Monday 31 January 2011

issue 18, 2010-11, 28 Jan 11

Dear Parent/Carer,

Celebration Fridays
Our Celebration Friday events for this Half Term begin again this week. Please join us in classrooms after school on the coming Fridays to join in the celebration of your child’s successes. We begin with Key Stage One this week, Lower Key Stage Two next week.

I have actually run out of my stock of Headteacher Stickers this week, I’ve seen so many achieving children. Our culture of success and celebration is one of the defining characteristics of the school. Motivated, enthusiastic and confident children enjoy school more and achieve better. We certainly have a great deal to celebrate at Robin Hood.

Last week’s School Census showed 363 pupils on roll at Robin Hood, our highest pupil population ever. We were at 297 pupils when I joined in January 2003 and had grown to 329 pupils by late 2007. Our steady continuing growth proves the ongoing popularity and success of the school. As ever, we are continually trying to build upon the good and effective practice that exists here. The teaching staff and I did a Learning Walk around school this week, looking at displays in classrooms and beyond. The walk gave us all a great deal of inspiration and determination to continue to develop outstanding learning environments in every classroom.

Newsletter Blog
Parents can receive the weekly newsletter paper-based via Pupil Mail, via email (please send an email to Mrs Smith with the Subject ‘newsletter’ if you want to receive your newsletter using this method) and now via the online newsletter blog at http://robinhoodnewsletter.blogspot.com/ As you know, Robin Hood was recognised last year by Dr Tanya Byron – a then Government education guru – as a leading school for Parental Engagement. We continue to work with other schools to help them develop systems and methods to improve the flow of communication between home and school as we recognise the vital importance of working together for the benefit of your child.

Parent Consultations
Our next round of Parental Consultation Meetings will take place during the week commencing 28th March. Information on appointment times, etc will be issued in due course. Parents of Year 6 pupils have all received an invite from their child’s class teacher to an individual consultation meeting in February. These meetings have had 100% attendance for as long as I can remember and are another very important part of the collaboration between home and school.



Friendly Faces
There are places available at Friendly Faces during the coming Half Term. Louise, Jill and Matthew are working very hard to develop the quality of provision at Friendly Faces that we aspire to. I am please to see our children getting opportunities outdoors, using the playground, Table Tennis equipment, etc.

Robin Hood’s Got Talent
Thomas Caldicott is in the talent spotlight this week. Thomas, a very promising young footballer, has been courted by a number of professional clubs and is currently training with the Leeds United Academy.

Walk to School
I was contacted last month by Vicki Franks, Transport Planner at Leeds City Council who informed me that Robin Hood falls in the top 5% of Leeds schools were pupils live within 0.8km of the school and travel by car. As this isn’t necessarily a ‘League Table’ that we would aspire to be top of, I am meeting with Vicki next week to discuss how we, as a school, can help reduce the number of car journeys. If it is possible to walk, please do… a bracing walk is good for health and wellbeing and reduces congestion and consequent danger on the roads. We have a bicycle rack at the rear of the school for those children for whom parents consider it safe enough to ride and please consider car sharing with friends and neighbours... which would save you the daily trip. Any parents who are interested in organising a walking bus to school from their street please contact me. I am fully committed to giving whatever support and encouragement I can to reducing the number of car journeys required to get our children to school.

Head Lice
Head Lice are a perennial problem in any setting in which there are large numbers of young children. Again, we have some incidences of head lice in school. The only way to manage this is through constant vigilance. Please make checks for head lice part of your daily routine, please check regularly. Medicated shampoos and ‘miracle cures’ have very limited success. Clearing a head lice infestation requires careful daily brushing with a head lice comb for a period of at least two weeks.

Have a great weekend,
Mr Wilson

Tuesday 25 January 2011

issue 17, 2010-11, 21 Jan 11

Dear Parent/Carer,

Celebration Fridays
Our Celebration Friday dates for this Half Term are:
Key Stage One - Friday 28th January
Lower Key Stage Two – Friday 4th February
Upper Key Stage Two – Friday 11th February
Please come along to your child’s class after the Friday Celebration Assembly to see the great work that they’re doing in school and celebrate all of their fantastic achievements with us.

My thanks to those parents who have joined us this week for our Parent Information Meetings about the Learning Platform.

Wii
Miss Mees Wii Fit Club began this week. My thanks to Miss Mees for her innovative idea. This is an ideal way of motivating children to take regular exercise. Miss Thackeray is also using the Wii with the Y34’s currently in PE.

Robert Madungha
Robert had a wonderful time at Robin Hood this week and really made a very big impression on our children and staff. Our pupils were able to meet a partner from our Connecting Classrooms project in real life and to find out at first hand about life in Uganda and Africa in general. Robert brought photographs showing Ugandan school children wearing Robin Hood sweaters and football kit and receiving our gifts. This is what makes our project real, meaningful and valuable… the work that we are doing together as a school community having a positive effect upon real lives. Robert’s photographs will soon be appearing on our displays in school and on the school website.

Robin Hood’s Got Talent
I would heartily encourage any parent/carer who has not already done so to attend at least one of our Celebration Assemblies to witness the fantastic performances that we are treated to weekly. The standard of our acts just gets better and better. My sincere thanks to Miss Oxley for her hard work on making this feature a wonderful part of our weekly celebration.

On a wider note, congratulations to Daniel Brady and Stephanie Lund, who have been identified as potential future diving champions after a recent visit to school by the Diving Development Team.

Have a brilliant weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 16, 2010-11, 14 Jan 11

Dear Parent/Carer,

Robert Madungha
Our colleague Robert Madungha from Gayaza CU Primary School, one of our partner school in Uganda, will be joining us in school next week. Robert will be taking his first trip outside of Uganda for what promises to be an amazing experience for him. Robert’s visit will help to bring our link with the Gayaza schools and community alive for our pupils. We have a range of activities planned in school during the week, including traditional Ugandan dance, and a range of ‘cultural activities’ planned for Robert… including a visit to both Elland Road and Valley Parade football stadiums. Mr Simpson and I are involved in a challenge to ‘re-educate’ Robert away from his current allegiance to Manchester United. Miss Gascoigne, of course, will be visiting Senegal in March to further our partnerships with the Ugandan and Senegalese schools as part of the Connecting Classrooms project.

