Ms Westbrook and Mr Evans along with other colleagues, and some of our parent helpers have continued to work on this project throughout the week. We are getting very close to being able to introduce the library to the children. We are aiming for Friday 28^th November-next week. Once it is ready, classes will be invited into the library for a special story time during the first week in December.

Across the school this week many classes have been doing their ‘Hot Writes’. This is where the children have been studying a particular type of writing and are using their new knowledge to write an independent piece of writing, hopefully demonstrating all of their new knowledge. These pieces of independent work help teachers to assess the children’s writing.

Week beginning the 1^st December the children will be having their first formal assessment week of the year. They will have some tests in Maths, Reading and SPAG.

 

Educational Visits: Year 4 have visited the church and pagoda this week to support and enhance their learning experiences of different faiths and cultures in-line with our RE curriculum. Mrs Stokes and Mrs Rudd commented on how knowledgable the children were during the visit. They were great Glenmead Citizens and demonstrated calmness and respect. If you would like to learn more about our RE Curriculum, please visit our website:

https://www.glenmead.bham.sch.uk/curriculum/religious-education

A couple of children spoke to me this morning, Cole and Scarlet, and told me how much they enjoyed their visit to the church and pagoda. They particularly liked the opportunity to light candles and reflect calmly and thoughtfully. Scarlet lit a candle for her dog that had passed away and Cole lit a candle for his grandparent. They also talked about the pagoda being beautiful and calm. Visiting different places of worship helps us to understand a range of different cultures and beliefs and fosters a deeper understanding of the diverse world in which we are living.

PSHE and Relationships Curriculum: Year Six have completed some of their PSHE curriculum regarding life-lines, prejudices and transition-preparing for changes. The lessons are very informal, encourage lots of discussion and expression of feelings. Lynda West-Mullen who delivers these lessons was impressed with their knowledge and positive attitudes. More information about our PSHE and Relationships lessons can be found on our website also:

https://www.glenmead.bham.sch.uk/curriculum/pshe

 

Pupil’s belongings: A number of children have had items go missing this week. We know that this is upsetting for parents and children and we will always endeavour to assist in finding their missing items. Please can we urge you all to make sure that items are clearly labelled with your child’s name. If there is a name on an item, we always return them to the child, if found.

We have some coats in school that none of the children have recognised as theirs. They do not have names in so it is really difficult to return items. If you are missing any items, please let us know and we will do what we can to find them.

Please can I ask you to check your child’s coats at home to make sure they do belong to them? With many of them looking the same, it is easy for the wrong coat to end up with the wrong person.

I appreciate your support with this as we are still looking for a missing New Balance coat.

Maths workshops:

Thank you to the parents who attended the Maths workshops this week, led by Mr Taylor. Parents who attended, have fed back that the sessions were very useful. Hopefully it has given parents an insight into how we are teaching maths at school and how you can support your child at home. Teachers will be posting pictures of their new learning throughout the week for you to discuss with your child.

 

Star of the Week:  This is linked to ROAD SAFETY week. Mrs Gabbitas led assembly on Monday and talked to the children about how to stay safe in and around vehicles. The children have been encouraged to talk about why they think driverless cars would or would not be a good idea. The idea is that the children uploaded a video to their Class Dojo portfolio of them explaining their ideas.

 

 

Well-done to the following pupils for being nominated this week: Jason, Quinley, Aila, Anabia, Max and Harry. All of these children uploaded videos to their class dojo portfolios. Well-done to you all.

Swimming Certificates: Serenity has achieved her swimming award out of school, congratulations on achieving your Learn to Swim certificate. A wonderful achievement!

Renat and Tis’Shaun have achieved their awards in school swimming sessions last half term.

Sports Personalities:

George, Sofia, Adriana, Mohammed Taha and Leo have all been awarded Sports Personality for their perseverance with different elements of the PE curriculum, including swimming.

Cross-Country Competition: Tae, Musa, Lily, Poppie, Luca, Noah, Grace, Alexia and Zoe all represented the school in the Cross Country Competition this week. It is lovely to see our children joining in events with other schools.

Football competition: This week the girls in Years Five and Six- Miley, Alayna, Leila,Olivia, Eva-Lily, Isabella and Renayah represented our school at Goals in a tournament against other local schools. They all played extremely well, showing great preseverance and determination. They are still developing their craft as a team and I am sure they will continue to blossom with more practise.

Housepoints:

Many children have achived house point certificates again this week. There is a real element of competition amongst the houses at the moment.

Prayers:

5T have written the prayers this week, linked to Road Safety Week: Thank you to Rogan, Renayah and Georgia who have written prayers about keeping safe whilst on the roads.

 

Attendance:

Congratulations and well-done to 2M who have 94.44% and 5T who have 97.04% attendance this week. Remember:

 

 ‘PRESENT makes PROGRESS’

 

The more that children attend school the more progress they will make!

 

Most improved: 5T's attendance rose by 8% and 3W by 6%!

 

If you need to reach us, have a concern or help of some kind, catch one of the senior leaders on the gate, contact the team via Class Dojo message, give the pastoral team a ring, or email to enquiry@glenmead.bham.sch.uk. We are always here to support our families.