Newsletter 28.4.23

News

28th April 2023

This week has been a busy week at Alveston! We have been busy interviewing to complete our Teaching Assistant team for September. It is always a joy to observe candidates take part in a series of activities, often seeing and hearing about new and different approaches to teaching and learning. We all, staff and children alike, love to show people our school, to talk to them about our vision and values and demonstrate Alveston ‘SHINING’ in action.

However, our favourite bit of all is observing the children working with adults, who are either completely new to them, or new in the classroom. All the children showed our visitors that they are welcoming, polite and respectful, excited by books and happy to chat and share their thoughts and opinions. Our children always make our hearts sing, even more so when they welcome newcomers as they did. They were definitely letting their lights shine, so others could see the brilliant work they do! We are very proud of them all.

This weekend is a bank holiday so we will not be here on Monday. We do hope you have a fabulous break and if you can, pop into school on Saturday and experience a day in the life of a Roman!

With best wishes for a restful weekend,

Anne Clewley

Head Teacher

Stars and House Point Cup Winners!
 
Stars of the Week
 
Well done to this week's *Stars of the Week*!
 
Reception ~ Cillian
Year 1 ~ Cordelia
Year 2 ~ Ora
Year 3 ~ Elliot
Year 4 ~ Harry
Year 5 ~ Oscar
Year 6 ~ Finn

Congratulations to all of our Stars! 

House Point Cup Winners 

Congratulations to Othello Yellows
 
Shakespeare's Birthday Parade
 
We were delighted to take part in Shakespeare's birthday parade last weekend...and thankfully the weather was kind! The children who represented Alveston were absolute credits to our school. They thoroughly enjoyed taking the whole experience in - watching the band, waving to the crowds and marvelling at the unfurling of the flags. The children walked in the parade through town, ending once they had laid flowers on Shakespeare's grave. A big thank you to the children who gave up their weekend to attend and to Mrs Matthews who supported myself and Mrs Newitt in escorting the children.
 
 
Historians and Tennis Stars in the Making!
 
Year 2 started their new topic about holidays in the past. As you can see above, they had great fun finding information from old photographs to find out more. 
 
Year 3 and 4 children recently attended Stratford Sports Club to work with professional coaches on their tennis skills. The children played a range of activities to learn about the court and warm up before picking up the rackets and playing a match of tennis.
On your local travels, you may have noticed Tiddington's new village signs, very kindly funded by the NFU Mutual and Councillor Kate Rolfe’s WCC discretionary fund. These news signs celebrate the fact that Tiddington has a history going back earlier than Stratford, showing a Roman helmet and a reference to the Roman occupation since AD 47. We're not sure where this motley crew of Roman soldiers appeared from...but they look fearsome!
DON'T FORGET.....the Romans Are Coming!!!
 
On Saturday 29th April, Tiddington Village Residents Association will partner with Alveston Primary School to hold a Roman re-enactment on our school playing fields! The aim is to let the children of the area experience more about the Romans and how they lived. Rumour also has it that there might be some battling, archery and Roman cooking!
 
You don't want to miss out on this amazing experience!
 
Tiddington is steeped in Roman history and a group of enthusiasts, called 'The Vicus', will set up camp to show how the local Iron Age people and Romans lived in the First century AD. The group will be showing the living history of these people in the setting of a small trading town associated with the Roman military. There will be Roman soldiers, as well as Roman and Iron Age traders and villagers.
 
All residents of Tiddington and Alveston are welcome. Dig out your old Roman gear and come along! Roman soldiers are particularly welcome.
 
Light refreshments (hot drinks and a selection of cakes and treats) will be provided by the Friends of Alveston team, from 10:30am-2pm. Please feel free to bring along a picnic for hungrier tummies!
  
Further details re timings and what to expect can be found here.
As you know, the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023. To mark this momentous occasion, residents across Warwickshire are being invited to get involved in a weekend of celebrations from Saturday 6th to Monday 8th May 2023. Warwickshire County Council have put together this video to tell you more! Warwickshire's Lord Lieutenant, Tim Cox, talks through the key events and activities taking place in Warwickshire during the Coronation Weekend.

Warwickshire’s Country Parks are set to be a great destination to celebrate the coronation. With free parking and a range of activities planned at country parks and greenways throughout the County, there is something for everyone to get involved with the weekend of celebrations. Click here for more information.
 
Don't forget our very own celebration here at school on Friday 5th May! Gates open at 1.30pm.
 
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.  
 

Coventry and Warwickshire Youth Orchestra ~ are holding a family-friendly concert, titled “Heroes and Villains”, on Saturday 13th May at 2pm at the Coventry Central Hall in Coventry. They are offering free tickets to any young players who wish to attend! Find out more here...

Stratford Literary Festival ~ A brilliant weekend of events are lined up for children and families on 6th-7th May 2023. The events are all about engaging children in books and reading and nurturing the pleasure that can be gained from both. Wonderful authors such as Philip Ardagh and Kristina Stephenson, Storyteller Peter Chand and Folksy Theatre are bringing Mister Magnolia to the Big Top circus tent - to name but a few. Take a look here for further details!
 
Little Kickers ~ Little Kickers have two core beliefs that they take into every football class they offer. Firstly, they believe in something they call “Play not Push” - teaching football in a fun, pressure-free environment, giving children a positive introduction to sport as a whole, not just football. Secondly, they believe football can be educational. Coached in the right way it can stimulate imagination and aid early development skills such as learning colours and numbers, following instructions and playing as a team. If this appeals to you and the young, budding footballers in your household, then please take a look here for more information.
 
Coronation Bunting ~ Addington Fund, a farming charity based in Barford, has launched a campaign to help schools across Warwickshire brighten up their Coronation celebrations by donating lengths of brightly coloured knitted bunting. If you would like to purchase some bunting of your own, while supporting an amazing local charity, you can find more details here.
 
The April edition of the Connect for Health school nursing service magazine can be found under the "Our Community" section of our website. 
 
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
 
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/ , or visit our website clicking here

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.  

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, please email parents3002@welearn365.com for assistance.

Dates to Remember This Academic Year
 
Below are some key dates for this term and the academic year - they have also been added to the website calendar.  In addition, you can find information relating to term dates here and teacher led club dates here:
 

4/5/23                   FoA Committee Meeting

30/6/23                Non School Uniform

7/7/23                   Summer Fayre

21/7/23                2022/23 Academic Year ends

24-25/7/23          INSET DAYS (children not in school)

4/9/23                   2023/24 Academic Year starts

Friends of Alveston dates are also included in the website calendar. 

To view our calendar, with more information and dates, please click here.
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