Summer Term No:1 2017

Woodfield School Malmes Croft, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3 8RL

DIARY DATES

REMEMBERING FREDDIE

Dear Parents and Carers As we come to the end of what has been yet another busy half term I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and wish you all a very happy half term holiday.

Half term: Monday 29th May – Friday 2rd June 2017 School Sports Day – Thursday 22nd June 2017 10.00 – 12.00 Reserve School Sports Day – Thursday 29th June 2017 10.00 – 12.00 Leavers Prom – Wednesday 19th July (time to be confirmed) Leavers Assembly – Friday 21st July at 10.00 End of Summer Term: Friday 21st July 2016 at 1.00 pm Autumn Term starts: Tuesday 5th September 2017 Parents’ Consultation Evening – Tuesday 19th September 2017 4.00 – 6.30pm

Our next parents’ evening will be on Tuesday 19

th September 2017 from

4pm to 6.30pm. This will be an opportunity for you to meet staff and have a look around your son/daughter’s class and the school. It is also an opportunity for parents to meet up with other parents and have a chat over a cup of tea/coffee. Please put the date in your diary. There will be the opportunity for you to complete Parent View during the evening.

PARENTS’ EVENING

It was with great sadness that at the beginning of this term we heard of the sudden passing away of Freddie, one of our newer pupils who joined us in Class 6 in September. Whilst Freddie has not been with us for very long he melted the hearts of many of the staff in a very short time. He is missed very much by us at Woodfield. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.

We are always in need of volunteers in school to assist with swimming and to help us maintain our school grounds by doing, for example, fence painting or gardening in the Dell or the Sensory Garden. Maintaining areas in school such as the Dell is an ongoing job and any help we get is always appreciated. Volunteering for swimming would need to be on a regular weekly basis but volunteering to help with eg gardening in the Dell can be a ‘one off’. If you have any spare time and would like to volunteer to help with swimming or grounds maintenance …..or if you know anyone who might like to volunteer, please contact Samantha Drury, Assistant Head for more details via the school office.

Membership of WASP is open not only to parents of pupils at the school but also to extended family - grandparents, aunts, uncles, as well as friends and ex parents and staff. PLEASE come along and join us at our next meeting on Friday 30th June 2017—time to be advised. WE REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

If you would like further information about WASPs please contact Andy or Jenny (WASP Chair and Secretary) via the school, Gill or Beverley.

WASP is on Twitter – please follow us at swimmingpool500

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

OUR PARENT/STAFF ASSOCIATION WASP

(Woodfield Association School Partners)

Woodfield School

Congratulations to Ethan in Class 4 for winning the ‘Best in School’ category in the Dacorum Young Artists competition. Ethan and his family went along to Astley Cooper School for the Award ceremony. Ethan coped really well, found his picture and recognised the pictures they did in class. He got a bit shy when they called his name out to go up and get his award but he did have a big grin on his face! Well done Ethan we are all very proud of you.

DACORUM YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION

PLEASE remember to keep us up to date with contact details if you move house, change your phone number or emergency contact numbers. It is really important that we can contact you if we need to. Parentmail is one of the ways we can remind you of important dates/events and therefore we need to make sure we have the correct contact details or you may miss out on things.

We are pleased to welcome Bushra (MSA in Class 2) who started with us this term. She is settling well into her class and we hope she is enjoying working with the Woodfield team.

NEW STAFF

CONTACT DETAILS

Our school website is regularly updated and contains useful information and documents which you may find helpful. Please take some time to have a look at the website www.woodfield.herts.sch.uk If there is any information you would like us to add to the website please let us know. There is a link to our Blog on the front page of the website. Please have a look at both to keep up to date with school activities.

WEBSITE AND BLOG

Woodfield School

At the beginning of this term our football team took part in the SLD schools annual football tournament held at the Harvesters football ground in St Albans. The team have been training hard all year with help from Sean. They played against the other 5 schools and came a very pleasing third place overall. Well done to our school football team.

FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Woodfield School

SWIMMING IN THE OLYMPIC POOL

On Wednesday 17th May a small group of students attended our first ever Panathlon Challenge Swimming Gala at the London Aquatic Centre for the Home Counties swimming finals. The competition was held in the diving pit and it was a huge success. A fantastic day was had by all and the students preformed amazingly, earning themselves a silver medal and invitation back to next year’s event. Thank you to the staff who supported the students at this event and well done to all the students!

Woodfield School

BELGIUM 7 TO 12 MAY 2017

Woodfield School

In October, staff and students from our partner schools in Belgium, Poland and Romania came to visit us. We all enjoyed in school and off-site activities together. To continue our 3 year project with these partner schools, a group of staff and students travelled to Belgium to continue our learning. The Eurostar journey was enjoyed by all; it always appears exciting for our students going through the tunnel and emerging in France. We shared our accommodation with our Polish and Romanian friends and it was so lovely to see our students really interacting with their peers from different schools. Sunny especially became great friends with the Romanian students and mastered the art of beating them at pool. Felix liked the Polish girls almost as much as the Belgian waffles. We visited the Belgian school on the first day and took part in a ‘getting to know you’ activity. Rosie engaged really well with her peers from the other countries, answering questions about her likes and dislikes. She also enjoyed sharing a snack and a drink with friends and it was lovely to see her flourishing in such a social environment. On Tuesday, we travelled to Namur where we were able to visit the Citadel; a clear favourite for most. The train ride exploring the Citadel with views for miles across the city was very popular. Alina explored the exhibits and surrounding areas beautifully; feeling the shapes and textures to gain a better understanding of each object. All students braved the glass floor which looked over an old well and they were proud of themselves for doing it. On Wednesday we had our learning activity in a nature park with a BBQ lunch. It was a busy day with lots of walking and our students did us proud. Edith especially made a huge effort to join in and pushed herself to succeed. She was also fantastic at initiating interactions with the students from other schools, especially the Romanian group. Thursday was a visit to Huy where Alina was first to get her order in at the café; ordering herself a feast of waffles and ice cream. The rest were, of course, quick to follow! Rosie and Felix went on a challenge activity to take selfies in specific attractions in Huy but made sure they were back in time for waffles.

It was a wonderful experience and an amazing opportunity for us to see our students in different settings and social situations. We are hugely proud of the students who went to Belgium as they represented the school and themselves

very positively. A huge thank you to all staff and parents involved to make this opportunity possible. We look forward to a trip to Poland and Romania in the next academic year for a new group of students.

Woodfield School

NEW LIBRARY DESIGN

We are pleased to say that our next fundraising project will be for a new library and we are trying to raise £25,000 to refurbish the current IT suite along the main corridor. Beverley has been in liaison with several design companies and the image represents the company that has been chosen to carry out the work. We hope that you like the proposal and we are excited to see how the new area will enhance provision for our pupils and add to our learning environment.

Woodfield School

CAR PARKING IN SCHOOL GROUNDS Cars dropping off or picking up children from school may park on the pavement on the right hand side of the driveway but if you are staying in school for a visit/meeting, please do not park on any pavements. Many of our children, particularly those in wheelchairs, need to use the whole of the pavement. We also ask that parents and visitors not park on the grassed areas please. We thank you for your co-operation.

Our wonderful Coffee Shop run by Woodfield students, supported by the Work Related Learning Team, is open every Tuesday 14:45 to 16:00 and Friday 09:00 to 16:00, term time only. Delicious cakes, sandwiches, and paninis are served with coffees, teas and hot chocolate every Friday . Try our £3 Meal Deal! Do pop in; everyone welcome.

COFFEE SHOP