising and other activities. The new committee under Mrs Conlon is off to a flying start and we are most grateful for all they do. Thank you to all who volunteer, whether regularly or just occasionally – you really make a difference!
School Photos - A reminder that the closing date for photo orders is Friday 22nd November.
Primary School places Children who will turn five years old between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021 will start school in September 2020. You need to apply for a place by 15th January 2020. Please register at https://admissions.wiltshire.gov.uk/prefs.php
Collective Worship This week, we reflected on the names and titles of Jesus – such as the Good Shepherd and the Water of Life. We thought about the importance of water; what we could do to make sure everyone is well cared for in our communities; and how we can help those who are lonely. We also had 2 minutes of silence at 11.00am on Monday for Remembrance Day.
| Upcoming Events (Calendar of events is available on the website at www. holy-trinity.co.uk ) | ||
| Friday 6th December | Stonehenge class – Back to school for a bedtime story and hot chocolate! | 5.00pm – 6.00pm |
| Wednesday 11th December | Handbell and choir Christmas concert in school hall | 5.00pm – all welcome |
| Monday 16th December | Christmas Performances | KS1 – 10.00am
KS2 – 1.30pm |
| Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December | Christmas Performances | KS1 – 5.00pm
KS2 – 6.15pm |
| Thursday 19th December | Christmas Service at the church and Christmas Party at school | 9.30am for service
12.00pm start of party |
| Friday 20th December | Last day of term & Christmas dinner by Lataca | |
| Monday 6th January | Everyone back to school | |
| Friday 14th February | Last day of the half term | |
Best wishes
Mercedes Henning
PFA News
PFA Meeting Earlier this week, the PFA met to discuss the events that will be taking place this term. Along with running the Christmas Fair and Christmas party for the children, the PFA will also be serving refreshments at the evening Christmas Play productions and the Hand-Bells Concert. Thank you to those who have already volunteered their time to help with any of these events. We will shortly be distributing information (via class reps and our Facebook page) to let you know what volunteers we still require. All help is gratefully received, if you can spare and hour or two of your time to help in any way, it would be most appreciated.
Non- Uniform Day A reminder that next Friday 22nd November is Non-Uniform Day for the whole school. The PFA ask for a ‘secret jar’ for the school fair in exchange for your child coming to school in their own clothes for the day. Please fill a jar with small prizes such as sweets, stationery, balls, stickers, crafts and jokes and wrap your jar to keep the contents hidden. There will be a table set up in the playground, staffed by a PFA volunteer, for collection of the jars on your way into school.
The ‘secret jars’ will form a stall at the Christmas Fair which will take place from 3pm - 4.30pm on Friday 6th December.
To contact us you can email: holytrinitypfa@gmail.com or join our Facebook page "Holy Trinity (Great Cheverell) PFA"
We welcome and value your opinion. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact the Head teacher or Chair of Governors.
Read more...Newsletter 9 - 8th November
Dear Parents
Parent Teacher meetings We hope that you have booked an appointment to see your child’s teacher on either 11th or 13th November. Please remember that each appointment is only 10 minutes long and we aim to keep strictly to time. If you require a longer appointment, please feel free to ask the teacher for this extra meeting when you see them. Of course, you are most welcome to contact your child’s teacher at any time to ask for a meeting to discuss any aspect of your child’s education during the course of the year – you do not need to wait for the next formal meeting invitation.
Lantern making Mrs Jelf has very kindly agreed to organise a Lantern Making Workshop for parents and their children. If you and your child would like to make a lantern and then take part in the Devizes Lantern Parade, please do come along. The workshop will take place in the Art Centre from 3.00pm – 4.30pm on Tuesday 26th November. Parents must accompany their children to this workshop. The cost is £2 per person. Please complete the slip or let us know at the office if you would like to take part – final date for sign up is Friday 22nd November. Payment in advance please. We can only accommodate 20 children with one parent each, so please sign up quickly if you want a place in this workshop.
Visit by an author On Wednesday we had author Adrian Townsend come and talk to our children about his writing career. (He has written the Gran’s Gang books.) We are always keen for our children to read as much as possible and we hope that this visit will stimulate more children to read for fun.
