The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.
Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search
Published by Pensby Primary School, 2019-03-28 08:11:17

Pensby Post Spring Term 2019

Pensby Post spring term 2019

Pensby Primary School

On Monday
25th March,
Commando
Joe worked
with the PTA
and an Easter
Egg assault
course was
undertaken

by all the
children.

After facing a
series of

challenges
and obstacles,

the children
were rewarded
with their own

chocolate
Easter egg!

Pensby Post

Spring term 2019

Headteacher’s

Words

Dear families,
The Spring term has passed by so quickly. For a short term, everyone has certainly packed a lot in
and this edition of the Post shows just a snapshot of some of the events that have happened.
At the top of this page is the new logo for Deeside Primary School’s ‘Coast 2 Country’ project.
Deeside schools are: Barnston Primary, Heswall Primary, Heswall St Peters, Dawpool Primary,
Blackhorse Hill Juniors, Blackhorse Hill Infants, Greasby Juniors, Greasby Infants, Great Meols
Primary, Hoylake Primary, West Kirby Primary, St. Bridget’s Primary, Irby Primary, Gayton
Primary, Our Lady of Pity Primary, Stanley Primary, Thingwall Primary, Barnston Primary and
Ladymount Primary. The 19 schools meet termly and speak regularly, forming a very close working
cluster group. Together we are leading our schools through this exciting Coast 2 County (C2C)
project and is will run year on year. We are very proud of the logo. There is a C2C Twitter page
@WirralC2C do log on and find out more!

We also have a new school Twitter account @PensbySchool and we have linked up with some very
interesting partners in Wirral who we will be working with as part of this project. Their Twitter
accounts show lots of events happening in Wirral that link closely to what we are doing with C2C.
Such an exciting time for Deeside Schools! The staff, governors and I are very proud to be part of
Deeside Primary Schools Cluster and of course we are immensely proud to be part of South Dee-
side Primary Schools Federation—2 great logos representing many people working hard for the
children of Wirral.

Talking of people working hard, the Parent Communication group and PTA are incredible. They
have done so much this term for the benefit of the children and this is incredible. We have a lot to
thank them for, particularly when I noticed reading one primary school newsletter this term, only
1 person arrived for their PTA meeting. How sad is that for that school and their children—events
cancelled? Not here though!! We’ve got a summer fair organised (it’s going to be amazing) and we
have so many fantastic ideas about communicating better with families—all down to YOUR
involvement. I am a VERY lucky Headteacher! More detail of those developments in this edition of
the Post.

Our school lottery is taking off. We’ve had 2 winners so far—each wining £20. The more people
who sign up at only £1 per week, the more the prize money goes up! To sign up follow this link

https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/

Next half term is an unusual half term with 3 weeks having only 4 days in school, due to bank
holidays. We will email you reminders (and the staff) as it is quite confusing! I hope the weather
improves so help get ready with a sun hat and some sun cream that your child can keep in school.
Please label both clearly with your child’s name. Children cannot share sun cream in case of
allergy reactions, and if it’s really hot we won’t let them play outside with it on!

And finally,

Have a lovely 2 week break—school closes on Friday 29th March. We reopen
again on Monday 15th April.

Mrs K Brown, Headteacher

Coast to Country

You will have read the Coast to Country (C2C) updates in
the newsletters—so much has been happening! The 19
Deeside schools have pledged to:

1)To take part in the Coast to County project in
whatever way they can during the second half of the
summer term;

2) To have a plastic reduction strategy for their school;

3) To select an endangered Wirral plant or animal that is threatened and
create a large 3D sculpture for a project exhibition, using plastic found in
waste;

4) After the project to ask pupils to state what activities and experiences in
their local area that every Wirral child should experience e.g. walk on
Thurstaston Beach and submit these for the development of a children’s
Peninsula Passport;
5) To link up with the community and come together on 28th June to clean up!

The whole school has been planning our Coast to Country
(C2C) project. This will take place in the second half of the
summer term. Our school has actually already started much
work towards this and as you know, we have changed our
refuse collection contract and are moving to:

 ‘Binless’ classrooms—with full recycling stations in school;

 Food recycling

 Stopping the purchase of milk cartons (milk soon to be supplied by the
school directly)

 No more single use plastic bottles being brought into school for lunchtime—
free water or juice for every
child at lunchtime (starts after
Easter!)

