Goodbye from Mrs Gallagher
It has been an emotional day for parents, children and staff as we have said goodbye to Mrs Gallagher (who has been in tears most of the day). I think it is fair to say that in addition to her role as Business Administrator, she has been like a mum to all the children, a personal assistant to all the parents and an agony aunt to the staff. We will indeed miss her but wish her well in the next step of her career.
Sports Day
Well done to the White Team and congratulations for your win this afternoon. The children and staff always enjoy Sports Day and it is fantastic to see them cheering each other on and supporting one another. Thank you to Mrs Elliott for organizing a successful event once again. Also, thank you to all of our wonderful parents who baked cakes to sell, to the mums who sold them and to the dads for fetching hot water. £150 has been raised! We have an amazing school community which is what makes our school so special.
Governor Recruitment
Following our recruitment for two parent governors, I would like to congratulate Mr Rixom (parent of Ben in Year 3 and Sam in Reception) and Mr Goodall (parent of Alma in Year 1). Mr Goodall has been standing as an associate governor for two terms but will now transfer as an official parent governor. We have a very strong and committed governing body and both Mr Goodall and Mr Rixom will be excellent additions to the board.
We still have a vacancy for a Co-opted Governor which we will be advertising soon in Aspects.
Platinum – The School Games Mark
The School Games Mark is a government led awards scheme launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community. Each School Games Mark application is divided into four sets of questions. They cover participation, competition, workforce and clubs. In order to be awarded the platinum level, we have had to achieve the gold mark for four consecutive years so this is the first time we have been able to apply and we are thrilled that the award was granted. An amazing achievement!
Attendance
We are approaching the time of year when the holiday season is upon us and there is always an increase in the number of parents taking the children out of school for holidays in term time. At present our attendance is only just hovering above the benchmark required by the DFE. This year, of the 87 pupils on roll, 33 have had at least one unauthorized absence which is more than a third of pupils. The Inclusion Officer for Attendance, Nicola Braund-Smith, attended a recent Furness Primary Collaborative meeting to encourage all Headteachers to take firmer action to improve attendance. I will be meeting with governors in the Autumn term to review our current policy and procedures in light of this. Both myself and the governors are keen to promote better attendance, not just because absence from school impacts on learning and progress, but because it also sends the wrong message of work ethic for the future generation.
Coniston to Barrow
I’d like to say a massive well done to the parents and pupils that took part in the Coniston to Barrow to raise money for our school. They all did exceptionally well. You have been very generous with your sponsors and I am sure we will receive a significant sum when donations are awarded in the autumn term.
Diary Dates
These are useful dates for your diary that will be added to each week. More information about each event will be provided nearer the time.
| Date | Event |
| 05-06-19 | Eskdale Residential Trip (2 nights, 3 days) |
| 06-06-19 | Class 1 visit to Dock Museum |
| 07-06-19 | Vision screening for Reception pupils |
| 07-06-19 | Transition Afternoon |
| 13-06-19 | Sponsored Fun Fitness (formally sponsored Fun Run) |
| 14-06-19 | Transition Afternoon |
| 19-06-19 | Junior Citizen event – Year 6 10-12pm |
| 21-06-19 | Reception/KS1 Fun Run @ Dowdales |
| 21-06-19 | Transition Afternoon |
| 26-06-19 | Height and weight screening – Yr R and Yr 6 |
| 28-06-19 | PE Gifted & Talented Year 6 event @ Dowdales |
| 01-07-19 | Year 6 Transition Day |
| 02-07-19 | Year 6 Transition Day |
| 03-07-19 | Transition Assembly – J4J |
| 05-07-19 | Summer Concert |
| 11-07-19 | Year 4/5/6 trip to Fell Foot |
| 12-07-19 | YMCA Trip, Class 1 and Class 2 |
| 15-07-19 | Summer Sports Fun Day – TBC |
| 16-07-19 | Open Day |
| 18-07-19 | Leaver’s Treat |
| 19-07-19 | Leaver’s Assembly, 1:30pm |