Newsletter 13 July 2017

End of Year Upper School Message from Mrs Bennett-Odlum Presentations On Thursday, 6th July, the Upper School Presentations were held at I do hope that you all enjoyed the Summer BHASVIC. Children from Years 3 to 6 gathered together to reflect on the term. I have to say, the last two weeks successes of the year and to celebrate everyone’s achievements. Since were absolutely amazing and I would it was my last main event, I was thrilled to see so many parents, carers, like to thank you all so much for your grandparents and close family friends along with Windlesham School staff, valuable contributions to these events. Governors and School Advisors. In my welcome talk, I reminded everyone I have really appreciated having time to that this particular event only marked the presentation of a certain number say goodbye to so many of you this term. of awards. Throughout the academic year, children have received Owl I shall be writing a final letter to you all but Awards, Merit Certificates, Prefect Badges, Sports Certificates and in fact, further Commendations and Sports Colours were presented at the Upper in the meantime, thank you so much for School Final Assembly the very next day. Special speakers at this event were the support you have shown me over the former pupils, Róisín and Fergus Bennett-Odlum who spoke encouraging years. I shall cherish some very happy words to the Year 6 pupils reminding them to celebrate their achievements, memories. I wish Mr Ingrassia success in value their own strengths and interests, embrace and respect differences in his new role as he now prepares to take each other and to be the best that they can be. Former Head Girls, Lara and on the Headship of Windlesham School. Honor Patching took to the stage to share their memories of Windlesham and school life under my Headship. Many amusing tales were revealed especially related to Owl time! All the Upper School children sang during the evening and memorable performances included ‘When I Grow Up’, ‘Bread and Fishes’ and Mrs Gallant’s composition, ‘Jubilee Song’ . The final surprise performance was ‘Thanks Mrs Bennett-Odlum’ sung to ABBA’s ‘Thank you for the Music’ and this was particularly special. Every child had the chance to shine that evening and they did. Well done to all the children.

Message from Mr Ingrassia It has only been a ten week term but it is amazing how much can be packed into such a short period. The main thing I planned to get done this term was a hand- Once the main Presentation Event had finished, the Hall was quickly prepared over between Mrs Bennett-Odlum and for another gathering. Former pupils and teachers had been secretly invited myself. What I got was so much more. by the school to come and say goodbye. The Chair of Governors, Mr Mrs Bennett-Odlum has been a terrific Rowlands-Hempel, spoke to all the visitors and presented a painting of myself colleague to work with, sharing a similar which will hang in the School Hall. This was such a surprise and it really is a great honour. Mr Bennett-Odlum also spoke and presented his own Owl sense of humour and a similar set of Awards. It was a very special evening for us all. It was also announced that values. I will genuinely miss working with a former pupils’ association is going to be launched next academic year so her and wish her every happiness in all please do look out for this in the future. her future pursuits. Reporter: Mrs Bennett-Odlum

Preparing children for life General news

Staff news for 2017-2018 Staffing for next year is set and we are excited to In a new role next year, Ms Groves will be applying announce a few changes and new appointments, but first her expertise in the Read Write Inc Programme to all I would like to acknowledge the contributions of those pupils in Early Years and the Lower School. She will who are leaving Windlesham School. We bid farewell run intervention groups and extension groups and will to Mrs Lewis, who has been supporting Reception so train and support staff and parents in running the RWI cheerfully and diligently; to Mr Franklin, who has been a programme. The creation of this role will enable RWI to strong calming influence over 4F for the past two terms; make a greater impact on children’s reading proficiency. to Miss Baig, who has made such a strong impact on the teaching of English across the school; to Mrs Flack, who In Year 3 will be Mrs Mack in one class and sharing the has provided such a nurturing learning environment for other, Miss Sutcliffe (3 days a week) and Mrs Jeffery (1 Year 1 this year and finally to Mrs Woodhouse who has day a week). In Year 4, we welcome Mr Freeborn in one established the foundations of learning to so many for so class and sharing the other equally between them will be long. It is difficult to summarise the contributions of these Mrs Card and Mrs Martin. In a new role this year, offering members of staff in a few lines as they extend far beyond high quality support and extension to Year 3 and 4, will be what is outlined above. However, we wish them all the Mrs Ball. Sharing one class in Year 5 will be Mrs Carvey best in their future pursuits. (3 days a week) and Mrs Coego (2 days a week). Sharing the other equally will be Mrs Fox and Mr Crellin. In Year Looking to the future, the staff in Nursery for September 6 we welcome Miss Timms, soon to become Mrs Jones. will be Mrs Older, Mrs Spicer, Mrs Joyce and Mrs Morling. Miss Timms will be sharing with Mrs Colley. In the other Leading Reception will be Miss Jarman supported by Year 6 class, we will have Ms O’Dowd and Mrs Moss. Miss Metzner, and we also welcome Mrs Derby, who joins Year 5 and 6 will be supported by Mrs Stewart. The us as a teaching assistant with a wealth of experience support offered by Mrs Stewart is a new role, designed in Early Childhood teaching and an equal amount of to assist and extend pupils with the academic challenges enthusiasm. faced near the end of their primary education. Mrs Stewart has a wealth of experience in working with Upper In Year 1 will be Miss Higgs (4 days a week) and Mrs School pupils. Jeffery (1 day a week). Year 1 will be supported by Mrs Green, Mrs Fletcher and by Miss Moreton. In Year 2 In another new role, Miss Thompsett will be supporting will be Mrs Slater and Miss Kennedy, supported by Mrs across all of the Upper School. Miss Thompsett will be Glasgow-Simmonds. working closely with our new SENCO (starting in January 2018) with specific intervention groups to support and extend pupil learning in key areas of the curriculum.

