Weekly Newsflash! Friday 24th February 2023
World Book Day – next Thursday, 2nd March
From our kitchen team: to celebrate World Book Day, we are having a special lunch on Thursday 2nd March, please complete the form HERE by Monday 27th February. Please only fill in the form if your child is changing from their usual lunch option.
From Miss Collins: World Book Day – one of our favourite days of the year – is fast approaching and we are very much looking forward to celebrating reading with our children. We have booked some online storytelling events with local charity Settle Stories: each class will enjoy a storytime session and related activities during the day.
In the current financial climate, the organisers of World Book Day have suggested that schools should try do as many free activities as possible in order to protect families from some of the additional costs sometimes associated with this event. For that reason, we are not going to ask children to dress up or to do a sponsored read. Instead, we will give them some time within the school day to make some masks that they can wear and we will – of course – enjoy lots of reading activities together as always.
From the PTFA: We are really looking forward to hosting the PTFA stories and hot chocolate evening for World Book Day. More information, and the link to book, is available HERE Please remember to complete the form so we know how many are attending.
From Miss Harper: I have received a few queries and expressions of disappointment that we are not dressing up this year. In the interests of balance, I have also received a number of ‘thanks’. Please take a few moments to consider why we have made this decision:
- We are taking action to acknowledge and alleviate the financial and time pressures that ‘dressing up days’ can have on some families.
- We are focussing on the meaning of World Book Day – promoting a love for reading through focussed activities throughout the day. The ‘dressing up’ element can often be a distraction from that (see below).
- We want to be inclusive. ‘Dressing up days’ can be extremely stressful for some children, and this is why:
First, they’re different! For children with autism, anxiety or who just really thrive on routine, being out of uniform can be stressful. The dressing up days often include an aspect of being off timetable – and possibly with a different menu at lunchtime. Peers and teachers look different and they might be ‘in character’ which is even more confusing. It’s a full-on sensory experience and for some, that’s too much. For many children, their standard is wearing uniform for school and that’s what they can cope with.
For other children, they may not enjoy dressing up. If you take a group of adults, there will be some who love a fancy-dress party and others who would do anything to avoid going. Children are equally entitled to feel like this.
For any child, costumes can be itchy, uncomfortable, hot / cold and often impractical for a usual school day.
Despite our best efforts, children are often judgemental and quick to comment on the differences between shop bought / homemade outfits and criticise those who have chosen to remain in their school uniform, or who have forgotten to dress up.
If you are interested, here is an interesting article in The Guardian about it.
We haven’t banned dressing up days forever – just doing something different this year to support all of our children and families. Thank you for your understanding.
Homework Information Evening
Thanks to those of you who were able to come to our homework information evening this week. Please click here to navigate to our homework information page where you will find all the supporting materials shared this week and loads of helpful resources.
The Wensleydale Tournament of Song: Schedule
SPEECH CLASSES – Tuesday 14th March at the Methodist Hall, Leyburn:
10.05am Class 5 – Poem Yr 4
10.45am Class 4 – Poem Yr 3
11.20am Class 3 – Poem Yr 2
12.00-1:00pm Lunch break
1.00pm Class 6 – Poem Yr 5
1.50pm Class 32 – Choral Speaking (Golden Eagles and Merlins)
2.00pm Class 41 – Sight Reading
2.20pm Class 85 – Verse Speaking Duet
Class 103 Choral Speaking (staff) will take place at 7.45pm on Wednesday 15th March.
MUSIC CLASSES – Friday March 24th at Tennants (Swallows, Kingfishers, Golden Eagles, and Merlins):
9.25am Class 203 – Action song
9.45am Class 200 – Unison song
1.00pm Class 213 – Folk song
1.20pm Class 267 – Sacred song
I believe that a full programme will be available soon.
We politely request that parents make arrangements to take their child(ren) to Leyburn for any individual classes. If you have any problems, please liaise with us and we will try to find another family making the journey who might be willing to help. All transport for group classes (choral speaking and singing) will be arranged by school.
Junior Bake-Off Opportunity
Hi there,
My name is Hannah and I’m a Casting Researcher at Love Productions; the company behind The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down.
We are delighted to say, that we have recently opened applications for the 9th series of Junior Bake Off; a Channel 4 programme that celebrates the culinary talent and ambition of the younger generation in Britain.
We are looking for young budding bakers between 9-12 years old.
Filming would take place from July 2023, but our applications close on Sunday 12th March 2023.
Interested bakers can apply online at – www.applyforjuniorbakeoff.co.uk
Please do feel free to contact us on 0207 067 4833, should you have any questions regarding the above.
Best wishes,
The Junior Bake Off Team
enquiries: applyforjuniorbakeoff@loveproductions.co.uk
S9-APPLY-FOR-JBO-FLYERTeacher Strikes
Please note the remaining strike days which could still potentially affect us. In the event of strike action within our schools, we will take all reasonable steps to keep our schools open for as many pupils as possible in order to minimise disruption to children and families. In the unlikely event of any disruption to our teaching arrangements on any of these dates, we will of course inform you as soon as is practicably possible.
