School News
11 September 2015
Key messages from this letter:
 Jeans for Genes day: Friday, 18 September
 Secondary transfer letters; Y6 parents
important info and action required.
 Returning of forms for the office: deadline
for return Friday, 11 September.
 Dates list available on website – useful to
help keep you informed.
 2016/17 Calendar available on website, note
there are 3 additional INSET dates to be
arranged.
Dear Parents / Carers
Already the first week has passed by and we are
delighted to see how well the children have settled
in to their new classes. In particular, in Year 3 the
vast majority of children are very happy and have
adapted to the routines of the Junior School. If
your child is taking a little time to settle, don’t
worry! We are here to help them and work with
you. Please let us know.
We were pleased to welcome so many of you to
our Year meetings which took place this week. If
you were unable to attend your child will have
brought a copy of your Year’s booklet home for
your information. Should you have anything
urgent or sensitive to discuss with either your class
teacher or the Deputy or Headteacher, please
make an appointment through the school office or
pop in and see us at the end of the day.
Alternatively, there is always someone available at
the Glynrosa entrance in the morning.
During the summer holidays, work was carried out
to repair our drains and in addition general
refurbishment work around the school was
completed. Some further work will be required on
the drains and this is scheduled to take place
during the October half-term holiday.
As many of you will be aware we have introduced a
new phone system. On ringing you will be
presented with 4 options.
Option 1 - to leave a message about the absence of
your child. Alternatively you may wish to email.
Option 2 – to speak to Sue Jackson, the Business
Manager.
Option 3 – to leave a general message.
Option 4 – to speak to Reception.
Please do let us have any feedback on this new
system, positive or negative.
We would like to invite parents who would like to
volunteer to assist with activities, both in and out
of the classroom, to email Reception with their
contact information and details of any
“specialisms” you may have.
L Pajak
Head Teacher
A Safe Start to the Year
You may be reassured to know that during the first
assemblies of the term, we talk frequently about how
to remain safe both in school and when travelling to
and from. On the first day, we conducted a ‘walkthrough’ fire alarm and all children’s medical
information has been updated and shared with all
staff based on the information we have been given.
Your child should know:
 If they can go home on their own (Year 5 and
6 can, younger children need written
permission in the home to school planner).
 How to be safe when walking home: stranger
danger, being seen and road safety have all
been raised.
 What to do if the person collecting them does
not turn up.
 Safe behaviour in and around school.
 Routines after clubs.
If your child is unsure of any of these points, please
let us know in the planners so we can raise them
again. In the following weeks, as well as revisiting the
points above, we will be covering other issues such
as being safe on-line and anti-bullying.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Charlton Kings Junior School:
Tel: 01242 526171
Email: reception@charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
www.charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
Year 6 Secondary Transfer
The letter giving details about the process and
deadlines for indicating your secondary school
preferences was sent home on Thursday, 10
September. This letter contains key information
about the process, your UID which will be needed to
apply online (which is Shire Hall’s preferred method)
and directions to the guidance available on the Shire
Hall website. The deadline for applications is
Saturday, 31 October.
Governor News
We have several changes to the school’s Governing
Body this year. Firstly we are sad to be saying
farewell to Wendy Harbutt and John Shields, both of
whom have served as Chair and also given immense
support to the school, pupils and staff for a number
of years. In addition, Mrs Freeman who was one of
our staff governors is standing down. We would like
to thank Mrs Freeman for her contributions to the
governing body. Secondly we would like to welcome
our new Chair who has written a short biography
below.
My name is Caroline Parker and I have served as a
governor at CKJS for the past year. My daughter,
Harriet, has just joined Year 3 and is loving every
minute. My election to Chair of Governors took place
in September 2015 and I am immensely proud to
serve the school in this way. My intention is to
continue the sterling work of the previous Chair; and
by working very closely in partnership with Mr Pajak,
the staff, pupils and Governing Body, promote the
vision and aims of the school.
Introduction to new topics
Year 3
On Monday morning, Year 3 found some
large, mysterious footprints on the field. With
careful detective work, we decided a dinosaur must
have broken into the school at the weekend and
gone for a swim in our swimming pool! We
considered the shape of the footprints and used our
maths skills to work out how big the dinosaur was.
Using this evidence, we decided it must have been a
tyrannosaurus rex! Luckily, no one was eaten!
Year 4
We have started our topic learning all about the
Romans and their fascinating impact on the local
area. Next week we will investigate a chest of
Roman treasures from the Corinium Museum. We
are looking forward to our Roman themed day and a
trip to Chedworth Roman Villa later on this term.
Year 5
We started off our topic of Rulers and Explorers by
studying a variety of artefacts from everyday Tudor
life. It was fun trying on the costumes and also
trying to work out what the artefacts were used for
and whether we have a modern equivalent and, if
so, how it had changed.
Year 6
Year 6
We are very excited about our visit to the
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway later
this month. Pupils and staff will all be dressing up as
evacuees and experiencing life as it was during World
War 2 having an opportunity to fire fight, live
through an air raid and be allocated accommodation
and jobs as farm workers.
Online Payments
A reminder that payment for school activities
should now be made using the online payment
system. This is available for all payments to the
school including lunches, school trips, music fees,
Gift Aid and Voluntary contributions.
