3rd June 2019

I trust that you all had a restful and enjoyable half term holiday. I spent the time north of the border in Glasgow visiting friends and by all accounts the weather was considerably better here!

As our final term of 2018-2019 begins there are several things that we will be focusing on here at Shacklewell. The children have all been reminded of the importance of 'Yes to Success' in assembly and we would very much appreciate your ongoing support in reminding the children what it means to be a learner at Shacklewell. Each week the children have the opportunity to be celebrated for demonstrating a particular standard and this week we are all thinking about being focused on our learning.

We will continue to share our love of reading with the children. I am reading the novel Boy 87 for this half term, and the teachers and leaders in school will be promoting the culture of reading throughout the term. Please take the time to share new stories and books with your children each day and try to incorporate ten minutes of shared reading into your daily routine.

This term is all about transition, and about supporting the children to be ready for their new class, new teacher and for year 6, new school. Reception have already begun joining us in assemblies today and the term ends with the children visiting their new classes on moving up day. Its is an important time for the children as they prepare for the new academic year so if you have questions about this please speak with Ms. Curnow.

This half term is full of prestige events- when the whole school comes together as a community. First is the Teddy Bear's Picnic on 20th June when we will welcome the new reception children and their families to join us for the morning. Next will be Sports Day on 26th June when all of the children will get the chance to show off their sporting skills. As usual we would love for you all to be there to celebrate with us, so keep an eye out for a letter with the exact timings of the day. Shortly after Sports Day the end of term reports are sent home, followed by the opportunity to speak with your child's class teacher about the report on the evening of Thursday 11th July. Next up is the Year 6 production on Monday 15th July. This annual event is coming back home to Shacklewell this year and you will all get the chance to see the children act, sing and dance their way through an engaging story based on the circus. We then wave a fond farewell to our Year 6 class during their Graduation on 18th July. School will then close at 2pm on the following day, Friday 19th July.

I look forward to working with you this half term and as always please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions,

Rory