NEWSLETTER 7 FEBRUARY 2020
SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM’S WELCOME
Like many schools, WhatsApp is used by parents to communicate about aspects relating to school, such as trips and visits, general queries etc. Atwood has a comprehensive website, the use of text messaging, newsletters and other ways of communicating news and events to parents. Sadly, a minority of parents have used WhatsApp to talk about aspects relating to school and teachers in a derogatory manner.
I respectfully remind all parents not to pass comment or judgement on teachers in an open forum. As we always say, if any parent has a matter that requires discussion with either the class- teacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team, that they should do so at all times. A few parents have seen fit to court the support of others in order to make judgement about Atwood teachers and this is totally unacceptable.
Furthermore, as a parent myself, I know that the perceptions of a child are sometimes very different to reality. If you are ever worried about what your child has told you about an event or adult in school, please do come and speak to me in confidence rather than airing opinions on WhatsApp.
Balls A polite reminder that children should NOT be bringing their own balls in from home. If this is the case from next week, a member of staff will take them away until the end of the day.
After school on the playground Please can I remind all parents and carers to leave the grounds promptly at the end of the day. We do not encourage the children to whizz round on their scooters, play on the equipment or play football etc at the end of the day. As a rule of thumb, the playground should be totally vacated by 3.35pm allowing for other activities to happen.
Yours faithfully,
Rob Veale, Kate Standing, Nina Gambier, Matt Dench, Hannah Townsend & Michaela Groves Senior Leadership Team
TEAM POINTS
Earth 117 Fire 111 Air 103 Water 79
VACANCIES
We have a vacancy for a Level 3 Teaching Assistant in KS1. This is a permanent position of 28 hours per week, ideally to start on 24th February 2020. Closing Date: Monday 10th February 2020 at 12 noon Interviews: Wednesday 12th February 2020
We are seeking a pleasant, enthusiastic, self-motivated, adaptable and hard working person to join our Facilities Team to as Assistant Caretaker, to assist in the maintenance of the Academy to facilitate a clean, safe and secure learning environment to the highest standards. Closing Date: Wednesday 12th February 2020 at 12 noon Interviews: Friday 14th February 2020
We are also seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic, inspiring and skilled Key Stage 2 Teacher to provide maternity cover starting from Summer Term 2020. Closing Date: Monday 24th February 2020 at 12 noon Interviews: Thursday 27th February 2020
For full details and an application form for these posts, please see the vacancies page of the school website: https://www.atwoodprimary.academy/about/vacancies/
ORCHARD AND TRIM TRAIL
Atwood will be celebrating its 60th birthday in June 2020 and we would like to mark this momentous occasion by raising money for some very special projects.
Our pupils would like to be able to use their Trim Trail all year round. Currently they cannot do this because the grass beneath the play equipment gets very wet and muddy. The children would also like free access to the Trim Trail. Therefore, we would remove the metal fencing and gate and re-site this to our Orchard Area.
The children would like to have a large nature pond in the Orchard so that they can study pond-life for their science learning. The pond would be large enough for a class of 30 children to view it at once and it will have a viewing deck for pond-dipping.
This would be part of the general development of our Orchard area; we would use the metal fencing removed from the Trim Trail area to keep this area safe. We would tend to our fruit trees, whilst developing a wildlife meadow.
This would increase Atwood's bio-diversity by encouraging a broader range of species into our grounds as well as improving our children's appreciation of nature and their well-being as they could learn more in nature.
A crowdfunding page has been set up to begin fundraising for this project. If you can help, we would be very grateful. To view the page and donate, visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/nature-pond- and-play-equipment-improvement-works
SAFER INTERNET DAY
Safer Internet Day is being celebrated around the world on Tuesday 11th February 2020. The global theme is ‘together for a better internet’ and this year in the UK we are putting the focus on how young people explore and express their identity online. Everyone has their part to play in making the internet a better place, including you! Have a look at the tips and links in the below link, with some suggestions on how to get you started and help you to stay safe and positive online. https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2020/safer-internet-day- 2020-top-tips/safer-internet-day-2
YEAR 3 & 4 DRAMA PRODUCTION
Year 3 and 4 children will be performing their play ‘Rock Bottom’ next month, and we are looking for some help with a few items required for the show. Do you have any of the following that you could donate or lend?
Any animal print or fur material – we will be using this to make cavemen costumes and accessories; even small strips would help
Plastic bones of all sizes – maybe left over from Halloween skeletons?!
A white plastic toilet seat! – Just the round seat part; we don’t need the lid!!
2 x large plastic/cardboard hollow eggs – ideally the ones that did have small Easter eggs in and now are sitting empty. The bigger the better!
A small tiger soft toy – one that we could tie a lead to and it would look similar to a cat on a lead!!
If you can help with any of these items, please bring them to the school office. Thank you for your support!
NEWS FROM THE FRIENDS OF ATWOOD
Mother’s Day Tea – Friday 20th March
Come and celebrate Mother’s Day in the Atwood pop up tea room! Mothers, Grandmas, Aunties, big sisters and any other female carer can be treated to an afternoon tea of sandwiches, home-made cake and unlimited tea & coffee. There will also be musical performances from Atwood pupils. Tickets are £6.50 per person and will include a small gift from your child and a hand written tag.
Doors open at 2:00pm until pick up.
Any leftover cake will be on sale after school outside the junior hall straight after.
Get your tickets here: https://buytickets.at/foap/299463
7-a-side Family Football Tournament – Saturday 25th April
This is open to all parents, carers and family members regardless of gender and will take place at the school.
Each team needs 7 players and 2 subs. You can choose to play for a year group or a mixed team. This year we are introducing a women’s tournament which will also be 7 a side mixed teams.
Tickets will go on sale soon! Subs will remain at £10 per player plus a 50p booking fee to cover the costs of the ticket site. Last year's Dads' Football Tournament
To make this a whole family event children can come to school on Friday 24th April in mufti (football kits if they like) in return for a £2 cash donation.
On the day we will have a BBQ, bar, refreshments, snacks, inflatables, and raffle. Watch this space for ticket booking!
The Circus is coming to town!
Happy’s Circus will be returning to Atwood on Sunday 3rd May. This year’s theme is Fairies and Fantasy.
Gates open at 12 noon. There will be a BBQ, bar, refreshments, inflatables plus more. You will also be able to stock up on nibbles from our snack stop before going into the big top at 1.30pm.
Earlybird - until 12 noon 3rd April 2020
Individual Ticket £9 Family Ticket £33 (gives entry for 4 people, at least one person in the group must be over 18 years)
Under 3's sat on a lap Free
Full price - until 12 noon on 3rd May 2020
Individual Ticket £10
Family Ticket £36 (gives entry for 4 people, at least one person in the group must be over 18 years)
Under 3's sat on a lap Free
On the gate (subject to availability) - from 12 noon on 3rd May 2020
Individual Ticket £12.50
Under 3's sat on a lap Free
ALL UNDER 16 year olds must be accompanied by an adult (over the age of 18 years) at the event
Accessibility and Inclusion
There will be an accessible toilet available.
If you will have a wheelchair user in your party please contact us with the number of wheelchairs and total number of people in your party so we can reserve your seats. This must be prearranged as we have to provide a list to the Circus by 15th April.
If you are attending with a person who needs a little extra time to adjust to their surroundings - ASD, sensory processing difficulties etc please get in contact with us and we can arrange for you to enter the big top early to take your seats to a background of low music and allow you to settle in before it is opened to general ticket holders. This must be prearranged as we have to provide a list to the Circus by 15th April.
Annual General Meeting (AGM) Notice- Tuesday 11th February 2020, 7.30pm, Infant Hall
I hereby give notice of the AGM of the Friends of Atwood Primary, to be held on Tuesday 11th February 2020 commencing at 19:30pm in the Infant Hall. We anticipate that the AGM should last approximately 1 hour and refreshments will be provided. All parents/carers, as members of the Friends of Atwood Primary, are invited to attend the AGM. We will be showcasing some of the fantastic resources the FOAP have funded this year and would love to hear your fundraising and pledge ideas for 2020. The AGM is also an opportunity for you to elect the new committee who will represent the association for the coming year. As a ‘friends’ association we welcome nominations from parents, carers, governors and staff members. Nominations should be sent in advance of the AGM, both for existing committee members willing to stand for re-election and for anyone wishing to stand as an Officer (Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) or Ordinary Committee Member, for the first time.
If you would like to put yourself forward to join the committee or would like to find out more about what is involved, please email [email protected] or leave a note for my attention at the school office in advance of the AGM or ask an existing member of the committee. As our Association is a registered charity, all committee members automatically become Trustees of the Charity. This means that they lead the charity and ensure it is working towards its aims. (More information on what this means can be found at www.charitycommission.gov.uk) Please do not be shy in coming forward. It is a very rewarding experience whereby you can give something back to the school whilst using or developing your own skills, making many friends across the year groups and having a good laugh!
The Committee meet regularly and we aim to accommodate different family circumstances. It is not essential for you to be able to attend every meeting. Although the AGM has some formalities, we would really like this event to be interactive and fun. So please join us on 11th February 2020 for this celebration and sharing of ideas.
Kim O’Toole, Chair FOAP
THANK YOU!
A huge thank you to Mr Kamalagharan of NKN Productions Ltd for his company’s very kind gift to the music department of guitar strings, plectrums, violin stands, drum sticks and guitar straps. All of the items will be very useful to the children, and we are so grateful for this generous donation!
YEAR 2 VEGETABLE PROJECT
Our Year 2 classes would like to start growing some vegetables outside the classrooms and would love some help with planters. Ideally what the children need is raised troughs, or some wood so we can make our own. If you can help, please let the Year 2 or office staff know.
BUS DAY
If your child is heading for secondary school soon, you may be interested in Croydon Bus Days, which take place on the third Thursday of the month. There are two sessions at 10:30am and 12:45pm, lasting round an hour and 15 minutes. It is designed to support people who lack confidence with travel on public transport or who have a disability, and is an enjoyable way to practice keeping safe in the community when travelling on the bus. Bus Days start from Fairfield Halls and those taking part will travel on a commissioned bus. Partners in Bus Day include TfL, the Safer Neighbourhood Team (Met Police) and Arriva London. You will get a chance to meet the people who are able to help you when you are travelling. To book onto one of the Bus Days, or for further information, call 020 8604 7578 or email [email protected]
SPORTS NEWS
Netball
It’s been a busy netball week! On Monday 3rd February, 17 netballers went to Gresham to play a league and a friendly match.
The league match was first and Tiana was great in centre court with Grace, Georgina and Lilia. Our defending duo of Millie and Ava were also hard at work while our shooters Mia and Hannah were waiting in the circle.
Next, our second team came on and after finding their feet, had a much stronger second half. We didn’t get the result we wanted but the whole team should be commended for listening well to coaching advice and using this on court. Netballers Emily B, Olivia L, Chloe, Mollie, Sedona, Kisha, Sophie, Poppy, Elise all deserve a mention for their fantastic positive attitudes. Well done girls! Players of the match as voted by Gresham were Tiana and Mollie and coach’s player of the match were Ava and Olivia L.
On Thursday 6th February we welcomed Courtwood to our school. Again, we had two teams of girls ready to play a league match followed by a friendly. There were a few changes for our league match as Tiana was injured so Grace stepped up to take the role of Centre. She was assisted by Hannah, Lilia and Mia in attack with Georgina, Ava and Millie in defence. The game was very fast paced and although it seemed fairly even, we lost 4-1.
It was now the turn of our second team and although there were some “first time” nerves, there were plenty of smiles to be seen. The team consisted of Maya, Tilly S, Tilly W, Kyla, Hannah, Megan, Leah, Eva and Lilly I. From the first whistle, the girls were enthusiastic and worked together well. They were fantastic hosts to our guests and represented Atwood perfectly.
Courtwood’s two players of the match were Lilia and Kyla and the coach’s players were Hannah and Maya for their excellent team spirit.
Many thanks to Mrs Hutchinson and Mrs Brown for their time and support.
Mrs Burr
Girls’ Football
Atwood Girls played a football match against Gresham on Tuesday 4th February, which was a fantastic battle with the visitors taking a narrow win of 2-1.
Gresham started quickly with a good early goal whilst Atwood fought back with a goal not long after, levelling the score near the end of the first half (scored by Olivia from close range). The second half was cagey with chances for both teams; however, Gresham managed to score the winning goal with a great run and shot from outside of the box ending up in the far corner.
It was a great effort from our Atwood Girls who keep improving week by week during their first season of girls School football, well done.
