Welcome to the final Summer term! We can't quite believe there are only six weeks to go until the academic year draws to an end. There's plenty to look forward to and lots left to learn...

This week, our school value is Kindness. In assembly on Monday, children thought about all the different people we can be kind to, inclulding ourselves. We read the story "The Huge Bag of Worries" by Virginia Ironside and discovered that one way to be kind to ourselves is by sharing anything we might be worried about with a trusted adult.

Parent & Carer Survey 2023

Please take the time to complete this year's Parent and Carer survey by clicking here. For the first time the survey is being co-ordinated across all nine CST schools, so that we can collaborate to respond to your feedback. You have all of this term to complete the survey, with a closing date of Friday 21st July 2023.

Reminder of Term Dates and INSET days next year

The term dates and INSET days for next academic year are available on the Term Dates page of the school website and the website Calendar too. We have copied them below, just in case you are planning next year's holidays!

Term dates for children (2023 to 2024)
Term 1: Monday 4 September 2023 to Friday 20 October 2023
Term 2: Tuesday 31 October 2023 to Friday 15 December 2023
Term 3: Wednesday 3 January 2024 to Friday 9 February 2024
Term 4: Monday 19 February 2024 to Thursday 28 March 2024
Term 5: Monday 15 April 2024 to Friday 24 May 2024 
Term 6: Monday 3 June 2024 to Friday 19 July 2024

Inset Days in 2023/24

Note that some INSET days are in the middle of a term

• Friday 1st September 2023
• Monday 2nd October 2023
• Monday 30th October 2023
• Tuesday 2nd January 2024
• Friday 26th January 2024
• Friday 28th June 2024
• Monday 22nd July 2024
• Tuesday 23rd July 2024

Hot Weather

We are beginning to experience some warmer weather, so please remember:

• Children should bring a water bottle to school, which they can refill in their classrooms. On hot days, they are also encouraged to take them outside at break and lunch times. It's essential that these are labelled with your child's name and class; we already have some unnamed bottled in lost property from this week alone!
• Please check that your child's jumper/cardigan is clearly labelled with their name and class. On warmer days, children will take jumpers off and may misplace them. A name label means we can get lost jumpers back to the right person.
• Sun hats may be worn outside (again, labelled with names!) and you may choose to apply suncream to your child in the morning. It is OK for children to bring a named bottle of sun lotion or sun cream into school, providing you are happy for them to apply it themselves. Unfortunately, staff are not allowed to apply sun cream to your child. Children must not share their sun cream with anyone else.
• Finally, please check the weather forecast in the morning and ensure appropriate clothing is worn to school.

Parent/Carer Cricket Update

PARENT CRICKET PUTS SCHOOL AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY 

A day of friendly cricket brought together over a hundred parents, children, friends and family from different year groups at Victoria Park Primary School. The day created a focal point for conversation, built social bonds and sparked enthusiasm for doing it all again soon.
Many of us having not played since school or university, and although it’s been a bit of a shock to our bodies, it has been a lot of fun coming together, getting to know new people and reacquainting ourselves with the game. 
On Sunday 4th June, we played our first match at Compton Dando Nomads CC as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations. On a beautifully sunny day, we were watched by around 100 friends and family. 
Experience within the team varied from those who still play on a fairly regular basis, to a couple of people who had never played before. The clear focus of the game was to have fun and make sure everyone had a positive experience. 

The game was tight, and although the result did not go our way, the objectives of positivity and inclusivity were met with abundance. These messages that came through following the game sum it up - 

“It was great to be involved with a bunch of really nice people and in an inclusive and supportive environment. I am really pleased to have dusted off the old kit, had a game and realised once again what a great sport it is.”
"Thank you all for a fantastic day today ... Feel blessed to be part of such an amazing supportive community." 
“I hope you know it was a blast and a total triumph. Can’t wait til the next one! Much love to all the players on both teams and especially those who umpired/scored. Well done everyone for making it a fun, inclusive but still appropriately competitive event.”
“Today will be up there as one of the highlights of 2023, seeing everyone having such a lovely time also made me incredibly grateful that we have a community who make it possible.”

A great time was also had off the pitch thanks to Compton Dando’s amazing hospitality. Adults were able to sit with a drink while the children ran around and made use of the space in the outfield. In the process we also helped to raise £800 for Compton Dando to go towards much needed equipment. 
Queries from those on and off the pitch have already started coming in about when it will be happening again! Building on the momentum from Sunday, we are looking to further nets and games suiting the full spectrum of experience and ability. We are also very keen to arrange less formal games in the park involving the children over the Summer. If you are interested in any of the above, there is an active WhatsApp group. Please join us at https://chat.whatsapp.com/ETXuY1DKvaEF2LcCpo8eVm, or contact Andy James on 07968 086 116. We are particularly interested in any women who would like to play to join the one Mum currently on the team!

Festival of Nature - 9th-18th June

The Festival of Nature is the largest celebration of nature in the UK. What's more, it's in Bristol and it's FREE! There are lots of brilliant family-friendly activities at the harbourside and across Bristol and Bath. You can find more information here:  https://www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature/
 

Do you have any spare summer bedding plants?

Year 1's planters are in need of some summer colour so we'd be really grateful for donations of any surplus bedding plants you might have. Please send them to Mulberry Class. Thank you!

Clean Air Day 2023 - Thursday 15th June

National Clean Air Day is an annual event that raises awareness about the importance of clean air for our health and the environment. We'll be talking to children about the impacts of air pollution and how we can help reduce it and take action to protect our health. We are really pleased to be part of the School Streets scheme which means a healthier and safer walk to school for our pupils and staff at the beginning and end of the day.

Other Information

Click below to see the poster for a SEND friendly holiday club at Redcatch Community Garden. The children attending have to be eligible for free school meals and aged 8-12. This is a lovely provision with cooking in the mornings, led by Square Food Foundation, and then a gardening or art activity in the afternoon led by specialised staff in the Garden.

Have a lovely warm weekend together - remember to stay safe in the sun! This is a fun video to help younger children understand the importance of sun safety too. See you all on Monday.