Winter Please send your children in with coats as it is cold up on our school field and the children go out to play regardless of the temperature. All clothing MUST be marked with your child’s name – even if you just write on the label in pen. In icy conditions, we will grit the pathway from the pedestrian gate on the High Street to the door that opens onto the playground. We almost never close the school due to poor weather – in the absence of any notification, please assume the school is open. If we have to close the school because roads are impassable or conditions unsafe for children and staff to travel, text messages will be sent out, a note will be published on our website and on Facebook, and the local radio stations will carry the message.
Policies Each year at this time I like to summarise in the newsletter some of our most relevant policies and procedures, so that parents are familiar with them. This week, we will discuss briefly the behaviour and anti-bullying policy. Behaviour in our school is usually exceptionally good. We use a very direct positive behaviour strategy – we constantly say to the children how beautifully they behave and how proud we are of them. This helps them to understand what the expected behaviour looks like. If we do need to sanction anyone, we might meet their eye (often this is enough to stop any unwanted behaviour), or have a word with them. If this does not work, they may have a few minutes being separated from the rest of the class. If the breach is serious or ongoing, they may have to meet the Headteacher and/or have playtime detention. We have never, in the 14 years of my headship, needed to exclude any child. The ethos of the school encourages good behaviour and children want to do the right thing to make sure the community works effectively for all.
We have zero tolerance of bullying in this school. Any allegation of bullying will be investigated as a matter of urgency and, if upheld, will be dealt with in line with our anti-bullying policy. Bullying is defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time. This could be physical or emotional bullying, cyber bullying or discrimination. Sometimes children will accuse each other of bullying when in fact they mean that they have fallen out with a friend. In these cases, they are given support to cope with social situations. If there is evidence of bullying, a file of bullying will be opened. All parents involved will be informed, the victim will be given support, and the perpetrator will be given sanctions and might have a behaviour plan put in place if necessary. If a child continues to bully another child, we would consider a fixed term or permanent exclusion for this offence. We are fortunate that we have very few bullying incidents in this school and children tell us that they feel safe in school. Children understand that they have to report to an adult if they know of any bullying taking place in our school community.
Collective Worship This week, we reflected on Remembrance, courage and compassion, and the work of the British Legion. We shall have two minutes of silence on Monday 11th November at 11.00am.
Collection of reusable clothes – These will be collected on Tuesday 19th November. A bag has been sent home already – the company pay 50p a kilo for reusable clothes that people will want to buy and wear as affordable clothing around the world - all clothes need to be something you’d wear out yourself or pass on to friends and family. Please do not send in poor quality items which are dirty, ripped or soiled. They do accept paired shoes, belts, handbags & jewellery but no pillows, duvets, curtains or any uniform.
Extra Mural Activities at Holy Trinity: Although we have extra mural clubs most afternoons, as well as through some lunchtimes, if you feel that you would like offer another club, please approach us with your ideas. Special interest clubs are always popular. At present, we offer several sports clubs, crochet and other handcrafts, chess, choir, handbells, ukulele, pop-up gardening, drama and art.
It is worth pointing out that research shows that children should be allowed to be “Bored” for several hours every day – this means no organised activities, no screens or devices. Just let them have access to cardboard boxes, paper, pens, construction sets, outdoor space, etc. They can then let their own creativity flow, and embed their learning. Some research shows that many children work much longer hours than their parents once all the hours of organised activities and clubs have been added together. Just being allowed to play freely and on their own in their safe, rich environment at home is a very valuable and precious thing.
Witchcombe Close Some of our parents have been parking in Witchcombe Close (which is a private road and NO ONE should be parking there except residents) and we are horrified to learn that some people are then being aggressive and using bad language in front of children when the residents challenge them. One of our parents apparently almost rode over one of the residents who was challenging her. The police are being informed of these incidents, photos will be taken of the licence plates and these details will be sent to the police. No one should be parking in Witchcombe Close or in Chitham Close. These areas belong to the residents. Please respect their private property and please treat everyone with courtesy and respect.
