6th May 2009

May Newsletter


Dear Parents

Charities Day and May Day Celebrations: I am delighted to inform you that we raised over £825.00 on Friday 1st May, at our Charity Fund Raising afternoon. This is a fantastic amount of money, and raised in only 90 minutes! I was so impressed with the children's efforts and enthusiasm, and how much they enjoyed putting this event on. Thank you to everyone who contributed; the day was a great success, and we will definitely make a 'Fund Raising Day' an annual event. Members of the School Council will take cheques to The Marlborough School on Tuesday 9th June and present both The Red Cross and Cecily's Fund with two thirds of the money we raised.

May Day evening itself was great fun; again I was delighted with the turnout from school, and we were all amazed (if not a little nervous!) at the sight of so many people attending on the village green. I hope you enjoyed watching the children sing and dance, and parading through the village with the May carriage which is such a spectacular sight, and my thanks go to all who helped prepare for and gave support on the day. Another regular event I think?

If you have any photographs of either Charity Day or May Day, could you please email them into school, either to Pippa (office.3142@combe.oxon.sch.uk or myself (head.3142@combe.oxon.sch.uk ) so we can print and display them. Unfortunately we were not in a position to photograph the children as much as we had hoped.

Raffle Prizes: The following people are additional raffle prize winners, and have the option to choose a prize or a promise from the selection in Pippa's office. Please come and claim your prize at your convenience.
Sue Lingard Bright
Jenny Olivier
Westbrook family
Howe family
Gill Hester
Blakesley Grimes family
Tricia Kilham
Deborah Manning
Candida Checksfield

SATs Week: Year 6 pupils will be taking their end of Key Stage 2 Tests from Monday 11th May, and Years 3-5 will be taking the QCA Optional SATs also.
We wish all pupils well for the week, and may I take this opportunity to reinforce how important sleep, food and well being are when facing public exams. Pupils need a hearty breakfast, a water bottle and plenty of sleep, in order to function at their best. A touch of nerves is a good thing, but please keep all in perspective. The teacher assessments which form part of our overall judgements are just as important, and have already been collated. The children will no doubt rise to the challenge and take it all in their stride, as there is no other way to deal with it! I have yet to hear of a future employee being asked at interview for their Key Stage 2 SAT results. I do however, take assessment very seriously and actually believe in it, yet hearing nationally of 'stressed out children' does make we wonder whether or not a sense of perspective is being kept.


Teacher Recruitment: As you will be aware we are in the process of recruiting for two new Key Stage 2 teachers; we will interview on Monday 18th May, so normal classes in Years 3-6 will be postponed in order for our selected candidates to teach observed lessons.
As with all appointments, we look for the very best candidates who will not only provide high standards in teaching and learning, and have strong classroom management, but who work well in our team and bring new and exciting ideas to the school. I am confident that suitable teachers will be in place for September and a dynamic, committed, enthusiastic and passionate team of staff are prepared, willing and eager for the exciting times ahead. We have had a good number of applicants already, and I am grateful to the Local Authority who has helped with our recruitment process this time.


Teacher Placement at Combe: I would like to welcome Miss Merryn Ough to Combe Primary School; Merryn is helping out in Mrs Pascoe's class for the next 8 weeks, in order to gain experience on her PGCE course. She will be working alongside Mrs Pascoe and myself, and teaching small groups of children during her time with us. We are delighted to have some new and fresh ideas brought into the school.


Voluntary Contributions: May I remind you that Voluntary Contributions are asked for at the beginning of each term; we ask for a contribution of £12.00 per term, which really does help towards the costs of enriching our curriculum. This term continues to be as busy as the others, with many exciting events planned for the children. You will see from the previous newsletter how expensive events and trips can be, so please contribute whatever you can, in order to support your child's learning activities.


Don't forget your recipes for the Combe Cookery Book; I for one would welcome a recipe book filled with hearty family favourites, which real children actually eat and ask for!


A polite reminder that school does not open until 8.30am for Years 3-6; where there is the opportunity to get on with some quiet work, and 8.45am for Foundation and KS1. Children will not be supervised before these time as the teachers are busy preparing for their day. On the odd occasion I am happy to help out where I can, so please let me know in advance if I can be of any assistance.

Thank you


Yours sincerely,

Wendy Foster