School renovations During the holidays, there will be a significant amount of work carried out in the school. Some of it will be the scheduled maintenance checks and repairs which take place during the holiday periods but a great deal will include the refurbishment of certain parts of the school. We look forward to the return of staff and pupils in September so that they may enjoy enhanced learning facilities.

FOW WPNO and AGM Please make a note in your diaries. On Tuesday, 19th September, FOW will host the Windlesham Parents’ Night Out (WPNO) and AGM, from 7.00 pm until 9.00 pm, with a new quiz night format, eats and a bar.

Reporter: Mr Ingrassia

2 General news

Outstanding secondary school results We are delighted to confirm the results for the Year 6 pupils who applied to a range of independent and maintained schools in the area. We are so pleased that they have been extremely successful and the Headteachers are very much looking forward to welcoming them in September.

Please take time to look at the different types of awards and scholarships that the children have achieved. Windlesham School currently has very strong links with 15 secondary schools. Scholarships and awards are only given to pupils who apply to the independent sector and, once again, the children have achieved great success. We are all extremely proud of them and wish them continued success with their future studies. Windlesham families are guided through the whole process of applying to secondary schools in the Summer term of Year 5 so you do not need to worry about it until then. Let your child grow and flourish here at Windlesham School and then start looking at the great choice which lies ahead. Reporter: Mrs Bennett-Odlum

Secondary School* Places and Awards Offered

1 Academic and All-Rounder Sport Scholarship; College and St Christopher’s 3 places

1 Academic and Bursary Scholarship; Brighton and High School 3 places 3 Academic Scholarships; Burgess Hill Girls School 1 Academic and Bursary Scholarship; 3 places

Cardinal Newman Catholic School 2 places Dorothy Stringer High School 5 places School 3 places 1 Academic Scholarship; Hurstpierpoint College 2 places King’s School 5 places Lancing College Prep 3 places 1 Headmaster Award; 4 Awards; (LOGS) 2 places 1 place 3 Headmaster Awards; 1 Sussex Scholarship (Academic); 1 Sport Scholarship; 1 Academic and Dance Scholarship; 1 Academic Scholarship; 1 Academic and Sport Scholarship; 2 places Shoreham College 4 places Steyning Grammar 1 place 3 places

* in alphabetical order 3 School Trip

Owlets trip to Spring Barn Farm

On Thursday, 15th June, the Owlets children and staff enjoyed a windswept and sunny visit to Spring Barn Farm.

During the animal-handling sessions, the children met Galaxy the tortoise, Daisy the bunny and were introduced to some dinosaurs – otherwise know as chickens, which come from the same family. All the children enjoyed feeding the goats and alpacas. During the tractor ride, we saw sheep and rams. We all had fun exploring the bouncy pillows, sand play, climbing frames and indoor soft play areas, before travelling back to school tired, but having had a very exciting day. Many thanks to the parents who were able to help in order to make the trip possible. Reporter: Mrs Older

4 School Activities

Olivia - Year 6 production

Although a rather crude instrument, had a clap-o-meter been employed to gauge how much the audience enjoyed Thursday night's performance of Olivia, it would not have failed to recognise that Year 6 achieved an outstanding play. From the first few lines, spoken by the terrifying Mrs Murdstone, to the moment when the fat lady finally sang, it was a very funny, engaging and well paced play. Olivia was a perfectly chosen script for our children and the parts were equally well cast.

