EMMER GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL The EGsPress - OCTOBER 2013

ELECTION DAY RESULTS ARE IN!

Harvest Festival
On 10th October Rev Derek Chandler visited us for a very special Harvest Assembly. This year we were collecting tinned food for the charity Churches in Reading Drop-In Centre (CIRDIC). All donations will go to homeless and disadvantaged people in Reading. Our choir and Year 5/6 Recorder groups sang and played beautifully to a full house at the St Barnabas Church service on the following Sunday. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of all the families within our school and we are so pleased that we have made a difference.

Candidates from all Year Groups have been on the campaign trail, manifestos have been written, read out and put on display. Votes have been cast and the returning officer has announced the members of our new School Council. Following the elections and the receiving of the badges in assembly, the new councillors gathered for a photo shoot and have had their first meetings. We are informed that many matters are being discussed and we will soon be hearing about their plans for charity fundraising, events in school and suggested improvements to make Emmer Green Primary even better!

EnergyKidz It is not too late to book places at the EnergyKidz half term activity club run at Emmer Green Primary School. Please see their website for more details: www.energy-kidz.co.uk

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We Are Writers!
Every single child in the school is soon to be a published writer. We have been busy compiling a collection of thoughts, ideas and memories - some short, some long, some scary some hilarious - it makes a great read and we hope you will look out for the book when it is on sale at the Christmas Fayre. ***********

Bags2School was a chance for us all to clear out our cupboards and we managed over a tonnes weight of bags! This means 567 to the school and a non-uniform day has been awarded and taken by 1KW and 4NAM who brought in equal numbers of bags.

Library
The school library is open for business. The Year 5 Librarians have been appointed (new shiny badges adorning their shirts!) and the Junior Library will be open at lunchtime for book borrowing and returning.

EMMER GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL The EGsPress - OCTOBER 2013

Another new school year has got off to a great start. Children have all settled into their new classes, we have seen some great work going on in all Year Groups and we have lots planned for the coming weeks. This term we held a Foundation Stage Welcome Afternoon - a chance for Foundation parents to meet the staff and other parents to discuss their childrens transition and first weeks at Primary School. We always ask for feedback and have been so pleased with the lovely comments and suggestions left on a large collection of Post-Its. The Foundation Reading Evening and Key Stages 1 and 2 Maths Evenings were widely attended and reports back indicate that the information given was of great value. The Life Education Bus has made its annual appearance this week and all classes will be visiting for talks on subjects from All About Me to Meet the Brain and Feelings. Thank you to the PTFA for making this possible. Following the departure of Lady Audrey Durant from our board of Governors, we are pleased to announce our new Community Governor. We are delighted to welcome Andrea Grashoff back to the school, no-one could be better qualified, trusted and able to take on the role and I am sure you will join me in thanking her and wishing her all the best. Have a lovely break, lets all look forward to a Term 2 filled with hard work and memorable experiences and plenty of fun along the way!

Dates for your diary: Thurs 24th October Term Ends 7.30pm PTFA Quiz Night Mon 4th November Term Starts Tues 5th November Year 5 Hockey Festival Author Ed Wicke visiting Juniors Thurs 7th November 7pm FS & Key Stage 1 Maths Evening Mon 11th November Governor Day Tues 12th November Years 3/4 Trip to Hampton Court Thurs November 8pm PTFA Gift Evening Year 4 visit from PCSO Fri 15th November Children in Need Day (dress code to be advised!) w/c Nov 18th Maths Week (Circus Theme) Tues 26th Nov & Tues 3rd & 10th Dec Yr 2 Trips to Pizza Express Wed 27th Nov Yrs 5/6 Victorian Dress Up Day Thurs 28th Nov Year 5 visit from PCSO Fri 29th Nov PTFA Non-Uniform Day (bring a bottle or 1) Sat 30th Nov 1-4pm PTFA Christmas Fayre 14th

Tonia Crossman
Headteacher

Have a great holiday!