Miss Grant has worked with the
children and the ‘Crucial Crew’
has been created. They were
responsible for starting the
battery boxes so we can
recycle batteries (bring your
batteries to school and put them
in the recycling box in the main
entrance). They have also been
weighing waste from every
class—and the results of this will
be emailed out—who are the
worst offenders? We will
keep you updated!

Miss Grant and the Crucial Crew!

Coast 2 Country (C2C) - Summer term
As part of our plastics pledge and
determination to recycle:

No single use plastic bottles in school—free
water and juice at lunchtime for all
children— from 15th April;

‘Binless’ classrooms—new recycling stations
set up in school– from 15th April;

New food recycling bins—from 15th April;

Infant pupils milk—stopping the purchase of
cartons and serving milk directly from the
kitchen in cups that can be washed— start
date to be announced!

Year 4 were the first
class to visit Bagnall and

Morris’ Education
centre in Bromborough.

Here they learnt how
and what could be

recycled and they came
back to school with very
clear and well thought

out ideas about what
we need to do in

school . Great work year
4!

Coast 2 Country—year
4 visit to B&M

TIMES TABLES

ROCK STARS!

The launch of times
tables rock stars was
loud, colourful and lots
of fun! Children and
staff came to school
looking very different! It
was a day to remember
and even assembly was
taken by a staff rock
star. It was quite scary
how naturally everyone

took to their new
roles—divas were
EVERYWHERE!!!

‘Tot’s Group’

Welcome to ‘Tots’! We are a small friendly group who
enjoy getting our pre school children together for a
play session every Wednesday from 9am – 10.30am.

For those of you who are new to the group here’s some information for
you:

‘Tots’ is run by Tracey, Becky and Mary. We all work for the school in
many roles so we know the school and families really well. The group
takes place every Wednesday during term time, except for the first
week back after each “main” holiday ie: Christmas, Easter and Summer.

The entrance to ‘Tots’ is usually through the main pedestrian gate.
Although this is locked during the school day, we try to keep an eye out
for people as they arrive. We appreciate that you may be dropping older
children off at other schools and so may be arriving after 9am. If you
have been stood at the gate for more than 5 minutes and nobody has let
you in the staff in the office will bring you through.

The car park is for school staff only.

Charge: £1 per child, then 50p for subsequent children (this covers tea
and coffee for adults and a snack and drink for the children)

Our first session back after Easter will be
24th April.

Do come along and join us—you are very
welcome!

Early in March, the children faced

the Commando Joe inflatables

course. It looked fun. It was fun… but

it was also very hard! Every child got

their turn and some went back for Commando
more. The determination of the

children was great to see and they

showed great resilience when things
didn’t always go their way—and

Joe Challengealthough they were very competitive
they also worked so well together.
Day!
That’s the spirit!

PTA Events and News!

The PTA want to thank all families for a lovely terms work. It was only a
short term, but many events were packed into it and the enjoyment of the
children was clear to see. For the first time we put on a film night in the
spring term. The children loved it—there is definitely something very special

about a film night! The Valentines disco was another great success. The
children looked so smart (and grown up) and danced the evening away! Also

in February, the PTA linked up with our catering team and a Family
Breakfast was organised. What a lovely start to the day that was and demand

is high for another one—watch this space!

On Tuesday 12th February we held a key meeting. We needed people to come
forward and offer help or we knew we could not hold a summer fair. By the
end of the 3 meetings that day we had 17 offers of help. This really lifted our

spirits and has resulted in two meetings since to plan the summer fair:

 Saturday 8th June 12.00 to 2.00pm—Summer Fair 2019

 New things to do and see—children can earn tokens and exchange them
on the ‘prize’ table!

 Food hall with card machine for payments—new food options at very low
prices!!

Our next Summer Fair PTA meetings are to be held on Tuesday 30th April

at 9.00am, 3.00pm and 6.00pm. Please come along if you can.

Also this term we launched our school lottery. Currently our lottery has 35
supporters buying over 55 tickets each week. Our first winner was
announced in the last newsletter—could the next winner be you? The
national school lottery win is around £25,000 per term—but you’ve got to be
‘in it to win it’. To sign up go to https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/

We ended this term with Commando Joe’s Easter Egg hunt. What a great
event that was and with a chocolate egg for every child at the end of it,

everyone was a winner!

We are already planning other summer term events—after the cake sales,
those ice lolly sales return—and hopefully the sun will return too!