Erlestoke Medieval Fireworks postponed due to very windy and wet conditions, will be held on 9th November starting at 5.00pm in the Walled Garden at Erlestoke. Come along and enjoy the event.
| Upcoming Events (Calendar of events is available on the website at www. holy-trinity.co.uk ) | ||
| Monday 11th November | Parent/Teacher meetings | 5.30pm – 8.00pm |
| Wednesday 13th November | Parent/Teacher meetings | 3.10pm – 6.00pm
|
| Wednesday 11th December | Handbell and choir Christmas concert in school hall | 5.00pm – all welcome |
| Monday 16th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 10.00am
KS2 – 1.30pm |
| Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 5.00pm
KS2 – 6.15pm |
| Thursday 19th December | Christmas Service at the church and Christmas Party at school | 9.30am for service
12.00pm start of party |
| Friday 20th December | Last day of term & Christmas dinner by Lataca | |
Best wishes
Mercedes Henning
We welcome and value your opinion. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact the Head teacher or Chair of Governors.
PFA News
This Term This term is set to be a fun and busy one for the PFA and your ongoing support by attending events, volunteering your time or purchasing items that create funds is much appreciated. As it is a rather full term, if you are available to help out in any way with any events or fundraisers, please get in touch with your class rep or by emailing us directly.
Christmas Cards and Tea-Towels Thank you to all who have taken the time to design and order Christmas cards. Thank you also if you have submitted a self-portrait design for the Holy Trinity tea-towel. The deadline for tea-towel designs has now been extended until MONDAY (11th November) so if you have not yet had a chance to do yours, there is still an opportunity. Extra pieces of the correct size of paper are available at Reception.
Non- Uniform Day and Christmas Fair Friday 22nd November is Non-Uniform Day for the whole school. The PFA ask for a ‘secret jar’ for the school fair in exchange for your child coming to school in their own clothes for the day. Please fill a jar with small prizes such as sweets, stationery, balls, stickers, crafts and jokes and wrap your jar to keep the contents hidden! The jars are hugely popular with the children at the Christmas Fair. If you have any questions about this then please get in touch.
The Christmas Fair this year will take place on Friday 6th December 3-4:30pm.
Read more...Newsletter 8 - 23rd October 2019
Dear Parents
Last day of this half term is today 23rd October. We all come back to school on Monday 4th November. We wish you all a lovely Autumn break.
Hooke Court Children in Years 3 and 4 had a wonderful trip to Hooke Court this week, spending a night in the residential centre and taking part in amazing adventure activities. Our thanks go especially to Mrs Goddard and Mrs Jones whose inexhaustible energy brings this trip to life, and to those staff and volunteers who accompanied the trip – Mrs Hayward, Miss Berrington and Mr Goddard. We are very fortunate to have staff and volunteers who are prepared to take children on these residential trips – it is a great responsibility and a big commitment for them.
E-Safety Karl Hopwood, who is an online safety expert, gave a very informative and interesting presentation on Monday. His emphasis is on “Apply your good parenting skills in the online world as you would in the real world.” If you would not drop your child off in a city on their own, then don’t drop them into the online world on their own. There are wonderful things in cities, but also dangers. Similarly for the online world.
We strongly recommend that all parents have a look at www.internetmatters.org which gives advice and, very importantly, step by step instructions for setting up parental controls on your devices. You can find easy instructions for your particular phone/tablet/laptop and your own service provider. With these, you can limit the amount of time your child spends online (it will switch off when the time limit is reached), you can list the websites or games you are going to allow your child to play (and only those will be made available to your child) and you can check what is going on in your child’s online life. As your child gets older, you can gradually reduce the restrictions, in discussion with them, and give them more freedoms.
Other good websites include: www.commonsensemedia.org which will give you advice on the apps and games that are available – whether they are suitable for a child of a certain age, and what the problems might be; and www.bbc.co.uk/ownit which is good for parents and their children to look at together – it will stimulate discussion about how to stay safe online.
Once you have taken all reasonable precautions yourself, the key to keeping your child safe is to make sure that they know the dangers and to keep the channels of communication open so that they will tell you if something is disturbing or worrying them in their online life. This is their world. It is better to guide them to use it safely than to simply block them from it entirely.
Policies Each year at this time I like to summarise in the newsletter some of our most relevant policies and procedures, so that parents are familiar with them. This week, we will discuss briefly the Attendance policy. We are very grateful to our families for supporting our school so effectively – we have outstanding attendance in this school and this contributes to the outstanding outcomes for children. It is a legal requirement for parents to ensure that their children attend school regularly and are punctual. Any child whose attendance falls below 85% is at serious risk of underachieving. The school day starts at 8.40am and the overwhelming majority of our children are punctual. Parents are asked to inform the school, in writing, where an absence is planned e.g. hospital appointments, ballet exams etc. Where a child is absent due to illness, parents are asked to inform school by telephone in the first instance and by letter on the child’s return. If a child is absent and there is no notification from the parents, the school will contact the parents to ensure that the child is safe and to find out the reason for the absence. Should the child be absent without a reason for 3 days, the Education Welfare Officer (EWO) will be informed. Persistent lateness will also be reported to the EWO. Parents do not have a legal right to take children out of school on holiday. If there is unauthorised absence of 10 sessions (5 days) or more in any 6 month period, the Education Welfare Service will be notified and the Local Authority may issue a penalty notice to each parent for each child.
