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What a frosty but fantastic start to 2023 we’ve had here at Grayswood School! We hope you all had a wonderful break over the festive period. The children have come back in great spirits, and it’s looking as though we’re thankfully seeing the end of some of the bugs that were doing the rounds at the end of last term.
One of our priorities for 2023 is to improve some of the fencing around the school. If any of our parents are in the building industry and might be able to provide some help, please contact the school office, it would be very much appreciated. Thank you to those who have already reached out with contacts- we will follow these up.
Staff Updates
We're extremely pleased to welcome a couple of new members of staff to the Grayswood team. Mrs McQuillan has joined Robins as a part-time Learning Support Assistant (LSA), and Mr Miles is our new full-time LSA in Wrens. Please do say hello when you see them!
We are still trying to recruit for a part-time 1:1 LSA, if you know of anyone who may be interested, do point them in our direction.
2023/2024 School Term Dates
School term dates for 2023-2024 can be found on the Surrey CC website here.
We are aiming to let parents know the dates for inset days in the next couple of weeks.
Pupil Survey
Finally, thank you to those of you that have assisted the children in completing our pupil survey. It is so important for us to get the views of our children, to see what we are doing well and also help us to focus on making improvements where it really makes a difference. For those who have been unable to complete the survey at home, children in KS2 will be given the opportunity to complete this within class, however I'm sure you will appreciate that this will not be possible with the younger ones as they would need to individually sit with an adult. We therefore make a final plea for parents to spare 5 minutes to do this with their child before the end of the week. The governors will be reviewing the results of the survey during their meeting next Wednesday, 8th February.
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Clubs
We’ve had a number of new lunchtime clubs kick off this half term, including Mindfulness, Quiz Club and Book Club. We have been so pleased to see all clubs fully subscribed, and the children so enthused about their new lunchtime activities.
After half-term we have Eco Craft Club and Lego Club beginning. We're also working to get a new after-school Craft Club and lunchtime Choir Club set-up.
For the summer term, we are looking at a lunchtime Play-Doh Club plus Cricket after school.
To join our growing roster of sports options, the Sports Crew are looking at some fun new ideas as result of a recent survey they undertook. We look forward to sharing more information soon.
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80 new trees for Grayswood School!
It’s been a very busy few weeks for Years 3 and 6 in the forest. As part of Surrey’s ambition to be a carbon-neutral county by 2050, Grayswood School were given 80 new trees to plant under the County Council’s New Tree Strategy. Thank you to the efforts of the students, Mrs Spicer and our fantastic parent volunteers, we have the beginnings of a wonderful new hedge in our forest school.
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Young Voices
This month, our years 4 & 5 took part in the Young Voices Concert at the O2 Arena. The children sang their hearts out, danced with such enthusiasm and shared a fantastic musical experience with over 8000 other children - a day to remember for all! Well done to Swallows and Swifts and thank you to the staff who gave up their time to make this happen!
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Year 6 Trip to Gilbert White’s House
On Wednesday 25th January, Year 6 went to the Gilbert White Museum to expand and support our knowledge on Antarctic exploration.
We learnt about penguins and how they adapt and keep warm, looked at artefacts that Captain Scott brought on his expedition, and tried on clothes that modern day explorers would wear. We looked at the food rations they would eat and there wasn't much. Finally we saw the tents and were allowed to go in.
My favourite part of the fun filled day was sledge pulling. The whole day was breathtaking. We all had such a lovely day and learnt many fascinating facts about exploration.
Sasha D, Year 6
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Class Assembly – Woodpeckers
Last week, Year 1 delighted us with their class assembly by re-enacting the story of Supertato, which has formed part of their learning around superheroes.
Miss Harling and her team are so proud of all the children for performing so well. They all spoke clearly, acted magnificently and had a smile on their face!
We would like to thank the parents for providing their wonderful costumes and for supporting your child on the day.
