Dear Parents and Carers,
Gosh what a busy week! I think we are all ready to drop. I hope you get a relaxing weekend then come back bouncing ready for the last week of term. DOn’t forget that there’s no school on Friday – this last week of term is just four days.
Ivy Music Festival
A group of children from Oak Class impressed us all with their performance on stage at the Langstone Cliff Hotel as part of the Ivy Music Festival on Thursday evening. They had worked with Pat and Elfyn from Sonopera to write their own song based on their own ideas about working together and performed as part of an evening where each of the eight schools in the Ivy Trust showcased their own composition. It was a jolly long old day for the children who rehearsed from 1:00 p.m. and gave two full performances – as well as courage to perform and responsibility to each other they showed us bags and bags of resilience. Miss Phippen and Mr Finch were very, very proud of each and every one of them.
The Girl Locked in The Library
Last week we hosted a theatre performance from MED Theatre of their show ‘Locked in the Library’ about a girl who finds herself, as the title suggests, locked into the library by the fiendish Rumpelstiltskin and has to prove she knows about lots of the characters in the books in order to be let out. One very clever performer played lots of characters – Heidi, Mr Toad, The Grumpy Ladybird and a very funny bookworm. The children were very engaged in the show, they liked the way that the performers gave them lots of ways to join in and feel part of the show and they thought the performers were very clever with their puppetry skills and their range of funny voices. It was a very happy afternoon indeed with children from Nursery to key Stage Two all sitting and enjoying the show together. Who knows, it might even encourage them to widen the scope of books they check out in the library!
Scholastic Book Fayre
We have a Big Book Sale after school on Monday. Come along at Pick Up Time and have a look at what we have. There are books for all tastes and price bands as well bookmarks, pencil sharpeners and other items at pocket money prices, nothing is more than ten pounds. Children who are going to after school club will have a chance to visit the fayre before they leave for Starcross so they can bring some money in an envelope to buy a book – otherwise all payments will be made through a clever QR code system. If it’s hard to make time to visit the library or a book shop then this is a great way to give your child the chance to make a choice for their own reading. A little bonus is that we get to choose some books to keep for school – the more you buy, the more we get to keep!
May Day – a message from the KSPA
Hi All,
Hope you are looking forward to the Easter Holidays! Hopefully you’re all aware of our upcoming MEGA KSPA Fundraiser – the Kenton May Day 2026!!! It’s on Monday 4th May from 12-4pm here on the School Playing Fields.
Preparations are well underway – and it’s going to be another fantastic family event – which we hope to see you all at.
With that in mind, we would like to ask if you could help?
Either volunteering to help set up (we need help ion the Sunday & Monday), help run a stall – we host the BBQ, and the raffle – or perhaps you’d like to run your own stall – or are you a trained FIRST AIDER?
We are also planning to have a second hand TOY & BOOK stall – which will raise funds for the school – and we’d love you to have a sort out over the Easter Hols – and please bring any donations into the school reception – after the Easter Holidays. Also, if you would like to help run the stall on the day (with your children) if you can do an hour – we would be SO GRATEFUL!
All of the money raised goes directly to the school, to buy things like new books, play equipment – and at the moment BUILDING A FOREST SCHOOL – for your children!
We’ll also be holding out AGM on Wednesday 22nd April – time TBC – so please come along if you can.
Please get in touch with me, Tammie, Ed if you can help.
Thank you so much, Heather – KSPA Chair
The children have been preparing for May Day by brushing up on their Maypole Dancing skills.
Work Party Call Out
We will be hosting two work parties in the first week of the Easter Holidays to create some fun and interest in our foundation unit garden. This grassed area was reseeded over the summer and is now just about ready for children to play on – time for us to get our work gloves on and make something of it.
On the 7th we want to get together to paint a whole bunch of pallets. With many hands this shouldn’t take too long we just need people who don’t mind getting their hands mucky, who can get some paint on and who can bring a brush or two to do it.
On the 9th we need people who are reasonably handy with tools and can follow instructions and plans scribbled on envelopes to makes some things like a water wall, a big mud kitchen, a music board and so forth. Exact timings for both days to be agreed and publicised next week. Do get these onto all the class WhatsApp groups if you can please as I know some people see those who don’t always read this newsletter.
We’ll provide all the tea you can drink and maybe some biscuits and snacks too.
Mike Taylor – Hugo and Mabel’s dad – has cleverly sourced lots of materials for us to work with but we are still looking out for things like offcuts of chunky timber 2″x4″ and 4″x4″ in particular. We are also on the look out for decking boards – these could be offcuts and we don’t mind at all if they’ve been used already. Any car tyres you can lay your hands on would be put to good use. If anyone has guttering clips or downpipe clips going spare we would be very grateful for them. We would REALLY like a couple of sheets of marine ply – we know that’s a bit of an ask but just in case you know someone in the business – that would be SO helpful. We are more than happy to thank suppliers or trades on our social media or to do a little local news story if that would be persuasive to anyone.
If you have any thoughts or queries about this, do have a word with Ed or Mike.
Bug Hotel Project
This afternoon, Oak Class are off to Powderham to create a bug hotel. We are looking forward to taking the muddy route over and finding out exactly what they have in store for us – will it be a bug palace? A bug tenement? A bug castle! Hopefully, by the time you see this newsletter, I will have added the photos! Next week it will be Willows turn – what fun!
UPDATE: Yes – it was lots and lots of fun and the Powderham staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. HOw nice to run into friends from Starcross School while we were down there too.
Fun in the Sun
The brief window of lovely weather last week may have proved to be a false spring but it still gave us the chance to get out and enjoy the sunshine. We have been back out on our field for the first time in what feels like a long time. Willow Class even got the parachute out and enjoyed playing games together.
Ordering Meals
Thank you to everyone who is ordering meals on Arbor, it’s is now the majority of the school and it is saving SO MUCH TIME and making our mornings a lot more seamless. It really, really helps us if you can record that your child is bringing a packed lunch from home – we can’t safely assume that or some children would be going hungry. It’s worth noting that if you need us to provide a packed lunch for a trip, we really need to know at least a couple of days before the visit so we can order it from the kitchen at Kenn and get them to bring it over the day before. If you order it via arbor on the morning we really cannot help. The best thing to do is to speak to Tammy on reception or send her a message at least two days before the trip takes place.