FROME AND WEST WILTS EDITION
ISSUE 45 • FEBRUARY 2018
FORMERLY
Mothering
Sunday HELPING WITH YOUR SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT NURSERY
WORLD BOOK DAY
www.familymatters-uk.co.uk
prizes to be won
FO D R O WE GET N’T LLI YO ES UR !
10TH & 11TH 17TH & 18TH 8 1 0 2 H C R MA5PM LAST ENTRY 4PM MARCH 2018 10– 10–5PM LAST ENTRY 4PM
SEE NEW BORN LAMBS
CHILDREN’S RIDES
MINI FARMERS MARKET
FACE PAINTING
SEE ALL OUR FARMYARD FRIENDS
VARIETY OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE STALLS
TICKETS ON THE DAY 16) £8 PER ADULT (OVER £6 PER CHILD £25 PER CAR
TICKETS ADVANCE ONINLINE £6 PER ADULT (OVER 16) £4 PER CHILD £20 PER CAR
VISIT SHOP.WILTSHIRE.AC.UK TO BOOK TICKETS #LACKHAMLAMBING Lambing at Lackham is an annual fundraising event, with all proceeds going to the maintenance and improvement of facilities for college students. Wiltshire College is a registered charity.
WELCOME
Welcome to the first Family Matters magazine of 2018! As you can see, we have made a few changes which we hope you like. It’s a new design, a new name but the same great magazine! The magazine now ties in with our fantastic website www.FamilyMatters-uk.co.uk, where you can read more articles, enter our competitions, upload your WOW photos and much more. Make a cuppa, take 15 minutes and read our article about Fear of Failure in children. It’s a great insight and could explain a few things if your child suffers with anxiety. Also take a look at our Mother's Day feature; instead of the normal gift ideas or breakfast in bed, we have decided to give our mum's ideas for a relaxing day. Remember Mother's Day should be all about them! We hope the weather isn’t too bleak this February so you can get out and about and visit some of the events on offer from our advertisers. Have a great half term and enjoy!
p7 choosing a nursery
p4 Treat yourself this Mother's Day
p12 World Book Day
p9 Prizes to be won
p18 It's all about Pancakes
p14 Is fear of failure affecting your child?
Published by Ignyte Media Ltd - email: info@ignyte-uk.co.uk call: 01761 410141 While every care has been taken to ensure the data contained in the publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Ignyte do not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system in any form without the prior permission of the publisher.
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Mothering Sunday Mother’s Day is around the corner and you may be expecting the typical gifts. But even though you’d never turn down these gifts, if you want to make it through your time as a mum, you have to start taking care of number one. As the flight attendant says when preparing for take off, ‘make sure you put on your own oxygen mask first before you help the child next to you’. Mother’s Day is the perfect excuse to make yourself a priority and recharge your batteries.
You’re a fabulous mum and now it’s time to celebrate that you made it through another year in one piece.
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Sleep in
Make sure your partner knows you are not moving from your bed until a certain time and that the children aren’t allowed to bother you. You don’t need to deal with who had the most jam on their toast or what socks need to be put on.
A home spa
Lock yourself in the bathroom and don’t come out until you’ve used all that face cream, face masks, nail varnish and body butter you’ve been hiding.
Have a party
Invite several of your friends over, have a few wines and nibbles and have your partner or children be in charge of serving you and your guests - and also clean up afterwards!
Box Set Binge
An evening of uninterrupted, not-for-kids box set or series is worth its weight in gold. If not, try the latest film you've been dying to watch that's not suitable for little eyes.
Playtime
Take time out to spend on your favourite hobby undisturbed. Whether it’s painting, sewing, exercise, reading etc. Keep thinking. Keep exploring. Keep moving.
Walk away from it all
Sometimes, the best thing for a mum is an opportunity to wander away from all the to-do's and noise. A stroll around the block, a coffee shop stop, a dog walk on your own. Leave the phone at home and get out the house for an hour.
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Race the stones Add around some colour to at Avebury
your weekend this It may be winter, but there's lots of fun to be autumn at Gibside had at Avebury this half-term. After a charge Half-term 10-18 Feb, 11am-4pm
around the stone circles, why not visit the museum and find out what you'd need to Go crunching through fallen leavestry andout discover a forest survive a prehistoric winter, some teeming with and autumn colours, walking activities inwildlife the manor or relax withwith story-time routes for all ages and abilities. in the bookshop?
