Sports Afternoons: an invitation to parents

We haven’t been able to run a traditional Sports Day for a couple of years due to the pandemic. However, we did run Sports Afternoons for the children last year and they worked so well we’d like to continue them in this format and, now that it is safe, parents are of course welcome to come along and support their children.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

This will be the first-ever sports day for most of these children and should be a lot of fun. All three classes will take to the field at the same time during the afternoon and will complete a carousel of running, jumping and throwing activities, earning points for their teams. For those of you who can remember, this is the format we have previously used but on a smaller scale. With just the younger 3 classes involved, we think it will be more enjoyable for the children.

Year 3 – 6

Last year, Mr Prior developed a format for each KS2 class to run on their own. This was such a success, and enjoyed so much by the children, that we thought we’d run it the same way this year.

Children will take part in Units (ie Year 3 and 4 together, and Year 5 and 6 together). This will allow the children to take part in some different events, and to choose the events in which they’d like to compete. This format will allow the children to be more involved and more competitive.

I understand that, with the possibility of three separate events to attend, organising time to come along may be difficult for parents. I am hoping that you will appreciate that our main priority is to give the children a more enjoyable and satisfying experience by reducing numbers involved for KS1 and adding a competitive edge in KS2. I am also hopeful that, by announcing our plans now, parents have a good amount of time to make plans to attend and support their children.

Rec/Year 1/2 Sports Afternoon:          Tuesday 28th June at 1.15pm

Year 3/4 Sports Afternoon:                  Wednesday 29th June at 1.15pm

Year 5/6 Sports Afternoon:                  Thursday 30th June at 1.15pm

Parents will be able to take their children home at the conclusion of the Sports Afternoons.

Year 4 Football Tournament Champs

We were delighted with our Year 4 footballers who attended a recent area tournament. Not only did they behave and play to the usual high Southill standard, they only went and won the whole thing! The team remained unbeaten all afternoon, remarkable enough considering we were one of the smaller schools taking part, and only conceded a tiny number of goals. Benefitting from the tactical guidance of Mr Prior, this was an excellent performance all round, which the team enjoyed telling us about in assembly last week. And showing off the trophy, of course! Well done everyone. Pictures and a full report are on the website.

Netball Tournament

As school sporting events continue to get back to normal, we look forward to giving the opportunity to as many children as possible to take part. Mrs Hill consequently selected a fresh bunch of players for the netball tournament at Budmouth this week. It was a good learning experience as the children have not played many games, and the team played with spirit and gusto throughout the afternoon. Although not progressing to the semi-finals, we are proud of their performance and attitude. Well done everyone! Pictures and a report are on the website.

Y3 trip to Leeson House

Talking of things slowly getting back to normal, our Year 3s have just returned from their first trip away with the school when they had a lovely couple of days at Leeson House. It’s been great to finally offer these experiences after such a long lay-off.

Private Fostering

Dorset Council have asked us to remind our parents and school community about the rules around private fostering. This is an arrangement whereby someone other than a parent or close relative becomes responsible for the day-to-day care and accommodation of a child under 16 (or 18, if the child has disabilities). A private foster carer could be:

• A friend of the family
• Someone previously unknown to the family who is willing to care for the child
• A member of the extended family (grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and step-parents don’t count as private foster carers)

The arrangement is classed as private fostering if it will last for 28 days or more. In this case, the parent(s) or private foster carer(s) must notify the local authority so it can make sure the child will stay safe and well.

Parking Problems

We have had a complaint from a resident of Hawthorn Close who regularly has his drive blocked by parents waiting to pick up children at the end of the school day. Please can I ask all parents to treat our local residents more thoughtfully and, particularly, by not parking across drives or too close to corners. Don’t forget that the school’s Active Travel Plan recommends parking at the shops and walking up to school – it’s a healthier and less polluting way to collect your children. Details on our website.

Year 6 News

1.    Year 6 SATs

Good luck to our Year 6 children next week when they take part in the national SATs tests. The children are well prepared and have been working hard. They are ready to rise to the challenge. Good luck to them all.

2.    Primary College: Wednesday 13th July – Friday 15th July

We are beginning to make early plans for Year 6’s attendance at Primary College this year. We like to train the year group to cycle to Weymouth College together to and from school every day. Not only does this keep the cost down to parents, it provides the children with a healthy, fun and memorable experience at the end of their time at school. We’d very much like to organise this again and will be inviting children to bring their bikes to school for those three days. Children will be able to leave their bikes safely overnight. More details will come to you nearer the time.

3.    Leavers’ Assembly

We have provisionally arranged the Leavers’ Assembly for Monday 18th July at 2pm. Parents welcome.

Other messages for parents and carers