What a lovely week it’s been. It was great to see so many Dads in school yesterday for the Father’s Day lunch. Thank you for all of your comments, I’ve passed them to the kitchen staff.
We played 2 schools in this group stage of the competition.
The first game was very tight and went to the very last over.
Co-op Academy Friarswood won by just 7 runs. It was a nail-biting end!
Our second game was much more comfortable, winning by quite a few wickets.
A huge well done to the team!
On to the finals!
‘It was really fun and we had a great day!’
Emma | Team Captain
Huge well done to…
Welcome back to our last half term of the school year. There are lots of activities planned for this half term including a KS2 summer show and our Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly.
What a busy week we’ve had! Lots of sports competitions in school and out of school along with Ofsted, a school trip for Year 4 and then interviews for Mrs Rafferty’s maternity cover.
The children have been amazing this week. They have really shown off how well they learn and how resilient, hardworking and polite they are.
Also a big thank you to the staff and children for adapting so well to staff having to support in different classes whilst the other staff were speaking to the inspector.
We will get the report in a few weeks. Once it’s official, we’ll send you a copy.
The children have thoroughly enjoyed cricket, rounders and cross country this week. The team spirit shown in all of the games has been great to see. We certainly have a lot of competitive children. Well done to all of the children.
The Year 4 trip was a resounding success. The children came back to school so excited about the plate decorating and were full of information about the kilns and their learning about Clarice Cliff. It was so lovely to hear from the museum staff about their super behaviour, how polite they were and how focused their questions were. Well done Year 4!
Year 4 school council, Emyllia and Jack wrote …
This half term we have been learning about Clarice Cliff so for our school trip we went to Gladstone Pottery Museum. When we arrived, we were split into two groups. My group was taken off to paint a plate in the style of Clarie Cliff. While we waited for the paint to dry, we did a little bit of research about Clarice Cliff. Luckily, it was warm in the studio so the plates dried quickly.
After dinner, we got to tour around the museum and we were lucky to see how pottery is made and the machines that made this much quicker. A lovely lady was making clay flowers and she let us time her to see how quickly she could do it. During our tour, we went into a kiln. DO NOT WORRY, this kiln does not work anymore but we were able to see what it was like inside and how it was used to cook the clay and make it harden.
My favourite part of the trip was getting to paint our own plate that we were able to bring home.
After half term I will be able to send more information about Mrs Rafferty’s maternity leave cover teacher along with which teachers will be teaching your child next year. We’re just finalising details.
The PTA disco was a great success. It raised over £630, which is a fantastic amount. The PTA funds go to funding various additional resources and support for the children which the school budget just cannot afford.
Thank you to everyone who supported this event – from the PTA members to all of you who came along.
Next week is half term. We have an INSET day (staff training day) on Monday 5th June so the children are back in school on Tuesday 6th June.
Well done to all of our children who took part in sporting events this week. It was lovely to see so many of you here supporting the children. Thank you to the sports leaders too for helping to make the events so successful for the children.
Next week, we have our end of term sports competitions. Teachers will let you know when the events are so that children come to school in their PE kits.
The social media world of fast-scrolling, instant connections and perfection can have a detrimental effect on wellbeing. It is important that parents have the knowledge and confidence to talk to their children and as such Internet Matters have put together a guide for parents. Although the guide is titled to support young girls aged 9-10, I would say there is good advice for boys and girls of any age. You can find the guide HERE.
Thank you so much for the fundraising for the Dougie Mac. Just over £1300 was raised from the sponsor forms.
A massive well done to some of our children who raised more than £50 each. These children received a medal and certificate in our celebration assembly today.
Florence R (Nursery), Sofia (Yr 3), Olivia-Grace (Yr 1), Indie (Rec), Lorna (Yr 2), Lani (Rec), Elizabeth (Yr 3) and Elliot (Yr 1)
Last Friday our children took part in European Language Day. Each class had a country that they would focus on and learn about the different cultures, foods, traditions and the language they spoke. The children got to come into school wearing either the flag colours or traditional clothing if they wanted to. Everyone had a super day! There were lots of traditional dances being practised, smells of food tasting running through the corridors and so many enthused children in every room! It was fantastic to see. #SucceedTogether #DoWhatMattersMost
Year 6 have been superstars this week. They’ve tried their best and have had smiles on their faces. Well done Year 6. We’re so proud of you.
Next week is national walk to school week. It’s the time for everyone to try to walk rather than go by car. Not only does this benefit the environment but it also benefits you and your health. So, if you can leave home a bit earlier and walk – give it a go and enjoy how much better you feel for taking part.
Dear Parents / Carers,
We had such a lovely day yesterday. It was great to see so many of you join the coronation picnic and you brought the sunshine too. I really enjoyed chatting to so many of you and it was lovely to see you having fun and spending some time with friends. The children certainly enjoyed it.
Today, all of the children have been taking part in coronation activities. Some of the clay work is amazing! There’s been a fantastic buzz around the school with the children so excited about the coronation.
I hope you all have a lovely long weekend and enjoy the celebrations.
Reception children visited the local church this week. They learnt about various areas in the church and the importance of a church in the Christian faith. They drew some fantastic pictures of their favourite objects which they found. They came back to school very enthusiastic and full of chatter about their visit which was lovely to hear.
Next week Year 6 will be taking their SATs. Lots of rest, breakfast every morning and the reassurance that they will be absolutely fine. The children work so hard every single day and I’m sure they’ll show off what they know next week. And if they forget something – they forget it! They are remarkable children in so many ways and everyone at Friarswood knows this.
Year 2 children will be taking their SATs over the last 2 weeks of the half term. This is a calm and steady process where the children work on their own but in small groups. They may be asked to work in another room so that they have space and can concentrate. Looking at how much progress they have made in the last few months I know they’ll enjoy completing this special work.
Next Friday (12th May) the whole school will be taking part in this event. Children will learn about a different country including main places, events and (most importantly) about typical food from the country. Each class has been given a different country and if they wish they can come to school in the colours of that country’s flag or full on disco sparkles as our celebration also coincides with the UK hosting the Eurovision Song Contest!
KS2 – Mon 15th May at 1:30pm
Early Years – Tue 16th May at 9:15am
KS1 – Tue 16th May at 1:30pm
Thank you as ever for your continued support.
Have a lovely long weekend
Take care and stay safe.
Mrs Wilmer
Please report any absences on the first day of the absence to Mrs Dean on 01782 470401 (please leave a message if I am not in the office) or email angela.dean@coopacademies.co.uk .
If your child has sickness/diarrhoea they do require 48hours symptom free before they come back to school.
Co-op Ways of Being
Be yourself always
Succeed together
Do what matters most
Show you care
On Thursday, we held a family picnic to help start the coronation celebrations for King Charles III. Family and friends of Friarswood were invited to join us on the fields and set up a picnic. The children started the afternoon off by singing the National Anthem and after went to join their grown ups to enjoy the food they had brought to share. It was lovely to see so many come to join us and that the weather was kind! The atmosphere was brilliant and we hope everyone who came had a great time. #SucceedTogether
This week has been very busy. We’ve been observing and interviewing teachers for the SENDCo role.
I’ve been showing teachers around to cover Mrs Rafferty’s maternity leave. As soon as we have found the right person, I’ll let you know.
This week I have been sent the following online safety information which you may find useful.
We all know that gaming is a hugely popular activity for a number of different reasons, e.g. socialisation, coping mechanism, skill building and much more. Many games are not appropriate for children and plenty of parents struggle with this. Internet Matters have put a guide together which details some alternative games beyond the most popular ones and promoting gaming as a family affair. There are games from 3+ upwards so there’s something for everyone. You can download the guide HERE.
Additionally, Andy Robertson from Ask About Games has some family guides which parents will find really useful. You can find all the guides HERE.
On Wednesday, the Eco Warriors had a fantastic opportunity to visit Lyme Valley’s Community Orchard and to speak to the creator and keeper of this fantastic space. Matthew Linley-Simon has made such a wonderful area for anyone to come and visit, help out and to take the ripe fruits. He is so knowledgeable on everything plant and wildlife related, our Eco Warriors learnt so much and were able to ask so many questions to find out anything that they were curious about. The orchard is situated at the top of Lyme Valley park and definitely worth a visit. If you get a chance to have a family walk, then our Eco Warriors would highly recommend it! There is a Facebook group that is for the Orchard, so if you would like to follow this page you will see how the orchard is getting on and which fruits are ripening. The group is called ‘Lyme Valley Community Orchard’. A huge thank you to Matthew, our children had a great time. #DoWhatMattersMost #SucceedTogether
Welcome back to our Summer term. I hope you all had a lovely Easter break.
Thank you everyone who has returned their Dougie Mac sponsor forms. If you’ve forgotten, please don’t worry, you can bring it in on Monday.
As part of our duty to safeguard children, we also have to ensure that any child displaying any extremist or radicalised behaviour is reported. We will work together with the police and the parents to support the child.
If you have any concerns about a child’s behaviour please let either myself or Mrs Hartley know. There is a form on our website called ‘report a concern’ (top right of website). You can report any safeguarding concerns using this report form including if you have concerns about radicalised / extremist behaviour.
Please can I remind you to park safely along Abbots Way. There have been quite a few complaints this week regarding how dangerous some of you are parking and driving.
We want all of our families to be safe walking to school and crossing the road. Thank you.
On Thursday 27th April there is a strike day planned for teachers of the NEU union. This is a national strike regarding funding for schools, pay and conditions. Friarswood will remain open to all pupils.
You may have seen on our social media that a group of our older children took part in an eco-warrior activity day on Tuesday. The children went to Angel Square in Manchester to share with the other academies what we have been doing to make our school a ‘greener’ place. They got up and did an excellent powerpoint presentation that they had created so confidently! They have been very busy and have big plans to create a community herb garden for everyone to use, so watch this space! Please take a look at the social media for photos of what these children got up to including making a wallet out of a juice carton!