Throughout the 1 hour and 40 minutes of running time, there was a constant stream of laughter from the audience which seemed to spur our actors to keep putting more energy into their performances. Such a production can only happen with the effort and commitment of a wonderful team; Year 6 and all staff who supported them with costumes, props, photography, supervision, backdrops... However, a team does not reach such standards without being driven by a committed, exacting and energetic leader: Mrs Gallant. Mrs Gallant offeredYear 6 a priceless gift; a memory to cherish long after leaving Windlesham School. Year 6 paid her back with interest and put on a spectacular show. Thank you to Year 6.

Reporter: Mr Ingrassia

Charity Day A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our Charity Day on Friday, 30th June. The children really enjoyed themselves. I was particularly impressed with the work of the 6 Charity Representatives and especially with Austin and Sasha who gave that little bit extra. Ian Maskell was brilliant, joining in with lots of activities especially the Nursery 'Tour de Windlesham' which was won by Tamara. It was fantastic seeing the little tots peddling away on 2 wheels, stabilisers and even balance bikes with everyone helping out on corners!

The total amount raised from all your generous contributions was £843.16 and will be divided between three charities: Aspore, Back Up and SIA. The total raised for charity during the whole year is just under £5,000. Thank you all so much. Reporter: Ms Groves

5 Topics of interest

Enrichment week

The theme for the week was ‘travel’ linked to our current topic about transport. We started the week with an aeroplane ride and made passports and had to pass through security and passport control before entering the plane in the gym. We watched a safety video about take off and landing. Our lovely air stewards served refreshments.

In English, we made a travel brochure. With a partner or in a trio, we created a page about different countries around the world.

It was also great fun sharing different food from around the world.

We followed instructions to make a paper aeroplane and then took them for a test flight. Penny, Charlie and Isaac D won the competition as their planes travelled the furthest.

Reporter: Miss Jarman

Adventure Club For our final adventure, we decided to explore somewhere new. However, the weather was not on our side. Nevertheless, after much discussion whilst grasping our Windlesham umbrellas, we decided to battle the extreme weather conditions and at a gruelling, fast-paced trek we made it to our exciting new wilderness. Once there, we discovered a good plaster plant and a tree that we could use as a soap alternative. We took in the view with a gluten-free breadstick and organic hummus which made it seem like our shoes had not got wet at all. Luckily, and in record time, we made it back to Windlesham a little less dry but all present! Reporter: Mr Frankel

6 Topics of interest

Maths and Architecture Day

Maths Day was a tremendous success. The originality and creativity of the children’s costumes were inspiring as 3-D Shapes were represented in many forms. A big thank you to all parents and carers for their impressive input in helping the children with the many and varied costumes.

Mr Ingrassia had the challenging task of choosing the winners of the parade. The winners from Year 6 to Nursery were as follows:

Year 6: Alanya - Crayola, Max - Toblerone, Noah - King of Diamonds

Year 5: Ollie - Heinz Beans, Tom - Rubix, Datis - London Bridge

Year 4: Harry - Empire State, Sophie - Big Ben, Max - The Shard

Year 3: Buckley - Cylinder Bin Man, Elsa - Modernism, Lola - Baked Beans

Year 2: Penny - Ferris Wheel, Molly - Cashpoint, Isaac - Domino

Year 1: Genie Carlina - Toblerone, Rosa - Ruler, Charley - Shapes

Reception: Emily - Shape Dress, Louis - Lego Man, Arthur - Hexagons

Owlets: Reid - Ice Cream, Christopher - The World, Isabella - Number Box, Nathaniel - Marina Bay Sands

Classes across Windlesham School had an exciting morning working on different aspects of 3-D Shapes, ranging from Year 1 designing a bridge using 3-D Shapes on paper and then constructing their design using junk modelling, to Years 5 and 6 investigating the relationship between the number of vertices, faces and edges in 3-D Shapes leading to an understanding of Euler’s formula.

To further the children’s understanding of 3-D shapes, The Friends of Windlesham kindly sponsored an Architecture Workshop for Years 4, 5 and 6. With great team effort, the children enjoyed constructing a model of The Millennium Bridge and stress tested the bridge for suspension. All this was achieved using only canes and rubber bands. Also, a fairground ride was constructed and much to the children’s amazement stood tall and sturdy despite torrential rain. Respite from the rain allowed a group of the children to ask questions from our host, Ruth, about inspiring worldwide architecture, tying in beautifully with our Maths Day theme.

Reporter: Ms O’Dowd

7 Sports news

Sports Day

Wednesday, 28th June was a day of mixed blessings. Although the Lower School Sports Day was cancelled due to wet conditions, it was fortuitous that the Upper School one could proceed.

