Goodrington School: news

Newsletter · 28 May 2010

Dear Parents

Welcome to our latest newsletter with all the news and events of the past half-term.

Staff Inset Training

Our staff inset meetings were held on Wednesday 21 April and Wednesday 28 May with the themes of Dyslexia and Safeguarding/Child protection respectively.

Our guest speaker on dyslexia was Mrs. Janet Mansbridge who was able to return to school to expand on her inset with the staff from last September. Mrs. Michelle White gave a most enlightening twilight session about the latest safeguarding and child protection issues in Havering, from which the staff were able to enhance their knowledge of the subject so far.

New Pupils

We are delighted that Jarlath has joined our Year 1 class and we wish him every success and happiness.

Basketball Hoop

Stephen Toole, the basketball coach, and his colleague have been able to construct a second hoop which will enable the pupils to further improve their skills.

School Travel Plan Grant

The process of being able to spend the grant money has taken longer than anticipated due to trying to time two companies together to work on the project. The plan is to improve the front of the school by erecting a barrier and resurface the car-park. By erecting a substantial barrier, this will stop the never ending lorries that come down into the cul-de-sac and reverse into our grounds to try and turn round. I am giving prior warning to parents who will not be able to use the car-park once the barrier is in place.

Cycling Awareness Morning

Pupils in Years 1 and 2 were able to take advantage of this new course especially designed for them on Wednesday 12 May. Mrs Richardson’s account is detailed below.

On Wednesday 12th May, Phil and John came to instruct Years 1 and 2 on safe cycling. Nearly all Year 1 and 2 had brought a bike or a scooter to school and waited attentively while Phil explained what was going to happen.

With Phil, the pupils discussed being aware of their surroundings, looking and listening, cycling on the pavement, consideration of pedestrians, hidden dangers and stopping in a controlled manner.

John explained about locks and keeping bikes secure, the difference between reflectors and lights, suitable back packs and extra lights.

The pupils discussed the various merits of cycle wear, reflective armbands, helmets and the importance of being seen as well as potential hazards regarding hoods, laces and ear phones.

The exciting part was riding around the winding road John and Phil had made. Everyone stopped at the road works sign when Mrs Skelton turned it to stop, then on and up and round to the zebra crossing, where Mrs Richardson was the lollypop lady.

John and Phil split the pupils into teams to play some really energetic team games, which the pupils thoroughly enjoyed.

Year 1 and Year 2 learnt a lot of very valuable information on safe cycling, which will be the first steps to bikeability awareness in Year 5/6.

Car Share

Mrs Williams attended a very useful session at the CEME centre on 27 April, in order to update our School Travel Plan.

One of our objectives, within the School Travel Plan, is to continue to encourage the use of car sharing amongst the families attending Goodrington. We are delighted that a number of families, living too far away to walk, are already using this mode of transport to reach school. If you are interested in car sharing, please let Mrs Williams know and she can circulate your journey details via parentmail.

Staffroom/Medical Room

Once the school closed for the Easter holiday, work began on the much needed refurbishment of the staffroom/medical room. It had been many years since this room had been updated and it is now a brighter, more efficient working and meeting place for the staff and visitors.

Midday Staffing

Two new members of the lunch time staff have been employed to replace Mrs Harper and Mrs Murphy. Miss Vicky Radford, will be joining the school on 7 June to supervise the Nursery children, alongside Mrs Patel. Mrs Kathleen Fallows will then be joining the school on 21 June 2010 to work alongside Mrs Garner and Mrs Smith.

Jemma Hudson

Jemma is the representative from The London Borough of Havering who is responsible for the Early Years Foundation Stage in all the Independent Schools. She visited the school on Wednesday 28 April and Tuesday 25 May and was very pleased with the way the staff are embracing the early years criteria.

F.O.G. Meeting

This was held on Wednesday 28 April where the forthcoming Fete, Reunion and other items were discussed.

