Addiscombe Road, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 2AE
Telephone: (01202) 485851 Fax: (01202) 479149
E-mail: office@christchurchinf.dorset.sch.uk www.christchurchinf.dorset.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mrs. J. S. Ashenden
Newsletter 4
Friday 16th October 2015
Dear Parents and Carers,
My thanks to parents for attending our PTFA meeting last week. Such support is invaluable, not only in strengthening the feeling of community in the school but also for raising funds for your children. Special thanks must go to our PTFA officers, Penny, David, Amy and Lisa and the regular PTFA ‘team’ for all their hard work and support. This term the PTFA are busy organising the following activities:
Year 1 & Year 2 Discos - Thurs 5 th November.
Although no actual tickets are given out, children’s places can be booked and paid for on Tues 3 rd & Weds
4 th November from 2:45pm at the end of the Year One corridor (outside). Help is needed in supervising the discos so please contact the PTFA or leave your name at the school office.
Mufti dates –
Fri 20 th Nov - The theme for the day is ‘HATS’ so your child can come to school in Non Uniform and wearing a hat of their choice! In return we simply ask for donations of good quality toys, books, CDs, DVDs, smellies, unwanted gifts for the tombola, raffle, etc. Help is needed on the morning of Friday 20 th November to sort through all the donated items and prepare them for the fair. Come along during the morning and lend a hand.
Fri 4 th Dec - The theme for the day is ‘CHRISTMAS’ so your child can come to school in a Christmas outfit or simply wearing red and green colours (but please, no tinsel!). In return we ask for donations of the following:-
Foundation -
Year One -
Year Two -
Cakes (home-made are always the best!)
Chocolates or bags of sweets
Hamper items (e.g. wine, jam, biscuits, chutney etc)
(please ensure all items are within use by dates)
Lots of help is needed all day on this Friday so please help if you can. We need to get
Santa’s Grotto ready for his arrival on Saturday, set out stalls etc.
Christmas Fair – This takes place on Sat 5 th December between 12:00 and 2:30 so please come along and join in the fun. If you can help before, during or after the fair that would be great (mums, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles – the more the merrier!)
Another way you can help is to come in on one of our PTFA Drop-In Mornings .
Mon 9 th & Tues 17 th November from 9am – To help out, simply drop your child off at school and come in through the front office and join the team of parents preparing for the Christmas Fair – wrapping presents, sorting raffle tickets etc. You can bring younger siblings along as there are plenty of toys to play with and plenty of biscuits!
Surprise Santa – Tues 8 th & Weds 9 th December
Further details will follow, but if you would like to help show children round the gift shop which will be set up in school, then make a note in your diaries.
If you can help out at any of the above events please let one of the PTFA know or contact the school office who will pass your details on.

