Newsletters

8th November 2024 - Friday Letter

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 Friday Letter  - 8th November 2024

Dear Parents,

We have had a wonderful first week back at school.  We were thrilled to host 4 teaching students across Reception and Year 1.  This is their first placement, and we are looking forward to working with them over the next few weeks and setting them off on this incredible career journey.

On the first Saturday of the holiday, Benhall was full of joy.  Our fabulous PTA hosted their first Scarecrow Trail. 

19 scarecrows appeared at school, on the roads around school and at Benhall Park.  Firm favourites were Gru and the Minions, Superworm and the BFG!  They were all incredible and the children enjoyed seeing them in the playground this week.

Back at school, there were Autumn crafts, refreshments and the opportunity to play in the sunshine.  The event attracted families from school and the wider area. 

A huge thank you to Kelly Ballantine for coming up with the idea and co-ordinating the event with the expert assistance of Michelle Cant and Kelly Davies. The event raised over £2000.  They were celebrated in assembly this morning as our adult purple learners of the week.

We have had a really positive response to the emails sent to local councillors and the Highways department at GCC about recent concerns about parking and the number of near misses on the roads outside school.  You will have seen a new member of our Benhall family out at the entrance to school this week.  Thank you Sam D's family for donating our new green friend - please take heed of his message to slow down and park considerately when dropping off and collecting your children.

We hope that you have a wonderful weekend. 

Love from Miss Morris and the team 

Children in Need- children to wear spots for a donation to the charity
9:00am – 3:00pm
15
November
PTA Xmas craft evening
7:30pm – 9:30pm
28
November
Reception Nativity
9:30am – 10:30am
03
December
Reception Nativity
9:30am – 10:30am
04
December
PTA Xmas Fair
3:30pm – 6:00pm
06
December
KS1 Christingle
9:30am – 10:30am
10
December
KS1 Christingle
9:30am – 10:30am
11
December
Christmas Jumper Day
9:00am – 3:00pm
12
December
KS1 Christingle
9:30am – 10:30am
12
December
Pre-School parent event - mince pies and christmas celebrations
1:00pm – 3:00pm
19
December
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Dear Parents, Carers and families,

 I am writing to introduce myself as the new Chair of Governors for your lovely school. 

 It is a real pleasure to be entrusted with this very important role and I promise to do my very best to support the Head, Miss Morris and all the staff at Benhall to continue to be the best it can be. 

 I am myself a teacher and have a deep and genuine passion for supporting the learning and development of young children. My specialism is in Pastoral Care, supporting the wellbeing of children and staff. 

 I recently spent an afternoon at Benhall with Miss Morris, meeting some of the children and the committed team of teachers and support staff, and I was truly impressed. The children's eagerness to share what they were learning, and the dedication of the staff showcased what a happy and vibrant place Benhall is.

 I am very much looking forward to working with  the governor team and Miss Morris to contribute to the school's development and make a positive impact on our children's futures. I am very keen to get to know as much as possible about this wonderful school, with the aim to continue to create a nurturing and inspiring environment where every child thrives.

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The Hall Floor

At the end of last term, we noticed a lump in the hall floor and organised for the repair to be completed over half-term.  Unfortunately, they were unable to complete the work due to the PE wall bars and the company that can remove and reinstate them cannot do this until the end of November, which will cause some unwanted disruption.  

  • There will be no hot dinners from Thursday 21st until Thursday 28th.  
  • Gym club will be cancelled on Tuesday 26th November and dance club will be cancelled on Thursday 21st November
  • The reception performances will not be able to go ahead as planned but they will now be part of the KS1 Christingle. 
  • The PTA Craft evening being held on Thursday 28th November may need to move to St Marks hall

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

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Miss Bilton's Maternity Leave

As you know, Miss Bilton is expecting her second baby at the beginning of December.  She is hoping to be with us until the end of November as long as she and the baby are well.  To support her with this we have reduced the number of days she teaches in Blue Class to just Wednesday.

I am delighted to tell you that Mrs Selby has accepted the position of maternity cover for Miss Bilton's role and she will be teaching in Blue Class on Wednesday and Fridays.

I am also delighted to tell you that Mrs Spence has accepted the role of acting Deputy Head during Miss Bilton's maternity leave.  Determined to protect her time as Blue Class Teacher she will be working Fridays (non-class based) to enable this.

 

Purple Learning

This term our focus in school is ‘I have the courage to embrace challenges’. The staff and children will be spending time talking in classes about the vocabulary, what it means and how they can accomplish things that can be tricky. We will be having assemblies on this as well as celebrating children and staff who have shone each week. It would be great if you could chat to your child at home about things that you find tricky, how you work through them and also how we praise one another too.

Our Purple Learners this week are:

  • Ezekiel
  • Sienna
  • Yera
  • Ivy
  • Evie
  • Douglas
  • Mrs Evans
  • Kelly Balentine
  • Kelly Davies
  • Michelle Cant

Well done everyone.

School Council

After a busy term planning and organising ‘Break the rules’ day we are still blown away with the amount we raised for Pre-School and School. The staff and children have started to think about what they need for their classrooms and we will update you when we have given our orders to the lovely Mrs Evans. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 13th November.

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Anti-Bullying Week

Next week is Anti-Bullying week.  This will be the focus of Miss Morris' assembly on Tuesday. 

The classes will be talking about what bullying is and what it isn’t.  It is an important part of their personal development to know what to do when someone is upsetting them, so please remind them of all the strategies they have and who can help them.

To mark Anti-Bullying week, the children and staff can wear odd socks to school on Tuesday 12th November 24. 

Save the Date!

Our PTA are an amazing bunch of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and teachers who give their time to planning events to raise vital funds for our school.  Here are some dates to pop in your diary:

 

○ 28 NOV Xmas adult craft evening event 19:30-21:30

○ 06 DEC: Christmas fair! 1530-1800.

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PE in the Autumn Term

Reception - Wednesday and Friday

Year 1 - Monday and Friday

Year 2 - Tuesday and Thursday

Children should come to school in their PE kit which is-

  • Navy Tracksuit bottoms or shorts
  • White or Purple T-Shirt
  • Navy Jumper
  • Trainers or daps
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Forest School in the Autumn Term

We are thrilled that Mrs Stephens will be leading forest school sessions for us again this year.  Children will wear their uniform under the waterproofs provided by the school.

A huge thank you to the PTA who support us with purchasing our new waterproofs this year.

Please make sure that your child wears trousers as part of their uniform on Forest School Days which are as follows -

  • Reception - Thursday (every other week starting from 4/10/24)
  • Year 1 - Tuesday (every other week starting from 17/9/24)
  • Year 2 - Wednesday (every other week starting from 18/9/24)