February Newsletter
Development of E-Resource
Plans are well under way to with this exciting development of the website. You will be able to find out more on Parents’ Evening.
The school’s website continues to be well used with approximately 70 hits each day.
Visit to school in honour of Ted Wragg
Both the infant and junior schools are to be presented with a plaque next week in memory of a famous ex-pupil. Professor Ted Wragg has been acclaimed “the most popular educationalist in Britain” and wrote for the Guardian and Times Educational Supplement. His link with the Teaching Awards makes this presentation to the school all the more meaningful following Mrs. Harrison’s Teacher of the Year Award last year.
Leading Parent Partnership:
Parents’ Evenings on 11th and 13th March
We’re looking forward to meeting you on these evenings and hope that you can make time to stay longer than usual or use your waiting time for two extra things...
We will be showing the e-resource that we hope will develop as a useful tool by the people who use it…. Confused??? Come and check it out on Parents’ Evening.
I am grateful to a group of parents (Debarah Gamsu, Sue Whittaker, Mike Woolley, Helen Thomas, Bangar and Paul Bonsall and Fran Marshall) who have contributed to the questionnaire.
The aim is to have this available on Parents’ Evening where you may choose to complete it and leave it in the boxes provided or take it home to complete and return before the 20th March. It is a thorough questionnaire but we are hoping that it can be completed in around 10 minutes. We are very keen to know your views and I am hoping for a good return. Thank you in anticipation.
Election of a Parent Governor
You should have already received information about the election of a new parent governor. If you are interested and would like more information please contact the school office. The deadline for putting yourself forward is March 14th.
World Book Day - March 6th
Children, we’re encouraging you to come dressed as a book character and bring your favourite book.
We are collecting again... Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers
Last year we collected 9275 vouchers which enabled us to order lots of playground equipment; Giant Connect-4 and Giant Draughts, balls, skipping ropes, hoops, space hoppers and storage. This is the sort of equipment that needs regular replacement so we’re keen to collect again this year.
Please pop any vouchers in the box in the entrance area.
Also attached to this newsletter:
A letter from the Safer Neighbourhood Team on behalf of the school.
Childcare Sufficiency Document .feedback form. Please note the document is available to view on the website: www.sheffield.gov.uk/childcaresa
Any response should be sent to the address on the back of the form.
A message from the HSA
The HSA is an excellent way to forge closer links with the school, your children’s teachers and daily environment and to get to know other parents. You can really make a positive contribution to the school and its activities with as little or as much time as you are prepared to give - taking the initiative or taking minutes, leading the group or attending meetings, photocopying or designing or putting up posters, supervising events, coming up with ideas etc . The role does not involve anywhere near the amount of dedication that is required to be a school governor and it is an excellent way to support your school.
The Junior School Home School Association now only has two elected committee members - importantly we need a chairperson or secretary. This means that it is difficult to arrange events as we have done in previous years and could jeopardise events such as Easter/end of year Discos, Fairs, and fundraising for the benefit of our school, unless we have further involvement and commitment from parents.
If you are interested in taking an active role in the HSA please leave your name and contact details in the office for the attention of Jo Gleig.
Thank you,
Jo Gleig and Clare Nice - Joint Treasurers of HSA
Cross Country
After a highly successful Autumn league our runners have taken part in the three races in the Spring League (results in next month’s newsletter). Once again there have been many top 30 placings. Some children who have improved their personal placing are Liberty Regan, Grace Hutton Meakin, Ewan South, Max Boydell Smith and Joe Fleischmann. Others such as Alastair Castle, Ella Gooden-Walton, Leah Gooden-Walton, Ela Bonsall, Jasmine Smith, Elsa Moxley, Thomas Woodhouse, Charlotte Moran, Kier Durrani, Emma Godden, Kate Eastall, and Thomas Lloyd Hughes are very consistent. Well done to all our runners- you are a credit to the school!
