News

This week our children achieved an overall percentage of 94 % (Nursery not included). 

12^th Regional Schools Swimming Galas

These are open to children in Years 4 – 6.  All competent swimmers are invited to apply.

Please collect an entry form from Mrs Wray

The Grand Final will be held on Sunday 10^th May from 10.00 at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

Manchester Junior/ Mini Run

On Saturday 16th May there will be a junior/ mini Manchester run for ages 3 – 14 years. The event will take place at Sport City.

For more details and entry forms please visit the website: www.greatrun.org

Sainsbury’s Vouchers

The school are now collecting the Sainsbury’s vouchers. Please hand any in to the office or Miss Humphreys.

Yrs 3/4 Tag Rugby

Are you in years 3 or 4 and interested in Tag Rugby? If you are please get a joining letter from Miss Humphreys. The club will start on Thursday 5^th March and run for 5 weeks from 3.20pm – 4.20pm.

World Maths Day

World Maths Day is on Wednesday 4th March. If your child has access to the internet, please encourage them to go to www.worldmathsday.com and either login using their username and password that their teacher has given them or they can register themselves. Then they can compete against children from all over the world!

World Book Day

Children will be given a £1 voucher on Thursday towards the cost of a book.  Bookshops will have a small selection of books that you can get in exchange for the voucher or children can use it to get £1 off any book.

Book Fair from Monday 9^th March

The Book Fair is coming back to school on and will run:

8.30 – 8.55  &  3.30 – 4.00 on Mon to Thurs

8.30 – 8.55 on Fri 13^th

Why not spend that World Book Day Voucher?

Uniform

The smaller size sweatshirts are now in stock.  Please call into the office.  Sorry for the delay.

Dinner Money

A reminder that dinner money should be paid for in advance.  If you want to pay for the rest of the term the cost is £54 from Monday 23^rd February up to the Easter break.

4RM Class Assembly, please note the change of date above.

Red Nose Day

Do Something Funny for Money

After school we will be holding a Let’s Dance Event in the Key Stage Two Playground from 3.15-3.45

Children will be encouraged to wear something appropriate for the day with a red theme outlandishly accessorised – for a donation of 50p per child.

Biscuits will be on sale at break times and the PTA will be running a cake stall after school for the Let’s Dance Event.

Please bring in any cake donations on the morning of Friday 13^th March.

Nursery News

The material we will be looking at next week is plastic.

A reminder about the Play Bag Meeting on Monday at 8.30-9.30 in the Infant Hall.

Have you signed up for the next Stay and Play week; Tuesday 31^st March to Friday 3^rd April.  We will open our doors for Stay and Play from the start of school to 10.30 am. 

Year 2 blogging

http://yeartwo.chorltonparkblogs.net/
Year 2 have achieved amazing things with the blog this year. Since 07/01/09 we have had 1321 DIFFERENT visitors. They have come from all over the world as you can see from the map in the sidebar. We have had more than 600 comments made about our work and we are now the top “hit” in Google if you search for “Year 2 blog”. Our blog has been featured on many other websites and people are visiting to come and see what a school blog should look like.

These are all astonishing things for a year 2 group. The children in Year 2 should all feel very proud of themselves. BUT this is only the beginning! We now need to work on developing our links to other schools. We need to comment on other blogs and to make sure that you, the children, are posting every day. We will be learning these skills in our new ICT topic this term, so why not have a go?

All of the Chorlton Park blogs are beginning to make a real impact on our children. Children are interacting with school from home and have a space which they use to express themselves. We need to make sure that as many children and parents as possible leave comments on the blog. This keeps the momentum up and ensures that the children are really stimulated. If you haven’t tried it before – give it a try. It’s not as hard as some people think! We are looking at ways in which children without internet access at home can use it in school, before or after school. We will keep you posted.

This Newsletter is available on the website     www.chorltonpark.manchester.sch.uk

This week our children achieved an overall percentage of 93 % (Nursery not included). 

Issues and Outcomes from the Parent Meeting earlier this term

School dinners

Parents will be aware that we decided to provide our own school meals. Parents were generally pleased with the improvements and felt that we were moving in the right direction. Some parents asked for copies of menus so that they could prepare similar meals for their children. We will arrange for copies of recipes to be available for parents to try.

There were some concerns about portion sizes for older children, and the quality of packed lunches, with some children bringing sweets, crisps and biscuits. Chorlton Park is a healthy school and as such we need to ensure that packed lunches are healthy. More guidance will follow soon.

Future developments for school meals include:

New plates/ trays, improving the hatch area, more baked potatoes.

School Reports

There was a good discussion about reports and communication. Mr Watson explained that Chorlton Park has been selected by BECTA to become a lead school in the use of online reporting and communication. This will be a requirement for all schools by 2012.

I Went to a PTA Meeting and Survived

I always thought the PTA is for the kind of parents who like to be in charge, bake biscuits and be generally, well…bossy. The meeting also clashed with my favourite TV show. But as my daughter is now in year 5, I gave it a try.

