Billinghay School

Walk to school week | Classes in September

Tuesday 1st November 2011

Dear Parents/Carers
Welcome back after the half term holiday – we have a busy term ahead of us in the run up to Christmas.
A few reminders:-

Treehouse Open Day on Saturday 5th November from 11 am to 1 pm. If you have a child ready to start school in reception in September 2012 come along and visit us in the Treehouse. Hot dogs and refreshments will be available.

Shoe box appeal –please could you send any filled shoe boxes or individual donations for shoeboxes into school before the 9th of November as we have a service in the Methodist Chapel on the 10th November, after which they will be collected. All parents and families are welcome to attend the service. Thank you.

Children in need – we will be selling £1 squares from Monday 7th for your chance to win a Christmas Hamper. Also Pudsey Bear badges will be on sale from Monday 14th November at 50p per badge – when they are gone they are gone!!

‘Billinghay’s Got Talent’ – Friday 18th November - more details to follow nearer the time.

Christmas Fair – Friday 25th November from 3.30 pm – lots of crafts and Christmas items as well as Father Christmas.

Treehouse productions – Tuesday 6th December pm and Wednesday 7th December am.

Swans and Chaffinches productions – Thursday 8th am and Friday 9th pm.

Christmas service in Church – Monday 12th December at 10am

Christmas party - Friday 16th December.

End of term 2 – Friday 16th December.

Term 3 – Tuesday 3rd January 2012 – inset training day – no children
Wednesday 4th January 2012 – children return.

Please could parents/carers that come into school to drop off or collect their children be aware that some of the paving slabs are still a bit uneven – please take care, thank you.

With kind regards
R Allen
Headteacher

Celebration of Continued Success at School

Dear Parents and Carers

It has been another highly successful year at school in terms of the progress our children have made and I am delighted to report a summary of this to you.

The Foundation Stage
The children in Wagtails and Robins (Foundation Stage 2) made very good progress this year. Results at the end of the year illustrate a good level of overall achievement when compared to 2010 national data. Our results clearly demonstrate the children are achieving above Lincolnshire and national data in all of the key assessment areas.

Key Stage 1
The data for our Year 2 children represents good progress from the beginning of Year 1 to the end of Year 2 in maths, reading and writing.

Key Stage 2
The Year 6 children met or exceeded the most challenging targets that can be set at Local Authority level for English and maths.

All of these results are fabulous achievements and the staff, Governors and myself are extremely proud of our children. We pride ourselves in the learning and nurturing environment that we have at school and would like to thank all parents and carers for their continued commitment and support to the development of the school. We look forward to continued success in 2011-12.

Kind Regards

R Allen
Headteacher

Wednesday 13th July 2011

Classes in September

Dear Parents/Carers

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Miss Manders to our school. Miss Manders was the successful candidate in our interviews for the 2 days a week post in Year 4/5.
She has in the last year worked in school as a supply teacher on a regular basis so she will be a familiar face to many.
Miss Manders will take up her post from September and will teach in Year 4/5 on a Thursday and Friday, with Mrs Atkinson working on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Due to the changes in class organisation we will have some new class names from September:

Treehouse will stay the same with Mrs Wright’s Wrens, Mrs Blades’ Robins and Mrs Clarke’s Wagtails.
Mrs Chapman’s Year 1/2 class will continue to be known as Chaffinches.
Mrs Smithson’s Year 2/3 class will be known as Swans.
Mrs Atkinson/Miss Manders Year 4/5 class will be known as Mallards.
Mrs Hall’s Year 5/6 class will continue to be known as Hawks.

If you have any questions on the above then please arrange an appointment to see me at school, thank you.

Kind regards

R Allen
Headteacher

Latest Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

Billinghay Church of England Primary School
Headteacher’s Newsletter for Parents and Carers
January 2012
‘Every Person Matters’

Dear Parents and Carers

I would like to extend a belated Happy New Year to all of you and hope 2012 brings continued success to the school.

Parents’ and Carers’ Views of the School
I would like to draw your attention to the recent questionnaire that was sent out entitled ‘Parents’ and Carers’ Views of the School’. We would like to find out your opinions on the quality of education you, as parents and carers, feel we provide at Billinghay. It is important that we find out what we do well, but also where we need to improve, so that our school can continue to grow and flourish. Your responses are important and will be used to help us identify the priorities for our School Improvement and Development Plan. It is also a way of letting us know what you think about the school, what you feel we do well and what you feel we could improve on. The deadline for return of the questionnaires is Friday 20th January.

IT Resources
I am delighted to announce that our new IT equipment is fully installed at school. We now have a bank of 9 laptops which can be used in classrooms with access to the Internet via wireless technology and 15 new workstations to be used in the computer suite.

We are also investigating the potential of using tablet PCs such as the Apple iPad2 in classrooms.

