Weekly Newsletter 1st October 2021
Dear Parents
It has been a busy week with Year 3’s school trip on Monday, Prep parent consultations, the first BHCC meeting on site with a full committee since February 2020, yet more sports fixtures, cross country meetings and tournaments, our Harvest assembly and a mini Open Morning held today.
School life is well and truly back to normal. I feel that we have been extremely fortunate not to have been directly affected by the rising Covid cases in school communities as I have heard of a number of prep, primary and senior schools needing to impose their contingency procedures already. Hopefully, we will not have to do this but we are going to focus on sensible precautions in enforcing the wearing of face coverings for visitors whilst in our buildings and continuing to concentrate on cleaning and ventilation in classrooms and communal areas. We will also be asking the children to make use of the hand sanitisers which are positioned at all our entrances to our buildings and following the guidelines of ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ if they have a cold.
On a more positive note, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to raising over £500 at the Macmillan Coffee Morning last week and for donating so many items for our Harvest Appeal. In terms of the latter, we presented all the produce collected to Mr and Mrs Bessa, who represented the Godalming Community Store; they were very grateful for our generosity. Mrs Peek was also very pleased with Year 3’s impressive assembly accentuating our Pupil Profile of generosity.
To end the week, I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the classroom with my Year 5 Current Affairs activity group. They have been working on compiling their own news bulletins inspired by the format of Newsround. I think we have some budding reporters and presenters in our midst.
To sign off, I would just like to remind you of some events taking place after school in the coming weeks:
- Thursday 7th October – Future Schools Presentation to Year 5 parents and those in Years 6 and 7 who joined during last year. This is an introduction to the admissions processes for senior schools that runs through Year 6, 7 and 8.
- Tuesday 12th October – Senior Schools’ Evening – this is a chance for parents to speak to representatives from many of the destination schools that our children move onto. It is a biannual event so is useful for parents with children in Year 4 and above.
- Thursday 14th October – Autumn Term Music Concert – all members of the choirs plus individuals nominated by their music teachers will be performing in the chapel.
- Friday 15th October – Forest School Open Morning – for pre-school age families
I would like to finish, once again, by thanking everyone for their support whilst I have been away from school and it has been fabulous to have been so warmly welcomed back.
Best wishes for the weekend and best of luck to all those running the London Marathon.
Kind regards
Philip Oldroyd
Head
Pre-Prep
Dear Parents
This week, Mrs Crisell led the Pre-Prep Harvest Festival assembly with her able helpers for the story of ‘The Little Red Hen’. The children wore animal masks and it was lovely to watch the story came alive. In lessons, children have discussed being generous which is the pupil profile of the week; this is certainly evident in all your generous donations which are filling the chapel which will be distributed to the Godalming Community Store. Thank you. Birthday wishes to Abhi for her recent birthday. Year 1 and Year 2 were given their Pre-Prep Record Chart to keep their stickers in for achieving their smiley faces which contribute towards their Bronze, Silver and Gold badges. The smiley faces are given with the Barrow Hills Pupil Profile in mind: Generous, Curious, Responsible, Joyful, Compassionate, Scholarly, Brave and Truthful.
Well done to all children and staff (and parents!) who have battled against colds this week, enjoy the weekend!
Mrs Rachel E Harris
Head of Pre-Prep
Weekly News
Awards
Level 1 Food Safety & Hygiene:
Hugo (7G), Owen (7G), Leo (7G)
Bacon Butties
A bit of damp start to this morning’s servings but even so the team managed to raise £188.50. Please don’t forget that we have a card machine so no excuses to treat yourself on a Friday! Have a lovely weekend.
In July, we bade farewell to Cris Martin St Valery, our Chair for the last two years. We now extend a warm welcome to David Brydon for one year only. The Brydon’s eldest daughter joined Barrow Hills in 2007 and her two sisters followed, with the youngest now in Year 8.
Can you help?
The BHCC relies on parent participation to ensure successful events. Every parent at Barrow Hills is automatically a member of the Committee and very welcome to come to meetings or pop an idea over. We hope that you continue to support us, beginning with the events planned for the rest of this term. If you feel you can help please contact your rep (see details below), David Brydon or if volunteers are needed you can sign up on Classlist when the event is published.
