Gearies Infant School

Events - week beginning 6th February 2012

2012-02-02T06:18:00.002Z

Wednesday 8th February

Meeting for Parents: “E-safety and Fronter”, 9.00am in the school hall (30 minutes). Parents and carers are invited to a meeting with our ICT co-ordinator, Mrs Barker. We shall be looking at ways of keeping children safe when they use the internet, and the range of support that is on Fronter.
8.45 to 9.15 – Year Two Open Classrooms
3.15 to 3.45 – Year Two Open classrooms
Class M trip to the Redbridge Museum

Thursday 9th February

Class N trip to the Redbridge Museum

Friday 10th February

No classes today - PARENTS CONSULTATIONS, 8am to 12 noon and 1.00 to 4.00pm. Please make an appointment with the class teacher

What's on: week beginning 30th January

2012-01-26T20:50:00.000Z

Wednesday 1st February - Class L will be going on a school trip to the Redbridge Museum during the morning lessons. They will return in time for lunch.

Thursday 2nd February - Open classrooms from 8.45 to 9.15 – Reception classes

New Year raffle

2012-01-25T10:56:00.000Z

A really big thank you to everyone who supported our recent New Year Raffle. We sold a total of £213.50 worth of tickets. This money will be used to buy more books for the children to read with.
The winners have been announced on a poster in the school playground.

Gearies on the radio!

2012-01-25T06:09:00.000Z

We are pleased to announce that the school has been asked to take part in a live radio show all about E-safety day on Tuesday 7th February 2012. Some of the children will be being interviewed on a pre-recorded section of the show.
To listen to the recording tune in at approximately 10.05am on Tuesday 7th February 2012.
Listening is easy – all you need is to be connected to the internet, open an Internet browser and go to www.saferinternetdaylive.com.

School achieves prestigious new ICT award

2012-01-21T14:13:00.000Z

Gearies Infants is the proud recipient of the all new 3rd Millennium Learning Award from Naace - The ICT Association. The Award was presented to the school at a prestigious gathering of education leaders in London on 13th January 2012. Gearies Infants was chosen to take part in the first stage pilot for the Award because it was recognised as a school that is pushing the boundaries when it comes to new ways of learning enabled by technology.

Fifteen other schools joined Gearies Infants at the presentation ceremony. All the schools receiving the Award have already proved to the world that they have a solid understanding of how to harness technology for learning - they all have the ICT Mark.

The new Award is, however, significantly different. There is a firm focus on learning; technology is there, but now it is assumed and ubiquitous; learning is now developing in new and exciting ways and the 3rd Millennium Learning Award aims to showcase them to the school community.

Schools who undertake the Award have some interesting things going on when it comes to learning. For a start, schools are likely to be taking a more independent stand, more focused on the needs of their community; their pupils are likely to be more self-directed, their learning more personalised. Schools will have closer relationships with their communities and their pupils will be pushing the boundaries in the depth and scope of their learning.

Schools engaged in the Award are capturing and sharing their good practice through the creation of a short public video aimed at parents and the school community. The video is a core part of the Award and it is supported by additional commentary that explains to educators how and why they have developed their practice in the way they have. This Award is not the preserve of school managers or consultants but reaches deeply into a school, the teachers, the pupils, the parents - everyone with a stake in a vibrant learning community.

The pilot schools, including Gearies Infants who received their Award at an Intel Symposium at Bett 2012 in London, have satisfied the criteria for the Award and form the pioneering group for the new Award. The Award has attracted wide interest in the education community and a second stage pilot is getting into gear with up to 50 schools likely to take part from February to June 2012. The scheme will open its doors to all qualifying schools from September 2012.

Bernadette Brooks, Naace General Manager commented: ‘Naace applauds all those involved in the 3rd Millennium Learning Award Pilot Scheme. They have demonstrated that UK ICT in Education has so much to be proud of. We have some amazing professionals working in our schools who are passionate about embedding technology to enhance the learning that can take place for all children. These schools are world class. We look forward to sharing the success stories of these schools with the community. This is another example of how we hope to advance education through the appropriate use of technology.’

Full details can be found at http://www.naace.co.uk/thirdmillenniumlearningaward
Schools who received their Awards:

Primary
Anson Primary School, Brent
Castledyke Primary School, North Lincolnshire
Caswllchwr Primary School, Swansea
Ecton Brook Primary School, Northamptonshire
Gearies Infant School, Redbridge
Holy Island and Lowick First School, Northumberland
New Invention Infant School, Walsall
Ryton Park Primary School, Nottinghamshire
St Loys Primary School, Northamptonshire
The Hall School, Leicestershire
Westfields Junior School, Hampshire

Secondary
Gowerton Comprehensive School, Swansea
Monkseaton High School, North Tyneside
RSA Academy, Sandwell
The Minster School, Nottinghamshire

Special
Parkside Pupil Referral Unit, Suffolk

Open classrooms

2012-01-20T17:32:00.001Z

These are the dates for this term's coming Open Classrooms:

Reception: Thursday 2nd February, 8.45 to 9.15am

Year One: Friday 2nd March, 8.30 to 9.30am

Year Two: Thursday 15th March, 8.45 to 9.15am and 3.15 to 3.45pm

"Safeguarding" meeting for parents

2012-01-20T06:35:00.000Z

Meeting for Parents:
“Safeguarding”
9.00am in the school hall (30 minutes)
Parents and carers are invited to a meeting with the Head Teacher, Mr Drew. We shall be looking at how the school supports children's safety and well-being in the school. We will look at our procedures for health and safety and child protection and some examples of actual actions taken to keep everyone safe and happy in school.

Bullying

2012-01-15T15:56:00.000Z

We have opened up a new room in Fronter for parents - called "Hello Parents".

Following the meeting held last week on Bullying, and how the school responds to this, the school policy statement has been published in this "room" for you to view. You are also invited to take part in an online survey on the effectiveness of our plans. Please take a moment to look at this and vote.

If you have any further ideas or input we would welcome any constructive feedback.

Chinese New Year special school dinner offer

2012-01-13T17:47:00.000Z

The school caterers are going to be serving up a special theme school dinner for the children on Chinese New Year: Monday 23rd January.

They will be able to try some delicious Chinese food.......

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice

Quorn & Vegetable Stir Fry with Egg Noodles

Broccoli Salad

Ginger & Carrot Salad

Pineapple Upside Down Cake served with Custard

........and celebrate the Year of the Dragon

If your child does not normally have a school dinner and he/she would like to try this on the day, you can order the meal in advance - £1.99. Please ask in the school office for an order form.

But hurry - last date to order is Wednesday 18th January.

Meeting: 18th January

2012-01-12T09:39:00.000Z

Meeting for Parents:
“The Governing Body”
9.00am in the school hall (30 minutes)
Parents and carers are invited to a meeting with the Head Teacher, Mr Drew. We shall be looking at the role of governors on the school and their related responsibilities: how governors support the school.

Events - week beginning 9th January 2012

2012-01-05T06:20:00.001Z

Wednesday 11th January
Meting for Parents: “Bullying” - 9.00am in the school hall (30 minutes)
Parents and carers are invited to a meeting with the Head Teacher, Mr Drew. We shall be looking at how the school responds to bullying and supports children when this happens. Parents will have an opportunity to give feedback to the school on any concerns they may have.

Meeting for parents of children in the Reception classes, to introduce “Parents in the classroom”
You will have an opportunity to watch a lesson and find out how the children are being taught.
3.20pm in the school hall (20 minute meeting)

Thursday 12th January
Meeting for parents of children in the Year One classes: “Parents in the classroom”
3.15pm - Your opportunity to book up your session with your child’s class teacher.

Friday 13th January
Parents’ Values assembly - 2.30pm promptly in the school hall
Come and celebrate the children’s achievements in our current value of the month: “Tolerance and Respect for others: other people are just as important as me”
Please note this assembly is not suitable for younger siblings to attend. If you do bring a child under-five, please ensure they do not interrupt, and if they become restless, please take them out.

Full attendance certificates

2012-01-03T06:17:00.000Z

Full attendance certificates

Autumn term 2011

for the period 6^th December to 9^th December

Well done to all of the following children who all achieved 100% attendance for last term.

Class	Full attendance (no lateness or absence )


Afternoon Nursery	Ying Hua Zhang, Zaina Rahman, Abiehaa Selvaraja, Albi Kastrati

Class S	Hary Jagatheepan, Isha Kareer

Class T	Aidan Bajwa, Kasim Haque, Kishore Satheeskumar, Iliana Kalaidzi, Inaaya Mohammed

Class U	Ali Akhtar, Arnav Dubey, Naim Lunat, Avneet Degun-Kaur, Ononna Hoque, Leia Patel, Sarani Sumunabor

Class O	Ishaq Shah, Lewis Wright, Aryaa Shukla

Class P	Sen Patel, Ashaz Pervaiz, Siraja Nishanth

Class V	Aman Ali, Micah Charles, Kerem Mushtaq, Zareenah Bhuiyan, Gia Dhani, Iva Eremieva, Amelie Katechia, Rehana Lunat, Zaynab Shaikh

Class L	Faizaan Ahmed, Abhinav Basak, Safwan Choudhury, Alex Cole, Keerthikan Karunainathan, Raman Panesar, Santhesh Satheeskumar, Hamza Tariq, Riddhi Chopra, Amber Joshi

Class M	Nyasha Rolle, Arjun Yagnik, Raheena Kumanan, Aiza-Ar Rahman, Aleesha Rathod, Jayanna Sumoondur, Prithikaa Thangarajan, Lakkia Thayamanitheepan, Liyana Zaman

Class N	Eshan Hafeez, Kaisan Husain, Zohaib Khockhar, Ammaar Syed, Anjali Kareer, Saffina Khan, Sara Mahmood, Thirisha Uthayakumar

New Year Newsletter 2012

2012-01-03T06:11:00.000Z

Welcome back! We would like to wish everyone a very prosperous and successful New Year.

Value of the Month – “Tolerance and Respect for Others: other people are just as important as me”

Dates for your diary:

Tuesday 3rd January 2012 – school closed for staff training
Wednesday 4th January – children return to school at the usual times
Wednesday 11th January
9.00am - Meeting for parents in our hall to talk about how we prevent bullying (30 minutes)
3.30pm – Meeting for Reception parents in our hall to introduce the “Parents in the Classroom”
scheme (20 minutes)
Friday 13th January – 2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly in our hall (30 minutes)
Wednesday 25th January – 9.00am - Meeting for parents in our hall to talk about how we keep the
children safe in school (30 minutes)
Tuesday 7th February – “Safe Internet Day”
Wednesday 8th February – 9.00am - Meeting for parents in our hall to talk about how we keep children
safe when using the internet (30 minutes)
Thursday 9th February – last day of half term – school closes at the usual times
Friday 10th February – Parents’ Consultations – no classes today
Monday 20th February – Children return to school at the usual times
Wednesday 22nd February – 9.00am - Meeting for Y2 parents in our hall to talk about children’s
learning in Year Two classes (30 minutes)
Friday 24th February - 2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly in our hall (30 minutes)
Friday 23rd March
2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly in our hall (30 minutes)
Sport Relief Day
Wednesday 28th March – 2.00pm – the annual Our Community Assembly (for Y1 and Reception
parents)
Thursday 29th March – 2.00pm – the annual Our Community Assembly (for Y2 parents)
Friday 30th March - - Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school
uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the
School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

News and events

1. Recent charity collections
Our earlier charity collection, in November, for “Children in Need”, was very successful. We raised an amazing total of £526.62. During the assemblies and concerts we held in school at the end of term, we raised the total of £76.40 for the charity “Water Aid”, chosen by the children in the school council. We would like to thank everyone for giving generously and for supporting these worthy causes. Thank you.