Collective Worship This week, we reflected on Jesus the Challenger, and how we have a responsibility to challenge prejudice and stereotyping wherever we see it. Our children understand this and we are always very impressed with how bravely they will tackle injustice and prejudice when they see it.
Photos of our activities Do look on our Facebook page and the school website for photos of recent events.
Primary School places Children who will turn five years old between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021 will start school in September 2020. You need to apply for a place by 15th January 2020. Please find the applications forms at https://admissions.wiltshire.gov.uk/prefs.php
Erlestoke Medieval Fireworks on 2nd November starting at 5.00pm in the Walled Garden. Adults £6, children £3 and family £15. Medieval knight re-enactment, mead, food, glow stuff and, of course, amazing fireworks and a Bonfire! This event is being run by the Erlestoke and Coulston Cricket Club. Do come and support them.
Recycle Clothing We are having a clothes recycling collection on Tuesday 19th November so please look out clean, good quality, dry reusable clothing over the half term. The company accepts clothing for adults, babies and children – also paired shoes and footwear, jewellery & accessories, belts & handbags. They do not accept dirty, ripped or soiled clothes or pillows, duvets, curtains, and no school uniform. Bags will be sent home after half term.
| Upcoming Events (Calendar of events will be available on the website at www. holy-trinity.co.uk in the coming week) | ||
| Monday 4th November | Children back to school | |
| Monday 11th November | Parent/Teacher meetings – appointments to be booked online nearer the time. | 5.30pm – 8.00pm |
| Wednesday 13th November | Parent/Teacher meetings – appointments to be booked online nearer the time. | 3.10pm – 6.00pm
|
| Wednesday 11th December | Handbell and choir Christmas concert in school hall | 5.00pm – all welcome |
| Monday 16th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 10.00am
KS2 – 1.30pm |
| Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 5.00pm
KS2 – 6.15pm |
| Thursday 19th December | Christmas Service at the church and Christmas Party at school | 9.30am for service
12.00pm start of party |
| Friday 20th December | Last day of term & Christmas dinner by Lataca | |
Best wishes
Mercedes Henning
We welcome and value your opinion. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact the Head teacher or Chair of Governors.
Read more...Newsletter 7 - 18th October 2019
Dear Parents
Last day of this half term is next Wednesday 23rd October. We all come back to school on Monday 4th November. We wish you all a lovely Autumn break.
Homework Following discussion with many parents and monitoring of the impact of the weekly written homework projects which are handed out in each class, it has become apparent that the value of the projects is minimal compared with the disruption they cause in many homes. We have made the decision, therefore, to stop setting formal written tasks for homework. There will be occasional tasks that come home – such as the PFA Christmas Card project next week – but there will be no expectation of regular weekly written homework tasks.
Our hope is that this will free up time to do the homework that really does show high value. This is the regular reading you do with your child, the discussions you have around that reading, the practising of times tables, number bonds and spellings. Our monitoring shows that these activities really do impact very positively on your child’s outcomes in school. Attached to this newsletter is a document that itemises all the regular homework activities we hope you and your child will continue to do at home. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further queries.
Hooke Court Children in Years 3 and 4 will be going on their annual one night residential trip to Hooke Court in Dorset on Tuesday 22nd October and Wednesday 23rd October. Please remember that children must have their medical forms returned to the school beforehand. They need smallish bags that they can manage themselves, filled with the items on the kit list, and especially with old warm clothing so that they are not worried about getting dirty. No food or electronic devices or phones should be packed. Bedding is provided by the centre.
Visit to the Mosque We all had a lovely time finding out a bit more about Islam, and exploring a Muslim place of worship. We were made tremendously welcome and learnt a lot from the day. Because our children behave so beautifully, it is always a joy to take them on field trips such as this.
