WOW! The Wensleydale Tournament of Song

I had the huge privilege of spending the day at The Wensleydale Tournament of Song on Tuesday. As ever I was truly moved by the confidence, courage, and competence shown by our wonderful children. They excelled themselves! Well done to all and special congratulations to those who won prizes and trophies for exceptional performances. Also, a special mention to those children who overcame their nervousness to perform – such an achievement!

Thanks to parents and family members for organising transport and for being part of the audience – a huge support!

Friday 24th March sees a full day of singing at Tennant’s for all children in Y2 upwards. Transport is being arranged from school and drop-off and collection arrangements are not affected.

Please note that celebration assembly on Friday 24th March is cancelled on account of the tournament.

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We are incredibly lucky to have such a fantastic event on our doorstep, please do come along and support the festival so we can carry on giving performance opportunities to future generations. Find out more info here.

The tournament is organising a showcase festival on Friday 31st March at The Wensleydale School from 7:30pm and competitors from our schools have been invited to take part. I know it is the last day of term and it may be difficult for many of you but it would be wonderful if we could get some of our performers there. As an extra little incentive; if you are able to come along you will see Miss Harper, Mr Scrafton, Mr Stokes, and some of Miss Harper’s friends performing their choral speaking entry (we also got 88 marks)!

Click here to let me know if you can come along.

Click here to read a letter about the concert.

concertposter

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Assessment Week Next Week

Next week most of our children will be taking part in a range of assessments. After Easter, you will receive their results, plus an explanation of what they mean. Your child’s class teacher may contact you if (s)he is doing something different. If you have any questions, please do get in touch.

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Winter Sports Day

A message from Mr Greenway:

Next week (Thursday 23rd March, 10:00 – 14:30) our Year 5 pupils will attend the first of three sessions aimed at supporting the transition from primary to secondary education. The first of these is a ‘winter sports day’ and will see the pupils take part in basketball, football and hockey sessions. The day will give our Year 5 pupils the chance to meet up with peers from other cluster schools, see familiar faces from previous years, and learn more about the building and staff at one of our local secondary schools. We are all really looking forward to it and look forward to it and I am excited to hear what the children enjoyed on the day.

The activities currently planned for the day are:

• Football competition
• Basketball competition
• Hockey competition

As most of the activities are outside, students will need warm clothing, to put on in between activities. The event is being run by PE staff and GCSE PE students from TWS. For this day children in Y5 can come to school in PE kit and will need to bring a water bottle with them.

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Nursery Open Days!

Did you know that every 3 year old is entitled to 15 hours of free nursery funding?! Next month, we have a few taster sessions open for our fantastic nursery! Why not come along and get a ‘feel’ for what we offer – our nursery boasts a free-flow outdoor area together with the latest facilities and equipment indoors across two rooms.

Our open days are due to take place on the 28th and 29th March between 13:30 – 15:30, we hope to see you there! If you plan on coming along, please email or call the office with your details so we can be ready to welcome you!

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Year 3 & Year 4 Swimming Lessons

Y3 and Y4 will be commencing a block of swimming lessons on Tuesday 25th April for 10 weeks – please could you ensure that your child comes to school wearing their swimming costume/shorts under their uniform, to enable us to be ready as soon as we get there. Children will also require a towel, goggles if they wish and water bottle, please clearly mark their name on each item. Pupils are also welcome to bring a piece of fruit with them.

Summer 2023 Lunch Options

Summer is approaching and there is a new lunch menu to match! You will have received an online form to fill in with an attached menu via email but you can also take a look at it here. Please complete the form by Monday 27th March. Thank you.

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All Stars Cricket

All Stars Cricket provides boys and girls from 5-8 years old with 8 weeks of non-stop fun. The activity and game based programme is suitable for all skill levels, providing your child with the foundations to begin a lifelong love of physical activity and cricket, while making friends in a safe and enjoyable environment. The course is being held at Middleham CC from Sun 14 May to Sun 02 Jul 2023. Find out more information here! For those that are aged 8-11 there is Dynamos Cricket held at Bedale CC from Fri 12 May – Fri 30 Jun 2023. Find out more information here!

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Cycling for All

In conjunction with the Lottery Community Fund and Stage 1 Cycles Hawes, YES@ Areté Learning Trust are hosting a six session cycling programme for all abilities. These sessions will be fun, game led and skilled based, and will be tailored to meet individual needs. Places are limited so early booking is recommended. Closing date: 24th March 2023. Please find more information here.

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Red Nose Day

West Burton certainly came alive this RND with all of children making fantastic hats! The Swallows also recreated a barber shop as Mr Scrafton got a haircut!