2. Dress code amendment
Muslim children are welcome to wear a headscarf to school but this should be in the school colours – navy blue. If a child does wear one, they are expected to take it off when doing PE

End of term - start of term

2011-12-15T19:59:00.000Z

Friday 16th December - this is our last day of term, we wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year for 2012.

We close at the usual times. This is also non-uniform day – your child can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

Tuesday 3rd January – INSET day, school closed for staff training

Wednesday 4th January 2011 – Start of the new school term, we return at the usual times

Reception Enrolment workshop

2011-12-13T06:08:00.000Z

For one-to-one assistance in completing your child’s reception class enrolment form, come along to our workshops

Where: Gearies Children’s Centre

When: Tuesday 20^th December 2011

Wednesday 4^th January 2012

What time: 10am – 2pm

This is a drop in session for all parents wishing to enrol their child into a local Primary School

No need to book, just come along between

10am & 2pm

Please bring your Primary Schools Admission booklet

Pantomime 2011

2011-12-12T06:37:00.000Z

Our children performed the school's annual pantomime on 8th and 9th December 2011. This year they entertained the school community with "Sleeping Beauty's Dream". They all performed really well and they enjoyed themselves so much. Well done on an excellent job.

Events - last week of term

2011-12-08T21:19:00.000Z

Monday 12th December - 6.00 for 6.30pm - Everyone is welcome to come to our annual Carol Service. This will be held in our hall and entrance will be via the school's main entrance. Join us in an act of Christian worship to celebrate the festival of Christmas.

Tuesday 13th December - The Year One classes will be going on a day trip to visit Greenwich. Please ask the

class teachers for more details.

Friday 16th December - the last day of term, we close at the usual times. Non-uniform day – your child can come to

school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund,

which is used to support educational activities in school.

Tuesday 3rd January – additional INSET day, school closed for staff training

Wednesday 4th January 2011 – Start of the new school term

Nativity play

2011-12-06T19:40:00.000Z

The children in our Reception classes performed our annual Nativity play. Here are a few images from the show today (6/12/11). The children all performed really well and the show was well attended by parents and carers.

School meals - price increase

2011-12-06T06:04:00.000Z

Message from the school meal caterers - ISS:

Dear Parents

RE: Meal Price Increase – January 2012

I do hope your children are continuing to enjoy the school meals we provide in your school. Our passion for tasty food, made using only the best quality ingredients, is still our prime objective and being able to offer our meals to your children is a real pleasure.

Here at ISS we are acutely aware of how our customer’s incomes are being squeezed at present. I am sure you will all have noticed how the total cost of your weekly shopping has increased over the past year. As a consequence, we will be increasing the price of our schools meals to £1.99 with effect from 4 January 2012.

In a bid to assist our customers we have endeavoured to keep our annual price increase to a minimum and have also delayed the implementation of this for an additional three months. Indeed, this increase represents only a 2% increase against a back drop of high inflation (current RPI is 5.4%).

I sincerely hope you understand our position and look forward to welcoming your child and the dinner counter in the near future.

Yours sincerely

Lynda Townend
Area Manager

Important message for parents in Year Two

2011-12-05T20:13:00.001Z

Important letter to parents of children in Year Two on the transfer details to Year Three. Please read the attached letter from the local authority.

Dear Parent/ Guardian,

Admission to Junior School September 2012

As you are aware your child is currently a year 2 pupil attending one of the borough’s Infants’ Schools. Your child will automatically transfer to the linked junior school in September 2012 as a year 3 student.

If you want your child to transfer to a primary school instead of transferring to the linked junior school for September 2012 you must apply for your preferred school by Sunday 15 January 2012, see below.

If you live in the borough

1. You will need to complete and return the In – Year Admissions application form listing your preferred schools.

2. This form will need to be received by the department no later than Sunday 15 January 2012.

3. Your application will be processed using our admissions criteria.

4. We will write to you after Wednesday 4 April 2012 informing you of the outcome. If we are unable to allocate your preferred school, your child will automatically transfer to the linked junior school and your child’s name will remain on the waiting list for your preferred school.

If you live outside the borough you should contact your own Admissions Authority to find out about their year 2 to year 3 admissions procedures.

Yours sincerely

Tracey Rogers

Admissions and Awards

New Parents Room in Fronter

2011-12-02T17:25:00.000Z

We have just added a new room just for parents on our Fronter web site: https://fronter.com/redbridge/index.phtml?bool_redirect=0. This will be an interactive element to our communication with parents. You will find in the room the following:

an opportunity for you to review the school's updated Safeguarding policy and procedures (this is called a Forum)
a copy of the school's current targets
some advice from the police on keeping your home secure in the winter
another Forum for feedback on Parent training

Please have a look and contribute to the Forums.

Special events for Christmas 2011

2011-12-01T06:41:00.000Z

All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend the following special events to celebrate the Christmas festival:

NATIVITY
The Reception classes will be presenting a short version of the Nativity story, with songs. This will take place in the school hall, access through the main playground, on Tuesday 6th December at 2.30pm. Please be aware this is a short show and if you are late you may well miss your child's performance.

PANTOMIME
Our annual pantomime will be presented by the children in the Key Stage One classes. Parents of children in Year One should attend the performance on Thursday 8th December, which will start at 2.00pm. Parents of children in Year Two should attend the performance on Friday 9th December at 2.00pm. Both shows will take place in the school hall, access as usual through the main playground. Please be aware this performance is not suitable for very young children due to its length. Also, please remember that late comers will not be admitted as this will disrupt the performance.

CAROL SERVICE
The school's annual Carol Service will be taking place on Monday 12th December. You may take your seats from 6.00pm and the service will begin at 6.30pm. Entrance is via the main school entrance in Waremead Road. There will be choral performances from children and adults, our recorders will perform and there will be Bible readings from staff, governors and our special guest, the Rev. Haycraft. There will be seasonal refreshments served afterwards.

Book Day

2011-11-26T15:23:00.000Z

The children had a great time on our annual Book Day - Friday 25th November. They came to school dressed as characters from traditional stories. Here are a few of them with some members of staff. Certificates were awarded in our Values assembly for those with the best costumes. After school they were also able to come to our book Fair in the hall and buy some books.

New names on the "Wall of Honour"

2011-11-26T15:16:00.000Z

We are really pleased to unveil the latest additions to our "Wall of Honour". Those named have all contributed funds to the school to help us improve the children's learning. We would like to thank everyone named for their generous support. The Wall is in the school's main playground next to the school hall.

Apply online for your child's reception school place

2011-11-26T11:06:00.000Z

Apply online for your child's reception school place

This is the fifth year running that parents and carers in Redbridge are able to apply for their child's school place online and more than 900 online applications have been received for primary school reception places. However the deadline for applications is Sunday 15 January 2012 and we are urging parents and carers to log-on and fill out the form.

There are lots of benefits to applying online:

It's quick and easy to do
It's safe to use
There is no risk that your application will get lost in the post
Applicants will get an email confirmation
You can get text reminders about key dates if you supply your mobile number
The system helps applicants check for errors on application forms which means there is no need for an application to be sent back in the post for correction
You will get an email with the outcome of your application without having to wait for a posted letter to arrive
This year to save you sending supporting documents for proof of residence in the post, you can scan them and attach them to your application. Alternatively email them to admissionsandawards@redbridge.gov.uk

Apply now

Sign in and register here to make your application through eAdmissions.
For more information on eAdmissions visit our Redbridge i eAdmissions information page.

Key dates

Deadline for applications is 11:59 pm on Sunday 15 January 2012
Online primary applicants will receive an email on the evening of 18 April 2012 with the school offered.

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Events: week beginning 28th November

2011-11-24T06:10:00.000Z

Wednesday 30th November - school closed due to industrial action

Friday 2nd December - Parents' Values assembly at 2.30pm in the school hall. Come and celebrate the children's achievements in our current "Value of the Month" - Kindness: I say and do kind things

School closure - 30th November

2011-11-22T15:40:00.000Z

As you will be aware from the media, the combined teacher and school leadership trade unions will be taking industrial action on Wednesday 30th November. The action (a one day strike) will result in class or whole school closures across the country. A decision to close the school or send children home is never taken lightly, but in this instance, where staff have elected to take lawful industrail action, I will have no choice but to take appropriate steps to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all children.
The school will be closed to all children on the day, unless there is a developement in the negotiating process between the unions and the government.
I am aware that school closures inconvenience parents and carers and so I am communicating this decision to you in plenty of time for you to make alternative arrangements. The teachers have prepared plenty of learning for your childrne to engage with on the day, and this will be posted on Fronter. If you do not have access to a computer, please ask to at our school office to speak to Mrs Barker (ICT leader), who can arrange to loan you a laptop.
The school will re-open as usual on the following day.

Mr Drew
Head Teacher

"Children in Need" latest

2011-11-22T06:12:00.000Z

We are really happy to announce that the school raised a total of £526.62 for the "Children in Need" charity. Well done everyone for supporting this worthy charity. Our thanks go to Miss Smith for helping to organise the events.

Children in Need 2011

2011-11-19T11:39:00.000Z

The school helped to raise money for this year's Children in Need appeal. Everyone came to school dressed in spots and made cakes and biscuits which were sold after school. We would like to thank everyone for supporting this worthy charity. We will be able to announce the total raised early next week.

Possible Strike action - 30th November

2011-11-18T06:03:00.000Z

The majority of trade unions associated with staff in schools have called a day of industrial action for 30th November. This is connected to the industrial dispute regarding public sector employees' pensions. The situation at the school is not clear as yet. This is advance warning that the school may have to close on 30th November depending on support and the government's response. We will keep you updated as soon as there is more news.

Book Week

2011-11-17T06:36:00.000Z

Book week starts from Friday 25th November until Thursday 1st December. We will start off the week by having a dressing up day. Come dressed as a character from a traditional story, Red Riding Hood, a bear, handsome prince, Anansi.... one of your favourite characters. There will be certificates for the best and prizes for other book week activities.
Books will also be on sale in the hall each day from 3.15 to 4.00pm. All book sales give us commission to buy more books for school. We are hoping to buy lots of new banded reading books to replace damaged ones that we have in our book baskets in classrooms. Please support us, your children will benefit from book sales.

What's going on - week beginning 14th November

2011-11-11T10:19:00.000Z

Monday 14^th November

2.30 to 3.15pm - School Dinner Tasting event with ISS caterers @ from 2.30pm in the school hall. Parents are invited to come in and try the food that is served to the children during school dinners. This tasting event has been generously sponsored by ISS caterers. All tasting will be free. Please enter via the school playground.

ISS school menu

3.30 to 5.00pm – Parents’ Consultations (by appointment only)

Wednesday 16^th November
Nursery Parents’ Consultations (by appointment only)

Thursday 17^th November

From 8.45 to 9.15am and 3.15 to 3.45pm - Year Two Open Classrooms

Afternoon Nursery Parents’ Consultations (by appointment only)

Friday 18^th November
"Children in Need" - To support the "Children in Need" charity appeal we will be having a spotty day. Children are asked to come to school dressed in spots. We will also be selling cakes and biscuits in school and afterwards - many of which will be spotted. Please help us to raise money for “Children in Need”. Children are asked to bring a £1.00 donation for dressing up on the day. They will also need to bring in money to buy cakes at the end of the day. The cake sale will take place in each classroom at the end of the day. All monies raised will go to this very worthy charity.
Children in Need website

"Friendly Fridays" The children in our Healthy School Task Group have been thinking of ways of encouraging more children to come to school in ways other than by car. Their latest idea is "Friendly Fridays". On each Friday we would like children to walk to school with a friend. The class teachers will be asking at registration who has done this - it could be your best friend, your neighbour or a new friend. When a child does this, they will get a special sticker to thank them for taking part. This campaign will start today. We hope you can support this.

News: coming events

2011-11-07T19:43:00.000Z

We are happy to give you advance notice of the following school events:

Friday 18th November - to support the "Children in Need" charity appeal we will be having a spotty day. Children are asked to come to school dressed in spots. We will also be selling cakes and biscuits in school and afterwards - many of which will be spotted.
Friday 25th November - our annul dressing up day in Book Week. Children are invited to come to school dressed up as a character from a traditional tale (Cinderella, Peter Pan, Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood etc).
"Friendly Fridays" - our Healthy School Task Group have been thinking of ways of encouraging more children to come to school in ways other than by car. Their latest plan is "Friendly Fridays". On this day of the week we would like children to walk to school with a friend. The class teachers will be asking at registration who has done this - it could be your best friend, your neighbour or a new friend. When a child does this, they will get a special sticker to thank them for taking part. This campaign will start on Friday 18th November. We hope you can support this.

If you have any queries please post a comment on this blog or send an email to: enquiries@gearies-inf.redbridge.sch.uk

More details will follow nearer each date.

Visit from St Andrews

2011-11-07T06:33:00.000Z

On Tuesday 1st November we were visited by some of the children from St Andrew's C of E Primary school. This school is situated in rural east England. The aim of the visit was to link our two schools together to help all of the children experience different communities, to be aware of the similarities and differences between us and to promote a better awareness of cohesion. The focus for the visit was the festival of Diwali. During the visit the children had lunch together, spent time in the classrooms and took part in a sharing assembly. The schools greatly enjoyed making new friends and we will now stay in touch to develop our shared learning.

Happy Eid

2011-11-04T15:54:00.000Z

We would like to wish all of our Muslim community a very happy Eid.

Meeting for parents

2011-11-03T06:31:00.000Z

Wednesday 9th November

CURRICULUM MEETING FOR PARENTS - 9.00 to 9.30am in the school hall

“COMMON AILMENTS”

This session, led by Claire Dell, the school nurse, will be a presentation on the common medical problems young children usually get, including chicken pox, measles, head lice, colds and flu. Claire will explain what happens and the best way of caring for your child if they catch any of these things.

November newsletter

2011-10-28T18:52:00.000+01:00

Value of the Month – “Self-control: I behave myself in school”

Dates for your diary:
Thursday 3rd November – 3.30 to 8.00pm – Parents’ Consultations (more details will follow)
Friday 4th November – 2.30 to 3.00pm – Celebration Values assembly, all parents are welcome
Wednesday 9th November – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “Common childhood ailments and how to prevent and treat them” in the hall
Monday 14th November – 3.30 to 5.00pm – supplementary Parents’ Consultations
Friday 2nd December - 2.30 to 3.00pm – Celebration Values assembly, all parents are welcome
Tuesday 6th December – Nativity play performed by the Reception year group (afternoon, time to be announced)
Thursday 8th December – School Pantomime shows for the Year One parents (afternoon, time to be announced)
Friday 9th December – School Pantomime shows for the Year Two parents (afternoon, time to be announced)
Monday 12th December – Carol Service at 6.30pm
Friday 16th December - Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.
Tuesday 3rd January 2012 – school closed for staff training
Wednesday 4th January – children return to school at the usual times

News and events
1. Redbridge Summer reading Challenge 2011
Last summer, we invited the children to take part in the Library service’s Summer Reading Challenge “Circus Stars”. Each child was challenged to read at least six library books in the summer period. A large number of children took part and were rewarded with great experiences as well as a certificate and medal for taking part.
Redbridge Libraries have created a special trophy for the school that had the most children proportionately to complete the challenge – the “Nora Dunmore trophy”, named after the borough’s first children’s librarian. We are happy to announce that our school was awarded the trophy in recognition of the high percentage of children who took part. Well done to all those who participated. The trophy is on display in our trophy cabinet in the reception area.

2. Guidance on head lice
The school’s guidance on head lice will shortly be published on the school’s web-site. Paper copies are also available in the reception area. Further support is available at your local pharmacist or from the school nurse.

3. New governors
We are pleased to announce we have two new governors on the Governing Body. Mrs Bhamidimarri was elected as a Parent Governor in the recent campaign, and Mr Asgill has joined us as a Community Governor. We welcome them both to our community and look forward to working with them.

4. Privacy notice
An updated version of our Privacy Notice for pupils has been published. Paper copies are available in the reception area and an online version will be posted on the school web-site shortly.

5. New Eco-team

This year' Eco-team badge

We are happy to announce that a new Eco-team has been selected to support the school’s environmental work. A full list of those chosen is on display outside the Head Teacher’s office. Well done to those who are in the team and a big thank you to everyone who entered the competition.

Coming events
A. Book Week
Our next annual Book Sale will be held in the school hall from 24th November to 30th November. Books will be on sale after school.

B. GLA elections
The school has been chosen as a Polling Station for the Greater London Authority Elections on 3rd May 2012. Please note that the school will be closed on this date.

C. Term dates for 2012/2013
The school’s Governing Body recently agreed the Inset closure days for the next school year – 2012/2013. The full list of dates will shortly be published on the school website. Paper copies are also available in the reception area.

Happy Diwali

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We would like to wish everyone in our Hindu community a very joyous Diwali and a Happy New Year, with plenty of Peace and Prosperity.

Coming events

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Please note the school is closed for the half term holiday on the week beginning 24th October.

Monday 31st October - Children return to school at the usual times

Thursday 3rd November - Parents’ Consultations after school til 8pm – please make an appointment with your child's class teacher

Friday 4th November - Parents’ Values assembly - 2.30pm promptly in the school hall. Come and celebrate the children’s achievements in our current value of the month: “Self control: I behave myself in school”. Please note this assembly is not suitable for younger siblings to attend. If you do bring a child under-five, please ensure they do not interrupt, and if they become restless, please take them out.

Events in school: week beginning 17th October 2011

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Wednesday 19th October

Curriculum meeting - “Meeting the needs of children in the Reception classes”
9.00am in the school hall - Parents of children in our Reception classes are invited to come to a short meeting to find out about how we support the learning of each child, irrespective of their ability, in school. This meeting is being led by Mrs Hinkley (Reception co-ordinator)

Thursday 20th October

Reception Open Classrooms - from 8.45 to 9.15 am. Parents of children in the Reception classes are invited to visit their child’s class to learn about the classroom environment and find out what the children have been learning.

Events - week beginning 10th October

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Wednesday 12th October

Curriculum meeting - “The best start for your child at school” 9.00am in the school hall. Parents and carers are invited to come to a short meeting to find out about how we support the learning of children under five in the school, and what things you can do to support this process at home. This meeting is being led by Mrs Tomlinson (Deputy Head)
Year One Open Classrooms - from 2.30 to 3.45pm. You are invited to visit your children’s classes to learn about the classroom environment and find out what the children have been learning.

Thursday 13th October

Individual Photos - The photographer will be visiting the school to photograph your children today. Please make sure he/she is wearing the full school uniform.

Meeting for Year One parents

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All parents and carers are warmly invited to come to our next curriculum meeting on Wednesday 5th October 2011 at 9.00am in the School Hall.

“Children’s learning in our Year One classes” - Come and find out more about our how we support the learning of children in this year group, led by Mr D. Lea (Year Group leader)

Our new Eco-Team

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A big welcome to this year's new Eco-Team:

They will be helping us to take care of our school, keep it tidy, save energy and look after our environment.

Events: week beginning 26th September

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Wednesday 28th September - Curriculum meeting - “Phonics” - 9.00am in the school hall
Parents and children are invited to come to a short meeting to find out about how you can support children’s learning of phonics (the sounds that letters make) and how this helps children with reading and writing. This meeting is being led by Ms Billen (Literacy co-ordinator)

Friday 30th September - Values assembly for parents - 2.30pm in the school hall - Parents and carers are invited to come and watch this month’s celebration of children’s achievements in our current value of the month: “Friendship: I am a good friend”

Curriculum meeting - 21st September 2011

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All parents and carers are warmly invited to come to our next curriculum meeting on:

Wednesday 21st September, 9.00am in the school hall (20 minute meeting)

“Our Big Ideas”

– come and find out about the school’s priorities for the present school year. Meeting led by Mr R. Drew (Head Teacher)

September newsletter

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We would like to welcome everyone back to the new school year and look forward to supporting the children’s learning. We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter, which includes an extensive summary of recent achievements and relevant news. Please note our newsletters are normally only published on the school blog each month: www.geariesinfants.blogspot.com.

Value of the Month – “Friendship – I am a good friend”

Dates for your diary:

Wednesday 21^st September – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “Our Big Ideas” (see no.3 below) in the hall

Wednesday 28^th September – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “Phonics (the sounds letters make) – how to help your child with this crucial aspect of learning” in the hall

Friday 30^th September – 2.30 to 3.00pm – Celebration Values assembly, all parents are welcome

Wednesday 5^th October – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “How to ensure you get the best start for your child (under-5) at school” in the hall

Wednesday 12^th October – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “the Learning in the Year One classes” in the hall

Thursday 13^th October – Individual photos – all children must be wearing full school uniform today

Wednesday 19^th October – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “How we meet the needs of all the diverse children in the Reception classes” in the hall

Friday 21^st October – last day before the half term holiday, school closes at the usual times

Monday 31^st October – children return to school at the usual times

Thursday 3^rd November – 3.30 to 8.00pm – Parents’ Consultations (more details will follow)

Friday 4^th November – 2.30 to 3.00pm – Celebration Values assembly, all parents are welcome

Wednesday 9^th November – 9.00 to 9.30am – Meeting for parents about “Common childhood ailments and how to prevent and treat them” in the hall

Monday 14^th November – 3.30 to 5.00pm – supplementary Parents’ Consultations

Friday 16^th December - Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

Tuesday 3^rd January 2012 – school closed for staff training

Wednesday 4^th January – children return to school at the usual times

News and events

1. Staffing update

This new year’s teaching list:

Nursery - Mrs O’Driscoll

Reception class S – Mrs Hinkley

Reception class T – Miss Barham

Reception class U – Miss Carvalho

Year One class O – Mr Matthews

Year One class P – Mrs Fraser

Year One class V – Mr Lea

Year Two class L – Mrs Sharma

Year Two class M – Miss O’Reilly

Year Two class N – Miss Matwychuk

Please note:

Mr Lea’s teaching status is that of an Advanced Skills Teacher. This means he is committed to working in other classes in the school and in other schools in Redbridge on Wednesdays, each week. On these days his class will be covered by Ms Billen, our EMAT teacher.

Miss Clarke was happily married over the summer holiday and is now known as Mrs Fraser.

2. Reminder – parking charges in the Institute’s car park

If you drive your child to school and plan on parking your car in the Institute’s car park when bringing your child to school please be aware of the following changes. The Institute has introduced a Pay and Display system in this park as of September 2011. Parking here is no longer free. The car park is also managed by an external company – Wing security. To use this park you will have to pay at one of the ticket machines. Failure to display a correct ticket will result in a fine. The proposed charge for up to 3 hours will be 60p.

The school’s Governing Body lobbied the Institute not to introduce this system as it had many concerns. It feared this move would impact on the availability of parking spaces on neighbouring roads, increase risks to children’s health and safety in travelling to and from school on roads that would become then more congested with parked cars, and also aggravate neighbouring residents with increased numbers of cars from staff and parents parked in the local area. However these concerns failed to result in any concessions.

If you choose not to use this park as a result of the charges, please do not park on a nearby road with yellow lines, or in a resident’s drive way. This would be very anti-social. We ask you to be respectful to those who live close to the school and only park on roads without yellow lines, which can be found from Sunnymede Drive onwards. We look forward to your co-operation in this matter.

3. Our Big Ideas 2011

How are we going to make the school even better? Our Big Ideas have been chosen to do just this. They are the most important things we will be doing in school over the next year. We want to achieve the following:

1. The teachers will help each child in each class to be a successful learner.

2. We will produce new schemes of work in History and Geography, Music and PSHE.

3. We will re-organise the school staff to help children learn as well as possible, with the school’s new budget.

4. We will find new ways of supporting teachers’ training with the help of other local schools.

5. Each child will come to school on time each day.

We are all a part of our school and all agree to take responsibility for making these Big Ideas happen. We look forward to learning new things together, taking risks and enjoying our learning together.

4. Head Teacher Vision

I believe that the main purpose of our school is to provide challenging learning experiences for each child who attends. These need to be personally relevant for every one of them. In order to achieve this goal I will lead the school with the following focus:

· In order to be effective, the school will develop its existing relationships with parents, local school networks, support services and the wider local community. We need the support of this learning community to meet children’s needs. I embrace the school’s role in this partnership and accept responsibility for developing it.

· The cohesion of the school community is important as an enabler to successful learning. We will play an important part in developing this. I accept the school’s part as a member of a wider learning community that we are active in.

· Each child will be treated as an individual who has the right to learn, to access a broad curriculum and to be successful in their learning

· We will have high expectations for all children

· In order to meet the needs of each child, we will:

§ Identify and remove barriers to learning

§ Develop enabling strategies through creative and innovative teaching

§ See the child in the context of his/her family and related community

5. Governing Body Vision statement

1. We will provide a happy, secure and stimulating learning environment where everyone will be inspired to do their best, to achieve their potential.

2. We will provide a broad and balanced yet challenging curriculum that is relevant to children’s interests and responsive to their learning needs. Our core priorities are to our “Key Skills”, literacy, numeracy and ICT.

3. We will have high expectations for all. Children will be encouraged to have a positive attitude to learning.

4. We will encourage each child to be confident, independent and well-rounded citizens who will be able to make a positive contribution to the world around them.

5. We are committed to ensuring that every child achieves their full potential in an inclusive, caring environment which respects our diverse, multi-ethnic community and the individual needs of all learners.

6. Celebrating success 2010/2011

Children’s standards

· Performance against agreed targets

Reception:

Reading target - Average child achieves 75% of targets in Reading component of Foundation Stage Profile (scores 1 – 8)

83% achieved

Writing target - 80% of year group to match 25 graphemes to phonemes

97% achieved

Writing target - Average child achieves 75% of targets in Writing component of Foundation Stage Profile (scores 1 – 8)

85% achieved

Number target - Average child achieves 85% of targets in “Calculation” component of Foundation Stage Profile (scores 1 – 8)

95% achieved

Science target - 95% of year group able to talk about simple features from observation

96% achieved

Year One:

Reading target - 85% of year group achieve level 1a or above (all targets in the Green band assessment must be achieved)

85% achieved

Writing target - 80% of year group achieve level 1a

87% achieved

Number target - 85% of year group achieve level 1a

97% achieved

Science target - 95% of year group able to communicate findings and simple features from observation

96% achieved

Year Two:

Reading target - 85% of year group achieve level 2b or above

95% achieved

Writing target - 75% of year group achieve level 2b or above

89% achieved

Number target - 85% of year group achieve level 2b or above

91% achieved

Science target - 95% of year group achieve level 2b or above

100% achieved

Attendance target: Average attendance in school to measure 95.1%

94.48% achieved

End of KS1 assessment

Subject	Percentage of children achieving level 2 and higher		School’s relative performance
Subject	School	2010 National average	School’s relative performance
Speaking and Listening	98	87	11% higher
Reading	96	85	11% higher
Writing	97	81	16% higher
Mathematics	98	89	9% higher
Science	100	89	11% higher

These results are outstanding and the children are congratulated on such excellent achievements.

School achievements

· School was awarded the “Get Set 2012” Olympic status for promoting Olympic values

· School choir was commended in the East London choral competition

· School’s Foundation Stage assessment procedures were successfully moderated by the Redbridge Advisory service

· The school was successfully re-assessed for the “NAACE ICT Mark” in recognition of our standards in ICT

· The school was awarded “Fronter Champion School” status for the second successive year in recognition of our work promoting this mananged learning environment

· The school was designated a Leadership Development school by the National College, in recognition of the work undertaken to support aspiring Head Teachers

Staff achievements

· Mrs Sharma achieved the Chartered London Teacher status in September 2010

· Miss Barham was awarded her Masters’ Degree in Autumn 2010

· MrMatthews and Miss Matwychuk both successfully completed their induction years

· Mr Drew was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Education in March 2011

7. Playground notices

Reminder – children are not allowed to play on the climbing frame in the playground before or after school. Please respect this rule and keep your children from playing on this.

Football – children are not allowed to play football in the playground before or after school. There is a high danger of other people being struck by the ball. Also, playing this game before school does not help the children focus for their learning in the first lesson.

Bicycles – we would encourage children to cycle to school. If your child wants to do this, he/she is recommended to wear a safety helmet. If the bicycle is parked in our cycle shed, it needs to be secured with a chain. Helmets can also be added to the chain or kept on the coat peg inside school. Please do not allow your child to ride their bike around the playground before or after school. This may be dangerous and contribute to an accident in the playground.

Before school starts children should line up in the playground in their class lines. Parents are reminded to supervise their children and make sure when they arrive that they are lined up ready for collection.

8. Other reminders

Please make sure your child is always brought to school on time. This means he/she should be lined up in the playground by 8.55am each day. Please help your child to get the best start to the school day by always being punctual.

Sickness – if your child is not well and unable to come to school please contact the school office on the day to let us know what is happening. If your child is off for more than 2 days we would expect your child to visit the doctor to receive appropriate advice. On return to school following an absence of more than 2 days you will need to bring with you evidence that you have been to the doctor’s (an appointment card or copy of a prescription). Failure to do this may result in a fine for unauthorised absence.

9. Other news

We are very sad to announce that Mr Naheed Bhatti resigned as Parent Governor at the end of last term. He served the school for over 10 years and was always a superb source of support for the school. He will be greatly missed. We shall be seeking nominations for a replacement later this month. Please watch out for more information or speak to any governor or Mr Drew if you would like to know more in the meantime.

School dinners – there is no change to the price of £1.95 per meal until the end of December 2011. From January 2012 it will rise to £1.99.

Our Bollywood Dance Club performed magnificently on stage at the Kenneth More Theatre in the annual Redbridge Dance show on 14^th July.

Our identified gifted and talented musicians took part in our first “Gearies Muisic Extravaganza” in the school on 19^th July. This was well attended by their parents and special gusts of the school.

Good News - Issue no. 31

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Welcome to the latest edition of our “Good News” publication, which celebrates the children’s achievements. Well done to all the children mentioned in this edition of Good News, for being awarded their respective certificates.

Attendance certificates

Well done to all of the following children for full attendance and no lateness between 27th April and 15th July 2011:

Nursery: Meduna Baskaran, Arif Ahmed, Bajwa Aidan, Kishore Satheeskumar, Inaayah Hussain, Isha Kareer, Sarina Sirha, Samrat Chattopadhayay, James Chou, Vinuki Buddhadasa, Yenuki Buddhadasa, Areesha Haque, Ononna Hoque

Class U: Amelie Katechia, Kerem Mushtaq, Khalisah Adam-Saib, Aman Ali, Shloak Bakshi, Rehana Lunat, Zareenah Bhuiyan, Maleeha Asar, Helder Tavares, Safaa Ahmed

Class T: Lewis Wright, Zeeshan Ahmed, Zeyad Ghadialy

Class S: Yusuf Haider, Nina Kudhail, Danushan Kogulan, Aadam Mannan, Zakariya Munir, Nandana Bhasilal, Manreet Jheeta, Sasha Sukumaran

Class O: Alexander Cole, Amber Joshi, Gharish Jeyaganerajah, Raman Panesar, Naseem Rahman, James Tang

Class P: Aadeeb Khan, Aleesha Rathod, Shashvat Swarup, Arjun Yagnik, Atilas Griskevicius, Nyasha Rolle, Aaron Haroon, Taran Hollmann, Aldin Nabayegga, Prithikaa Thangarajan

Class V: Rhia Gondhia, Sara Mahmood, Noha Alfatlawi, Adeeba Amin, Somran Bakshi, Jaspreet Bhaker, Anjali Kareer, Saffina Khan, Leyana Khanam, Esha Patel, Thirisha Uthayakumar

Class L: Adithya Varma, Farees Adam-Saib, Arjun Jandu, Raakash Rameesh, Ria Bedia, Yaseen Akbar, Ahmed Aweis, Hasan Kaiser, Aman Kataria, Avaanis Narendran, Uzair Shaikh, Sreerag Mandan, Azra Coskun, Tejani Gravillis, Melisa Ince, Abishaniyi Satheesh

