Newsletter Issue 4
Ferncumbe Friday
Friday 27th October 2023
The Autumn term is always a busy one, but this year exceptionally so; the time just seems to be flying by! I hope that the fortnightly newsletters have given you a flavour of the wide range of learning opportunities, and inspiring curriculum, experienced by the children in school throughout the last eight weeks - what a whirlwind of fabulous activities!
Huge thanks to the dedicated staff team at Ferncumbe, whose commitment and relentless desire to do the very best for all the children, make this happen. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing them a very well earned and restful break next week.
Mrs Webb
A visit from martha harris
After weeks of fundraising, Martha Harris came to The Ferncumbe on Monday 23rd October to share her story to becoming a professional women’s footballer. During our whole school assembly, Martha shared with us how she had loved football from a small child and had always looked up to her parents who were keen sports people. She was determined to play football and with changing FA rules her dream has come true. Following the assembly, every class had the opportunity to go outside and do some circuit training with Martha. The children did spotty dogs, mountain climbers, star jumps and press ups, each for 60 seconds. They all worked so hard, with smiles on their faces, inspired by Martha Harris, who joined in with them.
A huge thank you to all family members who helped to fundraise an incredible amount for the school. Please share our thank you to those who supported your child. We will be asking the children how they would like to spend the money so watch this space…
Mrs Eaves, PE Lead
year 6 rowing
Some of our Year 6 children took part in a Rowing Competition against seven other Schools this week. Despite little knowledge and practise of using a rowing machine beforehand they all gave it their best attempt. They each had an individual race and then a joint relay race to finish the event. At the end, all the total distances were added up from their individual races and the final relay and we were delighted to hear that we came 3rd out of the eight Schools that took part. Fantastic effort!
Mr Jones
CHRISTMAS DATES FOR THE DIARY!
Hatton Class (Reception) Nativity: Wednesday 13th December at 10am, in the school hall
Haseley, Honiley and Rowington (Years 1, 2 and 3) Candlelight Carol Concert at Holy Trinity Church: Tuesday 12th December 2pm and 6pm
Shrewley, Wroxall and Lowsonford (Years 4, 5 and 6) Christmas play: Tuesday 19th December 2pm and 6.30pm in the school hall
Whole School Christmas lunch: Monday 18th December
Reception, Years 1 and 2 Theatre trip: Thursday 14th December
Years 3 - 6 Theatre trip: Wednesday 20th December
Further details regarding these events will be sent out next half-term.
thrive day!
Last week we held a Thrive Day raising awareness and sharing what Thrive is and how we use it within our setting to support our pupils. Mrs Taylor, our trained Thrive practitioner, set out a number of activities throughout the day for each class to enjoy. We even appointed our new Thrive Ambassadors! THRIVE supports children at Ferncumbe with their emotional health, well being and social skills, all of which are needed to enable learning to take place.
Democracy in Action
This half-term our children have been learning about the key British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance and respect. There has been lots of practical application of these concepts culminating in the election of this year’s School Council committee and year group representatives. Pupil voice is a fundamental element of our school values and ethos and we are proud to introduce the children who will represent and lead pupil action this academic year.
Wildldife Photography competition winners!
There were almost 30 entries for our competition and they were all absolutely wonderful! Our Ferncumbe Friend Mr Newbold (a professional photographer!) judged all the entries and decided that our winners were August Britnell (Reception/KS1) for her dragonfly and Siya Thompson (KS2) for her tree! Everyone who took part received a certificate and a treat, along with a hearty round of applause in assembly. Well done everyone!
Mrs Grier, Science Lead
Haseley Class
This week, Year 1 visited St John’s Museum in Warwick. The children had a great time exploring toys from the past. Some of the toys the children looked at were from Victorian times! The children also learnt about everyday life as a Victorian. They got to dress up as members of two households and compared the different houses. What a great time we all had!
Miss Constable
Honiley Class
Year 2 had a fantastic time when they visited St John’s Museum. They spent some time in a Victorian classroom where they got to dress up as Victorian children and were taught by a strict Victorian teacher! They practised their handwriting using slate and chalk and went outside for drill. The children also helped out in the laundry room where they made their own soap powder and washed some clothes. Great job Year 2!
Miss Blackwell
hatton class
Hatton Class have spent time this term developing their skills for mark making using a variety of resources. In our ‘Kapow’ Art session this week we looked carefully at a sunflower and noticed the different lines and shapes that make up the large flower heads and distinctive leaves. We then completed our own observational drawings and our finished drawings show just how far we’ve come with our mark making skills.
Mrs Stephenson
Our budding artists in Hatton Class!
wroxall class
This week, Year 5 have been exploring levers, pulleys and gears in their science lesson. Linked to our forces unit, they discovered how levers work and how they can make picking up a heavy load easier, with less effort. They used lever arms, clamps and Newton metres to explore what happened when they pulled the load up. They also investigated how pulleys can help to lift a heavy load. We explored using 1 and 2 pulleys and the difference shocked so many children. Fantastic work Wroxall!
Mrs Eaves
Lowsonford Class
Last week, Year 6 had great fun in their Yoga enrichment session creating mandalas. Mandalas help the children feel calm, relaxed and help with concentration and creativity. They were also learning about cohesion, decision making and understanding the feelings of others. A big thank you to Nicola who is our Yoga teacher.
Mrs White
Wroxall class Friendship ambassadors
A group of Year 5 pupils have been training to be friendship ambassadors. They applied to Mrs Reid for the role and are now working with her to learn how to best help our pupils around the school. In their first training session, they explored different scenarios and discussed what bullying is, what it might look like and how they can help the pupils who approach them. Their second training session will be after half term and we look forward to seeing them in action over the coming year!
Mrs Reid, Inclusion Manager
The friends of ferncumbe Christmas Market - Sellers Wanted!
The Friends of Ferncumbe Christmas Market is taking place at The Falcon Inn on Saturday 2nd December at 10am - 12 noon.
If you have your own business and would like to have a stall, please email us at thefriendsofferncumbe@gmail.com or send us a message on Facebook.
Tables are £10 each.
Christmas Market - Donations Wanted!
We would like your preloved Christmas jumpers and other Christmas clothing! If you have any items, please use the donation bin on the playground from Monday 6th November.
Got a loft full of decorations you don't use? We are also collecting preloved Christmas decorations! Please drop them off at the school office from Monday 6th November.
The Friends of Ferncumbe want to hear from you…
** Please spare 5 minutes to fill out this form **
All money raised by the Friends of Ferncumbe goes directly to the school to enrich the learning and development of the children. It is only through the support of the wider school community that we are able to run our fundraising activities.
Thank you in advance.
COMMUNITY AUTISM SUPPORT SERVICE (CASS)
Please follow the link for a whole host of parental support courses… https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/community-autism-support-service-cass-62721567983
With very best wishes to you all for a wonderful half-term. We look forward to seeing all the children again on Monday 6th November.
Tracey Webb, Head of School