The Scoop 7^th Nov 2023

I hope that you all had a great half term break. It was lovely yesterday to see everyone back and to have such a lovely sunny day for our first day back of the half-term. The second half of the autumn term is always a busy one, so please do ensure you read the scoop to keep up to date with information. We do try to keep the website updated, you will find year group specific letters and curriculum information for this term on the year group hubs.

Many of you will have attended the remarkable fundraiser before the holidays. The SEND Quiz was a roaring success and raised a huge amount of money. There is still time to donate and help us raise the last little bit needed to make the sensory room a reality. A giant ‘Thank You’ goes to all those who attended but especially to those who worked behind the scenes to make the event happen—it was a remarkable collaboration between parents and staff.

Here are this week’s notices:

Zambezi Class Assembly:

A reminder that this week’s class assembly takes place on Thursday at 09:20 (due to swimming lesson times) rather than the normal Friday09:30 slot.

International Evening 16^th Nov:

For those who have been here a while, you will notice that International Evening has moved back to the autumn term so that our events are more spread out and will start directly after school. For those new to our community, International Evening is a fantastic celebration where we celebrate the range of countries and cultures represented in our community. We ask that families bring in food to share with others (we will set it all out on grouped tables and staff will serve it) and that we all dress in either clothing traditional to our heritage or that represents our heritage. We are also hoping to have some entertainment, like last year, so if you know of any performers from a certain heritage please contact Ms Sawh or Nowakowska.

Stay & Play:

We are very excited to be starting a weekly stay and play session. The first session will be on Friday 17^th at 9am in the nursery building. This is a great way for parents and their pre-school children to get to know the school and enjoy some teacher led activities. The session is a free to access, drop in—please spread the word and share this poster.  If you have any wooden toys, board books or puzzles that you would be willing to donate, please give them to the office.

Working Weekend:

A reminder that next Saturday, the 18^th November, we will have a working weekend starting at ten am and ending at two pm (or earlier if we have lots of helpers!). All you need to bring is a travel mug, suitable clothing and a packed lunch/snack.

Friends of Lyndhurst:

You can find the minutes for the most recent FoL meeting here. This term already FoL has made so many things possible, from funding workshops, plants, frames, trips, playground equipment and phonics books. A huge thank you goes to everyone involved.

Award Winner:

It was recently my pleasure to award one of our students with not one but two awards. This year, Leo in year five won not only Young Storyteller of the Year from We Naturalists but also the Dr. Mary Griffin-Jones award as part of the Action for Nature International Awards. Leo has been making videos about endangered animals for the past 2 years. He started his channel during lockdown, inspired by a lesson about endangered animals from Mr Peddle. He was awarded the Points of Light award by the Prime Minister's office, and Young UK Animal Hero in 2022. Through his channel, he managed to get a lot of nest boxes and wildflowers/plants seeds for the school, donated by various charities and companies. He's donating his prize from Action for Nature (£200) to the school to help with the gardens. His YouTube channel is here

Year Six Fundraiser:

There will be an Alex Monroe sample sale on Wednesday 22nd November in the library. Lots of beautiful pieces of jewellery will be for sale just in time for Christmas. Proceeds from the sale will go towards Year 6 events. 

Anti-Bullying Week:

Monday 13^th November is the start of antibullying week.  This year’s theme is ‘Make a Noise About Bullying.’  The children will take part in a whole school assembly and then in class during the week with their teacher they will explore the difference between banter verses bullying.  They will also explore how to be a kind friend. We will also be publishing our new Anti-Bullying Strategy on the school website (this will work in coordination with our Behaviour Policy).

Lunches:

As we enter the second half term with our new catering providers, we are making small tweaks and adjustments. The menu remains on the school website and is followed closely. The kitchen staff will ensure that any child can request the vegetarian option on any day and that the portion sizes are appropriate for each age group. For years 2-6 we rotate the order of service so that in any week no class is last twice—EYFS and year one start their lunch earlier so do not rotate.

That’s it from us, have a great week.

Key Dates:

Thur 9^th Nov – Zambezi Class Assembly 09:20 in the top hall

Fri 10^th Nov- Flu Immunisations (for those who consented)

Thur 16^th Nov – International Evening- 3:40pmstart

Thur 16^th Nov – Friends of Lyndhurst Zoom meeting8pm

Fri 17^th Nov- Coffee Morning (behaviour and bullying)

Fri 17^th Nov- First Stay & Play (will be weekly thereafter)

Wed 22^nd Nov- Individual & Sibling Photographs

Fri 24^th Nov- Hudson Class Assembly 09:30

Fri 1^st Dec- Coffee Morning (Reading)

Sat 2^nd Dec- Winter Fair

Thur 7^th Dec- Christmas Jumper Day &Christmas Lunch

Fri 8^th Dec- FoL Meeting in library 9am

W/c 11^th Dec- Nursery Winter Performance tbc

Fri 15^th Dec- Coffee Morning (SEND)

Fri 15^th Dec- End of term report sent home

Tue 19^th Dec- Winter Concert 6pm at St Giles Church

Thur 21^st Dec- Last day of term (Early Closure1:15pm)

Thur 4^th Jan -INSET Day

Fri 5^th Jan- First day of school