Class M: Navjit Jheeta, Yusuf Shaikh, Zaamin Mohammed, Ahmed Gilani, Fabian Brown, Uwais Iqbal, Mustaqim Kadir, Krijesh Rameesh, Jada Charles, Lucy-Ann Gibson, Zainab Mahjabeen

Class N: Zakaria Rana, Jason Rennie, Ayesha Aamer, Diya Chugh, Sruthi Kajenthra, Constantino Kalaidzi, Samina Ali, Kavya Bhat, Zainab Khaliq, Saffron Khan, Saraa Mohamed

Annual full attendance

In addition to the above impressive list are the following children, who have all managed full attendance for the entire school year:

• Diya Chugh (class N)

• Navjit Jheeta (class M)

• Anjali Khudhali (class M)

• Sreerag Nandan (class L)

• Adithya Varma (class L)

• Amelie Katechia (class U)

Summer term Playground Buddies

A big thank you to the following children who were all Playground Buddies during the summer term:

Ahmed Aweis, Sreerag Nandam, Arjun Jandu, Ria Bedia, Avni Datt, Melisa Ince, Kamran Bhatti, Zamman Khan, Nafsiha Abdul, Nadim Khan, Ahmed Gilani, Jada Charles, Leah Jugmohun, Navjit Jheeta, Omar Moumen, Rabia Malik, Ria Sukhija, Umar Chowdhury, Uwais Iqbal, Omaree Graham, Shrutee Prusty, Kavya Bhat, Zainab Khaliq, Samina Ali, Afshan Mogul, Aisha Haider, Alfie Kiyegga, Ameena Ali, Zayn Hussain, Yunus Sheikh

School Council

We would like to thank the following children who represented their classes on our School Council this year:

Aadam Mannan (S), Aahil Namajee (T), Rakeen Hossain (U), Riddhi Chopra (O), Aleesha Rathod (P), Saffina Khan (V), Virgo Kelley (L), Farees dam-Saib (L), Zelda Tokoma (M), Tuhina Rao (M), Rhys Mussington (N), Sapphire Rolle (N)

We are rightly proud of the school’s many and varied achievements. Our high standards are reflected in local opinion, we continue to be a popular school and places for children are under great demand.

Sports Week 2011

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The school's annual Sports Week was very successful. The children enjoyed a grand opening ceremony, including a whole school Zumba session.

Each class sang their own anthem and paraded around the playground with new class flags.

Other events in the week included Wheels day, a Multiskills session and a paralympic event

(blindfolded course guided by a classmate). On Friday the whole school community took part in our Sports Day at Barkingside Park.

Our thanks go to Miss O'Reilly for organising this week so well.

July 2011 newsletter

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Value of the Month – “Respect for property: I look after things in school”

Dates for your diary:

Week beginning 11^th July – Sports week

Monday 11^th July – 3.30 to 5.00pm – Parents’ Consultations

Thursday 14^th July – Class O visit to watch the LSO @ St Luke’s

Friday 15^th July – Sports Day in Barkingside park

Monday 18^th July – in the afternoon each class will visit their new classroom (in September) with their new teacher

Wednesday 20^th July – Year Two Open classrooms in the afternoon

Friday 22^nd July - 11.00am Year Two Leavers’ assembly, - Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

Tuesday 6^th September – children return to school at the usual times and in the usual places

News and events

1. Summer Fun Day

A special newsletter was recently produced with a report on this superb event. Extra copies are available on our blog or from the school office.

2. Advance warning – parking charges in the Institute’s car park

If you drive your child to school and park your car in the Institute’s car park when bringing your child to school please be aware of the following changes. The Institute is introducing a Pay and Display system in this park as of September 2011. Parking here will from that point on no longer be free. The car park will also then become managed by an external company – Wing security. To use this park you will have to pay at one of the ticket machines. Failure to display a correct ticket will result in a fine. The proposed charge for up to 3 hours will be 60p.

The school’s Governing Body lobbied the Institute not to introduce this system as it had many concerns. It feared this move would impact on the availability of parking spaces on neighbouring roads, increase risks to children’s health and safety in travelling to and from schools on roads that would become then more congested with parked cars, and also aggravate neighbouring residents with increased numbers of cars from staff and parents parked in the local area. However these concerns failed to result in any concessions.

3. Uniform changes

You are reminded that our school uniform dress code is now as follows (changes are underlined):

Boys:

· White polo shirt with school logo

· Grey trousers (can be shorts in the summer)

· Navy sweatshirt with school logo

Girls:

· White polo shirt with school logo

· Navy skirt, pinafore or navy trousers

· Navy sweatshirt with school logo

· Summer option – blue and white check dress

Shoes – black flat shoes (not trainers)

PE kit: amber T-shirt, navy shorts, plimsolls, (optional navy tracksuit bottoms)

Please make sure your child is wearing the correct uniform when they return to school in September.

Most items of uniform can be purchased from our school office.

4. Redbridge Infant Schools’ Singing Festival

On 10^th June, thirty children from the school took part in the first Redbridge Infant schools’ Singing Festival. This was held at Churchfields Infant school in South Woodford. They were led by Miss Barham and they enjoyed a great afternoon of singing together. We look forward to taking part in next year’s event. Hopefully this will become an annual event in future.

5. Moderation of Reception assessments

The school’s assessment of children’s attainment in the Reception classes is regularly monitored by a team of Redbridge officers. Our latest inspection took place on 16^th June. The visiting team were very impressed by the teachers’ standards in assessing children’s learning and indeed made no recommendations for improvement. We are delighted that our record in assessment has again been praised by visiting experts. Well done to the Reception team on such excellent work.

6. End of year Reports – comments from parents

Each child’s end of year report has now been given out. Please complete the response sheet included in your envelope with your comments and return to your child’s class teacher before the end of term.

7. “400 Days Count Down to the 2012 Olympics”

A representative team of Year Two children attended the borough’s celebrations for the advent of next year’s Olympics to London. The “400 Days Count Down” event took place in Ilford town centre on 23^rd June. The celebrations were attended by children from many Redbridge schools. Local celebrity and dancer, Weininger Irwin, led the groups as they danced and sang around the centre. This event was reported in last week’s edition of the Ilford Recorder.

8. Staffing news

We have only a few changes to note for next year. Miss Razzak will be on maternity leave for next year. We wish her all the best and will pass on her news to you as we receive it. To cover her place, Miss Carvalho will be joining us in Class U for the coming year. She is a very experienced teacher and we are looking forward to working with her in September. Please join us in making her feel welcome in our school. We are also reorganising some of our support team. As a result, Miss Smith will be supporting the Reception team next year. To replace her duties in Key Stage One we will be appointing a new practitioner. Interviews for this post will take place on 12^th July. News of this appointment will be shared with you when we return in September.

9. The end of the school year

As each class prepares for the end of term, and looks forward to a much-deserved break over the summer, we can reflect on our successes this year. The children have made superb progress in their learning and our school’s excellent attainment levels have been maintained and developed. A full report on our attainment results will be shared with you in September. We are very proud of our fantastic children and congratulate them on their progress. We wish the Year Two children good luck in the Junior school for next year, we shall miss them. We would like to thank all the parents and carers for supporting the children in their learning this year as well, as well as our superb governors who have been very dedicated to the school and have worked tirelessly to support our aims over the year. Finally we would like to pay tribute to the fantastic staff at the school who have been totally dedicated to the children and who have all been outstanding both individually and collectively. They have worked so hard this year and have all been inspirational and a pleasure to work with. We wish you all a wonderful summer holiday and look forward to seeing you on your return in September.

Summer Fun Day 2011

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This year’s annual Summer Fun Day was a splendid success. It was really well attended by the schools’ communities, the weather was fine and everyone seemed to have a great time.

On the day the community were able to enjoy lots of fun including:

• Food from local restaurants, cakes and refreshments, sweets, including Domino’s Pizza, Chilli’s and our local ice-cream van

• Bouncy Castles

• The Art Attack area

• The Raffle, with the first prize of a Nintendo DS

• Face painting, Mehndi, tattoos and nail painting

• Games including Hoopla, Hook-a-duck, Kinect sports, Lucky dipFill-a-jar, Tombola, and Skittles

• Displays from various community groups, including the Gants Hill Library, Barnados, and FiND

• The football , cricket and basketball arenas

• The “Gearies Got talent” show

A really big thank you to everyone who helped prepare for the day, raising monies in sponsorship and donations, as well as those who helped set up and tidy away on the day, and obviously manning the stalls. Your help for the community is greatly appreciated. The support team consisted on many parents, staff, governors and their respective families, who all worked really hard before, during and after the event to ensure it was a success. They are too many to name individually. We thank them all on behalf of the community.

Also a really big thank you to our sponsors, including The Big Yellow Storage co, Silver Service estate agents, Veena’s cash and carry, the Quickie Heel Bar, Flowers by Karen, Rose opticians, Belgrave motors and Frank Barnes motors.

Our major aims on the day were to support our community cohesion and have lots of fun. We are delighted the day went so well and would like to thank everyone who turned up and took part.

We have also raised a profit of over £2,954, which will be split evenly by the schools and used to fund individual school projects. The Infant school will be using this to fund new playground markings.

Sports week

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Monday 11th July - In the morning children will make class flags and instruments for the opening ceremony.

In the afternoon there will be an opening ceremony in the playground where children will parade in the playground. There will also be dance and music performances.

Tuesday 12th July - Wheels day- Children can bring in their bikes, skateboards, roller-skates etc and each class has a timetabled session in the playground.

Wednesday 13th July - Multiskills- there will be 6 different stations in the playground (weather permitting). The children will be in teams of 5 and rotate between the stations.

Thursday 14th July - Pararlympic sport- Children will be in twos, one child will be blindfolded and the other child will lead the blindfolded child through the obstacle course. Then they will swap over and change roles.

Friday 15th July - Sports day starts at 9:30 approximately in Barkingside park. In the afternoon an assembly will be held to celebrate the success of the children at Sports day. Certificates will be given out and one medal for a child in each class. The medals will be awarded to a child who has displayed the Olympic values during the week.

Events: week beginning 4th July 2011

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Wednesday 6th July

Year One assembly - 2.00pm in the school hall - Parents of children in year one are invited to come and watch their end of year assembly.

Friday 8th July

End of year reports - will be given out today to parents at the end of the day. Please collect from the class teacher. If you have any questions on the report we are holding a consultation session on Monday 11^th from 3.00 to 5.00pm. No appointments are necessary.

Values assembly for parents - 2.30pm in the school hall - Parents and carers are invited to come and watch this month’s celebration of children’s achievements in our current value of the month: “Being healthy: I look after and respect myself”

Week beginning 27th June 2011

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Wednesday 29th June - 2.30pm - Reception Year Group assembly in teh school hall, entrance via the main school playground

Industrial Action on Thursday 30th June: You may be aware that a number of national unions have invited their members to take industrial action next week. This is in response to a dispute with the government over pension reforms. Two of the country’s largest teaching unions are also involved in this day of action.
The Infant and Junior schools will both be affected by this. As a result there will be no classes at all on that day. The breakfast and after school clubs will also not operate on that day. We apologise for any inconvenience but are now giving you warning to make alternative care arrangements for your children. School will resume as normal on Friday 1st July at the normal times.