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Prayer Space
All year groups have taken a short time out of their busy timetable to engage in Prayer Space. This is a time for children, and teachers, to pause and reflect on their thoughts, feelings and actions.
Miss Harling met with the Worship team a few weeks ago and together they decided the theme should be New Year's Resolutions.
One of the activities involved the children reflecting on what they could do differently this year to make an impact on the world. Some suggested they needed to recycle more and use less plastic.
We look forward to our next prayer space in the summer term.
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Haslemere Confederation of Schools Art Competition
A letter and entry form have been sent to you regarding this fantastic opportunity.
Artworks should be submitted to Mrs Breslaw by Tuesday 21st February 2023 with a completed entry form.
We look forward to seeing your creations!
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Stars of the Week
20th January: Ashlyn, Wilfred T, Oliver Bo, Freddie Ch, Ava D, Ivan, Olivia W, Harvey, Jacob A, Florence, Ella D, Isaac G, Lauren
27th January: Jemima, Matty, Neve, Izzy T, Bea T, Eden, Arthur, Maxi, Zachary, Bea VDM, Annabelle G, Thomas T
School Value Awards
20th January: Thomas C-Y, Olive, Ruben, Bella
27th January: Ellis, Coco, Matilda M
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The house point totals for this term so far are:
Hawking - 1003
Darwin - 892
Lovelace - 761
Burns - 662
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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.
Each term we track the attendance for each child and classes as a whole. Percentage attendance figures so far this term are:
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1st. Swifts - 99.5%
2nd. Robins - 98.3%
3rd. Woodpeckers - 96.8%
4th. Kingfishers- 95.3%
5th. Wrens - 93.8%
6th. Kites - 93.6%
7th. Swallows - 91.7%
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Congratulations to Swifts who are first place with almost 100% attendance - great job!
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EasyFundraising and Amazon Smile
Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us through Amazon Smile. Unfortunately, Amazon are closing the programme from 20 February 2023. However, you will still be able to get free donations to Frogs from Amazon using easyFundraising!
easyfundraising turns your everyday online shopping into FREE donations when you use them to shop with over 7,000 brands such as eBay, John Lewis & Partners, Argos, ASOS and Booking.com.
Brands then make a small donation to say 'thank you' and easyfundraising gives those free funds to Frogs. Frogs has received over £2,200 since we signed up, a huge amount!
Please register using this link
Plus, register before Tuesday 31st January and we could win an extra £500 donation!
There's no catch or hidden charges and Friends of Grayswood School will be really grateful for your donations.
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Congratulations to Rose Callaghan who is the lucky winner of the December draw of the Frogs Lotto!
The FROGS Lotto’ provides Grayswood families and friends with a simple and fun way of supporting our School. For as little as £2.50 per month, you can be entered into a monthly draw, giving you the chance to win up to £50. The more members, the more money to give to the school and the bigger the prize for the monthly winner!
You have to be in it to win it, so please complete the simple online form here
Alternatively you can email us at grayswoodfrogs@gmail.com.
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Thanks to all who supported the preloved uniform sale by helping sell, donating or buying - we raised a fab £140 for school funds!
If you missed the sale but need uniform, please email Frogs at Grayswoodfrogs@gmail.com and we will drop whatever you need in to the school office.
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The Music Works is delighted to invite students at Grayswood School to join us for a free music group taster lesson of your choice (drums, ukulele, guitar and keyboard)!
To reserve your space, sign up here
We supply all the necessary equipment, so they can have a great introduction to music lessons! Our experienced teachers are trained to the highest standard by world leader Yamaha, to ensure we deliver the best possible lessons in your school during the school day.
The Music Works – we make musicians.
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Next time you drive through the village, see if you can spot the postbox topper at the end of Lower Road.
It was put up by the Grayswood WI (the people who bought you the Christmas Pom Pom tree!) to raise awareness of climate change, protecting nature and the current energy crisis.
We hope you get a chance to enjoy the hearts up close.
#ShowTheLove
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