FED TIME S

Moorlands Infant & Junior School March 2019

From Ms Scott

Our sporting children have been fantastic this term!

You will see a large proportion of this letter celebrates

all our children’s successes and as far as sports go,

Moorlands’ children are certainly getting our names on

the map. As you are aware, lots of exciting things are

being developed over the coming years and one of

these are our growing allotments. We at Moorlands

feel our outdoor space needs to be utilised more and

have invested expertise in Forest schools and are now

developing an allotment with the children. Our

fabulous community, PTA and staff have volunteered

their expertise on Saturday to help develop our

outdoors. We are very excited and grateful for all of

those wishing to help and would like to say THANK YOU

for all that you do. A reminder about the use of social

media has also been included and we appreciate your

continued support with this. Wishing you a wonderful

weekend.

Ms Scott

Parent, Grand parent, family member Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers from our parenting,

grand-parenting and family community who can offer

a regular slot to support our children in a variety of

ways. If you are able to volunteer for a specific slot in

our school day, please can you contact the office. We

need volunteers to help with reading with children,

supporting during PE slots or Forest School, sharing

some spellings or key words with children. Please can

all volunteers be DBS checked and the office will have

more details about this process. We look forward to

hearing from you!

Class Dojo

If you haven’t yet signed up, please contact your child’s

class teacher. We will be celebrating more school and

class events, learning and news via this platform! It is a

free app that you can access via your smartphone or

tablet.

March

23 PTA Ground Digging

26

OPAL Mufti Day

Y5/6 Macbeth workshop

KS1 Dance Umbrella Performance

28 Pyjama Day

Y2 Visit to Wagamama

Book Fair after-school

KS2 Dance Umbrella Performance

29 Y1 Visit to Longleat

Rock Steady Concert

Book Fair after-school

April

1 Book Fair after-school

2 Y4 Visit to Lacock

5 INSET DAY 4

8-22 Easter Holidays

23 Start of Term 5

25 Parents’ Consultations 1) 3.30-7pm

30 Parents’ Consultations 2) 3.30-5pm May

6 May Day Bank Holiday

7 Family Day 1

27-31 Half Term Holiday

June

3 Start of Term 6

14 Family Day 2

July

22 Last day for children

23 End of Term 6 INSET DAY 5

Social media communication between parents

We are delighted as a school that parents care and

want to communicate so much about their child’s

education. It has been brought to our attention that

there are WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups and

emails that are between parents and that these have

recently on occasions been communicating

inappropriately about teaching staff. These messages

are wholly appropriate; helpfully reminding each other

of events and trips or discussing birthday invites being

given out etc. In a tiny minority of cases brought to our

attention, some comments are personal and could be

considered inappropriate, and at times abusive. It is

important that as a school we take measures to

prevent and tackle bullying among pupils. It is equally

important that schools make it clear that bullying of

staff, whether by pupils, parents or colleagues, is

unacceptable. Remember if you wouldn’t say it to

someone face-to-face then don’t publish it online.

Everyone’s mental health is valued. Please remember

any issues surrounding your child’s education should

be brought to the attention of the office and members

of the School Leadership Team. We are grateful to the

parents who respectfully challenge or question our

decisions using appropriate channels. We appreciate

the support of the school and the decisions we make

and who know that these decisions have been made by

professionals with the best intentions for our children.

Pupil Premium: IMPORTANT NOTICE

If your child is eligible for ‘free school meals’ and you

register them for this, the school will receive extra

funding called ‘pupil premium’. We use this extra

money to improve the educational provision and

resources for your children at the school.

At Moorlands, we get an extra £1,320 for every eligible

pupil who is registered for free school meals. This extra

money could make a real difference to the quality of

education we offer. For example, we’ve previously

used pupil premium funding for:

* Academic interventions; supporting them in school * Wellbeing and self-esteem building interventions * Support for paying towards trips and Year 5 camp. Your child might be eligible if you access: * Income Support * Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance

* Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 * The guaranteed element of Pension Credit * Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) * Working Tax Credit run-on * Universal Credit, provided you have an annual net earned income not exceeding £7,400 (£616.67 per month)

Incentive to sign up!

