Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
As the term moves towards the next holiday, we are living up to being a Sports Gold Award school. This week is a week bursting with sporting activity. Children from different classes are taking part in a tennis tournament, road race and football match. Then a group of Year 5 children will be trained to be sports leaders on Friday. It doesn't stop there as, during the last week of term, Year 4 are at Hylton Red House Academy representing the school in a skipping competition and members of Years 5 and 6 are in a tag rugby competition.
I was delighted to have been invited to join Year 5 at the Sound Around with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Tuesday. It's not often that we have a chance to hear an orchestra so it's a real privilege to hear one of such prestigious standing.
Police in School
Our younger children have thoroughly enjoyed the workshops led by PC Graham Cook (Cookie) based around the scientific aspects of a police investigation. We are delighted that PC Cooke will be spending more time during the Summer term working with children as to how to recognise and deal with cyber bullying. He is very enthusiastic and, as one teacher said, had the children "eating out of the palm of his hands"!
Final Year Student
Today the Foundation Stage Unit has a new member of the team. Miss Bennington is a final year teacher training student who will be spending the next few weeks with us. We hope she learns much, enjoys her time with us and, by the end of her final placement, feels part of our school family.
Chocolate Monday....thank you to all our families for contributing to the Easter chocolate tombola today. Volunteers are busy organising your contributions to make the Easter Coffee afternoon, which is on Thursday 6th April, a very successful fundraising afternoon.
And finally....Last week we said "goodbye" to Mrs Dutton who has moved on to a full time classroom teacher job in a new school. Instead we welcome Miss Smith, who is working with groups and individuals throughout the school.
On Tuesday we are welcoming the fantastic M&M Theatre Productions who will be performing Treasure Island. The story is a real children's classic, the cost of which is subsidised by a grant awarded to the school in 2016 by the Ernest Cook Trust. We hope the children thoroughly enjoy the performance.
GRUESOME HISTORY
This week, being Shakespeare Week, our assemblies are based on stories from Tudor times. Today we heard about the fate of Anne Askew who was tortured and burnt at the stake during the time of Henry V111. She was an educated woman who wanted everyone to access the Bible in English, not Latin and she preached Protestant beliefs. Any preacher was subject to scrutiny in those times so a woman was doubly vulnerable!
SHAKESPEARE DAY
Being so close to World Book Week, we decided to have a Shakespeare Day instead of the traditional week long celebrations. There's nothing we enjoy more than hurling Shakespearean insults at each other!
By 2019 Every Child in Our School Will Receive £473 Less
The National Audit Office is warning of a national funding crisis for our schools. As costs for services, staffing, and resources rise, the new Fair Funding Formula for Schools may seem a wonderful idea but has forgotten to include inflation into their costings. This means that in our school, by 2019 the budget in real terms will be reduced by £86,146 which is equivalent to the cost of at least two teachers.
Headteachers are asking parents to support their school in a campaign to raise awareness of this crisis. It is in no way a political campaign against one party or another but to alert those in power to think of the consequences of underfunding schools. Some schools are preparing for a 4 day a week, others close are to close at lunchtime on a Friday and it will definitely mean classes of 35 plus for us. We do not want this for our children and, I am sure, in reality, neither does the Government.
We have a Governor's meeting later in March so will come back to you with a plan for sensible action. This will not impact on our school in 2017-18-the budget is set and, once again, we are ready to provide the very best education possible in 2017-18.
BUT LIFE AT SEABURN DENE IS STILL EXCITING. THIS WEEK IS SCIENCE WEEK!
As science is one of the subjects we are working hard to make outstanding in our school, we are launching into science week with gusto! There are furry creatures coming into school, helicopter and rocket making sessions, trips to the Great North Museum and a lunchtime club for every year group. We will catching rainbows, creating an Alka-Seltzer rocket, making bouncy balls and becoming CSI investigators.
Today in assembly we will be learning all about the scientist Elsie Widdowson who pioneered the study of nutrition to make sure that during World War 2 the country had balanced meals during rationing.
From next Monday (13th) February, the staff at Breakfast and Tea Club will not be taking payment from you. Instead, you will be able to pay via the school office or through the online payment system. This will free up our very busy staff to spend even more time with children. We politely ask all parents to keep up to date with payments.
This week: