ARK Franklin Primary@ARK_FranklinPrimary NEWSLETTER 17th April 2015 Dear Parents / Carers, Happy Playgrounds in School! Our first week back has been a busy one, with a visit from the Happy Playgrounds Company. As you can see from the photographs our children thoroughly enjoyed trialling new pastimes in the bright sunshine; we hope to adopt the most popular on a long term basis. We are thrilled to welcome our new Deputy Headteacher, Caroline Field, who joins us this week. You may have noticed that work has begun in a small way over Easter tidying up our ‘garden’ area, a small beginning to our outdoor classroom project. On the back of the newsletter is an invitation to all of you, to support us in our efforts, by joining in with our big fundraising extravaganza: The Franklin Fork to Fork Festival in June. Our cross curricular focus this term is history, all classes have been busy this week immersing themselves in their new topic, every class will go on a trip linked to their area of study; further details will follow early next week from class teachers. Please help us meet our attendance target of 96%, by being here on time and every day. Year 6 will sit their SATs examinations in three weeks’ time, it is crucial that they attend every day to ensure they have the best possible chance of reaching their potential. Thank you for your continued support. Warmest regards Janine Ryan Interim Headteacher Headteacher’s thought for the week! The value of an idea lies in the using of it. On Tuesday we were joined by Steve from The Happy Lunchtime Awards Company. Working with the staff and children, new games and other playground activities were developed, ensuring that break times are even more positive and enjoyable times for all! The children enjoyed covering the playground in beautiful chalk drawings, playing new games, such as, 'Stack the Buttons' and dancing to well-known songs. Gangnam Style was a favourite for the boys and girls! Attendance The whole school attendance for this week is 94.6%; we will need to improve our efforts given that our target is 96%! Classes with the best attendance for the week are as follows below: Reception Cambridge 93.7% Key Stage One (years 1 & 2) Leeds 97.9% Key Stage Two (years 3, 4, 5 & 6) Exeter 98.2% School Council The school councillors were back in full swing on Wednesday, feeding back on issues raised by the classes they represent. The main topic of discussion was the school playground; councillors worked in groups to draft and design how they would like the playgrounds to look. Some inspiring and interesting ideas have been put forward: watch this space! On Monday we announced the second winner of our very special 100% attendance raffle draw: Congratulations Saleem Abdela (3 Durham)!! Saleem will be able to choose a gift worth up to £50! Transition Trophy Transition trophies were awarded to the classes who have shown great behaviour when moving round the school this week: Reception Goldsmiths Key Stage One (years 1 & 2) York Key Stage Two (years 3, 4, 5 & 6) Exeter PE Class and Superstar of the Week Will return next week… The Summer Uniform As the weather gets warmer, it is lovely to see some girls wearing their new summer dresses. If you placed an order for your daughter’s summer dress before the Easter break, please come and collect your order from the office, if you have not already done so. Children in year 5 and 6 do not need to wear both a jumper and blazer during the hot weather. Girls wearing a summer dress can just wear their cardigan and boys should just wear their blazers. Ties must be worn by all pupils except for girls wearing summer dresses. Boys can wear grey shorts and short sleeved shirts during the summer term. Children will be allowed to remove their jumper/cardigans and blazers at school if it is very warm. All children must wear their school shoes, sandals are not permitted. Summer caps with the school logo are available from ACE clothing and parents must ensure that all uniform is clearly labelled. Important Dates Please note that there will be limited, or no access, to school on the following dates: Monday 4th May Thursday 7th May May Day Bank Holiday Polling Day – Only staff and Year 6 pupils must attend school Easter Playscheme Ms Martin would like to say a big thank you to all the children who attended the Easter Playscheme: ‘We had a fun Easter taking part in an Easter Egg Hunt and doing lots of fun arts and crafts. We also had a lovely day out at Hyde Park and Queens Park. Huge thanks to Tomas Touray’s mum, Pia, for accompanying us to Hyde Park!’ All pupils are encouraged to bring a bottle of water to school which can be topped up during the day. Thank you. Enrichment Clubs: All of the enrichment clubs are up and running. If your child is not attending a club, but would like to join one, please come to the office reception area to put your child’s name on the waiting list. Children who are on the waiting lists will be offered spaces as soon as spaces become available. Dinner Money and Club Payments Please ensure that you keep up with your dinner money payments. The cost for school meals from Tuesday 14th April to Friday 22nd May inclusive is £59.40 per child. If your child is attending one of the Enrichment Clubs please remember that all payments must be made by Monday 20th April. Our preferred method of payment is via Wisepay. If you have misplaced your username and password for Wisepay, please email Deanna Jones at [email protected] , including your child’s name and class. All clubs are £5.00 for the term except for Ballet and Capoeira which cost £60.00. Calling all parents, we are running a free English course for beginners… Ark Franklin and Brent council have teamed up to provide the above provision for parents who are wanting to develop their English speaking skills and learn more about their child’s school. Please see below for further information: Tuesday, 21st April Thursday 28th April Information and Assessment – at 2.00pm Please just turn up! Course Starts 1.15-3.15pm for 10 weeks Saturday 13th June 2015 12.00 noon – 6.00pm The Franklin Fork to Fork Festival will take place for the first time on Saturday 13th June 2015. All parents and children are invited to join us in celebrating the diverse cultural backgrounds of all our pupils and local community. Please ensure you put this special date in your diary. This event will bring together talented and creative chefs, restaurateurs and producers celebrating healthy food and traditional recipes from all over the world. It will feature food and produce stalls, chef demonstrations, talks and tastings, a picnic garden, children’s activities and much more. WE NEED YOUR HELP We are looking for parents to help and contribute to the World Fete Area of the Food Festival. If you are interested in volunteering to support in any way, please complete the slip at the bottom of this page and return it to the school office on Monday 20th April. We will then organise a meeting with all the volunteers. For more information please visit our website franklinforktofork.com. Examples of ways in which you could support are as follows:      Do you or a member of your family attend a traditional dance or music class outside of school and would be happy to perform on the day? Would you be interested in setting up a stall to represent your country? Could you donate a prepared dish / cakes or sweets which are traditional from your country? Are you able to help in setting up and/or clearing up on the day Are you creative and enjoy face painting and are able to donate your time on the day? We welcome your ideas and your help and support is essential to make this event a success The festival is being run to raise money so that we can create an open air classroom in our amazing garden and playground space. We plan to have raised beds where we can grow our own produce, wildflower areas to attract butterflies, a solar powered oven, a recycling area, a bike blender, music installations, a pond and even an amphitheatre! Volunteer for the World Fete Area of the Franklin Fork to Fork Food Festival Name: ___________________________________ Mobile number: ___________________ Email: ____________________________ Your Child’s Name ________________________ Child’s Class _________________ How could you help or what could you contribute?