And just like that, we’ve reached another Friday! While it has been a shorter week than usual—thanks to the Bank Holiday and our Polling Day closure—it has certainly been a busy one nonetheless. It’s always impressive how much our children can pack into just three days!

On Tuesday, our Year 5 football team had a fantastic experience competing in a tournament at Charlton Athletic Football Club. The children showed great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout the day and played brilliantly against several other schools. They demonstrated excellent passing, communication and perseverance in every match, never giving up and always encouraging one another. We were incredibly proud to see the team reach the semi-finals after a series of exciting matches. A special mention must also go to the rest of the Year 5 children, who, as audience members, cheered enthusiastically and supported the team every step of the way. The children represented our school exceptionally well with their respect, enthusiasm and they were a credit to the school from start of finish. Well done to everyone involved! We may even have some future football stars among us! Let’s watch this space! 

This week, we were delighted to welcome our Year 1 families for the children’s first sharing assembly of the year! It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to showcase the hard work they have been putting into their curriculum studies over the past few weeks. The class did a fantastic job bringing their learning to life, from retelling their core text, Dougal’s Deep-Sea Diary, to an amazing performance of their "Five Oceans" song. Standing up in front of an audience is no small feat at this age and it was a true pleasure to see the children so confident and excited to share their progress with the rest of the school and their families. We are incredibly proud of the resilience and enthusiasm they showed. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us and make the morning so special for the children.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Year 4 showed great dedication to their learning by hosting a highly successful bake sale to raise money for their upcoming trip to the Tower of London. The children showed enthusiasm to all aspects of the event, from creating high quality, imaginative posters to the running of the bake sale. The variety of bakes was truly impressive and celebrated cultures, personal likes and interests and their current studies of the Tudor period. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the families of children in Year 4 and the whole school community for their generous support. 

Next week, our wonderful Year 6 children will be sitting their SATs assessments. We want to share how incredibly proud we are of our children. Their hard work, dedication and resilience during these preparations have been inspiring to watch. While these assessments measure the knowledge and skills they’ve built throughout their primary years, they are also a wonderful opportunity for the children to show off everything they’ve achieved. We have every confidence that they will shine. It is important however to remember that these tests are simply one milestone in their broader journey and we remain committed to nurturing their growth and well-being long after the papers are marked.

We are also incredibly excited to host the Year 4 School Sleepover next Friday. This special event is a wonderful way for the children to build lifelong memories and get a taste for the residential school journey they will enjoy in Year 5. We are looking forward to a fantastic evening of party games, a mini disco and a movie night. With all that excitement, we wonder who will be the last one to fall asleep?

And that is all from me this week! We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for the busy week ahead, but first have a wonderful weekend. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. 

With very best wishes, Mrs Cook and the Rockliffe Manor team