A ‘Fete’ meeting was also held on Wednesday 26 May at 3.20pm. If you were unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting and you wish to offer help, please leave your name and contact number clearly marked with what you are able to do and leave it in the office with Mrs Williams, who will pass it on to the committee members.

If you can donate any raffle prizes, they can be brought into and stored at school. Please speak to Mrs Williams or Mrs Ruyten.

Summer Fete/Reunion

The Summer Fete this year is on Saturday 12 June from 2pm until 5pm. We hope that you and your family and friends will attend the fete and mingle with past pupils and staff. This promises to be a wonderful social event with pupils performing a musical interlude at 3pm.

If you are able to help promote the event, posters and flyers will be available in the office after half-term for you to take. Please speak to Mrs Williams or Mrs. Ruyten.

Portable Hearing Loop

I would like to remind you that we have a Portable Induction Loop System for use around the school. The induction loop is used to assist individuals with a hearing impairment by transmitting sound from a sound system, microphone, television or other source, directly to their hearing aid.

Courses

Staff have attended the following courses this half-term:

Child Protection Level 3 – Mrs Richardson and Mrs Williams

Perform Workshop

Emily, from Perform, came to the school on Monday 10 May to deliver a workshop to the EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2. The theme of the morning was The Magic Fantasy Land. The pupils had such a creative time and they cannot wait until Perform come and visit us again in September.

Setting Specific Meeting

In order for Goodrington to continue to participate in the Nursery Funding Scheme, staff need to attend set meetings. Mrs Rogers, Mrs Terry and I regularly attend them and recently the Nursery staff attended the one at the CEME centre on the evening of Tuesday 11 May. A number of Early Years topics were covered during this meeting.

SAT’S

SAT’s for my class and Mrs Richardson’s class took place during the week of 4 to 7 May. SAT’s for Mrs Segrave’s class took place during the week of 10 to 14 May. The Year 6 SAT’s are being marked externally and I will inform you of the results as soon as they become available.

School Trips

Years 5 & 6 will be visiting Hedingham Castle on Thursday 10 June 2010.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will be visiting Colne Valley Railway on Thursday 17 June 2010.

Lunchboxes

Please can I ask parents to ensure that all lunchboxes are emptied and wiped clean on a daily basis and periodically, if appropriate, run through the washing machine. There has been a spate of pupils opening their lunch boxes/bags recently to find their food being over-run with ants. At this time of year it is a good idea to include a small ice pack to keep food fresh until it is eaten at lunch-time. Thank you, in advance, for your co-operation in this matter.

Ofsted Inspection · 4 May 2010

Our latest Ofsted Inspection was carried out on 23 and 24 March 2010.

The published report is available for download:
Goodrington School_Report.pdf
A copy is also available in the school office.

Newsletter · 31 March 2010

Dear Parents

Welcome to our latest newsletter with all the news and events of the past half-term.

Ofsted

You will be aware of the Ofsted Inspection we had on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. Whilst it became, inevitably, an extremely busy time for everyone the pupils were exemplary in every way. The Inspectors in their summing up late on Wednesday evening could not speak more highly of the pupils proclaiming they were a credit to the school. We are all very proud of them.

The draft Inspection Report is currently being prepared by Ofsted and I will inform you when the finalised document is available to view.

EYFS Policy

The Early Years Foundation Stage Policy has recently been updated and is available for you to view in the Parent’s File in the office.

Earrings

In accordance with the health and safety of our pupils, please may I remind you that earrings are not allowed in the Early Years Foundation Stage – namely the Nursery and Reception pupils.

Small studs are permitted from Years 1 to 6. However, please note that studs should not be worn on P.E. days as staff cannot remove or insert them. Thank you for your co-operation.

Reading Tests

The Reading Tests recently took place for Years 3 to 6 in February, with the results being discussed at Parents Evening. Our pupils continue to do very well in these tests and judging from the feedback I have received, parents are extremely pleased with their child’s progress.