The next race is the City Championships at Graves Park on 8th March. This takes part near the cricket pavilion (park near the animals and walk nearly to café take path down to right to reach it). At this event Y4s can gain individual top ten placings as well as the Y5/6s. Points also contribute to team points/placings. Mrs Glossop and Mr Timbers will be attending this race. Each school is requested to provide a marshal for the course (who would need to report to the finish area at 9.45am and stay till the end of the last race). If you could do this please see Mrs Baillie or Mr Timbers.
Individual and team presentations for the Spring League will take place at the Graves park event at 10.00am.
Results and map directions can be now found at the Sheffield Federation of Sport website www.sfss.co.uk/crosscountry. Scroll down and click on appropriate link/file.
Please note the Y5/6 relays due to be on the 15th March have been rearranged to 12th April.
Many ex Hunter’s Bar runners were picked to run/ran for Sheffield Secondary Schools in the South Yorkshire race, held on a very cold day in Doncaster, at the beginning of February. It is really pleasing to see so many still carrying on with their running at Secondary level. It is testament to their fitness and commitment.
March into fitness
March promises to be an ‘active’ month for the children of Hunter’s Bar Junior School.
February 25th sees the start of our ‘Why Walk?’ weeks when we encourage the children to walk to and from school as frequently as possible. It was so heartening to see even our younger children explaining in assembly recently why we should be trying to reduce the number of cars around our school – for environmental reasons as well as for safety reasons. This is something we have been discussing as staff recently.
Our Road Safety Officers, Ella Kulman, Felix Harrap and Elliott Knowles have researched and drawn up a map of the school and surrounding area showing a 5 minute walk from Hunter’s Bar Junior. Making the effort to walk this short distance to or from school will reduce the congestion and pollution around our school and all of our ‘walking’ children will receive a ‘funky foot badge’ to reward their efforts.
March will also be the month in which we start to see some of our Y6s bring their bikes to school as part of their ‘Cycle Proficiency Training’. On a Thursday afternoon, 18 helmeted Y6s will be venturing out on the roads on their bikes (fully supervised, of course) to experience full cycling proficiency.
And finally, we are looking forward to ‘Sports Relief’ Day when we hope to see many of the children attempting a 1 mile run around the playground in their official ‘Sports Relief’ socks. We estimate that a mile is roughly 12 circuits around the whole school, so if anyone would like to get into training at playtime – lead the way!
Ms. Lovett
Y5 Science Week - By Kechia and Meghan, (reporting for Y5 News.)
The Year 5s have been doing dance, drama and music work inspired by Science, thanks to a project organised by one of our parents, Dr.Sandrine Soubes and scientists from the Sheffield University Microbiology Department.
With the help of the artists from Assault Events, we have been dancing as chromasomes, acting out the battle between yeast & bacteria and rapping about allergies.
For instance, in drama we were pretending to be at war. The class got split in half and then we put a sequence of aggressive moves together. Just like in the human body, it was important that neither side won – a balance is needed for a person to remain healthy.
On Friday we are putting all we have done into a performance. This is Science, but not as we know it.
The Green Mean Y5 Mystery Team by Jazz Hill, Ella Gooden Walton & Chief Inspector Jenkin
The Year 5 children have been investigating three mysteries, all uncovered in the Botanical Gardens, and some people have had to face some very hard consequences.
Mrs Walton’s class found an abandoned bag with an unknown picture and mystery objects. Mr. Bywaters class discovered clues to a robbery which took place approximately 30 years ago. Mr. Jenkin’s class had a murder scene to inspect when they arrived at the Botanical Gardens about 1 month ago.
Please don’t have nightmares! The investigations are over and justice has prevailed. If you want to know more, please look out for the forthcoming book.
New members of the Governing Body:
We welcome two new Community Governors to the school:
Yogi Amin, a partner at a Sheffield law firm who has a child at the infant school and Sylvia Yates, who was previously a parent governor who has returned to work in Sheffield after working out of the city for a while.
Visit the
