This week in assembly we talked about the value of tolerance, and showed curiosity by asking the question "Why are there two Eids?" Children learnt how each celebration is different, and about Hajj. You may be interested to watch this video together and see how much your children can remember.

Staffing Updates

This September will see some changes to the staffing team, many of which have already been announced in this newsletter. From the teaching team, Mr Dyer and Miss Deane will be moving on from Victoria Park Primary School to new teaching roles in September and we wish them all the very best of luck! Miss Seed, who has been working in Reception whilst training to be a teacher, will graduate at the end of this academic year - congratulations! We also have two teaching assistants who have successfully enrolled onto Initial Teacher Training and will therefore be leaving us to study next year - well done to Mrs Fletcher and Mrs Merriman, we know you will make fantastic teachers!
We also have a flurry of new recruits joining us in September. Miss Lockett will join our Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Headteacher. She brings a wealth of experience having worked in school leadership across South Bristol schools. We also welcome Mr Beazley to the team, an experienced teacher who has recently worked at We the Curious. We are pleased to say that Miss Evdyriadou returns from maternity leave in September. Finally, we will be joined by three new Teaching Assistants; Mrs Wielowska, Mrs Foster and Mrs Simpson. Look out for a letter on Monday 1st July in which we will detail who is teaching in each year group, and the movement of classes for the new academic year.

Sports Day - Monday 1st July 2024 

We are looking forward to Sports Day on Monday next week. It currently looks like it will be a lovely day, so please send your child to school with a labelled hat as well as a bottle of water. We will not be collecting house points this year, so children do not have to wear house colours - but can if they want to!

Final Chance - CST Parent and Carer Survey

This survey closes on 1st July. If you have not yet responded, please help us by spending a few minutes sharing your views. This form asks you about your experience of your child's education. The responses are treated anonymously and confidentially to identify what we are doing well and what we can do better. If you have more than one child at school, you only need to complete the survey once. This survey comes from CST and is the same across all of our schools and academies. Thank you for taking time to complete these questions. 

The link for the survey is here: CST Parent and Carer survey 2024.

Recruitment - Clerk to Governors Needed

Following the relocation of our current clerk, we are seeking an experienced administrator to provide professional support to the Local Governing Body at Victoria Park Primary School. Do you have experience of taking minutes and have good literacy, ICT and communication skills? Are you organised and good with cloud-based communication and file storage? Can you communicate well with a range of different people? As a clerk to governors, you will be expected to take and produce minutes of meetings, keep accurate records, provide advice on procedures and offer general support. We hold 6 to 7 governors’ meetings per year, which currently take place on a Monday evening from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The rest of the work can be completed from home. This role is available from next academic year (September 2024). Please follow this link for more information, or to apply:

Clerk to the Governors Advert

Donate to our EYFS

If anyone is havng a summer clear out, please consider donating 'small world' characters to EYFS. We are specifically needing:

• Dinosaurs
• Wild animals
• Sea creatures
• Insects
• People

We would also welcome donations of:

• Small cars
• Complete puzzles specifically 20 - 48 pieces 
• Storage baskets 
• Child sized beanbags / cushions for the reading area 
• Crafty bits and bobs 
• Collection of natural things eg acorns, concers, pinecones, pebbles, shells.

Items can be brought straight to the Reception classroom doors in the morning, or alternatively dropped in at the office. Many thanks!

Healthy Snacks Reminder

If children are bringing a snack to school, please remember to look at our Healthy Snacks guidance on the school website. Please do not send nuts or products containing nuts into school as we have some children with serious allegies.

Year 6 Transition Sessions at St Werburghs City Farm

When: 10.30-4.00 Monday 5th August – Wednesday 7th August

Where: Boiling Wells (a short walk from St Werburghs city farm)

What: These sessions will give the young people an opportunity to bond with other people transitioning from primary for secondary. Children will cook and eat together as well as playing games and doing some craft activities. We will have opportunities to talk through our worries and things that we are looking forward to. The sessions are facilitated by three trained professionals and the group will include up to 12 young people.

Lunch and a snack will be provided.

Who: These sessions are for children aged 10-11 years old transitioning from year 6 to secondary. Any young person who you think would benefit from some support with this transition is welcome. We welcome referrals from teachers, parents, social workers, youth workers and other professionals who work with young people. Please find the referral form below.

The Pony Chew Valley needs your help!

As a school that is close to the Pony Chew Valley and their cookery school, children from Victoria Park Primary School are invited to take part in a fun competition! Josh Eggleton and his team are developing a bus to take around to communities, schools and festivals which invites people to come and learn about food provenance, sustainability and consumption...but it needs a name! To find out all about it, and how you can take part, look at this information pack:

Other Information

• South Bristol Girls' Rugby based at Bristol Barbarians RFC are looking for new players in the under 12 category suitable for Years 5 & 6. Come and have a try on Thursday evenings 6pm or Sunday mornings 10am. 

• Knowle Lawn Tennis Club are running their summer holiday tennis camp. See below for details:

• Home-Start are recruiting volunteers – can you help? Home-Start Bristol & South Gloucestershire is a local charity that offers a lifeline to families in need. They need more volunteers to help families keep going through tough times. They are running a training course from September; please see the flyer below if you are interested:

• Take a look at the Hedgehog Rescue Summer Newsletter below, which includes news and dates for your diary. Who is Hog of the Month for Summer 2024?

The astonishing sound of 500 primary pupils filled the Bristol Beacon last night, singing together with power, harmony, talent and joy. We were so proud of our KS2 choir who have been working hard this term to learn all those incredible songs. Well done to all of you, and thank you Miss Deane!