27 May 2016, Comments: 0

27th May 2016

Summer Newsletter 4

Sports News

With the weather improving our sporting teams have been busy. Our Year 3/4 Tennis Teams came third and fourth in the recent tournament which saw 10 teams taking part.

 

Our Quadkids Athletics teams took part in one of the biggest competitions of the year on Tuesday after school. The teams from Year 1/2 and Year 3/4 came second and third respectively, with our Year 5/6 team coming in a very respectable sixth place. Thank you to all of the parents who supported our teams on a cold afternoon.

 

I would like to thank all of the staff for their hard work in taking teams after school. A special mention must go to Mrs Saunderson and Mrs Warburton for their commitment to organising and leading our sports teams.

 

Term Time Absence

Recent guidance issued by the local authority following well publicised court cases now means that a child’s attendance in school can be taken into consideration when issuing fines for term time holiday absence.

 

The legal position remains in place which states that absence for holidays in term time cannot be authorised. However, penalty notices will now not be issued if a child’s attendance in school remains above 90% when the holiday absence is taken.

 

Intruders

In recent weeks the school has had a number of incidents with teenagers entering the school site after school and causing problems. Local residents and PCSO Nick Woods have been incredibly helpful in dealing with the problem. If you do see anyone on the field or school roof, please do not approach them, but call 101 and report the issue.

 

Sports Day

ASDA have very kindly agreed to sponsor our school sports day again this year with bottled water and health bars for the children. Please remember that this year’s sports day is earlier in the school diary and will be held on Monday 20th June starting at 1.15 p.m.

 

The Friends will be providing the refreshments and the sunshine has been ordered! The repairs to the field have been completed following the gala and should mean that the whole field is fit to use.

 

In the event of bad weather, a decision regarding sports day will be made in the morning and sent out to all parents. An alternative date will be chosen before the end of the year.

 

Governors News

Tim Walden, a long serving Foundation Governor, has announced his decision to step down at the end of his term of office. Mr Walden has been a very hardworking and dedicated Governor, who has been on the Personnel Committee interview panel that has appointed most of the current staff. He will be greatly missed and I would like to personally thank him for his support over the years as a Foundation Governor.

 

Knaresborough Bed Race

You will all be aware by now that a team of Friends of Richard Taylor School will be participating in this year’s famous Knaresborough Bed Race. The children in school will be helping to decorate the bed on the theme of the French city of Nice. To support the Friends in their monumental task, we will be holding a special non-uniform red, white and blue French day in school on Friday 10th June, the day before the event. There will be a £1 charge for coming in non-uniform. The Friends will also offer a special ride on their decorated bed for 50p.

 

Friends Noticeboard

The Friends are looking for someone who may be able to donate (or know someone who can) or sponsor an external noticeboard. The noticeboard would be used by the Friends to advertise upcoming events and for parents to advertise items for sale within our local community. Anyone able to help would have their company details on the board. If you can help, please let the office know.

 

Reports 2016

This year’s reports will make reference to the new age related expectations within the national curriculum. If you were unable to attend the assessment information evening and would like more information, the presentation is available on the school website. Parents of children in Year 2 and Year 6 will receive their end of key stage assessments. Parents of children in Year 1 will receive the results of their child’s phonics assessment tests.

 

Music News

The choir and orchestra will be holding their annual summer term concerts after half term. The Violin Concert will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday 12th July with the Choir and Orchestra Concert taking place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday 19th July.

 

School Meal Increase

I am writing to inform you about changes to the price of school lunches from this autumn term 2016. Our new catering contract with Mellors has seen a significant improvement in the quality and choice of school lunches.  The children now have 3 choices on a daily basis as well as a fresh salad bar.  Some of the younger children have also enjoyed free tasters to encourage them to sample a wider range of foods.

The cost of a school meal has been fixed at £2.10 for 6 years without an increase.  It is with regret that we are now in a position to have to make an increase in the cost of a meal to £2.30 per meal from September 2016.

This is an increase which brings us in line with our small and large partner schools in the Multi Academy Trust, some of whom increased their prices at an earlier stage.  The increase has not been forced upon us by Mellors but has been introduced by the school to reflect the increased energy and lunchtime staffing costs at a time when significant reductions in overall school budgets mean that the costs can no longer be met by the wider budget.

 

Summer Reading Challenge

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge will be launched on Monday 27th June by Mr Richard Whiteley from Bilton and Woodfield Library. It is a great way to motivate the children to keep reading over the summer. As a school we are really proud of the number of children who participate each year. Certificates for those who complete the challenge will be presented during a special worship time in September. Good luck.

 

Dates to the End of the Year

Monday 6th June        Staff Training Day

Tuesday 7th June        School re-opens

Saturday 11th June        Knaresborough Bed Race

Monday 13th June         Year 1 phonics testing week

Monday 20th June        Sports Day at 1.15 p.m.

Monday 27th June        Coverdale/Wharfedale/Wensleydale Cake Sale

Monday 4th July            Movie Night for Coverdale/Wharfedale and Wensleydale

Wednesday 6th July        Fish and Chip Lunch

Wednesday 6th July        Performance Evening for Year 6

Thursday 7th July        Performance Evening for Year 6

Friday 22nd July            Leavers Lunch

Monday 25th July        Leavers Disco 6 – 8 p.m.

Tuesday 26th July        Leavers Service at St. John’s Church at 10.30 a.m.

Tuesday 26th July        School closes at 2.15 p.m. for the summer break.

 

Yours sincerely

A Symonds

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