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