- Tuesday, 28 February (Northern, North West, and Humber regions)
- Wednesday, 15 March (England and Wales)
- Thursday, 16 March (England and Wales)
Healthy Packed Lunches
Healthy-Packed-Lunch-leafletMexican Night!
Mexican-FlyerNursery
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!
Rishi visits Askrigg!
Our pupils had the honour of meeting our Prime Minister earlier this month, when he visited Askrigg to open the Askrigg Foundation charity project for affordable housing. As you can see by the pupils’ faces, they were very excited to meet him.
Congratulations, Mrs. Park!
We are absolutely delighted that our wonderful Year One teacher, Miss Atkinson, became Mrs Park over the half-term! I’m sure you’ll agree that Mrs Park looks absolutely stunning and we wish her a lifetime of happiness. Mrs Park has kindly let us have a sneak-peek of the photos, can you spot her nod to her Owls class? Congratulations from everyone at BAWB!
Forest School
Mr Stokes is planning to start running Forest School again during lunch times, if your child would like to take part, please send them to school with suitable clothing. We are so lucky to have Mr Stokes who is a trained professional who makes these sessions fun, rewarding and educational!
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.
Term Dates 2023/24
The academic calendar for 2023/24 has been released, for your convenience you can find it here.
Robins
Flipping ‘eck! The Robins have been very busy this week, donning their aprons and flipping some pancakes!
The Robins also visited Sycamore Hall and had a fantastic sing-a-long with the residents!
Owls
This week our Owls welcomed Mrs Park back to school by having their very own wedding breakfast complete with pain au chocolat and fruit – how fancy! The Owls dressed up in their Sunday best, along with Mrs Park and Mrs Fawcett in their wedding dresses – what a special day!
Swallows
In computing, the Swallows have started a new unit on robots. The Swallows have practised giving clear instructions to their friends in preparation for next week when they will be using beebots. In History, the children were amazed to learn that board games have been around for over 4,500 years! They also made a Senet game, which was played by Queen Nefertiti in Ancient Egypt. In PE, the Swallows have imagined that they are explorers, preparing for and starting an exciting voyage, have a look at the fantastic video below!
Kingfishers
In the Kingfishers, they completed their artwork, using fabric and texture. The children worked incredibly hard on these adding to them over a series of lessons, we love how individual they all are! In Science, they have been learning about the transportation of water in flowers using coloured water.
Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles have started reading a new book ‘Ancient Egypt – Pharaohs, gods and cats’. This week, they have been looking at the creation of Egypt. The Golden Eagles worked in groups to create a map (timeline) ordering the events of creation.
Merlins
Another busy week in the Merlins class! They have been working extra hard this week on their tournament of speech and song entries. We have lots to learn still but we are making fantastic progress. In History this week the Merlins have been looking at a range of sources before drawing their own conclusions about what happened in the past. Lots of good reasoning on display as well as some very deep thinking. In PE this week saw the Merlins fully launch our dodgeball topic. Working on fundamental skills while learning and applying the rules of the game.
This Week’s Awards:
| Pupil of the week | |||||
| Robins (Nursery) | Jack T for growing independence (coming in on the bus without an older sibling/ cousin to look after him). Also, for fabulous effort and enjoyment in yoga. | ||||
| Robins (Reception) | Connie for effort in phonics, producing some fabulous writing and fixing mistakes independently. | ||||
| Owls (Y1) | Rose for always leading by example- a model pupil in the Owl class. | ||||
| Swallows (Y2) | Martha for effort and enjoyment in our new PE unit – Dance: Explorer | ||||
| Kingfishers (Y3) | Sidney for effort during our singing rehearsals for the Tournament of Song. He was unsure at first but then went on to sing beautifully and really enjoyed it. | ||||
| Golden Eagles (Y4) | Callum for taking responsibility for his own learning and growing more confident and independent. | ||||
| Merlins (Y5) | Toby for effort in his learning and taking more responsibility for his learning this week. | ||||
| Merlins (Y6) | Isaac for enthusiasm during our SATs booster sessions and supporting others in their learning. |
| Headteacher’s Awards | |
| Bainbridge | Oscar H for an excellent attitude to learning, especially phonics, when I was teaching in Owls this week. |
| Askrigg | Albert K for remembering and sharing in collective worship the meaning of the three candles that we light at the beginning of worship: God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. |
| West Burton | Ed and Tom C for their excellent contribution to the life of our schools during their time here. Excellent behaviour and a super attitude to learning! |
| Good Samaritan Awards | For courage, care, compassion (for the children, from the children). | Nominated by |
| Owls | Ed – Jemima nominates him for always using kind words and Rocco nominates him for being helpful – ALWAYS! | Jemima & Rocco |
| Oscar – for helping him when he was struggling to make a model. | Ben | |
| Swallows | Theodore for helping him with a maths question. | Sammy |
| Merlins | Beatrice C – nominated for being a good friend and always being there. | Beatrice & Ava |
| Other | |
| Best Learning Space (classroom) | Robins |
| Most Effective Learning Environment (school) | Bainbridge |
| House Point Winning Team | Dormice |
| Best Class Attendance | Owls, Swallows, and Kingfishers (100%) |
