20th October 2023
We endeavour to live our mission each and every day - Together we all SHINE. Over the last eight days we have had two wonderful occasions to come together as a community and celebrate. Our first 'all together time' of the academic year took place on Friday 13th. It proved to be lucky for us, as so many parents joined us in school. It is such a special experience to witness the buzz in the hall with everyone catching up, all excited, some nervous, to join their children in class. We moved the focus this year from learning to reading and it was an absolute joy to see so many parents sharing their favourite books, reading with the children and joining in with all the activities.
On Thursday we celebrated all things Harvest. Our visits to St James' will always be a highlight of the year for me. My heart could literally burst watching almost 250 children and adults snaking their way through Tiddington and Alveston. With the changing colours of the leaves and the pavements laden with the fruits of the trees, it is a particularly exciting walk for the children. (Who doesn't love kicking up the leaves at this time of the year?!). What makes our hearts truly sing is seeing the church full to bursting, children and parents coming together for this joyful service of thanks. You can read more about both of these events below.
Thank you once again to the children for being utterly brilliant, to everyone who walked with us to church, joined us for the service or donated to our collection for the Food Bank. Thanks to Rev. Linda and the St James' team for hosting the service, to Ed Goldsmith for accompanying us and helping us to practice our singing, to the teachers and teaching teams for all their hard work on the class performances and to Mrs Newitt for pulling together such a wonderful Harvest event. Together we really do SHINE brighter.
Wishing you a rest-filled weekend,
Anne Clewley
Head Teacher
Stars of the Week!
Reception ~ George
Year 1 ~ Isabelle
Year 2 ~ Erin
Year 3 ~ Benji
Year 4 ~ Olivia
Year 4 ~ Olivia
Year 5 ~ Rowan
Year 6 ~ Molly
Congratulations to all of our Stars - well done!
House Point Cup Winners!
Congratulations to Avon Blues!
On Thursday 19th October we celebrated our Harvest Festival at St James' Church. The children were exceptional with their harvest and autumn inspired work - singing songs, reciting poems and sharing seasonal information.
Our Collective Worship committee had written a new school prayer and they were able to share this with the wider school family for the first time. Every class performed wonderfully and the whole congregation, singing with Ed's organ accompaniment, was so moving. We were incredibly lucky with the weather on our walk to the church.
A big thank you to the parents who joined us for the walk - your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you to everyone who came and joined us for this special seasonal festival and a huge WELL DONE to our amazing children who shone so very brightly together. You made us very proud.
Click here to see some really special pictures of this wonderful event!
Reading Together Time
It was wonderful to see so many parents join us for Reading Together Time. We came together at the end of the day and enjoyed lots of fabulous activities.
Reception shared the story The Scarecrows' Wedding by Julia Donaldson. Parents and children then participated in a carousel of activities including designing a Harvest themed wedding cake and writing an invitation to the wedding of Betty and Harry!
Year 1 began work on their alternative 'Bear Hunt' stories with the help of their parents. They invented tooth fairies, marmosets and stegasuarus' (to name a few!) to hunt for and started to write their versions of the story and draw their own illustrations. Their creativity was next level fantastic!
Year 2 parents were invited to read their favourite book to a small group of children. Then Year 2 children gave the parents a book quiz!
The children in Year 3 enjoyed listening to extracts from stories which adults brought in to share. Small groups shared these tales - both classic and modern!
Year 4 read a chapter of our book “My Side of the Mountain” and summarised the chapter to the adult on their table. They then worked together with their adult to create comic strips including as much detail about the chapter as possible.
Year 5 read some more of our class reader, Journey To the River Sea and then discussed all the characters met so far. In small groups, we debated where we would place them on a character graph and why.
Year 6 read an extract about WW2 and fun was had by all as they completed a very competitive quiz using Kahoot!
We love the buzz around school during these events and we know parents and children do too. Thank you to all those who took the time to share their feedback, we appreciate each and every word!
Reception Class learnt the story of the Little Red Hen. The children then learnt how to bake bread! We enjoyed eating the bread and one child said “it tastes nice and it is soft and squidgy”. We also sequenced how to make bread and wrote the word bread.
Reception Class Bake Sale
Last week's Bake Sale was a roaring success and Reception class definitely stepped up to the plate. Competition is strong! Next up are Year 4 on Friday 10th November...
