Welcome to the Grayswood CE School newsletter, bringing you an update of what's been happening during the month of March.

We've had trips, special visitors and of course, World Book Week. To round out the term, yesterday, our Year 2 class led a wonderful service in the Church, re-telling the story of Easter.

Then today we welcomed a very special visitor who hopped around to all the children to wish them a happy Easter.

Vote for Grayswood School!

We have recently been informed that our application to Tesco's Stronger Starts fundraiser has been successful, and our Outdoor Play Project will be put forward to a customer vote in Tesco stores.

Voting will commence in both the Haslemere and Midhurst Express stores from the first week in April 2024 until the end of June 2024.

Please get voting and fingers crossed we may receive a grant award of up to £1,500 towards further improvements to the playground!

Online Safety Workshop

Our thanks to Childnet for coming in to talk to all the classes and parents about Online Safety last week. The children heard the story of Salma the Seal, and they were tasked with helping guide Salma to make the right choices when using a device that has access to the internet.

Through a catchy song, the key message of always asking a trusted adult for help was embedded. The older children had more in-depth discussions about a variety of topics. 

Kerala, South India, comes to Grayswood!

Last week, our KS2 children were treated to a Kathakali dance workshop and performance as part of our Inter-Faith week. The children were mesmerised by the elaborate costume, make-up and the many movements and facial expressions used to tell a story.

Following the visit, Barbara and Vijaya from the Kerala Heritage Project wrote:

"The teachers and children were outstanding and a real credit to their families, the school and themselves. 

The children were well focused, respectful, tried to understand, had the confidence to ask questions, supported each other and gave 100%.

We have worked in over 3,000 schools from the Isle of Scilly to the remote Highlands of Scotland and yours is one of the best."

Well done Grayswood!

Swallows Class Assembly

Our Year 4 class put on a fantastic assembly this month to a packed audience of family, friends and the whole school. They performed a selection of songs and their important message about preserving the rainforest was very powerful.

The children spoke so confidently, delivering their lines impeccably, in some extremely creative costumes - well done Year 4- we are very proud of you and really enjoyed the assembly!

Kew Gardens Trip

Following on from their superb Rainforest-themed assembly, the Swallows class were lucky enough to enjoy a well-earned trip to Kew Gardens.

"In the morning Mrs. Harris' group went to the classroom of Kew Gardens and looked at the things the Indigenous Peoples used including bowls, hats and many more things, whilst the other group visited a greenhouse to do some sketches. Some people drew fish, whilst others drew plants. After lunch we switched activities before going to the playground. It was such a fantastic day, we can't wait to go again soon!"

Written by Autumn, Matilda, Arlo s

Wrens Wild About Britain Visit

On Thursday 14^th March, Connie from Wild About Britain visited our Wrens class and brought along some special guests.

The Wrens got to meet some endangered British wildlife up close and even handle some protected species. The class met Wren the smooth snake, a common toad, Snowdrop the Hedgehog and Freddie the Tawny Owl! We learnt lots of new facts about these animals and also how we can help care for them.

Grayswood Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who came and supported the Grayswood School Book Fair last month.

As a result of all of your purchases, we are extremely pleased to announce that we have been awarded £445 to spend on books for the school.

Our first delivery of books has recently arrived and are ready for the children to begin enjoying.

World Book Week Celebrations

This month saw another hugely enjoyable World Book Week celebration at Grayswood School.

The lovely team at the Haslemere Bookshop kicked things off for us and the children were spoilt for choice with books to take home in exchange for their World Book Day token.

Then on Friday, we began with the children parading their costumes in front of the whole school and certificates were given to the 'best-dressed' book characters. Well done everyone- you looked fabulous! 

This was followed by the children spending the morning in mixed groups across the school to complete various book-related activities, involving crafts, painting, drawing, poetry and much more.

We then welcomed some 'Mystery Readers' to round off the week.

On top of all of this, we managed to raise a phenomenal £269 from the 2024 Sponsored Read.

Congratulations to all those students who won certificates for their immense reading efforts!

New lunch menu

Our caterers, Twelve15, have launched a new lunch menu for the summer term.

Don't forget that meals should be ordered a week in advance, so the cut-off date to order meals for the first day back after Easter will be Sunday 7th April. Orders should be placed via your Scopay account.

Amazing Things Happen

You may or may not be aware that we currently have a number of children with Autism at Grayswood. 

As an inclusive school, we are keen to promote understanding of Autism and encourage positive relationships amongst our whole school community. 

Please could you take time to watch this short animation with your child and discuss it with them.

Watch here

Good attendance is not just valuable, it's essential. Good attendance promotes good outcomes for pupils and provides them with the very best opportunity to reach their potential.

We regularly track the attendance for each child and communicate with parents where any concerns may be emerging. The government class attendance below 90% is as 'persistently absent' and under 50% 'severely absent'.

The percentage attendance figures for each class as a whole in March are:

The Grayswood netball teams have been busy this month playing matches against local schools. First up, the mixed Year 5 and 6 teams played a couple of hard fought matches against St Barts. St Barts came out on top, but they were very closely contested games!

Following that, the Year 4 team played their first match against St Ives. It was a lovely afternoon with lots of great netball shown from both sides. The overall score was 2-2!

New sports clubs

Looking ahead to the Summer Term and hopefully some brighter, drier weather, we are in the process of setting up lunch-time Running Club and a couple of new after-school sports clubs.

More details will be sent out soon!

Preloved Uniform

Don't forget, we have a thriving pre-loved uniform service which now has its very own Instagram page: @grayswood_uniform

The uniform shop is really important for the school and raises a significant sum each year. Buying uniform second-hand is kinder on the pocket and the planet!

Hosting a party? 

A reminder that you can hire our school hall for your parties, events or clubs. It's available after school, at weekends and during the school holidays.

To find out more please contact Mrs Simpson, our School Business Manager, on sbm@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk