20th December 2022
Dear parents/ carers,
We’ve made it safely to the end of the autumn term, and what a fun packed term it’s been! There has been so much to enjoy and celebrate and I thank you all for your incredible support along the way. Thank you for joining us this morning for our celebration at the church. It was absolutely wonderful to all come together and celebrate this holiday period together.
Just before the snow and ice hit, the PSA were able to hold the Christmas bazaar. At the last count, an incredible £1800 has been raised! Thank you all so much.
With all schools struggling with increasing financial costs and the impact of this on our already tight budgets, this money means that we are able to provide resources in school that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to fund; thank you!
Sports news: Lola, Jasmine, Joshua, Logan, Maxwell, Lara, Libby & Xander represented the school in the finals of the Uttlesford Schools Partnership Dodge Ball event at Felsted Prep. What a super team they were, finishing 7th overall out of the 14 schools who qualified. Well done to all the children for being such super sports. Thank you also to Nicki Powter and Mr Harris for their support and encouragement on the day.
In cheerleading news, we had three squads representing Key Stage 1, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. I was fortunate to see the finished results and be in awe at how much effort all of the children put into learning their routines. Well done to everyone that played a part in putting this together.
I am delighted to let you know the results as follows:
Key Stage 1: Finished in 1st Place – well done to: Annabelle, Brooke, Clara, Franky, George L, Isla, Oliver, Peony, Poppy W, Sienna, Sofia, Willow, Alice, Aubree, Ava, Dylan, Elise, Finn, Florentina, Freya, Herbie, James, Lucy, Olivia, Penny, Poppy S, Ronnie and Sophia.
Year 3 and 4 finished in joint 1st Place – well done to: Evie A, Leo H, Jasmine G, Logan, Joshua P, Isaac, Aiden, Jack Gu, Marlie, Jack Gl, Alba, Archie, Ethan, Freya, Scarlett, Ned, Kofi, Evie S, Juno and Leon.
Year 5 and 6 finished in 2nd place – well done to: Olivia H, Jas T, Holly, Liv S, Leah, Harry, Ben, Lara, Esme, Mariyam, Rupert, Wilf, Willow, Lyra, Alexis, Isla, Lacey-Mae, Ella H, Charlie N and Molly.
Congratulations to the children who received my final Headteacher awards this term, which were presented at the end of last week:
| Nursery Class | All of Willow Class |
| Reception Class | All of Cherry Class |
| Year 1 | Reece & Isla |
| Year 2 | Reggie & Sophia |
| Year 3 | Hugo & Tabitha |
| Year 4 | Ariana & Joshua P |
| Year 5 | Lara P, Olivia S & Millie |
| Year 6 | Toby & Wilf |
House Points: Well done to the BLUE Team who took first placed position last Friday!
| BLUE | PURPLE | GREEN | RED |
| 40 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
Staffing: We said a fond farewell to Mrs Heaps today as she begins her maternity leave. I look forward to sharing the news of Baby Heaps in the New Year. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Gemma Kibble to Year 2 in January.
We have a caretaker! After a long search, I’m delighted that we have Dave starting with us in January 😊
EYFS and KS1 productions: What a magical performance the children put on last week. It can be quite daunting being in front of a large audience and performing on the stage; the children were superb and we are all so proud of them.
From the school stage to a different performance this morning; it was so lovely to hear the children sing a song from each of their performances in our celebration at Henham Church this morning too; it is incredible to me how many words our youngest children remember!
PSA Science Day: thank you to the PSA for organising a science themed day where the children from Reception to Year 6 were able to enjoy science activity sessions led by an external specialist. What a fabulous time they had!
Year 6 made some super Christmas baubles using wool and took a lovely walk to the village. Have you seen them on the Henham village Christmas tree?
Year 5 had great fun making balloon powered cars as part of their science and design technology topic. Lara and Liv’s car went the furthest!
Year 3 have been busy over the last couple of weeks designing and sewing their own Christmas stockings. They have incorporated different effects such as applique; embroidery and sewing on buttons and sequins. They have worked so hard not only completing their own stockings but also supporting and helping each other thread needles; tie knots in the thread and help with different stitching. They have been incredibly resilient and we are so impressed with the results.
Parking: When we return to school in January, could I please urge parents and carers not to park in School Lane. There have been incidents of challenging manoeuvres and inconsiderate parking which puts the children, parents and residents at risk; this can be avoided by parking along the main road and walking down School Lane to access the school. Additionally, a reminder that under no circumstances should anyone be parking on the yellow lines outside of the school gates. It is in everyone’s best interest if School Lane is left for residents only; thank you.
Community School Nurse drop-in session: Please find below the dates and venues for the School nurse drop in sessions for next term. The first session will be held in Stansted and then it will be Saffron Walden and Great Dunmow. Parents are welcome to attend any of the sessions.
Parents can ask advice about behaviour and emotional needs, bed wetting and soiling issues plus other health needs that may be impacting on both home and school life.
Spring term dates:
10.01.2023 – St John’s Church Hall, St John’s Rd, Stansted Mountfitchet, Stansted CM24 8JP
07.02.2023 – Room A Saffron Walden Hospital, Radwinter Road, Saffron Walden CB11 3HY
07.03.2023 – Little Goslings, North Street, Great Dunmow, CM6 1AZ
Art Competition: Uttlesford District Council is asking young people: What would you like your town or village to look like? For more details about this competition please visit: https://uttlesforddesigncode.co.uk/index.php?contentid=100
After a rather lengthy newsletter, that just leaves me with a thank you to everyone who showered us all with gifts and cards. As a staff, we are overwhelmed by your generosity – thank you so much.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a well-deserved rest over the Christmas holidays. I look forward to seeing you all for the start of the spring term on Thursday 5th January 2023!
With my continued best wishes,
Kim
Kim Hall
Headteacher
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