Atwood news for week ending Friday 5th May

Mr Veale’s welcome

The weather held for Atwood’s Coronation Picnic.  In true British style, we looked to the heavens and had about 3 contingency plans, but in the end we were treated to fine weather and dry grass.  My thanks to you all for coming and my thanks to the FOAP for organising the refreshments and other goodies- these must have taken ages to prepare and so your hard work does not go un-noticed.  Don’t forget, all of the money raised by the FOAP during events goes towards the children at Atwood.

Harrison’s, out caterer, prepared a wonderful Coronation themed lunch, which was enjoyed by the children and the staff alike.  Again, my thanks to Toni and her her team.

We all hope that you have a super Coronation Weekend, whatever your family is up to.  It certainly will be a spectacle and an historic occasion and one that will be remembered by us all in years to come.

Polite Notice to Parents

Please can we ask that your child does not play on any of the playground apparatus before or after school, or use the Trim Trail?  This is because we would not wish for anyone to have an accident- Atwood is NOT liable for in the incorrect use of such apparatus either before or after school.  Thanks!

Jade Class Present a ‘rock solid’ Class Assembly

Well done to Jade class for performing their Class Assembly which explored their thematic learning based on the Stone Age.  The children were able to explain what they had learned in great detail, including all the new facts about pre-history, new topic words and what life may have been like in the past for our ancestors.

The topic table outside the hall demonstrated the work that Jade Class have been doing at home and I have included a photo in the gallery below.  If you want to see more, head over to this news story posted earlier this week: https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/year-3/jade-class-assembly-rocks

My thanks to Mrs McWhinnie, Miss Carlucci and Mrs Phipps for supporting the children and thank you to the parents and carers who enjoyed coming in to Atwood to learn about what their children have been learning.

Animation Club gets off to a great start- Ms Docherty reports

Last week was the first week of Animation Club. After learning about how things such as zoetrope’s and flip books were used to show motion using pictures before film was invented, the children had a go at making their own flip books. This week in Animation Club the children have started to learn about stop motion using drawings. Take a look using the link below, I think you’ll agree that they did a good job of some of their first animation attempts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19T1-AgICtyiM3Aj9-LGYdF0QJM-A7X71/view?usp=sharing

Pegasus Encourages Walking to School Week Monday 22nd May to Friday 26th May

Mrs Mitchell is leading on encouraging as many children (and staff) to travel to Atwood sustainably, either by walking, scooter or bicycle.  I have dusted off my bike once more as I felt that my fitness was fading away, and I am really enjoying my bike ride there and back to Atwood from Bromley South station.  The hill up from Forestdale and into Selsdon to Sanderstead never gets any easier though.  In terms of fitness, walking is amazing for us all.  I did some research on the NHS website and found out all about the benefits of regular walking.

Taking at look at the opening paragraph, it states:

‘Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.

Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.
You do not have to walk for hours. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, as recommended in the physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64.’ 

Why not take a look at the Atwood news stories from this week?

Atwood Maypole is dusted off for action:  https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/year-1/year-1s-maypole-preparations-for-the-coronation 
Reception immersed in nature:  https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atwood-nursery-immersed-in-nature
Royal Week in Reception:  https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/a-royal-week-in-reception
Toby’s Tennis Tournament:  https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/a-royal-week-in-reception

Thought of the Week 

In order to keep things fresh, the Word of the Week has been replaced by thought of the week and here it is:

‘We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us. – Marcel Proust

As King Charles III embarks on his reign, he will face the full gamut of emotions, high and lows, problems and joys.  The King is certainly a man of great reading and distinction and someone with great wisdom already, but all new roles and responsibilities produce their very own blend of challenges.

Team Points (Pupil Reward Points)

Remember that everyone at Atwood believe in the Terrific Trio:  Kind Words, Kind Thoughts, Kind Actions and for that, the children are rewarded.  The first key milestone for a pupil is to reach 50 Pupil Reward Points because they will be awarded a £5 Book Token in Celebration Assembly, as we also wish to promote the love of reading at Atwood.  I will be taking a look at the leaderboard after half term.

Each pupil has been assigned to a Team or House.  These are Air, Earth, Fire and Water.  All Pupil Reward Points also contribute to the Team Points each week.

Here are the all important totals for the term so far:

Congratulations to AIR who have won the Team Points Competition for this week.  

Why not head over to the Pupil Reward Points website?  https://www.pupilrewardpoints.co.uk

Attendance

The DfE continue to be concerned about attendance in the post covid world.  Indeed, governments across the world have noticed a worrying trend of children attending school less than before covid.  Atwood works on the 95% expectation and each year, we endeavour to hit our whole school community target of attending at least 95% of the time.  Most years, Atwood nearly reaches 97% which is higher than the national average.  Looking at the Year to Date percentage of 94.9% so far, we are doing better than many other schools, but we just need a concerted effort in the remaining part of this year to rise above 95%.  I know we can do it.

Attendance is important.  After all, children only have one opportunity to go to school, don’t they?  As a rule of thumb, we expect children to attend school at least 95% of the time.  This allows for a child to be absent for a couple of days per year due to coughs, colds and medical appointments that cannot be made in holiday times.  Remember that we never authorise holidays in term time.  Often I am asked to authorise a family wedding abroad, or to visit a poorly relative abroad.  None of these are valid reasons for absence in term time.  Please bear this in mind.

Here are the attendance figures for this week:

From us all at Team Atwood, enjoy a warmer extended May Coronation weekend.  Stay safe and see you next week!

Mr Veale