Dear Parents,

Spring Term Newsletter No. 6

HALF YEARLY REPORTS

Today you will be receiving a half yearly report from your child’s class teacher with a summary of how they are doing in their learning so far this year. In the second half of this term, there will be a chance for you to meet with the teachers and to see your child’s work, but we hope this gives you a sense of how they are progressing in the meantime. If there is anything of particular concern that you would like to discuss with your child’s class teacher, please arrange an appointment in the usual way.

FEBRUARY’S VALUE IS TRUST

Our Value for February is Trust. This month we will be thinking about the importance of being able to trust those around us and – in our Church School – the importance of putting our trust or faith in God. We will be exploring how trust leads to a sense of security, of confidence and of peace. Ultimately we hope that the children will understand why being a trustworthy friend is of such value.

FOX CLASS ASSEMBLY

On Wednesday morning, Fox Class transported us to Africa and took us on an African safari. Wearing stunning animal masks, the children came into the hall – set up in the round – as wild hunting dogs, zebra, cheetah, lions, elephants, giraffe and meerkats, and then shared with us how the creatures move and what makes them so fascinating. The class concluded their assembly with a beautiful traditional African song and in their final message and prayers they reminded us of the importance of preserving, saving, supporting, protecting and restoring this awe-inspiring eco-system. It was a wonderful presentation. Great work, Foxes. Thank you.

YEAR 2 PUPPET SHOWS

This half-term the children in Year 2 have been busy developing their writing into playscripts based on traditional tales with a twist. On Monday, with the support from a number of you, they made puppets for their playscript characters and, following a dress rehearsal run through with Year 1, the children in Rabbit and Otter Classes performed their plays to lots of Year 2 parents this afternoon. It was a lovely way to draw their learning together and really good to see the children enjoying their play presentations so much. Thank you to all of you, who were able to come in and support the puppet making.

YEAR 6 ICE SCULPTURES

Many of you will hopefully have had a chance to see the Year 6 penguin ice sculpture out on the playground this week. The penguin was carved out of a big block of ice on Tuesday under the expert guidance of local artist Jo Thompson and it really does look magical, particularly when caught by the light of the sun. In the spare Year 5 classroom, the children had set up a gallery of cool canvas artwork developed around ice and Antarctica, along with acrostic poetry, symmetrical snowflakes and three dimensional shapes.

At the end of the day on Tuesday a team of four children from our Year 6 class; Jessica Cox, Aaron Galijatovic, Seraphina Roberts-Hunt and Ayden Vickery, took part in a Top of the Form quiz competition against Cranmere Primary in Esher. The competition involves 10 rounds where each member of the team is asked a question and if s/he cannot answer it, the question is offered to the other side. As the team said, some of the questions were relatively straight forward, but some were incredibly difficult. This time the team did not get through. 

YEAR 1 CARIBBEAN DAY

What a celebration of colour, music and culinary delights it was in Year 1 on Monday. With lots of parents there to support and our master chefs Fiona Roberts and Ingrid Belnavis leading the cooking workshops for the lunchtime feast, the children, dressed in brightly coloured Caribbean clothes, enjoyed a lovely day of limbo dancing, garland and hat making, and a most delicious Caribbean lunch. Many thanks to the parents who lent a hand and a special thank you to Fiona and Ingrid for producing such a mouthwateringly good meal.

YEAR 3 GREEN STALL

Today it is the turn of Year 3 to run our school Green Stall and it promises to be another very successful occasion with a delightful assortment of home-made and school-made produce, this time with a particularly strong Love theme in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. Thank you, Year 3, for all your contributions. Hope it goes well .

INSET DAY SCHOOL CLOSURE – TOMORROW

Tomorrow the school will be closed for this term’s In-Service Training Day. As mentioned last week, we will be covering a range of topics during the day, including phonics progression from Reception to Key Stage 2, effective use of maths assessments to inform next steps in learning, planning for ICT and timetabling of the ICT Suite in the spare Year 6 classroom, internet safety rules, and our half-termly topic projects for the second half of term.

CLAIRE GOODFELLOW’S MATERNITY LEAVE

We wish Claire Goodfellow all the best as she goes on maternity leave tomorrow. Claire joined us in Year 2 last September and has made a hugely positive impact on our school since then, both as a class teacher and in her role as infant leader and one of our Maths and ICT subject leaders. She is expecting her baby very soon now and we look forward to sharing her exciting news once it happens! Claire will be rejoining the school after her maternity leave later in the year. Enjoy those first special months with your baby, Claire.

ROYAL REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY – WELCOME HOME PARADE ON FRIDAY, 17th FEBRUARY

To mark their return from Afghanistan, soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Artillery will be marching through Esher High Street on Friday, 17th February at 10.30am. If you’d like to show your appreciation, do note the date.

LIFE BUS VISIT – TUESDAY, 28th FEBRUARY TO FRIDAY, 2nd MARCH

In the second week back we welcome the Life Bus to Ashley once again. The Life Bus is a touring classroom that provides an excellent programme about leading healthy lifestyles and the consequences when we don’t. Each class will have a workshop in the bus and the workshops to be covered during the four day visit include All About Me in Reception, My Wonderful Body in Year 1, Feelings in Year 2, Meet the Brain in Year 3, It’s Great to be Me in Year 4, Friends in Year 5 and Decisions in Year 6. Further information will come out after half-term.

FOA MAY BALL – SATURDAY, 26th MAY 2012

Tickets for the May Ball on Saturday, 26th May will be available immediately after half term. Flyers with further details will be in all the book bags today. Table bookings of 10 will be taken on a first come, first served basis and spaces are limited! Please return your envelope to the FOA letterbox.

SCARLET FEVER

For your information, we have had a case of scarlet fever reported in our Reception Year. Please note that the fever is easily treatable with antibiotics and children can return to school 24 hours after starting treatment. With only one case in the school, it is not a major concern. The best prevention is to increase the use antibacterial cleaning agents such as Dettox, paying attention to door handles and communal areas in particular. Any pregnant mums do not need to be concerned, but do check with your midwife if you need any further advice.

We say farewell to Ellie Parkhill today as she and her family move to Holland. Thank you for being such a star pupil, Ellie. We will miss you. To everyone else, have a great half-term. We return on Monday, 20th February. Please make sure any dinner money for the second half of term is paid in advance. £63 for the h/t. £21 for 2 wks.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

PS Keep up with the Mathletics!

Friday, 3rd February 2012

Dear Parents,

Spring Term Newsletter No. 5

BOOK WEEK

What a treat it was to see the children dressed up in their book character costumes yesterday. Thank you so much for making such an effort for the day. As you may know, the teachers performed a very entertaining performance of Anthony Browne’s story ‘Into the Forest’! The story was part of a week of Anthony Browne stories, whose books are fascinatingly thought provoking with fantastic illustrations to capture imagination. Alongside the Anthony Browne stories, we had a storyteller and a BBC film-maker, working with our younger (Yrs R-3) and older children (Yrs 4-6) respectively. Nick Handel, who developed film story-boards with Yrs 4, 5 and 6 was very complimentary about his time with the children. He said; ‘I was genuinely impressed by their enthusiasm, excellent behaviour and keenness to contribute ideas. The written work they produced was terrific and everyone should feel mighty proud.’

Many thanks to all the parents and grandparents, who came in to share stories with the children, some even in other languages, and who assisted us with visits to the library. A big thank you also to the FOA, who contributed £500 to the week. We anticipate even better story writing and even richer language in the children’s stories from now on!

FUNKY FRIDAY

Today is our termly Funky Friday, when we split up the children into mixed age groups and they enjoy a range of learning experiences that go beyond the normal curriculum. Our infant children are participating in a carousel of stories from around the world, spending three separate sessions with three different teaching teams. Our juniors are involved in 13 different activities with the teachers, student teachers and support staff, ranging from making board games and puppet shows to upcycling clothes, from modroc mask making to a play in a day and talent shows.

YEAR 2 ASSESSMENT PARENTS EVENING

It was great to see lots of parents at the Year 2 meeting on Tuesday, when the teachers ran through the various End of Key Stage Assessments the children will be undertaking next term. We hope those of you who were able to attend the evening found the presentation and the opportunity to see some of the past assessment papers of value.

CHAMONIX QUIZ NIGHT LAST SATURDAY

There was an excellent turn-out, too, for last Saturday’s Chamonix Quiz Night. Steve Carpenter and Iain Simpson were the smooth operators taking everyone through the quiz rounds and the evening was an amazing success, raising close to £2,000! A big thank you to the Year 6 parents who ran the evening and to all of you who came along.

YEAR 5 FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT AT CARDINAL NEWMAN – A REPORT FROM MR PHIL

Nine of our Year 5 boys played in a very competitive football tournament at Cardinal Newman School against 10 other schools. The boys played well, drawing 3 and losing 2 games, but unfortunately they finished 3rd in their group which was not enough to progress through to the semi finals. All the boys were a credit to the school and competed to the highest standard. Special mention goes to Myles Roberts who Mr Phil said was the best goalkeeper in the tournament. His kicking, shot stopping and bravery were outstanding. Well done to all the boys involved.

MATHS WORKINGS IN HOMEWORK

As the children develop their Maths learning through the school, it is really important that they are able to show how they have worked out their answers. In school it is standard practice that they demonstrate their workings out and to this end we would be very grateful if you could make sure that your children are doing the same when they have Maths homework that requires evidence of calculations. If a child simply puts a series of answers and they are not correct, it is very hard to then work out where s/he has gone wrong. Thank you for your support with this.

YEAR 3 GREEN STALL NEXT THURSDAY AT 3PM

After the great successes of the first two year group Green Stalls, it is the turn of Year 3 to run their stall next Thursday at 3pm. With Valentine’s Day coming up, there will be a chocolate theme to the stall. See you there.

BREAKFAST CLUB LAUNCH FROM 1st MARCH

We have agreed a contract with Kids Club 2001, who currently run our After School Club, to start a Breakfast Club from 1st March. Kids Club 2001 are now looking for staff to take on a role from 7.45-8.45am each day. They are also looking for staff to work at their After School Club. Please call Nina on 07803 618039 to find out more.

FOA WINE TASTING EVENING – SATURDAY, 3rd MARCH AT 8PM

We had a very good FOA meeting on Monday night with agreement on a number of events this term and next. For those of you who are connoisseurs of wine or have aspirations to be so, the FOA has secured a local expert from the Vineking to host an evening sampling some of the world’s most iconic grapes on Saturday, 3rd March at 8pm. Our local expert will be matching wines from different regions of France and Italy with their New World counterparts, as well as discussing a little history of the grape or grower and why different wines go well with different foods. Tickets for the wine tasting evening, that will include the sampling of six wines, along with snacks and charcuterie, are £12.50. There is no obligation to buy wine at the end of the evening, so do come along, learn a little about what is in your glass, mingle with fellow parents and taste some great wines!

SCHOOL SURVEY FEEDBACK

Many thanks to those of you who responded to our three question survey. Here is a flavour of what you said:

What are you appreciating about the school, now that our New Build is complete?

• You are enjoying the amount of space we now have, especially out on the playground

• You love the bright inspiring learning environments of the new classrooms and Reception’s view of the field

• You are appreciating the fact we no longer have diggers and builders on site – so are we!

• You like the modern, welcoming feel to the school

• You think the school hall and community kitchen are amazing and great for performances and events

• You feel the sense of community has been retained and even increased by the new facilities

One thing to make better!

• You would like us to continue to develop the playground space e.g. with a climbing frame – we will!

• You would like us to consider how we can manage the flow in and out of school at the start/end of the day

• You would like the composter at the front of the field to be moved – it now has been!

• You would like to know that your child is eating enough at lunchtime – we do check every day

• You would like sail-type sheltered areas, particularly for the summer – we are on the case

What could be part of our Official Opening on Friday, 25th May?

• You would like to see photos of how the school looked in the past compared to today – we’ll search some out

• You would like the children to give poetry and song recitals – agreed!

