Signs of Spring are evident this week especially as the trips to Beggar Bush activity centre have started. Year 5 visited on Monday for a day in the outdoors, please see the dates section below for the programme of visits for each group in terms 5 and 6. Year 1 had a workshop both in our outdoor classroom and on the Downs, to learn about the habitat. Thank you to Anna from the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project for providing this for us.

Our Year 5 Girls football team continued to represent our school well in their league. We are very impressed with how the girls performed as a team- see the report.

The Explorer Dome was inflated in our hall during Tuesday lunchtime ready for Year 2’s workshop. Everyone remembers their workshop in the Dome- it’s such a great experience.

Years 4, 5 & 6 walked to the Bristol Beacon on Thursday afternoon to enjoy Explore the Orchestra: Dance, Dance, Dance! A concert by The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra of popular well-known pieces. It was great to visit the newly refurbished space.  

On Thursday 28^th March at 10am we will be walking to the Church for our whole school Easter celebration. All are welcome to join us, it is always a special ending to our term. Children come to school at normal time on this day and we will meet you at the Church. There will be refreshments provided and also the café will be open. We look forward to seeing you there.

Nits - We have had several reports of nits - please check your children's hair and treat accordingly - see advice in link below.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/#:~:text=Medicated%20lotions%20and%20sprays&text=These%20kill%20head%20lice%20in,kill%20any%20newly%20hatched%20lice

Inset and Academy Days:

Monday 22nd July - INSET day, children not in school

Tuesday 23rd July - INSET day, children not in school 

Monday 2nd September - INSET day, children not in school 

Tuesday 3rd September - INSET day, children not in school 

Dear Parents/ Carers

It is lovely to see the weather improving as we approach the Easter holiday.  The Governors are busy in school as we begin Deputy Headteacher recruitment for September and also the re-advertisement of the Headteacher role for September.  

Leadership Recruitment:

As Governors we are passionate about Christ Church C of E Primary School, and committed to appointing new school leaders who will uphold our school vision and values and have integrity, innovation and flair in taking our school forwards.  This is an exciting time for the school; we would be pleased if you would share our adverts with anyone you know you might be seeking these roles:

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Please see advert on Eteach:

https://www.eteach.com/job/headteacher-1411277 

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Please see advert on Eteach:

https://www.eteach.com/job/deputy-headteacher-1411282 

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Strategic Direction:

You will also have seen this week in our letter to parents/carers that we have taken another step forward in our strategic journey towards school collaboration within a local Multi Academy Trust (MAT) - please see letter -Letter to parents / carers re Due Diligence with a local MAT

If the due diligence progresses positively for both parties there will be good opportunity for stakeholders to hear directly from the MAT, to be able to ask questions and later to be consulted on any final decision.

If you have any questions about any of above or anything else for us, please do contact us on: [email protected] 

Thank you

Charlotte and Georgina

Co-Chairs of Governors

The Year 6 children are raising funds to support their end of primary school journey acitivities in the summer term. 

Easter Egg Hunt on Tues 26th March after school - Please note LAST day for Easter Egg Hunt tickets today (Fri 22nd) in playground at drop off.

Easter Egg Raffle, drawn on Thurs 28th March (20plus eggs to be won!) - last opportunity to buy tickets: Wednesday 17th March.

Wow what an action-packed week we have had. We started the week learning about the life cycle of frogs. We used our skills of folding to make our own jumping frogs, used our sounds to write a caption about a frog on a log and have enjoyed watching our own tadpoles in the classroom. We really enjoyed the sunshine on Tuesday as we went outside to look for signs of spring in our playground. We saw blossom, daffodils and lots of new buds on the trees and shrubs. We also had time to weigh the ingredients to make the pea and sweetcorn fritters for the tasting table in the school hall. Mrs Richardson made some at home so we could all enjoy as well. They were delicious!

We then started learning about ‘People who help us.’ We have loved learning about the jobs that adults do at night whilst we sleep and thinking about the jobs people do to look after us and keep us safe. We used junk modelling materials to make emergency vehicles. We used our knowledge of our  left and right hand and the names of each finger to make finger prints like the police officers do. As part of our learning about jobs we thought about what we wanted to be when we grow up. We drew pictures and used our sounds to label our pictures. We can’t wait until next week where we will learn about keeping our teeth healthy when we have a visit from a dentist and about the role of a doctor as well.

We’ve been very busy bees this week learning about all things spring! In literacy we started our new book Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up by Alex Morss and Sean Taylor, the same authors of Winter Sleep. It follows the story of two children and their dad venturing out into the garden to get it ready for spring. As they help with the gardening, the children notice signs of spring’s arrival such as birds making nests, frogspawn in the pond, and baby foxes preparing to leave their den for the first time. To prepare for our workshop, we used our new book to form any questions we had about wildlife and nature in spring. Year 1 had some thoughtful questions such as: How do the animals know when to wake up from hibernation? and Why does it rain so much in spring?

