Dunalley Primary School eNewsletter

Congratualtions to Alice and Charlie, the winner of our 'Dunalley Maths Photo Competition.

CAKE SALE 14/12/23

We can't wait to see your creations for our WINTER WONDERLAND theme cakes and bakes sale on Thursday 14th December, after school in the playground. Please bring all cake donations in on Thursday, and cash for purchases. All bakes must be nut free due to allergies.

Email [email protected] to volunteer.

WINTER RAFFLE

Tickets for our winter raffle are being sent home, more tickets available from the office. Enter for £1 per ticket for a chance to win one of our fabulous prizes. Top prizes:

3 night family stay at Bodlondeb Cottage in Snowdonia

Cheltenham Race tickets

Afternoon tea at Ellenborough Park

Other prizes include; Boulders family pass, Birdland tickets, Slimbridge tickets, Rococo Gardens tickets, Cotswold Falconry tickets, The Strand £50 voucher, The Swan £40 tab, Paint it yourself Pottery vouchers and many more. Full list of prizes available on request.

Please return unused tickets, completed ticket stubs and money by Monday 18th December in time for the prize draw on Wednesday 20th December. Good luck!!!

WINTER FAIR 18/12/23

Please join us for the children’s Christmas performance after school on Monday 18th December. We will have Krispy Kreme donuts, mince pies, hot drinks, candy floss, teddy tombola and coffee from the Little Green Coffee Van.

POSTER COMPETITION

Thank you to everyone who took part, there were so many wonderful designs to choose from. We are pleased to show you our winning poster designs by Lisa 3A, Isobel 1F, Emilia and Laila Perrett 5J which are now on display.

BAG2SCHOOL

Reminder: all donated items must arrive on the day by 9am WEDNESDAY 29th NOVEMBER.

We are aware that WhatsApp groups are causing some distress amongst our older children. If you allow your children to use this messeaging service, please make the time to read the information below.

Reception and KS1 children receive free fruit at for break time and we like to encourage all children in years 3-6 to follow the same healthy eating habits. Children are welcome to bring the following items into school for their mid morning snack. Please be aware that our focus is on promoting healthy eating habits and actively discouraging unhealthy snacks e.g. chocolate and crisps.

Cubes of cheese

Fruit or veg

Mini box or tub of plain dried fruit

Savoury rice cakes or bread sticks

If these can be placed in a re-usable, plastic box (named) then we can also do our bit for the planet. By not having items in wrappers or plastic bags we can minimise litter and prevent hazards for wildlife and Pippin our school dog who will try to eat wrappers and cling film if it is on the floor!

We were very proud to hold a very well attended Open Morning on Wednesday for prospective parents. Our year 5 and 6 tour guides did a fabulous job and the feedback we received from our visitors was exceptional. The confidence and communication skills of our children was noted by many families along with praise for our fabulous learning environments.

A wonderful tour - very informative and provided a comprehensive sense of the school. The teachers we met were very helpful, and we were made to feel very welcome. I have been to a few school open day events and this one was first rate! Great job!

It was a pleasure to welcome Dunalley families into school on Thursday to learn more about the way our children learn to read. Mrs Fisher and her phonics team enjoyed welcoming parents into their classrooms and sharing their lessons. Again, it was wonderful to receive such warm praise from families.

It was lovely to watch the children learning and reading this morning. Every time I have the opportunity to come into the school it reminds me how lucky my children are to be here. The teachers are so warm and welcoming.

Thank you to our School Councillors who organised our 'Wacky Day' on Monday. We raised £271.90. Prior to the event, the children voted to donate 80% to the Cheltenham Animal Shelter with the remaining 20% being kept by school. The children will vote on how to spend their money in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your contributions for Children in Need, we raised £154.91 for this wonderful cause.

We have been informed that one or more of our year one pupils have been selected to take part in DfE Five to Twelve study.

Five to Twelve is a national study of around 8,000 children and their families attending primary school in the 2020s. By following children over time, the study aims to provide new evidence about how children’s environments and experiences impact on their education and well being in the post-pandemic period. The study will collect data about the child, their family and school.