Call 01672 539250 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury When you visit, donate, volunteer join the When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the or National Trust,National your support your helps us to look after special <in after the region> <like Trust, support helps us places to look special propertysuch X, property Y and Proeprty Z> in for for everyone. places as Avebury for ever, forever, everyone. © National Trust 2017. The National Trust is an © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent independent registered charity, number 205846. registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust Photography © National Trust Images\Clare Green. Images.
#nationaltrust #nationaltrust
Finding the right
y r e s r nu
Finding good childcare was a confusing task when I was looking for my little ones. There were many questions and concerns that swirled through my head. Will they cater for my child's needs? How will I know if my child will be happy? What if my child doesn't like it? If you want to use a nursery or pre school for your child's care, I recommend trying to visit a few different establishments in your area or near your place of work. Your first impressions of a day nursery are important. Is there a friendly, warm atmosphere? Are the staff welcoming? Are the rooms and toys clean? And most importantly, do the children look happy and occupied?
I have put together a few thoughts to help you to spot the signs of a good day nursery: Make sure staff ask about your routine, and talk about how they can help your child settle into the new environment. They should also ask questions about your child’s care and health.
Will they be able to cater for your child if they have any dietary needs? Find out what the nursery serves at meal times to make sure they offer a range of fresh, nutritious options. Children learn through play, especially mine, so look for somewhere that places a high value on children simply doing activities that they enjoy.
Check that your child can’t leave the building without being noticed, and that nobody can enter. Security should be a high priority for your peace of mind.
Look at the displays on the walls. You want to see plenty of drawings and paintings that the children have done themselves, which shows that their creativity is valued and encouraged.
Talk to other local parents and friends to find out what they think of the day nursery you’re interested in. You’ll want to know if the day nursery can be flexible for your needs. Will they allow you to pick up and drop off your child at different times if your working hours change at short notice or you have an emergency?
A good day nursery will have their registration certificate displayed prominently. Ask to see it if it isn't.
BebeTots Nursery & Pre-School
7a Trowbridge Road, Westbury, BA13 3AY
www.bebetots.co.uk
Open 7.30am ‐ 6.00pm for 50 weeks of the year. Call to book a stay and play, meet the team and discuss your childcare requirements. 2, 3 and 4 year old funding and government childcare vouchers accepted. Tel: 01373 864444 ukfamilymatters |
Email: info@bebetots.co.uk
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Be enchanted by the spring flowers at Lacock Add some colour to Abbey this half this term your weekend At this time of the abbey autumn atyear, Gibside
grounds are springing back to life after the sleepy winter season, Go crunching through fallen leaves and discover a forest with of colourful flowers to teeminglots with wildlife and autumn colours, with walking routes for all ages and abilities. spot. How many can you count? nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside Call 01249 730459 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your
helps usTrust to look 2017. after special ©support National Theplaces <in the region> <like property X, Trust propertyis Y and Z> in for ever, for everyone. National anProeprty independent registered charity, 205846. © National Trust 2016. The Nationalnumber Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust #nationaltrust Photography © National Trust Images. #nationaltrust Images\Mark Bolton.
Experience Half Term
Family Skating Fun! Sat 10th till Sun 18th February 2018 Open 10am – 6pm 144 SQ M UNDERCOVER SYNTHETIC SKATING RINK
Tickets £5.50 For tickets and information visit:
www.farringtons.co.uk
Win Prizes
Enter now at www.familymatters-uk.co.uk
Win a family ticket to Wookey Hole
WIN A FAMILY TICKET TO VISIT DIGGERLAND! Drive, ride and operate real JCB diggers! Diggerland prides itself on having something fun for all ages – and with 20 different rides and drives at each park with over 100 machines; there really is something for everyone! Experience the thrills of spinning around fast in a Giant Digger bucket on the Spindizzy ride, operating a Giant JCB 806 Digger, racing around in a Go-Kart, getting lifted 50ft in the air by the Skyshuttle, whirling around on the Dig-a-round carousel and so much more! Also let the kids drive a REAL car! In addition, Diggerland also boasts the DIGGERS DEN indoor play area, GOODIE STORE souvenir gift shop and the DIG INN restaurant. Further information and to book can be found on the Diggerland website, www.diggerland.com or by calling 0871 2277007.
Win a family ticket to Sea Life Centre, Weymouth Explore an amazing underwater world and take a fascinating journey to the ocean depths at Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park. Get up close to over 1,000 creatures including our playful family of otters, comical Penguins and magnificent rescued Sea Turtles. Find out how it feels to touch a Starfish, crab and other creatures in our interactive rock-pool, and conquer three remarkable towers and five fun slides as you explore Calypso Heights at Caribbean Cove. With fun talks, animal feeds, special events and our Dive Adventure Quiz Trail there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy at Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park.