The system is a quick, easy and safe method of
transferring money and provides an audit trail for
checking payments. The school bank information
which is required to set up a payee is:
Sort code: 309187
Account number: 60431568
Account name: Charlton Kings Junior School
Reference: Your child’s surname and class
Please email the Business Manager on
admin@charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk if you
require any assistance.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Charlton Kings Junior School:
Tel: 01242 526171
Email: reception@charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
www.charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
Balcarras Lunches
The menus for these are available on the school
website. There is a four weekly rotation of menus as
follows:
Week 1 – week beg 7 September and 5 October
Week 2 – week beg 14 September and 12 October
Week 3 – week beg 21 September and 19 October
Week 1 – week beg 28 September and 28 October
Occasionally Balcarras are unable to provide meals
for the school or the menu is changed, you will be
notified of this.
The kitchen team have informed us that they do not
use nuts in any of their meals but some of the
ingredients are labelled as possibly having a trace of
nuts.
We send out text messages to inform you when your
balance is running low or indeed has run out. If you
have any queries regarding these messages please
contact the School Business Manager.
Clubs
You should all have received a copy of the Autumn
Term Clubs List earlier this week. A copy may also be
found on the school website. On the reverse of the
list was a letter outlining our philosophy with regards
to children attending clubs.
If your child is interested in joining a club they can
collect a letter from the teacher in charge of the club
before the first session. If the club is at lunchtime
they simply turn up. Note that we are waiting for
confirmation of the start date for Hockey at
Balcarras.
Dates for your Diary
A copy of this was sent home with children on
Thursday of this week. Note that there will be
additional dates to add which we will inform you of
as appropriate. This Diary together with the
provisional calendar for 2016/17 have both been
uploaded to the website.
Please note that the date for the October half-term
holiday is:
Thursday 22 October until Monday 2 November
inclusive. The children will finish school at 3.10 on
Wednesday, 21 October and return on Tuesday, 3
November. Monday 2 November is an INSET day
for staff only.
La Jolie Ronde French and Spanish
This is a reminder that French and Spanish classes
start next week. If your child is in Year 3 or 4
Classes take place on a Monday lunchtime for
Spanish and Tuesday lunchtime for French. The
classes follow the programme developed by La
Jolie Ronde which has been in operation for over
30 years and at CKJS is run by native speakers.
Other time slots may be available. If your child is in
Year 5 or 6 and there are enough children who
want to boost their language skills before moving
onto senior school, we may also be able to offer a
class to those children. Our aim to encourage the
children to enjoy languages in a relaxed, fun
environment and the benefits that brings in the
long run. We are currently building our website
which would give you access to homework and
other online resources. We will keep you posted!
If your child is in Year 3 or 4 and would be interested
in attending a taster session on Monday (Spanish) or
Tuesday (French) please email me by return and I will
advise the tutor to collect your child from their
classroom at lunchtime.
To find out more and to confirm your child's place
please email Lesley Dessalles, La Jolie Licensee on
lesley@imbellis.com or speak to Mrs Parrott.
PTA News
PTA AGM - Monday 28 September - 8pm at school.
Everyone is very welcome to attend, especially any
new members.
PTA Disco - Friday 2nd October – in the school hall.
Years 3 and 4 from 6pm-7pm and Years 5 and 6
from 7.15-8.15pm. Please collect your child
promptly. The entrance fee is £3 payable on the
door to include a drink and a packet of crisps.
Jeans for Genes Day - Friday 18 September
CKJS are supporting this worthwhile
event. Children (and staff) are invited to wear
jeans to school next Friday (normal school uniform
on top half) and to bring in a donation for the
charity.
Old Uniform
We have some of the old style uniform, sweatshirts
and PR tops, available at half price if anyone is
interested in purchasing items. There are a few old
style book bags as well, also at half-price.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Charlton Kings Junior School:
Tel: 01242 526171
Email: reception@charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
www.charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
Choir
The CKJS choir have been specially invited to perform
at a Rugby World Cup event being held in the
Imperial Gardens, Cheltenham on Saturday, 12
September. This event is to welcome the Tongan
rugby team to the town as Cheltenham is hosting
them for the tournament. If you want to come along
and support both the choir and the team, or simply
enjoy some of the activities, the afternoon
commences at 3 and finishes at 6. The choir will be
singing from 4 pm.
Newsletters
This copy has been sent home in paper form as it is
the first one. In future, newsletters will be emailed
to parents and posted on the school website. We
will also text parents so that you know a newsletter
has been published. Note that they do not
necessarily appear every week.
Shoelaces
If your child is not yet able to tie their shoelaces
there are a number of helpful videos which may be
found by doing an internet search.
Good luck to the new choristers in their first outing!
Competition Winners
We are delighted to announce that two children
from CKJS, Ella Macfadzean in 6g and Gracie Keith
in 5R, won a competition run by the Co-op to
design a recycling poster. Their winning entries are
shown below:
Ella
Gracie
Both girls have been awarded a prize and in
addition the school has been given a sum of £250
to spend. We will announce at a later date what
this money has been used for.
Childcare Vouchers
A number of parents/carers have enquired about
using Childcare Vouchers in payment for visits and
other activities provided by school.
The regulations for the use of Childcare Vouchers
are that they can be used for activities that are
seen as "qualifying childcare" and must take place
outside of normal school hours and not be part of
the child's education. A typical example for their
use would be a Breakfast Club or Afterschool Care.
We are therefore unable to accept Childcare
Vouchers as a contribution towards visits, music
lessons or any other donation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Charlton Kings Junior School:
Tel: 01242 526171
Email: reception@charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk
www.charltonkings-jun.gloucs.sch.uk