Coach Elliott
T-10 HAF TERM CAMP
GIRLS ONLY FOOTBALL
TENNIS LESSONS
New to tennis and aged 4 -11 years? Join us on court after half term at Purley Bury Lawn Tennis Club, Sanderstead Lawn Tennis Club, Sanderstead Village Lawn Tennis Club and South Croydon SC and get into tennis as part of the Lawn Tennis Association’s Tennis For Kids 2020 campaign. Just £25 + P&P for 6 x 1 hour lessons with a Lawn Tennis Association accredited Tennis Coach, tennis racket & t-shirt delivered to your door!
USE POST CODE - CR8 1JF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UuJRMn7Upc
Visit https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/tennisforkids for more information.
ATTENDANCE
Week ending Week ending
31st Jan 7th Feb
Red & Blue Red Infants (highest) 99% 98% 4M 3S Juniors (highest) 98.7% 99.3%
Whole School (weekly) 96.2% 95.9%
Whole School (year to date) 96.4%
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Here are some useful dates for your diary for this academic year. Some of these dates are provisional: we aim to keep the dates as they are; however, there might be reasons why we need to amend dates. If this is the case, we will let you know as soon as possible. Newly added items are in red.
Mon 10th Feb – Year 6 to performance of Oliver! at Riddlesdown
Tues 11th Feb – Friends of Atwood AGM – 7:30pm
Mon 17th Feb – Fri 21st Feb – HALF TERM
Tues 25th Feb - Parent Gym Session 3 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fri 28th Feb – St David’s Day – children can wear Cubs/Brownies uniforms
Tues 3rd Mar - Parent Gym Session 4 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues 3rd Mar – LAC/AFC Breakfast – 9:00am
Thurs 5th Mar – World Book Day
Tues 10th Mar - Parent Gym Session 5 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fri 13th Mar – St Patrick’s Day - children can wear Cubs/Brownies uniforms
Tues 17th Mar - Parent Gym Session 6 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues 17th Mar – Year 4 Performance
Thurs 19th Mar - Year 4 Performance
Fri 20th Mar – Mothers’ Day Afternoon Tea – 2:00pm
Mon 23rd – Wed 25th Mar – Year 5 to Carroty Wood
Mon 30th Mar – Class Photos
Tues 31st Mar – Class Photos Backup Day
Thurs 2nd Apr – Easter Discos Years 1-3 4:30pm – 6:00pm Years 4-6 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Fri 3rd Apr – LAST DAY OF TERM Monthly mufti day - £2 donation to the School Fund
Mon 20th Apr – START OF SUMMER TERM
Thu 23rd Apr – St George’s Day – Cubs/Brownies uniform may be worn
Fri 24th Apr – Football Themed Mufti Day - £2 donation (cash)
Sat 25th Apr – Family Football Tournament
Fri 1st May – Circus Themed Mufti Day in return for £2 donation (cash)
Sun 3rd May – Happy’s Circus
Mon 11th May – Thurs 14th May – KS2 SATS Week
Mon 18th – Fri 22nd May – Year 6 to Stubbers
Fri 22nd May – Monthly Mufti Day (£2 donation to School Fund)
Mon 25th – Fri 29th May – HALF TERM
Thurs 4th Jun – Riddlesdown Induction Evening
Fri 5th Jun – Riddlesdown Induction Day
Fri 12th Jun – Atwood’s 60th Birthday Celebration! Mufti Day (party wear) in return for a £2 donation (Gateway)
Tues 16th Jun – Year 5 Taster Day at Warlingham
Fri 19th Jun – Year 2 to Brooklands Museum
Mon 22nd Jun – Reception to Bore Place
Thu 25th Jun – Sports Day & Picnic
Tues 30 June & Wed 1st Jul – Warlingham Induction Days
Fri 3rd July – Riddlesdown Induction Day
Fri 3rd Jul – Monthly Mufti Day in return for a bottle for the bottle tombola
Sat 4th July – FOAP Summer Festival
Mon 6th Jul – Year 1 to British Wildlife Centre
Fri 10th Jul – Sat 11th Jul – Camp Atwood (Year 4)
Tues 21st Jul – LAST DAY OF TERM – Finish at 1:30pm Please note there is no After School Care provision on this day.