Reading and Maths afternoon for parents – Thank you to the great crowd who attended this event. We are very grateful for the tremendous support you give your child as we work together for the very best education for your child. A list of questions that might help with inference and deduction skills is available if you were not able to get to the workshop. We want children to enjoy reading. That is the key. They do not have to read books, if they don’t wish to. They can read instructions on how to build models, or play a computer game, they can read articles and blogs on the internet, they can read comics, road signs, captions, cereal boxes – absolutely anything. Put notes up in the garden, on mirrors, on their bedroom walls. Have quizzes, family joke books, or lists. It is all reading!
Please continue to read with your older children. It is always a delight to us to hear of parents who still read to their 11 year olds – often using wonderful classics which are so superb when read out loud and which present such deep and powerful vocabulary and imagery. Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, The Railway Children, Black Beauty, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Secret Garden, The Children of the New Forest, Sherlock Homes, and abridged versions of Charles Dickens or Shakespeare works, as well as more modern works such as Gerald Durrell’s animal books, Roald Dahl’s books, To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlotte’s Web. Children who listen to good reading and enjoy reading do better at GCSE, at A levels and at work in later life.
E-Safety Karl Hopwood, who is an online safety expert, will be here at our school next week on Monday 21st October at 5.00pm to deliver a presentation on what you can do to help your child stay safe online.
Policies Each year at this time I like to summarise in the newsletter some of our most relevant policies and procedures, so that parents are familiar with them. This week, we will discuss briefly the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy. For children who have a significant learning difficulty or disability, we will provide education that is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for children of this age. We work closely with parents and with outside agencies such as Educational
Psychologists, Behavioural Support Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists to ensure best outcomes for children with SEND. There are clear indicator documents to guide the school in the decision about whether a child ought to be receiving this extra provision. Our policy and information on SEND can be accessed on our website. In short, what will happen is that any child about whom the teacher has significant concerns because they are failing to make progress will be raised at an SEND meeting with the SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator). They will be assessed and given whatever extra support is deemed necessary. If the child still does not make progress even with the extra support, they will be assessed further and might be registered with the Local Authority as having Special Educational Needs or Disabilities. Parents and the child will have input into the process at this stage. In the event that the child continues to make very little progress, they may be assessed for an Education, Health and Care Plan which, if successful, might draw down some extra funding. Parents can help to decide what this extra funding ought to be used for.
Overall in our school, our children with SEND make very good progress even if their attainment is low. Mrs Goddard is our SENDCO. It is worth remarking that children who are struggling but do not meet the thresholds for SEND provision are also given lots of extra support in this school to ensure their best outcomes. Many children have a short programme of extra support at some point in their school lives. Many children also have disabilities but if these disabilities do not prevent the child from making steady progress, then these children will not be registered on the SEND Code of Practice since it is clear from their outcomes that the adjustments we make for them in the usual course of their education are sufficient to enable them to make progress.
Collective Worship This week, we reflected on Jesus the Healer, and how we have a responsibility to care for others in our community. We also found out more about the orphanage in India, the Mathieson Music Trust, with which we have had links for very many years. They are going through a difficult time because new legislation in West Bengal means that girls have to be housed in a completely different building to the boys, with completely different staff. Getting the funds to build and run this new home is a priority so that they can offer their girls the amazing education and life chances once again – at the moment most of the girls have had to be dispersed into the wider community which is very unsatisfactory on many levels.
