BBC Children in Need 13th November

Donate £1.00 or more for Children in Need biscuit decorating (and eating)
Sue Millan our Cook will be making some red biscuits for children in Need Day. During the morning the children will have the opportunity to decorate their own biscuit. The most interesting designs in each group will win a small prize and then the best bit – eating the biscuits!

Please send an apron or old shirt for your child to wear on Friday 13th. Thank you!

Children in Need fund raising ‘Ramble’ Friday 13th November 1.20pm
Donate £1.00 or more and join us on a ramble for Children in Need. We are organising a ramble for children and parents of Stretton Handley. All children will be taking part and we are asking for a minimum donation per child of £1.00 for Children In Need. If you would like to join us please complete the slip attached to the letter sent home to sign up.

We will be leaving school at 1.20 pm. Mr Cooke has plotted the route and children need to wear appropriate clothing. We thought it be fun for children to dress for an outdoor hike – trousers tucked into long socks, walking boots or wellies, jackets with hood, small ruck sack with water bottle, biscuit snack, bobble/ coloured or Pudsey hat etc. The walk is approx. 1 mile and finishes back at school. ( Children accompanied by an adult may go home early if we return before 3.30pm)

Countryfile’s Matt Baker shares his tips on prepping for a walk in town or country –

  1. Work out how long your walk will take and arrange your set-off time accordingly.
  2.  Check the weather right up until the moment you set off. Remember: there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices.
  3. Kit yourself out with the right clothing and footwear. If it’s a chilly day, wear thick socks or double up for extra padding. It’s always a good idea to take an extra pair too, just in case those boots aren’t as waterproof as you thought! Make sure your walkers wear jackets with hood. Turn a bad forecast into part of the fun.
  4. Take supplies with you – particularly if it’s a long walk. Cereal and fruit bars are a good source of energy. Make sure you’ve got plenty of water too.
  5. When planning your route mark potential pit stops.
  6. Take a first aid kit.
  7. Other essential items: a pack of hand wipes and a couple of plastic carrier bags (always handy).  Chuck a hat and pair of gloves in the bottom of your bag even if you think you won’t need them.
  8. OK, I know I’ve just told you to take water, snacks, money, phone, extra socks…but, as far as possible, travel light! Share the load by distributing essential items around the group in a good ruck sack to keep your hands free.
  9. Get a good night’s sleep.
  10. Show the world why you’re walking and wear something Pudsey.
  11. Put a checklist together before you set off of things to spot during your walk. Include specific birds and plants, stiles, sheep – as well as particular landmarks that you’ll pass. You could also include a list of games to play; I spy, the shopping list game, ten questions etc. Turn off your technology and turn on your senses.
  12. Make your walk count even more and pick up litter as you go (there’s a use for those plastic bags I mentioned!)
  13. Plot your route before you go using a good old-fashioned map – and remember to take it with you.
  14. Always follow the countryside code.
  15. And remember – you might be hiking up Ben Nevis or taking a gentle stroll with children and the dog. It doesn’t matter how long your walk is or where it takes you, what matters is that you have fun and raise money.

Brackenfield Well Dressing 23-25th May

BRACKENFIELD WELL DRESSINGS 23rd-25th May 2015

Come along to Brackenfield over the bank holiday weekend and have a look at the school well dressing along with others by Wessington School and the church.

The theme this year is ‘anniversaries’ and we have chosen the 75th anniversary of Bugs Bunny’s first appearance on the silver screen.

well dressing 2015
Anniversaries, Bugs Bunny – 2015

The well dressing has been designed and made by children, staff and friends of Stretton Handley Primary School. The frame was brought to school for us to work on during the week and we have used natural material, leaves, petals and seeds to make the design. The central panel is Bugs Bunny and the side panels show some of the other famous Looney Tunes characters, including Road Runner, Daffy Duck, Tweety Pie and the Tasmanian devil.

Past well dressings made by the school are available to view to view on our website.

Swimming gala results

The children took part in the swimming gala at Sharley Park leisure centre on Thursday 26th March 2015. 8 swimmers, 4 boys and 4 girls from year 3 up to year 6 made the Stretton Handley team.
This year’s team achieved the best results the school has ever had. All 8 children managed to get to a final and so all received a certificate.