Have a wonderful Easter - From your child/ren’s PTA

World Book Day 2019

Some time ago, we stopped ‘dressing up’ for World Book day as it put a lot of
pressure on families to make or buy a costume and then the joy of books was
lost. Having already dressed up for our Times Table Rock Star launch we did

this again this year and chose to focus on the sharing of a good book and
enjoying reading.

All around the school, children came together to share a book and spend time
in each others company. It was very special to see the children helping each
other and smiling with the shear pleasure of a great story!

Coast 2 Country—RSPB Bird
Watch

Each class completed a survey of birds
they could see. The results were uploaded
to the RSPB. It is clear that there are not

enough birds species attracted to our
school grounds so we need to tempt them
in! Reception class have been taking care
of the bird feeders around the school by

making fat balls and replacing them
regularly. We are hoping that the new
Forest school area by the top playground
will attract more wildlife with its additional

planting!

Valentine Disco 2019

The Valentines disco was a
lovely event. The children

had their photographs
taken within a valentines
frame! There were the usual
crazy dances and of course
lots of sweets to eat. Many
thanks to the PTA and the
staff for giving up their time
to make sure the children

had a lovely event to
remember for years to

come.

Governor’s Page

Your Governing Body has had a very busy term. In the
last edition of the ‘Post’, I explained how the governors
had been reviewing what we do and what we needed to
work on now. In just a term, this is the progress made:

1) The broad and balanced curriculum - we knew it was happening but
where was the evidence? Now we have a new assessment system called
‘See Saw’ in school. Some parents have been helping us by trialling this.
Staff, parents and governors are very happy that this is a very effective
system not just at showing how our curriculum works, but also as a
great communication tool between pupils, families and school. This will
be rolled out to all parents next term.

2) Parent and pupil voice—this was very strong for pupils but we
needed to make it stronger for parents. This has been very successful
with the development of the Parent Communication Group. Thanks to
their input, the school has been reviewing several processes such as
TUCASI, the school website and emails! I know that much progress has
been made and this will be shared at the next Parent Communication
meeting just before the Easter break.

In addition to this, the recent appointment of our new Deputy
Headteacher was an ideal opportunity for parents to become involved
and give their view. Eight parents gave up their time to come into
school and interview the candidates. The parents were totally focussed
on what they were doing and their feedback was essential in the
process. Many thanks to those parents who carried out this important
task. The appointment of staff is such an important time and the
governors work hard to make the process robust and thorough—with
the help of pupils, staff and families. In conjunction with that, we want
to make sure our processes and procedures are as straight forward as
possible for families.

Continuing to work together as we are, we can all ensure that not only
do we ’keep up with the times’ but we also go from strength to
strength, as that is what our wonderful children deserve.

On behalf of the Governing Body, enjoy the Easter break and hopefully
some better weather!

Mr D Spencer

Chair of Governors

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor learning
opportunities are
everywhere for the
children in Pensby! Year
2 carried out science
investigations outdoors.

They tested the
properties of materials.

Year 4 measured
in maths and

reception made
fires in forest

school. Every
class made the

most of the
outdoor areas.

Geography Studies

Reception, year 5 and year 1
immersed themselves in the culture
of China. They cooked Chinese food
and made lanterns. Year 2 looked at

the worlds continents. Year 3
enjoyed learning all about Scotland
and it’s traditions. Every class learns
to read maps and charts—life skills!

Fairtrade in Pensby

This term Miss Grant led the school in a Fairtrade audit. The children in
Reception were key to this audit. Our Catering Manager realised she could
help and changed the kitchen sugar supplier to make sure the school was

buying ethically and meeting Fairtrade standards. We are currently
working towards our “Fairaware award” and will let you know when we get

this! The children are really interested and engaged in this project with
EYFS pupils following the journey of a banana!!

Commando Joe!

Each week, every child gets
the amazing opportunity to

work with Steve—
Commando Joe. He really
does connect well with all
the children and helps them
to meet new challenges.

Teamwork and listening
well are key. Resilience
and the ability to keep

trying is promoted in
every session. The

desire to be competitive
is encouraged and the
dignity to internalise
failure and deal with it

appropriately is
fostered. These are
essential mental skills
the children will need
throughout their lives.