• You would like a guided tour of the new school and grounds – good idea

• You would like a community picnic at lunch – let’s do it!

• You would like former staff and pupils to be there, as well as some kind of well-known face – looking into it

• You wondered about a time capsule or some kind of release of balloons or butterflies – worth exploring

CAR PARKING ACROSS THE ROAD

It is a real concern to the school that parents park across the road from school and walk children across the busy one-way system. We are also troubled that parents are parking across parking bays. Please be considerate when parking.

INSET DAY NEXT FRIDAY – SCHOOL CLOSED

A reminder once again that next Friday is an Inset training day for the teachers. We have a busy day planned with four sessions; reviewing our phonics learning through the school, refining our maths assessment procedures, agreeing the timetable and practices for our up and coming ICT Suite in the linear block, and planning our second half term’s topic projects. It promises to be a very productive day. Keep warm over the weekend!

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

PS: Final Values Garden Designs for Monday. We would love to receive some more!

Dear Parents,

Spring Term Newsletter No. 4

DRAGONFLY CLASS ASSEMBLY

The children of Dragonfly Class gave us a lovely, colourful performance in poetry and song of their Caribbean learning on Wednesday morning. I was unfortunately out at a conference in Preston on Wednesday, but I did see the children’s dress rehearsal and what a confident, well presented assembly it was. Well done, Dragonflies.

BULB PLANTING AT ASHLEY

This week and last week our children in Years 1 and 3 have been out in the grounds planting bulbs to brighten up our wildlife area at the back of the school field. Although it has been feeling mild enough for bulbs to be pushing through already, we anticipate these particular bulbs won’t be through quite yet with the daffodil bulbs coming through in March and the bluebells in May. Most importantly, the children learnt how to plant a bulb the right way up and have added another dimension to the biodiversity of our school site.

MORE ABLE WRITERS DAY

A selection of our Year 5 and 6 children attended a More Able Writers Day at Walton Oak School on Tuesday. The day, kindly organised by Walton Oak, was a chance for some of our more able writers to learn the art of creative writing with the children’s author Josh Lacey. They played several words games before developing their story ideas into an imaginative piece of writing.

THE RETURN OF CHRIS COLLINS FROM BLUE PETER

The children in Fox Class and Badger Class were delighted to see Chris Collins again this week. The Blue Peter gardener, who attended the school’s heritage apple orchard launch last November, came in to share his experiences and work during a stay out in the Cameroon. He spent a year and a half there restoring the capital’s botanical gardens and visiting the country’s rainforest. Some of Year 3s are now keen to travel to the Cameroon, and others (including the teachers) less so after the pictures of the sleeping bag on the forest floor, the rope bridge and the canoe across the crocodile infested river! Thank you to Matt Byway for arranging this fascinating talk for Year 3.

CHAMONIX FRENCH CAFE

We had our third Chamonix French Café this morning. As ever, lots of hard work had gone into preparing the hall, the coffees and hot chocolates, and the bacon baguettes. Thank you to everyone who made it happen and to all of you who were able to come along and support the café.

CHAMONIX QUIZ NIGHT TOMORROW

We should be around 100 parents for the Quiz Night tomorrow night. Doors open at 7.45pm and the quiz starts at 8pm. If you fancy dressing up in a French themed outfit, you are most welcome to do so. Here’s to a fun night out.

BOOK WEEK STARTS ON MONDAY

We are all very much looking forward to our Book Week, which starts on Monday. Once again, don’t forget that next Thursday is our Dressing Up Day when the children can come in dressed as a favourite book character. We also have a Funky Friday to conclude the week and our junior children have all made their choices for the day. It will be great to have our Reception children linked into the infant groups for the first time as they run a carousel of activities themed on stories from around the world. As part of Book Week, we will be running a Book Fair after school on Tuesday and Wednesday in the small hall. The fair will run from 3pm until 3.45pm if you would like to bring in your children for a browse!

FOA MEETING ON MONDAY AT 8PM

We had a high turn-out for our last FOA meeting at the end of last term. Our next meeting is this coming Monday at 8pm. We look forward to seeing many of you there as we plan ahead for the FOA events for the Spring and Summer Terms. The meeting should last approximately an hour.

DATES FOR THE GREAT WORKS

As you will hopefully be aware from the newsletter two weeks ago, we are trying to develop topic projects of learning that have some kind of outcome or application. We are calling these activities or events ‘Great Works’ and we anticipate that they will give all of you a better sense of the richness of our children’s learning through the school. To this end, the ‘Great Works’ for this half-term include:

• Reception Storytellers – On-going over this first half of the term

• Year 1 Caribbean Feast – Monday, 6th February

• Year 2 Puppet Shows – Thursday, 9th February at 2pm

• Year 3 African Dance in Fox Class’s Assembly – Wednesday, 8th February at 9.15am

• Year 3 African Story Telling with Badger Class – On-going either side of half-term

• Year 4 Cosmetics made from Natural Products – Project tbc for March

• Year 5 India Art and Postcard Stories – Project tbc for March

• Year 6 Ice Sculpture and Antarctic Poetry and Paintings – Tuesday, 7th February pm

RIVERHOUSE BARN VALUES GARDEN DESIGNS

You will hopefully have seen an email from the office earlier in the week regarding a project to design some ideas for the gardens at the Riverhouse Barn. If your child would like to have a go at creating a feature for the gardens linked to our values, do print off the sheet and return the designs to the school office by Monday.

SCHOOL WEBSITE

We continue to develop the school website to provide you with as much useful information as possible. This week we have added teacher biographies, written by the teachers themselves. If you want to learn more about the Ashley class teacher team, go to the Information section on the right of the Homepage and click on Teachers. Next week we will be adding a range of school policies for you to refer to. Please note that year group topic overviews of learning are also available in the School Life and year group sections. Let us know if you have other suggestions.

ENERGY CHALLENGE

Our Year 6 children are now closely monitoring our energy consumption in school, analysing the energy data and setting targets for each building in the school. Linked to this work, they are also developing a project to promote the use of energy monitors so that people can really understand how much energy is being used at home, so raising awareness of how to reduce consumption and save money. They will be sharing more on this project soon.