Disabled Parking Bays
A plea to parents to please respect access to the disabled parking bays outside school. Our Chair of Governors, Councillor Lisa Mulherin, worked very hard to achieve theses parking spaces on the Main Road to support our disabled parents. Please always be careful, safe and legal when driving and parking in the vicinity of the school.

Clubs
Many thanks to parents for bearing with us this week as we have had to make alternative arrangements for Multi-Sports Club. Miss Mees will be beginning a Wii Fit Club shortly to replace the Multi-Sports Club.

Fantastic Staff
It is important from time to time to publicly spotlight the heroes within the staff at Robin Hood. I must say an enormous public thanks to Miss Abbey this week who, at extremely short notice last Friday, stepped in to cover Miss Parker – who had a car accident in the snow that day - at Friendly Faces. Robin Hood would not be the magical place where miracles happen that it is without the dedication and commitment of the whole staff who work to support our pupils and community.

Similarly, I would like to publicly recognise Mr Thurlow who has stepped into the breach in Y34 caused by Mrs Bailey’s secondment and Mrs Beetham’s decision to move on from Robin Hood for personal reasons after a significant period of illness absence. Mr Thurlow will remain with the class until the end of the school year, bringing much needed stability and consistency.

Have a fantastic weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 15, 2010-11, 7 Jan 11

Dear Parent/Carer,

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2011. That this is the start of my ninth year at Robin Hood gives me cause to reflect that time really does fly when you’re having fun. We’ve had a short week in school this week that began with an inspiring Training Day for teaching staff. It is a truism that good schools invest in their staff, and that is certainly the case at Robin Hood. We look forward with eager anticipation to an exciting and successful 2011.

Training Days
Our remaining Training Day this academic year is on Friday 8th July. The dates of the Training Days are regularly detailed in newsletters. Our Notice Board on the school website also carried the return to school date. We are, of course, always working to ensure that parents have all of the information they need. Please do note these rich sources of information.

Wintry Weather
Snow flurries are with us again, with snow forecast for the weekend. Please remember: Unless informed otherwise, we will be open. Please keep a close eye on the Notice Board on the school website and listen to local radio.

Uganda School Link
We are very much looking forward to the arrival on 17th January of our friend and colleague Robert Madungha from Gayaza CU Primary School, one of our partner schools in Uganda. As many of you know, Mr Simpson and I visited Uganda in March last year and were very keen to strengthen our links with our African partners and with schools around the world because they bring such immense richness to our children’s education.

Since our visit, courtesy of the kind donations from the school community, we have sent a number of packages out to Uganda for the teachers and pupils at the Gayaza schools that have included laptops, books, pencils, friendship tokens, toys and clothing. It is important to know that small donations can have a major impact upon lives and life chances. It is our hope that the school communities in Gayaza and Robin Hood are significantly richer for the experience of partnership that we continue to build.

During his week in the UK, Robert will be teaching our children about the daily life experience in Africa and about the lives of schoolchildren in Uganda. Robert will also be teaching traditional Ugandan dance.

Trusting that you had a fantastic Christmas and New Year and welcoming you to the new school year at Robin Hood,
Mr Wilson

issue 14, 2010-11, 17 Dec 10

Dear Parent/Carer,

Molly Grace Brook
Our heartfelt congratulations to Katie and Simon on the birth of Molly Grace Brook on 13th December. Molly weighed in at a healthy 7lb 12oz. Both mother and baby are doing well. Well done Mrs Brook!

Christmas Week in school
And what a busy week in school it has been! The most important aspect of all the events in school this week has been the sense and the spirit of community that sharing experiences with the children brings to us all. I have been very grateful at each and every event for the number of parents, grandparents and family members who have supported their child and the school. Our children have thoroughly enjoyed themselves this week with performances, parties, etc. We have, as ever, seen some wonderful performances from Foundation Stage to Year 3/4. The final week of term is always a very busy… but also a very exciting and rewarding, week.

My thanks to Rodillian School for once again hosting our Year 3/4 Christmas Performance.

Christmas Fair
It was fabulous to see so many people at the Christmas Fair last week. Through the hard work and dedication of our committed PTA team, £1700.00 was raised for the school. We are looking very carefully at what might be Phase 2 of our Nature Trail development – begun before Christmas with donations from the PTA.

Disabled Parking
My thanks to our Chair of Governors, Councillor Lisa Mulherin for her work with the Highways Department in securing two disabled parking bays on Leeds Road at the front of school. These bays are for use by disabled parents of children in school and continue our work to achieve a safe school environment.

Donations and contributions
Christmas is a time for giving as well as receiving. The Robin Hood School community has been very active in supporting charitable works in the recent weeks and months. My grateful thanks for your generosity in supporting each of these very important causes. The Children In Need Non-Uniform donations raised £218.80 for the charity. This year’s Operation Christmas Child Appeal was our most successful ever. The Robin Hood School Community donated one hundred and thirty shoeboxes to this fabulous cause. The shoeboxes are all now well on their way to their Christmas destinations. The community also raised an incredible £153.26 for the recent Poppy Appeal. Our Christmas CD and Mince Pie sales to raise money for our partnership with schools in Uganda earned £301.00. Many thanks for your support and many thanks to Mrs Smith and everyone who helped to burn the CD’s!



Staff Changes
Mrs Bailey
At very short notice, Mrs Bailey has agreed to take up a seconded post at Whitkirk Primary School. Mrs Bailey has been an exceptional contributor to school life at Robin Hood for thirteen years. She is passionately committed to education and is equally as committed to becoming an outstanding Headteacher. This opportunity gives Mrs Bailey the wider experience that she feels she needs in order to make the move into Headship. Our Chair of Governors agreed the secondment in recognition of Mrs Bailey’s outstanding contribution at Robin Hood. Though very sad that Mrs Bailey is leaving us, I am fully supportive of the decision. Mrs Bailey will be an outstanding Headteacher, soon. It is pleasing that our Chair of Governors and Education Leeds School Improvement Partner – who recommended Mrs Bailey for the post – have such confidence in the school’s capacity for sustained improvement. On a personal note, I will greatly miss Mrs Bailey as a colleague and as a friend.