Tea Towels
This year the PTFA are organising for tea towels to be printed for each Year group with each child having drawn a picture on it. What a brilliant Christmas present for all the family! We will put a picture of the kind of tea towel that will be produced in each class window and a sample tea towel on display in the office foyer.
We simply ask that parents place orders in good time so we can get them printed and dispatched ready for
Christmas. So look out for the posters just after half term and make sure you place your orders as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment. All profits go towards additional outside tables and development of our science garden area.
‘Cash for Coins’
This is a scheme we run in school to raise funds for our PTFA who provide the school with so many amazing opportunities and experiences for the children. Our collection last year raised £244.95, so thank you to everyone who contributed. Simply collect up any foreign notes and coins (the y don’t have to be current) or any old British or Irish coins and either drop them into the school office or send in with your child
(in a sealed envelope please) via their bookbag. Many thanks.
Parent Teacher Consultations
These take place next week on Weds 21 st & Thurs 22 nd October between 3:30 pm & 6:30pm and are a valuable opportunity for parents to find out about how their child/ren are getting along. Please sign up for an appointment on the sheets on classroom doors. Please note Year 2 classes and FD consultations are taking place in the hall, all other consultations are taking place in the classrooms. All parents should enter through the front entrance and we encourage parents not to bring children to these meetings. If you cannot organise childcare then please ensure children are quiet when in the school so discussions are not disturbed.
Book Week – Mon 19 th to Thurs 22 nd October
My thanks to Miss Keefe for organising the activities for a busy four days. We have visits from Martyn the
Puppet Man (Hand to Mouth Theatre) and the author Jane Clark, as well as a storytime day on Monday when children can wear pyjamas + bring teddy bears and a favourite bedtime story. Please do try to send in a donation of £3 for your child. This pays for the live theatre and a day with our author – incredible value for money.
I know financially times are tough for everyone but schools are struggling too to cover costs and we have worked hard to ensure expenses are kept to a minimum.
Fair Funding for Dorset Schools
Parents are usually unaware that pupils in other counties are funded more generously than pupils in
Dorset. This has been a long standing issue for governors and schools and means that we have less money to spend on your child than if they were next door in Hampshire for example. The highest paid authorities get £6,300 per pupil this year, compared to an average of £4,200 in other counties - and Dorset is one of the lowest funded authorities in the country. Despite some previous government assurances this issue has still not been properly addressed and my local MP, Michael Tomlinson is willing to take up the matter on behalf of all Dorset schools. I would therefore ask all parents to spare a couple of minutes to pop into the school office and sign a petition asking for fairer funding for all schools (of all ages) in Dorset. All petitions need to be completed and sent to the House of Commons by half term so you only have a week to stand up for fair funding for your children and sign the petition. Thank you.
Playground Renovations
As you are only too well aware we are in the middle of extensive building works replacing drainage, guttering, downpipes etc. The children and staff are being brilliant in coping with the disruption and special thanks go to Mrs Johnson and Mr Millar for all their hard work. The work is going to go on for some time yet and will leave the playground and surrounding surfaces quite scarred and spoilt. The Local Authority have assured us that the affected areas will be resurfaced and reinstated once the works are completed. Whilst this is pleasing, it has also delayed the installation of our new play equipment which the PTFA have raised money for. However it is best that the new equipment gets installed correctly at the appropriate time and the PTFA have ring fenced the funds to ensure they are spent on what it was intended for. I will keep parents updated in the new year to see how the works are progressing.

New Staff
I am delighted to inform parents that Mrs Mary Turner is re-joining the school as a Senior Teaching
Assistant. We are pleased to have her back with us again and this enables the school to provide consistent cover in classes to ensure there is no loss of learning when teachers are out of class.
Facebook
It has been brought to the school’s attention by a number of very concerned parents, that a few parents have raised concerns on ‘Facebook’. Of course, if parents choose to make comments and raise concerns in this way, that is their choice. However, parents need to use a social media site responsibly. They must not name a member of staff, other parent or child, or make any personal comments about them. The staff would far prefer any concerns about your child’s education and welfare to be voiced with them direct. That way parents can get such concerns addressed quickly and staff are made aware of them through the proper channels – after all, surely that is what parents want? This is all part of the partnership that we are sure both parents and teachers wish to develop.
This matter has greatly upset all the teachers at the school, and caused unnecessary worry for other parents. Staff, quite rightly are not permitted to make any comments about children, parents, colleagues or the school on a social media site and I would strongly suggest parents review the purposes for which they use such forms of communication. Thank you for your continued support.
Congratulations to the following children for receiving Fabulous Friday Stickers:
Year 1
Week ending Friday 2nd October
Year 2
Week ending Friday 2 nd October
1DK Emily, Joel, Louis & Verity
1TN Silky, Henry & Poppy J.
1SH Austin, Olivia G. & Matthew B.
1LB Bronte, Emma, Amber, Samuel & George R.
Week ending Friday 9 th October
2RM Lucie, Claudia & Dylan W.
2SC Grace & Logan M.
2KS Alfie & Katie B.
2DG Millie & Connie
Week ending Friday 9 th October
1DK Owen, Audrey, Finley B. & Archie
1TN Oliver M & Harry B.
2RM Lewis, Eva & Dili
2SC Barnaby & Will
1SH Theo, Olivia L. & Eloise 2KS Freya B. & Riley
1LB Vinni, Gus, Star & Lilly 2DG Ella & Toby
School Photographer
The school photographer will be taking individual and sibling photographs of pupils on 10 th and 11 th
November. You may send your child in with a brush or comb but please tell them it is in their book bag! You can also sign up for a family photograph to be taken in the evening. Just sign up on the sheet at the school office for an appointment between 3:10 and 6pm.
Shoe Box Scheme
We will once again be running the Shoe Box Appeal for disadvantaged children in partnership with New
Milton Rotary. Forms for the boxes are available from the school office and boxes need to be handed in to us by Friday 6 th November.
Christchurch Food Bank
Thank you for all donations received so far for this worthy cause. The last day for our collection will be
Monday 19 th October.
Absence for Sickness/Tummy Upset
All parents should be aware of our “48 Hour Rule” . If your child has been sick or had diarrhoea then we ask you to keep your child off school until 48 hours have passed since the last incident, to avoid germs being passed on to other pupils or staff.