F.O.G

The last meeting was held on Wednesday 24 February at 3.20pm. The meeting discussed the Quiz Night which was sadly cancelled due to the lack of support. Fundraising events organised by FOG are such a help to the pupils of the school, and it is a shame when they have to be cancelled, particularly when so much effort has been channelled into planning them. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 5 May at 3.20pm and everyone is welcome to attend this informal meeting.

Staff Courses

Mrs Ellenby attended and passed a Safer Recruitment Training course on Monday 1st March.
Mrs Rogers and Mrs. Terry attended a SEF/Basic Skills course on Monday 22nd March

Basketball Hoop

The school has had the second basketball hoop delivered and we are arranging for Mr Toole and a colleague to assemble it in the near future.

World Book Day

World Book Day on Thursday 4th March saw the pupils come into school dressed as their favourite book characters. Reading activities for all year groups took place throughout the day and every pupil received a £1 Book Token. Photographs of the day are on show on the ‘Events’ Noticeboard opposite the school office and thanks have gone to Ms Keens for preparing the display.

Work Experience

Martine Ruyten recently visited the school for her two weeks work experience. Her timetable enabled her to help staff in the EYFS up to Yr 4. I was reliably informed by Mrs Ruyten that Martine enjoyed herself so much, she did not want to return to her own school on 22nd March. We all wish Martine well in her eventual chosen career.

Hinduism Workshop

An informative workshop went ahead for most pupils in the EYFS up to Yr 6 and again Ms Keens displayed photographs of the morning on the ‘Events’ Noticeboard. As a school we are keen to embrace our country’s many faiths and poly-cultures and visits/workshops will be organised in future terms.

Parents Evening

Thank you to all of you who attended Parents Evening on Wednesday 10 March. Whilst this is the main consultation between parents and staff in the year, please do not hesitate to make an appointment to see a staff member at other times if you wish to discuss your child. After school appointments, are in the main preferable, as prior to the start of the morning, staff are busy preparing for the day.

I am sure you will agree that Felicity, Aman and Nathaniel from Year 6 were admirable in the way they greeted, welcomed and directed parents throughout the evening.

Parents passed many positive comments about the initiative they used, and my grateful thanks and a small gift has been passed onto them.

School Trip

Yrs 2, 3 and 4 recently visited The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club and Museum on Tuesday 17 March. This trip enabled us to use the District Line to Southfields and then following a short walk to this famous tennis club, we entered a world full of history of the game. We all felt extremely privileged that we had access to places that the general public are not able to go to on these tours. Mrs Cast who assisted Mrs. Richardson and myself in escorting the pupils, had previously been to the museum with her own children and was able to give us an extra insight as to what we could expect to see. During our tour, a statue of the famous tennis player Fred Perry was being relocated in the grounds to a prominent position near the entrance. One of the tour guides allocated to us took great pride in telling us we were the first group of people ever to see ‘Fred’ in his new setting. Little did we realise when we set off that Goodrington pupils were going to be part of such an historical day!

Spring Concerts

Due to the rising numbers of pupils and their families, three Spring Concerts were held this year. The first on Thursday 18 March was for the EYFS and the second and third held on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 March was for Yrs 1, 2, 3 and 4. It was a pleasure to see the concerts so well attended by the pupil’s families and I know the performances were enjoyed by all.

Thank you once again to Mrs Rogers, Mrs Terry, Mrs Hastie, Mrs Carter, Mrs Skelton, Mrs Richardson, Mrs Weatherup and Ms Keens for all their hard work in ensuring the success of the concerts.

Sport Relief

What an eventful and colourful day this proved to be. Pupils had another ‘dress down’ day to raise money for this charity and £77 was raised to help others who are less fortunate than us. Thank you to one and all for your contributions.

Driving and Parking in Walden Road

Please may I again remind you to drive slowly and carefully down Walden Road when bringing your children to and from school?

Furthermore, please always park with consideration and ensure that you do not park across OR IN residents’ driveways.

As you know, I am always working to stay on good terms with the residents in Walden Road, and I would be grateful if you could all do your utmost to support me in ensuring that this objective is achieved.