EMMER GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL The EGsPress- OCTOBER 2013

CROSS COUNTRY
Before & After School Care
Breakfast Club is open every school day from 8am. We offer flexibility in that you can book a place at the club anytime up until the Thursday of the week before. Some children come regularly and some come as and when there is a requirement. The cost is 3.50 per session which includes breakfast. We are delighted to report that Acorns, our After School Care club which opened earlier this year is now almost full. Places at Acorns are secure and permanent so once your child has a place you can rest assured that they can attend on that day every week. The club runs from 3-6pm every school day and the cost is 12 per session. For more details on either of these clubs, please come to the school office or download from the school website: www.emmergreenprimary.com

On Tuesday 1st October, Emmer Green Primary Years 5 and 6 Cross Country Team excelled at the Highdown event for local schools. Excellent performances by Amber, Naomi, Matthew and Alfie were backed up by brilliant teamwork and having won 3 out of the 4 races we were thrilled to come away with the cup and a haul of medals. Well Done to all who took part!

Tuesday October 8th saw the Years 3 and 4 Cross Country repeat the exercise and further outstanding performances came from Thomas and Erin. Well Done all of you! All those practices have really proved worthwhile and we look forward to taking part in many more upcoming sporting events. Watch this space!

Chartwells New Menu

This week you should receive a copy of the new Chartwells School Dinner Menu booklet. Chartwells offer 3 choices each day and all options provide children with a hot, nutritious, balanced meal at a very reasonable price. The charge for a school dinner from Nov 2013 will be 2.04 and for those of you who would rather not fiddle around with finding change every day, we strongly recommend you run a school dinner fund for your child. This means you pay the school office for a number of dinners in advance. You do not have to specify which days your child will be having school dinners, we will just take from the fund each time your child chooses to have a school dinner. We keep a detailed record and can tell you at any time how many dinners your child has had, when this was and how much credit is left in their fund. We will send you a reminder when the fund starts to run low and a further payment is required. This is our preferred method of payment but of course if you would rather, your child may bring in money each day in a named purse which is handed to the class teacher as their school dinner order is made.

Thank you to all who have completed and returned the Central OHA2 form. This means that as and when trips and events happen you will not have to repeatedly fill in such forms. We do however rely on you keeping them up to date. Please let us know if any medical or contact details change. If you have not yet completed the form please do so as soon as possible as they will be required for the pantomime trip. Forms are available from the school office or can be downloaded from the website: www.emmergreenprimary.com

On Monday this week one of our Year 4 children came into school very distressed as he had almost been hit by a car driving without due care and attention. The near miss occurred as the driver was unable to find a space close to the school and was mounting the pavement at drop off time. We regularly mention the need for safe parking and vigilance at the busy drop off and pick up times and hopefully this incident will serve to remind drivers of this. It may take a little longer but if no safe space near the school is available, the best option is to park a little further away to ensure the safety of all. Thank you.

EMMER GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL EGsPress - OCTOBER 2013 BACK PAGE

Laurie won the train simulator ride at the Summer

Friday Club
Following the success of our three previous Friday Clubs, we offered another on Friday 18th October and had a great turn out. Whilst parents have a chance to work late, get ready for the weekend or just have a couple of hours extra peace, the children have a great time with their friends. They particularly enjoy changing into comfy clothes (onesies being a preferred option in some cases!), settling down with cushions and beanbags and of course visiting the very popular tuck shop. Watch out for more Friday Club dates coming up soon.

Silent Auction

Train-ing
When my Dad told me hed won a train simulator ride in the silent auction at the summer fair, I wasnt very excited, because it sounded a bit boring. But on Saturday when we got there, it turned out to be really fun! Rob, Neil and Paul, the instructors, were very kind and showed us how to control two different types of train using computer programmes that made it feel like we were actually driving a train. The HST (high speed train) simulator was just like the real thing. I climbed into the cab and sat in the drivers seat. There were two levers which controlled speed and brakes, and lots of dials and flashing lights. I had to stop the train at stations and when a train passed in the opposite direction it was really noisy. I could even see passengers getting on an off at stations. At one point there was a lorry on the track and I had to put the emergency brakes on! Paul said I would make a good train driver. If you ever get a chance to have a go on a train simulator, Id say definitely try it (they have nice biscuits too!). Rob, Paul and Neil with Laurie in the HST simulator

Thanks Laurie - what a fabulous experience! Well done for missing the lorry on the line and for arriving on time at all the stations.