Mr Simpson
I am pleased for Mr Simpson to announce that he will be leaving us at Easter to take up a new post at Garforth Ninelands School. Mr Simpson has been at Robin Hood for over ten years and is something approaching an institution at the school. He is professionally ambitious and is a willing learner and is thus keen to extend his own knowledge and experience in another setting. It is the right time in his career for him to do that. We wish him all the very best for the future and… when he leaves at Easter…. We will look back fondly on his time at the school and on his contribution to the school. Once again, we will be losing a colleague and a friend.

It is a measure of the quality and success at Robin Hood, of course, that teachers here are ambitious, are committed to their own development and are much sought after by other schools. Robin Hood has a reputation for excellence that extends a long way beyond our catchment. Our job is to continue to develop outstanding teachers who make an outstanding contribution to learning at Robin Hood while they are with us.

Reflections on the Year
Looking back, 2010 has been another hugely successful year at Robin Hood. This year we have received the Arts Mark Gold, Inclusion Charter Mark, International Schools Award, e-Twinning Award, and became a Leadership Development School for the National College of School Leadership. My thanks to everyone who has contributed to the ongoing success of the school this year.

Wintry Weather
There will, of course, be the threat of snow on our return to school in January. Given the problems that the snow causes every year, please bear the following in mind: Unless informed otherwise, we will be open, even during snow…. Please do keep an eye on the Notice Board on the Homepage of the school website and listen in to local radio. Please do not ring school to check whether we are open…. The telephone instantly becomes overwhelmed and key staff are diverted from the vital work of co-ordinating staff arrival / absence, ensuring the safety of the school site, etc.

Have a fantastic Christmas and New Year,
Mr Wilson

issue 13, 2010-11, 10 Dec 10

Dear Parent/Carer,

Safety Event
Our Safety Event on Wednesday was very successful. We were joined by ROSPA, the Fire Service, Police and Road Safety teams. Our pupils learned valuable lessons about safety and many, many parents accessed the information and services. My thanks to Mrs Smith for co-ordinating the event.

Christmas Fair
We hope to see you at our Christmas Fair tomorrow. Please come along and join in the fun. Our Christmas Fair is a fabulous community event. All funds raised by our PTA goes towards equipment for our children in school. PTA funds have in the past paid for playground equipment, Wet Play resources, Sports Kit, Nintendo DS’s and our fabulous Nature Trail. My thanks to our brilliant PTA volunteers who have been involved with the running of the Christmas Fair for many years. It’s only when you get involved that you appreciate just how much sheer hard work goers into bringing an event of this kind together.

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces will be open for business from Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd December from 8.00am to 5.30pm. Anyone interested in booking a place please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

Lunchtime Staff Required
We seek to make a further appointment to our lunchtime staff. We have a very high ratio of adults:pupils during lunchtimes as we view this as the best way of maintaining Health & safety and wellbeing for pupils. If you, or anyone you know, enjoy working with children and can offer an hour per day at lunchtimes… please get in touch with Mrs Smith in the School Office.

Graduate Teacher Training
As many of you know, Robin Hood is a training school and takes Graduate Trainees every year to train as teachers. The recruitment round for the September 2011 intake is now open. If you know of a graduate who is interested in a career in teaching, please point them to our website where there is a link to the application information. Due to the success of this route, there are almost twenty Leeds schools participating in GTP this year. This has been a very successful route for us. Mrs Steel, Miss Mees and Mrs Brook all trained at Robin Hood on the Graduate Teacher Trainee route. Past Robin Hood teachers Mr Briggs and Miss Skidmore also qualified as teachers via this route.

Clubs
All Clubs have now finished until week commencing 10th January, 2011.

Have a great weekend and hope to see you tomorrow at the Christmas Fair,
Mr Wilson

issue 12, 2010-11, 3 Dec 10

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am very pleased to say that we survived most of the snow and bad conditions and have been open four of the five days this week. Please continue to check the Noticeboard for updates next week as the five day forecast remains mixed. I will post a message as soon as I know that staff are well on their way and that we can thus open the school safely. This will be between 7.30am and 7.45am.

Were we to close, we will notify you by text (if you are on ParentMail), we will update the Messageboard, we will notify the local radio and Education Leeds. The Education Leeds School Closures website is at http://www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolclosure.aspx

Thank You
Thank you to all parents for observing our request re: Wintry Weather… We have not been inundated with phone calls to check that we’re open this week. That really is very helpful for us. A jammed telephone frustrates everyone, prevents us from contacting those people we need to contact and takes a key member of staff away from important duties.

I am grateful to all staff for their efforts to get to work this week and for being adaptable, day by day. May I say a special thank you to Mr Reynolds for all of his work in maintaining the school site through the difficult conditions, to Mrs Smith for looking after the ‘front of house’ so effectively in very challenging circumstances, to Mrs Mates for her organisation of the challenges presented at lunchtime this week and to Miss Hinton and Miss Mees for volunteering as impromptu Dinner Ladies on Wednesday when we were short staffed in the kitchen.

I must also say a thank you to our pupils, who have coped really well with the conditions and with having to stay indoors on playtimes and lunchtimes.

Parentmail
This week’s weather has again proved the value of the ParentMail texting service. Those parents that have returned their contact details were informed by text on Wednesday evening of Thursday’s closure. If you have not yet signed up to receive ParentMail text alerts, please collect a form from the school office. This is an additional, value-added, service that we buy in order to provide up to the minute information for parents.

Absence from school and withdrawal from lessons
I was very disappointed on Wednesday that the actions of some parents caused very significant disruption for all children and staff throughout the school day. Conditions on Wednesday were no worse… and in some aspects were much, much better… at 3.10pm than they were at 10.00am, when parents began withdrawing children. I appreciate that there is panic throughout the country at the first sign of snow. It is, however, often prudent to ‘wait and see’, rather than adding to the panic.

