Friday 29 January 2010

Dear Parents and Carers

Instrument lessons

Congratulations to the following students in Primary who took music instrument exams in December:

Alice (Y5) Grade 2 Pass – Piano
Saffron (Y5) Grade 1 Pass – Clarinet

Thank you also to the instrument teachers who helped prepare the students so well. Students can start instrument lessons at any point during the school year. Lessons are currently available on the following instruments:

Trumpet, violin, flute, clarinet, saxophone, bass guitar, drum kit, guitar

Lessons are £150 per term for individual tuition and £75 per term for paired tuition. Fees are payable at the start of each term.  We have some school instruments for hire also.  Each term consists of 12 x 30 minute lessons which take place during the school day. To find out more, contact Miss Stanley.

Cross-county run

Congratulations to all of the children from Years 4, 5 and 6 who took part in this week’s cross-country run on what turned out to be a very cold and damp morning.  Particular congratulations to Amy (Y4) who came first in the Year 4 girls’ event.

Haiti Appeal

The final amount raised by Primary for the Haiti Appeal last week was £232.03.  Thank you again to everyone who contributed to this.  The total money raised by the
Academy was £561.69; this will be sent to “Christian Aid Haiti Appeal”.

The Sing Thing

A message from Miss Stanley, our leading teacher for music at the Academy:
We are pleased to tell you about an exciting new singing project that children can get involved in! The Sing Thing kicks off this month. It is a gospel vocal academy for children and young people aged 7-19. The training covers vocal development, song writing, performance skills and develops young singing leaders. The Sing Thing is part of a London-wide programme funded by Sing Up, and is taking place right across the road from the Academy in St Mary Magdalene Church. Sessions will run fortnightly on Fridays from 5:30-7:30pm, and there will be occasional Saturday and half-term sessions.

All abilities are welcome and there are no auditions. The sessions culminate in a final showcase concert at the O2 arena on 9 March 2011! If you are interested in joining in, please register on the website. There will also be a FREE taster session for children and parents this Saturday 30 January from 11am-1pm in St Mary Magdalene Church – no need to book, just turn up!

Attendance and punctuality

As you will know, regular attendance at school is vital in ensuring that your child achieves their potential in their learning. Every single day at school counts! Children should only be absent if they are unwell or have a medical appointment. Children should not be away from school for holidays during term-time. As well as attending each day, coming to school on time is also vitally important to ensuring the best start to the day! This means that children should be ready to line-up in the playground at 8.55am each morning. There is a clear link between underachievement and patterns of lateness and poor attendance so that every effort you make to ensure your child’s good attendance and punctuality is worth it!

Chinese New Year

Next week the children will be learning about Chinese New Year, beginning with an assembly led by Jennifer Buster, a Leading Teacher from the Secondary Department.  Chinese New Year is on Sunday 14 February and this year is the year of the tiger. As well as the assembly, all classes will receive an individual class workshop to learn further about the event and the celebrations.

Quote of the week

Our quote of the week this week is: “Wisdom outweighs any wealth.” Sophocles (Ancient Greek playwright, 495-405 BC)

Yours sincerely

Joy Parke
Head of Primary