Stanmore Post - 15 October 2021
Dear Parents/ Carers,
This term we have been able to return to whole school events and a more typical Autumn Term. One of the many benefits to this is that the children have greater responsibility and more of a voice in the way decisions that affect them are made in school. One example of this is our School council representatives, who are taking ideas from their class about how the playground areas are structured during break times. They are very keen to have dedicated areas for quiet games or dance as well as football and the woodland den building. The changes will take place after half term and we are looking forward to the installation of the new KS1 play equipment at the beginning of January. The Eco Council have been looking at ways to improve the environment and are encouraging others to re-cycle. They are encouraging children to reduce litter by having a healthy snack instead of crisps at break time. The House Captains have counted over £180 from the charity collection for Young Minds. Thank you for your generosity in supporting our 'Hello Yellow' Day. Mrs Atkins is currently recruiting Sports Leaders from Year 5 and 6 and I am very proud to announce that our school football team are playing in their first match of the season in Otterbourne on Monday. The children say that they feel proud and honoured to represent the school. We wish all the team the best of luck.
During the week, Children in Year 1 had an autumn bonfire and enjoyed toasting marshmallows. They recited autumn poetry that they have been learning. In Year 3 / 4 children have been considering how great Alfred the Great actually was and the conclusion of their discussion text was that Alfred deserves his statue in Winchester High Street. In Year 5 / 6 children have been making periscopes and learning about A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Thank you to Year 3 / 4 parents for supporting our 'Beyond the Beat' Parent Workshop. This was well attended and parents had the opportunity to find out from our Hampshire Music Service Colleagues about how to support music practice at home. There were some excellent top tips which could be related to any kind of homework. This included: finding a regular timeslot that becomes part of the daily routine, having a suitable environment in which to focus on the work or practice without too many distractions, and praising the process rather than the outcome. This helps reduce the stress on the children to 'perform' well and the risk of it all ending in tears.
As the weather begins to turn children are beginning to wear their winter PE kit so that they are suitably dressed for a colder day. We have decided to keep with PE kits for the whole day on which the children have PE to reduce the time spent on changing and minimise lost clothing. We do want the children to continue to look smart on PE days, promoting a feeling of belonging to our school. The kit for winter is black jogging bottoms and a hoodie and a gold t shirt. This can be purchased from https://www.direct4logos.com/ Trainers should only be worn on PE days. If you have any difficulties with school uniform, we may be able to help you so please contact the school office adminoffice@stanmore.hants.sch.uk to find out about second hand PE uniform.
Over the weekend Mr Foard will be installing bollards at the end of the school drive to improve site security in the evenings and over the weekends. This will be in place from the beginning of November. Please can I remind all site users that the carpark is for staff only and the school drive should not be accessed by cars during school hours. This is to keep everyone on our site safe.
Best wishes
Sharon Taylor