This week's newsletter comes a day earlier than usual due to tomorrow's bank holiday. We hope you have a fantastic break from school and are looking forward to returning refreshed and ready to learn!

Sport Relief

This year, we celebrated Sport Relief by encouraging the enjoyment of movement. The children and staff dressed in something sporty, and we all got stuck into having fun whilst moving our bodies. An adaptable obstacle course was set up in the middle hall for the children to challenge themselves. It included balancing, jumping, hopping, crawling and climbing. For the staff, a static bike circulated the year groups and we had a go cycling whilst teaching, to the children's delight! 

CST Music Makers

On Tuesday evening, our KS2 choir performed at Bristol Beacon in the annual CST concert with hundreds of other pupils from across CST primary and secondary academies. This was a very special event with nine schools coming together, culminating in an incredible collaborative performance which featured voices, orchestra, samba, harps and big band. It was a truly special event and the children made us very proud with their excellent determination and performance skills.

Many-Legged Friends

Year 1 had a wonderful visit from the animal lady this week. They met a pink dragon millipede, an orchid praying mantis, a crested gecko with a missing tail and a royal python. Some children even held the snake! It was amazing. Thanks to the PTFA who subsidised this visit for Year 1.

Everest Base Camp Fundraiser - Mrs Fletcher

Here is a message from Mrs Fletcher: "Over the Easter holidays, I will be trekking to Everest Base Camp which has been a personal challenge dream/bucket list destination for me for many years. I will be trekking to an elevation of 5,364m and as part of the 12 day trek I will also summit Kala Patthar at 5,550m so I need lots of good luck vibes and cheers! It would be super kind if you could donate a few pounds to my fundraiser to cheer me on. I would like to raise funds for the school’s classroom book corners as they need updating and refreshing with new releases, and are well used by the children. Any amount that you can sponsor me will help buy new, diverse and relevant books for all of the children in our school. Thank you in advance for your kind contribution. Namaste. 🙏"

Please click here to go to Mrs Fletcher's Just Giving page.

Football News

Way back in January, the VPPS football team were entered into the Ashton Park Sports Partnership football tournament at Imperial Sports Ground. The team had to compete for three weeks playing four games each week. After the three week league, the top eight teams from across two venues were invited to the ‘finals’. The teams had to play a further three group games in which the top four teams would advance to the semi-finals. VPPS managed to win all three group games, topping their group without conceding a single goal thanks to impressive defensive work from the entire squad.

The team advanced to the semi-final where they beat Southville 2-0 in a dominant display putting us into the final. In the final, VPPS conceded their first goal of the evening going 1-0 down. The team showed a fantastic amount of determination by not giving up and playing as hard as they could to equalise. In the final second of the game, an unbelievable pass over the defence from Abdul was finished brilliantly by Asa making it 1-1. The game went into two minutes of extra time, under the rules of ‘golden goal’. Jack hit the crossbar in extra time but neither team managed to find the back of the net. The game ended up being settled by penalties… and VPPS won!

The team overcame 24 teams collecting a gold medal and a trophy. This is the first time in the tournament's 20 year history that VPPS has won this event. A fantastic achievement for everyone involved, the team should all be extremely proud of themselves as they have shown such commitment and hard work throughout this school year. Mr Kellow and Mr Dyer would like to pass on their personal appreciation to all the adults who have transported the team to and from tournaments and who have cheered each and every player on, week-in week-out. Your support has been exceptional.

Swimming Gala

On Monday 11th March, a group or year 6 pupils competed in a swimming gala at Hengrove Leisure Centre. At the competition, the children competed in a total of seventeen races between them. The races varied from the usual freestyle and backstroke, all the way to water polo races where the children had to push a ball as they were swimming! Everyone who attended showed an enormous amount of respect, not only to their fellow team mates by cheering them on but also to their competitors by congratulating them after races, which made us very proud. VPPS managed to achieve a bronze medal; the first time in our school's history we have placed in this event. All of our athletes should be very proud of themselves as this is not only a huge achievement for them personally but also for our school. Well done for making history!

If your child has additonal needs, please look at the Ignite website. They aim to make Bristol the best city for disability inclusive sports and physical activity. Ignite Bristol is the place to find inclusive activities for children and a new network of individuals, clubs and organisations working together to make Bristol a more disability inclusive, active city. It celebrates what already exists, whilst striving for more. Have a look on their website to see what great sporting opportunites are available to your child. This is a great opportunity for children with SEND.

Monday 22nd April is VPPS Earth Day

We will be celebrating our wonderful planet in school on International Earth Day. Our amazing Green Team would love all children to wear blue or green clothes or dress up as their favourite animal on Monday 22nd April. In the spirit of sustainability, please don't buy anything new. You could borrow from a friend, upcycle some clothes or make your own outfit from things you have at home.
We'll be learning about everything from hedgehogs to hydroelectricity, and would love to tap into expertise from our wider school community. If you have any knowledge, skills or contacts that would benefit our children that week (or longer-term) please contact Mrs Walker via the school office.

Have an eggstra eco Easter!

Here are some tips for a plastic free Easter from Bristol-born charity City To Sea:
https://www.citytosea.org.uk/plastic-free-easter/

Other Information

• AirHop just launched their new Ofsted registered Holiday Clubs ready for the Easter Holidays! The AirHop Holiday Club is designed to create an unforgettable experience for primary school kids, ages 5-11, where they can have a great time, make new friends, and take part in exciting activities whilst being looked after in a safe and supervised environment. Click here for more information.

• Take part in the new Greville Smyth Park junior parkrun! Greville Smyth Park junior parkrun launched on Sunday 24 March. It joins the Windmill Hill junior parkrun in Victoria Park where over 2,300 children have taken part in more than 360 events. Junior parkruns are free, fun and friendly. All children aged 4-14 years are welcome to walk, jog or run two kilometres along a marshalled route within the park at 9am every Sunday morning - all year round, whatever the weather. It is a run, not a race! Those who wish to get a personal best can, and those who wish to chat to their friends are very welcome too. A tailwalking adult will always be the last person to finish. You can attend any parkrun; how about trying both Greville Smyth and Windmill Hill? For further information or to volunteer, click here for Greville Smyth Park or here for Windmill Hill.

School is now closed for two weeks and the first day of term is Monday 15th April 2024. Happy Easter and Eid Mubarak!