Newsletter
Dates for your diary

Monday	7	July	2008	Key Stage 1 Sports Day
Wednesday	9	July	2008	Exhibition Evening
Wednesday	16	July	2008	Key Stage 2 Sports Day
Wednesday	16	July	2008	Achievement Evening
Thursday	17	July	2008	Summer Tap Show
Wednesday	23	July	2008	Break up for the end of term-2.30 pm
Tuesday	2	September	2008	Return to school for pupils

 

Well, we had a really successful Summer Fete on Saturday 14 June.  The sun was out and hundreds of parents and children came along.  The Friends of Larkswood Primary School Association did a really incredible job in their organisation to provide a great range of activities and stalls that appealed to all ages.  Assisted by a group of parents and staff volunteers, they raised a staggering £3009 clear profit.  So thank you everybody who came and supported the event and a big thank you to FOLPS and the volunteers for putting on a really great afternoon’s entertainment.

All Year Groups - Exhibition Evening

The Exhibition Evening for parents will be on Wednesday 9 July this year.  Teachers will contact you shortly to let you know what your time slot will be.  This is an opportunity to see your child’s work and you will also have a chance to talk in brief to the teacher.  To avoid congestion we are allocating half hour slots to groups of approximately 5 sets of parents/carers.  If you require more than a few minutes with the teacher, you will need to make an appointment at an alternative time.  The Chair and Vice Chair of Governors will also be on hand if you wish to talk to them.

All Year Groups – Reports

Following consultations with a group of parents and staff, we have changed the format of the Annual Report to parents.  The Nursery & Reception parents will receive the new Waltham Forest Local Education Authority devised report.  The parents/carers of Year 1 to Year 6 will receive our new report.  We have added a data sheet which gives you easy to read information about your child’s attainment, effort, progress, behaviour and attendance.  We have improved the way teachers report in core subjects so that you now get more detailed personal feedback.  We have also added a page giving the average attainment bands for the end of each year in the school.  There is a slip for parents/carers to write comments about their child’s report.  If you wish to have your comments included in your child’s report, you simply return the slip to the teacher and they will go on file.  We hope you find these changes useful.

Year 6 - Holland Trip

The children had a very enjoyable trip to Holland.  They had a varied itinerary that included travelling on the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel.  They visited the Rembrandt Museum, bulb fields, a miniature village and a leisure centre.  In Amsterdam they had an opportunity to step back in history and imagine what it might have been like for Ann Frank – the young Jewish girl who lived hidden away in a secret part of a house to avoid being deported to a concentration camp during the Second World War.  The children behaved impeccably, despite at times getting over excited.  Our thanks go to the staff who stepped in at the last minute to ensure the trip went ahead.

 Years 4 – 6 - Tag Rugby

Tag Rugby is a relatively new sport at Larkswood.  We participated in a tournament recently and it has really inspired the players to want more.

Year 6 - Prison At Larkswood!

The children had a series of visits from the Prison Service.  It was an enlightening experience to hear what the wardens do and what life is like in a prison.  The children were particularly intrigued by the size of the cells and what it is like sharing with another prisoner!

 Year 6 - Introduction to Rock Climbing

Every child in Year 6 gets an opportunity to do a session of rock climbing at Rush Croft School.  Mr Bara took a number of groups recently to scale the cliff face.

 Year 2 – Curling

Normally a sport for ice rinks and frozen lakes, but now we have indoor curling in the hall.This sport is an Olympic winter event and the children got an opportunity to try out their skills of judgement and technique.

KS2 – Introduction to Rowing

We had a day of indoor rowing.  The children learned the technique of rowing on machines linked to computers.  Once they were confident, races of up to 10 contestants took place with computerised timing.  This was a very popular activity and we hope to do it again next term.

Nursery & Reception – The Farm comes to Larkswood

The children had a wonderful day when the farm came to our school.  They were able to see and pet a lamb, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens.  They learned about these animals and how they are reared and cared for.  The ‘Farmer’ remarked how well the children behaved around the animals and commented that of all the schools she visits, Larkswood is one of the best in this respect, so well done children.  In the days that followed the children re-enacted many of their experiences with the animals.  One thing that really tickled the staff was their veterinary surgery with teddies being treated and bandaged!

 Years 3 – 6 – School Cross Country

This went well this year and the rain held off enabling everyone to have a really good inter-class competition.  Thank you to Steve Timpson and the staff who organised it.  The medals and cups were presented in the whole school assembly last Friday.

 All Year Groups

We have been informed by one of the parents that a man in his 30s/40s with grey hair has been seen acting suspiciously at Larkswood Field, so please be vigilant.  The police have been informed.  The staff who are responsible for taking the Cross Country Club have been advised to be extra careful.