Friday 2nd July - Summer Fun Day from 12 noon to 3pm. Entry by programme, £1.50 in advance and £2.00 on the day, available from the school office.

Healthy Living Week

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Dressing up day

The whole school did "Take 10" together in the playground

The Zumba lesson

Wheels day

We have had a great time this week celebrating our annual Healthy Living week. We have been very busy each day and enjoyed a wide range of things from making smoothies, riding on our bikes (Wheels day), dressing up as healthy food, a Zumba lesson, daily exercise (Take 10), and making recipes and videos of making healthy snacks. Our thanks go to Mrs Sharma for co-ordinating this week and everyone who helped out during the week.

Week beginning 13th June 2011

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This is the school's annual Healthy School Week.

Tuesday 14th June

Wheels Day

Children need to bring to school their bicycles, skateboards, scooters or roller-skates to take part in this termly event. Reception and Nursery children need to leave their bikes in their respective playgrounds at the beginning of the day. Children in Years One and Two need to leave their bikes in the marked parking bays in the main playground. Please remember to secure your bikes with a padlock and bring in a helmet and pads if you have them.

Year One Open Classrooms

9.00 to 10.00 in the classrooms - Parents and carers are invited to come into the classrooms to share with the children’s learning. Please do not bring buggies into the school building, these can be left outside in the Year One playground.

Thursday 16th June - Class photos – all children need to be wearing full uniform for this today.

Friday 17th June - Dressing up day – children are invited to come to school dressed either as an item of healthy food (eg fruit, vegetable) or as someone who helps us (eg doctor, dentist)

June newsletter

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Current Value of the Month – “Honesty: I tell the truth”

Dates for your diary:

Friday 10th June – Parents’ Values assembly @ 2.30pm in the school hall

Week beginning 13th June – Healthy Living week

Tuesday 14th June – Year One Open classrooms - 9.00 to 10.00am

Thursday 16th June – class photos

Thursday 23rd June – Reception Open classrooms - 8.45 to 9.15am

Thursday 30th June – Year Two classes’ Educational Visit to the Science Museum

Saturday 2nd July – Summer Fun Day

Thursday 7th July – 2.00pm Year One assembly

Friday 8th July

– children’s end of year reports will be given out at the end of the day

– Parents’ values assembly @ 2.30pm in the school hall

Week beginning 11th July – Sports week

Monday 11th July – 3.30 to 5.00pm – Parents’ Consultations

Thursday 14th July – Class O visit to watch the LSO @ St Luke’s

Friday 15th July – Sports Day in Barkingside park

Wednesday 20th July – Year Two Open classrooms in the afternoon

Friday 22nd July

- 11.00am Year Two Leavers’ assembly

- Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

News and events:

1. Summer Fun Day

Preparations are well under way for the biggest day in the school calendar, our annual Summer Fun Day, Saturday 2nd July from 12noon to 3pm. This year the event is going to be a joint event with the Junior school. If any parent is able to help out on the day please contact either school office with your details, we need lots of helpers to organise and run the event. We will shortly be announcing the Programme artwork design competition, watch out for details of this. We will also be selling raffle tickets soon for our Big Raffle. Details of the prizes and how to buy tickets will be released soon.

2. Community assembly

Each class took part in the “Our Community” assemblies on 7th and 8th April, performing sections about the different countries that are represented in our school community. Both dates were very well attended by parents and we thank you for your support to the children on the day. The event brought about greater mutual understanding and cultural tolerance. The children really enjoyed themselves and we were very proud of their contributions.

3. Road safety

We have run a range of events recently to support children’s understanding of road safety. On 19th May we had a visit from the Dangerous Theatre Co. who helped the children learn about the “Green Cross code”. They were very funny and this helped get over a very serious message about safety.

4. Cycling to school

Many children have had the opportunity to support their cycling skills in school recently. We have provided free scooter training and safe cycling lessons for those who wanted it. We also had a visit from Dr Bike, who was able to mend lots of bikes for free, keeping everyone safe on their bikes. All of these opportunities were well attended.

5. Summer sun safety

some advice for the anticipated sunny weather ahead: During the summer months in school we recommend parents consider applying sun cream to their children before coming into school, to give them protection during playtimes. We will be reminding children to drink from the water fountains when playing outside, to keep them hydrated. It is also a good idea for children to bring in a sun hat to wear outside when it is very sunny. This will give them added sun protection and help to keep them well.

week beginning 6th June 2011

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Monday 6th June - School closed for staff training

Tuesday 7th June - children return at the usual times

Friday 10th June - Our School Choir will be travelling to Churchfields Infant school to take part in the first Redbridge Infant’ Choir Festival. This will take place in the afternoon after the lunch break and the children will be using public transport. There may be a delay getting back if traffic is heavy.

All parents and carers are warmly invited to this week’s Parents’ Values assembly

2.30pm in the school hall. Come and celebrate the children’s achievements in our current Value of the Month – “Honesty: I tell the truth”. Please note this assembly is not suitable for younger siblings to attend. If you do bring children under five along, please make sure they do not interrupt, and if they do become restless, please take them out.

Events: week beginning 9th May 2011

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Wednesday 11th May

Year One children visiting the Olympic site

The school has organised a morning visit for half of the children in class V to the Olympic site to find out more about the Olympic Games and to see the new Olympic stadium. We plan on taking the other half there at a date later in the term. More details will follow nearer the date this is arranged for. This visit is free and they will be travelling by public transport.

Curriculum meeting - “Our Big Ideas”

9.00 to 9.30am in the school hall. Come and find out about the school’s new priorities for the coming year – in a session led by Mr Drew.

Celebrating the Royal Wedding

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The children celebrated the Royal Wedding on Thursday 28th April with a big "street party" in our playground. Children ate special food and learnt all about the royal family. They are really interested in the ceremony and look forward to watching the event on TV tomorrow.

Week beginning 2nd May 2011

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Monday 2nd May - school closed for May bank holiday

Thursday 5th May - school closed for elections

Friday 6th May - 2.30pm - Parents Values assembly in the school hall. Come and join in our celebration of children’s achievements in the past month. Our current value focus is: Good manners: I say please and thank you.

"Good News" no. 30

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Welcome to the latest edition of our “Good News” publication, which celebrates the children’s achievements.

Well done to all the children mentioned in this edition of Good News, for being awarded their respective certificates.

Attendance certificates

Well done to all of the following children for full attendance and no lateness between 4th January and 1st April 2011:

Nursery: Satheeskumar Kishore, Sophia Amode, Meduna Baskaran

Class U: Amelie Katechia, Kerem Mushtaq, Arjan Virdi, Khalisah Adam-Saib, Gia Dhani, Zahra Rana

Class T: Lewis Wright, Ishaq Shah

Class S: Yusuf Haider, Sen Patel, Rishabh Rastogi, Nina Kudhail

Class O: Alexander Cole, Nayan Gami, Safwan Choudhury, Joshua Seth, Zeynah Adam, Riddhi Chopra, Amber Joshi

Class P: Aadeeb Khan, Rakash Niranjan, Ratheena Kumanan, Aleesha Rathod, Jayanna Sumoondur, Liyana Zaman

Class V: Utkarsh Bhamidimarri, Amaan Hussain, Christos Kalaidzi, Saba Alam, Rhia Gondhia, Shuhana Islam, Sara Mahmood

Class L: Adithya Varma, Farees Adam-Saib, Danyal Alam, Arjun Jandu, Raakash Rameesh, Zakir Sharif, Ria Bedia, Avni Datt, Kiara Singh

Class M: Navjit Jheeta, Anjali Kudhail, Yusuf Shaikh, Zaamin Mohammed, Ahmed Gilani, Abdullah Akhtar

Class N: Chyanne Benjamin, Zayn Hussain, Arjun Kumar, Zakaria Rana, Jason Rennie, Ayesha Aamer, Ameena Ali, Diya Chugh, Aisha Haider, Sruthi Kajenthra

Spring term Playground Buddies

A big thank you to the following children who were all Playground Buddies during the autumn term:

Virgo Kelley, Danyal Alam, Adithya Varma, Azra Caskun, Amaan Ahmed, Kiara Singh, Meera Ranavaya, Avaanis Narendran, Tejani Gravillis, Aman Kataria, Aaliyah Robinson, Cherise Mahasoh-Ekilia, Fabian Brown, Krijesh Rameesh, Tuhina Rao, Esha Prabhu, Laila Ahmed, Curtis James, Yusuf Sheikh, Simran Dhaliwal, Cheyanne Leo, Chyanne Benjamin, Arjun Kumar, Diya Chugh, Ayesha Aamer, Hamed Tokamani, Zakaria Rana, Soumen Nandi, Salaan Ahmed, Uzain Javed

Sporting Heroes

We would like to celebrate the following children who represented the school at the following inter-school sporting competitions this term:

Redbridge Key Steps Gymnastics

Amber Joshi, Zakir Sharif, Khushi Velani, Abishayini Satheesh, Afshan Mogul

Redbridge Multi-skills

Adeeba Amir, Khavin Senthikumaran, Safwan Choudhury, Adem Azkan, Liyana Zaman, Esha Patel, Christos Kalaidzi, Layla Leo, Taran Hollman, Madiha Sheeraz

All of these children greatly enjoyed taking part in the competition and they performed well on the day. Well done to all of them for a splendid effort.

Happy Easter

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The school would like to wish

everyone a very Happy Easter.

"Our Community" assembly

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The school held assemblies on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th April to mark the diversity of the global communities represented in the school. Each class performed a short section representing their research into a chosen community, featuring Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Gujerat region, Lithuania, Cyprus, Persia, South Africa and England. our aim was to learn about the different communities and promote community cohesion. The assemblies were really well attended - standing room only. The children worked really hard and performed well on both days.

Wheels Day

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Tuesday 5th April 2011

The children really enjoyed riding around the playground today on their bikes and scooters. The aims of today were to encourage children to ride bikes and to take part in exercise. We hope lots more children will now want to come to school on their bikes at least once a week.

Gearies Infant and Junior schools Summer Fun Day

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Saturday 2nd July 2011 - 12 noon to 3.00pm

This year’s essential summer event will a great day out for all the family. Stalls will include:

Bouncy castles

“Princess parlour”

Face painting

Arts and Crafts activities

Raffle

Tombola

Skittles

Wii Dance competition and many more……….

We will have our usual Food area with cakes, pizzas, healthy foods, fruit, ice cream, Indian food, and a barbecue.

