Friday 20 November 2009

WHOLE SCHOOL LETTER (13)

IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
MATHEMATICS WORKSHOP – 12 JANUARY 2010

· Are you confused by what mathematics your child is doing?
· Would you like to know more about the strategies your child is learning?
· Do you find yourself saying ‘That’s not how we did it in my day’?
We are holding a workshop for parents to work alongside their children to discover how your child is learning skills for addition and subtraction. (Multiplication and division will be covered in a further workshop in April.) We will also be giving out our school Calculation Policy which gives clear guidelines for what your child will be learning at each stage.
There will be an afternoon session 1:30- 3:00pm and an evening session 6:00 – 7:30pm.
We would strongly encourage you to come along.. There will be a crèche. More details will follow.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH – TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2009
In past years children have asked for a vegetarian meal on Christmas dinner day even though they aren’t vegetarians. If your child would like to try the vegetarian option - chick pea Wellington which is a pastry dish - please complete the slip overleaf by Friday 27 November.

PHOTOGRAPHS
The individual photo proofs have been given to your child today, if you wish to order please return form with payment (cheques made payable to Van Cols Ltd) to the office BY TUESDAY 1 DECEMBER at the latest. Any forms returned after this date will incur a £3.50 surcharge. If you have not received your photo through your child please speak to the class teacher.

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS POST

The school’s post box will be open for deliveries from Tuesday 2 December and will be sited at the top of the stairs from the Nursery on the landing. Please ensure that ALL cards are correctly addressed with the first name and surname and class initials. For information the class initials are as follows:
KS Nursery; CH Mrs Hopkins; KT Miss Treen; LC Mrs Cann; JC Mrs Colchester; PLDD Mrs Lord/Mrs Dwyer; EM Miss Montague; CA Miss Ashberry; NSJB Mrs Spencer/Mrs Bell; GH Miss Hitchcock;
RV Mr Vaughan; DBKM Mr Brook/Mrs Mawson;

LABELLING UNIFORM AND PAINTING APRONS – KS1
Please may we remind parents to ensure all uniform is clearly labelled (including vests, especially KS1). In addition please ensure your child has a painting apron/shirt in school. Thank you to those who have brought in old uniform for us to use as spares, we now have plenty and have no room to store anymore.

NEW SCHOOL COAT
Following enquiries from some parents the Friends have sourced a really good quality reversible red school coat. It is waterproof on one side and has a thick fleece on the other, it will have the school badge embroidered on the waterproof side and will be priced at £17. It is fully machine washable and can be tumble dried. They are placing a small order for ages 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10 which should be available in 3 weeks. A sample of the coat can be seen at the office. If you would like to place an order please do so via the Uniform form at the school office.

EMAIL
Our system for sending school letters home by email is working really well. We would like to encourage more parents to take up this way of receiving letters – it is fast, efficient and far more environmentally friendly than receiving a paper copy.
If you would like to register please do email us saying so on admin@hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk. We are endeavouring not to produce a ‘hard’ copy to those households that receive letters by email, so please ensure your child is aware they do not need to receive a paper copy. Those who are already registered do not need to re-register.

NEW RECEPTION TEACHER
I am delighted to let parents know that Miss Tessa Higgins has been employed as teacher for the new Reception class starting in January. She will be working alongside Mrs Hopkins

LIVING WITH CHILDREN – FREE COURSE
Please find with this letter information about a free course with a free crèche that will be run here from January, it will help parents learn new skills and share experiences, helping with behaviour, relationships, self-esteem, boundaries and pressures. Deadline for returning slips is 11 December.

ATHLETICS CLUB TASTER SESSIONS
Farlingaye High School is offering Athletics taster sessions for children 8 and over, on 23 November and 7 December from 4.30-6.30pm (£2.00 per session). Call 01394 444318 for more information or see the poster on the parent noticeboard.

RECOMMENDED AUDIO CD FOR LEARNING TIMES TABLES
This CD is one used in school and many children find it a really good learning tool.
It can be purchased from: http://www.kidsmusic.co.uk/acatalog/Kidsmusic_Times_Table_Range.html £8.00
Times Tables Challenge Double CD Audio Game - PTAGCD21 Ref: 1857819659 Double Disc CD Audio Game: Sing-along and learn the two to ten times tables on disc one, which also includes some tests. Then play the Times Tables Challenge on