Like most parents, all I want is for my child to be happy at school and to learn something. Until I went to the meeting, I had no idea how crucial the PTA is in that.

It’s the PTA who fund and support some of our after-school clubs; organise and pay for poets to come into school to boost our children’s literacy skills; buy crucial new play equipment for the Friday morning playgroup; create an allotment so our kids can plant seeds and watch them grow. I had no idea. Right now, the PTA has money in the pot and they need our help to spend it, so if you’ve got an idea for how they could spend their money, the PTA wants to know about it. Then if you want, you can help them raise more. 

But it’s not just about the money. PTA stands for Parent Teacher Association, so every meeting is attended by a senior member of staff (this one had the head and deputy head).

The fact is our school cannot function without a functioning PTA. Thank goodness there are people who want to organise and want to be on committees. We’d be so much poorer without them. But we don’t need to be like them to help the PTA You can turn up to meetings and just listen. You can turn up and say something. Or you can turn up and volunteer to organise every school disco until you die. It’s up to you.

So I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the PTA. I can’t promise to bake biscuits or dig the allotment, or be at every meeting, but I can promise to take more interest in what you do.

Anna Macgowan

This would mean that the summer report would be shorter, with a greater focus on assessment data, personal development and targets for the new academic year.

We will consult on future changes to reports for 2010.

Communication

Mr Watson outlined the current means of communications including text messaging, E-mail, blogs, newsletter, and meeting with staff before and after school.

New ideas for the future include parents being able to securely access their child’s data, and pieces of work. Greater use of online surveys on single issue subjects such as reports.

However, we are aware that some families do not have access to the internet. Therefore, we propose to bridge this digital divide by allowing access to the school network before and after school.

We are also aware that we need to engage more parents. The PSA (Parent support advisor) Sharon Drinkwater will take the points discussed at these meetings to parents on the playground to ensure that your views are heard. The PSA is also available for drop in meetings on 27^th Feb, 9.00-10.00, 13^th March 9.00-10.00 and 3^rd April 9.00-10.00.

Parent Support Advisor News

It is already time to start planning how you are to entertain then this half term (February 16^th-20^th). I’ve put together some ideas to help you get organised. For more info please visit individual websites.

Please see attached sheet for details.

Nursery News

We hope that you all have a wonderful break over the next week.  On our return, the material of the week will be glass.

Here is some news about events taking place over the next half term.

Monday 2^nd March 8.30-9.30 Infant Hall, Ms Wilson and Ms McPherson will hold an informal drop in session for parents to feedback on their thoughts about Play Bags.  We will provide refreshments, more details to follow.

Stay and Play Week, Tuesday 31^st March to Friday 3^rd April.  We will open our doors for Stay and Play from the start of school to 10.30 am.  This is open to all parents and carers of Nursery Children.  Sign up sheets will be available for the two weeks before 3^rd April. Thank you for your support since January.  We look forward to seeing your over the coming weeks.

Art Club

No art club first week after half term, it will begin the second week back in Mrs Wood’s room as usual. Don’t forget to bring in your junk.

This Newsletter is available on the website     www.chorltonpark.manchester.sch.uk

This week our children achieved an overall percentage of 95% (Nursery not included). 

Parent Support Advisor Coffee Morning

Coffee Morning Friday 13^th February,

9.00-10.00 in the Community Room with the Parent Support Advisors.  Come along and find out more about the Parent Support Advisor, Sharon Drinkwater and her role in school and how she can help you.  Share your ideas about school dinners and have your say, find out what activities you can access for your child over the half term holiday, most of them are free.

Year 3 Roman Day is Thursday 12^th February

Year 3 performance of ‘Nathan’s Nightmare’ for year 3 parents Thursday 26th March 7.00pm

School Meals

We are putting up a notice board outside the kitchen and another on the inside near the serving hatch to display the daily menus so your child knows what is for lunch that day.

The weekly menus will be on the school website.  We have also been asked to share the children’s favourite recipes for you to try at home, they will be appearing on the website and available from the office.  Please feel free to get in touch with us with your favourite recipes from home too.

Nursery News

Our material of the week is WOOD.

We will be thinking about houses next week as our story is the 3 Little Pigs. We would welcome pictures of you and your family outside your front door so that we can look at the door numbers with the children.

Have a lovely weekend – The Nursery Staff.

Sainsbury School Vouchers

This school is collecting Sainsbury School Vouchers.  Please let your friends and family know too.

Chorlton Park Allotment News

The allotment is coming on, parents have been busy putting down bark, planting the first fruit bushes with Reception children.  If anyone want to help with the allotment.  The group will be putting up a plan and notices to keep all parents informed.

Chorlton Park Pupil’s Achievements at the  Prestigious Chethams Music School

Saffron Taylor-Edwardson (4RM) attended a wood wind day at Chethams School of Music last Saturday. Saffron was offered as a prize for her special aptitude of a free clarinet lesson from Chethams.

This Newsletter is available on the website     www.chorltonpark.manchester.sch.uk