Holly Lodge

It was good to welcome the children back to school on Monday looking refreshed, smart and ready for the new year. They have settled well into their new classes.

We are particularly pleased with the Reception children who seem to have made the transition from play school to school very smoothly. Long may it continue!

We would like to welcome all our new parents who have joined us this term. Every Friday we will be sending your child home with a newsletter. If you are unclear about any of the content, please ask at the school office.

We were sorry to hear that some of our families suffered flood damage during the holidays and hope that life at home is now returning to normal.

Staffing

We welcome three new members of staff to the school. They are:

Miss Stephanie Rees – Class Teacher in Year 4

Miss Nicola Tagg – Class Teacher in Year 5

Miss Katherine Bush – Support Teacher in 4W.

They are all pleased to have joined Holly Lodge. I have explained to them how supportive you are and they look forward to working with you.

Full time dates for Reception Children

With effect from Thursday of next week our first group of Reception children will start their full-time education at Holly Lodge. If you are unsure of the date your child is due to attend for the whole day, please see the School Office.

Child Car Seat Legislation

As you will be aware new legislation governing the seating restraints for children travelling in cars takes effect from 18th September. Every child travelling in a car or goods vehicle will need to have the appropriate car restraint until they are 1.35m or 12 years old. This will clearly have an impact for children being transported from school to sporting events etc.

We will keep you informed as to how we plan to approach this.

Dates for the Term/Year. Please see the attached sheet.

Heritage Open Days 2006

Guildford Borough Council is holding a series of Heritage Open Days in Guildford. If you are interested, please ask at the School Office for an information booklet.

Parent Governor Election

Packs containing information and ballot forms are being distributed with this newsletter.

Little Berries After School Club

Little Berries are trying to contact a Mr Jonathan Cooper. Could Mr Cooper or anyone who knows Mr Cooper please contact the school office.

September 2007 Intake

If you have a child who is due to start school next September, please ask at the School Office for a registration form and booklet. We will be inviting parents to visit the school. If you have not already done so, please register your interest with the School Office.

Please pass this information on to any friends and relatives who may have children due to start next year.

Uniform

We have explained to the children that they need to adhere to the uniform policy which is:

Girls

Winter : Grey skirt/pinafore, white blouse or polo shirt with logo, bottle green cardigan or sweatshirt with logo, charcoal grey or black trousers, bottle green fleece with logo (optional)

Summer : Green/white check dress and cardigan/sweatshirt as above.

Girls should have their hair tied back and if they have pierced ears then they should wear one stud only in each ear.

Boys

Winter : Charcoal grey or black trousers, white shirt or polo shirt with logo, bottle green sweatshirt with logo, bottle green fleece with logo (optional).

Summer : As above with the exception that they may wear uniform shorts.

Boys are discouraged from having patterns cut into their hair and from wearing their hair in sculptured spikes

Children will need to wear their shirts tucked into their skirts or trousers.

Both boys and girls should wear black shoes which are well fitting and sensible. Trainers should not be worn.

SATS

Our SATs and Optional SATs take place in May, affecting Years 1- 6.

Years 1, 3, 5 and 6 begin their tests in the week commencing 14th May.

Year 2 tests begin on 1st May and continue for four weeks.

In addition Year 6 have mock SATs during the Spring Term, dates will be confirmed.

Please do not book any holidays during these periods as any absence, other than sickness will be recorded as unauthorised on your child’s records.

Free School Meals

If you are in receipt of the following benefits, your children are entitled to free school meals:

· Income Support

· Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance (IBJSA)

· Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

· Child Tax Credit, provided that your annual income is less than £14,155 (as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) and you are not in receipt of Working Tax Credit.

· The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

If you fall within any these categories and wish your child to have free school meals, please inform the School Office.

Clubs

Clubs will start in the week beginning 18th September. Most of the clubs are for children in Years 3 – 6.

A list of clubs is attached. If your child is interested in joining any of these clubs you will need to fill in the attached proforma and return it to your child’s class teacher who will pass it on to the appropriate member of staff. The member of staff running the club will inform your child if he or she is successful in securing a place. Please do not complete a proforma for the choir, orchestra or either of the homework clubs as arrangements for these clubs are made separately.

If your child signs up for a club could you please emphasise that they need to show commitment by attending every week.

Reminder

All parents who collect their children from the infant playground should remain in the Year 3 / 4 playground until 3.00 p.m. please. There will be a barrier on the path as a reminder. This is to allow the teachers and children to finish off their games or outdoor lessons undisturbed.

Please do not allow toddlers to play on the equipment in the infant area. This is an important safety issue, as the school cannot take responsibility for any subsequent injuries.

It has also been noted that toddlers are playing with the water fountains.

Can we also remind you that the school day starts at 8.50 a.m. and children are not supervised until 8.40 a.m. Therefore children should not be dropped off before that time if they do not have an adult with them. Infants should be supervised by an adult until 8.50 a.m.

Thank you for your help.

Class Representatives

Each year group has a class representative whose role is to help induct new parents into the school and to communicate between home and school. The Class Reps for this academic year are as follows:

1M – Joanne Dean

1O – Nicola Smith

2C – Ashley Judd

2V – Sue Briggs

3A – Sharon Shoppee

3D – Melanie Morley

4R – Dawn Bradley

4W – Claire Batterbee

5M – Emma Stevens

5T – Shelley Jones

6B – Caroline Green

6H – Caroline Green

We will inform you of the Reception class representatives once they have been appointed.

Merits

1M – Olivia Hedges, Charlotte Smith, Megan Gallacher, Jamie Wills, Matthew Pearce

1O – Chelsea Morhall, Charlie Jordan, Lucy Verrinder, Lewis Wood

2C – Callum Smith, Joseph Brock, Alison Kenton, Amelia Grigg

2V – Harriet Blackman, Katie Hall, Denver Rich, Rowan Richards, Toby Frost, Anna Burton

3A – Ashley Hedges, Amy Dean, Joseph Gardner, Matthew Kemp

3D – Molly Evans, Emily Thorne, Jason Fisher, Sam Blythe

4R – Charlie Hopkins, Daniel Furnell, Kirsty McKinlay

4W – Danielle Holloway, Natasha Leverett, Charlie Weston, Henry Batterbee, Donovan Rich

5M – Connor Gallagher, William Whittam, Roxanna Upfield, Kate Bowker, Luke Hussey

5T – Sophie Maugham, Ross Blythe

6B – Shane Rothwell, TJ Dzvario

6H – Callum Reed, Megan Clover, Lucy Harms, Sam Daly