Over 20 Fantastic Attractions.. all included in the one day ticket! Your visit to Wookey Hole includes a trip to the caves and over 20 other fantastic attractions making it a truly memorable occasion for all the family. The UK’s largest show caves system and home to the infamous Witch of Wookey. Wander through the prehistoric Valley Of The Dinosaurs and enter the 19th Century Paper Mill, which houses a variety of fascinating attractions including the Victorian Penny Arcades, Magical Mirror Maze, museums and soft play areas. Round the day off with a game of Pirate Crazy Golf – all attractions included in your ticket!
WIN 4 UNLIMITED MEGA WRISTBANDS FOR BREAN THEME PARK Visit BREAN THEME PARK, the Pre-eminent Free Admission Theme Park in the South West. Just off the M5 junction 22 (near Weston Super Mare). 100 metres from the sand dunes and seven miles of Golden Beach! It’s a great day out for all the family! We have over 40 attractions. There is something for all ages and all adrenaline levels. There’s an excellent Go Kart Track with both Single and Double seater karts! and we also have an 18 hole action packed Congo Adventure Golf course. Did you know we’re The Home of Sooty where the TV programmes are filmed?
TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING THESE FANTASTIC PRIZES, simply visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk, click on the Competitions button and complete the form. It couldn’t be easier! Closing date for entries: 1st March 2018
what’s on 1st February - 16th March Toddler Explorers A fun-filled session of play and active learning; make animal prints, your own snow globe and much more! Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury www.swheritage.org.uk/rural-life-museum 1st February - 31st March Spring Flowers and Family Trail All spring there are lots of things to spot in the grounds, see how many you can spot on our fun family trail. Lacock Abbey, Lacock www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museumand-village 10th - 18th February Half Term Skating Fun New to Farrington’s - a skating experience with a difference! A synthetic ice rink, all undercover. 10am – 6pm daily. Booking essential. Farrington Farm, Farrington www.farringtons.co.uk 10th - 18th February Tyntesfield Half Term Fun You can tick off some of your 50 things to do before you're 11 3/4, and try your hand at welly wanging. Tyntesfield Estate www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield 10th - 18th February Avebury Half Term Fun Children 'can touch' the display or dress up in the costumes. Discover how to survive prehistory with a Museum trail and storytelling in the book shop. Avebury Manor, Avebury www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury
10th February Holistic and Wellbeing fundraiser for HorseWorld There will be stalls selling treats, Raffle Prizes and Concert to finish off the event. The Guildhall,Bath www.horseworld.org.uk 12th - 16th February Family Half Term Fun Join us for a family trail, Crafting Monday, Pancake Races on the 13th, Friday Gardening fun, and have fun in the Dragons Lair. The Bishops Palace, Wells www.bishopspalace.org.uk 13th February Forest Fun - food, shelter and fire Kids can come and learn some fab winter bushcraft skills in our wonderful outdoor centre. Arnos Vale Cemetry, Bristol www.arnosvale.org.uk 13th - 14th February Elephants on Parade Make a cheerful, colourful hanging decoration with elephants and camels 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-3.30pm Holburne Museum www.holburne.org 14th February Valentine’s Sweetheart Evening Join us for a night of romance, delicious food, incredible wine and fun in the Ewe Tree Cafe & Bar! Cholderton Charlie’s Farm www.choldertoncharliesfarm.com
For further information about each event
15th February, Family Fun Chinese New Year Celebrating the Chinese year of the Dog; make a paper lantern, a Chinese dragon puppet and an origami dog! Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury www.swheritage.org.uk/rurallife-museum 15th February Family Learning Day ‘Wonderful Woodlands’ Will you come down to the woods today for this action packed adventure full of games, twiggy crafts, shelter building, mud painting, trails and much, much more? Carymoor Environmental Trust, Castle Cary. www.carymoor.org.uk 16th - 18th February Shepton Snowdrop Festival Events each day from 10am till 4pm from Children’s Fancy Dress Parade and Face painting to Poetry readings and book signings. Throughout Shepton Mallet www.sheptonsnowdropfestival.org.uk
24th February Snowdrop Celebration Walk through the stunning gardens and witness the snowdrop experience with beautiful moats and a breathtaking arboretum Bishops Palace https://bishopspalace.org.uk 5th - 9th March Hairspray at Bristol Hippodrome Don’t miss this irresistible feel-good show that will have you smiling for days - let your hair down and book now! Bristol Hippodrome www.atgtickets.com 11th March Mother's Day at Tyntesfield Wander through the spring blooms on the estate and finish off with a delicious seasonal treat in the Cow Barn restaurant. Tyntesfield Estate www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ tyntesfield
17th February 2pm Little Frankenstein - A little horror for little horrors! Little Frankenstein will tickle the imagination of everyone from 5 to 105 years old. A fantastic puppet show £7.50 £5.50, Family ticket £21. 2pm Merlin Theatre, Frome. www.merlintheatre.co.uk
