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Friday 24th June 2022
This week in school, we marked Refugee Week 2022. Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Children thought about this year's theme of 'Healing', which means recovering from a painful experience or situation, so that we can continue to live.
They talked about Simple Acts which are everyday actions we can all do to stand with refugees and make new connections in our communities. Here are some of the simple acts we discussed in school should you wish to discuss and reflect as a family at home:
CST Dance Extravaganza
Our Dance troop of pupils from years 4, 5 & 6 took part in the very first CST Dance Extravaganza last week. They were amazing in every way, and the event was a huge success. The troop were professional in the rehearsals and delivered a confident performance at showtime. The troop were coached by our dance coach Lucy who choregraphed everything herself in her own time. They are beyond proud of themselves as they should be. Well done dancers!
Knocked for Six!
The final week of cricket at Bedminster Cricket Club was set in perfect sunshine with a backdrop of Clifton Suspension Bridge. Led by Captain Micah the team played two close games. We saw fantastic fielding by Weiland and Khalid, excellent bowling by Arlo, good all-round play by Oscar and Leon, plus Micah and Samuel scored sixes. The most improved player was Shazil who showed true Victoria Park values and a growth mindset. Well done boys - it was great to be back playing cricket again. (Please return the sports tops to Mrs Casling. Thank you.)
Schools Triathlon
A huge well done goes out to the 4 pupils who took part in the Flight Centre Schools Triathlon held at Clifton College on 8 May 2022. The day was great fun and it was lovely to see such brilliant team work.
This year, over 6,000 triathletes took part in the Schools Triathlon across 7 events. In total that is: 480km swam - equal to swimming the English channel 15 times, 6,912 km cycled - the same as cycling from London to Paris 15 times and 4,755.5 km ran - more than 113 marathons!
Our Triathletes have raised an incredible £481.91 to be split between Restless Development and the boys' chosen charity Matthew Tree Project.
This year has been the biggest and most successful Schools Triathlon Series, not only because of how amazing and committed the participants have been, but because this year Restless Development was awarded the UK Aid Match appeal called ‘Power Up’, meaning every pound that was donated or fundraised between the 7th of March and the 6th of June is doubled by the UK government. The match funding from the UK government will go towards helping more than 15,000 girls in Sierra Leone and around the world to claim their right to education. The project will work with teenage girls and women, schools, parents and communities to ensure girls and women can go to school, stay in school, and go on to have careers. This is all possible because of your support, THANK YOU.
If you want to find out more about how your support helps Restless Development, please contact schoolstriathlon@restlessdevelopment.org to receive occasional updates. Or follow them on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to keep up to date with the latest successes.
Friends of Victoria Park Primary School
Save the date: the PTFA Summer Fair will take place on Sat 9 Jul from 12:00-2pm.
Volunteer Slots – we need loads of volunteers to make the fair a success – even if you can only spare an hour, we’d be really grateful. Sign up to volunteer on our website!
Non-Uniform Day and Jolly Jars - On Wed 29 Jun we’re holding a non-uniform day in support of the Summer Fair. We’re asking each child to bring in £1 or donate a “Jolly Jar” which we’ll sell at the Summer Fair. For the uninitiated, Jolly Jars are brightly decorated jam jars containing stickers, sweets, puzzles and small toys. They’re great fun to make and are always super popular! Drop-off your jolly jars / cash donations in the middle playground.
Advanced Notice - On Fri 8 Jul we’ll be collecting…
- Bottle donations (beer, wine, cider, spirits, mixers, etc.)
- Donations of Cake
…you can drop off your donations at our collection point in the middle playground.
Raffle Prizes – we’ve got some amazing raffle prizes, but there’s always room for more! If your business would be able to donate or sponsor a raffle prize, please e-mail Jane and Claudia at vppsraffle@gmail.com.
PTFA Committee Changes
Many thanks to everyone who attended the PTFA AGM last night.
We elected three new co-chairs for the PTFA: Sarah (who’s daughter Nola is in Cherry Class), Becky (who’s daughter Sienna is in Magnolia Class) and Mel (who has a son, Monty, in Magnolia class and a daughter, Penny, joining reception in Sept). We also elected a new treasurer: Ellie (who’s son Alfie is in Oak class). Maria, our secretary, is staying on!
The new committee will officially take over on 17th July. I’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for everyone who’s supported the work of the PTFA over the last couple of years, and to wish the new committee the very best of luck!
David Fielding
Outgoing PTFA Chair
Other information
Bristol Animal Rescue Centre are introducing an exciting new interactive trail, Parker’s Adventure, which takes place this summer in Bristol. Parker’s Adventure runs from 27th June – 31st August 2022 and it’s completely FREE to participate. Not only is Parker's Adventure a great learning opportunity for kids of all ages, it's also a great way to get the children out in the sunshine for a fun day. Most of the stops are concentrated around Bristol Harbourside. You can SIGN UP and find more information about the trail at ParkersAdventure.org
Home-Start Bristol is a local charity that supports families in need through volunteers offering practical and emotional support in the home. They are currently training new volunteers with the next training course starting in September. Volunteering can be a very fulfilling experience, and Home-Start volunteers report a significant impact on their life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects. It is also very rewarding to see families who have been struggling develop strategies to cope with difficult situations. Click on the flyer below or go to www.homestartbristol.org.uk for further details.
The LifeSkills Centre in Bristol have provided invaluable experiences and education through teaching Year 6 children how to lead safer lives, and have done so for many years. They are staffed by volunteers, many of whom are now retiring or moving on. Click the flyer below for details of some hour-long volunteer taster sessions taking place over the summer, to help recruit new volunteers.
Redcliffe Nursery School & Children's Centre are running a Summer Holiday Club from 25th July to 19th August. Click below for more details:
The Ashton Park Sports Summer Holiday Activity Programme is now 'Live!' Bookings are to be made via School Hire by clicking this link. Head to the Holiday Camps page and you will see all of their activities on offer for the Summer Holidays.
Television production company Wildseed Studios, the makers of The Last Bus (Netflix) and Dodo (Sky) are casting for an exciting new children’s comedy drama series. They are looking for children to take part - click below for details:
It was wonderful to welcome new families to Victoria Park Primary School this week - we held our first meeting of new Reception parents and carers for September 2022. Children will be joining us for "Stay and Play" visits in Cherry class and Willow class over the coming weeks. We can't wait to meet you all! Have a lovely weekend.