Dear Parent / Carers,
Queen Elizabeth ll Funeral
I can confirm that Campsbourne School will be closed on Monday 19 September 2022. This has been announced as a bank holiday for the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Campsbourne Eco-Committee Awarded Green Flag Status
I am very pleased to tell you that our Eco-Committee have been awarded an Eco-Schools Green Flag. They have all worked incredibly hard to achieve this and are led superbly by our Forest School Lead, Sharon Hodson. They have worked on the following initiatives throughout last year.
Year Group Charities
This year we are introducing new charities for each year group. We want to ensure children develop a better understanding of what it means to do something for other people in your community and to recognise that may mean giving up some time to volunteer or doing something extra to raise money and not just asking mum or dad for £1 because it’s a charity day.
The following charities have been chosen because they link with some of the topics which children are taught. When they are covering these topics teachers will also plan small fund-raising activities within their year group so children learn about the values I have described and can learn about their chosen charity.
We appreciate how difficult this next year or so will be with the cost of living crisis and want to assure you that this is not about asking parents for lots of money but about teaching children about the values of doing charity work and something for other people. The following charities have been chosen for this year.
SEND children’s Parent/Carer Coffee Morning
All families and carers are invited to attend SEND parent coffee morning on Wednesday 5th October at 9am (after morning drop off). Please sign in at the main office and we will make our way to meet in the school dining hall. We want to continue to build on setting up a group of parents that can meet on a regular basis to share ideas, advice, and offer support in a friendly environment. Come and join us for a drink and a chat. This term we will host Lizzy Ngotta, from the Haringey SEND Parent Carer Forum who can support your questions about services offered in the LA and school community for SEND learners. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.
Value of the Week
Next week we are thinking about the value of ‘friendship’. We will discuss:
Staying Safe Online
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitch… the sheer number of social websites in today’s world can feel endless. So, perhaps it’s not too surprising that 48% of children have been exposed to social media by age seven. But before you despair, let’s take stock of all the positive outcomes these platforms can have – rallying real change, bridging distances, building communities. The problem is not social media in and of itself. It’s how it’s used.
#Goldilocks is a modern twist on the classic fairy tale that offers a fun and accessible way for you to discuss all things social media related with your younger children. Co-branded by Vodafone UK and Andersen Press, award-winning author Jeanne Willis created the light-hearted story alongside illustrator Tony Ross. The book is designed to help educate children about the potential consequences of being unkind, getting carried away with selfies, or oversharing images, as we see Goldilocks getting into trouble with the three bears over her pursuit of likes on social media…. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/digital-parenting/goldilocks
HSA – Our School Needs YOU!
Campsbourne events this year are at risk!!! The HSA is in desperate need of new committee members, especially for 3 key roles as myself (chair) and Tabby (treasurer) will be stepping down at the next AGM on (Wednesday 19th October) and our secretary has left the school.
The HSA is a brilliant asset to the school and I have loved being part of it – as has Tabby – but after 3 years it is time for me to step down. Other committee members also have now decided to focus on other things (one has even started an after school club!) so we have 4 vacancies. We know everyone loves the events – but we need volunteers to organise them. A lot of this organisation can be done remotely and if you are good at delegating – we need you!
Without the 3 key roles being filled, we cannot commit to putting on any events, which would be really sad and also mean that the school does not get the funding that these events raise. This funding means that things like; the complete refit of the ICT Suite (new desks, flooring, teacher station and all the other fittings @ £11K), essential repairs to the lower playground, school trips, pantomimes, books, musical instruments, equipment, forest school supplies -etc etc ALL funded by the HSA will not happen.
I realise that people think this is a big commitment and are worried they do not have the time, so the current committee have suggested a slimmed down events schedule for this year so there is not so much to do. The first big event is fireworks night and for this to happen, we would need the above roles and ideally an event co-ordinator for the event in place by the 1st October to be able to put this on.
We have also spent the past years updating lots of admin and writing and adding to guidance notes for these events, so it is a bit easier to know what to do. I have also written guidance notes (with a lot of help from the brilliant Chloe Mahon) on the main responsibilities of the committee and effectively, how to run it.
Brief overview of roles
Chair – Chairs committee meetings and AGM, liaises with headteacher on funding ‘wish list’, main point of contact for parents /carers/teachers, decides (with committee sign off) on event schedule and who responsible and delegates tasks. Named Trustee on Charities Commission. Guidance notes available for this role
Treasurer (overall responsibility for bank accounts, cash and expenses, organises floats and card machines for events, completes the AGM report and charity commission return annually along with the chair and secretary). Named Trustee on Charities Commission. Full guidance notes are available for this role.
Secretary – takes minutes, saves to Dropbox and help with all the admin. Named Trustee on Charities Commission.
We also need a Classlist Ambassador (which should be a reception parent) – basically to encourage people to sign up and use Classlist, keep all the roles up to date and be responsible for overall use/monitoring community.
In addition to the above and if you cannot commit to a whole year, can you be an Events co-ordinator and take overall responsibility for one event? This can be a totally remote roll!
Please get in touch with me for more info – I am happy to meet/have a phone call to discuss. Or, if you’d like to come to the next meeting to ask questions/ see what it’s like then please let me know. They are via zoom every few weeks and are kept as short as possible – generally less than 1 hour.
And finally, the HSA is the not the sole responsibility of women – we have been an ALL FEMALE committee for quite some time, come on men – I know a lot of you help at events but we need your input at committee level too. Don’t be shy!
There is a lot more I can say, but finally, I would like to thank the current committee both those staying and those leaving for your contribution, I think we’ve left it in pretty good shape to pass on.
And really finally – COME ON CAMPSBOURNE YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elena x
I hope you have a lovely weekend
Kind Regards
Jonathan Smith
Headteacher
I am very pleased to tell you that our Eco-Committee have been awarded an Eco-Schools Green Flag. They have all worked incredibly hard to achieve this and are led superbly by our Forest School Lead, Sharon Hodson. They have worked on the following initiatives throughout......