11th March Mums Farmyard Quiz Make Mother’s Day special with £1 entry for mums for the whole day - have lunch and a farmyard quiz plus much more for a fun-filled evening. Cholderton Charlie’s Farm www,choldertoncharliesfarm.com
17th - 18th February Chinese New Year celebrations Welcome in the Year of the Dog with spectacular traditional and contemporary performances, stalls, workshops and activities. Bristol Museum, Bristol www.bristolmuseums.org.uk
17th March Family Science Fair 2018 Bath Taps into Science focuses on exciting and enthusing young children and families with science and engineering. FREE activities on offer. www.bathtapsintoscience.com
24th February The Lego Ninjago Movie Children £3, Adults £5, Families £12 (2 Adults, 2 Children). Midsomer Norton Town Hall, Midsomer Norton www. midsomernortoncommunitytrust .co.uk
29th March There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly A magical musical stage show with a feast of colourful animal characters and heart warming fun. It’s the family treat you can enjoy. Merlin Theatre, Frome www.merlintheatre.co.uk
please visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk
World Book Day announces stellar line-up of authors, illustrators and more for 2018
•The world’s biggest celebration of reading for pleasure, World Book Day returns on Thurs 1st March
• Authors for 2018 include Clare Balding, Tom Fletcher, Julian Clary, Nadiya Hussain and many more
• 10 titles to be released at £1 with Marvel, Mr Men, and Paddington Books included on the list
Penning new works that will cost just £1 or free in exchange for a £1 World Book Day book token, will be bestselling children’s authors and illustrators for 2018 include: Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain, broadcaster Clare Balding, musician Tom Fletcher, comedian Julian Clary and top illustrator David Roberts to name a few. In addition to these new titles, and completing the line-up, there will be releases from favourite household brands Marvel’s The Avengers, Mr Men and Paddington. The £1 World Book Day book tokens are available to all schoolchildren in the UK and Ireland. Over the past 20 years, World Book Day UK has distributed over 290 million £1 book tokens to children and young people across the country. It was first marked in the UK in 1997, in response to an increasing concern over poor reading and writing standards in children. It is now a global phenomenon. For 2018, titles chosen will offer a message of inclusivity, through the authors, illustrations, stories and a wide assortment of characters, enabling young readers to see the world in which they live reflected between the pages. As well as celebrating the joy of reading, this year’s key ‘Share A Story’ theme encourages adults, parents and older siblings to participate by reading and sharing stories and books with family, friends and colleagues alike. World Book Day will be celebrated on Thursday 1 March 2018. From late February 2018, children in the UK will be given a £1 book token in their nurseries, preschools and schools, which they can use to claim their free World Book Day title in participating bookshops and supermarkets from 26 February to 25 March 2018. Visit www.worldbookday.com today for more information and to subscribe to the free monthly World Book Day e-newsletter.
Illustrations © Jim Field
You can also read more about World Book Day, the books and authors and also more about â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Share a Storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on our website. www.familymatters-uk.co.uk
COULD FEAR OF FAILURE BE A CAUSE OF YOUR CHILD'S ANXIETY? Fear of failure seems to be an increasing problem for our children, and in particular for those considered ‘more able’ academically. They don’t want to get things wrong and can get stuck always learning within their safe zone. At Explorium we talk about learning out towards our edges which inevitably means getting a lot wrong! In fact we are so upfront that we will be making mistakes together, that we learn about neurons, synapses and neuroplasticity! Once our children understand the basic neuroscience behind what is going on in their brains when they get something wrong, they relax and begin to see failure as part of the adventure towards success. But it doesn’t always come easy! The problem many of our children face today is they may not be getting enough challenge. If they are able (or more than able!) to do the work that is presented to them then they are probably far too comfortable with getting things right and are not building up emotional resilience needed to get things wrong. Perhaps their reading age is way beyond their actual age? Maybe they are in the top spelling group and always get
10/10? In maths they be rushing ahead with their times tables and love all those ticks in their workbooks but get extremely upset (disproportionately so) when they get a cross against something. Their fear of failure may be getting so strong that they are developing strategies to avoid it rather than developing effective strategies to tap into their full learning potential. We have worked with a lot of children from local schools about overcoming their fear of failure and there always seem to be a common thread that comes up when we ask them why they don’t like making mistakes. "Because people will laugh at you. If we are the people who always get it right what happens when WE get it wrong? Maybe people will realise I’m not as clever as they think I am." It seems our children are getting really good, very early on in life, at protecting themselves from external judgement by their peers, teachers and parents.