Easter Egg Competition

The Easter Egg Competition was held in the library on Tuesday 30 March. Once again, a superb range of decorated eggs were displayed, with pupils and parents working extremely hard to achieve such a grand result. The winners were as follows:

Lower School

1st Prize = Aayan
2nd Prize = Grace G
3rd Prize = Alfie

Upper School

1st Prize = Katie
2nd Prize = Yasmin
3rd Prize = Adeola

Well done to our winners who all received a special Easter treat and to all those pupils and parents who took part, raising £35 for FOG.

Medicine in School

May I remind you, that if you require your child to be given medicine during school hours, please ensure that you take the medicine to Mrs Williams or Mrs Ruyten in the office who will ask you to complete and sign a Medicine Form. Under no circumstances, may medicine be placed into a child’s book bag or lunch bag.

Easter Assembly

This was held on Tuesday 30 March and Reverend Cornelius Henry the Curate of St. Andrew’s Church, addressed both the pupils and staff. Pupils from each year group gave their perspective on the religious aspect of Easter, and a meaningful assembly was enjoyed by us all. Our grateful thanks were extended to the Reverend for giving his time to the school.

School Uniform

Each school holiday is a good time to check your child’s uniform to see that it still fits and that it is correctly labelled. If you have items of clothing that are handed down, please ensure that the name is appropriately altered. Plimsolls need regular checking to ensure that the sizing is still correct for ever growing feet.

When we return after the Easter break, full summer uniform will be required to be worn UNLESS the weather is particularly cold or inclement. I am taking this opportunity to attach the school uniform list to this newsletter.

Mrs Vicky Dorrington has a large supply of good quality, second hand school uniform for sale, with all proceeds going to Friends of Goodrington. A list of items is included at the back of this newsletter.

School Clubs

All clubs will resume week commencing Monday 26 April 2010, and all club letters for the next half-term will be distributed to the children on Thursday 22 April. Therefore, please ensure that you check your child’s book bags on that day and return the consent forms and correct payment by Monday 26 April. Please note that children will not be permitted to attend the clubs if either their consent form or payment is missing.

Front Door

Please do endeavour to bring your child into school, via the side gate, before 9.00am each morning.

However, if the side door is locked after you have brought in your child and you need to leave school via the front door, please ensure that you ALWAYS ask a member of staff to lock the front door behind you.

Stamps

Do please continue to send in your stamps to the office. On our return after Easter Mrs. Ruyten will send them off to the Royal Mail where they help the Barnados Charity.

Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s Vouchers

The above promotions will be closing shortly, so collect your tokens and ‘post’ them in the collecting boxes by the side entrance when we return to school. Every year we are able to order many items for the benefit of the pupils. Thank for your continued support.

Pupil Achievements

Nursery

Jimmy has taken part in dancing competitions over the last few weekends. Jimmy came 3rd in solo tap, solo modern and solo acro and 2nd in solo song and dance.

Year 2

Lauri came 1st or 2nd in all 9 of her solo subjects which enabled her to dance in the National Championship Heats which she did last weekend. Lauri was the youngest of the 150 children and danced against 10 and 11 year olds. Lauri came 3rd in her solo song and dance, 3rd in modern, 3rd in solo ballet and she won her solo national which means she has qualified for the All England National Championship Finals in Leceister in November. Lauri will be one of the youngest ever finalists to participate.

Year 6

Felicity came first at the Romford Stage Festival for both her tap routine, Fabulous Feet and her song and dance performance of Anastasia.

Felicity won all 4 races at her annual sunrise meet gala with her swimming club. Felicity’s best stroke was front crawl where she achieved 2 lengths of the pool in 44.68 seconds. Her team won the overall competition.

I hope you all have a relaxing break, and look forward to seeing you all when we return on Thursday 22 April 2009 at 8.45am with prompt registration at 9.00am.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs J.R. Ellenby
Head Teacher

Newsletter · 12 February 2010

Dear Parents

Welcome to our latest newsletter with all the news and events of the past half-term.

