Latest News
Keep up to date with all the news happening in school
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Weekly Update Friday 6th December
Fri 06 Dec 2024As I write this update, I can hear the children practising their Christmas songs and they sound brilliant! You will be in for a real treat with their performances this year. Thank you to everyone who have brought their costumes in. We do have spares in school, if you are unable to bring one in. Please let us know in good time if you need one of these.
Next week is our School Shopping Bazaar day, on Tuesday 10th December. This will be our 15th year of running the Bazaar, and we cannot wait! Each gift will cost £3.50 each and there will be tables set up for males/females/children/babies. Each child can choose up to 6 presents for their family. These will then be wrapped and can be put straight under your tree. Please remember to send in:
Your child's shopping list (these were sent home in their bookbags on yellow paper this week)
The correct money in labelled envelope/purse
A carrier bag with their name on it.
If you would like to come and help with the shopping/wrapping, please put your name down with Claire, our PTA chair. It really is a very special time, and the children love giving their families their surprise gifts on Christmas morning.
Our PTA have been super busy this week organising raffle prizes and our lovely Christmas tree at the front of the school. Thank you so much! We are very very grateful! Our amazing Learning Support Team have been sprinkling their magic everywhere too, and the school looks very Christmassy-thank you to all who trimmed up!
We are saying goodbye on Wednesday to Mrs Labram, as she is starting her maternity leave then. Today Fox class met Miss Felicty Martin, who will be Fox Class's teacher until Mrs Labram returns. We wish Mrs Labram and her husband all the best for this exciting new chapter in their lives. It will be a magical Christmas for them all. We would like to welcome Miss Martin to our Year 2 team, and also welcome Mrs Biscoe as a LSA in our Year R team.
If anyone has any raffle tickets to still sell, please bring the stubs back. Each child was given two books in their book bag. If you aren't selling them, please give the tickets back in, so that we can sell them from the school office.
Rocksteady parents are in for a treat on Monday afternoon, next week, as it is the first Rocksteady Concert of the school year. We look forward to seeing you, and finding out which tunes they are playing this year!
Please note that this year, our Creche can only run during the morning performances in the school hall. There are only 2 tickets per family and all children junior school age and younger, will need to be booked into the creche/ have care organised. Thank you for being so understanding for our children's performance on stage.
Art Club's poppies are displayed outside our staffroom and they look beautiful. All the staff have commented on how individual they are. We are now painting our last picture, which is a snowy Christmas night. Year 2 had their amazing geography outcome and some of their fantastic models are in our photos at the end. We have also had some amazing angels from Year 1 on their display on the ramp area, and some brilliant Gruffalo cave drawing are on the walls outside Year R. What talented children we have!
We look forward to you joining us for our Christmas festivities.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
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Weekly Update Friday 29th November
Fri 29 Nov 2024We have had a super week of learning in school this week. Year R have been using their phonic sounds to start writing independently in lessons and through play. They have also enjoyed roleplaying in their new Hot Chocolate Stall outside. Year 1 had a magical time, full of awe and wonder thinking about angels, and exploring people's beliefs about angels in order to make their own opinions. Year 2 have been busy comparing and contrasting the United Kingdom to a country in a different hemisphere, using a bubble diagram to record their thinking. It has been lovely to walk around the school and see the children enjoying their learning.
We know Christmas is a difficult time for many parents, and there are ways our school can help. We can make referrals to the foodbank, and also make referrals to some community funding. Please come and see us or email the office if you would like us to do this for you. We would like to help in any way we can.
Our Special mentions book in our lobby has only had 10 entries since the start of term. We also have our achievements book where certificates and medal pictures can be put. Please send in any special mentions that you would like to be read out in our Friday celebration assembly by the Thursday of that week. The children beam when their names are read out!
Tommy in Year 2 won the reading raffle book this week. There weren't many entries from the classes this week. Remember all children can enter the raffle-they have to have read on three occasions (different days) for their name to be put into the draw. Reading is the key to unlocking all learning and is a crucial life skill. Please support us by practising regularly with your children-it really will make a difference!
