January 2025

Our value we're focusing on this half term: Kindness

Welcome

We wanted to begin the first newsletter of the year with a great big THANK YOU to all of our parent volunteers. Through the frost, snow and ice we've experienced this month, they have kept traffic flowing with our Kiss & Drop system, and joined us for class trips and Forest School. Your support is invaluable.

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Happy Birthday To Us!

30th January 2025 marked our 120th birthday here at Grayswood CofE School.

Here's a picture of the School in it's opening year.

We very much look forward to seeing our Year 2 class perform their upcoming assembly on life in schools in the past and finding out more about the school lives of children back then!

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Year 1 Trip

On Monday 20^th January, Woodpeckers class visited The Rural Life Centre in Tilford to learn more about toys from the past. They were spilt into two groups – the first group played with a variety of 1950’s toys like; trikes, puzzles, cup and ball and skipping ropes. The main difference we learnt was how simple toys were in the past and children used their imagination to make up games too. The second group was with Pam, who told them all about what it was like to be a 1950s child and she showed them the types of toys she played with, the original books she read and what she was dressed in.

In the afternoon they played in the 1950s playground and then had a whistlestop tour of the other exhibits.

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A massive thank you to Clare, Jo and Hannah for volunteering to help us on the trip!

Year 5 Trip

"On the 22nd of January, Swifts Class went on an out of-this-world trip to Winchester Science Centre! We did this to enhance our knowledge of space.

The first thing we did was a workshop on the James Webb Space Telescope. We learnt tons about light.

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Next we went to the planetarium, and we learnt about constellations, the Milky Way, solar system and a black hole.

After that, we explored downstairs which was all about space and illusions.

Finally, we explored upstairs where we learnt about sound but also EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE!

It was a wonderful day."

By Arlo S, Year 5

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My Baking Day with Miss Cole

"The day was fantastic! Three friends made it even better! I could only pick three friends, and it was really hard to decide who I should pick, but in the end I chose Esme, Ivan and Harry and we made a very yummy chocolate cake! We all got to take a big slice home each.

It was amazing that I won a Teachers Promise, and I can't believe the member of staff who did it with me was the Head Teacher, Miss Cole!

It was very, very fun. Esme, Harry, Ivan and I all want to do something like that again."

By O.J., Year 4

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Chinese New Year Dance Workshop

"On Wednesday we all did a dance for the story of The Great Race. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the funny rat moves. We also pretended to be the calm river that in The Great Race they swam in.

The result of The Great Race decided which animals would have a year named after them in a 12-year cycle.

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Finally, we pretended to be a dragon, all holding on to each other's shoulders.

I was born in the year of the Rooster, and my friend Jasper was born in the year of the dog. It was very interesting to learn all about the dance and the animals."

By Sophia and Jasper, Year 2

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Staffing News

I'm sure you'll join us in congratulating Mrs. Woods on the wonderful news that she is expecting a baby in May.

To cover Mrs. Woods whilst she is on maternity leave, we are currently advertising a vacancy which can be found here.

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Celebrations and Awards

Stars of the Week

10th January: Archie, Martha, Harvey, Jack K, Theo

17th January: Thomas C, Alex I, Sebastian, Heidi, Mae, Ella, Rose KC, Gabriel, Toby S, Oliver B, Alex P, Douglas, Charley, Evie

24th January: Elouise, Lily W, Arlo C, Arabelle, Ashlyn, Ellis, Esme, Etty, Fleur, Jacob B, Sophia R, Xander, Arlo B, Reuben, Bea VDM

31st January: Mila T, Olivia P, Jacob S, Bo, Albert H, Isabella To, Beau, Adelaide, Hugo C, Freddie R, Annabelle G, Whole of Year 5

School Value Awards

10th January: Luca, O.J., Sophia R

17th January: Iris, Isabella T, Riley, Freddie R, Edward C, Elkie

24th January: Cressida

31st January: Joey

Class Attendance

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 January are:

1st. Swifts - 98.66%

2nd. Kingfishers - 97.25%

3rd. Woodpeckers - 96.38%

4th. Swallows - 96.11%

5th. Kites - 96.00%

6th. Robins - 95.71%

7th. Wrens - 95.33%

Well done Swifts on topping the leaderboard for January!

House Points

The house point totals for this term so far are:

Hawking - 694

Darwin - 695

Lovelace - 631

Burns - 639

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Just to remind parents/carers that our new attendance policy will come into action from September 2024. If you take your child/children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), then the following will apply:

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.

Sports Update

Reindeer Run

At the end of last term, as we got ready to break for Christmas, all of our students took part in our annual sponsored run, in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell.

Thanks to some fantastic fundraising efforts, we have been informed we raised an amazing £1125.65.

Our thanks to our neighbours at Grayswood House for the use of their beautiful grounds once again.

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SEND

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FROGS

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Reminders

Food Banks

As a school we are able to refer families who may need a little extra support to the local food banks in Haslemere (Haslemere Methodist Church) or Godalming (if you live in or around Witley).

If you would like to know more please email our Home School Link Worker, Sarah De Marcos (in confidence) at:

hslw@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk

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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 our School Business Manager, Emily Butcher, on sbm@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk

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