St Michael’s Academy Bulletin
Week Commencing: 19 September 2016 The Week Ahead Lower School Upper School th th 20 Montacute and 20 Montacute and Barrington House visits Barrington House visits st st 21 Stourhead and Lytes Cary 21 Stourhead and Lytes Cary House visits House visits th th 26 Sibling Photographs 26 Sibling Photographs
I hope your child/ren have come home and told you about the lovely assembly we had this afternoon. As I am sure you remember last autumn we had a lot of building work done to secure the roof and Windows. We have been really lucky to secure a large grant to allow us to upgrade the internal fire doors, burglar alarm system, secondary lighting and fire alarm system. All of this is important work to ensure that your children are safe while they are in school and to bring the building up to code.
DR Jones is the building contractor who is carrying out the work. They did a super assembly this afternoon, explaining to the children what is going to happen and how to keep safe while the work is going on. They are a very experienced company who have worked in several schools before so, completely understand the environment they are working in. I am sure that the next few months are going to be very challenging but with a little bit of flexibility and understanding by Christmas we will have a much better school. In light of this once the work starts the back gate will be blocked off; as it was last year, to allow the contractors a separate access route. Mrs C Lancey – Head of School
From Monday 19 September, if parents could please leave their children at the doors. Each door will have a member of staff on it who are more than happy to take any messages.
NATIONAL TRUST VISITS - Reminder We have school house visits next week for the whole school to their namesake National Trust Houses. So whatever house your child(ren) are in they will be visiting on the day below. Children will need to wear school uniform, including sensible shoes (if it looks like rain, we are more than happy for wellingtons to be worn) and a waterproof coat.
Tuesday, 20 September 2016 Wednesday, 21 September 2016 Montacute and Barrington Houses Stourhead and Lytes Cary Houses
The cost of the visit is £2 per child. This represents extremely good value for a trip to a National Trust property and the coach travel to and from school. If your child is in receipt of the pupil premium then the trip will be paid for from this funding. Your child will need a packed lunch. If your child has a daily Free School Meal in school or you pay weekly for your child to have a school meal then a packed lunch will be provided for them on the day.
Please complete the permission slip at the end of this Bulletin and return to school as soon as possible. These trips are in the normal school day.
SIBLING PHOTOGRAPHS Regrettably due to the increase in pupils at our school the photographer was unable to complete the sibling photographs. She will be returning on the 26 th September to take these.
PARENT GOVERNOR VACANCY
Dear Parent /Carer/ Guardian A vacancy has arisen for a Parent Governor on the Board of Governors at St Michael’s Academy. Schools need enthusiastic and committed people to become governors. Being a governor is not easy, but it is important, interesting and satisfying. Governors have the opportunity to express their own views, to listen to the views of others representing the school and its community and to influence pupils’ education for the better. A parent governor is a parent of a pupil in the school who is elected by the parents to give a parental perspective in discussions and decisions. In addition, it would be expected that parent governors bring a range of skills that will help them contribute effectively to the work of the board. The procedure for recruiting a parent governor is as follows:
The Board of Governors will advertise any vacancies. If you are interested, you are welcome to meet either the Chairman, Principal or Clerk to find out more about the role You will be asked to write a short passage (100 word maximum) telling other parents a little about yourself, your experiences and why you want to be a governor. If there is more than one candidate, all parents will be invited to cast a vote in a secret ballot to decide the most suitable candidate for the role. If only one candidate has expressed an interest, they will be deemed to have been elected unopposed.
The Role of a Governor
There are three main tasks for a governor:
1. Making sure that the school has a clear view of where it is going; 2. Making sure the Principal is getting the best out of all the pupils; and 3. Making sure that the school spends its money effectively.
The role of a governor will be:
A thinking and questioning role, making sure the best interests of the children are always the priority. Getting to know the school – its strengths and weaknesses Committing the time required to undertake the role which could be approximately 20 hours per school year. To always act in the best interests of all the pupils in the school to better their outcomes. Be available, if necessary to meet with Ofsted if there is an inspection. Review and agree school policies.
So why do people do it? That is a question that is often asked. Here are few of the reasons:
It is a great chance to give something back to the school and to take an active role in shaping the future of the school your children are part of. No single governor is expected to know everything about education, the law, finance and strategic planning – they are part of a group who have the combined experience and commitment to work together. The governors at St Michael’s are an extremely supportive group who are welcoming and generous with their experience and contributions. You will also know that you have been part of moving the school forward and strengthening the life chances of its pupils.
If you are interested in becoming a parent governor, please contact the staff in the school office.
National Trust Visits
I give permission for my child to take part in the National Trust Visits:
Name Class You Child’s Montacute Signed School House Barrington (parent) (Please tick) Stourhead Lytes Cary
I enclose £2 towards the cost of the trip My child is in receipt of Pupil Premium My child has FSM/Paid meals in school (packed lunch will be provided)
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