Friday 21st June

Happy Friday!

We hope all of our families have had a lovely week, especially with the great weather we have been experiencing. As usual, this week has been very busy with trips, visitors, whole school events and the normal routines of teaching and learning.

On Monday, many of our children were celebrating the festival of Eid. This did mean that our corridors were a little bit quieter than they usually are. We were very happy to welcome these children back on Tuesday and to hear all about their celebrations. Some still had their mehndi patterns on their hands - we definitely have some great artists amongst our parenting community and would encourage any volunteers in this area.

On Tuesday, we had the first of our year four visits to a working farm (with the second taking place on Friday). The children loved meeting all of the different animals, with many finding it impossible to name a favourite because they were all ‘so cute’. We had some children return with aspirations to become a farmer, and others who thought the smell was disgusting! Also on Tuesday, we had the local authority moderating team in the school building to look at our year six writing and to check that our teacher assessments are correct. We were very pleased with the comments they made around the quality of the children’s writing. Well done to year six children and staff, you have all worked very hard and we are proud of you.

On Wednesday, we held our annual Sports Day. Admittedly, this is a logistical nightmare, but the day ran super smoothly and the weather was very kind to us. The children enjoyed participating in the different events and we had a great turn out of parents, grandparents and older siblings. Big events such as this don’t happen with the wave of a magic wand, they happen because of the hard work of staff - a huge thank you to Miss Flood and Mr Brady for your fantastic organisation both before the day and on the day. We also welcomed our new to reception parents into school on Wednesday evening. This special evening was a great opportunity for the parents to meet the team of staff who will support their children next academic year and to learn about the routines of teaching and learning in the reception environment. Again, the event only happens due to the commitment of staff.

Our current reception had a great learning experience this week, with a workshop and fancy dress. It was fabulous to see our children dressed up in a huge array of different outfits. We did have quite a few Spidermen, and some of our children did indeed think they were Spiderman for the day which was very interesting, and entertaining!

Today, our year six children had an Enterprise Day. The whole cohort spent the day spending money (it was fake unfortunately) and working as teams. They also got to try out some weightlifting. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day. Our year three had an amazing experience today where they shared their love of playing the drums with the Halesowen community in the centre of town. For the first time the children performed as a group of 60 (thank you to The Earls for the loan of their drums) and they were spectacular! We are so proud of your musical talent year three, and your wonderful behaviour in front of such a large audience.

Next week is another busy week, with more trips, visits and whole school events. Please do come and support our Summer Family Festival on Wednesday (2pm to 4pm) as the fundraising does support us to enhance the children’s experiences in school.

Have a fabulous weekend.