Meet Alfie. He came to us because his parents realised that, although he is incredibly academically and artistically gifted in many ways, he would get frustrated and angry when he couldn’t do something. "Alfie wouldn't try new things. If he thought he couldn't do it, he wouldn't do it." Zoe, Alfie's mum. During our initial consultation I presented Alfie with a task that involved a bit of problem solving. He did everything to avoid doing it. He began to get frustrated, walk around the room, and started looking anxious. But I persisted and encouraged him. When he begin to try I asked him how he was feeling. He replied ‘my brain feels like scrambled eggs.’ I love this description! I am sure we can all confess to those moments when our brains turn to mush. If we haven’t learned how to organise our thinking or to employ effective strategies to move through a problem, then it can feel like a scary place to be, even for us as adults.
The good news is that it is remarkable how quickly our children can embrace making mistakes when we give them permission to do so. That isn’t to say that moving from a fixed to a growth mindset happens overnight - it doesn’t. For many of us it may take a lifetime! As parents we can be so busy making sure our children taste success that we can overlook the importance of legitimising failure and more importantly actually nurturing failure. NB: If you think there are other factors underlying your child’s anxiety you should seek advice from your health professionals.
If your child is showing signs of fearing failure, which can present itself as low level anxiety, then here are some simple steps you can take immediately:
1
Start a conversation in your family about why mistakes can be good for you.
2
Redefine success broaden out what it means to succeed and include failure in that definition.
3
Start praising the effort your child puts into something rather than the outcome. Too much emphasis placed on external motivation star charts, golden hour, smiley face stickers, can reinforce that it is the end result that is important rather than the hard work (and mistakes made) that should be valued.
Article was kindly supplied by Julia Black, founder of Explorium and creator behind Lights On. explorium.co.uk "With over 26,000 hours of learning delivered to over 600 learners I've now got a transformational framework, Lights On®, that empowers you to play an active role within your child's education without having to take them out of school full-time."
presents
A week long festival for everyone whether in school or out. What ever your age we have loads of events and activites for you. Here are just a few that are happening during the week: Saturday 10th March - Launch Event A selection of activites for all the family including a talk from the author of "The Scientific Secrets of Dr Who" Monday 12th - Friday 16th March Events offered to schools alongside an evening programme of talks and discussions for adults to find out how university research affects our everyday lives. Wednesday 14th March Two family focused talks to celebrate Pi day (if the date is written in American format it is 3.14 2018!) Saturday 17th March Join us for the final event of the festival - the Family Science Fair at its brand new venue at the Rec in Bath. Get hands-on with fun science, take part in crafts and enjoy a great day out.
www.bathtapsintoscience.com
EXHIBITION: 17 MARCH - 7 APRIL www.blackswan.org.uk/young-open competition deadline: 16 February
Black Swan Arts is now calling for entries to its hugely successful children’s art competition. The Young Open is a great opportunity for young people between the ages of 8 and 19 to have their work curated, judged and exhibited in Black Swan Arts’ Long Gallery, Cafe and Round Tower for hundreds of visitors to see. Winners in the three age categories (8–11 years, 12–15 years and 16–19 years) have the chance to take part in a one-to-one workshop with a professional artist. The Workshop Prize is a unique element of the Young Open, with local working artists and craftspeople from different disciplines offering 13 brilliant individual workshop prizes. Each of the sessions is carefully tailored to develop the skills and broaden the artistic abilities of the winners in each of the three categories. Submissions in all forms of art and craft are welcome, including
painting, drawing, collage, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, photography, video/animation, metalwork, carpentry and sculpture. Our panel of judges includes Gavin Strange, Senior Designer for the Interactive arm of Aardman Animations and ‘best mate’ on CBBC’s Art Ninja; Michelle Robinson, award winning children’s author; artist Jo Walton and Chair of Black Swan Arts, Amanda Sheridan. The cost is £5 for one entry, £8 for two entries, £10 for three entries and £12 for four entries. The deadline for entries is 16 February. Schools/Clubs can apply by group entry. Selected artworks will be exhibited at Black Swan Arts from 17 March to 7 April at Black Swan Arts. All details are the website www.blackswan.org.uk
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Pancake Day Tues 13th March
The Frying pan is smoking hot, the batter is mixed and it’s time to start tossing... one of our favourite days of the year is here, it’s Pancake Day! Here are some fun facts about Shrove Tuesday: The largest pancake ever made measured 15 metres and weighed in at three tonnes. That's ‘flippin’ huge!