That another school in the vicinity closes is not a valid reason to withdraw a child from lessons in a school that is open. Similarly, having left work early is not a valid reason for withdrawing your child from school while the school is still in session. Absence or withdrawal from school during the day without valid reason is recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Christmas Fair
We continue to seek donations for our Christmas Fair - Teddy Bears, unwanted gifts, toys and anything else that we can use and sell on. Our PTA Christmas Fair takes place on Saturday 11th December. Please come along and join in the fun. All funds raised by our PTA goes towards equipment for our children in school. PTA funds have in the past paid for playground equipment, Wet Play resources, Sports Kit, Nintendo DS’s and more.

If you are able to offer help to our PTA on the Christmas Fair or any other project, please contact Jenny Curgenven or Angela Ross.

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces will be open for business from Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd December from 8.00am to 5.30pm. Anyone interested in booking a place please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

Fever!
We are advised by the Health Protection Agency that any child displaying a fever should be sent home immediately. Children should not return to the school until they have had at least 48 hours without fever or flu symptoms. Mouths should be covered when coughing and paper tissues used when noses are blown. If your child has a cold, please ensure s/he has a pocket-sized pack of tissues with them at school. Flu viruses can be carried on hands and in the air. Regular hand washing, blown and wiped noses and catching sneezes all help to prevent the spread of germs. Those affected by fever should rest and drink plenty of water. This will speed up recovery. Small amounts of paracetamol should make things more comfortable. Most people affected by flu–like illness will start to improve after 2 to 3 days - children tend to get better quicker than adults. Rarely, those affected by flu-like illness may develop breathing problems. If that happens they should contact their GP.

Lunchtime Staff Required
We seek to make a further appointment to our lunchtime staff. We have a very high ratio of adults:pupils during lunchtimes as we view this as the best way of maintaining Health & safety and wellbeing for pupils. If you, or anyone you know, enjoy working with children and can offer an hour per day at lunchtimes… please get in touch with Mrs Smith in the School Office.

Have a great weekend... stay warm,
Mr Wilson

issue 11, 2010-11, 26 Nov 10

Dear Parent/Carer,

Wintry Weather
There remains the chance of snow into next week. Given the problems that the snow seems to cause, please bear the following in mind: Unless informed otherwise, we will be open, even during snow…. Please do keep an eye on the Notice Board on the Homepage of the school website and listen in to local radio. Please do not ring school to check whether we are open…. The telephone instantly becomes overwhelmed and key staff are diverted from the vital work of co-ordinating staff arrival / absence, ensuring the safety of the school site, etc.

Winter Vomiting Virus
The Winter Vomiting Virus is sweeping the school at the moment. Many pupils and staff have either had it or have it. Please ensure that your child has a full 48 hours clear from the virus before they return to school.

Christmas Fair
We continue to seek donations for our Christmas Fair - Teddy Bears, unwanted gifts, toys and anything else that we can use and sell on. Our PTA Christmas Fair takes place on Saturday 11th December. Please come along and join in the fun. All funds raised by our PTA goes towards equipment for our children in school. PTA funds have in the past paid for playground equipment, Wet Play resources, Sports Kit, Nintendo DS’s and more.

If you are able to offer help to our PTA on the Christmas Fair or any other project, please contact Jenny Curgenven or Angela Ross.

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces will be open for business from Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd December from 8.00am to 5.30pm. Anyone interested in booking a place please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

Lunchtime Staff Required
We seek to make a further appointment to our lunchtime staff. We have a very high ratio of adults:pupils during lunchtimes as we view this as the best way of maintaining Health & safety and wellbeing for pupils. If you, or anyone you know, enjoy working with children and can offer an hour per day at lunchtimes… please get in touch with Mrs Smith in the School Office.

Playground Equipment
This week we have added permanent netball posts and a multi-ball game to the enormous variety of playground equipment at Robin Hood. These fantastic resources make an important contribution to the super play and lunchtime experiences enjoyed by our children.
Christmas Dates
Here are the Christmas dates, once more and in full……
Christmas Lunch – Thursday 9th December
PTA Christmas Fair – Saturday 11th December
Year 34 Afternoon Performance at Rodillian High School – 2.00pm Monday 13th December
Key Stage One Evening Performance – 6.00pm, Monday 13th December
Reception Christmas Performance – Tuesday 14th December, 9.00am
Key Stage One Afternoon Performance – 2.00pm Tuesday 14th December
Year 34 Evening Performance at Rodillian High School – 6.00pm Tuesday 14th December
Foundation & Key Stage One Parties – Wednesday 15th December
Christmas Panto – Wednesday 15th December
Key Stage Two Parties – Thursday 16th December
Christmas Church Service – 10.00am, Thursday 16th December
Carols Around The Tree – 2.30pm, Friday 17th December
Carols Around The Tree is an open-invite event, just like the Celebration Assemblies. Carols Around the Tree will replace the usual Celebration Assembly that day.
School closes for the Christmas Holidays on Friday 17th December and re-opens on Wednesday 5th January after a Training Day.

As you know, and unlike many schools, we do not charge parents and families to watch their children perform. Nor do we operate a ticketing system for performances. Past experience has proved that we are able to accommodate the numbers who attend performances. We vary performance times in order to support as many parents and families as possible to attend. We very much encourage you to come to at least one performance to help us celebrate.

Fantastic Staff
As you know, I regularly highlight the contributions of our fantastic staff via the newsletter. This week I would like to put both Mrs Friar and Mrs Mates in the spotlight. Mrs Friar has been working very hard along with a group of children to turn what was an ignored patch of ground at the back of the school into a wonderful functioning allotment. Even in the depths of winter the area looks brilliant, with rich potential for growth in the Spring and Summer. Mrs Mates is doing an absolutely fabulous job on a lunchtime while standing in for Mrs Hick, who is currently away visiting family in Australia. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and multi-talented staff at Robin Hood.

