13^th October 2023

We are already nearing the end of the half-term and next week the children will be busy finishing off their learning in their topics. When I look back over the last 6 weeks, it is incredible how far the children have come in such a short period of time. The learning they have covered and the progress they have made is pleasing and to see them walk around school and access their learning environments with such confidence, you would think they had been in their new classes for much longer than a half-term!

Looking forward to next week, there are curriculum enrichment activities happening for all year groups, Nursery Rhyme day for Reception, Walk to Rookery Court for Year 1 and Great Fire of London Day for Year 2 - another busy week in store!

I look forward to seeing many of you at the parents' consultations next week.

Mrs Reynolds

Next week's 'Learning at a Glance'

Parent consultations – w/c 16^th October

We are looking forward to seeing parents & carers in school next week for the autumn term parent consultations. 

The focus of these consultations will be to discuss how children have settled into their new classes and share some targets for the next term. Some of the children's books and work will be available for parents to look at before their consultation. As this is the beginning of the school year, there is a limited amount of written work in books, but parents/carers will be able to see what the children have been working on and how much progress they have made all ready.

The teachers will share, through a progress report which parents/carers will be able to take away with them, whether children are working where we would expect them to be at this point in the year. 

Reading for pleasure – Whole school

One of the focusses of our reading curriculum is to promote the love of reading and there are many ways in which we do this in school. From reading class stories, to visiting the library in school to spend time reading and choosing books, modelling reading skills, discussing texts, to children sharing their love of reading through the recommending of books to their peers.  

Each week in Celebration worship, two children share their favourite reads with the rest of the school. In previous weeks, children from Grasshopper and Dragonfly class have shared their favourite books. This week it was the turn of Ladybird class to make their recommendations; The books that Tamsyn and Findlay recommended were Ruby's Worry and Paddington. Tamsyn recommended Ruby's Worry, saying that she liked the way that Ruby's Worry got smaller because she shared it with someone else and Findlay recommended Paddington because he liked the way Paddington jumped on the food to see if he could find the marmalade sandwiches.

You can find out more about our reading curriculum here

Taste of Democracy Week – Whole school

• 31^st October – 3^rd November

During the week of 31^st October and 3^rd November we will be holding our own election in school where every child will vote for their favourite sweet treat. We will have candidates campaigning by representing each of the sweet treats and will have Marlow Town Council come along to help us. This forms part of the children's learning about the British Value of Democracy.

Facebook & Instagram

Please don't forget to follow us on social media! We will be using these platforms to share some of the wonderful things we do and achieve at school, so please 'like' and 'follow' us!

• Facebook: Marlow C of E Infant School
• Instagram: marlowinfants

'First Class' supplement – Reception

The Reception children had their 'First Class' photos taken last week. The special keepsake supplement will be in the Maidenhead Advertiser and the Bucks Free Press on Friday 20^th October.

Autumn walk to Rookery Court – Year 1

• Friday 20^th October

On the last Friday morning of term, 20^th October, the Year 1 children will be going on an Autumn Walk to Rookery Court. We will be observing the changes in the trees, which links to our topic Awesome Autumn. We will compare the evergreen trees in the graveyard with the deciduous trees in Rookery Court.

We will need around 10 parents to help walk with the children. If you are able to help, please contact the office.

Visiting Marlow Library – Year 1

• Ladybird: Wednesday 8^th November

• Butterfly: Wednesday 15^th November

After half-term, Year 1 will be visiting the library. Ladybird class will go on Wednesday 8^th and Butterfly class will go on Wednesday 15^th. We will leave school around 9:30am and return by 11:30am at the latest.

We will need some parent/carer helpers for this. Ideally, 6 per class, please let the office know if you are able to help.

Toy cars needed – Whole school

If you have any small cars / hot wheels that you no longer need, we would love them in Reception! Thank you.

Applying for a place at Junior School – Year 2

An email was sent to all Year 2 parents this week explaining how to apply for a Junior School place. You will need to apply online for a school place for your child. It is not an automatic transfer.

• Apply online from 11am on 1^st November 2023 at buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• Application deadline: 11.59pm on 15t^h January 2024
• If you apply online: offer emails sent 16^th April 2024. You can then log on and accept the school place

Waterproof trousers – Whole school

As the weather starts to get colder and wetter over the coming months, we still want the children to be able to take part in their outdoor learning sessions and stay warm and dry. After half-term, children will need to come to school equipped (not wearing) some waterproof trousers which they will put on over their uniform just before their outdoor learning session. You can purchase a pair of black waterproof trousers (the colour we would like the children to wear), through ParentPay. The cost of each pair of trousers is £10.25. We are asking parents to please specify if their child is over 120cm or under 120cm to help with sizing. If you need financial support with the purchase of the trousers, please email the school office.

As the trousers will all be identical, please mark your child's name inside. At the end of each outdoor learning day, the trousers will be returned home for washing (if needed). We will not be keeping them in school. 

We haven't specified any other outer wear for these sessions, as we have assumed that every child will have a coat that they will be wearing every day in school anyway.

A big thank you

Thank you for your used item donations, which raised an impressive £164 from Bag2School on Wednesday. And another thank you for visiting our after-school tuck shop with your shiny 50ps! We raised £100. Special thanks go to Leila Choleva, Katie Fallows and Mandy Rooney who did an amazing job running the sale.

Christmas Disco – Saturday 25^th November

• 2pm – 3:30pm & 4pm – 5:30pm

Tickets for the Christmas disco are now available to book on ParentPay at £12 per child. We will hold two identical discos (hosted by Dave the Disco) so that all children have a chance to party. There will be music, fun and games, snacks, a visit from Santa and a Christmas party bag to take home. (We don't want any child to miss out on this experience, so if this is financially difficult for you, please contact the school office). We will also be opening up the Eco Barn for the duration of the two discos for adults to have a cheeky mulled wine and mince pie while the children are enjoying themselves, so do bear that in mind with your disco planning! 

Christmas Wreath Making – Thursday 30^th November

We are delighted to be holding this lovely festive Christmas evening again this year! Come and join us on Thursday 30^th November 7.30pm-9.30pm in the school hall for a fun and relaxed evening of wreath making with drinks and nibbles! The cost is £30 per person, which includes all the materials needed to make your beautiful wreath and a few glasses of mulled wine. We recommend you bring a pair of secateurs and gardening gloves if you have them. Tickets will be available to buy on ParentPay next week, but spaces are limited, so please book soon to avoid disappointment. 

Help Needed: Christmas Raffle & Silent Auction

Coming up…

• End of term donuts: Friday 20^th October
• Second hand uniform: 1^st November & 1^st December
• Brickies: Sunday 5^th November 2pm – 3:30pm
• Light Trail: Sunday 12^th November  
• Christmas disco & Santa visit: Saturday 25^th November
• Wreath Making Workshop: Thursday 30^th November
• Christmas Bake Sale and Raffle: Friday 15^th December

Little Muddy Me – Whole school

Little Muddy Me are pleased to announce that they will be doing an after-school club on a Wednesday after half-term. Please see the flyer below, if you are interested and would like to sign-up, please click here.