If you have any questions please contact David Brydon on davidbrydon1992@googlemail.com
Class Reps
Nursery: David Cuthbert
Kindy: Katie Boulter and Alex Jenkin
Reception: Rebecca Foord and Kerry Poole
Year 1: Danielle Atkinson and Mark Todd
Year 2: Sara Pickard and Sandra Weeks
Year 3: Madelon Burnett and Michelle Sophocleous
Year 4: Emmah Klein and Marie-Claire Parker
Year 5: Rosemary Cresswell and Natalie Preston
Year 6: Rosie Aneja and Anthony & Lisa Tugwell
Year 7: Lucy Oldham and Liz Hughes
Year 7: Marja van Ravenstein
Year 8: Jane Hubble
What is next?
We have a packed autumn term. Please see below for ‘save the dates’ and some of the plans for the coming term. More information will follow before each event:
• Bacon Buttie stall – every Friday morning at drop off
•Deadline for ordering Christmas cards – Friday 15th October
• Cake Sale – Friday 15th October from 3.15pm by the arch
• Pumpkin Decorating Competition – half term – bring in your creations on the first day back (Monday 1st November), ensure they are named!
• Deadline for ordering the Ultimate Christmas Pudding – Monday 1st November
• Fireworks and Bonfire – Friday 12th November from 6pm held on the sports field, buy tickets via Classlist or google form
• Christmas Workshop – open to all children Friday 19th November
• Deadline for ordering Christmas trees – Wednesday 24th November
• Parent, staff and Old Barrow Hillian Summer Party – celebrating 70 years of Barrow Hills Friday 1st July 2022 (tbc)
Bacon Buttie Team
Jono Harris (parent of children in Years 3, 5 and 8) takes over the leadership of this wonderful team of volunteers. Rain or shine they will be here every Friday at drop off. If you have some time to spare, even if it is not every week, please contact him on Jonathan.Harris2019@outlook.com or 07875 175429.
Commemorative Bricks
Name a brick and make a lasting impression! This is your chance to have your child’s name added to those already adorning the wall of the Lower. Started in 2011 by an Old Barrow Hillian, a personalised brick is the perfect way to leave a lasting tribute to their time at Barrow Hills.
For just £25.00 you can add two lines of text to a terracotta brick; size 215x65x15mm. Each line represents a line of text with up to 16 characters (including spaces and punctuation).
Not only will your brick mark your child’s place in the history of the school, but your donation will help support the BHCC fund future projects. This is an exciting opportunity in which we can all join together to record our support for Barrow Hills School.
Please contact Rachel Barraud on rlb@barrowhills.org for more information.
If you shop online, please sign up to easyfundraising to support Barrow Hills School. Easyfundraising turns your everyday online shopping into free donations for your favourite cause.
It’s a really easy way to raise money for us – you just use the easyfundraising site to shop online with more than 3,500 well known online stores. Please visit our easyfundraising page here and click ‘support us’.
Please clean up after your dog if you bring them to school. We may have to reconsider allowing dogs on site if this is not done. Thank you.
Babysitter Available
Joe Unwin, our fabulous Barrow Hills Gap Student is available for babysitting. Please contact him on 07749 717490.
Sally Crathern – Intensive Swimming Course
Sally Crathern, swimming teacher to Pre-Prep is running her next intensive course during the October half term holidays. Dates are Monday 25th October to Friday 29th October for half an hour each morning. This is at King Edward’s Witley. The course is open to all ability levels from non swimmers from the age of 4 to strong, technically able swimmers. There will be four teachers in the water with the younger, less experienced swimmers.
Lessons will be every half hour from 9.00am to 11.30am. Groups are created according to ability and parents will be contacted via email with a specific lesson time. The cost is £50 for five days x 30 minute lessons. Stronger swimmers will be swimming for 45 minutes costing £75.
Please see Sally’s website for more information and a booking form.
Absences on match afternoons
Please notify games staff of any absences on a match afternoon in advance when possible.
Absence Request Form
An Absence Request Form must be completed for any reason that a child is not in school, other than illness. These are found on the Parent Portal. Thank you.
Portal
Please can we remind you that the majority of the communications are sent via the parent portal on a Tuesday. Communications will vary for each child dependent on a variety of factors e.g. class, gender, sets. The Prep team sheet can be changed at any time therefore we encourage you to check the portal on a regular basis.
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