We would like to offer every new family who signs up

a free school jumper! We are also looking at how we

could use the money to support attending after-school

external clubs.

If you think that your child may be eligible to qualify for

pupil premium funding, please do not hesitate to

contact a member of the school office team. This

funding, if eligible, will be received each year that they

remain at primary school, regardless of how your

circumstances may change.

Moorlands School Orchestra

The children who take part in orchestra, were fantastic ambassadors for our school and really held their own amongst performances from WASPS, Widcombe, St Mary's, Bath String Academy and The Grove Primary School. Thank you to Mrs North and Mrs Smith for their weekly efforts with the orchestra; the children looked so

proud of themselves today and rightly so. 🙂 The orchestra re-played Galloping Home and Feelin’ Blue in an assembly on Thursday to share their efforts with their classmates and teachers.

Please see the Judge’s adjudication for the orchestra’s performance below:

Dates for your diaries

OPAL MUFTI DAY Tuesday 26th March

Moorlands is about to start a programme to improve

opportunities for physical activity, socialisation, co-

operation, coordination, resilience, creativity,

imagination and enjoyment through improved play.

We are going to launch our changes on Tuesday 26th

March with a Mufti Day. Children are encouraged to

wear clothes that are suitable for outdoor play

whatever the weather. Instead of raising money, we

would appreciate donations of resources. Please see

the list below. We also ask that all children bring in a

pair of wellies or shoes that they can change into at

lunchtime. These will be stored in school as we

anticipate being able to use the grass most days. If you

would like to learn more about the OPAL Primary

Programme, please have a look at the OPAL website:

https://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/

PYJAMA DAY Thursday 28th March

Thank you for some feedback from parents regarding

Pyjama Day. We would like to clarify that the Y6 Prom

has historically been a parent-led event and we as a

school also share some concerns about promoting this

event as it stands. We would welcome ideas and

suggestions to improve the Y6 leavers celebration

event in the future. Just to clarify and allay any

concerns raised that we have decided that any funds

kindly donated on Pyjama Day next Thursday 28th

March will be used only towards the class that have

raised the funds. We will put these funds towards each

individual class celebration event at the end of the

year. This is to ensure even and fair distribution of

funds across the school. We are sure that you will

congratulate the enterprising endeavours of Y6! We

will continue to be open to any appropriate further

child-led fundraising events that benefit the whole-

school or for important charitable causes. Many thanks

for your continued support.

REMINDER: DATES FOR PARENTS’

CONSULTATIONS

Parents’ Consultations will your child’s teacher will

take place on Thursday 25th April 3.30-7.00pm and

Tuesday 30th April 3.30-5.00pm. We look forward to

seeing you there for this mid-year discussion. Please

ensure you make an appointment as we believe it is

really important to maintain positive communications

with families to ensure the best outcomes for everyone

who attends Moorlands.

Moorlands Sports Report

Y6 Girls Area Netball Tournament

On Monday evening (11/3/19), Moorlands A team

headed over to Wellsway Secondary School to take

part in the Area Netball Finals having qualified by

coming runners-up in another, more localised

tournament at Ralph Allen in the Autumn term. The

Area finals brought together 12 schools from as far

afield as Clutton and Keynsham to Paulton and

Midsomer Norton.

The girls appeared nervous at first however, any

concerns were soon dispatched with a 5-0 win over

Farnborough. This win was closely followed by a 3-0

win over Combe Down, thereafter, they had a short

beak to regain their composure and their breath! Next

up was St John's of Keynsham, this team was tough

opposition, but the girls held on for a 1-1 draw. After

another short beak, it was onto match 4 against

Paulton School. By now, the girls were tiring a little,

narrowly losing this game 0-1. The next short break was

just enough to get the girls back on track and they

recorded a hard-fought 2-0 victory over St Stephens. As

the final moments of the other pool matches played

out, Moorlands had a tense wait to find out if they'd

done enough to qualify for the semi-final...and they

had!

According to the rules of High-5 Netball, it is imperative

that the girls switch positions between each match,

therefore after a hurried re-shuffle, Moorlands were

ready to go again, taking on Midsomer Norton School.

By now, the girls were on fire and following some

stunning interceptions, inspired centre passes and

sharp-shooting, Moorlands recorded an incredible 3-0

win. Our travelling support (the parents!) were ecstatic

and couldn't believe how well the girls were playing!

Onwards to the final where they would meet St John's

of Keynsham once more, with whom they'd had such a

close match in the pool. St John's scored first

thereafter, the possession was all Moorlands'. The girls

played some awesome netball but frustratingly with a

goal looking more and more likely the bell went and the

tournament was over. That wasn't the end of this

team's journey this season though...

As runners-up of this tournament the girls were told

that they had qualified for the County finals on

Thursday 25th April, at Bristol Grammar School's sports

ground. We know that the team has work to do, but we

now look forward to the next stage of their exciting

adventure.

Moorlands B/C v St Phillip’s Primary School

On Monday March 18th Moorlands played local rival St

Phillips School in a friendly match at home. It was an

exciting game with plenty of stand-out moments from

the Moorlands team, who won comfortably 4-0. A

special mention to Ben H who scored a hat trick. Goal

of the match was his first goal, which saw him take

possession of the ball, run the length of the pitch, then

coolly dispatch a powerful strike. Well done also to the

goalie – Harriet- who saved a cracking penalty. Overall

Mr Gunning’s training shone through, in making

Moorlands a force to be reckoned with

Moorlands Y5/6 Girls Football Match

On Wednesday 20th March the Moorlands Y5/6 girl’s

football team hosted Chandag School in a friendly

match. The team, on the back of their recent successes,

showed their confidence in passing and moving with

the ball not allowing Chandag to string a series of

passes together. Moorlands attacked the Chandag

defence with skill and pace. After 10 minutes,

Moorlands went ahead with a well worked goal,

quickly followed by a second. Harriet, the Moorlands

goalie, had very little to do as the ball languished in the

Chandag half of the pitch. In the second half Moorlands

scored again - an amazing free kick by Lottie that

floated in to the top corner. Trying to make it more of

a competitive match, Chandag played most of the

second half with an extra player, but Moorlands

defence were strong and defiant and far from buckling

under the added pressure, scored a further goal. The

final score was 4-0 to Moorlands.

Moorlands v KES

A mixed Y3/Y4 football squad travelled to KES’s

Bathampton playing fields. The squad was split into

two teams each to play against the two host teams.

Team one, captain less because we decided we would

all be leaders on the pitch, won both games, 2-0 & 5-

0. In the first game we played with a high defensive

line, not allowing the opposition out of their own

half. In the second match we hit them on the break

utilising our wingers and the space we could create

with our width. Our clean sheets were testament to

Charlies bravery in goal and the tenacity of our

defensive players Calvin, Betty & Ewan. Our skilful ball

players Matthew & Henry B were exceptional and with

Flynn, Byron & Henry A, this team was bristling with

talent.

For team 2, Oliver, Maddox, Teddy, Charlie C, Alex,

Joshua, Artur, Patryk & Harvey were disciplined in their

positioning using the full pitch to pass the ball about

overcoming difficult crowding by the opposition. They

came from one goal down in the first game to draw the

game level before halftime with a driving goal from

Patryk. They were unlucky not to take the lead in the

second half with shots from most of the team & a

strong defensive display. Moorlands were in the lead

for most of the second game with Oliver completing a

hat-trick having stepped out from goal. If we need to

make special mention, then it would be to Alex for

taking the gloves in goal & making several key saves to

keep Moorlands in the lead before KES drew level

shortly before the final whistle with a late counter

attack.

News from the PTA

The school has exciting plans to develop the outdoor

spaces on the Moorlands site, and the PTA will be

supporting the school by holding a gardening day this

Saturday 23 March. Whether you're green-fingered or

not, your help would really be appreciated to help

transform neglected planters into herb and flower

beds, and turn the area by the Y1 classrooms into a

fantastic vegetable patch.