Owing to the quasi-military organisational skills displayed by Mrs Fox, we were able to run the afternoon of almost 50 events punctually, efficiently and without mishap. Children clearly enjoyed the taking part, and where applicable, enjoyed the winning even more. There were some excellent examples of good sporting spirit and some children could have been mistaken for believing the school motto to be ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’. Teachers remained relaxed and parents and carers beamed with pride. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I was glad to be a part of it, as was Mr Freeborn, our new PE Co-ordinator, and Miss Timms, our new English Co-ordinator. Miss Timms will be getting married during the holiday and we wish her and her husband-to-be the very best. When Miss Timms returns in September, she will be known as Mrs Jones. Both Mr Freeborn and Miss Timms commented on how much they enjoyed their day with us and felt welcome by you all.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs Fox for organising Sports Day so well, to all staff who assisted, to all the children who participated and to all the parents and carers who supported them. An additional thanks goes to the FOW, who offered assistance in the preparations. We hope that the umbrellas can be left at home next year.

Reporter: Mr Ingrassia

Mrs Bennett-Odlum passing the baton to Mr Ingrassia!

8 Sports news

Chess Club

Now that the end of term has arrived we have said farewell to Ms Chadwick who has been coaching the Chess Club this year. Chess has been a popular option for those in the Upper School and they have progressed and developed enormously. There have been some key moments for pupils playing in the UK Delancey School Challenges and organising a simultaneous challenge against a county champion. We presented Ms Chadwick a card and flowers to say thank you for her time and commitment to providing a superb opportunity for the pupils at Windlesham.

Reporter: Mrs Fox Sussex Junior Chess Aywin, in the Upper School, is passionate about chess and is a winner of the Bruce Dienes Award. The Awards took place on June 10th in Great Walstead and ‘recognise those who have demonstrated long term committment and perseverence to their chess, often in the face of adversity, coupled with sportsmanship which has resulted in steady improvement over time’.

This award ceremony is followed by an end of season simultaneous where the children take on the combined might of the coaches. This year, it included an International Master and a FIDE Master amongst their ranks. Well done Aywin for receiving this special award!

House swimming gala competition Tuesday, 4th July saw one of the last but definitely not the least of the sporting events for Windlseham, the House swimming gala. It was a fantastic way to end the year with everyone from Years 3 to 6 taking an active role. It was a lovely atmosphere on poolside and it gave us a chance to present Year 6 with their county championship medals. Reporter: Mrs Fox 9 10 Achievements

Merit Badges Upper School ‘House The following children are to be congratulated for tremendous effort or positive attitude (as at 7th July 2017): Competition’ results It has been a fantastic year with so Lower School many different competitions, from the Khadeeja, Florence, Shayan, James T, Marina, Elias, House Stalls at the Christmas Fayre with Carlos, Jasmine, Pippa, Claudia, Jayden, Annan, Snowmen flipping, to the logo competition Summer, Rowan, Matilda and Isaac. which produced some excellent results. More recently, there were some very

impressive entries for the poetry Upper School competition. The House Captains have Michael M, Samuel R, Theo E, Jaan and Kyrillos. worked hard with their House members. SUMMER TERM HOUSE POINT RESULTS 3rd place: Bodiam with 918 points Owls Awards 2nd place: Lewes with 979 points Remis, Sofia, Jaan, Diego, Elsa, Hermione, Beau, Billy W, 1st place: Arundel with 1051 points Zac P, James P, Tatiana, Beck, George W, Datis, Alanya, Tilly C, Noah F-W, Zane, Max O and Austin. OVERALL, FOR THE WHOLE YEAR 3rd place: Lewes with 3401 points 2nd place: Bodiam with 3518 points 1st place: Arundel with 3877 points

Well done to all the children for their hard work this year. A fantastic result for Arundel.

FOW Summer Spectacular 3rd July 2017 The Friends of Windlesham hosted a wonderful Summer Spectacular event in conjunction with the staff and the children which helped mark my time as Headteacher. The sun shone and the Pimms flowed, and everyone had the chance to sit and chat together on the School Lawns. The children in each class entertained all the guests with some excellent performances. I was particularly honoured to have a special throne to sit in and an amazing owl, wedding-style cake to cut and share with all the guests. Mr Berman spoke on behalf of all the parents and carers and I was truly touched by his kind words. I shall be writing to you all over the Summer but I wanted to express my sincere thanks to everyone for helping create such a memorable afternoon. Please visit the Windlesham School Facebook page for lots of fantastic photographs of this event. Reporter: Mrs Bennett-Odlum

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Newsletter Editor: Mrs S Blaylock

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