Speeding In Great Cheverell. Cheverell Magna Parish Council, in conjunction the Great Cheverell Community Speedwatch team, have purchased an Auto Speedwatch device. This device uses ANPR technology to record data of vehicles exceeding the 20mph speed limit outside the school. The data is uploaded to a secure server, which will only be accessible by a Parish Council representative and the leader of the Community Speedwatch team. The results will be used to identify persistent offenders and times when offending may be more prevalent. This information can then be passed on to the police for more targeted action. Vehicle speed and volume is of great concern to the Parish Council, the school and village residents alike. More information on the device along with data / privacy policy can be found at https://store.autospeedwatch.org/privacy
| Upcoming Events (Calendar of events will be available on the website at www. holy-trinity.co.uk in the coming week) | ||
| Monday 21st October | Online Safety Expert, Karl Hopwood’s presentation to parents – please come! | 5.00pm in school hall |
| Tuesday 22nd October Wednesday 23rd October | Hooke Court residential trip for Year 3 and 4 children | 8.15am drop off on 22nd October
5pm pick up on 23rd October |
| Wednesday 23rd October | Last day of term | |
| Monday 4th November | Children back to school | |
| Monday 11th November | Parent/Teacher meetings – appointments to be booked online nearer the time. | 5.30pm – 8.00pm |
| Wednesday 13th November | Parent/Teacher meetings – appointments to be booked online nearer the time. | 3.10pm – 6.00pm
|
| Wednesday 11th December | Handbell and choir Christmas concert in school hall | 5.00pm – all welcome |
| Monday 16th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 10.00am
KS2 – 1.30pm |
| Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 5.00pm
KS2 – 6.15pm |
| Thursday 19th December | Christmas Service at the church and Christmas Party at school | 9.30am for service
12.00pm start of party |
| Friday 20th December | Last day of term & Christmas dinner by Lataca | |
Best wishes
Mercedes Henning
We welcome and value your opinion. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact the Head teacher or Chair of Governors.
PFA News
Our first committee planning meeting took place earlier this week, so watch this space to hear about all the wonderful ideas that were discussed!
We also now have a class representative for the PFA for each year group in the school. This person will act as a ‘point of contact’ and will help the PFA to disseminate information to you all as effectively as possible. Once again, thank you to those who have volunteered to take on this role. The more parents and friends who are involved, the better our PFA will become.
The representatives are as follows:
Reception: Sarah Mallett
Y1: Ellen Wilson
Y2: Ceri Ewen
Y3: Sarah Mallett
Y4: Clare Gordon
Y5: Emma Phipps
Y6: Gemma Ackerman
Christmas Cards:
Information about creating Christmas cards, along with order forms and everything else you need to know will be coming home in book bags very soon, so please keep a look out. This is a fantastic way to get your Christmas cards organised nice and early whilst also supporting the fundraising efforts of the PFA.
To contact us you can email:
holytrinitypfa@gmail.com or join our Facebook page "Holy Trinity (Great Cheverell) PFA"
Many thanks,
Your PFA
Read more...Newsletter 6 - 11th October 2019
Dear Parents
Keep children safe It has come to our attention that there are children in our school who are accessing their electronic devices without parental supervision, are searching for You Tube videos which are harmless but the algorithm on You Tube will then feed other (apparently similar) videos to the children. We have been told that these videos are often unimaginably horrifying. Children do not wish to let their parents know because they do not want their freedom or devices removed, and so are dealing with the horror on their own.
We cannot emphasise strongly enough how important it is that parents consistently supervise their children’s viewing. No child should have an iPad, phone, laptop or any other device that connects to the internet in their bedroom. They should have time limited access to the internet – apps can be used that will ensure that your child’s device switches off after half an hour and cannot be accessed after 7.00pm etc. We are very concerned about children who are being exposed to things that are entirely unsuitable and often horrifying. They are also open to being groomed for later abuse or bullied through apparently innocent games online. These things, of course, are life threatening. Please make sure you are supervising your child carefully when they are online. They do not know enough to keep themselves safe. It is the job of their parents to ensure they are safe.
Visit to the Mosque We are taking everyone in our school to a mosque in Swindon on Thursday 17th October, next week, so that children can continue to find out more about, and respect, the cultural diversity of our country. Please make sure you are at school punctually as we will be leaving at 8.45am. There will be nobody left in school for latecomers as all staff are accompanying the trip. Please ensure your child has a packed lunch without meat products to eat while we are there. They ask that everyone is modestly dressed in trousers (no shorts) or skirts with tights. We will be back before 3.00pm.
Salisbury Museum Visit We had experts from Salisbury museum come into our school this week to work with each class on finding out more about the Romans who came to make their home in our country two thousand years ago. Children got to investigate real Roman artefacts and replicas, and each child also made their own “Sherd” of pottery. We learnt a lot about the improvements that Romans brought to our country when they arrived, with great benefit to all. We also discussed how it might have felt to be coming to a new country and how it might have felt to have different people coming into our country.
Reading and Maths afternoon for parents - Tuesday 15th October at 2.00pm. Please do come along to this event. Supporting your child at home is a really effective way to help them make good progress. The event comprises a workshop and a short classroom experience with your child.
