Spring governor update
The Governing Body had a spring term meeting earlier this week. We reviewed the progress and performance of the school. It has been a busy (and very cold) term for everyone involved with Wormley School. The focus for this term has been on reading fluency and comprehension have been the subject of strong focus across the school. The recent poetry week (and the well attended recitals), along with the ongoing Reading Challenge and Sponsored Read have been of particular success in this area. Further, the school has invested in new texts across the year groups for home reading. The teaching staff are committed to encouraging and promoting good quality reading. Recent visits to the school by Governors have shown that the children are benefiting from the teaching methods and that they show great enthusiasm for reading and writing. We cannot understate how important it is that reading and writing opportunities continue at home. An author recently visited the school and conducted writing workshops. There are plenty of budding authors in the school and we suspect the next JK Rowling is here somewhere.
The school continues to run the increasingly popular Messy Church. The most recent Messy Church was very well attended by many of our families. It has fostered some very positive, trusting relationships between church volunteers, clergy, staff and families. There was a lovely quote from one of the children which perhaps sums up the reason for the success: “I like Messy Church because I love being messy and I love Church”
There are, of course, challenges for the school; not least the excitement of the forthcoming Data Protection Regulations and the financial planning for 2018/19.
We are extremely proud to announce that Mrs Gaiteri will graduate this term as a Leader for Impact with the Royal Opera House Bridge. This has led to new partnerships with professionals in arts and culture. Our school has joined a national network aiming to measure the impact of arts and cultural education on children and young people. If that wasn’t enough, two of our teachers, Mrs Harris and Mrs Campkin, have had their work with maths teaching and learning published in the Times Educational Supplement and an Early Years Journal.
Apologies for the long blog, but it is so important that we share the successes of the school with you all and equally assure you that the school is capable of rising to any challenge.. We are sure that Science Week will be an addition to the the expanding list of success. Perhaps the best way to end the blog is with a science related (ish) quote, from a famous spaceman, which reflects the aspirations the school has for your children. “To Infinity and beyond”
Tribute to scientist Stephen Hawkins
National Science Week at Wormley
Next week is National Science Week which we will be celebrating here at Wormley.
This year’s science week theme – Space and Time – has a focus the Earth in Space and the concept of Time.
Children will be working scientifically by: investigating the Earth a s a planet in a solar system, comparing the time of day at different places on the Earth; creating simple models of the solar system; constructing simple shadow clocks and sundials; looking for, and measuring, shadows, and finding out how they are formed and what might cause the shadows to change; looking for patterns in what happens to shadows when the light source moves, using shadow puppets; exploring falling paper cones or cup-cake cases, and designing and making a variety of parachutes and carrying out fair tests to determine which designs are the most effective; exploring resistance in water by making and testing boats of different shapes; exploring the effects of air resistance by observing how different objects such as parachutes and sycamore seeds fall; designing and making a variety of parachutes; carrying out fair tests to determine which designs are the most effective.
Since the best way to learn is through first-hand experience, we have arranged a YR-Y5 visit from a Planetarium on Wednesday 14th March and two Y6 trips to The Science Museum on Tuesday 13th March and Thursday 15th March.
Throughout the week we will follow up specific learning linked to each year group’s unit of learning from the Science National Curriculum. The children will watch some of the amazing science documentaries.
Please see the letter home for more details.
Tea and Toast morning for parents
TEA AND TOAST MORNING FOR PARENTS
9am Wednesday 7th March 2018 Community Classroom
All welcome!
The focus of this half term’s get-together is Good Mental Health and Emotional Well-being. It’s an opportunity to find out what is going on in school as well as giving us feedback and new ideas. Please join us!
SCHOOL CLOSED FRIDAY 2nd March
Due to frozen water pipes, school will be closed 2nd March 2018. School will open again Monday 5th March.