If anyone would like to make a donation over £5 for a flat screen colour monitor then we still have a few available to be purchased. Please see myself or a member of the admin staff.

Hot Meals
Following the 2 taster sessions held at school we are now in a position to choose our new hot meals provider. We sent out a letter on Friday 13th January asking for your preference of supplier. Our current supplier has received notice to terminate the contract that we have and we will be in a position to begin with our new supplier after the Easter holidays. Your views are extremely important in helping us to choose our new provider and we would be grateful for your preference alongside any comments you may have. Please can these be returned to school as soon as possible.

Attention Parents of Pupils in Year 2 - KS1 SATs 2012
As some of you may already know, in 2005 changes took place to the way that children’s progress is assessed at the end of Year 2. The emphasis is now based on the teacher’s judgement of how your child has performed in reading, writing, mathematics and science throughout Year 2. The national curriculum tests (SATs) will be used to verify the teacher’s judgements however they will be administered on a more informal basis. Information will be sent to you as part of your child’s annual report in the summer term to help you see how your child is progressing in reading, writing, mathematics and science. You will be provided with the national curriculum levels your child has achieved and what this means when compared to all other Year 2 pupils nationally. More information on the importance of SATs and a timetable for administering the tests/tasks will be available from school shortly. The Year 2 children will be sitting their SATs over two weeks starting on the week beginning 21st May. Please can I remind you of the importance of children being in school for these dates.

Attention Parents of Pupils in Year 6 – KS2 SATs 2012
KS2 SATs for Year 6 children will take place on the week beginning Monday 14h May 2012. It is imperative for all Year 6 children to be in school during this week.

Writing Test for Pupils in Year 6 – KS2 SATs
Following Lord Bew’s independent review of KS2 testing, assessment and accountability there will be changes to the way that English writing is to be assessed in May 2012 in Year 6. This includes the introduction of a new writing skills test from 2013. Interim arrangements are in place for 2012 ahead of fully implementing the recommendations for writing in 2013. These interim arrangements are that for pupils in Year 6 2011-12 a child’s English writing result will be a teacher assessment judgement of their work across year 6 – similar in approach to KS1. The children will still sit an externally set test as in previous years but it will be marked internally in school rather than being sent off for external marking as has been the case in the past. Teacher’s judgements will be informed by and take account of (but not limited to) the child’s result from the standard test.

Class Assemblies
After the successful class assemblies in terms 1 and 2 from Hawks and Mallards it is the turn of the Swan and Chaffinch classes next. Both of the class assemblies will be in Term 4. Details of dates and times will follow.

E Safety Talk
We have arranged for the e Safety Officer from the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children’s Board to come into school on 19th January to hold a presentation and discussion with parents/carers (from 2pm – 3pm) on all aspects of e safety to ensure the safety of children using the Internet at home. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this event.

Emergency School Closure due to Severe Weather
I would like to remind parents that in the event of the school closing on any one day due to severe weather it would be helpful if parents and carers listen to either BBC Radio Lincolnshire or LincsFM 102.2 who will, as part of their severe weather service, broadcast up-to-date information on the schools within the county that are forced to close. BBC Radio Lincolnshire will also post the information on their website at www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire and LincsFM on www.lincsfm.co.uk. If parents could please use this service it will hopefully eliminate the high volume of calls the school has to deal with when severe weather occurs. We will also use Parent Mail to e-mail a message of a closure and if you requested, we will send a text.

Friends of the School
I would like to thank all parents and pupils for your continued support over the terms 1 and 2.

Profit from the Christmas Fair was £480.

This term the FOS are organising a Film Night for children on Friday 27th January and a Disco on Friday 10th February.

There will also be Easter bingo on Saturday 17th March and Rag recycling on 21st March.

It is planned for money raised from FOS to be donated towards purchasing some tablet PCs such as the iPad2 for use by children in school.

The FOS are in urgent need of new members and all are welcome at their next meeting on 23rd January in school at 7.30pm.

Parent Consultations
Parent consultations will be held week beginning 5th March. More details will follow nearer the time.

Punctuality
Please can all parents / carers ensure that all children are at school by 9.00am. Please also note that the rear door will be locked from 9.05am for health and safety reasons.

Uniform
I would like to remind you of our school uniform as there are a few children who are not wearing the correct school uniform in the correct colours.

GIRLS
• Navy skirt or pinafore dress OR navy or grey tailored trousers.
• White short or long-sleeved shirt.
• Navy sweatshirt or cardigan.
• White socks or navy or grey tights.
• Black sensible shoes – no heels, slingbacks or open toes.
• Hair ties should be of a soft material in school colours – navy, blue, black or white.
• Summer dress – navy or mid-blue, check or stripe.

Girls are to wear a NAVY skirt or pinafore dress.
Girls may wear grey trousers or tights.