Wakefield Express
Our School Captains appeared in an article entitled ‘School scores hat-trick of awards’ in the Wakefield Express on Friday 19th November. The article celebrated the International Schools Award, the Stephen Lawrence Award and the European Quality Label Award. Well done to Ellie and Elias. Being photographed for the newspaper, as well as receiving awards at posh Awards Ceremonies, are just two of the many exciting jobs that our School Captains do.

Have a fantastic weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 10, 2010-11, 19 Nov 10

Dear Parent/Carer,

Donations
Many thanks to everyone who has made a donation to our Operation Christmas Child Appeal. As ever, there has been a very generous contribution made to the project by the Robin Hood school community. These gifts will bring happiness at Christmas to children around the world who live in very challenging circumstances. This truly is a cause that touches us all.

Many thanks to everyone who has made a Non-Uniform donation today to Child In Need. Again, this is a wonderful charity to support. It is important that our children gain an understanding of the importance of charitable giving in our world.

We continue to seek donations for our Christmas Fair - Teddy Bears, unwanted gifts, toys and anything else that we can use and sell on. Our PTA Christmas Fair takes place on Saturday 11th December. Please come along and join in the fun. All funds raised by our PTA goes towards equipment for our children in school. PTA funds have in the past paid for playground equipment, Wet Play resources, Sports Kit, Nintendo DS’s and more.

If you are able to offer help to our PTA on the Christmas Fair or any other project, please contact Jenny Curgenven or Angela Ross.

Nature Trail
PTA funds this year have been used to support the Nature Trail project. I am delighted to announce that the first phase of the Nature Trail, at the front of the Nursery, is now complete. This is now a wonderful outdoor learning resource for all of our children. My sincere thanks to Mrs Bailey for her vision and her leadership of this project.

Christmas Dates
Christmas Dates still to announce, in addition to those detailed in last week’s newsletter, are:
Christmas Church Service – 10.00am, Thursday 16th December
Carols Around The Tree – 2.30pm, Friday 17th December
Carols Around The Tree will replace the usual Celebration Assembly that day.
School closes for the Christmas Holidays on Friday 17th December.

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces will be open for business from Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd December from 8.00am to 5.30pm. Anyone interested in booking a place please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

Have a fabulous weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 9, 2010-11, 12 Nov 10

Dear Parent/Carer,

Children In Need
Children In Need takes place next Friday. To mark the day, we are having a Non-Uniform Day. We ask that children bring a minimum 50p donation for the Non-Uniform Day. All monies raised will be donated direct to Children In Need.

Year 5/6 Trip
Our Year 5/6 children enjoyed their trip to the Yorkshire Mining Museum on Monday this week. Though the day was very rainy, the visit was a great success.

Christmas Dates
Christmas Lunch – Thursday 9th December
PTA Christmas Fair – Saturday 11th December
Key Stage One Performance – 6.00pm, Monday 13th December
Reception Christmas Performance – Tuesday 14th December
Key Stage One Performance – 2.00pm Tuesday 14th December
Year 34 Performance at Rodillian High School – 6.00pm Tuesday 14th December
Foundation & Key Stage One Parties – Wednesday 15th December
Christmas Panto – Wednesday 15th December
Key Stage Two Parties – Thursday 16th December

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces will be open for business from Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd December from 8.00am to 5.30pm. Anyone interested in booking a place please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

Logos
I’m sure that the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed a re-jigging of our logos at the bottom of the page. We actually have more accreditations and kitemarks than we have space for. We are equally proud of them all…. So it was time to do a swap to ensure that they all get their rightful display.

Have a great weekend,
Mr Wilson

Friday 7 January 2011

issue 8, 2010-11, 5 Nov 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

I’ve had the pleasure of shaking many hands and distributing many Head teacher Stickers throughout this week, as every week. Please do make a big fuss of your child if s/he comes home with a Head teacher, or Deputy Head teacher, Sticker – it is just reward for a sterling effort. Rewarding with stickers means that 99.9% of both mine and Mrs Bailey’s contacts with our pupils are for highly positive reasons. These rewards are a key part of the culture of celebrating success at Robin Hood.

Year 56 Mining Topic
We again welcomed Tony Banks into school this week. Tony is an ex-miner who came into school to give a first hand account to our pupils about their local history. Tony and his ex-mining colleague Mike Dooley talked about life down the pit and the Lofthouse Pit Disaster.

Year 4 Residential
I’m delighted to say that our Year 4 residential to East Barmby was a fabulous success again this year. Well done to the children… and to the parents of our intrepid travellers – I saw only a few tears as the coach pulled away on Wednesday morning. On behalf of everyone, my sincere thanks to Miss Thackeray, Miss Nicholls, Mrs Charlesworth and Mr Thurlow for planning, risk assessing, leading and managing the trip. Without the dedication of staff who give willing of their time we would be unable to offer such fabulous learning opportunities to our children. Having two residential opportunities during Primary years is just one of the distinctive features of our school. Once pupils are in Year 6, of course, they have exciting adventures at Robinwood to look forward to…

Nursery Nature Trail
You may have noticed the work that is currently being carried out at the front of school, facing Leeds Road. We are using the funds raised by you and donated by our PTA to create a Nature Trail next to the Nursery building, which will be used by both the Nursery children and pupils throughout school. The initial phase of the work will create a pathway and add new planting into the area. Subsequent phases of the project will hopefully include seating, observation and working areas for children. Funds donated by you, via our PTA, are put to good use in school to provide features that we would otherwise have to do without. Many thanks for your efforts and thanks to our PTA.

Christmas Appeals
Our children are once again raising money at Christmas for our Uganda Appeal – our charitable work with our partner school in Uganda. The staff and students at Gayaza CU Primary School have been delighted to receive Christmas gifts, friendship tokens and learning resources from us during the past year. Please buy our Christmas CD or donate your old CD’s and DVD’s to our appeal to raise funds for another DHL parcel to be shipped out to Uganda. It is important for us all that we remember those less fortunate than ourselves at Christmas. The same sentiment applies to our Operation Christmas Child Appeal, which is running for the fourth successive year. This is a wonderful way to share a joyous Christmas with a child in another part of the world who might otherwise have had a less special Christmas.

Christmas Fair
If you haven’t already, please pencil our Christmas Fair into your diary. Jenny Curgenven and our loyal and hard-working PTA team are striving to put on a Fair that is better than ever. Come along, have fun, and give to a few good causes along the way.

Fancy Dress
We seem to be seeing increasingly elaborate decoration in school, particularly among our girls. Jewellery, rings, nail varnish and false nails, multi-coloured elastic bands, etc. Please remember that these are young children and we ask that parents observe school uniform rules. I have no objection to very discreet and appropriate decoration, if parents deem it absolutely essential, and as long as it is safe for the wearer and everyone else. Jewellery, dangly earrings, rings and false nails are not safe to wear in school. Could I also please remind parents about our black shoes or trainers rule. Our school dress rules are deliberately broad. That should mean that everyone is able to observe them easily.

Safety in the Car Park
I must once again ask that parents do not use the school Car Park for their own convenience. We have had two ‘near misses’ within the last week both before and after school with children and staff cars. Staff are not anticipating children running across the Car Park and exit gate before 8.00am and after 5.00pm – the times at which these incidents occurred. Parents who use the Car Park for the sake of a few metres walk are putting their child’s safety at risk, which is not acceptable under any circumstances. We have invested a great deal of our budget over a number of years in making the Car Park area safer for our children. It requires everyone’s co-operation to keep it safe. All parents, including those who use Friendly Faces and/or who have children at Extra-Curricular Clubs please respect this polite request and park safely by the Main Road, even if it is raining.

Have a safe Bonfire Night – I’ll be amongst the seventy thousand sparkler-holding souls at Roundhay Park tonight…
Mr Wilson

issue 7, 2010-11, 21 Oct 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

Half Term has arrived with lightning speed. They say that time flies when you’re having fun! We have enjoyed our Harvest Festival today – thanks to Miss Thackeray and Year 34 for their efforts, and for the parents who attended to make this such a special community event.

Football
Congratulations also to our Year 3/4 football team who excelled at the recent Oulton tournament, winning through to the final after an enthralling 5-3 win on penalties in the semi. The team was unlucky to lose 1-0 to St Mary's in the few seconds of the final.

Parent Consultations
Thanks to everyone who attended our Parent Consultations this week. Your active support is essential to your child’s learning. I spoke with many parents during the week and was delighted with the positive feedback.

PTA
This year’s PTA focus is to raise funds for the creation of a Nature Trail at the front of school by our Nursery. The idea is to have a pathway all the way around what is currently unused ground at the front of Nursery. Planted with scented flowers, shrubs and bushes, trees and the like, the area will provide a wide range of habitats that children from Nursery and Main School will be able to investigate, hunt for minibeasts, etc. The proposed plan will also help improve the look of the front area of the school, behind the fence next to Leeds Road.

After Christmas, our PTA proposes to launch a Monthly Lottery draw. There will be a 50/50 split of prize fund/funding to the PTA. The more people who join up, the bigger the monthly Lottery prize. Joining the Lottery will cost £1 per month, per number - £12 for the year. If two hundred parents join… that’s £100 per month as the Lottery prize and £100 contribution to the PTA. All PTA money goes direct into provision for your child in school.

Remember, our Christmas Fair takes place on Saturday 11th December this year. Volunteers are needed to help set up stalls on Friday night and to run stalls on the Saturday. If you are able to help, please contact Jenny Curgenven or Angela Ross. An active PTA is very important to the success of the school and can be a great focus for social and community events. Please support our PTA.

Comenius II
Miss Thackeray, Miss Hinton and I made the trip to Pisa, Italy, last week to begin a new European Union Comenius project for the pupils at Robin Hood. During the project, our children will have the opportunity to work with, learn about and learn from children in Norway, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Uganda
Continuing the International theme, our latest packages arrived in Uganda recently. This time we sent football kit, pens, pencils and books and digital cameras. Our friends at Gayaza CU Primary School were delighted to receive and have expressed their thanks to the Robin Hood pupils and community.

Have a great Friday, a fantastic weekend and a delightful Half Term,
Mr Wilson

issue 6, 2010-11, 15 Oct 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

Parent Consultations
Parent Consultations take place next week. There are no Clubs next week… except paid-for Music clubs.

Electronic newsletter
It is possible to receive the weekly newsletter via email direct to your Inbox. Please contact Mrs Smith at smiths31@leedslearning.net with the word newsletter as the Subject.

Robin Hood’s Got Talent
Congratulations to Paige Tye who will be performing in Sleeping Beauty at the Wakefield Christmas Pantomime in December this year.
Matthew Hambleton, Year 6, is representing Robin Hood for Leeds City Boys this year and is taking his footballing talents countrywide. Robin Hood certainly has got talent. If there is an achievement or accolade that you know that could be celebrated via our newsletter… please let me know.

If you haven’t yet seen one of our Robin Hood’s Got Talent weekly performances at the Friday Celebration Assembly, please do join us. I guarantee that you’ll see some extraordinary talent…

Mrs Friar
I would like to highlight the work of Mrs Friar in this week’s newsletter. As all of those parents whose children have been through our Reception class in recent years will know, Mrs Friar is a very talented member of the Early Years team. She is also a green-fingered guru! Mrs Friar, with the help of the Gardening Club, has transformed an area behind the Year 34 classroom into an allotment space, which will allow us to grow our own flowers and vegetables. Mrs Friar’s horticultural may soon become a challenger to Mr Binn’s Nursery Garden… We’ll have to see who can grow the biggest pumpkins!

