ST. JOHN'S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN TERM 2005

Dates for your diaries:...

Monday 24th October Half Term Begins Monday 31st October School Begins Tuesday 1st November Parent Consultations Tuesday 1st November Travelling Book Fayre visiting school Wednesday 2nd November Parent Consultations Wednesday 2nd November Young Shakespeare Theatre Visits Y6 and Y4 Wednesday 2nd November Travelling Book Fayre - 3.30-4.30pm Thursday 3rd November Young Shakespeare Theatre visits - Y5 Thursday 3rd November Travelling Book Fayre - 3.30-4.30pm Thursday 3rd November Parent Consultations Friday 4th November Young Shakespeare Theatre visits - Y3 Tuesday 8th November PTA AGM - 7.30pm - School Hall Friday 18th November Non School Uniform Day for Christmas Fayre Saturday 19th November Christmas Fayre Wednesday 7th December Y3 singing at The Spires on behalf of the North London Hospice - 10am Wednesday 14th December Infant Nativity - 2pm - School Hall Thursday 15th December Junior Carol Service - St. John's Church - 7pm Thursday 15th December Infant Christmas Party Friday 16th December Music Assembly with Mr Ben Mason - 9.10am Monday 19th December Junior Christmas Party Tuesday 20th December Children's Christmas Lunch Wednesday 21st December LAST DAY OF AUTUMN TERM - FINISH AT 2.30PM

 Dear Parents,

Christmas Fete

Thank you so much for your fantastic response today. The gifts and toiletries that you sent in were such high quality and just the sort of things that will go down very well at the fete. They were very gratefully received.

Dinner Money

Dinner money for this half term will be £70.30; the new meals are really popular with the children (and the staff!). Mrs Charles, Mrs Devine and their assistants have worked so hard to make all this work and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking them, as without them this project simply would not have taken off.

Communication

We still seem to have a problem with people receiving e-mails. Please come in or phone if you are experiencing difficulties because if we do not know about problems we cannot sort them out. To date Mrs Walsh and I have only heard directly about problems from a small handful of parents and yet I hear from the PTA reps that many of you are not receiving communications. Please remember that the PTA members do not have responsibility for reporting back to us about issues, their remit is purely to work with us to raise money to provide extra resources and facilities for the children. Please report issues concerning the children to the class teachers in the first instance, admin problems to the school office and if you have serious worries remember that I will always make every effort to see you or phone you as early as I can. E-mailing really does save us lots of money and we must continue to try

School Office

Mrs Walsh seems to have an ever-increasing workload so I have decided to try to lessen her stress by making the following alterations to the opening times of the office.

From next half term: -

• Please send dinner money only on a Monday and put it in a named envelope and send it with your child into class.
• Any cheques or monies for trips etc. should also be sent in with your child.
• niform, water bottles, book bags etc. will only be on sale on Friday mornings.
• The office will be completely closed on Wednesdays to enable Mrs Walsh to do the accounts
• Please make every effort to get your child to remember all the extra kits, instruments, lunchboxes etc. that he/she has to bring to school so that you do not have to bring it for them later. This will help your child to become independent and will also lesson Mrs Walsh's workload.

Prom Praise

We have just been successful in our audition to be part of the choir at the Albert Hall next spring. The organisers have told us that the competition was very strong this year and only 14 schools in the whole of London were accepted. Well done to the children. More news of this event nearer the time.

Harvest

I have just received a letter from 'Homeless in Barnet' thanking you for your kind generosity in sending so many delightful Harvest Gifts. I will share the letter with the children in Assembly next term

Have a great week next week, I hope you all enjoy it, I know we will!

JANE MARTIN

21.10.05