Parentmail

If you have received a paper copy of this newsletter, and would prefer to receive a copy via e-mail, please ensure that you provide Mrs Williams with your current e-mail address and a mobile phone number and she will add you onto our Parentmail list.

Parentmail once again proved very useful during the recent snowy weather, as we were able to contact parents via both e-mail and text, in order to inform them that the school was closed.

Information Evening – Nursery to Reception Transition

This meeting was held on Wednesday 20 January at 7pm, with the parents of Nursery children, in order to discuss the benefits of their child progressing into our Reception class.
Thank you to all parents and staff who attended, and to Mrs Olorunfemi who spoke most eloquently from a parent’s perspective.

Following this meeting, I am delighted to confirm that twelve children from our Nursery will be joining our Reception Class in September, along with two children from other settings.

Nursery Places for September 2010

Nursery places for September 2010 are filling fast. If you have a child who has reached the age of 3 by 9 September 2010, and you would like to reserve a place, please ensure that you complete a registration form as soon as possible. Goodrington continues to participate in the Nursery funding scheme, which is available to all 3 and 4 year old children.

Please contact Mrs Williams, in the office, for further details regarding the availability of sessions for September 2010.

New Pupils

Regina has recently joined Year 3 and we wish her a very happy and successful education at Goodrington.

Inset

The Inset Meeting held on 6 January focussed on ‘The Needs of Bereaved Children and How to Respond to the Needs of Bereaved Children’. The speaker came from St. Francis Hospice and gave a most moving seminar for the staff. Whilst we hope never to use the most useful information we received, it is reassuring that we will be able to deal with bereavement situations in a sensitive and caring way.

Staff Training

Mrs Terry attended an Introduction to Child Protection Course on 21 January 2010.

Setting Specific Meeting

I attended the above evening meeting on Tuesday 9 February at the CEME centre in Rainham. The information from this seminar is relevant and designed for all staff and associated staff in Nursery Settings in Havering.

Library visits

Following the successful visits to the library in 2009, the Upper School were able to meet with Librarian Margaret Harris to further increase their knowledge. Years 3 and 4 visited the library on Tuesday 19 January at 9.45am and Years 5 and 6 visited the library on Tuesday 26 January at 9.45am. Mrs. Weatherup was able to assist the staff members in walking the pupils to the library.

Mrs. Harris then came into school on Tuesday 2 February to speak with the Foundation Stage and KS1 at the following times:

·Nursery – 9.30am to10am
·Reception – 10.00am to10.30am
·Year 1 – 10.55am to 11.25am
·Year 2 – 11.30am to 12 noon

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed her visit to the school.

Sharing Assembly

The parents of Year 1 and Year 2 were invited into the assembly this morning. The pupils were able to share with their families the work they have recently achieved. The parents of pupils in the Nursery and Reception classes will be invited to come along to their child’s sharing assembly next term on 28 May 2010.

Citizenship

Mrs Sania Dhir came into school to speak to Yrs 3-6 about banking on Friday 22 January 2010. The pupils had a most informative insight into the world of banking and our grateful thanks go to Sania.

Haiti Earthquake Appeal

The pupils were thrilled to have raised £176 for the Governments Help for Haiti Appeal. The sponsored silence whist eating their lunch in the hall was a great success, with even the youngest pupils taking part. Thank you to all who contributed to help this stricken country.

Contact Details

Please ensure that your latest contact information is given to the office, if for example, you have updated your mobile phone number. We must be able to contact you in the case of an emergency as well as to simply relay information.

Medical Update

Can you please inform the office immediately, if your child has developed a medical condition or allergy in the last 12 months and we will provide you with the necessary form for completion.

It is vital that you inform the school if there are any changes to your child’s health.

Pupil Absence

If your child is absent from school, please ensure that you inform the school office by 9.30am, and then send in an absence letter addressed to your child’s teacher upon their return to school.

Please also keep ill pupils at home. Whilst I appreciate that parents need to work, please ensure that you have contingency plans in place, should your child become ill.

