The Weekly Newsletter of Tockington Manor School

4th May 2012

Open Morning
Would parents please note that Monday 7th May is a normal school day. We shall be holding our Open Morning from 9.30 am to 12 noon. If you know anyone who might be interested in visiting the school we would be very happy to see them.

Wind Farm Talk

Year 6 and Year 8 had a fascinating talk this week from Colonel Ian Thompson on wind power. Colonel Thompson is the chairman of the community group opposed to REG Powers proposal of the erection of a wind farm between the M4 and M48 on farmland at Ingst. He gave a persuasive argument against the proposal basing his argument on the poor efficiency of wind turbines, environmental concerns and the impact on the local community. He gave us plenty to think about. The children asked some excellent questions and were thoroughly engaged for the hour. We look forward to the 22nd May and our talk from Sophie Hartfield from REG Power.

TMS 65th Birthday

On Monday 7th May we will be celebrating Tockington Manor Schools 65th anniversary. There will be a birthday party lunch on for the whole school at 12.30 pm followed by a range of activities. Parents are most welcome to come and join us after lunch and join in the activities which will start at 1.30 pm. Sadly the OT cricket match will not go ahead as the ground is waterlogged. We are hoping that the OTs planning to attend will still come and have lunch with us and perhaps a game of tennis. Day children MAY go home at 3.15 pm. There will be other activities during the second part of the afternoon for those children who stay with us. Queens Diamond Jubilee We will be celebrating the Queens Diamond Jubilee on Thursday 31st May. Further details to follow

Year 6 Geography Enquiry

Year 6 completed the practical side of their enquiry high up near the source of the River Caerfanell in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The water level was very high for this time of year, the scenery most spectacular, with great views of the high hills and turbulent white water, replete with cascading waterfalls. We look forward to seeing the finished projects in due course.

Weekend Activities Changes

Please note that some changes have been made to the weekend activities programme. On Sunday 5th May there will be a French picnic with Mme Veron and a bowling trip. The visit to Bowood House with Ms Case will now take place on Sunday 20th May.

Dance Success
Congratulations to Ella Howard-Robinson who passed both her Grade 1 ballet and Grade 1 tap with merit at the Fishponds Ballet School. Well done, Ella!

Sickness
We would like to remind parents to keep children off school for 48 hours from the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea.

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2012 Tockington Manor School, Washingpool Hill Road, Tockington, Bristol, BS32 4NY.

The Weekly Newsletter of Tockington Manor School

4th May 2012

Sapphire Ball
Less than a month remains of our "Early Bird" discounted ticket offer for this years Summer Ball. If you would like to reserve your place at this lovely end of term event please return your ticket request forms to the office before half term. We are happy to take individual bookings or alternatively bookings for a whole table (tables are for 8, 10 or 12) but please be sure to name your guests so we can include them on our seating plan. We look forward to hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact me on 07968 508941 if you have any questions. Anita Williamson Chairman FOTM

Fieldwork Enquiry
Year 5 will be conducting a study of the flow of traffic on Washingpool Hill Road on Thursday 10th May.

Music Exam Results

Congratulations to the following children who passed their recent music exams: Freya Belcher (Grade 3 Piano, Merit) Helena Brain (Grade 1, Violin, Pass) Ella Howard-Robinson (Grade 1 Violin, Pass) Oliver Harris (Grade 2, Guitar, Distinction) Alex Grocott (Initial Grade Guitar, Distinction)

Long Exeat
Long exeat begins at 4.00 pm on Friday 11th May. There are no evening activities on that day.

Olympics Celebrations
We are planning to celebrate the Olympics later in this term with an international themed fun day. Please check the list below and make sure we have your or your childs country of origin. If we have missed you out please accept our apologies and let us know! Scotland, England, Ireland (North and South), Wales, Spain, China, Russia, Nigeria, Germany, USA, Australia, France, Italy, Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, India, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Nepal.

Totally Tockington
The newspaper continues to thrive and last Friday the team of thirteen reporters had a slap-up pizza party complete with helium balloons and a raffle to reward them for all of their hard work. Im sure you will agree that their output is quite incredible and their enthusiasm and drive is unending. Every Thursday lunchtime they hold a board meeting run by the Editor and the sub-editor takes careful minutes. The reporters are then launched off into the world to meet their deadlines which come very quickly as all reports have to be with the Editor by midweek. On Thursday night the paper is collated and squeezed onto four pages in a bid to save trees (they are a very environmentally aware lot!). On Friday the paper is approved and signed off by the Editor and the print and distribution takes place. We hope you read and enjoy the paper as a lot of thought goes into making reports both topical and entertaining. We hope the investigative reports give you something to think about and School Squirrel gives you something to laugh about. The team continues to expand with another new contributor starting this week. Please lend the team your support by posting your comments in the Totally Tockington mailbox on the Sign-in desk. We hope you enjoy our endeavours. Ms Case, Head of English

Totally Tockington Team

Art Day
Year 6 will be taking part in an Art Day on Monday 14th May with a trip to Bath Aqua Glass.

Music Assessments
Just a reminder that music assessments will be taking place on Tuesday 8th and Thursday 10th May.

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2012 Tockington Manor School, Washingpool Hill Road, Tockington, Bristol, BS32 4NY.

The Weekly Newsletter of Tockington Manor School

4th May 2012

Library
The library remains closed to the children at the moment owing to the fact that we are stock-taking to try to establish what books we actually have on the shelves and to make the library a more efficient and user friendly operation. This is a huge undertaking as you can imagine and Nelia Phillips has spent many hours in the library undertaking this very worthwhile but time-consuming business. Our hats off to her! We are looking for volunteers who could assist her with this work so that the library can be back in action as soon as possible. If you have any hours to spare please call the school or email me at jcase@tockingtonmanorschool.com or Nelia at neliaphillips@hotmail.com. Many thanks. Ms Case Head of English

Readathon Challenge
The Readathon Challenge, which was launched on World Book Day and ran through the Easter holidays, has now come to a close. As you will know, all of the children were invited to take part in a bid to raise money for Clic Sargent and Roald Dahls Marvellous Childrens Charity. Twenty six of our children from Years R to 8 raised 530 which is a phenomenal amount. Thank you to absolutely everybody who raised sponsorship and who gave up their hard earned pounds and pence to the cause. Your sponsorship cards showed that you had all had a great reading experience over the holidays too. Well done to all of you! Ms Case Head of English

2012 Tockington Manor School, Washingpool Hill Road, Tockington, Bristol, BS32 4NY.