HEADLICE AND UPSET TUMMIES

A reminder about two aspects of school life that we need your support with. The first is headlice. If you notice that your child has headlice, this needs to be addressed straight away. If children come into school with headlice, the headlice spread very quickly and this is clearly not a good situation for anyone. Secondly we ask that if your child is sick or has an upset tummy, they do not return to school for 48 hours i.e. they should not be back in school the next day. We have several children currently off school sick and we do not want germs spreading to others because children have simply been returned to school too soon.

INSET DAY SCHOOL CLOSURE ON FRIDAY, 10th FEBRUARY

It’s amazing to think that we will be at half-term in just two weeks’ time. The final day of the first half of term – Friday, 10th February – is an Inset Day when the children do not come to school. Please note. Finally we would be grateful if children taking skipping ropes out of school at the end of the day are very careful about not swinging them as they leave. We have had a couple of near misses with swinging ropes nearly hitting other children.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

PS: We hope you enjoyed seeing the corridor displays of the children’s learning this afternoon.

Friday, 20th January 2012

Dear Parents,

Spring Term Newsletter No. 3

SURVEY MONKEY RESPONSES

With our New Build now more or less complete, we asked you last week if you would be able to respond to three short questions about the school and how things are going for you. The three questions should take less than three minutes to reply to. So far we have had seven responses. We would love to hear from more of you so if you are happy to add your comments, here is the link again: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J63LR6P

YEAR 6 AND THE BIG BIRD WATCH

You may remember that our Year 6 children started a Design for Change project when they were in Year 5 linked to learning more about our local biodiversity and bird species in particular. Last summer the children organised bird feed and feeders and last term the bird hide was installed with reference posters, benches and one-way glass so that the children can observe the birds without being noticed. Well, very excitingly the Year 6 children have linked into the RSPBs Winter Bird Watch this week and next and each day they are taking out small groups of children from the younger classes to learn more about the different bird species in our grounds. Just this morning, we overheard one of the younger children say:

‘Today is a great day. We are going bird watching!’

CHAMONIX ALUMNI MEETINGS

On Tuesday afternoon we welcomed back over 70 of our past Ashley students to reconnect them to the messages of the Year 6 Chamonix expedition and its focus on individual, team and global well-being. The expedition is a culmination of all that the children do at Ashley and there is a strong focus on leadership throughout the week. The challenge for the students as they move into secondary school is that the system is focused so much on ‘teaching to the test’ that the empowerment of them as leaders in their learning and communities can get lost. So it was great to be able to remind them of some of the pledges and commitments they made during their time in Chamonix and to explore with them how they can still keep alive the projects and ideas many of them feel so passionately about.

YEAR 5 MAKE PAPER BAGS

As part of their Indian topic of learning, this morning our Year 5 children have been planning and writing short stories set in India that have a particular moral or environmental message. Their mission at the moment in Year 5 is to ban the plastic bag in Walton and one of the stories today was about the problems of plastic bags in India. The completed stories will be written on the back of a postcard so that they can be shared with others and as part of their workshop the children have also learnt how to make bags out of newspaper. Keep leading the change, Year 5.

YEAR 3 LINK UP WITH BLUE PETER AGAIN

You may remember that Year 3 took part in a Surrey apple orchard tree planting project last term out on our school field. The Mayor of Elmbridge and our local MP Dominic Raab came to officially open the event and we were also delighted that the Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins came along to the launch. Chris has a particular interest in and passion for Africa and so this Monday he has offered to come back to Ashley to share some of his African tales with the children in Year 3, who are currently studying Africa. What a treat, Year 3!

DRAGONFLY CLASS ASSEMBLY ON WEDNESDAY AT 9.15AM

I am sure you don’t need reminding, Dragonfly Class parents, that it is your child’s class assembly next Wednesday at 9.15am. The assembly is in the school hall and it will be a great opportunity to learn about what Dragonfly Class have been up to this term.

FRENCH CAFÉ NEXT FRIDAY FROM 8.15AM TO 9.30AM

Next Friday is the third French Café. As ever, the café will take place in the hall and if you would like a change from the usual breakfast routine at home, please do come along. There is always a lovely community atmosphere at the event with good coffee and croissants to set you up for the day.

CHAMONIX QUIZ NIGHT ON SATURDAY, 28th JANUARY

The following evening is the Chamonix Quiz Night. I know lots of you are getting together with friends to make up a team for the evening. If you simply want to come along and join a team on the night, that is also fine. Ian Simpson and Steve Carpenter are quizmasters extraordinaire so you are certain to have a richly entertaining evening. We look forward to a packed hall and a convivial night of healthy competition and good banter.

BOOK WEEK STARTS ON MONDAY, 30th JANUARY

A week on Monday we begin our Book Week. We have two story-tellers coming in to enrich the learning and on the Thursday we invite the children to come in dressed as Book Characters. There will be a staff performance that day, too, which the staff are very excited about! Please note that the Friday is Funky Friday so the children can come into school in their own clothes and they will be working in mixed class and age groups for the day.

PAUSE DAY ON MARCH 23rd

Looking ahead, on Friday 23rd March we will be having a Pause Day. This will be a day where the children will have time to reflect on the Easter Story through various creative activities. As part of the day Katharine Scott would like to set up a Reflection Room / space with a range of creative reflection and prayer activities. She is looking for a team of people who would be happy to be involved in the planning and setting up the reflection room beforehand, as well as a team who could help on the day itself. If you would like to be involved in any way, please can you let Mrs Scott know. Many thanks.

LUNCHTIME SUPERVISOR POSITION

We are looking for a lunchtime supervisor to take on a role during lunch and lunchtime play, starting on Monday, 6th February. The position is for 5 days a week and a free school lunch is included. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact the school office on 01932 227695 or email office@ashley.surrey.sch.uk

VIEWING OF CORRIDOR DISPLAYS NEXT FRIDAY

We have an array of stunning class displays going up in the main school corridor and would love you to see some of the outstanding work on display. Next Friday at the end of school we invite you to come in through the main school corridor once you have collected your child(ren) at the end of the day so that you can see what the different year groups have been learning. We will send out another reminder nearer the time.

