24th of May
24th May 2024
Dear Parents and carers,
A massive thank you for all of the donated clothes today. I know they will all go to good homes and the money raised will definitely be helping the school with our renovation of the boat area. I know that some entrepreneurial children are working hard to raise money by selling lemonade and cakes tomorrow so please see the attached poster and consider coming along to show your support.
We have had more than a few visitors this week supporting the children’s learning. In Year 5 and Year 6, we have had a visit from the police to talk about internet safety and how they could protect their privacy online. Year 4 had a visit from an archaeologist, who has been working locally, where they learned about the process of discovering things about the past.
Year 2 have also been lucky enough to be visited by some of the parents, who have shared their experiences about different countries around the world. A big thank you to everyone who has come in.
This term I have been supporting some Year 5s run a book club on Monday lunchtimes but this week I also had the pleasure of helping a team of Year 5 boys running an ICT club. They were supporting each other with writing lines of code in Scratch and in making animations using Pivot. There was some wonderful encouragement and mentorship going on and a real culture of comradery. A big thank you to the organisers.
Music afternoon was nothing short of inspirational this week. We had great musical showcases from John Hanson children (4 very different and incredibly talented pianists), Mr. Whalley (with a Salvation Army brass section), Mrs. Stevens (who took us to Jurassic park with her trumpet playing) and Mr. Jones (with songs from Oasis and the Beatles). Lots of Clatford children also had a chance to showcase their growing talents throughout the afternoon, where we heard music from an impressive range of genres and eras.
Half term is finally upon us, so I wanted to draw your attention to a few things coming up in the school diary over the first few weeks back at school:
On June 4th, some children may come home talking about extra helpers in their classrooms. We have 5 Year 10 students helping across the school on their work experience weeks. Most of them were once Clatford children themselves, so they know us well.
At the end of the first week back, Year 4 will be camping on the school field and sharing some songs and treats around a campfire. A big thank you to those staff who are giving up their Friday nights to help.
On the second week back on June 12th the school are hosting a Year R information evening for the new families joining us in September. You may start to see their faces around the playground so please join me in making them feel incredibly welcome in our school.
Finally then, I wanted to mention the netball competition yesterday. The girls who played knocked my socks off with their teamwork and face paced tenacity in the face of some really tough opponents. Fantastic Clatford spirit and commendable sportsmanship. Thank you to all that played.
Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable half-term break,
Mr M Kirk
Dates for your Diary
24th May 9am Clothing Collection for PTA
7th June: Year 4 Camping
11th June: Y2 Living Rainforest Trip
14th June: Wacky Hair Day
19th June: Y6 Cathedral Visit
22nd June: Colour Run
25th June Class Photos
26th June: Y1 and Y4 Solar Farm Workshops
27th June: Y1 and Y4 Solar Farm Trips
28th June: Y1 Country Dancing
28th June: Y3 Kew Gardens Trip
1st July: KS2 Production, All KS2 children dropped off and picked up at the Lights
2nd July: Y6 Transition Day (Secondary Schools Visits to John Hanson, Winton and Harrow Way)
2nd July/3rd July: KS2 Production, evening performances
3rd July: Y5 Harrow Way Taster Day Trip
4th July: Y4 River Dip Trip
5th July: Sports Day (All parents welcome from 1pm)
7th July: Y6 Residential to Osmington Bay (3 nights)
10th July: Year 2 Gymnastics Festival (Date to be confirmed)
15th-16th July: Y6 Bikeability
17th July: Y6 Leavers Service 1:45pm, St. Peter’s Church (Y6 parents only)
23rd July: Last day of term
2nd September: INSET Day
3rd September: Children return to school and start in their new year groups.
4th October: INSET Day
28th October – 1st November: Autumn Half-Term
2nd December: INSET Day
23rd December – 3rd January: Christmas Holiday
6th January: INSET Day
17th February – 21st of February: Spring Half Term
7th April – 21st April: Easter Holiday
23rd May: INSET Day
26th May – 30th May: Summer Half Term
23rd July – 2nd September: Summer Holiday