Friday 17th November

Happy Friday!

What a spotty school we have been today! Thank you to everyone who has supported our appeal for Children in Need 2023, we have raised over £250 and still counting! Along with the spots, we’ve had some designer t-shirts and lots of extra ears! Some members of staff appear to have come to school ready for bed, but we do like their Pudsey onesies.

We had a special visit from the fire service this week, the second one in a fortnight, they were here to share what they do with our year one children. They loved looking around the fire engine and were very excited when the siren went off. Last week it was year four who met the fire service, and they were just as excited.

It has been a very busy week for our year one children and staff, not only have they explored the job of a fire fighter, they have also been involved in a Lego workshop and a phonics workshop with their home grown-ups. There was a lot of Lego in school on Monday and the children were really proud of the shelters they created. Thank you to all parents who attended the phonics workshop, Mrs White was very impressed by the questions asked. It is really important that we prioritise reading as a community as this enables our children to access the whole curriculum. There is nothing better than a bedtime story!

Earlier this week, our year two children became explorers - and they looked absolutely fabulous! They had a great day and enjoyed participating in different activities. They even had the opportunity to build dens in their classrooms, it sounded like so much fun!

Our reception children have been busy learning about Diwali celebrations this weekend, and this has involved some very messy art work. Some of the children were very purple at the end of it! Thank you to one of our parents who gave up their time to lead this messy art - it was loved by all.

This week is national Anti-Bullying week. Anti-Bullying Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness of bullying of young people, with an emphasis on prevention and effective responses to bullying. The theme for this year is Make A Noise About Bullying. We have an an expectation at Olive Hill that every member of our community is Ready, Respectful and Safe. Our ethos promotes kindness, and we often discuss with the children the importance of being kind, and that in a world where they can be anything being kind has a big impact on others. It is vital that our children know to speak to an adult if someone has been unkind to them, or made them feel sad. Our anti-bullying ambassadors have been working with Miss Richardson and Miss Walters to promote positive messages around the school environment.

Our Family Christmas Fair will be on Wednesday 13th December. We will be providing further details in the coming weeks. If you would like to have a stall at the event, please pick up a form from the main school office. We are also looking for donations for Lucky Numbers, if you or any of your contacts are able to support us it would be very much appreciated. All of the money we raise at our family events supports us to give our children those little extras, such as nice seating in our outdoor areas and ice lollies on hot days! We are always looking for support with running these events and would welcome a discussion with any parents/family members who’d like to become a Friend of Olive Hill.

With the weather turning colder (I turned the radio off yesterday when it mentioned snow before the end of November), please make sure your child is suitably dressed with a warm coat, waterproof shoes and gloves etc. Please, please, please make sure you label all of your child’s belongings including the gloves as they do have a habit of leaving them around the school.

Have a wonderful weekend all, and see you Monday.