What is reading? Children need to learn to “Decode” each word, of course, but more importantly, they need to understand what they have read. If your child brings home a book that is too difficult for them to read, then you can read it to them, asking them to read short passages, or to find words or letters that they are familiar with. Then ask them questions about what you have read. If they bring home a book that is very easy, that is also absolutely fine. Let them read it easily and with enjoyment and then discuss the text and the pictures, making sure that you explore nuance and hidden meanings. Your child is free to bring home any book from the library that takes their fancy, once they have progressed past the very early phonics books. (Please help us by ensuring the books get brought back again.) We want children to love reading, and to enjoy books. We will also order books that the children request for our library.
Fruit in KS2 We give a fruit snack to the children in KS1 at morning playtime. If your KS2 child would like to have a snack at morning playtime, please feel free to send a piece of fruit in, and they can eat it whilst standing with the adult on duty before they run off to play. Only fresh fruit please – no other snacks.
Absence If your child is away from school for any reason, please telephone the office first thing in the morning to inform us (so that we know your child is safely with you) and follow up with a letter or an email explaining the absence so that it can be noted on the register.
Collective Worship This week, we reflected on how we are all expected to be aspirational, to identify our talents and to use them effectively to support our community, both locally and further afield. We discussed finding fulfilment in being generous, compassionate and thoughtful. As ever, this is linked to maintaining good mental health, always a priority in our school.
E-Safety Karl Hopwood, who is an online safety expert, will be here at our school on Monday 21st October at 5.00pm to deliver a presentation on what you can do to help your child stay safe online. Please do put this date in your diary and try to have at least one representative from your family attend this event.
Pumpkin Day in Edington Parish Hall on Saturday 26th October – see the poster on front door for details of competitions and activities.
| Upcoming Events (Calendar of events will be available on the website at www. holy-trinity.co.uk in the coming week) | ||
| Tuesday 15th October | Workshop for parents on reading and maths | 2.00pm in school hall, then classrooms |
| Thursday 17th October | Visit to a mosque – please bring a packed lunch on this day | |
| Monday 21st October | Online Safety Expert, Karl Hopwood’s presentation to parents – please come! | 5.00pm in school hall |
| Tuesday 22nd October Wednesday 23rd October | Hooke Court residential trip for Year 3 and 4 children | 8.15am drop off on 22nd October
5pm pick up on 23rd October |
| Wednesday 23rd October | Last day of term | |
| Monday 4th November | Children back to school | |
| Monday 11th November | Parent/Teacher meetings – appointments to be booked online nearer the time. | 5.30pm – 8.00pm |
| Wednesday 13th November | Parent/Teacher meetings – appointments to be booked online nearer the time. | 3.10pm – 6.00pm
|
| Wednesday 11th December | Handbell and choir Christmas concert in school hall | 5.00pm – all welcome |
| Monday 16th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 10.00am
KS2 – 1.30pm |
| Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December | Christmas Performances – tickets will be sent out closer to the time | KS1 – 5.00pm
KS2 – 6.15pm |
| Thursday 19th December | Christmas Service at the church and Christmas Party at school | 9.30am for service
12.00pm start of party |
| Friday 20th December | Last day of term & Christmas dinner by Lataca | |
Best wishes
Mercedes Henning
PFA News
This week we have a few words from Adrienne Conlon who is our new PFA Chair.
“Thank you to everyone for warmly welcoming me, not only into the PFA but also into the role of Chair. A number of other new faces have joined the PFA and, with those who have been part of the team before, we’re looking forward to what we hope will be a fun and revenue generating year ahead. Our first committee planning meeting is next week and thereafter we will be sharing our thoughts and plans for the terms ahead.”
As you may be aware, we have been putting plans in place so that each year group in the school has a PFA representative in order to disseminate information more effectively across the whole school. Thank you to Katie Ridd who has taken on the coordination of this and thank you to those who have stepped up to the role.
The PFA welcomes all parents and carers, and it would be great to have your ideas and feedback. We’d also love everyone to be involved with us, whether that be for a one-off or for something more regular.
To contact us you can email: holytrinitypfa@gmail.com or join our Facebook page "Holy Trinity (Great Cheverell) PFA"
We also have an email mailing list which we use to send out updates. Please email us to be added on to the list.
Many thanks,
Your PFA
We welcome and value your opinion. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact the Head teacher or Chair of Governors.
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