PTA Christmas Fair
Our Christmas Fair takes place on Saturday 11th December this year. For events like the Christmas Fair, our PTA does struggle for support at times, and it is asking a great deal that the responsibility falls on the same people all of the time. I am very grateful for the good will that our PTA have shown over many years, but fear that our small. Loyal and hardworking band cannot go on forever. An active PTA is an important institution in every school. Over the years our PTA have raised funds for Easter Eggs, Christmas gifts, Christmas Pantomime, Indoor play equipment, Nintendo DS’s, outdoor play, Playground furniture… including the Adventure Play equipment… and the list goes on. Robin Hood School would be a much poorer environment for our children without these things and our children’s school experience would therefore be less fantastic than it is. Please support our PTA. Please see Jenny Curgenven or Angela Ross if you are able to offer help.

Have a fabulous weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 5, 2010-11, 8 Oct 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

Parent Consultations
We are holding Parent Consultations during the week beginning 18th October. Our recent Parent Questionnaire showed that most people prefer a mix of morning and after school appointments to choose from. Available appointment days and times per teacher have been sent out. Please return your slip asap in order to get your preferred time. Please make every effort to attend as an effective partnership between home and school is crucial to your child’s success.

Clubs
There will be no Clubs on the week of Parent Consultations, except the paid for Music Clubs.

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces is open during the Half Term holiday for bookings. We are unable to open on the Training Day due to staff taking leave that was pre-arranged prior to the school taking on responsibility for the setting. We will be opening for future Training Days and school holidays. Please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

Visitors in School
We were visited last week by Paul Rees, Education Consultant, Barnsley. Paul emailed ‘Having heard inspiring things about Robin Hood on many occasions it was great to see it in context. It has helped me see clearly how the effective use of resources can have a huge impact on a school.’

Lunchtime Staff Required
We are seeking to appoint a further addition to our lunchtime Supervisory staff. The post is for one hour and five minutes per day, 12.10pm-1.15pm. Our lunchtimes are brilliant times for the children. We want someone who will join in the fun and will help our children to enjoy their play.

PTA
The PTA AGM took place this week. My thanks to those parents who committed their time to the meeting. My thanks to those parents who have been stalwarts of the PTA over many years now. The PTA need more help, they need your help. If you are able to help, please contact Jenny Curgenven, Angela Ross or the school.
Our next Bags2School will take place on Fri 26th November

Leo Dale
Congratulations to Mrs Dale, her husband Alistair and son Evan on the birth of their new baby, Leo. Mother and baby are doing fine.

Have a great weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 4, 2010-11, 1 Oct 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

Visitors in School
On Monday we hosted a visit from colleagues from Sweden who are in the UK to study progressive teaching techniques. We are delighted to receive colleagues from the region and from overseas. This recognition reflects the exceptional work that is happening at Robin Hood, every day.

Community Groups
Morning Monsters Playgroup is to re-form and return to the Church Hall at Christ Church, Lofthouse. Helen Grimes and Jane Stolycia will be running the Wednesday morning group, 9.15am–11.15am. Jane Wardell and Georgie Hambling will be running the Monday afternoon Buttercups (pre-school and carers) group, 1.15pm-2.45pm.
Both groups run term time only.

Kitchen Assistant Required
10 hours per week, 12.00pm – 2.00pm. £6.39 per hour. Contact Elaine Rowden or Helen Moorhouse on 0113 2149556

Parent Governors Elections
My thanks, congratulations and welcome to Stephanie Findlay, Elliot in Nursery, Shaun Turner, father of Archie in Nursery and Michael Devaney, father of Zatoria in Year 6, who put themselves forward as prospective Parent Governors. As they were the only nominations received, they are duly elected to the Governing Body. I look forward to working alongside them for the next three years.

Individual School Photographs
Individual School Photographs will be taking place next week on Wednesday 6th October.

Friendly Faces
Friendly Faces is open during the Half Term holiday for bookings. We are unable to open on the Training Day due to staff taking leave that was pre-arranged prior to the school taking on responsibility for the setting. We will be opening for future Training Days and school holidays. Please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148 or friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com

James Driver
The Three Peaks Walk to raise money for James new wheelchair has been temporarily suspended after James’ Mum hurt her foot. She hopes to put in the order in for his chair in October. Any further donations to James’s wheelchair appeal can be made via school…. Please seal any monies in an envelope, clearly marked James Driver Fund, and deposit in the silver postbox outside the School Office.

Have a fabulous weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 3, 2010-11, 24 Sep 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

Visitors in School
We welcomed Brad Nelson, Principal at Ruyton Girls School, Melbourne, Australia, to Robin Hood last week. Brad is in the UK looking at Best Practice in schools up and down the country. He spent a couple of hours with us and was keen to find out about our curriculum and teaching methods.

Clubs
Our School Clubs are now in full swing. I am delighted that we offering an incredible fifteen Extra Curricular Clubs this year that includes Guitar, Spanish, Gardening, Choir and much, much more. These Extra Curricular Clubs are attended by an equally incredible 215 children… three quarters of our main school pupil population. My thanks to Mr Simpson for his leadership in this area and to every member of staff who contributes their time and energies to this work.

Spanish Language Assistant
We are delighted to have Sara Alonso Jimeno from Leon, Spain joining us on 1st of October as our Spanish Language Assistant for this year. This is the fourth year that we have been involved in this programme. It is very helpful for our language teaching that we have a native speaker who is able to model the language and pronunciation.

Rothwell Music Centre
Rothwell Music Centre, funded by Leeds City Council, runs at Royds School on Saturday mornings during term time. The aim of the Centre is to encourage people of all ages to get involved with music. Instruments are available to hire and no previous musical knowledge is necessary. If you are interested contact S A Smith, Head of Rothwell Music Centre at Royds School.

School Uniform
Finally, a plea that I am sure will be repeated again…. Please help us to help you by ensuring that all items of school clothing are clearly labelled with your child’s name. It is crucially important that you help us with this. We are able to return property quickly to it’s rightful owner if it is labelled. Name labels can be purchased from High Street suppliers and from our school uniform suppliers.

PTA AGM – Change of time
Please note that the PTA AGM on Wed 29th September begins at 7.00pm, not the 6.00pm quoted in last week’s newsletter.