Don't forget to ready, set, bake...for these dates:
Friday 29th September - Year 6
Friday 6th October - Year 1
Friday 13th October - Reception
Friday 10th November - Year 4
Friday 24th November - Year 2
Friday 19th January - Year 5
Friday 26th January - Year 3
And as a little reminder to our taste-testing children, parents, carers and family members - don't forget your cake money!
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We have received very concerning emails regarding the usage of the football club car park and the continued parking on Knights Lane during drop-off and pick-up.
Having navigated the hazards of parked cars on Knights Lane, parents are reporting others who are driving in and out of the car park too fast, without consideration for other road users.
During drop-off at the car park, a near-miss has been reported this week - a car exiting the car park just missed clipping a small child. Another driver was witnessed reversing into another, unaware of what was behind.
Firstly, please may we ask all parents who drive to school to use the football club car park for the safety of children and families walking to school. Secondly, when using the car park, we ask all parents to kill their speed and consider the safety of our children and other car park users.
We do appreciate time is precious, particularly in the mornings with everyone wanting to get to work, however we ask everyone coming to school by car to consider the safety of our community at all times.
If you have any concerns about road safety, please do let us know at parents3002@welearn365.com.
Kids Eat For Less.....or For FREE...This Half Term!
Community Interest
We post all community events and projects on our website under 'Our Community'. For more information about activities open to you and your family, please do check the page regularly. The section below is updated every week, for your quick reference:
Feel like "Mucking About" this Halloween? ~ Mucking About Playgroup are bringing you 4 fabulous Halloween specials during Half Term! Their play space will be transformed into a spectacular Halloween-themed experience. Children will be able to make nature monster masks, spider pine cones, decorate Halloween biscuits, mix potions and so much more. Click here for details on timings and how to book.
Half-Term Activities galore! ~ the Autumn edition of Raring2go! South Warwickshire has hit the streets! You will find a link to the digital edition of the magazine here. Enjoy!
Hurry to the Pumpkin Patch! ~ Oversley Hill Farm, near Alcester, invite you to "pick your own pumpkin" this half term. With colouring, a spooky maze and delicious refreshments available, you're sure to have a great time! Click here for opening times and more...
Fitt4Kids ~ Bookings are now open for the Fitt4Kids October half-term clubs...and they are booking up fast! Click here to make sure you don't miss out.
Half-Term Tennis Fun! ~ Stratford Tennis Club have a treat in store for any tennis fans this half-term. Click here to find out what's on offer.
Activity & Football Camps ~ Looking for some October Half-Term activities? Look no further than the Skills & More holiday activity camps being held at the Central Ajax Football Club in Warwick! Click here to check out the range of sessions on offer.
Virtual First Aid ~ Barnado's Warwickshire Children & Family Centres, in conjunction with Freddie's Wish, are offering virtual first aid courses for parents, grandparents and carers, in October. The sessions are free and all you need is a laptop or phone with a camera and internet access. Booking is required! Please follow this link for more information. This is an amazing opportunity not to be missed!
Below are a few helpful resources to help support you and your local community:
Stratford & District Children & Family Centre ~ a new timetable of classes and activities is available for you to view here. The centre is also running a drop-in service for men and women experiencing domestic violence to meet with an outreach worker. Further information can be found here.
The latest edition of the Connect for Health school nursing service magazine can be found here or under the "Our Community" section of our website. Did you know that an estimated 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of Dyslexia? Find out about Dyslexia and how people with Dyslexia may experience more challenges, within C4H's latest newsletter. There are links to webpages to access further information and support. Also take a look at their Halloween activities and trick or treat safety advice - Do’s and Dont’s to ensure children have fun safely this Halloween!
Parents Helpline and Webchat ~ YoungMinds are the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health. This charity also offers three different services to parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health, up to the age of 25. You can find out more about the Parents Helpline, Webchat and Email service here.
Last but not least, you can also find a list of Stratford Food Bank's latest "MOST WANTED" items under "Our Community". Please do take a look.
General Reminders
Parking at Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We are so lucky at Alveston that the Football Club allow all our parents who drive to school to use their car park for drop-off and pick-up. This makes it safer for all our children. Please continue to use the Football Club car park. Please do not park on Knights Lane, Oak Road or any double-yellow lines for pick-up or drop-offs. Please also ensure that you do not stop or park within the zig-zag "Keep Clear" markings. This area is marked to keep the flow of traffic moving and to ensure the safety of all pedestrians.