Andrei Smirnov from Russia ate a colossal 73 pancakes in one hour. That’s more than one a minute. He must have been ‘flippin’ hungry!
The highest pancake toss reached 329cm high. Lets hope you have a high kitchen ceiling if you want to try and match this!
The most flips anyone has ever done with a pancake is 349 flips in two minutes.
Us Brits use an unbelievable 52 million eggs on Pancake Day. That’s 22 million more than any other day.
In France, people like to make a wish before flipping their pancakes. They do this while holding a coin in the other hand.
On average we consume two pancakes per person on Pancake Day, which means that we get through 117 million pancakes in one day! This requires enough milk to fill more than 93 Olympic swimming pools and almost 13 million kilos of plain flour.
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LATEST SCHOOL NEWS
EVENTS
DIARY DATES
YOUR SUCCESSES
News and Reviews COOKING FOR THE FAYRE The children at Berkley First School cooked pizzas and cookies to sell at the school’s Christmas fayre. The fayre made an amazing £1058.66 towards equipment for the school.
HAYESDOWN EARNS THE COVETED 360SAFE ONLINE SAFETY AWARD Following external assessment in December, the school was awarded the 360safe Online Safety Quality Mark. Mrs Barlow and the school’s Digital Leaders have worked extremely hard across the last 18 months to ensure the school is fully compliant with the many requirements of this internationally recognised award. The school received a letter from Somerset Councillor, Frances Nicholson, congratulating pupils and staff on this achievement. Following the accreditation the school are able to add the 360safe logo to their letterhead and website and will also receive a plaque to go in the main school entrance. Congratulations and thanks were extended to all the staff and children, and to Mrs Barlow, the Digital Leaders, parents who came into school to talk to the assessor and Mr Turner with responsibility for e-safety, in particular. Well done everyone.
NATIONAL ACCOLADE AWARDED TO HEMINGTON PRIMARY SCHOOL A national accolade for quality has been awarded to Hemington Primary School for its work in improving the well-being, resilience and self-esteem of its pupils who are vulnerable to underachievement. The Quality Mark Award recognises the impressive work being done by the school to improve progress in reading, writing and maths for all pupils, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities. Hemington Primary School has been working in partnership with Achievement for All since 2014 and has seen a marked improvement in many aspects including working with parents and carers to improve children’s outcomes as part of the AfA framework. Naomi de Chastelain, Headteacher said: “We are so proud to accept the Achievement for All Quality Mark in recognition of all the hard work by staff, parents and children. We have received invaluable support from our AfA coach, Sally Arthur, who has enabled us to enrich the future lives of all children attending our school.” Achievement for All works closely with parents, carers, teachers and the individual child to secure the best outcome and attainment for their students through personalised and specific targets. The unique programmes are delivered directly to schools and settings via a highly skilled and trained team of expert coaches and specialist online support tool called The Bubble. The Quality Mark Award focuses on a variety of categories such as strategic planning, quality of teaching and learning, effective use of interventions, pupil progress and community relationships.
SCARVES, HATS, GLOVES AND SOCKS Before Christmas Selwood Academy pupils were asked to donate scarves, hats, gloves and socks for the Salvation Army. These will be used by homeless people during the colder Winter months. Pictured are members of 7F with some of the donations.
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OAKFIELD ACADEMY CYCLE FOR RUH DEMENTIA CARE UNIT On Friday 19th January all pupils at Oakfield Academy competed in a House competition to raise funds for the Dementia Care Unit at the Royal United Hospital Pupils and staff mounted spinning bikes that were kindly loaned to the school by Frome Leisure Centre and the Train Station Gymnasium. Frome Town Council very kindly allowed their Town Rangers to assist with transporting the exercise equipment. Pupils were encouraged to make a donation to the charity, and had assemblies highlighting the important work that the Unit does. School Prefects and Sports Leaders kept a close eye on the recording of mileage on the bikes. The event was hugely successful, raising over ÂŁ275 for the cause. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the day.
