Head Master: Robert MacDonald, M.Ed., B.A.
Telephone: (01242) 522086
Email: hm@richardpate.co.uk
February 2010
Dear Parents,
It has been a rather unusual start to the term with record cold temperatures and the occasional snow storm to keep us on our toes. I appreciate the positive feedback from many of you on the text messaging and e-mail contact that allowed us to manage both the school closure as well as the staggered finish to several afternoons. We certainly enjoyed our experience in the snow and the photos on our website will show you what the Year 6s were able to learn about igloo construction.
Student Teachers : We are delighted to welcome two excellent third year Bachelor of Education students who have come to the school to do their final practice teaching placements before graduating. Miss Lindsey Crerie has been assigned to Mrs. Argyrou’s 5A class and Miss Esther Place has been assigned to Mrs. Powell’s 4SP. We have always enjoyed excellent candidates to the teaching profession and these young ladies are no exception. This is an important part of every teacher’s professional development but is also a valuable experience for us as teachers in post. It gives us an insight to current teaching methodology and because of the excellent calibre of the student teachers who come to us it allows our own teachers to provide your children with greater individual attention. The students work very closely with their mentors to plan and implement the lessons and the children always benefit hugely from the experience.
Charity Day : The children are getting very excited about next Friday’s Charity Day which is our annual opportunity to support three worthwhile charities. This year we will be supporting the victims of the earthquake in Haiti as it has been a world event that has touched our children deeply. Our second charity has a closer connection to home. We have been approached by Mrs. Pat Chicken wife of the late Reverend Chicken who was the vicar of St. Philip’s and St. James’ for many years and gave the address at our Carol Service on several occasions. Pat Chicken is embarking on an epic journey beginning in Finland and crossing the Arctic Circle finishing just shy of the Russian border. She is accompanied by Chris Horan and the two are raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society, a charity which has affected people close to them both. It is also very close to my heart as my father was diagnosed fairly recently as well. The final charity we will be raising money for is CLIC Sargent, which cares for children with cancer and was chosen from a number of charities suggested by the children. Each charity will benefit enormously from your generosity and we are looking forward to a presentation from each to the children in due course. The Prep. children will be coming dressed as their favourite fairy tale character while the Juniors are invited to come in their home clothes. Some industrious Year 5 girls have come up with a contest called Hats for Haiti where the Junior children have an opportunity to design their own hats to wear on the day.
Curriculum Focus : We have begun our eighth curriculum focus this term and our attention is now switched to Religious Education. We have enjoyed two fascinating talks from parents on both Hinduism and the Islamic Festival of Eid and this week we have children in Year 1 visiting a church, children in Year 3 visiting a temple and Year 4 visiting the mosque. In art the children are studying various artistic patterns in religion while the Prep. children are looking closely at important stories that come from religion. It is fascinating to watch how each focus follows a unique path and we are already in discussions about next term’s focus on PE/Games.
Car Park : It was ironic that the difficult parking during the snow storms seemed to improve the levels of patience and understanding evident from all drivers during the inclement weather. The clear roads have unfortunately brought back the use of mobile phones, the parking across the zebra crossing and the ignoring of the one way system. One huge improvement in the flow during the snow days was as a result of people making a swift exit from the car park once they had collected their children. This allowed those cars waiting to take up the vacant space and generally kept the queues to a minimum. While I understand that it is a good opportunity to catch up with friends I would be very grateful if that exchange could take place at another time.
Uniform : As we know the cold weather is likely to carry on for some time yet and we ask that everyone ensure that their children are dressed sensibly for the conditions. It is imperative that the children have school coats, hats, scarves and gloves and that these come to school each day. It is also very important that all kit is named. We have already had several items disappear this term and if they are not named then it can be next to impossible to return them to their rightful owner. Finally we do ask that boys from Year 3 come with all the correct kit and that they are aware they have it. Health and Safety does mean that children must have certain items of kit before they are allowed to play.
Nursery Places : As I have indicated in previous newsletters we find ourselves in a position currently where future Nursery places are filling up at a very surprising rate. I mention this again for two reasons. Firstly to thank you as parents for recommending us to your friends and neighbours because very often they come with lovely reviews from current parents. The second reason is that if you have younger siblings it is imperative that you give us a registration form with their details to confirm the place. We do try to remind parents but if they decide to send their children elsewhere then we would not wish to become a nuisance. We have had a couple of situations where parents have found themselves on waiting lists because they assumed they were on a list. We are very anxious to avoid this situation in the future. We have 22 children on next year’s waiting list and already have a waiting list for 2011. We also have 23 children registered for 2012 so if you have a younger child it is never too early to drop in your application.
Thinking Day and Founders Day : We have been approached by the Girlguiding UK to ask if the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides can come to school on Monday 22nd February in their uniform. This is Thinking Day and is part of their centenary celebrations. It is also the Founders Day for Scouts so we are allowing any members of Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies or Guides to come dressed in their uniform for that day. It is the first Monday after half term so we would ask you to write it in the calendar now.
Cheltenham Connect : We have been asked by the people at Cheltenham Connect to join a project called the 10:10 Low Carbon Initiative. This is a pledge to reduce our carbon footprint by 10% during 2010. We are in discussions about how we as a school can do that and will be sharing information with you as we go. If you are interested in learning more you can visit the website at www.cheltenhamconnect.co.uk.
May Ball : The PTA is organising a May Ball and we will be sending information to you imminently with all the details. It promises to be a great event and we hope as many of you as possible can join us on the 15th May.
As always I want to thank you for your continued support of all we try to do here at the Richard Pate School. We feel tremendously privileged to educate your children and we very much look forward to the remainder of this exciting term.
Yours sincerely,
R. MacDonald
Headmaster