School Office Page

Dear families,

As we come to the end of the Spring term, the school office
also comes to the end of the financial year. This means the last

few weeks have been incredibly busy. One of our essential
jobs, and one that the governing body insists on, is that we ensure any
monies owing to the school. are collected. Therefore if we contact you
about this, please bear this in mind and settle your account promptly.

We have been busy looking at a range of online payment systems. This
is because the Parent Communication meetings highlighted some issues

with TUCASI. Looking into the new systems has been very interesting
and we are very excited about how rapidly online
payments systems have moved on and what they
can offer families. We are currently calculating all
costs to school for these new systems and hope to

make a decision on what we will be doing next term.

Frustratingly, the new online system for family data
(SIMS lite) is still not with us. In the meantime, please
keep us updated with any communication changes by completing a
’request for changes in data’ form available on the office page on the

website.

Next term, we are planning to look at the School Office page on the
school website. We realise this is very full and can be confusing so we
will be gaining the views of parents through the Parent Communication

meetings to find ways to improve this.

Also next term, we hope to have a new, quicker way to gain your
consent for trips, visits and visitors. This email reply system will also
help with the annual consent forms we ask you complete in the autumn
term (medical needs, permission for photographs etc). More news as

soon as we have it.

A reminder that we welcome any questions/queries you may have:

[email protected]

and keep checking our page on the website:

http://pensbyprimaryschool.org/school-office/

Have a lovely 2 week break!

Mrs K Yeardsley-Jones, Mrs J Macrae, Mrs D Shaw, Miss H Lloyd-Jones

History in School

In school, the classes study a
wide range of historical

events. This term, year 4 have
imagined what it would be
like to be an evacuee. In year
4 they built on this learning
from last year and have been

learning about the holocaust.
The children in year 2 made

use of the timeline in the
atrium and learnt about
Earnest Shackleton. Although
we are very proud of our
history curriculum, we are
reviewing it (with all subjects)
next term. All schools should
currently be doing this

review exercise.

Year 5 and 6 Hive Visit

Years 5 and 6 spent half a day at The Hive attending
a career fair. The Wirral Chamber of Commerce,
Young Chamber Career and Skills Show was
amazing. The event was all around Careers
inspiration and had upwards of 70 businesses and
organisations attending to showcase various jobs

and industries. Children were able to ‘have a go’ at
various tasks and activities, speak to business

people and professionals from sectors ranging from
hair & beauty, healthcare, cookery, engineering to

urban farming.

Pensby High School Visits

The staff at Pensby High have invited our pupils to several events
this year. They have been taught science at the high school. They
have been offered PE activities, such as football and trampoline

training, using the schools facilities. At all times, our children
have grabbed the opportunities eagerly and shown how reliable

and grown up they are.

Yoga and Mindfulness

The staff in school are very aware that the
pupils and themselves need time to reflect

and ensure their minds are kept as
healthy as possible. Yoga and mindfulness
take place in all classes, either in lessons
or as short exercises alongside lessons.

The smiles on the children’s faces , as
well as their focus show their enjoyment

in what they are doing.

Ridgewood park

This term, the whole school has been making
links with Ridgewood Care home. This started

as an idea from reception parents after
watching ‘old people’s home for 4 year olds’.
Then ‘coast 2 country’ came along and one of

the pledges was to link up with the local
community. So we started with a visit from

Reception class, who went with their
buddies. Year 4 have also been to visit and
other classes are planning visits a well. This

links with our new curriculum design in
really meeting the need to become part of

the local community.

Crucial Crew!! Crucial Crew was
designed to provide
This term, in partnership children with life skills
with Child Safety that will, help to keep
Media, Merseyside themselves and others
safe..The aim is to raise
Police offered ‘Crucial each participant’s
Crew’ to year 6 pupils. awareness of threats and
dangers, in a fun and
So we seized the interactive way to help
opportunity! them as they go forward
with their education.

Safety, security and
respect were the
messages shared
with the children

throughout the day.

South Deeside Primary Schools—Spelling Bee

The Federation schools
met at Thingwall

Primary for the annual
spelling Bee

competition. Two
pupils represented
each school. The hall
was packed with a

Thingwall pupil
audience.

There were several spelling
rounds. Eventually Barnston
Primary won the £100 prize for
their school library. The standard
of spelling from the children was
exceptionally high—and was
achieved under very competitive
conditions. Betty and Ryan
represented Pensby Primary
superbly—we are very proud of

them!


Click to View FlipBook Version