Parents and children are invited to come this Saturday

morning (9am - 1pm) to lend a hand.

To register please email the PTA on

moorlandsschoolpta@gmail.com, saying whether

you'll be bringing your children with you.

Please bring gardening tools with you if you have them.

Refreshments will be provided and if you don't fancy

doing any gardening work then help with the

refreshments would be appreciated!

Finally, we realise it is short notice for this weekend but

we plan to hold more gardening weekends through the

coming months and hope to confirm the dates shortly.

PTA Quiz Night

The quiz night held on Friday 15th March was a great

success raising more than £400. Congratulations to the

winning team who were ‘Where’s Mark‘!

PTA Forthcoming events

We are planning to hold a bake-off in April/May and

the camp out is being planned for Friday 14th June

2019. Look out for more details on these and other

events happening over the next few months.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Polite reminder:

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO USE OF BASKERVILLES GYM CAR PARK FOR PARENTS AT MOORLANDS

Baskervilles have been a very good neighbour to us but

they have now decided that parents and carers are

unable to use the Baskervilles car park from now on.

This is due to the increased amount of cars that are

parked for a long time especially in the afternoon in

term time. Staff at the gym will be monitoring the car

park and you will be asked to move on. Persistent

offenders will have sticky notices added to their

windscreen. Parking will only be allowed if you have a

sticker from the dance school or the gymnasium. There

is a risk your car may be clamped if you park in the car

park at Baskervilles! Thank you for your support in this

matter.

FROM BATH CITY FARM

BIG EASTER FUN DAY TUES 9th APRIL | 12-3pm | FREE

Join us for our annual Spring celebrations on the farm. Enjoy a woodland Easter trail, have fun on the bouncy castle, join craft activities and get up close to some of our farm animals and sample delicious home-made treats from our community café. Some activities will have a small charge.

SPRING PLANT SALE SAT 27th APRIL | 11-2pm

Our staff and volunteers have been working hard to bring you another of our popular plant sales crammed with great value and good quality annual and perennial flowers, vegetables and herbs to get your gardens looking fabulous.

Easter Workshop Painting with coffee for children 6-12 years old in centre of Bath. The workshop is dedicated to using organic sustainable material for painting. Coffee is the only aromatic painting media and it flows well on a paper. The workshop is also educational as we are sharing various facts about the coffee itself. Please see further details on flyer:

Dear parents, carers and our community,

WE STILL NEED YOU!

We are looking to offer our school staff the opportunity to invest in their wellbeing with exercise classes (e.g. Yoga) or other wellbeing based groups (e.g. singing) run at school, after the school day. If you would be interested in running an exercise or wellbeing class at our school, please get in touch with the office: office@moorlands-school.com. Kind regards,

The Head teacher Team

Message from Bath Festival of Motoring 2019

As part of the Bath Festival of Motoring 2019, which is a charity event organised by The Rotary Club of Bath, we are running a road safety poster competition for children in Years 3 to 6 (aged between 7 and 11 years) who attend schools in the Bath conurbation, and I am writing to invite your pupils to participate.

Entrants may choose any subject that they believe relates to road safety, and they will be judged on originality and impact as much as artistic merit. There will be a prize for the best poster submitted from each

year of your school that enters. The winners will be given a special family ticket to attend the show on either day (15-16 June). In addition, the best of year posters will go forward to the Grand Final where one will be selected from all entries across Bath to be published in the show programme, embellished with the name of the pupil and the school they attend.

We will provide the entry forms, which will be on A4 paper so that as much detail as possible is preserved when the overall winning entry is reduced to A5 for insertion in the programme.

Entry forms will be delivered to schools during the first week of April and collected during the school week commencing 6th May.

The judging will take place the following week and I will then arrange to visit each participating school to announce the results and to hand out prizes.

Judging will be undertaken by The Mayor and Mayoress of Bath, Simon Spalding, Chair of the Bath Festival of Motoring Committee and Ed McKenzie of McKenzie and Co, the event’s main sponsor.

Kind regards,

Bath Festival of Motoring committee

If you are interested the above competition: please ask the school office for an entry form.