Gray’s Farm News
18th September 2014
Welcome
Welcome back after the holidays; I trust you all had an enjoyable summer.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new members of staff. Mrs Bali as a year 4 teacher,
Miss Wallington as a teaching assistant in Year 3, Mrs Sawyer as a teaching assistant in year 5 and Miss Turner who will be
doing some of the PPA cover. We would also like to welcome back Miss Cresswell who got married in the holidays and is
now Mrs Appleton.
We have also had some work completed in school over the holidays. We have lovely new carpet fitted throughout the
school, the mobile classrooms updated and painted and we have had some beautiful pictures put up around the school. We
are all working hard to make our school the best it can be!
The Gray’s Farm 5
In line with our behaviour policy, we have had some new signs put round the school to remind all the children about good
behaviour.
The 5 points are:
 We are polite and kind to others.
 We bring a positive attitude to school.
 We always try our best.
 We are proud of our school.
 We make the right choice.
Uniform
It is nice to see so many children wearing uniform with the new logo on it; they all look very smart. The
online service at Tesco is now up and running. I know there have been a few teething problems but
hopefully all future orders will run smoothly. Full details of where and how you can order uniform are on
the school website.
Please ensure that ALL uniform is labelled with your child’s name, even if it is only written on with an
indelible pen. Each week, coats, shoes and whole PE bags are put in lost property as they are not named.
Jeans for Genes
Just a reminder that Gray’s Farm will be taking part in this year’s Jeans for Genes Day tomorrow.
1 in 25 children has a genetic disorder that makes their life very difficult. That’s one in every class. By
wearing our jeans/skirts and donating, we will change these children’s lives.
All children are invited to wear their jeans or denim skirt with their school top to help Jeans for Genes Day reach its target of
£2million. If you would like your child to take part, please send them in with a £1 donation.
Free £25 Tesco Voucher
Thank you to those of you that have filled in your free school meal application forms, you will be pleased to hear
that your £25 Tesco voucher will be with you within the next week or so. If you think you may be entitled to free
school meals because of the benefits you are receiving, please call into the office for an application form.
Universal Free School Meals
As from this September, all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be offered a school meal, free of
charge. Please note, this is separate to the FREE SCHOOL MEAL eligibility, you will still need to
complete an application form to qualify for your £25 Tesco voucher.
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Macmillan Coffee Morning & Open Day – Tuesday 30th September
You will be now have received a letter about the coffee morning we are holding to raise money for Macmillan the cancer
support charity. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the day.
Each class will have a set time in the hall when parents will be invited to come in, meet the class teacher/TA’s, see their
children and buy a coffee and a cake.
Main Hall
10.15-10.45am
Year 3
11.45 –
12.15pm
1.15 – 1.45pm
Year 4
2.45 – 3.15pm
Year 5
Year 2
Dining Hall
9.30 –
10.00am
11.00 –
11.30am
2.00 –
2.30pm
Year 6
Reception
Year 1
Clubs
Letters are going out this week about clubs we will be running this term for the children. Please fill them in and return them
promptly to secure a place for your child. We would like to say a big thank you to all teachers who give up their free time to
run clubs after school and in their lunch hour.
Guitar Lessons
We have the chance of a teacher coming in to give guitar lessons to children. Although we don’t have
details at the moment, we would like to know if you are interested in your child having lessons. Please
office know and once we have details of the cost, we will contact you.
specific
let the
Voluntary Work in School
We are happy for parents to come in and listen to readers in class on a voluntary basis, but we unfortunately are unable to
accommodate any placements for anyone attending college. Please speak to a member of staff if you are interested.
Medication
Could we please remind all parents that we can only administer antibiotics to children if four doses a day
are required. The medication must be clearly labelled with the child’s name and the relevant dose printed
on the bottle. A permission form must also be filled in which you can get from the school office.
KS1 Outside Learning Area
Could all parents please be aware that the fenced areas outside Reception and Year 1 classes are learning areas
and should not be used as a cut through by anyone dropping off or picking up children.
Diary of Events
30th September
Macmillan coffee morning
15th October
School photographer in
27th Oct-3rd Nov
Half term holiday
4th November
Homefront Bus in for Year 6
5th November
Year 6 trip to War Museum
6th November
Year 6 trip to Chislehurst Caves
7th November
Year 6 VE Party
Allergies
As I am sure you are all aware, we have several
children in the school with severe peanut
allergies. In order to keep them safe, we
continue to ask all parents/carers to please be
vigilant when packing their children’s lunches or
sending food into school.
We thank you for continuing support in
ensuring that our children at Gray’s Farm
Primary Academy are kept safe.
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