Have a fantastic weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 2, 2010-11, 17 Sep 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

My thanks to all those parents who attended our Parent Meetings this week. These meetings are part of our commitment to effective communication with parents that will help our children to enjoy, and achieve in, school. I hope that you all now know your child’s new teacher and are aware of those things that will help your child to be successful in school this year.

Diary Dates
Key dates for your diary this year include:
The remaining Training Days this year are on Fri 22 Oct, Tues 4 Jan, Fri 8 July
Our PTA events this year include the Christmas Fayre Sat 4 Dec
Summer Fayre Sat 25 June
Leavers Disco Fri 15 July
The full school calendar for the year can be downloaded from:
http://www.educationleeds.co.uk/DisplayText.aspx?pageNo=104

PTA AGM
The PTA Annual General Meeting will be held in school on Wed 29th September at 6.00pm – 7.00pm. All parents are warmly welcomed.

E-twinning Award
Well done to Miss Thackeray for her efforts in developing International friendships that have been recognised by the E-twinning Award. Miss Thackeray has been instrumental in establishing an Arts-focused partnership between nine European schools, including Robin Hood, that has now led to a formal two-year Comenius partnership. As part of this work, we will be working with schools in Italy, Norway, Austria and the Czech Republic.

International Schools Award
My thanks also to Mrs Wathen for her leadership, commitment and enthusiasm that have led to the re-accredition of our International Schools Award. We view the International curriculum as a vitally important part of our children’s education for life in the inter-connected twenty first century world.

Bikes, Dogs and Sweets
A reminder that bikes and dogs are not allowed on school property due to Health & Safety concerns around small children. Sweets – including cough and sore throat sweets – should not be brought into school. We ask all members of the community to respect these requests.

Have a fabulous weekend,
Mr Wilson

issue 1, 2010-11, 7 Sep 10

Dear Parent / Carer,

We have an early start for the newsletter this term. Newsletters will commence their usual Friday distribution next week. There is a weekly newsletter for parents from both me and the teaching team in each phase of school.

Firstly, may I wish everyone a warm welcome back to school. May I extend a particular welcome to children and parents who are new to our school.

I must also welcome Miss Lambert (Reception), Miss Mees (Y1/2), Mrs Moore (Y5/6), Mrs Charlesworth(Y3/4) to our teaching staff this year and welcome Mr Thurlow to the team at Robin Hood. Mr Thurlow will be with us full-time from September under a Route Into Headship Programme supported by Education Leeds that is designed to help those people with the required skills and qualifications back into School Leadership after a period in other education fields. Until the summer, Mr Thurlow was the Manager of the South Leeds City Learning Centre and an education advisor and consultant. Before that, he was a very successful Deputy Headteacher in a Primary School. Mr Thurlow joins us as Associate School Leader – to work alongside children, staff, Governors, Mrs Bailey and I to sharpen his appreciation of planning, organisation and day-to-day matters in school that will support his applications for School Leadership roles. As you may know, there is a national shortage of suitably qualified candidates for Headteacher posts. We are delighted to be adding Mr Thurlow’s skills to our team and to support his career transition.

We look forward with eager anticipation to the new skills and experiences that all new staff bring to our school.

As ever, Mrs McGrail, Mrs Hick and Mrs Wyman have been working hard throughout the summer to create the wonderful environment that we welcome our children back to. Many of our staff have spent a significant amount of time in school during the summer preparing. We have an incredibly dedicated and hardworking group of people at Robin Hood. I must pay a particular tribute to Mr Reynolds for his outstanding efforts in making our school look as fantastic as it did on opening day yesterday. Mr Reynolds takes great pride in his work, which is evident wherever you look at Robin Hood.

Parent Welcome Meetings
We will be hosting Welcome meetings for parents in each phase of school next week. These meetings are designed to provide more detailed information about the year ahead in school, about expectations for the year, reading information, etc. Please make every effort to attend. Parent Welcome Meetings take place in your child’s classroom on:
Monday 13th September
1.30 – 2.00 for parents of Reception children (we will provide play facilities for the children for the duration of the meeting)
2.30 – 3.00 for parents of Key Stage One (Year 1 & 2) children
The parents of children in Key Stage Two can join their child in their classroom at:
3.00 – 3.30 Lower Key Stage Two (Year 3 & 4) children
3.15 – 3.45 Upper Key Stage Two (Year 5 & 6) children
Wednesday 15th September
8.30 – 9.00 and 3.30 – 4.00 for parents of Nursery children

Friendly Faces
As you will know, the school has taken on the day-to-day management of the Friendly Faces Before and After School Childcare facility this year. We are looking forward to this exciting opportunity to work even more closely with parents and children at Robin Hood and to provide a level of service that matches that of main school. There are a few childcare spaces that remain available. Please contact Louise Parker on 07810071148.

We are keen to ascertain demand for full day Childcare at the Club on Training Days and during school holidays. If you are interested in this, please contact Louise at friendlyfacesatrobinhood@gmail.com Priority will be given to those children who already attend the Club.

Parent Governor Elections
Our first full Governing Body Meeting of the new school year takes place on Mon 18th October, by which time we hope to have three newly elected Parent Governors. Election forms will be distributed shortly. Parent Governor is a very important role for the school that requires commitment, energy and enthusiasm. Please consider standing for a Governance role.

James Driver
Those of you who know James will be aware that he has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. James now needs a new wheelchair. He can get funding for a basic 'heavy' chair that he would need assistance with but James and his Mum would like a lightweight model that would give him greater independence, at a cost of £2,500.

Tracy Driver, Amanda Simpson, Tara and Andy Boak, all parents at Robin Hood Primary School, walked two and a half of the Three Peaks last Saturday to raise money for a new wheelchair for James. They started at 7 am in Horton-in-Ribblesdale but were eventually beaten by nightfall. They are going back to complete the trek within the next few weeks. Anyone wishing to sponsor, support or get involved in fundraising for James should contact Tracy, Amanda, Tara or Andy. Donations can be made via school…. Please seal any monies in an envelope, clearly marked James Driver Fund, and deposit in the silver postbox outside the School Office.

Welcome back.
Mr Wilson