For the first stage of the study, the research contractor (NatCen) will be sending letters to the parents or guardians of the selected children at their home address in Nov/Dec 2023. The information posted to families will list the ways they can get in touch with the study team should they have questions about participating or opting out.

We have been asked to confirm that this study is legitimate and an official DfE study.

You can also visit the general study website: https://fivetotwelve.org.uk.

The study is listed as active on the official DfE research page: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/research.

If you have further queries, the Five to Twelve research team will be more than happy to discuss them with you. Contact: [email protected].

Year 5 Boys

On the last day of last term our Year 5 Boys football team played their first match together against Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding meant they faced their Year 6 team! Undeterred, the boys put in a fantastic performance, but ultimately lost out at the end of the game. Despite this being their first competitive school match, they put together some superb moves along both wings with link-up play between the defence, midfield and attack being particularly impressive. Communication was strong and clear with captain Barnaby first to lead with the encouragement. This gave fellow team-mates confidence to grow into the game and following repeated attempts, including a super shot rebounding off the post, Cassius scored the team's first competitive goal. A special mention must go to our goalkeeper Freddie. The BCPA goals were massive, but he was not put off ,throwing himself in all directions to keep shots out. Peter the Cat? Freddie The Cat more like! The opposition were very sporting, encouraging and supportive throughout and afterwards. The defeat stung a bit, but the boys will be back.....against Year 5 opposition next time!

ESFA Girls Football Tournament

Following postponement earlier this year, our Dunalley Girls Football Team attended the Cheltenham District ESFA Girls Football Tournament Finals at Holy Apostles School. They took part in Group B of the semi-final, playing against Berkhampsted B and Swindon Village teams, returning more undefeated results! This group of players really are fantastic and epitomise Dunalley spirit, values, teamwork and friendship. We've been training well over the last few weeks with team building activities, drills, fun games and mini-matches and it's super to see the positive results. Our Year 6 players lead by example; the Year 5 girls brought plenty of enthusiasm; and together, they are virtually unstoppable! This tournament has seen 6.5 games played with 5.5 victories and one draw. Amazing! The girl's first match was an extremely close affair, against Swindon Village. One-Nil down at half time was not a fair reflection on our efforts, but the girls persevered: Krista with important and brave saves; everyone playing their part; and ultimately, Poppy levelling the score with a goal directly from a corner. We had to win the second game verses Berkhampsted B and our group did not disappoint with a 4-2 victory. Emilia bagged a hat-trick and Hallie scored another blaster into the top corner leaving us sweating on the result of the last group game. Swindon Village won 6-0, meaning sadly, Dunalley failed to reach the final on goal difference. A tough way to miss out but, despite our disappointment, the girls can be proud of their achievements and we have more league games coming soon. Thank you so much to the girl's parents for their support, especially washing the kits that evening for our Year 6 Boys to wear in their tournament the following day. Onwards and upwards together!

Atlas Camps Christmas Camps (www.atlascamps.co.uk)

Christmas is just around the corner! Full of festive cheer, our award-winning camps will be back with a bang over the Christmas period, with a selection of spaces still available to book.

Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, Atlas Camps specialises in multi-activity clubs for children aged 4-14. With a focus on fun, activities on offer span everything from arts and crafts to sports and active play, all in a safe, enjoyable environment designed to cater for all.

Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’
Childcare vouchers accepted from a variety of providers
Early drop-off/ late pick-up options
Sibling discount available
Camps running both pre and post-Christmas period

For further information, please watch this video or check out the attached poster. Head to the Atlas Camps website at www.atlascamps.co.uk to book.

31 Mar	Dunalley Literature Festival 31 Mar 2025 - 04 Apr 2025

3 Apr	Year 2 - Moving Vehicles (Design and Technology) - 1.30pm 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

4 Apr	Whole School Dress Up as a Word All day

8 Apr	Yr5 Skills Zone All day

9 Apr	Yr4 Art Exhibition All day

10 Apr	Yr4 Visit All day

10 Apr	Year 1 - Easter Celebration - 2pm 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

1 May	9-10am - Year 3/4 Open school for current families 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

2 May	9-10am - Year 5/6 Open school for current families 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM