Friday 24th May

Happy Friday!

We have reached the end of the first half of the summer term and everyone is looking forward to a week off before commencing the final part of the academic year 2023/24. All our families should have received our end of half term information letter via ParentMail today. As ParentMail is a method of communication we often use, please make sure you are receiving all correspondence and do keep your details updated.

This week, our two children have been completing their end of key stage one quizzes. They have all tried super hard and we are very proud of them. On our return, our year one children will complete their phonics screening and our year four children their multiplication check.

As part of their RE curriculum, year three visited a place of religious worship this week. This visit supported the children’s learning in the classroom, and as expected they were beautifully behaved. Visits to places of religious worship are a key part of our RE curriculum as it enables the children to have real life experiences, rather than learning everything from a book or the World Wide Web. Throughout a child’s journey at Olive Hill we aim to take them to a variety of religious buildings so they can develop their understanding of the world around them.

Year one had a theatre workshop this week to support their learning about water. Not only have the children been learning to identify different bodies of water, they are also able to talk about their uses and are building their knowledge of how to keep themselves and others safe when in the proximity of water.

A highlight of the week for many was the school disco on Wednesday. Our children definitely know how to through some shapes on the dance floor, and the staff are also pretty good at it. The children loved having the opportunity to dress up in their best clothes and spend time with their friends in a social environment. A huge thank you to everyone who supported this event, and to the staff who gave up their precious preparation time to come and dance with the children.

Earlier this week we had our Stour Vale Safeguarding Review, and the reviewer was most satisfied that we keep our children safe. Over the course of the day he met with various members of staff, our senior child leadership team and spoke to some parents. The safety of your children is very important to us, and we take this responsibility very seriously. Recent work to the perimeter fencing, and the planned installation of a new fire alarm system will further secure our site. If you ever have any concerns regarding safety, please speak to a member of the senior leadership team.

The children will return to school on Monday 3rd June. Our big focus for the second half of the summer term will be transition to the next year group.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support. Wishing you all a lovely break.