NEWSLETTER 17 – 26TH MAY 2017

 

SNACKS AT BREAK TIME

Our School Council along with Ms Eddison run a ‘Healthy Snacks Tuck Shop’ at break time every day.  At the recent Parents’ Forum, I was asked for some more information on exactly what is sold and the price of the items.  Ms Eddison has provided me with the following update:

 

At the moment the tuck shop sells apples, bananas, satsumas and dried fruit for 20p each.  We also have cereal biscuits and cheese biscuits for 10p each. In summer there may be other fresh fruits available, all depending on price. We don’t sell any chocolate, jam, or nuts and the biscuits we sell are the healthier options.

 

Thursdays are a little different with cereal bars, yoghurt covered fruit, dried fruit and sometimes flapjacks sold for 30p. Again I try to find the healthiest version and fresh fruit and dried fruit is still sold on this day, no biscuits though.

 

All Year 5/6 pupils are given the chance to work at the tuck shop, at morning break only.

 

Children are only allowed to buy 3 biscuits and on a Thursday 1 cereal bar, fresh fruit is unlimited.  On the days that our school fundraises for a charity, all the money from the tuck shop goes into that collection. On the days Year 6 sell for their pound project, very little is bought from the tuck shop.

 

There is very little profit as I try to keep prices down but it has been used to support a cookery club and class cooking.

 

We trust that this helps parents to make informed choices, but do come in and talk to us if it’s easier.

 

BEING SAFE IN THE SUN

We always encourage the children to be safe in the sun.  When we return after the holiday we will ensure that children do not spend too much time in direct sunlight.  Children are encouraged to wear a named sun hat and it would be helpful if your child has sun cream applied before they come to school in the morning.  We always ensure children have access to plenty of drinking water during the day to help keep them hydrated.

 

STAFF CHANGES

The last few months have been incredibly busy in terms of the appointment of staff.  This means there will be a significant change of personnel in September 2017.  As well as staff changes, we also need an additional fifth Year 3/4 teacher as part of the continuing expansion of the school. We have been working hard to ensure the staffing complement is all in place and that all staff are able to make a good start to the autumn term.  

 

Miss Charlie Hawkes has been successful in her application to the Senior Leadership Team at a school in Nottingham City.  Similarly, Miss Gemma Abasspour has also been successful in her application as Key Stage 2 Team Leader at a school in Nottingham City.  Their promotions are a wonderful achievement and we of course wish them luck in their new roles.

 

I am pleased to confirm that Miss Katherine Naylor has been appointed as the new KS1 Team Leader as from September 2017.  Miss Naylor will join us for several days prior to the start of term as part of her induction.  She is currently working in Dubai and will bring a wealth of experience with her from teaching in an international school.

 

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Miss Suzie Lee, who is currently covering maternity leave in Otters Class, will be joining us permanently from September.

 

Three other new teachers joining us from September are Miss Laura Morle, Miss Iman Farrell and Miss Grace Dawson, all of who had excellent interviews and come highly recommended.

 

Finally, Miss Hewitt’s maternity leave will start at the end of the summer months.  Mrs Pye is successfully appointed as acting Deputy from September 2017. 

 

RAMADAN

If your child will be fasting during Ramadan we would like to work with you to make sure we look after their welfare in the best way we can.   As Ramadan begins shortly we would appreciate it if you could let us know if your child will be fasting and if there is anything we can do to help support you and your child. Click here to see the LA guidance.  

 

COMPLAINT POLICY UPDATE

The governors have recently updated the school complaints policy.  We are looking for feedback about the policy which can be found here.  Please email the school office by Friday 16th June with comments.

 

TOP TRUMPS CHAMPION

During the last half term, 36 children from Lower KS2 have been battling it out to become the Top Trumps Champion of Round Hill. This year’s theme has been amazing animals and the children have used the Top Trumps game to learn lots of interesting animal facts. Following a close run match, Alex from Puffins class has won this year’s crown for the school and has now been entered into the national, online competition. We should know in June if he has managed to get into the finals, we'll keep you posted!