Have any of you tried out Mathletics yet? Level 5 gets the thinking going! Keep encouraging your children to use this excellent maths facility. Have a good weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

Dear Parents,

Spring Term Newsletter No. 2

SKIPPING WORKSHOPS AND OUTDOOR PLAY

After such a long time with restricted playground space, we are delighted to have our extended play areas back in action and the children are really enjoying using them to the full. Once our temporary classroom is removed at half-term, we will have even more room! As many of you will know, every year group participated in skipping workshops on Tuesday and there was a wonderful skipping assembly at the end of the day, when all the different skipping games learnt during the workshops were presented to the school. We have bought lots of skipping ropes for the children to now use and we know that many of your children have bought skipping ropes, too. If your child has their own rope, please can you ensure it is clearly named.

If your child would like to buy a skipping rope and you have not had a chance to order one, please could you ensure that the order form and £4 is in school by next Monday. We have now run out of skipping ropes in the office so we will then be able to arrange one final order and delivery. Thank you.

Still with playtimes, over the next few weeks, we will be adding new playground markings and we have a new outdoor adventure trim trail going back in for the juniors on Monday, 30th January. Alongside that, two of our classes, Swan Class and Rabbit Class, are working up ideas for different outdoor areas as part of their Design for Change projects. Their ideas will be refined and made a reality later this term, too. All good stuff!

INSIDE SCHOOL WORK

Inside school we will today be moving our staffroom from its old location to its new one where last term’s Year 5 were based i.e. the room on your right as you come into school. The final job is to then convert the old staffroom into a library. We hope this work will be done by the end of the month and then our temporary library currently in the old office can be fully relocated. That should complete all the internal works

SWAN CLASS ART CANVASES

As part of their learning for this half-term on Earth in Space, the children in Swan Class spent much of Monday creating canvases of the solar system. Led by Mrs Stevens and with guidance from staff and parents alike, the children produced some stunning artwork, which – along with Kingfisher’s canvases, which will be done shortly – we look forward to showing you once they are up on display in the corridor.

FOX CLASS ASSEMBLY REVISED DATE

If your child is in Fox Class, please note that their class assembly, which had been planned for next Wednesday, will now be later in the half-term. This will enable the children to complete their half-termly topic project and present their learning to you more as a finished article than a work in progress. We are just checking on the dates of a couple of visitors who we hope will be coming in to enhance the learning and we will confirm the revised assembly date next week.

BOOK WEEK – WEEK OF MONDAY, 30TH JANUARY

You should all receive a letter today about our Book Week, which will take place w/b Monday, 30th January. We are theming the week around the books of Anthony Browne, whose stories can always be read at many different levels and whose pictures make for fascinating discussion. On the Thursday of Book Week we invite the children to come in dressed as a book character. Please note this does not mean coming in wearing a Chelsea or Man U football kit! We look forward to seeing some great costumes on the day. The Friday of Book Week is our Funky Friday, when the children can come in wearing their own clothes.

ICT UPDATE AND MATHLETICS

With the New Build now more or less complete, our attention at school is focusing on ICT and building a strategy that will enable the children at Ashley to develop their ICT skills in exciting and innovative ways. We had a staff meeting on Monday to discuss the challenges and opportunities for ICT and this term staff and governors will be working on developing a strategy for the school. Next term we hope to be in a position to share that with you and look at how we can work together to make it happen. One positive example of ICT enhancing learning is our Mathletics programme. Nearly everyone has now signed up and Mathletics homework will be on the Numeracy menu from this week onwards. As a parent, I have been very impressed with the range of activities available for the children to play. I have admit to playing a few of them myself !

ECODRIVER AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT – http://webview.ecodriver.net/ashley

As part of their maths learning on data handling and with all our school buildings now linked up, the children in Year 6 are starting to use our ecoDriver energy monitoring software system to measure our school energy use and set targets for each building in the school. This is excellent, real-life applied learning i.e. not a photocopied worksheet about some data that does not mean anything to them. If you would like to see how we are doing, please click on the webview link above and it will take you to our home page. By clicking on the menu tab with Main Building Electricity on it, you can access all the different parts of our school site. If you replace ashley with MOD, Home Office or stgeorges (as an example of another school) you can see how they are doing, too!

DOORS AND GATES

Thank you for making sure your children are in school for a prompt 8.55am start and for moving out of the playground before the gates close. As you will be aware, in the afternoon the gates open at 3pm, not before, to ensure the children are not disturbed in their classes at the end of the day. We hope that the pick-up points are working well for you. At the end of school the gates will be closed again at 3.15pm so if you or your child(ren) are still on site for an after-school club, you should come out of school via the office reception. Please can you make sure that the doors at the office reception are always kept closed. Thank you.

FAREWELL TO THE RICHENS

Yesterday we said a sad farewell to Lily and Lucas Richens and their parents as they head off today to a new home down in Hampshire. Everything has moved very fast for the family in terms of the move and suddenly they are off. We wish you all a very happy new life in your new home and school, Lily and Lucas. Come and see us soon!

WELLIES FOR SCHOOL

We are still keen for the children to bring in wellies for school. If you would like your child to bring in wellies, please name them clearly. As previously mentioned, if you have any spare pairs, do bring them in.

NEXT STEPS FOR ASHLEY

So we come to the end of our first full week back at the beginning of a new year. Our build work is very nearly done, our children are settling back into the routines of a new term with enthusiasm and focus, and playing happily out on the playground. An incredible amount of work has gone into getting us here and later in the year on Friday, 25th May we will officially open the new school buildings. As we start afresh, we are keen to hear your views on how things are going and to that end we would be very grateful to get your feedback on what’s good and what could be even better. If you have time, we would be glad if you might take part in our survey via this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J63LR6P – your feedback would be appreciated, thank you!

