4th July, 2016 Newsletter no 16 There can be no better way to start a newsletter but to celebrate three special occasions: Science Fair What an amazing evening. How to begin writing about such a wonderful event? To begin…...on behalf of the whole school community, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the driving force of Sue Crowther, Anne Donovan and Johann Rosser. These three parents Golden Table deserve very special mention for all their enthusiasm, commitment and vision to create such a special event. 17th June Congratulations go to Ned Thank you to every single parent scientist who offered their time and D, Beatrice M, Ethan P, created opportunities for families to engage and enthuse in learning Isobel W, Kieran R, Amelie S through science. That thanks goes further to the children of Year 6 who & Emma N. professionally presented a range of scientific investigations and to all parents, staff and members of the community such as Marple Mess 24th June Team and Ian Russell (the New Mills Bubble Man) who supported the Congratulations go to Lily D, event. Thank you to everyone who contributed in some way to make Alex C, Eliza D, Luke D, this occasion so special. Photographs of the event are on our website Emily W, Harrison D & Laura under school events 2015-16. J with the special award going to Jayden B. Mellor Netball For the third year in a row, our Netball team have once again brought 1st July home the Marple Cluster Silverware - Netball league winners. A Congratulations go to Eve W, Oliver H, Isobel H, Sam C, fantastic achievement and congratulations to the whole team. Amelie B, Adam G & Alice W. A huge thank you on behalf of the school community goes to Cornelia Smith, Sara Mayer and Rachel Bailey for their commitment, energy and sheer enthusiasm supporting our school in developing sporting Headteacher Awards opportunities. 24th June Congratulations go to Oliver Lacrosse G, Edmund W, Ed F, Brooke On Sunday 29th June, anyone following our Pop Lacrosse team on B, Nathan M, Josh M, Emma Twitter would have been gripped by the development. We are N & Max R. delighted to say that ‘Mighty Miniature Mellor’ lacrosse team are Plate winners at the National Championships. Well done to the whole team. The summary match report below submitted by Austin Brady gives an excellent resume of the day’s events. The full report can be viewed on our website under school events. A special thank you to Ms. Parkin and Rick Shonfeld for their coaching and hard work. 2 Lacrosse continued….. After recent success in the Greater Manchester School Games, Mellor headed to the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on Sunday, 26th June where the best 23 school Pop LAX teams from all over the UK met to compete for silverware in the National Pop Lacrosse Finals. Drawn in a very tough group, Mellor qualified for the Plate level of the competition. The quarter-final of the Plate was against Strathblane from Scotland and in a fiercely competitive match (it was England v Scotland after all!) that saw both George and Joey take heavy knocks, Mellor came out victorious 6-5 to claim a place in the semi-final. A 9-5 win against Gawsworth (Macclesfield) set up a Plate final against St Eanswythe (Folkestone). On paper this was going to be tricky as they had just defeated Heathbrook, who Mellor had lost heavily to in the group stages earlier, but this was a Mellor team improving with every game and they showed the many watching parents, as well as members from English LAX, what a great standard of LAX they can play. Mellor played exceptionally well and deservedly won the Plate final 8-3 to complete a fantastic tournament. The 8 players – Emma N, Eve B, Katie M, Leia Y, Alex C, George S, Jack R and Joey B were a real credit to the school in the way they played and the gracious way they celebrated their success. No doubt they were the youngest (and smallest!) squad in the tournament but they showed that determination, team spirit and (more than a little bit) of skill goes a very long way as they scored 54 goals in 7 games. Well done to all the players and to Ms Parkin and Rick Shonfeld for coaching the team to success. Austin Brady Out of School Care As you are aware, we have had an unprecedented demand for Out of School Care places for September; this has had a knock on effect on staffing and resources for the facility. A great deal of work has been done to ensure that our community can be supported in this matter. All places have now been offered and as in previous years, changes would be charged for. However, this year, due to the impact on staffing, we are able to accept changes to any booked places up until Wednesday 6th July. After this time, any