Friday 18th November
Happy ‘spotty’ Friday!
Thank you to everyone who supported our Children in Need appeal today. We had lots of spotty accessories around school - some more elaborate than others! Mr Priest caused lots of excitement with his scavenger hunt and he has had lots of children following him around for most of the day. Our cleaners are now busy cleaning spots from the floor! I am sure lots of our families will be watching Children in Need this evening, and I don’t know about you, but I always need to watch it with a large box of tissues. The inspirational stories of young people who have overcome huge obstacles always make me cry.
Lots of us love a school lunch here at Olive Hill, and our Dudley catering team know our children really well, Unfortunately, this week our head of kitchen has been unwell, and this has really concerned the children. We know how much our children benefit from the relationships they have with all adults here in school and Tracey certainly knows their likes and dislikes. Tracey, we wish you a speedy recovery, please hurry back to us.
Talking of food, our Purple Zone children in years five and six made fruit skewers this week. I am munching on mine as I type. Unfortunately, I did not get a strawberry as they were very popular and were quickly used by the children (they were also the most expensive). The milk and white chocolate drizzled on the top made them extra delicious! Maybe, you could have a go at making some at home - grapes, apples and blueberries were reasonably priced, and tined fruit, such as pineapple and peaches were also a low-cost item. For the chocolate we used supermarket own brand, and this was a bargain. We do like a bit of cooking at Olive Hill, I’ve heard a rumour about reception making samosas, but I cannot confirm it as one hasn’t landed on my desk.
At Olive Hill, we want our children to be happy, confident, responsible and successful. For our children to be successful in their learning it is imperative that they have good attendance. As parents and carers, you have a legal duty to make sure your child is attending school regularly. We are not able to authorise long absences from school, and if a child is taken out of school for an extended period of time it will be referred and a fine could be issued. Holidays during term time will not be authorised. As a community, we want the attendance of our children to be 96%+ for every individual child, for every class, for every year group, for every phase and for the whole school. Mrs Bird is our learning mentor for attendance support, and she will liaise with families regarding concerns around attendance - this includes patterns of absences, for example an individual child regularly not attending on a Friday. It is the responsibility of all parents and carers, to work alongside all school staff to encourage strong attendance. Non-attendance at school is considered to be a safeguarding issue. If you have a concern about your child’s attendance, please contact the school and we look at how we can support you to improve attendance. We know that children, and staff, will occasionally be unwell or need medical treatment, and this is an authorised reason for being away from school for short periods of time.
Some of our KS2 children (Y3 to 6) have requested to wear their England shirts on Monday. They may bring their shirts to school with them and put them over their uniform for the duration of the match in the afternoon. We would advise them to think very carefully about bringing their shirts into school, as I am sure they are very precious (and expensive), and we cannot take responsibility for loss or damage.
Right, it is time for me to prepare the school for the weekend. We have a huge number of windows and doors, and Mr Weston likes the light switches to be left in a particular pattern. This means walking down dark corridors! From all the staff here at Olive Hill, we wish you a fantastic weekend and look forward to seeing you spot-free on Monday.