Name Tags

I would just like to remind you of an excellent supplier of name tags for clothing and other items. All orders are dispatched first class within 24 hours and they can be contacted on 01242 237195.

The Company’s name and internet site is NameTag-it.co.uk

Fees

Difficult times are still upon us all financially, and I would like to thank parents for their efforts in ensuring that their fees are paid on time. My grateful thanks are passed on to you, as I am sure that you will appreciate that in order to run a successful school we need to have the finances in place at the beginning of each term.

Mrs Williams has made a polite request that if you do pay any fees directly into the school’s bank account, that you ensure your full name is entered against the amount paid; otherwise it can be very difficult tracing the payee, particularly when more than one parent is making the same payment.

The fees have been reviewed for the start of the Autumn term and remain exceptionally competitive. The revised fees, with effect from 1 September 2010, are as follows:

Main School Fees

Fees and tuition including books will be £1500 per term

Nursery Fees

In accordance with the Nursery Funding Scheme, fees for the nursery children will now be shown as an hourly rate of £4.42 per hour for the 2010/2011 academic year.

Nursery fees will be calculated each term by multiplying the number of hours attended (above the funded hours) by the number of weeks for that term.

Extras

Morning refreshments will be £45 per term.

Personal Accident Insurance will be £5 per term.

FOG Subscription will be £20 per family per annum.

Notice Period

I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that, in accordance with our terms and conditions, there is a term’s notice period if you decide to withdraw your child from Goodrington School. For example, if you are moving out of the area in the Summer Term and your child is due to start a new school in September 2010, you must inform the school by 31 March 2010 that they will not be returning to Goodrington, otherwise a term’s fees will still be payable.

Recorders

I am pleased to advise you that Mrs Wiltshire, our Music Teacher, will be starting recorder lessons for Years 2 to 6 from Monday 22 February 2010, during their music lessons.

Pupils from Years 4 to 6 will need to bring their recorders and music books in with them each Monday, with effect from this date. Recorders and books have now been ordered for pupils in Years 2 and 3.

YMCA

Please remember that the school does not become involved in the arrangements made between the YMCA and parents. Therefore, please ensure that the YMCA knows the days that they need to collect your child from Goodrington. There have been a number of occasions recently where there has been a lot of confusion as to who is collecting a child from school.

Thank you, in advance, for your co-operation.

Websites

I would just like to remind all parents to be vigilant when their child is on the computer at home. Please do put in as many safeguards as possible to protect your child from younger people’s sites, which may not always be as innocent as they first appear.

School Trips

I would like to confirm that the following school trips have now been booked, and letters outlining full details will be sent out nearer the time:

Years 2, 3 and 4 will be going to Wimbledon Museum on Wednesday 17 March 2010.

Years 5 and 6 will be going to Hedingham Castle on Thursday 10 June 2010.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will be going to Colne Valley Railway on Thursday 17 June 2010.

Sport Relief – Friday 19 March

Information regarding Sport Relief has started to arrive in school. This will be a non-uniform day and pupils can come into school in sports wear. Please make sure that the sports wear is appropriate for school and warm enough for your child. Please send in a donation of £1 (or an amount that you feel you would like to donate) with your child and once all the monies have been received, they will be sent to the organisers to help the many good charitable causes they represent.

Wall displays

Staff change the wall displays three times a year in time for each half-term. Do take the opportunity to view the displays the next time you come into school to see how hard the children have been working.

Meeting Parents

I am always available to meet with parents at a mutually convenient time if there is anything you wish to discuss. My ‘open-door’ policy continues and unless I am teaching, I will meet with parents immediately if there is a pressing issue they would like to raise. In the first instance, please see Mrs Williams and Mrs Ruyten in the office, who will be very happy to organise a meeting.

After School Pupils

Please be prompt when collecting your child from school, whether at the end of the school day or from an After School Club. The staff often have appointments or courses to attend after school and it isn’t fair to put excessive pressure on them to try and reach their destination in good time. Do ring the school if there is a possibility of you arriving later than the scheduled pick-up time.

