Friday 10th February

Happy Friday!

What a week it has been at Olive Hill! We are all thoroughly exhausted, and the wonderful staff, who have been moved from place to place this week, definitely deserve a relaxing weekend. This is a very public thank you from me to them for the great flexibility they have shown. Even I had the privilege of teaching a class for a whole day this week - it was awesome and year three made me feel so welcome.

We have had a few sporting events this week. Our boy’s football team played on Monday evening and, as expected, they were great ambassadors for the school. Today, some of our children have represented the school at a cross country event.

Moving on from sport, this morning we were treated to a musical concert from our combined woodwind and brass band. This special band is expertly conducted by the very talented Miss Raphael, with the support of her own parents. We had a large group of children performing using a range of instruments: flute, clarinet, euphonium, trumpet and trombone. They came together to perform a number of different pieces and we are so proud of them. To be able to play a musical instrument is a gift, and we hope it is something our year six children will continue with as they move to their new secondary schools in September.

Talking of year six, the much anticipated residential experience is due to commence on Sunday. The children are so excited! We know that the children will gain so much from this experience, and our staff always go above and beyond to make sure as many children as possible can access the trip. Mrs Hamblett is even going on her birthday, for the second year running! The children will be departing from school at 1.30pm on Sunday. The school gates will be opened at 1pm and parents are welcome to use our car park. Every year we tell the children to pack lightly, and every year they arrive with the biggest suitcases ever! Miss Raphael, Miss Homer, Miss Thacker, Mrs Hamblett and Mr Patel will be accompanying the children, and will return very tired.

Mr Brady and Miss Saleh have some fantastic activities planned for those children who remain behind, including a bowling trip! I am sure we’ll be telling you all about it in next week’s blog.

Next week will also be our final blog of Spring term one - where has that time gone?

A special mention to our school guinea pigs - Margo and Oreo - they really do bring our children so much joy. Our year six children take great care of them on a day-to-day basis, whilst Miss Lee takes them home over the weekend. To see the faces of our younger children when they get a special cuddle with our much loved pets is heart warming.

Yesterday evening our local governing board met to discuss the strategic direction of the school. This group of very important people freely give their time to our school to make sure we provide the best education for our children. Although they may not be visible to our community in the way that the staff are, the role that they play in supporting our children is vital.

Please make sure you have booked an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and view their learning. This is an important event in our school calendar and we always aim for 100% attendance from all our families.

Year six children, we look forward to seeing you on Sunday, and we look forward to seeing the rest of you on Monday. We hope you all have a lovely weekend.