bookings will be fixed and chargeable for the first half term. Karate There will be no Karate club on the last Tuesday of term - Tuesday, 26th July. Nail varnish Please ensure that your child/ren do not come to school wearing nail varnish. Schoolcomms Please ensure that you have registered for Schoolcomms/School Gateway if you haven’t already done so, and have downloaded the App on your smartphones. This helps us reduce our costs when communicating with you. Twitter @mellorprimary The number of people following us on Twitter is increasing. If you’d like to join us, it helps if the name of the request is clear or there is an easy to recognise picture. Health & Safety To ensure the safety of your children, please could parents not climb over the stone walls or encourage their children to do so. Also, please could parents ensure that the school gates remain closed. Thank you. 3 NUT: Industrial Action You may be aware that the National Union of Teachers have called for strike action on Tuesday, 5th July. The teaching staff who are members of the NUT have decided not to undertake strike action on this occasion. School will remain open as usual. Parents Survey: Hot Topic In the last newsletter, we discussed ‘My children’s concerns are dealt with effectively’. This week, we explore the following: The school is led and managed well. Of the 21 responses, 15 were very supportive showing a huge level of satisfaction through complimentary statements. Four responses showed a level of dissatisfaction. Whilst this is a small number of people, the views expressed are considered carefully by governors and can help us in the development of school. To help school further, I would encourage parents to discuss these thoughts openly with us as sometimes perceptions may be slightly different to school’s position. 4 Safeguarding If you ever have any on-line safeguarding concerns, you can report directly to the Child Exploitation and On-line Protection Centre (CEOP) www.ceop.police.uk www.thinkuknow.co.uk is also good site for understanding safety in this digital world. Please see our website for additional information on the whole subject of safeguarding children. Q What happens if your child is diagnosed with a new long term illness e.g. asthma A School must be notified by parents & carers and where appropriate, a care plan is drawn up in conjunction with the school nurse People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude. John C. Maxwell Friends of Mellor The winning lottery tickets for the first two draws are: May - 003 & June - 026 Congratulations to the winners who have been contacted directly. Dates Weds 6th July, 7-9pm FOM Meeting Fri 8th - Sun 10th July FOM Camping Weekend Fri 22nd July FOM BBQ - organised by parents & carers of Year 3 Fri 23rd Sept @ 9am FOM Coffee Morning to welcome new parents (note new date) 5 Dates for your diary School Music Concert Tues, 5th July @ 6.30pm Singing Concert Weds ,6th July @ 2.15pm (Yrs 4-6) Thurs, 7th July @ 10.45am (Nursery -Yr 3) Yr 6 Residential 18th - 22nd July Children back to school Mon, 5th September Individual Photos Tues, 20th September Please remember to keep the office informed of any changes in medical conditions, emergency contact numbers & email addresses via the school email address [email protected] or in writing. Mellor Primary School Knowle Rd Mellor Stockport SK6 5PL 0161 427 1052 [email protected] http://www.mellor.stockport.sch.uk Please refrain from using the School Gateway to communicate anything of an urgent nature 6 M e l l o r C o m m u n i t y N e w s C o m m u n M e l l o r 7 Great Mellor Bake Off Saturday 16th July at 2pm Mellor Parish Centre Come and see Sandy Docherty, Great British Bake Off contestant in 2015 share her TV experiences and demonstrate the art of tray bakes and a Mellor “show stopper” Marc Hall from New Mills Cottage Bakery will be our Master of Ceremonies and assist Sandy in judging our lo- cal offerings! Everyone is invited to enter a cake and entries from under 15’s are welcome. This is a Celebration of Baking including those with Soggy and Wobbly Bottoms! Pick up an entry form at the Parish Centre or Marple Bridge Post Office. It’s free to enter and certificates will be awarded for the best in each category: Favourite family bake (and bring the recipe if you like) My Mellor Show Stopper Tray Bake Tickets £10 (under 15s half price) include tea and cake from Mellor Parish Centre or Angela Stead (0161 427 3571) M e l l o r C o m m u n i t y N e w s C o m m u n M e l l o r 8 Saturday 10th September Rainforest Roadshow Interactive presentation begins at 2pm Bring the children to this hands-on experience where they’ll be able to smell, touch and see the rainforest.