School Newsletter

Autumn Term 2008
Newsletter No. 2 - 6th October

Dear Parents,

Pink day

Don't forget October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and on Friday 24th October we will be turning the school pink in support of the fight against breast cancer. Wear anything pink and send a donation to help fund Breast Cancer Campaign's vital research.

Free School meals

Please let us know if you are entitled to a free school meal. Even if your child has a packed lunch. This is very important to the school as it effects the funding that the school receives.

Family Service

We have been running family service for our school dinners for over a year. This has been extremely successful with the children. It is very much like the ‘old way' of having school dinners. The children serve each other with the older children taking the role of server. We would like to encourage more children to have the healthy, hot school dinner. National School Meals Week is 13th – 17th October. We will be holding a family lunch day after half term to promote this theme and all parents and carers will be invited to join their children for lunch at the school. It will be free to all children and parents who wish to come along. Please look out for the letter that will be sent out after half term.

Friends of the School

The first meeting this term of the Friends of the School will be held on Tuesday 7th October. It will be good to see some new faces. The Friends of the School help to raise money for the school and organise events. If you would like to become involved please come along to the meeting or if you can't make it this time the next meeting is on Tuesday 30 th October at 7.30pm in school.

Half- term fun!

Please see attached leaflets with all the activities on offer to keep your children entertained throughout the half term holiday.

Inset day

Just a reminder school is closed on Monday 20th October for staff training.

Operation Christmas Child or Shoe Box Appeal

This is an opportunity for us to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in poorer parts of the world. We will be having an assembly very soon explaining all about it. (We will let you know via the parents' board outside school). We have done magnificently in the past, filling in the region of 75 boxes. Don't worry if you can't make the assembly as a detailed leaflet will be given to every child.

Family Afternoon

This is always a great afternoon when all Reception children go home for lunch at 12 o'clock and return at 2pm to show their parents, grandparents and families their classroom and some of the exciting things they have been doing in their first half term at Emscote.

Yellow Pages Recycling Competition

Warwick District Council is again launching their recycling competition. We managed to collect an enormous amount of yellow pages last year. Mrs Harrison had a brilliant idea of putting a note through her neighbour's doors asking them for their yellow pages. The competition runs from 3rd November until 12th December. The delivery of the new batch of Yellow Pages (2007/08) will begin at the end of October. Please bring your old copies to school once your new copy has been delivered, thank you.

Harvest

Our Harvest assembly will be in the church on Thursday 23rd October at 9.15am. Please send in a tin for our harvest collection which is going to The Salvation Army in Leamington who run a drop in centre and hostel. Examples of the foods that are desperately needed are: - Tinned fruit, tinned spaghetti, tinned potatoes, pasta, soup, tinned meat and rice pudding. (They are already well stocked with Beans!)

Parents' Evening

Parents evening will be held on Tuesday 14th October Reception and Year 2 and Wednesday 15th October for all year groups

The lists will be up in the entrance hall from Tuesday 7th October. Please sign up for an appointment.

Class Reps

Each class has a class rep. These parents help the class teacher to organise help for the different activities in and outside the classroom. We also need volunteers when we have special events e.g. Open Afternoon, Christmas Fair, Discos etc If you are able to help at anytime, even if it is an hour occasionally please talk to the class rep and the class teacher.

Walk to school

We're encouraging children to walk to school every day if possible, as it improves their health and fitness. It can also reduce the number of cars coming to school and improve safety around the school site.

Book club

This is available to all children and is during school each Monday.

Parents' Coffee Afternoon

Parents have asked for another coffee afternoon to meet to discuss any concerns/interests with each other about how their children are settling in school, such as is it normal that they don't want to get up in the morning, are really tired, or are finding it difficult to separate in the morning. I have arranged the second meeting for Tuesday 21st October at 2.15pm in the staffroom. Any parent is welcome to pop in for a coffee at this time for a chat. I hope this will be useful.

Shree Krishna Community Centre

To celebrate Diwali the community centre will be holding a performance of Dances of India, performed by Sutton Subrang on Sunday 12th October 2008 at 4:00pm at the Royal Spa Centre. Admission and snacks are free and all are welcome.

Christmas Card Designs

Miss Hudson has organised the designing of Christmas cards. The deadline for returning these was 3rd October 2008.

Data Collection

Please do remember to return your child's' data collection sheet, even if there are no amendments. It is vital that we have updated current information on file to be able to contact you if necessary.

Website address

Please look at the website for information and photographs of events in school www.emscoteinfants.co.uk

Yours sincerely,

Debi Cossins
Headteacher