Our monthly newsletter is coming out on Monday. Please look on there for all our Christmas dates and events. We have had one date change from September, which affected the Grandparents' service and Year 1&2 performance, so please check days and times.
Our Christmas decorations will also be going up on 1st December. If sending Christmas cards, the school postbox will be at the front of the school. Please put child's nae and class on the front, of the children you would like to send them through, before posting.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
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Weekly Update Friday 22nd November
Fri 22 Nov 2024What a fantastic disco, Year 1 and 2 had tonight, run by the PTA and our teachers. Crazy M was as fabulous and crazy as always, and the children had a great time dancing, playing games, limbo dancing and snacking! It all ended with some snow which covered them all!. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it so special for our children.
Bishops Waltham had its own snow flurry this week that lasted for a whole morning! The children were very excited to see it, and for many of them it was the first time they had seen real snow. It was like being in a real snow-globe at one point. We even managed to make some small snow angels, and some very small snowmen.
The children have all been excited to have their parts ready for the school nativities. We will be organising tickets next week and 2 tickets will be given per family in KS1 and 2 tickets per family in Year R. Due to staffing we may need to change the time of the Monday performance and the Grandparents' service. Once this is confirmed next week, we will let you know the new times.
Our Christmas Raffle tickets have gone out this week. The PTA have been really really busy rounding up presents and experiences. This is one of our biggest fundraisers, and we would love to raise as much as we can so that we can order the new furniture and equipment for our corridor areas. The prizes are on the PTA page and will be updated as more come in. If you would like to sell more tickets, then please come to the school office to collect more. There will be a prize for the child who sells the most tickets. The PTA have asked if you have a business, that can offer a prize, or would like to donate a prize (such as wine etc), please can you bring them in. All donations will be gratefully received.
As Storm Bert is about to hit the south east this weekend, please take care when out and about. We will make a grounds check before we open on Monday, to check for broken tree limbs etc.
Take care everyone, and wrap up warm.
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
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Weekly Update Friday 16th November
Thu 14 Nov 2024Thank you to everybody who contributed to our 'Come As You Are Day' today. We raised £377.89 for Children in Need and the children had a fun end to an action packed week. I want to give a special shout out to Mrs Ely and her fantastic dinosaur outfit! She looked amazing! (Luckily I could ride away on Trigger!) All the children had great fun dressing as they wanted to, and we had a lovely day full of laughter.
Yesterday we had our termly special curriculum day, and this time it was maths' turn to be centre stage. Mrs Moth, our Key Stage 1 Maths leader kicked off our record breaking day with some amazing facts and figures-who holds the record for growing the longest hair? How tall was the tallest human? The children then had a fantastic time trying to be a record breaker of BWIS. There were gasps of amazement when Mrs Pennock and Miss Turner stood on one leg for over 8 minutes. Year 2 made the most amazing wingspan of over 3 metres! Aeroplanes were whizzing past, trying to see which plane will go the furthest! The class teachers will write a bit more to let you know who our record breakers are, and I am excited to tell you WE LOVE MATHS AT BWIS! Thank you to Mrs Moth for leading maths so brilliantly in our school!
We had a PTA meeting this week, and discussed all our events that we have lined up. There is so much behind the scenes work that happens in the PTA, and they are doing a fantastic job. They have asked again if someone could step forward as a class rep. The role of the rep is to let everyone know about events and remind everyone about events via the class chat groups. If you think you could do this role, then please give our PTA a call, or drop them an email. REMEMBER we have a GIANT sweet sale after school today. Our PTA accept cash and card as payment.
Our children were brilliant in our Remembrance Assembly on Monday, and when we observed the 2 minute silence at 11am. We have put the resources used under learning links on our children's pages if you would like to look at them again.
We also held a fire practice this week. The first of the academic year and also the first time for Year R and many of the staff. I am really pleased to report that all children were lined up on the playground in 2 minutes, and all registers were called in 3 and a half minutes. Well done to all the children and the staff. We also had a health and safety walkaround, where we looked at all aspects of health and safety in the school. We have noticed two young cats coming onto the school site more frequently. Usually, the children are very good at leaving them alone, and not touching them whilst the staff shoo them away. Please can this message of leaving the cats alone be reiterated at home, as cats can become aggressive if they are prodded and touched.
