1. education
2. school

Issue No.48
The builders have arrived!!!
As you will be very aware the builders have arrived
at the school. We are expecting them to be with us
for twenty-eight weeks undertaking four different
phases of works, impacting on different areas of the
school.
Over the last month we have been discussing and
planning for these changes including leaving
celebrations for Y6 . We have arranged for the Year
6 play to take place at the Sandpit Theatre at
Sandringham School on Monday 13 July (further
information will follow) and the Leavers Assembly
will take place at Christ Church on Friday 17 July at
11am followed by the picnic back at the school at
12o’clock.
As a result of the expansion works the beginning of
the new school year will not begin until Monday 7
September (please see attached letter).
As we begin a new era in the life of Garden Fields
JMI School in September we will be recording this
through a Whole School Photograph on
Wednesday 30 September – please put in your
diaries.
We recently received some wonderful news about
the school use and development of Read, Write, Inc.
We have been assessed as a school of excellence
and thus we have become a Model School for Read,
Write, Inc. Thank you to all the teaching and
support staff for all their work in achieving this!
As we prepare for the new academic year starting in
September we are running a School Challenge for
the children to create a logo for our new reception
class to be called PRIMROSE. The closing date for
nd
the challenge is Friday 22 May 2015. Please
encourage your child to enter if they have not yet
done so.
Well done to Year 6 for their tireless effort and
support for each other during SATs week. I’m always
very proud of every child in the way they prepare
and complete the tests. Well done and we will look
forward to receiving the results in July.
During the Easter holidays we had an Oak Bench
installed in the nature area in memory of Rayyan
inscribed with ‘‘Rayyan Chowdhury – remembered
with a smile’.
Theme for Summer First Half Term:
‘Attention is the rarest and purest form of
generosity’ (Empathy)
C.J.Jukes
Headteacher
May 2015
Change of Classes for
EYFS to Y1 & Y3 to Y4
As we begin the second half of the school
year we will begin to think about classes
for the next academic year. I would
therefore like to remind parents of pupils
in Reception and Year 3 that you must put
in writing or by email to the Headteacher
your request for your child to stay with
particular friends in Year 1 or Year 4; this
must be completed by the 22 May 2015.
This information will be used to support
our decision making.
Sports Day –
Wednesday 24 June 2015
We will be holding our ‘Day of Sports’ on
Wednesday 24 June. All families are
invited.
There will be three Sports Days in one day.
The programme of the day will be:
KS2 Sports 9.15am
Reception Sports 11am
Lunchtime 12.05pm – 1pm
KS1 Sports 1.15pm
Presentation 2.15pm
Parents are welcome to stay for the day
and join children for a picnic lunch.
Staffing
Following interviews at the beginning of
this term I’m delighted to announce the
appointment of new staff who will be
joining the school this September. Miss
Course and Miss Cleary will join as
teachers in KS1 and EYFS. Mrs Chakma &
Mrs Lancaster will join us as teaching
assistants in KS2.
At the end of the year Mr Ryan will be
reduce his working days to two days a
week.
I am delighted to announce that two of
members of our staff Mrs Carrasco and
Mrs Rahman are pregnant and will be
going on maternity leave at the
beginning of September.
School Holiday and
Term Time Dates
SUMMER TERM 2015
Term begins Tuesday 21 April
Term ends Friday 17 July
Half Term Holiday
Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May
AUTUMN TERM 2015
Term begins Monday 7 September
Term ends Friday 18 December
Half Term Holiday
Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October
SPRING TERM 2016
Term begins Tuesday 5 January
Term ends Friday 1 April
CARE: School Closed Easter Weekend
Friday 25 March & Monday 28 March
Half Term Holiday
Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February
SUMMER TERM 2016
Term begins Monday 18 April
Term ends Friday 22 July
DATES FOR SATs
Key Stage 1 SATs will take place during the
Summer Term 2015.
Key‘St
Stage
2 SATsHalf
will take
place from
Albans
Marathon
- 11 to
15 May 2015.
Children’s Fun Run
Sunday 14th June – 10.20am Verulamium Park
We would like to encourage as many
pupils as possible to take part in the
‘Primary School Challenge’ – this is
awarded to the school with the highest
number of pupil entries in the 1.5 mile
Children’s Fun Run. Winners of the
Primary School Challenge receive a cash
donation for the school. Enter online
only at
www.stalbanshalfmarathon.co.uk.
Rewards at Garden Fields
House System – all children are allocated a House – the aim to gain House Points through gaining merits for different aspects of
good work which enable the children to be awarded certificates for their efforts.
Golden Book – all teaching staff send children to the Headteacher for them to show their outstanding work and efforts in any
aspect of school life, the children receive a sticker and pencil for their efforts as well being entered in to the half termly red and
white hat draw.