Helping out in School
If you haven’t already attended one of our information sessions this term, please see the note from Mr
Bowen and reply slip at the end of this newsletter regarding volunteering in school.
Reminders:
 Don’t forget to send in all data sheets (whether you have made alterations or not) to ensure that we have up to date information for your child/ren.
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If you require a space in Foundation in Sept 2016, or know of families requiring a space, please contact the school office to book a tour. The school tours are booking up very fast and we will organize additional dates if necessary.
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Mon 19 th Oct - Don’t forget next Monday is the start of our Book Week activities
! £3 donations needed please
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Fri 23 rd Oct - Teacher Training Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
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Mon 26 th to Fri 30 th Oct - Half Term Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED
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Mon 2 nd Nov
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Weds 4 th Nov
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Weds 4 th Nov
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SCHOOL RE-OPENS
Pastoral Support Drop-In Session from 8.45am
Foundation Curriculum Evening 6-7pm
All parents of Foundation children are asked to attend to find out what goes on in school and how they can best support their child’s learning.

Thurs 5 th Nov
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Mon 9 th Nov, 9am
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Tues 10 th Nov, 9am
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Tues 10 th Nov
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Weds 11 th Nov
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Year One & Year Two School Discos
School Nurse Drop-In Session
PTFA Drop-In morning
School Photos
School Photos (and Family Photos after school)
And finally our thanks to the following children who have applied for and been accepted as our ‘Playground
Buddies’! These children take on extra responsibilities in helping to run various activities at playtimes:-
2RM - Isaac, Dili, Lewis, Lucie, Claudia, Charlie H., Layla, Ellie, Ashton, Daniel, Benson, Brooke, Florence,
Rachel, Esme, Alfie W., Eva, Ella & Jake
2SC - Will, Jack, Mia, Oscar, Charlie, Logan M., Joshua, Lily-May, Imogen, Charlotte, Lucas H., Samuel,
Jamie & Molly
2KS - Iesha, Mikey W., Lily, Chlose, Mia, Katie B., Jonathan, Paolo, Jasmine, Robin, George, Amelia,
Macey, Ryan, Maria & Callum
2DG - Ralphie, James, Amelia, Oliver, Ryley, Luna, Georgia, Tyler K., Ezmi, Bethany S., Lukas, Samuel,
Finlay, Arthur, Ella, Millie & Faith
Thank you children!
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Ashenden
Headteac her

We always appreciate extra help in school, whether it’s reading with children, handwriting or working with a small group. This year, we are asking for all adults who are thinking about volunteering or who have volunteered before to attend a brief 20 minute meeting, about working in school, before starting in class. These meetings are designed for adults who are planning to volunteer straight away, later in the year and those who are interested in finding out if volunteering is for them. These Meetings will take place on:
Thursday 22 nd October 2015 at 9:00am
Friday 6 th November 2015 at 2:30pm
Please indicate on the slip below if and when you would like to attend. If you cannot make these dates, but know you are thinking about volunteering, please speak to Mr Bowen in 1LB.
............................................................................................................................................................
Name _________________________________ would like to attend the parent volunteer meeting.
I would like to the attend the meeting on ______________________________________________
(please indicate which day)