Next week, BW Junior school is having an open event for Year 2 children, moving to Year 3 in 2025. Please go along to find out all about the juniors, and remember to put your applications in! Parents can choose to attend either:
- Monday, 18th November, from 9:15–10:30 am, or
- Wednesday, 20th November, from 1:15–2:45 pm.
There’s no need to book; you can simply arrive at the school office to sign in and then head into the hall. The Year 6 Team Captains are eager to lead groups of parents on a tour of the school, answer questions, and showcase learning in action. The Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher will also be available to speak with parents.
With the weather turning colder, I am pleased to see most children remembering to bring their coats to school. Next Thursday, the country is forecast a 'snow bomb'. I think it will most likely miss us, looking at the forecast, but will let you know if anything changes!
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
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Children in Need fundraising - 15th Nov
Thu 14 Nov 2024To fundraise for children in need we are having a non school uniform day on Friday 15th November. Donations can be made on the day in cash or via just giving:
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Book Fair
Wed 13 Nov 2024Thank you to everyone who came to our Book Fair - we have been able to get some lovely new books for the library.
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Weekly Update Friday 8th November
Fri 08 Nov 2024We had a sizzling start back to school with our assembly about Guy Fawkes. The children were amazed that the tradition of lighting a bonfire is over 400 years old, and only happens in the UK. We also discussed the fireworks code. If you would like to watch and find out more, please visit our learning links page:
Year R have started their Julia Donaldson themed project and their 'Room on a Broom' caves have been a huge hit! They have had a message left in their classroom each day and the children have been so excited to tell me all about it! Meanwhile, Year 1 have been amazing story innovators this week, changing the characters and the setting of a traditional tale. I enjoyed reading River's unicorn story today, crossing the unicorn bridge. What a superstar story teller! Year 2 'flew' to New Zealand in their classroom 'aeroplane'. They wrote fantastic information leaflets about the Bay of Plenty, for travelers to read about, using their persuasive writing. I really want to visit now, Year 2-thank you for your inspirational writing!
Staff and PTA have been getting ready for Christmas. Our Raffle tickets will go out soon to everyone, we have our disco next week. After that, our next big event is our Christmas shopping event, where children get to choose up to 6 gifts to buy for their family. Most of the presents have been bought, and we will need lots of helpers on the day too. In addition to this, we will need lots of wrapping paper, so we are putting our wrapping paper donation appeal out early-please send in any rolls, for this special shopping event. Next Friday we will also be having a special sweet stall at the end of the day, where the PTA will be in the turning circle. they accept card and cash, so please pop along!
On Friday 15th November, we will be celebrating 'Children in Need day' at school. Children can come to school in any clothes-fancy dress, face paint, play clothes-we are having a 'Come as you like' day. I may have a special way of travelling in...watch this space!
On Thursday 14th November we will be having one of our special curriculum days, where the whole school will be learning about the same subject. This time it is Math's turn to take centre stage. Mrs Moth, our Math lead, has a treat lined up for our whole school. Our theme is 'Bishops Waltham Record Breakers' with lots of creative mathematical challenges. Children will be taking part in a range of activities throughout the day working together in small groups, large groups and independently, using their mathematical knowledge to complete record breaking challenges. Have you got what it takes to be a BWIS Record Breaker??? Watch out for our display and photographs celebrating the wonderful world of mathematics next week.
Applications for Year R 2025, and Year 3 2025 are now OPEN until January 15th. Bishops Waltham Junior School is having an Open Event for parents on Wednesday 20th November at 1.15pm. If you are Year 2 parent, please check your inbox for the information about the event. We have parent showround dates for the whole of November, so if you know anyone who missed our open day and would like to look around, please let them know to telephone the school to book on a tour.
