Friday 20th May
Happy Friday!
This week we saw the return of our school disco! Both our discos were very well attended and thoroughly enjoyed by all. The younger children, many of whom had never experienced a school disco previously, loved showing us their moves on the dance floor. Apparently the disco was ‘epic’ and we need to do it every Wednesday. Our older children looked absolutely fabulous in their best disco outfits and they also had the moves on the dance floor. Along with the children, it was great to see lots of staff members also enjoying themselves. There was a goose bump moment when the older children all started singing ‘Believer’ as they were getting ready to go home, totally unprompted. Thank you to everyone who supported this event, the funds raised go towards supporting the enhancement of the children’s education. None of it would have been possible without the dedication of the Friends of Olive Hill, along with Mrs Higgins they ensured the event was a great success. The Friends of Olive Hill is currently only a small group of parents, ex-parents and relatives, it would be fantastic to see this group grow in number and we would welcome enquiries through the school office.
This week, year two have been completing their statutory assessments. These tests in reading, maths, punctuation, grammar and spelling are used to inform teacher assessments at the end of the academic year. The children have all applied themselves diligently and we are very proud of the effort they have put in. Well done year two!
Year two did have a well-earned break from tests on Thursday when they attended The Black Country Living Museum. The children had a fabulous day and learnt lots about the history of the local area. Highlights included a visit to the school building - where certain members of staff were made to stand in the corner due to additional items of jewellery that are not permitted, and a boat ride that took them through a dark tunnel and a singing tunnel. The staff were stopped on several occasions by members of the public due to the exemplary behaviour of the children, with one person going on to say that he had never seen a group of children so well behaved. Way to go year two! What a credit you are to us and your families.
Year one have been going phonics mad! In a fun way! They even had a phonics sports event on the bottom field - who knew that phonics and PE could be combined to make an exciting learning experience. Year six were also using the outdoor environment for a PE lesson and the year one children were very intrigued to discover that year six do not have phonics lessons and therefore did not need to have a phonics sports day.
Our reception children have been completing some fabulous writing! They have really applied their learning in phonics to produce some excellent quality writing including finger spaces and correct letter formation. Some of the children are also writing at length which is advanced for their age.
Our Jubilee plans are becoming bigger and better! We are all very excited at the prospect of dressing up next Friday and we can’t wait to see the children’s outfits. Year six have been using their maths knowledge to plan the afternoon tea - this has included an investigation into whether finger or triangle sandwiches are more cost effective and we are now just waiting on their final shopping list. Catering for 450 is not going to be easy! Every class has been busy learning a song or a dance from their decade and this will shared with the rest of the school during our Jubilee concert on the Friday afternoon. We simply can’t wait to have all our of children come together, keep your fingers crossed for a dry day!
School have received a number of requests for holidays during term time. We are not able to authorise term-time holidays. Children’s attendance at school is imperative to their success. We expect the children to be in school and on time every day. Please make sure your child is in school before 8.55am each morning. Children arriving after the double gates at the front of school have closed are late and will be missing valuable learning.
Like for most schools, the roads surrounding our local area can become very busy during drop off and collection times. This can then create a very dangerous environment. It is important that car users show consideration to others by sticking to speed limits, parking sensibly and avoid turning in the road; we would also encourage you to switch off your engines when the car is parked as this reduces both air and noise pollution. Pedestrians, both old and young, should use the designated crossing point to cross the road safely. Please be careful when walking by parked cards and make sure you stop, look and listen before crossing the side streets. We are always concerned about the possibility of a serious accident and we will continue to encourage our community to reduce this risk through the actions they take.
Next week will be our final week of summer term one. The children will break up for the Whitsun break on Friday 27th May.
Have a great weekend and stay safe.