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Easter Saturday Fun @ HPB Lodge Yard Askrigg

Our children have been taking part in a colouring competition organised by Michelle at the Holiday Property Bond in Askrigg – they are holding an Easter event suitable for all ages! Have a look at the poster, here.

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Easter Holiday Club

Our PE teacher, Mr Bullock is holding a fun-filled day during the Easter Holidays, please find the poster here with all the relevant information.

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Calendar

Did you know you can synchronise our calendar with our school calendar? Click here to visit the calendar and click the link at the bottom of the page that says ‘subscribe to calendar’ – this will enable you to push events out to your personal calendars.

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Robins

The Robins used our snowy dales as a backdrop for their art work this week!

Owls

The Owls had lots of fun in Science this week! They have been learning about the human body and in particular, their 5 senses. They made popcorn so they could use 4 of their senses: seeing the popcorn kernels POP, hearing the popcorn kernels POP, smelling the popcorn and even tasting it (Mrs Park was told it was very very yummy!). 

They talked about their sense of touch and the misconception that they can only use hands to touch. They put this to the test by going on a barefoot sensory walk through boxes of different things: water beads, paint, flour and water. Lots of smiles could be seen and lots of giggles could be heard during this activity!

Swallows

The Swallows have been working hard in Science this week, researching why we need the different food groups. In RE the Swallows have continued to look at the events of Holy Week and have focused on Maundy Thursday. The Swallows washed each others feet and shared bread and juice to help them remember the Christians belief that Jesus asked them to serve one another and to remember His death on the cross.

Kingfishers

The children really look forward to their music lesson each week, they are becoming quite accomplished musicians! In PE the children have been developing their throwing and jumping skills, this week they learnt three new types of jump; triple, standing and hop, skip jump. The Kingfishers have also been busy in DT, and planning is well underway for their torches!  The children have planned and designed their torches and now know how to connect the components to make a circuit for them.

Golden Eagles

This week in Science, the Golden Eagles have been dissecting a flowering plant and identifying the different male and female reproductive parts. The children were well-prepared and were even able to see the ovules in the ovary using a magnifying glass. 

Merlins

A few pictures from PE this week in the Merlins. Few drills on working on their reaction time and agility in preparation for their dodgeball games. Good teamwork from the blue team, discussing their tactics in a huddle. The Merlins also took part in the North Yorkshire Heathy Schools webinar which saw us attend two sessions. One on how to be more active within the classroom and one about connecting with nature in the Yorkshire Dales. Last week a few of our year 5 children trained to be skipping leaders and have been bringing their skills and ideas back to the playground. 

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This Week’s Awards:

Pupil of the week
Robins (Nursery)					Joshie A for making good choices and for excellent work keeping our classroom tidy.
Robins (Reception)					Jonathan for making sensible choices and being a role model to others.
Owls (Y1)					Aimee for using fantastic expression when reading.
Swallows (Y2)					Joey for effort and enjoyment writing a pumpkin poem in English.
Kingfishers (Y3)					Aaron Dinsdale for effort and enjoyment with reading both at home and school.
Golden Eagles (Y4)					Rory for his increased confidence in maths which has led to him improving his maths knowledge and skills.
Merlins (Y5)					Ava –  a mature approach to learning and taking responsibility for seeking support.
Merlins (Y6)					Dec for inspiring other in reading and making mature choices both in and out of school.

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Headteacher’s Awards
Bainbridge	Ada for effort and enjoyment in her writing, some fantastic independent writing during phonics.
Askrigg	Archie C for taking responsibility, looking after a year 1 pupil who was upset during swimming.
West Burton	Abe for always following every aspect of the RESPECT code, a fantastic role model.

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Good Samaritan Awards	For courage, care, compassion (for the children, from the children).	Nominated by
Robins	Ronnie for helping him put his shoes on.	George
	Joshie as Sydney couldn’t find his car but Joshie found him one to play with.	Sydney
Owls	Jemima for helping him and being really kind when he had a bad back.	James
Swallows	Olivia for helping her to log on to Sumdog.	Martha
	Rosie for helping Martha with a problem peg in maths.	Olivia
Kingfishers	Elsie for playing with her when she was on the buddy bench.	Isla
	Nico for helping him when he fell and banged his head.	Sidney
Golden Eagles	Caleb for supporting her when she was sad.	Lydia
	Harry for helping him zip-up his coat.	Rory
	Lily-Anne for encouraging people to go on stage and be brave at the Wensleydale Tournament of Song.	Lily

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Rewarding Reading
Hollie F	10 books
Amelie	10 books

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Other
Best Learning Space (classroom)	Robins
Most Effective Learning Environment (school)	Bainbridge
House Point Winning Team	Dormice
Best Class Attendance	Owls – 100%