Friday 12th November

Happy Friday!

We hope you have all had a fabulous week. Lots of little people keep reminding us that there are only 6 weeks left until Christmas!

Today, you should have received a copy of your child’s attendance record. As part of our partnership between home and school we want to keep you informed of your child’s attendance so that there are no surprises at the end of the academic year. The letter that accompanies the attendance record should explain what your child’s attendance means but if you do have any questions please ask us. It is REALLY important that you inform the school if your child is not well enough to attend school otherwise we will mark the register as unauthorised. Thank you to all the parents and carers who continue to ensure that their child is on time for school; the double gates close at 8.55am and children arriving after this time could be late by the time they reach their class.

On Thursday we held a two-minute silence at 11am to commemorate those who died in military conflicts. All of our children and staff gathered on the KS2 playground in preparation for the silence. Nursery, reception and year one shared their poppy creations with the rest of the school and this was followed by the recital of poems from phase two (years two, three and four) and phase three (years five and six). At 11am everyone fell silent and used this time to reflect on the sacrifice and service of others. Our children were amazing and we were very proud of how they conducted themselves throughout the morning. Later in the day, year six were able to go out into the local area and observe how the community are paying respect to war veterans. Thank you to all the families who have supported our poppy appeal this year.

On Tuesday we had a special visitor in school. Throughout the morning the children (and staff) had the opportunity to listen to a number of musical instruments being played and they loved the modern songs chosen by Ben to engage their interest. Miss Raphael, Mr Priest and Mrs Higgins all got to play the drums and this caused great excitement! Our music curriculum is part of our broad and balanced curriculum at Olive Hill and we are always looking to enhance the provision we have on offer. We have a number of children in key stage two who are currently learning to play a variety of instruments and this is something we encourage. We also have a number of musicians on our staff team: Mr Brady, Mr Priest, Mrs Hamblett, Miss Homer and Miss Raphael all play musical instruments and I am sure there are a few more keeping their talents hidden. If I could play any musical instrument it would be the saxophone!

In the run up to the festive period we have been considering the best action to take regarding Christmas performances. Currently we plan on having performances in nursery, reception and year one. Throughout the year there will be opportunities for all year groups to perform but we need to spread this out due to the ongoing Covid19 situation. Individual year groups will keep you informed of when performances will take place and arrangements for the safe viewing of these performances.

Next Friday is Children In Need. We are inviting the children to wear something spotty with their uniform in return for a small donation. We look forward to seeing their selected attire!

We wish you all a fantastic weekend.

Stay safe.