Welcome to our weekly newsletter! This week, our school value was Determination. In our values assembly on Monday morning, children heard a story called "After the Fall" which is an imaginative epilogue to the traditional nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty. The book is all about having a positive attitude, and how Humpty Dumpty, an avid birdwatcher whose favourite place to be is high up on the city wall, overcomes his fear of heights to discover a whole new lease of life. Children reflected on how they will show a determined and positive attitude in school this week.

Bikeability

Last week, groups of children in year 4 completed Level 1 bikeability run by the Bristol Cycle Centre in Hengrove. The children loved the session and showed determination when asked to practise balancing, signalling and safety awareness. One child told us “It was hard cycling and to be aware of other bikes, but it was a lot of fun”. All have increased their cycle skills, and it showed when at the end of the day they were asked what they thought of the session. “I liked the slow race and lots of the games” and one child simply said “I liked all of it”. Congratulations to all of the children who should be proud of their certificates and badges. We look forward to more of these sessions in the future. We would like to thank Mrs Fletcher for organising all of these sessions.

Cathedral Schools Trust SEND Parent Survey 2023

At Victoria Park Primary School, we strive for every young person to enjoy learning so that they may reach their potential and flourish into adulthood.

This year, our school is undertaking a specific programme of work as part of Cathedral Schools Trust to enhance the quality of our teaching for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our approach is based on providing training and support for staff to deliver high-quality teaching based on the EEF's 'Five-a-day'.

As part of this work we want to gather the views of parents and carers on the provision available for their children. If you have a child with SEND, we invite you to participate in our survey by clicking on the link here.  The survey should take less than 2 minutes to complete and all responses are anonymous. It will close on 8th January 2024.  

Thank you in advance for your support. Your insights are invaluable to our ongoing efforts to improve and tailor our support for every pupil's unique needs. Your answers will be used to reflect upon, and plan for future SEND provision. 

Singing in Church

Next Wednesday, chidren in KS2 will be singing Christmas songs in St Michael and All Angels Church at 1:30pm. Parents and Carers are welcome to attend. If you do not wish for your child to take part, please fill in their details on this form.

Meet the Governors

Nick Peatfield - Local Governor: "My eldest son started in Reception at Victoria Park Primary School in September 2011 and my youngest son is at the school now. I currently work at Bath Spa University training secondary Mathematics teachers. For ten years before that I worked in several secondary schools around Bristol as a Mathematics teacher. I have a current understanding of how schools run, how they are measured, and how they can help to develop their staff. I have always maintained an active interest in current research on how children learn to behave Mathematically, and I completed my M.Ed. in emotional aspects of Mathematical resilience at the University of Bristol in 2011, having trained to teach there in 2007. Before my teaching career, I was a research Mathematician for the best part of a decade, working at the Universities of Oxford, Bristol, and Lisbon in Portugal. I am excited to be part of this excellent school's continuing journey."

Collecting Your Children

This term, we are experiencing an increased number of children being collected late from school, or not being collected at all due to confusion over attendance at Moose. Please remember, the school gates are open from 3:10pm until 3:25pm for you to collect children from the playground. If your child attends Moose, please double check their attendance (because Moose is currently fully booked).

Future Term Dates

You can always check term dates and INSET days on the website calendar or the Term Dates page. For future planning, the dates for next academic year (2024-2025) have now been confirmed.

Poppy Appeal

Thank you for your support with this year's Poppy Appeal. By selling Poppies and other merchandise, our school raised £207.67 for the Bishopsworth Royal British Legion.

Other Information

• Somerset Terrace Community Garden - there will be a meeting of people interested in this project on Wednesday 13th December (6.30-8.00pm) at Windmill Hill Community Centre on Vivian Street. The meeting will consider the latest version of our garden design and the spending of our £500 grant from Wessex Water/Quartet. Actual digging and planting will start early in 2024.
• A Message from the Friends of the Avon New Cut (FrANC) - join us for litter picking on Saturday 9th December. The third of our regular litter picking sessions for this winter season 2023/24 will be on Saturday 9th December and we do hope you can join us. The plan is to meet at the south side of Langton Street Bridge (aka Banana Bridge) from 9.50am. We will finish by 12 noon. If you have your own protective gloves (eg gardening gloves), please bring them, but we do have a few pairs we can lend if necessary. Hi-viz jackets, rubbish bags and pickers will be supplied.  On the day, we'd welcome support from volunteers with distributing and collecting equipment before and after the litter pick.

• Noisy Nativity @ Wardrobe this Christmas - Kid Carpet and the Noisy Animals present The Noisy Nativity from 15th to 29th December at The Wardrobe Theatre in Old Market. See the flyer below for full details!

We hope to see you at Carols in the Park tonight from 4:30pm and at the PTFA Winter Fair tomorrow from 12 noon. Have a lovely weekend!