School Website: www.gardenfields.herts.sch.uk
Twitter: gfs_stalbans
Governors email: [email protected]
Forthcoming Events
Summer Term 2015
May
Saturday
Tuesday
Wednesday
16
19
20
PTA May Fair (12 – 3pm)
Parents Meeting for School Journey (Yr6) – 7pm
Year 5 Trip to France – return Fri. 22 May
th
th
Half Term Monday 25 May – Friday 29 May
June
Week beg:
Tuesday
1
2
Week beg:
Wednesday
Thursday
Week beg:
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
8
10
11
15
16
17
18
19
Tuesday
Wednesday
23
24
Yr6 School Journey to Manor Adventure – return Fri 5 June
Parent Forum ('The benefits of Reading' and supporting
your child with spelling, punctuation and grammar) – 7.30pm
Y5 Cycle Training
SEN Awareness Day 9-11 am all parents welcome
Year 4 Phasels Wood Trip – return Fri 12 June
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
District Sports – Westminster Lodge
Celebration Evening (6.30pm – 8pm)
District Sports – Westminster Lodge
Parent Consultation Day - Thames Class ONLY
– communication to follow
PTA Fathers Day Sale
PTA Midsummer Madness 2, OA’s Rugby Club
Parents Meetings for new Reception Intake – 7:30pm
Family Sports Day
July
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
2
3
Saturday
Thursday
Friday
Monday
4
9
10
13
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
14
15
16
17
Parent Consultation Evening 4pm - 7 pm
Parent Consultation Evening 4pm - 7 pm
Children Fair
Classes announced to Parents
PTA Camp Out
Transition Day
Year 6 trip to Harry Potter World
Year 6 End of Year Performance at the Sandpit Theatre
2pm and 7pm
Celebration Assembly 9.15am Y6 and invited Y2 parents only
GFS got Talent Finals – 9.30am
House winners Reward Day
Leavers Assembly taking place at Christ Church – 11am
School ends 1.15pm
Scooters / Bikes
All parents are reminded that children (of any age) should not be riding scooters or bikes on
the school grounds. We have had to speak with a number of children already this term.
Parents of pre-school children are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that
younger children are not riding scooters in school. There have been a number of completely
avoidable accidents. If this continues it will be necessary to ban scooters from school for
health and safety reasons.
What’s happening in Year 2
Children in Year 2 visited the Lea Valley as part of their Summer topic – ‘Where to next?’ They
had a lovely day but the weather wasn’t kind!
What an epic week I have had! Oscar
Last week we went on a school trip to Lee Valley Park! Adam
There were loads of amazing animals. We could see bunnies, birds and foxes. Michael
The first activity we did was seed to supper….we planted a broad bean seed. Anna F
After games time we went to do orienteering. Lucas H
It was like we went in a shower with our clothes on! Louis
Achievement Leaves
Each term a number of children will be
nominated for an ACHIEVEMENT LEAF. The
criteria for achieving one of these leaves are the
following:
EFFORT ~ COURAGE ~ DETERMINATION
in either their school lives or out of school. The
children are rewarded with a Leaf that they
place on the Achievement Tree an d also receive
a small leaf that allows them to use the
Headteacher’s iPod for the day.
The following children received an Achievement
Leaf this term:
Beatrice ABBOTT Snowdrop
Sofiane BENDAOUD Snowdrop
Daniel LENNARD Snowdrop
Finn ROCK Oak
Agnes HINDE Larch
Adam KELLETT Larch
Jack LANE Larch
Oscar MITCHELL Larch
Madelijn GOULD Moorhen
Ottilie HINDE Curlew
Charles MITCHELL Nightingale
Golden Book Draw
Spring Second Half Term
Each half term we have a draw in assembly
to choose a winner and runner up from
those children whose names were placed in
the GOLDEN BOOK for good work.
Winners for Spring Second Half Term were:
Max FRENCH - PINE
Olivia HEPPENSTALL - Pine
Daisy FITTER-CLARKE - Thames
Alife INNS - Ver
School Photographs
Class and team photographs will be
taken on Tuesday 19 May. Please
ensure that all children arrive in smart
school uniform (preferable logo’d).
Yrs 4, 5 & 6 will have class photos first
followed by sports photos if they have
represented the school in any sport /
music. If your child has represented
the school please make sure they
bring clean trainers, short white
socks and a PLAIN white vest or
white round neck t-shirt (for ease of
changing). Details can be found under
events on the school website.
Language of the Month
As there are many languages spoken in our
school we want to highlight a different one
each MONTH – the Language of the Month
for May is Bengali and in June it will be
Moroccan Arabic. Please see the display in
the dining room.
Rewards at Garden Fields
House System – all children are allocated a House – the aim to gain House Points through gaining merits for different aspects of
good work which enable the children to be awarded certificates for their efforts.
Golden Book – all teaching staff send children to the Headteacher for them to show their outstanding work and efforts in any
aspect of school life, the children receive a sticker and pencil for their efforts as well being entered in to the half termly red and
white hat draw.
School Website: www.gardenfields.herts.sch.uk
Twitter: gfs_stalbans
Governors email: [email protected]