OAKFIELD ACADEMY NEW PLAY EQUIPMENT Oakfield Academy is delighted to have installed new exercise/ play equipment on their Yard. The idea of fitness in the fresh air is open to all pupils and staff to use - it will probably be very popular after the Christmas Holidays!! Invited to open the 6 wonderful pieces of equipment was (Nunney Road) Southern Co-op Store Manager, Joshua King. His store has been fundraising for the Academy all year, and their donation helped to pay for the items. Also pictured is Sarah Wells, School Business Manager together with Year Six pupils Tilly Bennett, Dominic Evans, Macey Light and Finley Van Gorph.
STICK INSECTS FOR CLASSROOM PETS Oakfield Academy Year 5 teacher Ms EvansBentley welcomed new additions to her tutor group - a group of stick insects that will be class pets. It is hoped the little insects will encourage sensitivity and relaxation among the pupils, and will also assist when studying the food chain and the anatomy of invertebrates. Pictured is Fleur Molloy from 6C who could not wait to handle the fascinating creatures when she visited the classroom.
FROME WINDOW WANDERLAND A magical walking trail to light up our streets Friday 23rd â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sunday 25th February, 5:30-9:00pm. See your community in a whole new light. Wrap up warm and brighten up your February with a magical walking trail and see beautiful lit up displays in windows and gardens all across Frome. This is a fun community event that anyone can join in. Pick up a free map from the library, Cheese and Grain, Frome Town Hall or the Discover Frome Information Point at Black Swan Arts or go one step further and make a display in your own window or garden! The event is completely free and there are no fees to participate in the event. Making a display can be as simple as a lounge window with candles, fairy lights in the garden, a front room disco or your favourite book in the window, it is completely up to you. The event follows the half-term break and gives a chance for families and communities to come together and make something fun and colourful together. The sky is the limit and whole neighbourhoods can 20 |
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get involved and share in the street party spirit that the event brings. Or you can always lend your window to someone who wants to make a display. See the website for ideas of displays from other events at windowwonderland.com. It is easy to join up just put your address on the online map at our page www.windowwanderland.com/event/frome-somerset-2018. We would like to thank our sponsors, Storage Base, David Wilson Homes and Foundations Up for supporting the event.
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WESTWOOD WITH IFORD SCHOOL GOES INTERNATIONAL
OAKFIELD RECEIVES HELP WITH RSPB BIRD WATCH
Recently the school went global at Westwood with Iford School with an international day focused completely on Christmas around the World. After the success of Clover class’ live Google link up with Room 104 of Georgetown Elementary school in the USA, sharing Christmas traditions and wishes face to face, there was also a fantastic opportunity to learn about how other countries celebrate Christmas. All of the children throughout the school were put into groups and spent a session together with each teacher learning about how Christmas is celebrated in Germany, Scandinavia, China and Iceland. What was so lovely was that the school family worked so wonderfully together, supporting each other and enjoying the opportunity to work with friends that were both older and younger. The teachers all planned a super day for everyone that was enormous fun and so informative. Huge thanks went to the staff for another brilliantly planned day and to the children for their outstanding behaviour and sense of fun.
Oakfield Academy would like to say a huge thank you to Mole Valley Farmers who have very kindly supported Year 5/6's RSPB Bird Watch project. Over 37kgs of bird seed was collected by Year 5 pupils, Charlie Brooks, Kayne McDonald and Sam Sandy. The children will be making bird feeders and counting the number of different varieties of wild birds that visit their gardens, and the school grounds.