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

Dear Parents,

Spring Term Newsletter No. 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year, Everyone. We hope you have all had a good Christmas and New Year break. We are really looking forward to a productive Spring Term of learning. It’s a time for the children to really push on and build on the good foundations of last term. This term, too, we are delighted to welcome Mr Alex Somerville, our new Badger Class teacher. I know he has very much enjoyed his first three days at Ashley. Long may it continue!

Apart from some minor snagging, our build work is at last complete. What a big playground we now have! It has been a long journey – we appointed our project manager in August 2009 – and your support and understanding, especially during the challenging times when we lost our first contractor, have been very much appreciated. We still have some external planting to do and we also have the playground areas to attend to, but the structural work is done and Ashley CofE Primary School is now ready for a full two-form entry of 420 children. Hooray!

We hope the new start and end of day arrangements coming in through the main gates are working for you. Over the ensuing weeks you will notice different faces at the gate to welcome you each morning. Mr Dunne will be there on Monday, Mrs Stevens on Friday and the class teachers will take it in turns during the middle of the week. Please be clear that the gates will still close at 8.55am each day!

TOPIC PLANNING AND OVERVIEWS

The medium term plans for each year group will be available for you to view from next week. The planning file is in our reception foyer. Next week you will also be receiving a letter from your child’s class teacher with details of the topics of learning and any specific events for the term. Your child’s class will have one major topic related event or possibly two smaller events planned for the term. Please be clear that the term will be split into two topic projects, each one with a ‘Great Work’ outcome and a Sustainability Focus. This Half-Term’s Topics are:

Reception – Topic Project Great Work; Sharing Stories and Traditional Tales

Sustainability Focus – Community Partners in Storytelling; Library, Parents, Grandparents, Older Children

Year 1 – Topic Project Great Work; Creating a Caribbean Carnival Celebrating Diversity in Music, Ethnicity, Food

Sustainability Focus – Fairtrade Food / Dyeing Tablecloths with Natural Dyes for the Caribbean Feast

Year 2 – Topic Project Great Work; Writing Twisted Traditional Tales and Making a Puppet Show and Theatre

Sustainability Focus – Using Recycled Materials to Make the Puppets and Theatre

Year 3 – Topic Project Great Work; Capturing African Safari through Masks and Dance and Storytelling

Sustainability Focus – Learning about the Role of Eco-Tourism

Year 4 – Topic Project Great Work; The Earth, The Moon, The Seasons, The Solar System, The Cycle of Life

Sustainability Focus – Nature’s Products; Delphis Eco Cleaning Products, Natural Cosmetics, Organic Soaps

Year 5 – Topic Project Great Work; India through Clothes (Fashion Show) and Colour (Art Exhibition)

Sustainability Focus – Beyond Plastic Bags; a Design for Change Project with the Riverside School in India

Year 6 – Topic Project Great Work; Antarctica, the Last True Wilderness, and the Impact of Climate Change

Sustainability Focus – Community Carbon Reduction Challenge

For those of you with children in Badger Class, please note that Mr Somerville would like to invite you to a Meet the Teacher event next Thursday, 12th January at 2.30pm in the Extension to the Hall. The meeting will be finished by 3pm. He looks forward to seeing many of you there.

KEY SPRING TERM DATES

You will be receiving a full date list from the office, but here are a few key dates to note:

• Monday, 30th January to Thursday, 2nd February – Book Week – Further information to follow next Friday

• Friday, 3rd February – Funky Friday

• Friday, 10th February – INSET DAY – School Closed

• Monday, 13th February – Half-Term Week

• Monday, 20th February – Back to School

• Wednesday, 29th February to Friday, 2nd March – Year 3 Residential Trip to Sayers Croft

• Friday, 16th March – Ashley Green Nose Day (Yes, we will have Green Noses for this!)

• Monday, 19th March (5.30-8pm) and Tuesday, 20th March (3.30-6pm) – Parent Consultations in the Hall

• Friday, 30th March – End of Term at 2pm

CHAMONIX QUIZ NIGHT – SATURDAY, 28th JANUARY

Our first social event of the year is the Chamonix Quiz Night on Saturday, 28th January. Tickets cost £7.50 per person if bought in advance (£8.00 on the door) and the doors open at 7.45pm for an 8pm start. A separate flier about this event will be out today.

WELLIES IN SCHOOL

As mentioned in the newsletter at the end of last term, we are keen for the children to have wellies in school to enable them to use the outdoors more readily, particularly the field. If you have any old pairs of wellies that your child no longer requires, please drop them into the school office. If you are happy for your child to bring in a pair of wellies, please be sure they are clearly named and pegged together and they can be kept in the class cloakrooms.

DELPHIS ECO CLEANING PRODUCTS

Don’t forget you can still get your Delphis Eco cleaning product bottles refilled by the dosing stations outside the school office. All you need to do is add one squirt to your bottle and then fill up with water. One squirt = 50p.

JANUARY’S VALUE – HOPE

This month our Value is Hope. We have started thinking about our Hopes for the coming term and year. In our assembly on Wednesday, we sang a song based on the 12 Days of Christmas, but themed around the 12 Hopes for This Year. If you would like to sing the song at home, it went like this:

The next Hope for this year we are all pleased to see is:

Happy, smiling faces

Saying please and thank you

Reflection and Design Time

Outside learning lessons

Eating fruit at breaktime

Improving at Mathletics

New words in our writing

5 Good nights sleep

Clean plates at lunchtime

Reading every day

Friendly playtime games

And the whole school enjoying learning

We look forward to a very positive term of learning for everyone at Ashley. Our partnership with you is key in ensuring this happens. If there is anything you need to share with us or you simply want to discuss your child’s learning with the class teacher, please do get in touch. Have a good weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

PS: Please note that shoulder length hair should be tied back at all times and no jewellery items such as ear-rings are allowed in school.