Luckily we had a visit from wildlife expert, Anna, on Wednesday morning to answer some of these questions. During her visit, Anna also discussed exactly what certain animals and plants are doing during this time of year then she sent us off on a hunt in the playground to see what, if any, signs of spring we could find. Finally, one brave student from each class volunteered to demonstrate how a plant starts from a tiny seed. They were protected by a waterproof cover and had soil and water poured onto them whilst the rest of us beamed our sunny rays onto them, demonstrating the essentials that plants need for growing big and staying alive.

On Thursday we had our highly anticipated trip to the Downs with a focus on birds and how they prepare for spring. We listened to lots of different bird calls and completed activities that taught us what they need for a successful spring. Finally, we took part in a trail that highlighted the difficulties of keeping eggs safe and ready to hatch. Each group started with 7 eggs in a nest but sadly, as the trail progressed, the number of eggs began to drop one by one. Despite the losses, we still had a fantastic time and are very grateful to our parent helpers, Anna and the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project for making this trip possible.

On Tuesday year 2 had a visit from the team at Explorer Dome. We took part in a story-telling session about the earth, moon, sun and stars. We were able to recognise that the sun is a star, we found out why the sun moves across the sky, and we were taught to look for different phases of the moon. We were then encouraged to spot the pictures and stories in the stars as we went star gazing! We had lots of fun and learnt so much. We particularly enjoyed the story about Orion, his belt and his dog Sirius, which is the brightest star in the sky.

We have been continuing our theme of space this week by learning about famous astronauts from the past and present. We were introduced to the Space Race between the USA and Russia and tracked the timeline of space exploration to the moon landing in 1969. In literacy we began thinking about what it must have been like for Neil Armstrong as he made history by becoming the first man on the moon by planning diary entries. We also used the ipads to find out all about British astronaut Tim Peake. Did you know he was a helicopter pilot first and his hobbies include cross-country running?!

In our penultimate week of term, Year 3 had a brilliant final ukulele session bringing everything together they have learnt over the last 10 lessons. They have really perfected their technique by niftily switching between chords to accompany their stunning voices! A big thanks to Will from Bristol Beacon who came in each week to teach the children.

In Literacy, our beloved robot Roz had a rather unfortunate altercation with a bear this week, so the children have been hard at work designing the latest all-natural foot for her. They will be writing and publishing a persuasive advert to sell their product next week.

As we are flying through the year, we are seeing Year 3 blossom into maturity, soon to be ready for Year 4.

Year 4 have engaged their inner thespians this week as they embarked on creating their own playscripts, props and costumes based on Chapter 5 of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. They have thoroughly enjoyed working together to reimagine specific scenes: paying close attention to writing accurate stage directions so that their scenes look professional. We can’t wait until we can perform (and record) them next week! 

At the culmination of their DT unit of ‘biscuits’, the year 4s have designed, baked decorated and packaged their own unique and DELICIOUS creations. Hopefully they would have let you taste some of these at home but if we’re honest, I doubt that any of them made them past the school gates as they were so amazing! We would also like to say a very special thank you to Mrs Williamson who provided all of the ingredients and her patience to help all of the children in successfully creating their biscuits.

This week Year 5 enjoyed visiting Beggar Bush for an action-packed day! We were greeted with the glorious sunshine which came and went throughout the day. The children participated in problem-solving, den building and whittling. As always, the children thoroughly enjoyed the day and the coach ride back to school was full of smiles and laughter!

What a fantastic week! On Wednesday, Year 6 loved going to Bristol Beacon and listening to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra who played so many different styles of music from classical pieces to pop.

Year 6 have also completed their literacy unit on their book ‘Rose Blanche’. During the study, they delved into the history of the White Rose resistance group, exploring their courageous actions and impact during wartime.

In Dance, lessons are progressing smoothly, with everyone showing lots of enthusiasm and improvement in skills.

https://youtu.be/hrUzXAiRl2c

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In Maths lessons, Year 6 dived deeper into statistics, specifically, they have been interpreting and creating dual bar charts, as well as accurately reading and drawing pie charts.

Years 4, 5 and 6 were treated to a fantastic hour at Bristol Beacon this week. They watched and listened to Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra who gave their "Explore the Orchestra: Dance, Dance, Dance" concert. The children heard music through the ages; were introduced to different sections of the orchestra and had learnt a piece of music that they could join in and dance with. The children were really enthusiastic and participated heartily. Big smiles all round. It was a wonderful treat! 

The football season ended on a balmy and sunny Spring afternoon, where our Year 5 girls continued their excellent progress. Their effort and eagerness was extraordinary, and they were rewarded with a fine set of results. Thanks again to our parents for supporting with transport and Mr Curry for his training sessions. It will be brilliant to see the girls return to competitive football in Year 6 and beyond.