Lastly, our Attendance Policy has been updated and approved by our Governing Body in line with the new Government and Hampshire guidelines. You can find the policy and guidelines here:
Government Guidelines on Attendance August 2024
We use the Hampshire policy guidance for this, to reflect changes in the law. Headteachers have very little choice in the authorisation of exceptional leave, which is explained in more detail in these documents, and I know this upsets a lot of parents who want to take their children out of school for special trips and holidays. I can only describe coming to school regularly every day as a bit like walking up a flight of steps from the start of the year to the end of the year. If your child misses school you will stand still on the step whilst the rest of the class continue to step up. An odd day or two when ill, will be a small catch up. Lots of days away, will mean working harder to catch up and then keep up with the rest of the class. Good attendance habits stay with children for life, long after they have left us into adulthood and their chosen careers. If you have any queries about the policy, or new government guidelines, please do not hesitate to come and make an appointment to discuss them. Our office have also asked me to reiterate the importance of telephoning and informing us of school absence. We are spending a lot of time ringing parents who have not telephoned the reason why their child is not in school. Please telephone in every day of absence before 9.30am, so that we know your child is safe, and not missing. If we cannot telephone you, or speak to you, then our safeguarding procedures will often need to be followed.
For those of you who enjoy fireworks and want to see more, another local school, Swanmore Primary, have a firework event this evening, and information about the event can be found on their social media page.
Wishing everybody a lovely weekend. Remember to wrap up warm!
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
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Book Fair!
Mon 04 Nov 2024
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Weekly Update Friday 25th October
Thu 24 Oct 2024All of our classes have started their next Learning Projects, and they are very excited about what is coming up. Year R have been learning about Stickman and using our lovely autumnal grounds. Year 1 are very busy writing scripts and learning how to make puppets for their traditional tales whilst developing their interdependence skills. Year 2 are looking forward to becoming geographers, developing competency in their geographical skills through their study of New Zealand. Remember to look at the learning leaflet and the vocabulary bookmark that has come home, in order to support your child's knowledge and oracy skills as they learn.
We loved our Spooky Friday Sweet Treats from our PTA today. Thank you to Claire and the gang for these! You can also support our PTA at the bonfire event running on the 2nd November at Hoe Road. We have a new date for our Crazy M disco on Friday 22nd November. Tickets will carry over to the new date. All money raised goes towards supporting the children in school, and can either be left as a donation, or a refund can be made via the PTA.
Year 2 have really been enjoying their lunchtime clubs this half term. Have a look at the clubs pages on our website. I wanted to celebrate our amazing painters who came to my painting club- their fantastic pumpkin paintings are at the end of this news-I can't wait to do more with you next half term! They are currently displayed in our entrance hall, if anyone would like to see them.
Just a reminder, that our Parent Teacher meetings are in the first week back after half term. Please book in using our online system.
Lastly we would like to congratulate Mrs Withers and her husband on the birth of their daughter, Arabella. Mum and baby are home and doing well. Congratulations to all and we cannot wait to meet her!
We hope wish everyone a lovely half term break.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
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20 is plenty proposed plans
Thu 24 Oct 2024Earlier this year, the authority to apply for 20 MPH schemes (in areas that are currently 30 MPH) was delegated to Parish Councils (without funding).
BWPC have started to investigate the possibility of asking HCC to implement 20 MPH schemes in Bishops Waltham (funded by Bishops Waltham).
One of the areas that has been identified is the “school run” – Free St/Bank St/Lower Lane and Cricklemeed (please see attached a drawn map).
There are other areas such as Coppice Hill, but we are very much aware of issues on the roads leading to schools.
The first phase is consultation; therefore, other Parish Councill Members will be manning a drop in stand on the following dates:
- Friday 25th October 24 – High St near Kings Church 1000 – 1200 hours
- Friday 01st November 24 – Jubilee Hall Foyer (alongside the Country Market and Poppy Selling) 1000 – 1200 hours
- Friday 08th November 24 – Jubilee Hall Foyer (alongside the Country Market and Poppy Selling) 1000 – 1200 hours
Once the data is consolidated, the Parish Council will narrow it down to two or three areas and in the New Year, hold more surgeries to feed the data back to parishioners.