Dear Parents,

AUTUMN TERM BOOK PRIZE WINNERS

Today we announced the Book Prize winners for the Autumn Term in our final assembly of the term. The prizes this time go to a group of children who have excelled in their learning or attitude to school life. It’s never easy for the teachers to choose just one child when so many have done so well, but the congratulations this term go to:

Hedgehog Class - Abigail Nixon

Squirrel Class - Maeve Armstrong

Frog Class – Daniel Calvert

Dragonfly Class –  Zayne Nash

Rabbit Class – Rhys Glands

Otter Class  – Joe Kent

Fox Class – Harvey Hope

Badger Class - Jack Perry

Kingfisher Class - Thomas Harman

Swan Class – Charlotte Dean

Owl Class – Molly Brand

Eagle Class – Evan Lewsey

ART AND DESIGN PRIZES

Along with the Book Prize we also celebrated today the artistic talents of three members of our school whose art and design work has particularly caught the eye. The three children who love to express themselves in creative ways are:

Infants – Flo Clack

Lower Juniors - Rhiannon Glands

Upper Juniors – Phoebe Tarver

SPORTS AWARD

The Sports Award goes to a young man who plays sport with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship. He is someone who has been a super striker for the Year 6 football team, scoring some vital goals for the team so far this season. He is a firm favourite with his team mates for his commitment and skill. He is Ayden Vickery.

CHARLOTTE MERRIMAN FAREWELL

We say a sad farewell to Charlotte Merriman today. Charlotte has been an absolute delight to have at Ashley School during her four and a half years here. She is a constant sunny presence, always smiling and laughing. She loves to learn and engages with the children’s learning with endless enthusiasm. She has led our Science curriculum and More Able provision with particular passion, embedding new aspects to both areas to improve the quality of the learning. More than anything, she cares deeply about every child in her class and this quality ensures every one of the children feels valued and appreciated. So Charlotte, we wish you every happiness in your new life up in Edinburgh and in your search for a teaching position there. We are really going to miss having you at Ashley, but know your warmth and light will brighten up your next school as much as it has done ours.

DESIGN FOR CHANGE PROJECT

Yesterday we had two assemblies to share the children’s Design for Change projects for the Autumn Term. In the first session we heard from our infant children in Years R, 1 and 2, and this is what they shared with us on the theme of Feel (what you would like to change), Imagine (what you could do), Do (plan and carry out your project), Share (reflect back on how it went and what you would like to do next):

Hedgehog Class decided they wanted to do something for their classmate Leo Wilkinson who has been in Great Ormond Street Hospital so they made cards, collected toys and sent messages to wish Leo a speedy recovery.

Squirrel Class have been planning and designing an outdoor stage area that they can use for performances and role play. They have met with our School Business Manager, Aileen Widdowson, to see what kind of design they could have made and next term they hope to see their design ideas come to fruition.

Following their learning about Louis Braille, Frog Class agreed that it would be good to support the Royal National Institute for the Blind and they have asked all of you to help them to collect stamps. They have had such a good response that they would like to keep the project going next term so please do keep those stamps coming in.

Dragonfly Class wanted to do something for the Walton Health Centre and in particular the children’s corner. They chose a book or toy from home that they were happy to part with and then a group of six of them made a special visit to the health centre to transform the toy corner from a rather bare space to a play area full of lovely books and toys.

The children of Rabbit Class have been looking at ways to improve their outdoor play area. They have had a good tidy up and are now developing other ways in which they can make their courtyard more interesting. The project is still in its infancy so watch this space at the end of next term to find out what they have done next!

Otter Class wanted to learn more about otters and how they can protect them. Having done the research, they decided to run a stall to raise some funds to sponsor an otter. They did so well that they were able to send additional funds to the Surrey Wildlife Trust, who will be coming in next term to talk to them about the work they do.

After a short break we returned to the hall for Part II of Design for Change when the juniors shared their projects:

Badger Class and Fox Class partnered up to run a joint project for our link school, The Agole School in Uganda. As the children told us, the one thing they like to get in school are stickers so to this end they have collected lots and lots of stickers, filled a large envelope with them and sent it off to Uganda to bring a smile to the children’s faces at our partner school there.

Swan Class are in the middle of designing a quiet area for our new playground. The more they have researched, the more ideas they have developed for the quiet area and the plan is to build on this project next term.

Kingfisher Class, as you may well remember, ran a Christmas Stall recently and filled it with school-made Christmas cards and decorations. The event raised £131 for Great Ormond Street hospital. Great job, Kingfishers.

Owl Class have been busy working out how they can get people to stop using plastic bags. Having looked into the amount of plastic waste in our oceans, their topic this term, they really do want to see if we can stop using them at Ashley School and in the wider community of Walton. Good Luck leading the change, Year 5.

Eagle Class are close to officially opening their bird hide at the back of the school field. The hide has been installed and painted, the feeders and bird feed put out, and in January the Year 6 children will be taking out groups of younger children to teach them about local bird life.

NEW BUILD COMPLETION

Over the next few days the final work to the linear block and the external areas of the school should be concluded and we look forward to starting next term with Swan Class in what is currently the Year 6 classroom at the far end of the junior block, and our Year 5 and 6 classes in the end classrooms of the linear block – Year 5 will be on the left hand end and Year 6 on the right hand end. Many thanks to all of you who were able to assist with the class moves today. As mentioned last week, the Buy-a-Brick bricks can be seen in front of the planter at the centre of the linear block so do take a look at the names and messages.

SPRING TERM 2012

We return to school on Wednesday, 4th January at the usual time. Please remember that all the children should come in through the main wooden gates in the morning. The gates will open at 8.45am and will close promptly at 8.55am so that all the classes can start on time. If you need to pass on a message to your child’s class teacher, you should continue to do this via the school office. It just remains for us to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas. Keep the reading ticking over at home, keep the maths ticking over with Mathletics, and see you in 2012.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher

PS Well done to the Year 4 trumpet & clarinet players for creating a most impressive sound in last week’s assembly and well done also our staff dance troupe who performed a special rendition of Jingle Bell Rock to the school today!

Friday, 16th December 2011 – Autumn Term Newsletter No. 14

Dear Parents,

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

We are halfway through our Christmas Services as I type with one yesterday and the second one this afternoon. Even with two services, we look like being full on both days. Well done to all the children and staff for their poetry performances, readings and Christmas carols. The service has really captured the spirit of Christmas; God with Us. We thank you for your patience at the end when collecting the children.