WESTWOOD WITH IFORD SCHOOL CHRISTMAS FAIR SUCCESS! Once again the Friends of Westwood School put on yet another showcase event that brought together the entire community and village of Westwood in the most beautiful atmosphere with the Christmas Fair. Having transformed the school, each area looked so festive and welcoming that it is no wonder people were queueing at the door from 2pm to get in and see the vast array of stalls, crafts and games on offer. Father Christmas even made a special appearance for the afternoon and set up the perfect grotto in the Head's office. From racing Santas to the ever popular Tombola, with a widely stocked Christmas Cafe in the meadow to children’s arts, face painting and lucky dip. Some children class even set up their own stalls again in one of the classes, all, all planned and organised in their own time. Every corner of the school was alive with Christmas joy and it made for such an enjoyable afternoon. Throughout the fair, the school's broadcasters also took turns to host a full length, 1 hour Christmas radio show, playing everyone’s favourite songs, children’s wishes for Christmas, interviews and generally had fun taking over the studio for the afternoon! Enormous thanks went to the brilliant FoWs for their hard work, commitment and dedication to putting on such a super event. The school raised a staggering £1132 and that is just tremendous. ukfamilymatters |
WILTSHIRE PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS ACHIEVE GOOD GRADES Wiltshire primary school children have achieved good grades for reading, writing and maths according to the latest government figures. Performance tables released today (14 December) by the Department for Education show children in Wiltshire have performed well in the three core subjects. The assessments were introduced by the government in 2016 as part of a wider push to raise standards around a more demanding curriculum. Pupils are no longer assessed against levels, but instead have tests to show they have reached the expected standard in reading and maths, and teachers assess whether they have reached this standard in writing. This year more than half of Wiltshire’s primary pupils reached the expected standard in all the three subjects of reading, writing and maths. High proportions of pupils continue to make the expected gains in their knowledge and understanding in core subjects, achieving the expected standards in each of reading, writing and maths separately. Laura Mayes, cabinet member for children, said: “This is the second year where our year 6 pupils have sat the tests, which have raised the bar in terms of academic standards. I’d like to congratulate our pupils, dedicated school staff, governors and parents for their commitment and hard work to achieve these results. We are never complacent as we look forward to continuing the hard work and partnership working to ensure all pupils can achieve their potential and are prepared for the challenges of secondary school education.” @UkFamilyMatters | familymatters-uk.co.uk | 21
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WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT Name: Imogen Roberts Achievement: won 4 medals at Writhlingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gymnastics competition and came 2nd in her class.
Name: Lucia Hancock Achievement: achieved the British gymnastics proficiency award for level 8. Well done Lucia
Name: Immy Isaacs Age: 6 Achievement: was awarded level 6 in gymnastics. Well done Immy.
Name: Chloe Wall Achievement: won the Christmas colouring competition for the 5-7 age group. Amazing work Chloe.
Name: Amelia Shell Age: 9 Achievement: a Level 4 in swimming. Great swimming Amelia.
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HALF TERM WORKSHOPS PLAY IN A DAY - MON 12 FEB 10-2PM FOR AGES 7-12 Spend a day at the Merlin creating a unique, fun piece of theatre! Working, playing and creating together, you will learn fun new drama games and techniques and make your own piece of theatre, to perform for friends and family at the end of the day.
MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP - TUES 13 FEB 10-2PM AGES 7-12 Spend the day learning a song and dance routine from a West End musical. No experience necessary, just come along and have a go!
A little horror for little horrors! Semi famous puppeteer Frank Stein is busy rehearsing his new show George the Dragon Slayer but he’s finding it really difficult with his badly made puppets! He’ll never be famous because his puppets keep falling apart! Taking inspiration from the scientist Dr Frankenstein, and with the help of the audience he creates a new real live puppet that is destined to change this life forever! Creature George emerges from the workshop – innocent and willing to learn, but Frank is so intent on the planned rehearsal that he neglects to look after his new child. Little Frankenstein will tickle the imagination of everyone from 5 to 105 years old.
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THURSDAY 29 MARCH - 2PM: THE PEOPLE’S THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY Written by Steven Lee and Directed by Nick Lane FAIRYTALE FOOD FOR FAMILIES From your five a day to the latest weight loss plan, consumers have been presented with some remarkable dieting plans down the years but none so delightful and memorable as the one enjoyed by the old lady in the nursery rhyme There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. First written as a song in 1953 it was a chart topping hit for singer, actor and all round good guy Burl Ives before being adapted into a best selling book by Pam Adams a few years later. This version, found in schools, nurseries and homes across the world is currently celebrating its forty fifth anniversary and to mark the occasion popular children’s author Steven Lee (How The Koala Learnt To Hug, Don’t Dribble On The Dragon) has turned this much loved tale into a magical musical stage show written especially for children to enjoy with their parents. With a feast of first class games, colourful animal characters and heart warming fun it’s the family treat you can enjoy.
WEEKLY CLASSES
TICKETS: £7.50, £5.50, Family ticket £21
SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY - 2PM LEMPEN PUPPET THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS LITTLE FRANKENSTEIN
MUSICAL THEATRE CLUB TUESDAYS 4.30 - 6PM Ages 7+. Learn song and dance routines from your favourite West End Musicals to perform at the end of term.
YOUTH THEATRE WEDNESDAYS 5PM - 7PM Explore a variety of drama techniques, including character work and interpreting scripts, steering original ideas towards creating a quality public performance.
DRAMA CLUB SATURDAYS 10AM - 12PM This fun group will create a wonderful piece of theatre each term using drama techniques through games, improvisation and scripts. All classes are term time only.
Bath Road, Frome BA11 2HG | 01373 465949 | www.merlintheatre.co.uk
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