The results were as follows:
Boys 25m butterfly: LT 3rd in heat, 6th in final.
Girls 25m butterfly: HL 3rd in heat, 6th in final.
Boys 25m front crawl: MM 5th in heat.
Girls 25m front crawl: HR 4th in heat.
Boys 25m back crawl: NH 2nd in heat, 2nd in final.
Boys 25m breastroke:RL 4th in heat.
Girls 25m breastroke: ML 4th in heat.
Boys 50m freestyle: LT 3rd in heat, 5th in final.
Girls 50m freestyle: HL 3rd in heat, 6th in final.
Boys 4 x 25m freestyle relay: NH, LT, RL, MM 4th in heat, 6th in final.
Girls 4 x 25m freestyle relay: HL, MT, LG, HR 4th in heat, 6th in final.

Well done to all 8 children who showed excellent sportsmanship throughout, cheering each other on for all the races.

Cooking up a Red Nose Day!


Thank you to everyone who supported Comic Relief by donating £1 or more raising a grand total of £84. The Children looked great dressed as chefs and cooks and the Infant children made some lovely biscuits for everyone to eat!

RE Quality Mark GOLD achieved!

reambassadors2Stretton Handley CE Primary School has achieved the top GOLD award for the national RE Quality Mark. The REQM recognises high quality learning in religious education. There are only three schools in Derbyshire that have achieved REQM and of those we are the first school to achieve GOLD. This is fantastic news.

Thank you to all our children, especially the ambassadors who met with the assessor and spoke so passionately about our school. Thank you also Mrs Knight, our RE subject leader who has worked hard with staff and children and collated the evidence file.

Artsmark achieved!

Artsmark status

ARTSMARK_BLK2We are delighted that Stretton Handley CE (VC) Primary has been awarded Artsmark status.

Artsmark is Arts Council England’s flagship programme which enables schools and other organisations to evaluate, strengthen and celebrate their arts and cultural provision. It is delivered by Trinity College London and 10 regional Bridge organisations drive participation.

Achieving Artsmark status demonstrates that our school has a number of very special qualities. It demonstrates that we:

  • have an excellent arts and cultural offer
  • are forward thinking and open to development
  • are committed to investing in our staff and young people
  • are committed to listening to our children and providing opportunities for our community
  • have an effective approach to building sustainable relationships with arts and cultural organisations
  • value the arts and culture through a broad and balanced curriculum

To achieve Artsmark, we had to undergo a rigorous application process, followed by a validation visit from a professional arts consultant. We were assessed on many areas of our provision including arts in the curriculum, extra-curricular arts activities, how we work with artists and arts organisations and how well how our arts provision impacts on staff development and the wider community.

We hope you share our pride in being nationally recognised for our arts and cultural provision. We  would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff and children in making this possible.

Congratulations from Minister of State for Schools

Letter from Minister of State for Schools

Dear Parents, Governors and friends of the school,

Some of you may have heard that we were in ‘The Times’ recently as one of the top ten primary schools in Derbyshire. I am now delighted and proud to share with you information that I have received a letter from the Rt Hon David Laws MP, Minister of State for Schools congratulating us on the excellent performance of our children in the 2014 national key stage 2 tests, published on 11 December.

‘Your results show that 100% of your pupils gained level 4B or above in reading and mathematics and level 4 or above in writing. This makes you one of only 149 schools in the country to achieve this level of attainment.’

The letter goes on to congratulate staff, governors and pupils for their hard work and success and ‘you for your leadership in continuing the drive towards high standards of educational achievement.’

As you will know we remain committed to ensuring that we provide a well-rounded education for our children, one that is not just about academic results. We have recently applied for the Arts Mark – external accreditation to recognise our success in Arts provision across the school and we are also in the process of entering for the RE Quality mark.

We are all extremely proud of what we have achieved together and would like to thank parents for their continuing support.

Julie Dunbar
Headteacher

Big Schools’ Birdwatch 2015

birdfoodThis term Kingfisher Class spent some of their tuck shop enterprise money on a large sack of good quality bird food. They also purchased a bin complete with scoop to keep the food in good condition.

The purchase has certainly helped swell the number of birds visiting the school grounds and the children were rewarded with a very successful Big Schools’ Birdwatch. For the full results of this year’s survey, visit the school’s Wildlife Blog and find out about the new bird on the block!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Christmas Enterprise Fair and Coffee Afternoon

Nativity

Christmas Dinner and Party

Christingle