To save unnecessary anguish, please inform the school if a different person will be collecting your child from school. Furthermore, please do not take another child in your car without informing the school AND their parents.

It has been noticed that a number of pupils still do not have the full PE kit for their weekly lesson. Mrs. Cast will always take pupils out into the grounds unless the weather is very inclement. It is not acceptable for any pupil to wear their school cardigan or jumper for added warmth. A decision has been made that following the half-term break, any pupil who is not in full kit (as per the official list), will remain with their class teacher and complete academic work.

Please send in a note addressed to the class teacher and Mrs. Cast if your child has a valid reason as to why they cannot participate in PE in any particular week.

Hinduism workshop

A multi-cultural workshop has been organised for the morning of Tuesday 9 March. The Lower School (Nursery-Yr 2) will have their session before break, with the Upper School (Yrs 3-6) following break until lunch time.

This event promises to be extremely valuable for the pupils and they will be able to build upon their knowledge of the faith they have gained so far. This workshop will be quite expensive to run and, therefore, all parents are requested to contribute towards the cost. A letter will be sent out after half-term. Should any parents wish their child not to attend, they will be allocated a convenient room with a covering staff member and their teacher will supply appropriate work.

75th Celebrations/Summer Fete

The school’s 75th Anniversary celebrations are due this Summer and this very special occasion is to be combined with the Summer Fete on Saturday 12 June. Details will follow in due course, but please be aware that pupils will be involved with the celebrations during the afternoon. The F.O.G. Committee will once again be requiring offers of help to run stalls etc. and they will be asking parents in the near future.

F.O.G Meeting/Update

Due to inclement weather and parental commitments, the last meeting was eventually held on 3rd February 2010. Many items were discussed including the purchase of laptops, another basketball hoop, the forthcoming Quiz Night and the Summer Fete/75th Celebrations.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 24 February at 3.20pm in the library. Do make every effort to attend. The meeting usually lasts for approximately 40 minutes where future events are discussed for the benefit of ALL pupils in the school.

Laptops are now in the process of being organised and this purchase has only been able to go ahead due to the stalwart fundraising efforts of the Friends of Goodrington and the leadership of the committee. Our grateful thanks extends to them all.

Quiz Night

Following the successful inaugural Quiz Night in the Autumn Term, another one has been arranged for Friday 26 March at The David Lloyd Gym in Gidea Park. Tickets will go on sale after half-term at £8 each. Start organising your table (maximum 6 per table) and brushing up on your general knowledge in time for this social evening. Martin Day will once again be our Quiz Master and a light finger buffet will be included in the price of the ticket.

Seminar/Parents Evening

I have received notification of an important Head Teachers Seminar on the evening of Wednesday 3 March 2010. This unfortunately has clashed with the original date given for Parents Evening. The new date for Parents Evening will be Wednesday 10 March 2010 and I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.

Carol Concert

This annual concert has been arranged for Monday 13 December at 6pm. Please make a note in your diary.

Pantomime

We have already made a booking to take all the pupils to see Aladdin, at the Queen’s Theatre, on Tuesday 14 December 2010. This always proves to be a very popular outing with both pupils and parents, and more details will be sent out to you in the Autumn Term.

Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers

Sainsbury’s Active Kids 2010 has launched, and vouchers will be available from Sainsbury’s stores, petrol stations and with online groceries between 17 February and 8 June 2010. Our collecting box is already sitting in the hallway, so please start collecting your vouchers next week and bring them into school as Sainsbury’s have many exciting resources that we can purchase with our vouchers.

Pupil Achievements

Year 4

Tami participated in the Romford Festival on Saturday 6 February and came second in the Modern Junior Category.

Term Dates

Please be advised that Term Dates for the remainder of this academic year, and the academic year 2010/11 are detailed on the back of this newsletter.

I hope you all have a relaxing break, and look forward to seeing you all when we return on Monday 22 February 2010 at 8.45am with prompt registration at 9.00am.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs J.R. Ellenby
Head Teacher

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