A number of community groups will feature in the event, including:

A fire engine
Our Community Police
Scouts
Brownies
Gants Hill library
Redbridge Institute of Adult Education
Our feeder secondary schools
Whizz Kids
Premier Sports
Jules et Lis After school club

The must-see “Gearies Got Talent” will feature our very talented community stars:

Children from each school
Gearies parents
Gearies staff
Zumba dance
Kickboxing
Mr Drew and Mrs Hanch

Admission will be by programme and we will be selling raffle tickets in advance. Watch for more news! We look forward to welcoming you all, and having fun together.

April 2011 - news and events

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1. Start of the school day

A good start to the school day is essential to happy and effective learning. To help this happen each day please make sure your child has arrived in the school playground by 8.55am and is lined up in his/her class line ready to be collected by the class teacher at 9.00am. The Education Welfare Officer conducts random “late gates” and is noting the names of all children who arrive late. This means anyone who arrives after 9.00am. Persistent lateness may result in a fine of up to £100. Please help your child to get the very best education each day with regular attendance and punctuality. During the summer term the children will be assessed by their teachers for end of year assessment grades. It is even more important that the children’s attendance is excellent in this period.

2. Change of Nursery hours – September 2011

The Governing Body have agreed to change the timing of our Nursery sessions as of September 2011. From that point they will be from 8.30 to 11.30am and 12.30 to 3.30pm. It was decided to do this to increase efficiency and to reduce our staffing expenditure in response to the latest government education cuts.

3. Healthy Living week

We are currently planning a range of exciting projects and events for our annual healthy Living Week, beginning 13th June. This year the events have been co-ordinated with the Junior school so we will both be working closely together to ensure continuity. More details can be found in the minutes of the Healthy School Task group (on the blog and on our playground notice-boards).

4. Summer Fun Day

Our annual Summer Fun Day will be held on Saturday 2nd July. This year it will be an event organised for and by the communities of Gearies Infants and Junior schools. We are planning lots of great things for the day and look forward to your support. More details will be published nearer the date. Please reserve this date in your diaries and support your school community.

5. Request – drapes for our Library

We are currently re-organising the school library in Room R. We would like to use draped fabric to enhance this space and make it more appealing to the children. If you have any lengths of colourful fabric or old saris you no longer need we would gratefully accept any donations. Please bring in any to the school office.

6. Ofsted news

You should all by now have received a letter from Ofsted with an update on our re-inspection status. We are happy to celebrate the news that Ofsted have confirmed our “outstanding school status” this year as a result of the monitoring of our school standards. Well done to all the children for being such successful learners, thank you to the wonderful staff in the school for developing such high quality support, thank you to all the parents and carers who have supported their children so well and finally thank you to our governors for their brilliant support and astute strategic guidance.

7. Cycling to school

We encourage children to cycle to school as often as possible. We will be planning cycle safety lessons for the summer term soon and have also run road safety lesson for the children this term. If your child is cycling to school please ensure they use a helmet and secure the bike in our cycle shed with an appropriate lock.

Newsletter - April 2011 - Dates for your diary

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Value of the Month – “Good manners: I say please and thank you”

Dates for your diary:

5th April – “Wheels day” – children are encouraged to bring a wheeled item (bike, skateboard, scooter etc) to ride in school

6th April – 9.00am – meeting of the Parent Focus Group in our hall – all welcome

7th and 8th April – 2.00pm – “Community assembly”

8th April – Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

26th April – school closed for staff training

27th April – children return to school at the usual times

29th April – Bank holiday for the Royal Wedding 2nd May – Bank holiday

5th May – school closed for local elections – the Infant school will be used as a polling station

6th May – 2.30pm – Parents Values assembly

11th May – 9.00am in the school hall – meeting for parents to discuss the new school priorities “Our Big Ideas”

27th May – last day of half term

Week beginning 30th May – school closed for half term holiday

6th June – school closed for staff training

7th June – children return to school at usual times

Week beginning 13th June – Healthy Living week

16th June – class photos

2nd July – Summer Fun Day

8th July – children’s end of year reports will be given out today

Week beginning 11th July – Sports week

11th July – 3.30 to 5.00pm – Parents’ Consultations

15th July – Sports Day in Barkingside park

22nd July - Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

Events: week beginning 4th April 2011

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Tuesday 5th April - "Wheels Day"

The aim of the day is to promote bicycle use and fitness.

All children are encouraged to bring into school their bike or scooter to use in a special playground session during the day. Alternatives can include skateboards and roller-skates if you have them. We would encourage children to bring in bike helmets to wear as well, as a safety precaution.

On the day children should bring their bikes etc to school for the beginning of the day. Children in years One and Two should leave them in the specially designated bays in the main playground. Please put a label on your child’s bike to identify it. Reception and Nursery children can bring their bikes into their own playgrounds.

Bike helmets should be brought into the classrooms to keep safe during the day. Children will only use their bikes in the designated slot during the day. They will not use them at playtime or dinner time.

We hope you will support this very popular termly event, and continue to encourage your child to cycle to school now the weather is improving. If your child does this we would recommend securing the bike in our bike shed with an appropriate cycle chain/lock.

Wednesday 6th April - "Parent Talkback"

9.00 to 9.30am in the school hall

All parents and carers are invited to attend an informal meeting with Mr Drew to hear your views on the following topics:

• The results of the recent questionnaires to parents and children

• Our re-drafted Disability Scheme

(copies of these will be available to view on the day)

Thursday 7th April - "Community assembly"

2.00 to 2.45pm in the school hall

For the parents of children in the following classes:

Class L, Class N, Class P, Class S and Class U

Our annual celebration assembly of our community will feature song, dance, story and learning from each class in the school. They have been learning about some of the different communities represented in the school and will be sharing this with you.

Entrance is via the main playground. Latecomers will not be admitted. Please note this assembly is not suitable for children under three.

Friday 8th April - "Community assembly"

2.00 to 2.45pm in the school hall

This is a repeat of yesterday’s assembly but intended this time for the parents of children in the following classes:

Nursery, Class M, Class O, Class V, and Class T

Also ........

Non-uniform day

Please note that Friday is also Non-Uniform Day.

Children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

End of term news - New lunchtime arrangements

Please note that Friday is also Non-Uniform Day.

Children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

Red Nose day total

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We are really proud to announce our final total collected for Red Nose Day 2011 is £1,076.84. This is the most we have ever collected for this worthy charity. Well done everyone for an amazing achievement. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Bouncing for Red Nose Day

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On Monday 21st March the children raised even more money for Comic Relief by making a donation to bounce on one of three "bouncy castles" kindly lent to us by one of our parents on the day. The children had lots of fun. We will be able to announce the final total we have collected in a few days time. This is likely to be record for us. keep logging on for a news update.

Red Nose Day 2011

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The school's community supported this year's Comic Relief fundraising in many ways. We had lots of fun taking part. The children and staff either dressed in red or their pyjamas. We sold red noses, the children

brought in money and we collected money in local cafes.

We learned the new Rod Nose day song, "Entertain" and sang it together in our hall.

At the end of the day we held a special assembly where parent s and family members came along. The children told jokes and we sold special cakes afterwards.

We will be bouncing away on a special bouncy castle on Monday to raise further funds. We will announce how much we have raised in total later next week.

Thank you to everyone who has so far helped to support this worthy charity.

More fundraising for Comic Relief

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Monday 21st March

We are happy to announce that we will putting on an additional fundraising event for Red Nose Day on Monday. We have the use of a bouncy castle which we will be able to let the children have fun on during the day. We are asking all children to bring in at least £1 to donate to the Comic Relief Charity. This will allow your child to have a go on the Bouncy Castle during the day. Each class will have a session on this in the hall. We hope you will continue to be generous on the day and donate to this worthy cause.

Red Nose Day

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Friday 18th March

March 18th is Red Nose Day again! We are asking all the children to dress up looking funny for the day and to bring £1 for taking part. They can come in pyjamas or wear red and come with a joke to tell their class. They can bring in their red noses too, of course.
At the end of the day at 2.30pm we will hold a Parents’ Values Assembly where you will be able to share the fun of the day as well.
There will be a sale of children’s work after assembly and we would also like to sell some cakes …would you like to make/donate a cake for this? If you would, please send your cake into school on Red Nose Day in the morning.
Thank you for your support with this event. The children always really enjoy it and you will be helping children and families who are much less fortunate than us!

Tutors for children

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We have just received some very sensible advice for parents from Redbridge over checks on tutors for children. If you are considering employing a private tutor please read the leaflet attached (follow this link to download it) http://www.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/benefits_care_and_health/children_and_families/protecting_and_safeguarding/safeguarding_children_board/publications_policies_and_pro/private_tuition.aspx, which has some very sensible advice on how to conduct the necessary police checks on tutors.

Events: week beginning 7th March 2011

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Wednesday 9th March - Curriculum meeting: “Learning in the Year Two classes”

9.00 to 9.30am in the school hall

Come and find out about how the children learn and how the teachers support this in Year Two. This meeting will be led by Mrs Sharma (Y2 co-ordinator).

March Newsletter

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Value of the Month – “Courage and independence: I try and persevere with new things, and do things for myself”

Dates for your diary:

9th March – 9.00am – Curriculum meeting for parents – “The Year Two curriculum”

18th March – Comic Relief day

18th March – 2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly in our school hall

27th March – Census day

5th April – “Wheels day” – children are encouraged to bring a wheeled item (bike, skateboard, scooter etc) to ride in school

6th April – 9.00am – meeting of the Parent Focus Group in our hall – all welcome

8th April - – Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

26th April – school closed for staff training

27th April – children return to school at the usual times

29th April – Bank holiday for the Royal Wedding

2nd May – Bank holiday

5th May – school closed for local elections – the Infant school will be used as a polling station

News and events

1. Vidoes on YouTube

Parents and family members need to be aware that the school does not give permission for them to post video clips of children from the school, performing in school, on the YouTube website. Please do not do this as this poses an unnecessary risk to children’s security.

2. School term dates for next year and additional closure dates next term

The term dates for 2011 to 2012 have now been approved by the governing body and are available to all parents. A copy is on display in the main school playground and will be online soon.

Please also note the additional school closure dates for this school year (indicated above), announced recently.

3. Bollywood Dance Club

At the recent Redbridge Sports Partnership Dance festival at Woodford County High school our Dance Club performed superbly. They were received with great applause. Well done to the children on representing the school so well, we are so glad you had such fun.

4. School Choir

At the recent East London Choir competition our school choir did very well and received a commendation, coming second overall. This is an excellent result. Well done to the children on an outstanding performance and to Miss Barham on her great teaching.

5. School Budget news

The governing body is expecting a much reduced school budget for April, in line with national and local government public sector cutbacks. They are currently preparing plans for re-organisation in response. If it is necessary to implement any of these changes they will inform you in plenty of time beforehand. No details are available at the moment though. Please speak to Mr Drew or any of the school governors if you wish to discuss this matter further.

6. Local trips and public transport

It is now school policy for teachers to take their classes on regular educational visits each term to local places of interest using public transport. Our year two classes have successfully trialled this approach this term to great success. This means we will be able to plan more trips and these will mostly be free for children to go on.

