Newsletters

Newsletter 5 - Friday, 2nd October

Headteacher Message

Hello all,

What a way to end the week.  No, I am not talking about the dismal weather but instead our first whole school live assembly via Google Meet. To finish the assembly we asked all our children to clap and cheer.  I was not expecting the wall of sound that came into my office as a result and it felt like a celebration of us all being together again.  We will be doing it every week.  I would like to extend a really big thank and well done to the waffle champion of West London, Sumru Satici Ince who set out into the unknown with her first PSA event as lead.  It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside her.  We share an optimistic outlook on life and she has needed this as the rain has come today and washed away the event. If you ordered online you will have received your waffle/s.  Thank you also to all the volunteers who have helped with the sale.  There was a really lovely moment when one of our Reception children came to get a waffle and they were sold out.  The look on his face was the definition of disappointment.  Another parent saw this and quickly offered one of her waffles to the child.  It was a lovely gesture and indicative of how I see the parent body acting on a regular basis. 

I am not going to repeat what has already said about our small walk on Monday morning but I can report that the swish hotels that I approached were not forthcoming with rooms for myself and Paul Gilbert and we will be staying in the luxurious Travel Lodge in Egham on Sunday night.  If you can spare any money to donate please do.  All proceeds are going towards purchasing books for the children of this school.  We have raised £250 already which will buy a lot of books.  If you find yourself unable to sleep early on Monday morning we will be doing live updates on Twitter throughout the night.  Clean Air day is actually on Thursday and if possible we would like to ensure that you walk to school on the day.  We are aware that some of you live a long way from the school and this will not be possible.  A number of our staff have committed to walking in on Thursday and I will also be walking in from Hampton. 

From personal experience, I know how hard it is to get more than one word replies when I ask my children about their days at school. We thought it may be good to include a specific question about their work at school. From this week on, in our new reading corner section of our newsletter, there is a question you can ask them about what they have read as a class this week.  The end of the one word reply!  We have an exciting reading incentive scheme that we are introducing from next week and we will provide more information shortly.

I’m off now to practice walking in the rain.  Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you bright and early on Monday morning.

Joe Porter 

    

Make a difference

As part of our commitment to keep making a difference; Mr Porter, Mr Gilbert and Mrs Claridge are taking  on a challenge for 'Clean Air Day'. On Monday 5th October, we will be walking the nearly 20 miles from Mrs Claridge's house in Virginia Water to the school - aiming to arrive for the start of the school day. On Thursday 8th October we will be asking as many children as possible to walk to school - wherever this is possible. We are also aiming to raise money for new books for the school and would welcome any donations. Please use the school's bank details below if you would like to make a donation. We are aiming to raise £500 for new books across the school. If you would like to donate, please make a payment to the school's account and use the payment reference 'books'.

UPDATE - thank you so much for your generous donations so far! We've raised almost half our total and would love to reach our goal of £500!

Account number: 63459825

Sort code: 60-22-03

https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/

Office Updates

Parent and Visitor Update

Please may we remind you that due to coronavirus restrictions, we are not allowing parents or visitors into the office with out a pre-arranged appointment.

Miss Gavin will be outside school at 8:40 every morning to answer any questions or queries. Please do keep to the social distancing of 2 meters. 

 

No Parking 

Please can we ask all parents and carers, to not stop or park on the yellow zig zag lines surrounding the school. These areas must be kept clear at all times for the safety of our children and access for the emergency services.

 

Winter Weather  

With the colder and wet weather approaching, please ensure your child attends school in a jumper and has a coat.

Hoodies and fleeces are not suitable for outer wear as they are not water resistant.

 Guinea Pig Consent

If you would like your child to have the experience of handling the school guinea pigs. Please log into Arbor and give consent.

 

Secondary Transfer

Children born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 are due to start year seven at secondary school in September 2021.

Use the eAdmissions website from 1 September to apply online for your child’s secondary school place.

You can name up to six schools in your application including academy or free schools and schools in other council areas.

If you do not live in the borough, you need to apply through your own council and you can include Richmond schools in your application.

The closing date for applying for a year 7 place is 31 October 2020.

https://www.eadmissions.org.uk/

Year Group Reminders

Nasal Flu Spray

Just a reminder the nasal flu vaccination is taking place at school on Tuesday, 6th October for those that have given consent. -  Reception -Year 6

The Reading Corner

Welcome to our new weekly section of the newsletter all about reading. Every week, we will share a question (or two) with you about the book your child is reading in school. Please use these questions to help you find out a little more  about what your child has been reading in school and continue to develop their love of reading.

Packham - Who is your class story about?

Why might bears be hotter than anything else on a hot day?

Peake -  What do you think makes our world so wonderful and why?

Weir - Why did the lion become a hero? 

Mozart - Who do you know who is different from you? What makes them special? What is special about you? 

Newton - Where did Max go at the end of the story?  Why?

Thunberg - Do you think the eagle knew it was different to the other chickens? If so how do you think it felt knowing it was different?

Darwin - “If a creepy old lady told you that there was gold at the bottom of a hollow tree and asked you to go inside, would you believe her?”

Attenborough -  Where is Lupe?

Parks - Who is Sukie and what do you predict has happened to her?

 Why have Olive and Cliff moved to the countryside?

Tissue Donations

Its that time of year when the runny noses and sneezes begin. Please can we ask for donations of tissues as we can never have enough.

All donations can be dropped at the office. For health and safety reasons we will keep them for 72 hours before distributing to classes.

Thank you in advance

Communications Sent Home

Kew Gardens letter - Newton Class 

Weekly Mile letter - Key Stage 2

Diary Dates

Tuesday,  6th October - Year 5 Tennis at Pensford Field

Tuesday,  6th October -  Flu Nasal Vaccination

Tuesday,  6th October - Waffle Sale KS2 Playground

Wednesday, 7th October -  Year 3 Tennis at Pensford Field

Thursday 8th Ocober - Weekly Mile launch (KS2)

Friday, 9th October- Year 6 Tennis at Pensford Field

Monday,  12th October -  Individual Photos

Darell Primary & Nursery School Follow
Year 3 have been learning about Diwali. They discovered Hindus draw bright Rangoli patterns on the floor at Diwali to encourage the Goddess Lakshmi - the Goddess of wealth, fortune and love - to visit their homes. They had a go at drawing their own Rangoli patterns using chalk. https://t.co/7w6z6wqSYg
4 hours ago
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Attendance

Overall school attendance last week was 91.9% our target is 96.8%.

Well done to Thunberg Class for the highest attendance with 99% last week.

Best for Punctuality was Thunberg, Newton, Darwin and Parks was with 0 lates!

lets do our best for next week!

Stars

follow the link below to reveal our stars for this week!

 

Star of the Week

PSA News

Classlist

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Useful Links

     Arbor Parent Portal - darell-primary.uk.arbor

     Follow us on twitter - twitter.com/darellschool

     School Uniform Shop - The Shoe Station

    School Meals  -  Feeding Hungry Minds ISS

   Online safety -  https://www.internetmatters.org/