School dinners and Superhero Day

This week has been another busy week! On Tuesday, I spent time in the dining hall with our younger pupils. It was lovely to see them enjoying their school dinner. Since September, all children in Reception, Year 1 and 2 are now able to get a free hot meal every day and it has been great to see so many of our pupils taking up this offer. You can see from the photos below that many of them didn't even stop to smile at the camera as they were so busy enjoying the food. Our lunchtime supervisors and catering staff have done an excellent job at organising the changes we have had to make due to the increased number of children having school dinners.

Our Reception children being supported by the Foundation Stage staff and the Lunchtime Supervisors.

Great table manners from our Year 1 pupils!

Yummy dessert!

Our Year 2 pupils enjoying the pasta.

Today was an exciting day as the school suddenly became full of Superheroes. We saw hundreds of Spidermans, Batmans (and girls) and Supermans. It was a fantastic day where we raised money for two very worthy charities. The children's MUFTI money went towards the Shooting Star Chase Charity. This charity has two hospices, one of which is in Guildford, that support children with life-limiting conditions. The staff also had a coffee and cake morning and raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Below are the finalists from each phase who were selected as having the most original Superhero costumes. As you can see, we had some really creative entries. We had 'Bling Girl', 'Army Man', 'Guildford Grove Boy' and 'Super Spanish Girl'.

Our Foundation Stage finalists

Our 1/2 finalists

Our 3/4 finalists

Our 5/6 finalists

What a fantastic way to end the week!

Rona Mackie

Head of School

Pupil Engagement

This week, our teachers have been focusing on pupil engagement. We all had an opportunity to watch a few videos of some of our teachers in action and discussed the strategies they had used to ensure their pupils were engaged in their learning. It was amazing to see our Reception children enjoying their first ever phonics session. They were making silly soup with words that started with the 's' sound. Great fun!

I have also enjoyed seeing our new 3rd teacher groups in action. These small group sessions, which have been set up in our new learning zones in the ICT suite, are taught by our experienced part time teachers. They run in the morning and focus on maths and literacy. The children get taught exactly the same lesson as their peers in their class but in a smaller setting. This picture shows a Year 6 writing session with Mrs Inglis. They were thoroughly enjoying their learning.

I have also seen examples of excellent learning in the pupils' books. One of the benefits of being the Head of School is that children regularly come down to my office to show me their wonderful work. Here is a picture of Max and Maryam from 5H who came to show me the excellent work they had completed on addition in maths. Well done to both of them.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and let's hope the sun continues to shine.

Many thanks,

Rona Mackie

Head of School

What a great start!

I have been really impressed with the excellent start our pupils have made to the new school year. They are already engaged in their learning and looking so smart in their school uniform. This week, I have spoken to the children about the one rule we have for our school community and that everyone will be polite, respectful and considerate to others at all times. We have seen evidence of this rule in action all week. This has been particularly clear in the way our pupils welcome new children into their class. They always ensure that they are happy and know where everything is around our school.

Today, I spent some time in the dining hall and on the playground. It was lovely to talk to some Year 3 and 4 children while we ate our lunch. They had really enjoyed their group reading that morning. Out on the playground, I played some circle games with a group of Year 4, 5 and 6 children. We had a fantastic time in the sun as other children played hockey, ran after bubbles, skipped and played giant Connect 4.

Over the next few weeks, I will be adding photos on my blog to show you more excellent examples of the great work that is going on in our school.

Next time, I will be sharing with you a great example of a group of pupils fully engaged in their learning.

Many thanks,

Rona Mackie
Head of School