CHAMONIX FRENCH CAFÉ AND TEA TOWELS

We had a great turn-out on a particularly miserable morning today for the French Café. The coffee, croissants and bacon baguettes went down a treat and the Year 6 children had even prepared some school-made sloe and apple jam to go with the croissants. Hopefully all of you who ordered tea towels have received them. With over 600 sold, it is clear that there will be plenty of tea towel Christmas presents for lucky grandparents, aunts and uncles this year! Thank you to all of you for your support of both these initiatives.

FOA CHILDREN’S DISCOS TONIGHT

We look forward to two high energy, red cheeked discos later this afternoon with plenty of festive outfits on show. As you all now know, the infants will be strutting their stuff from 5-6pm and the juniors from 6.30-7.30pm. Many thanks to Sylvie Kent and the parents who are co-ordinating the discos tonight and for all the cakes that have arrived during the day. Hope you all get time for a boogie, too!

REINDEER DROP-INS

Two of Santa’s reindeer, stationed in the UK for the Christmas season, dropped into Ashley School on Tuesday. Despite their late arrival – snow on the sleigh or was it traffic on the M25?! – every one of our children got to meet our two Nordic visitors, appropriately named Oslo and Anders. It was a memorable morning for the children and the staff. Come back and visit us again, Oslo and Anders! A special thank you to our two sponsors, Curchods and Nicols Marcy Dawson who made it possible for us to get the reindeer to the school. Thank you, too, to Tola at www.chocolatatoi.co.uk, a Walton based company who supplied every child in the school with a little chocolate to add to the Christmas excitement. Most of all, thank you to Alex Healey, who made it all happen!

BOB AND THE BEANSTALK

It was an action packed morning for the Reception children on Tuesday as they not only met the magical reindeer, but they also went to the Riverhouse Barn to watch the panto of ‘Bob and the Beanstalk’, an interesting combination of the Nativity and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. The children particularly enjoyed calling out (very loudly) ‘He’s behind you!’ When one of the children was asked which his favourite bit had been, he simply said, ‘I liked it all!’

JUNIOR RUGBY TOURNAMENT – A REPORT FROM MRS RICH AND MR PHIL

The Sports Council helped Mrs Rich and Mr Phil to organise and run a rugby tournament for all the junior children on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Sports Councillors have been preparing this event over the past 2 months. They have been involved in all the planning and the decision making from choosing the teams to giving each other different roles and responsibilities, and the event came to fruition over the two afternoons this week. Each class was split into 4 teams and was given a team number. The children stayed in the same team throughout the tournament and the teams played each other in their year groups. The Year 3 and Year 4 teams played each other on the Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon it was the turn of the Year 5 and 6 teams. This was then followed by the semi finals and the final. We had a very exciting final with a Year 4 team (Team 14) against a Year 5 team (Team 17). All the juniors returned to the field with the teachers and Mr Dunne to cheer on and support the finalists. The winning team was Team 17 from Owl Class. Well done to everyone who took part!

Phil and his team from Pro-Direct helped to run the event on both afternoons. They were the referees and did a fantastic job to help the event run smoothly. Every child in the juniors took part and demonstrated excellent teamwork and sportsmanship. It was a great tournament and the children had lots of fun participating. We look forward to the next tournament that the Sports Councillors organise in the Spring Term!

THE INFANTS DVD OF CHRISTMAS WITH THE ALIENS

Following on from the excellent ‘Christmas with the Aliens’ performance last week, those of you in the Infants will know that Tim and Martine Stannard have produced a most professional DVD of the production. If you have ordered or are planning to order a copy of the DVD, please note that if you want a copy before Christmas, order forms need to be in today. Any forms delivered after this date will mean DVDs in the New Year.

MATHLETICS AND SCHOOL WEBSITE

We have had a very positive response to our Mathletics internet maths programme and hopefully lots of your children are already rising to the maths challenges. If your child has not yet signed up, there is still time. The programme costs just £3.00 for the year and there is plenty to keep them occupied. If you were unable to attend our Maths Workshops, please be aware that the presentations are now on the school website under each year group.

NEW BUILD WORK NEARING COMPLETION

Weather permitting our New Build work will be completed at the end of next week. Once school has broken up the car park and playground areas in front of the linear block will be tarmac-ed and any final snagging seen to. The external landscaping will be done next week and at the start of next term. The Buy-a-Brick scheme bricks have now been embedded into a quiet area outside the linear block. You will be able to see these bricks in their new location at the start of next term. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this scheme.

DROP-OFF IN THE MORNINGS

As you will be aware from last week’s newsletter, we would like all the children to come into school from the start of next term via the wooden gates by our school reception. The gates will be opened at 8.45am and they will be closed at 8.55am, when all the children should be in for registration. Please note this means every child must be in school by 8.55am at the latest. From January I will be on duty at the gates to welcome the children every Monday, Mrs Stevens will be on duty every Friday, and different class teachers will be welcoming the children on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please be clear that the teachers are not there for you to give messages to. Messages should still be sent in via the office.

WELLIES AT BREAK-TIME

To enable the children to use the school field more often during the winter months, we are keen to build up a collection of wellies that children can use in school. It is often the case that families have wellies that your children have outgrown and do not use. If this is the case, we would be delighted to receive any unwanted pairs so that we can start using them for children at breaktimes. We will put a welly bin out in January and if you have an old pair you would like to drop in, they will be put to good use in school.

MONDAY AND TUESDAY

We have just two more days of term left. On Monday the children will be sharing their Design for Change projects for this term. We have two assemblies for Design for Change as there is so much to share. The first one is for the infants and then after a short break the juniors will present their projects. We put a strong emphasis in these projects on the children leading them. It will be great to hear how they have got on. On Tuesday we have our Book Prize, Arts Prize and Sports Award final assembly when particular children will be celebrated for their progress and efforts during the Autumn Term. Any child who has already received an award in previous years or terms cannot receive one again. We have a Christmas lunch on Tuesday and then break up at 2pm. If any of you can assist with the class moves for Swan Class, Owl Class and Eagle Class, please come in at 1pm to lend a hand.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dunne

Headteacher