Cheriton Bishop Community Primary School

Snippets from the Classroom and Beyond

No W64 November 2007

Where, oh where does the time go to? It’s half term already and another edition of Snippets is required. This last weekend has seen your correspondent fully engaged in helping with the Dartmoor Railway’s Diesel Gala up at Okehampton. This included a Beerex train from Okehampton to Kingswear and return on the Saturday evening. Your correspondent was the model of sobriety, not least because he attended the 1940’s Dinner in the Village Hall in Cheriton Bishop at the time of the Beerex train! The dinner in the village hall was a delightful affair with even a pair of seamed stockings in evidence. I digress. I am probably overstretching the “….and beyond” of the Snippets title!

I am delighted to report that work is well and truly under way with the new Staff Building. I have taken a few photographs of the site to illustrate the new building’s position with respect to classroom 2 and the rest of the area. The brick and concrete base has been laid and a start made on the erection of the wooden building. I had to borrow a camera from Brian B-E. As luck would have it, my own camera gave up the ghost when I went up to take the shots. The new facilities are going to make a great difference to the working lives of the staff. Let’s hope that the weather remains clement to expedite the completion of the project.

OK then, what has been happening since last I put pen to paper? The school has received a letter of thanks from Age Concern in Crediton thanking them for the produce collected at the Harvest Festival in the Methodist Church. The Jeans for Genes Day raised the princely sum of £73. A further £13 was received from a local business bringing it up to £86. Well done to all concerned. Netball and Soccer had a mixed result from the Primary Area Tournament held on 17^th October. Everybody played their hearts out and thoroughly enjoyed the Tourney.

Do you ever get irritated by those pesky little fivepenny pieces and pennies in your pockets? What about the bigger coins that wear a hole in your pocket? The school will be supporting a “Loose Change” charity which provides the street children of Romania with shelter and food. There will be a “Loose Change Day” on 2^nd November at the school when the children will be asked to bring a little bit of loose change with them for the charity. Mrs Brimacombe will be knitting a Pudsey Bear from Alpaca wool for auction on Children in Need Day on 16^th November. There will also be a cross country run on that day at Tedburn with years 3,4,5 and 6 taking part. Final details will be published when they are received.

A touch of Domestic Science is back on 1^st November – Baking Day! The whole school will be participating in a Kids Connect Baking Day (am I old fashioned? I just don’t like the term “Kids”) This organisation’s aim is to teach children the facts about food. It looks to be a good programme they will be following and they have the benefit of being able to take the bread home after they have made it. Class 3 will be baking Roman bread to link up with their topic on Romans. Did you know that 2008 is The Year of Food and Farming? You do now!

The school will be celebrating Halloween on 31^st October and the school council have come up with some of their own ideas for the celebration. There will be a competition for the Scariest Halloween Costume in each class. Pumpkins should be brought to the school for carving out and then illuminated from 3.30pm. They will be put into the school hall and around the grounds. The children are also asked to bring a spooky story or poem to be read out during the day. I reckon I should join the “Grumpy Old Men” team. This has all got so American these days. Cease grumbling.

The School Council is promoting the recycling of green plastic milk bottle tops. Any such tops should be brought to school for recycling into Green Wellies. They are also investigating energy saving initiatives within the school. I think that projects like these are an excellent way of getting the “waste” message across.

On, then, to the diary:-

31^st October – Halloween Celebrations-3.30-5.00pm

1^st November – Baking Day – Whole School

2^nd November – Loose Change – Non-uniform Day

14^th November – Literacy Evening – Reading/Spelling/Phonics

16^th November - Cross Country Event – Children in Need

4^th December – Full Governors Meeting – 7pm

14^th December – Carol Service – St Mary’s Church – 2pm and 6.30 pm

17^th December – Children’s Christmas Parties

18^th December – Pantomime, Northcott Theatre – Cinderella – Whole School

18^th December – Autumn Term Ends

3^rd January 2008 – Spring Term Begins

So there we have it. Next stop - Christmas

PGR