Music lessons in school
If you are interested in music lessons, please click here. Warwickshire Music have opened their waiting lists for: Piano, Violin, Oboe, Flute, Clarinet, Tenoroon/bassoon, Cello, Viola and Guitar (age restrictions apply to some instruments. Contact Warwickshire Music directly for more information or to sign up: https://www.warwickshiremusichub.org/
Coronavirus within school
If your child tests positive for coronavirus, or has one or more of: temperature, continuous cough, loss of sense of smell or taste, please keep them off school for a minimum of three days or until they are better after three days. Please report all absences to the school office as below.
Sickness and Absence
Please let the school office know each day your child is absent from school by calling 01789 293412 and leaving a message. You may also email parents3002@welearn365.com. You do not need to contact us daily if your child is sick. Absences for sickness will be recorded 48 hours from the end of the day your child was last sick (i.e. if sick on Sunday, come back on Wednesday; if Tuesday come back on Friday) nor for COVID absences.
Please let the school office know each day your child is absent from school by calling 01789 293412 and leaving a message. You may also email parents3002@welearn365.com. You do not need to contact us daily if your child is sick. Absences for sickness will be recorded 48 hours from the end of the day your child was last sick (i.e. if sick on Sunday, come back on Wednesday; if Tuesday come back on Friday) nor for COVID absences.
Medicines in School
We cannot accept medicines in school without a prescription label and a medical form completed by a parent or carer. Please ask the school office for more information and/or a form: parents3002@welearn365.com.
Fitt4Kids before and after school clubs
If you are interested in more information or signing up to Fitt4Kids before and after school clubs, please contact Simon directly: fitt4kids@gmail.com - 07731639980 - http://fitt4kids.org.uk/
Naming Items in school
Please ensure any items brought into school are named so they can be returned to your child if misplaced. This includes uniform, water bottles, snack and lunch boxes, etc.
Are you eligible for Free School Meals?
Do you know if you are eligible for Free School Meals and other support? To find out more, please click here to be redirected to our website.
Key Information
Don't forget to check our School News by visiting: www.alvestoncofeprimary.co.uk and click on the ‘News’ tab. Alternatively, you can click on the ‘News’ tab on the App.
Throughout the week lots of different organisations share their news and local activities. These have been saved to 'Our Community' tab on our website and App.
If you are not set up on the e-schools App, and would like to be, email parents3002@welearn365.com for assistance.
Important Dates to Remember
Key dates for the autumn term and the new academic year are HERE! They have also been added to the website calendar. You can find information relating to term dates here and teacher-led club dates here:
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Autumn Term (1) |
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Celebration / Star of the Week Assemblies: |
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15/9, 22/9, 29/9, 6/10, 13/10, 20/10 |
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Teacher-Led Clubs (6 wks) |
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11th Sept to 20th Oct |
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23/10 |
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Half-Term Cup Assembly |
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27/10 |
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Crazy Hair Day (£1) |
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HALF-TERM 30th October – 3rd November |
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Autumn Term (2) |
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Celebration / Star of the Week Assemblies |
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10/11, 17/11, 24/11, 1/12, 8/12, 15/12 |
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Teacher-Led Clubs (4 wks) |
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13th Nov to 8th Dec |
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9/11 |
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Open Morning 9:30-11 |
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9/11 |
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Friends of Alveston AGM |
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10/11 |
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Remembrance Service: Y2 & Y6 to visit War Memorial |
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10/11 |
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Y4 Bake Sale |
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13/11 |
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Odd Socks Day |
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14/11 |
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Parents’ Evening 3:30-6:30pm (face-to-face) |
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16/11 |
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Parents’ Evening 3:30-6:30pm (face-to-face) |
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20/11 |
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Open Morning 9:30-11 |
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24/11 |
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Y2 Bake Sale |
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8/12 |
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Christmas Fair/Raffle |
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12/12 |
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Christmas Performances KS1 9-10am, KS2 10:30-11:30, Rec 2-3pm |
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13/12 |
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Christmas Performances Rec 9-10am, KS1 10:30-11:30, KS2 2-3pm |
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18/12 |
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Half-Term Cup Assembly |
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TBC |
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Whole School Theatre Trip |
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22/12 |
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Last day of term. Morning only - school closes at midday! |
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22/12 |
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INSET Afternoon (children not in school from midday!) |
Friends of Alveston dates for 2023 are also included in the website calendar.
