Weekly Link 30
Date 10th May 2016AD
Issue Number 1,085
Dear Parents,
Pupil Success. Further news on pupil success with rugby:• Edward Taylor and Jonah Couchman were part of the cup winning team in the Aylesbury festival – they have
temporary possession of the cup and I am looking forward to presenting it to them on Friday in WOTW.
• Jonah Couchman won ‘Best Newcomer’ for season 2015/16 – will have a cup to show
• Edward Taylor, Jonah Couchman, Jamie Renn and Will Hardwick will all show their end of season squad trophies as
part of being part of a successful team and squad this year.
On a completely different subject, I have news of Morwenna Hills who took part in her second ever Park Run
(of 5k) on Saturday. Morwenna finished second overall in her age / gender class – and fifth in her age category at just
over 30 minutes. She has already identified ways of shaving a few seconds off her time so is determined to continue
to improve. Then on Sunday, Morwenna had the opportunity to meet and chat with one of her heroes, the YouTube
game-playing star DanTDM. Bumping into him whilst having lunch at a café, Morwenna discussed her favourite Dan
video and handled her encounter with a famous person with great politeness and poise.
Please keep the news of out-of-school success coming in – we love to celebrate all achievements.
Consultation on merger. If you have not already done so, could you please respond to the Council Proposal to merge
our school with Queen Eleanor Primary School. Whether you are for, against, or unsure I would like every parent to
respond. You can do this online at http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/consultations/370 . The response is not limited
to one per child, so if one parent has responded, the other parent is also able to complete the response form.
Russell Street Parents are also encouraged to respond – on the response form they need to tick ‘Other’ and put Russell
Street Parent in the explanation box.
Key Stage 2 Tests. Year 6 parents are very aware that this week is ‘SATs Week’ and Monday to Thursday the children
will be taking their end-of-Key-Stage tests. We have emphasised to the children that whilst we want them to do their
best, we do not want them overly anxious or concerned about the results. This is true every year, but particularly this
year with a change in the nature of the tests and the marking system, we will not be in a position to estimate
outcomes, we just have to wait for the results. We are unlikely to get the comparative data that shows where the
school is in relation to other schools until next term. So the message is, “Don’t panic, just carry on!” I am grateful to
the Year 6 children who have started the week so well; I am also grateful to the other year-groups who have been so
quiet whilst the tests have been taking place. Well done one and all.
Cello Lessons There will be no cello lessons on Friday 20th May, this lesson will take place on Friday 15th July.
Year 5 Organ Visit. The Year 5 children will be going out on Friday morning to see the completely restored Willis Pipe
Organ. This was the group who earlier in the year saw it during its restoration, and now they will be able to hear and
see the finished item. They may also like to look at an explanation of how the organ works which is on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieza_65xbHQ&feature=youtu.be
Year 5 visit to Drayton Manor. Last Friday the Year 5 children went to Drayton Manor as part of their studies about
forces and design technology looking at fairground rides. They had a wonderful time and learnt a tremendous amount
while they were there, and staff tell me they were a pleasure to take out as they were so well-behaved, as we would
expect. This is what Holly Tester thought of her day, “I really enjoyed the workshop, especially when we got to drop
the small car to see how far it travelled on a mini knex rollercoaster”
Year 4 visit to Woburn Safari Park. Mrs Fraser informed me that the Year 4 children had a brilliant trip to Woburn
with a particularly good coach driver who was fantastic at stopping the coach and letting the children experience as
much as possible on their tour. Reggie Carran said, “It was a good adventure and we learnt a lot from our day”.
Choir Concert. Our School Choir has been invited to sing one song as part of the lunchtime concert at church on
Thursday 19th May – when a visiting choir is coming to perform the main concert. If your child is in choir please make
sure that they have a packed lunch on that date, either ordered from Essence Catering or provided by you. We will
be walking the choir down to church at 12:15 and returning to school at approximately 1:30pm. All parents are
welcome at this free concert – tea and coffee available, bring your own lunch! Many thanks, Mrs. Noon & Miss Bell.
Class photographs – next Tuesday is photographer day. Please make sure your child is looking at their best in full
school uniform. Many thanks.
Headteacher Liaison. Our school is within the Radcliffe Community of Schools and as such the Headteachers of these
schools get together on a regular basis to share good news, to share good practice and co-operate together on school
policies and changes. In the last few years a minority of children have been going to the Elizabeth Woodville School
and I have recently been invited to join that group of Headteachers for similar purposes. This has already proved to
be very valuable in that we have been able to join them on some of the staff training they have undertaken recently,
and sharing such training and the costs involved benefits us all. It is also good to strengthen our links with EWS.
Stony Stratford Tennis Club On Sunday 15th May, Stony Stratford Tennis Club is holding are Family Day from 2.30 –
4.30 pm. Please see attached flyer for further details.
Yours sincerely,
Kieran P. Salter
Headteacher