 

INTER COUNTY CHESS FINALS

The Nottinghamshire Primary Schools Chess Association took part in the English Primary Schools Inter County Finals in Oldham. Both Ben and Rees took part and helped the County achieve a very creditable seventh place in a very hard fought final. The Under 11 Nottinghamshire Chess Team Manager has been in touch with me to say they were a credit to their parents and their school. Congratulations to them both on this achievement of representing the County in this National tournament.

 

STORYTELLING SESSION IN FOUNDATION

The Foundation children had a wonderful day of storytelling with Mike Payton.  There was great excitement from all of the children (and adults!) as he told us stories and sang songs he has gathered on his travels around the world.  Thank you from all of the staff and children in EYFS for giving your time so generously.

 

 

SOUTH BROXTOWE FOOTBALL AND NETBALL TOURNAMENT

On Thursday 18th May, Mr Abdy and Mr Walker (Daisy and Daniel's Dad) took 12 Year 5/6 children to the South Broxtowe Football tournament at Bramcote Hills Primary School. It was a beautiful afternoon for football and the children performed brilliantly. We were placed in a tough group but still managed to finish with a good record of two wins, two draws and two defeats. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite enough to take us through to the semi-finals but everyone who took part still enjoyed a great afternoon of sport. Well done!

7 children from Year 6 also attended the tournament to play netball.  The team played brilliantly.  They drew their first game and won all of their other games by a significant lead.  This was enough to get us through to the final where we were defeated 2-1.  Special thanks to Amy who stepped into the team at the last minute.

 

 

 

THE ADDED ‘XTRA FACTOR’ AT ROUND HILL

At the end of this newsletter you will find a list of all of the added ‘xtra factor’ activities from the spring term. Enjoy!

 

SCHOOL CALENDAR - DIARY DATES

Click here to view the school calendar.

 

Yours sincerely,

Adrian Nash

Headteacher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

RHA NEWS

We have this year's Summer Fair coming up on the 24th June, raffle box letters with this year's theme of colours will be coming home soon and volunteer boards will be out in the playgrounds after half term.  Please give an hour of your time to help raise funds that support the enhancement of school life.

 

Many thanks

RHA Committee

 

Diary Dates

24th June - Summer Fair

14th July - End of Year Bash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ADDED ‘XTRA FACTOR’ AT ROUND HILL

During the spring term we made sure we continued to provide quality learning opportunities for all children. Written below is a snapshot of the ‘added xtra factor’ fun activities that took place in the spring term: 

 

We continue to celebrate writing in school by using our 'Star Writer' notice board which is located near the hall. Each week class teachers will choose a child who has produced a piece of ‘star writing’. This work will be displayed on the Star Writer Notice Board the following week so that parents are able to come and see their child’s work.

 

Good Work Assemblies continue to showcase the excellent work that our children are doing in school. These are a real celebration of the children’s work whilst also giving them an excellent opportunity to improve their presentation, speaking and listening skills. These were very well received and will continue to be a feature of the work we do this year.

 

On Tuesday 17th January, Mr Abdy took 19 children to the final of the Broxtowe Sports Hall Athletics competition which was being held at George Spencer Academy. Round Hill came out on top pushing the reigning champions, Bramcote Hills, into second place! This means that the team will go on to represent Broxtowe at the county championships which are to be held in the first week after the half term holiday.

 

Two classes in Years 5 and 6 have had the opportunity to take part in some fencing sessions this half term. The children have learned about the equipment, the different types of attack and defence and are even looking forward to some mini-competitions. The sport has gone down very well and the children have really enjoyed the chance to try something new.

 

As in previous terms, some parents/carers were invited to longer consultation meetings, now known as ‘Taking Time to Talk Conversations’ as part of our ‘Achievement for All’ project work. www.afa3as.org.uk

 

Thanks to Mrs Abasspour and Miss Owen for running our Netball Club/Team.  We also ran the school choirs, the school orchestra and Chess Club/Teams.

 

For the second time we held highly successful KS1 Parent/Child Reading Days.  It was a great opportunity for parents to share a story with their children. Over 50 volunteers supported/attended on each day.

 

On Friday 3rd February, 55 children from Key Stage 2 took part in a cross country race at Wollaton Park organised by Nottingham High School. We picked up silver medals in both of the Year 3/4 team competitions whilst the Year 5/6 girls' team also won a bronze medal. A very successful day's work.

 

On Saturday 4th February, Round Hill had 6 children representing Broxtowe in the County Schools' Cross Country Championships which were held at Wollaton Park. Well done to all of the children involved - it is fantastic to have children performing at such a high level!

 

To celebrate World Book Day, children came to school dressed up as their favourite book character.  Children also brought their favourite book into school to share with their class.

 

Just before half term, the whole school was treated to a performance by clarinet players from the University of Nottingham. The students performed several familiar pieces including the Simpson's theme tune and music from Harry Potter. The children all got involved, clapping along and asking questions about the instruments.

 

The children raised money for Red Nose Day in March.  Round Hill's fundraising helped to improve people's lives in the UK and Africa.

 

On Tuesday 21st February, Mr Abdy, Mrs Nassau and 18 children from KS2 attended the Nottinghamshire Schools' Swimming Gala at Bramcote Leisure Centre. There were many different events and we had lots of individual winners including Jessica and Ciara (Y6), Sam (Y5) and Sophie, Bea and Alex (Y4). It was an excellent event and overall the team finished in 5th place out of 11 schools.  Congratulations to all who took part.

 

20 children from Years 5&6 along with Mr Abdy and Mrs Nassau represented Broxtowe in the Sportshall Athletics competition at the Nottinghamshire Schools' Winter Games on Thursday 23rd February. Round Hill competed against the champions of the other seven boroughs in the County in a range of different track and field events. In what was a really exciting and prestigious event, the children performed superbly and finished up as silver medal winners! There were big smiles all round and the children should be extremely proud of how well they competed and what a great job they did representing both the school and the whole of Broxtowe!

 

Our KS1 and KS2 Cheerleaders competed at the Broxtowe Cheerleading competition at The George Spencer Academy on 6th March. We were very proud of how well the children performed their routine and the level of stunting that the children have managed to achieve this year.  We were awarded 1st place in the KS1 category and 1st place in the KS2 category which is a fantastic achievement! Well done to all the children who competed and to the staff Mrs Nassau, Mrs Yates and Miss Hawkes who run the Cheerleading Clubs.

 

Following our successful entry to win a Greenpower kit car, over 40 Year 5&6 pupils have been actively involved in the construction of the car.  Every Thursday after school they have found the component parts, nuts & bolts and worked as a team to assemble each part of the build. They have been supported in this project by Dr Lee Empringham & Dr Liliana De-Lillo along with a range of post-graduate engineering students from the University of Nottingham. We are very thankful for their encouragement and expertise.  All the pupils involved have learnt a variety of new engineering and technical skills but more importantly they have left full of enthusiasm about science and engineering.  Watch this space for the next stage of the project which is to design and make the bodywork for our Round Hill Green Goblin car! The picture shows our Green Goblin Kit car awaiting its bodywork with a few of our future engineers and scientists.

 

On Wednesday 22nd March, Bramcote School held their annual Federation Primary Dance Festival. It was a fantastic event with many local schools attending. This year’s theme was The Oscars or film / movies. Our KS1 team did a dance to Billy Elliot's 'I love to Boogie' with a Year 6 stunt team doing a cheer routine to 'Footloose'. Our KS2 dance club closed the show to rapturous applause with a dance to 'Nicest kids in Town' from Hairspray.

 

In an assembly on Friday 10th March, we were joined by some of the builders from Arc Partnership (who are building the new library next to our School) and they announced the winners of the ‘Design a Health & Safety Mascot’ competition.  Congratulations to Sophie who won 1st prize.  Sophie’s mascot has been enlarged and printed and has appeared on posters around the building site. 

 

What a busy and fantastic term which certainly fits the description of the added ‘Xtra Factor’.