7. Census campaign

The borough’s campaign to get as many people to take part in this year’s census is under way. We will be hosting a meeting in school on Wednesday 2nd March at 9am and giving out leaflets shortly.

8. Mr Drew’s secondment

The Redbridge Network Learning Community have decided to end Mr Drew’s secondment as the local authority’s Leadership Adviser from the end of March, due to budget cutbacks. He is currently finishing off some existing commitments and from that point on he will be back in school full time.

9. Questionnaire results

The results of the questionnaires recently completed by children and parents have now been collated and will be shared with you shortly at a meeting of the Parent Focus Group before the end of term on 6th April. They will be posted online afterwards. These show a very positive view of the school by both groups. We thank everyone who took the time to take part. Your views are very important to the school and help us improve our support for the children.

10. Get Set 2012

The school has received recognition from the Olympic sport authority that we have “Get Set 2012” status. This recognises our commitment to the Olympic ideals. We plan to be engaged in special school projects themed around the Olympics in the run-up to the games. We will let you know more news of our plans as soon as possible.

11. Hall redecoration

The Community Service Group, who conduct repairs and maintenance tasks in the school on Sundays, are busy with redecoration of our school hall. We hope this transformation will be complete before the Easter break. All walls will be painted and repaired. The curtains will also be cleaned and re-hung. We are looking forward to this long overdue face-lift for the hall. Please excuse its appearance though in the meantime as it is undergoing its maintenance.

12. Guidance on Head Lice

A useful free guide for parents on head lice is available in the school’s reception area.

Meeting for Parents - national Census

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Wednesday 2nd March

We will be holding an information meeting for parents about the upcoming National Census, due to be undertaken on 27th March. This will be led by Frederick Nuer, a local council officer. The meeting will be held in our school hall from 9.00 to 9.30am.

Parents' events in week beginning 7th February

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Events in school for parents include:
Curriculum meeting: “The Governing Body”
Wednesday 9th February - 9.00 to 9.30am in the school hall. Come and find out about what our Governing Body does, its roles, responsibilities and influence in the school. This meeting will be led by Mr Drew (Head Teacher).
Parents Values assembly
Friday 11th February - 2.30pm in the school hall - Come and join in our celebration of children’s achievements in the past month. Our current value focus is: Co-operation: I get along well with others, share and take turns.

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Value of the Month – Co-operation: I get along well with others, share and take turns

Dates for your diary:

9th February - Curriculum meeting for parents “The Governing Body”

11th February - 2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly

17th February – last day of half term

18th February – school closed for Parents’ Consultations (all day)

Week beginning 21st February – half term week

28th February – children return to school at the usual times

9th March – 9.00am – Curriculum meeting for parents – “The Year Two curriculum”

6th April – 9.00am – meeting of the Parent Focus Group in our hall – all welcome

News and events

1. Lateness for school

Good attendance and punctuality at school is expected for all children. There is a direct link between this and attainment. We strive to support each child’s right to high quality education by working with parents to ensure attendance and punctuality is good.

Lateness can disrupt a child’s involvement in crucial aspects of the class timetable and ay negotiated intervention strategies, which are often organised at the start of each day. The school monitors punctuality rates. The parents of any child with persistent lateness (a cumulative total in excess of 7 instances recorded on the class register beyond the registration period) may be liable to a fine of up to £100. Please support your child learning by making sure he or she is always on time for school.

2. Visit to school by French educationalists

On 13th January, the school hosted a visit by a team of 7 educational officials from France. They came to see how we had introduced our Managed Learning Environment – “Fronter”. The visitors were mostly inspectors from different regions in France as well as the French Minister of Education, M. Burtin. They visited most of the classes and spoke to teachers and children about their experiences. They were impressed by our standards and the excellent behaviour of the children. It was a big honour to host this visit and they were very complimentary about our school.

3. Sad loss – Sports Club coach

Many of the children in school attended clubs before school last term that were led by Dominic, one of the Sports Coaches. We were informed of the very sad news that he passed away very unexpectedly in the Christmas holiday. We were very sad to hear of this news and our thoughts go out to his family and friends for this loss.

Our Big Ideas

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1. The learning for all children will be relevant and interesting for them.

2. When children move from one class to another, the learning will be continuous.

3. All our school leaders will work well together to help every child do their best.

4. Each child will come to school every day, and only have time off when it is really necessary.

Raffle Prize Draw

2011-01-24T20:17:00.000Z

The winners of the Raffle are as follows:

Sainsbury's voucher - Green 713 (AC 736917)

M&S voucher - Yellow 947 (AC 192290)

Meal for 2 - Pink 610 (AC 741988)

Bowling voucher - Green 862 (AC 736917)

Prize draw took place on Friday 21st January 2011.

Events: week beginning 24th January 2011

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Wednesday 26th January - Curriculum meeting for parents in the school hall - 9.00 to 9.30am - "Our Big Ideas", the school's strategic priorities - led by Mr Drew (Head Teacher)

Events: week beginning 17th January 2011

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Tuesday 18th January - Year One Open Classrooms - 8.45 to 9.15pm - Parents and carers are invited to come and visit the Year One classes to look at the learning that happens there!

Wednesday 19th January - Health Advice - Our Health Worker, Liz Case will be available in the Medical room in the Children’s centre from 8.45 to 9.30 for any advice on medical matters. No appointments are necessary.

Friday 21st January - Introductory meeting for parents new to "Parents in the Classroom" - 3.15pm in the school hall - Parents of children in the Reception classes and anyone in Year One who didn’t come to this meeting last year are invited to attend a brief meeting to explain this programme and an opportunity to book up a session with your child’s class teacher.

Events: week beginning 10th January 2011

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11/1/11 - Reception Open Classrooms 2.45 to 3.15pm Parents and carers are invited to come and visit the Reception classes to look at the learning that happens there!

12/1/11 - Health advice - Our Health Worker, Liz Case will be available in the Medical room in the Children’s centre from 8.45 to 9.30 for any advice on medical matters. No appointments are necessary.

12/1/11 - Curriculum meeting: “Fronter” - 9.00 to 9.30am in the school hall - Val Barker (ICT co-ordinator) will lead this session on our dedicated website – find out how to get the most out of it in order to support your child’s learning at home.

14/1/11 - Parents’ Values assembly - 2.30pm in the school hall - All parents and carers are invited to this month’s celebration of the children’s achievements in our current Value of the Month – “Tolerance and Respect for Others: Other people are just as important as me: - Please note this assembly is not suitable for younger siblings to attend. If you do bring children under five along, please make sure they do not interrupt, and if they do become restless, please take them outside.

Good News - January 2011

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Volume 29: January 2011

Welcome to the latest edition of our “Good News” publication, which celebrates the children’s achievements.

Well done to all the children mentioned in this edition of Good News, for being awarded their respective certificates.

Attendance certificates

Well done to all of the following children for full attendance and no lateness between 6^th September and 10^th December 2010:

Nursery: Leia Patel, Samrat Chattopandhayay

Class U: Micah Charles, Amelie Katechia

Class T: Lewis Wright

Class S: Manreet Jheeta

Class O: Santosh Satheeskumar

Class P: Dylan Saroi, Arjun Yagnik

Class V: Jaspreet Bhaker

Class L: Virgo Kelley, Adithya Varma, Meera Ranavaya

Class M: navjit Jheeta, Anjali Kudhail, Tuhina Rao

Class N: Chyanne Benjamin

We experienced a lot of sickness last term and are pleased these children were able to maintain such a great record of attendance for the term.

Autumn term Playground Buddies

A big thank you to the following children who were all Playground Buddies during the autumn term:

Laila Amode, Abishayini, Khushi Velani, Farees Adam-Saib, Yaseen Akbar, Hasan Keiser, Umar Khan, Uzair Sheikh, Humza Touseef, Zakir Sharif, Nneka Esekody, Tanjida Firuz, Simrah Hussain, Anjali Kudhail, Lucy-Ann Gibson, Zainab Mahjabeen, Zaamin Mohammed, Mustaqim Kadir, Kyle Bhada, Abdullah Akhtar, Saffron Khan, Aisha Haider, Dino Kalaidzi, Amber Yousaf, Jason Rennie, Ameena Ali, Shruthi Kajenthra, Naila Haque, Sapphire Rolle, Rhys Mussington

January newsletter 2011

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Value of the Month – Tolerance and Respect for others: Other people are just as important as me

Dates for your diary:

12^th January – 9.00am – Curriculum meeting for parents – introducing “Fronter”, how to use this web site to help support your child’s learning

14^th January – 2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly

21^st January – 3.15pm – introducing “Parents in the classroom” meeting for parents in our hall

26^th January - Curriculum meeting for parents “Our Big Ideas”

9^th February - Curriculum meeting for parents “The Governing Body”

11^th February - 2.30pm – Parents’ Values assembly

17^th February – last day of half term

18^th February – school closed for Parents’ Consultations (all day)

Week beginning 21^st February – half term week

28^th February – children return to school at the usual times

9^th March – 9.00am – Curriculum meeting for parents – “The Year Two curriculum”

6^th April – 9.00am – meeting of the Parent Focus Group in our hall – all welcome

8^th April - – Last day of term/Non-uniform day – children can come to school out of school uniform today but should pay £1.00 if doing so. Monies raised contribute to the School Fund, which is used to support educational activities in school.

Welcome back to the new school term and a new calendar year. We wish you a happy and prosperous 2011.

News and events

1. Do you drive a car to school?

If you drive children to and from school please be aware of the following advice:

· Parking on the yellow lines outside the school is dangerous to all the children crossing the road, please find a place to park away from the school

· Parking on the yellow zig-zag lines is an offense and will result in a parking ticket

· Parking across the driveways of local residents is very discourteous, please do not do this; those caught doing so will be reported to the police

2. Charity campaigns

A big thank you to everyone for supporting our recent charity appeals:

· We collected £104.51 for the Poppy Appeal

· We sent off 35 boxes for the Samaritan’s Purse International appeal “Operation Christmas Child”

· We collected lots of money for the local Guide Dogs appeal at our Christmas events (still being counted)

These donations are all very helpful and have been greatly received by their respective charities.

3. Camera appeal

The school is currently appealing for the donation of unwanted digital cameras. If you have received a new camera for Christmas to replace an older model, pleas consider donating your old one to the school. We would be happy to receive any machines that are in working order to use with children in classroom photography projects. Donations can be made to your child’s class teacher or the school office.

Camera appeal

2010-12-15T06:21:00.000Z

The school is currently appealing for the donation of unwanted digital cameras. If you receive a new camera for Christmas to replace an older model, please consider donating your old one to the school. We would be happy to receive any machines that are in working order to use with the children in classroom photography projects. Donations can be made to your child's class teacher or the school office.

Our pantomime "Jack and the beanstalk"

2010-12-10T09:32:00.000Z

Children performed in our annual pantomime "Jack and the beanstalk" on 9th and 10th December 2010.

Nativity 2010

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Children from our Reception classes performed our annual Nativity play to mark the coming of Christmas. These are photos from our dress rehearsal - 6/12/10.