BOYS
• Navy or grey tailored trousers.
• White short or long-sleeved shirt.
• Navy sweatshirt or cardigan.
• Navy or grey socks.
• Black sensible shoes, not trainers.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss any aspect of this newsletter.

I look forward to seeing you at all the events this term.

Best wishes

Richard Allen

Headteacher

Diary Dates

23rd Jan Friends of school meeting 7.30 pm
27th Jan Film night 3.30 – 5.30 pm
10th Feb School Disco
17th Mar Family Easter Bingo
22nd Mar Rand Farm residential visit Y3 and Y4

Holiday Dates

10th Feb Break up for half term
20th Feb Children return -Term 4
30th Mar End of term 4
16TH April Staff training day
17th April Children return to school – term 5
1st June Break up for half term
11th June Children return- term 6
19th July End of term 6

Film Evening

Dear Parents/Carers

Following the success of our first film evening on the 7th October 2011 we are planning to hold another similar event on Friday 27th January from 3.30 – 5.30pm.

The film that has been chosen is Cars 2. It will be shown in the school hall displayed on the large screen.

The film evening will be for children only as the type of licence we are using does not allow us to show films to adults. The only adults present will be those supervising who will be staff and members of the Friends of the School.

There will be a charge of £2.50 for refreshments for the first child and £2.00 thereafter for any siblings. Each child will be provided with refreshments before and during the film including a drink, hot dog and ice cream. In order to see the film we ask that you complete the permission slip and return it to school by Wednesday 25th January with your contribution for refreshments.

Please can you ensure that your child is collected from school at 5.30pm.

If you have any questions then please see me at school.

Kind regards

Mr Allen
Headteacher

____________________________________________________________________________

I give permission for my child _________________________ in class _____________ ____
to attend the film evening on Friday 27th January from 3.30 – 5.30pm in the school hall and I enclose £2.50 for the first child and £2.00 thereafter for any siblings.

After the club my child will be collected by _______________________

Signed ________________________________

B ILLINGHAY CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL TERMS AND HOLIDAYS 2010/2011

Term 1

Monday 6th September 2010
To
Friday 22nd October 2010

Twilight training sessions – 22nd September 2010
29th September 2010
6th October 2010

Term 2

Monday 1st November 2010
To
Friday 17th December 2010

Inset training day – Monday 20th December 2010

Bank holidays
Monday 27th December & Tuesday 28th December 2010
Monday 3rd January 2011

Inset Training day – Tuesday 4th January 2011

Term 3

Wednesday 5th January 2011
To
Friday 18th February 2011

Inset training day – 28th February 2011

Term 4

Tuesday 1st March 2011
To
Friday 8th April 2011

Bank Holidays
Good Friday 22nd April & Easter Monday 25th April 2011.

Term 5

Tuesday 26th April 2011
To
Friday 27th May 2011

Bank Holidays
Monday 2nd May & Monday 30th May 2011

Term 6

QUICK UPDATE OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES THIS TERM:

Monday Art Club for KS2

TBC Christmas Art Club for KS1

EVERYDAY: ‘PLAYTIME AFTER SCHOOL CLUB’ session available 3.20 – 4.30 pm £2.50 per day.
-------------------------------------------

EVERYDAY: ‘BREAKFAST CLUB’ all welcome – contact school or Mrs Simpson for current prices and events.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club provides a warm, safe environment from which your child can start their day

Prices:

7.30 - 9.00am regular booking including breakfast - £3.00

7.30 - 9.00am one off booking including breakfast - £3.25

8:00 - 9.00am regular booking including breakfast - £2.25

8:00 - 9.00am one off booking including breakfast - £2.50

8.30 - 9.00am £1.20

8.45 - 9.00am £0.70

Along with a healthy breakfast, the Club provides many games and craft activities. Weather permitting the children can eat their breakfast in the courtyard or play their games outside. If you would like your child to attend, please contact the Club Supervisor in the school hall at 9am.

Club Staff

Supervisor Play leader

Mrs Debbie Simpson Mrs Janet Fawcett

The Playtime Club

We offer an after school club called the Playtime Club from 3.20pm to 4.30pm Mon - Fri term time. Children can take part in a number of different activities ranging from art and craft to cookery.

The club is located in our school hall with prices at £2.50 for a session, £1.25 for siblings, snacks included. If you are interested in your child attending the playtime club then contact Mrs Cath Wood through the school.

Playtime Staff

Supervisor Assistant supervisor

Mrs Cath Wood

Multi-skills club

During this summer term, key stage one has been learning some skills to help develop coordination, control, balance, aiming and pitching. It has been such great fun that we have decided to start a multi-skills club which takes place during morning break times and lunchtime play.

We have elected five, year four children to design and run a basic skill activity for everyday of the week. We currently have Hula hooping, Skipping, football, softball games, and small ball sessions. They are proving very successful.

Every child from Foundation Stage right through to year six has the opportunity to take part, learn and progress a multitude of basic skills.

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