Head Master: Robert MacDonald, M.Ed., B.A.

Telephone: (01242) 522086

Email: hm@richardpate.co.uk

                                                                                                Wednesday 5^th September, 2007

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to the new school year.  It certainly has been a memorable Cheltenham summer but for some of you I am conscious it has not always been for the best of reasons.  The school managed to avoid most of the flooding issues that beset so many of us but it did have an impact on the building work as we were many days behind schedule as the end of August approached.  The good people at Speller Metcalfe have pulled out all the stops and against all odds have handed over four beautiful new classrooms in the main building and a stunning new Nursery at the beginning of the week.  It then became the responsibility of our own Richard Pate team to ensure the classrooms were ready for your children today.  I extend many thanks to our Caretaker, Mr. Tony Beckwith, our Cleaner-in-charge, Mrs. Carol Partridge and the entire Housekeeping and Catering teams for their excellent work in getting the classrooms prepared for the busy term in prospect.  I would also like to thank Mrs. Langley, Mrs. Spry, Mr. Gilvear, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Hunte and her Nursery team for all their efforts in first emptying their classrooms and in very short order preparing their new rooms for the start of term.  They have worked very hard indeed but will now enjoy the reward in the form of these brand new, state of the art rooms for many years to come.

The final disruption to our car park should disappear this Friday morning as the builders site office leaves us before drop off on Friday morning.  Once the teachers and children have had an opportunity to bring the new classrooms to life through their own decoration I shall invite parents to see for themselves what we are all so very excited about.

Year 6 Parent Meeting  :  Tomorrow evening we will be hosting a meeting for Year 6 parents to learn more about the grammar school entry process.  There have been some changes to the process and Mr. Nick Cox, a Richard Pate parent who has a unique perspective on the arrangements, will make a presentation and will attempt to answer all of your questions.  This meeting will look at grammar school entry specifically but I would ask all Year 6 parents to make a separate appointment with me through Mrs. Minett to discuss your child’s options at 11+.  I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible tomorrow evening.

School Times  :  As your children return to school we must all refresh our memories with important times of the day.

8.15am – 8.30am - Junior children can be left for early supervision on the netball courts

8.30am – 8.45am - Prep children supervised on the back playground

                               Junior children supervised on the netball courts

8.45am - Prep and Junior children taken to classrooms – any child arriving late must report to the school office.

Late rooms operate until 4.00pm (Nursery for Nursery children; Forum for Prep children and 3G classroom for Junior children).

AFTER SCHOOL CLUB STARTS TOMORROW FROM 4.00PM TO 5.30PM (children should be booked in no later than 12.00pm for that afternoon)

Car Park  :  With the car park returning to full strength we are hopeful that morning drop off and afternoon pick up will be as pain free as possible. Inevitably, as with all school car parks, we will have some times where we all need to exercise patience.  Once again I would ask that everyone refrain from parking on Southern Road so that a smooth, two way flow of traffic can be allowed to pass.  Other helpful hints which could make a significant difference are car pooling with those who live nearby, ensuring that cars are parked in the spaces provided and departing quickly during peak traffic periods.  As always I appreciate your assistance in ensuring a happy and safe car park.

Uniform  :  We have made some changes to our handling of lost property which will hopefully lead to a minimum of missing possessions.  To assist us in that worthy goal can I please ask you to ensure that all your children’s possessions (even the lowly gym sock) are clearly and securely labelled.  We would also appreciate your assistance in reminding your children of the importance of looking after their own possessions.  It is surprising how often the same children are responsible for the majority of lost property.

Curriculum Spotlight  :  We are beginning a new initiative this year which involves focussing on a particular subject area each term.  This term Science will have a complete curriculum review from Nursery through Year 6 with special activities planned for your children.  The Spring Term focus will shift to History while the Summer Term will concentrate on Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE).  This process will ensure we offer your children the very best education while also enriching the curriculum throughout the school. More details will follow in the coming days.

School Desks Available  :  Alongside our wonderful classroom renovations we are in the process of updating our desks and chairs in the Junior department.  We have found buyers for most of that furniture but there will be some desks and chairs available for any parents who might be interested in securing a piece of Richard Pate memorabilia.  While they have been well loved they are still very serviceable and with some refinishing could provide an excellent work area for your child.  If you are interested please let Mrs. Minett know and we will compile a list of first come first served when the desks become available.

Further Information  :  In the coming days you will receive additional information including the termly calendar and the fixture list.  We are acutely aware that notices do not always make it home in a timely fashion.  We must continue to work together to encourage our children to take responsibility for these important documents but as an additional safety net we will be making all notices available on the website to download.  If you check on www.richardpate.co.uk you should see any new notices as they become available.

In conclusion may I wish you all a wonderful year.  Your children have arrived back in fine spirits including fifty-five new children to our school.  We are all very excited about the new year in prospect and look forward to the many challenges which lie ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Robert MacDonald

Headmaster