Monday 13th December
The week has started with some very excitable children. Where do they get their energy?
Friday 10th December
After several months of being unable to add to my journal at school due to technical problems I can now start making up for lost time!
This is a good week to come back to my journal as so much has happened.
- The school's first edition of 'Cheswick goes Chatty' was published last week and the first copies went on sale at the Christmas Fair. It is a fantastic magazine and the Year 6 editorial team and the teachers who have led the project have done a brilliant job. I know that there are many children throughout the school who were thrilled to see their work in print.
- The Foundation and Key Stage 1 Nativities were performed this week. Although very different to each other, both were really special and I know that they were thoroughly enjoyed by the audiences. All the children did extremely well.
- Year 3 and Year 4 also did their Parent Share this week. Their parents had a seaside lunch and then visited the pier to play games, learn about Llandudno, have a cup of tea, buy souvenirs and watch a puppet show. Everyone had a great time.
- The Christmas Fair went very well last Friday. There seemed to be a lot of people enjoying the range of activities. The School Association again worked hard to raise money to support the school.
Next week will undoubtedly be as busy as this week with a Carol service on Wednesday and Christmas parties throughout the week.
Friday 17th September
It is hard to believe we have already done two full weeks back at school. Everyone seems to have settled back well although the children seem to have more energy than me.
Wednesday 8th September
I was reminded yesterday that I had not added to my journal at all this term. I admit that I completely forgot and I am hoping that this was because I was so busy and not because I am becoming forgetful in my old age.
The new school year has started well. Staff and children seem enthusiastic and eager to have our best year yet. We are hoping that this is the year that the funding for the modernisation of our school will be finalised and work will start on site. The plans are exciting and innovative and we cannot wait to get started.
Tuesday 15th June
I am shocked at just how long it is since I last added to this journal. It is not as if nothing has happened in the last few weeks! As always the school has been extremely busy but I really have no excuse for not sitting and adding at least a few lines to this journal each week.
We have just heard that we have been awarded the Gold Artsmark. We are all delighted as it is a huge achievement and a real team effort. As we went straight into gold it made it even more special and rewarding. The award recognises how many rich experiences in the Arts are offered at Cheswick Green.
All the school improvement planning for next year is well on the way and we are working on action planning for 2010 - 2011. Time seems to go by so quickly. It seems no time at all since we were working on the 2009 - 2010 plans.
Teachers are also working on the end of year reports. This is never a favourite task. I have to admit that I do not look forward to the two hundred plus reports I have to check and write comments on. The good thing is most of them are usually a pleasure to read and it is always good to read about all the progress our pupils have made during the year.
Saturday 20th March
The last week has been full of both good and not so good experiences that have left me exhausted. I am pleased to say though that the week ended really well with probably the very best bit of the school year so far.
Year 3 and Year 4 performed their Invaders and Settlers play for their parents. As the performance was outdoors we were very pleased that the weather was perfect for just the right amount of time.
The performance itself was excellent and every single child should be very proud of the hard work that went into making the project such a success and such a pleasure to watch. The lower junior teaching team should also be very proud of a very creative and innovative learning experience. We also have to thank Campbell Perry the creative practitioner who supported the work in school.
It is difficult to put into words just how amazing it was. For me the very best things about the project are; the joy on the faces of all the children as they performed, the way the two classes worked together, the confidence shown by all the children in their performance, the brilliant use of the outdoor environment and finally and most importantly the creativity which made the whole project a learning experience that every single child will remember for the rest of their life.
Hopefully there will soon be photographs and videos on our website so everyone can share the experience.
Saturday 13th March
I cannot believe that it has been so long since I last added to my journal and I feel quite ashamed of myself for not finding the time. It has of course been busy in school, but it is always busy so that is not really a good enough reason for not completing this.
Last week we had a visit from an external assessor for the Gold Arts Mark Award. The application took a lot of time to complete but it did make us realise just how much we do in school to promote and develop the Arts. I was extremely proud of the whole school when I took the assessor around. Our school always looks so bright, colourful, interesting and a great place to learn. We now have to wait until May to hear if we have been successful with our application.
We also had a Creative Arts week last week with the main theme of Multi- Cultural Stories. Foundation and Key Stage 1 concentrated on Teddy Bears, Lower Key Stage 2 on Creation Stories and Upper Key Stage 2 on Aboriginal Stories. Everyone had great fun learning and the Teddy Bears had a particularly good school dinner on Friday!
Since my last entry Year 5 and Year 6 have also had their parent share. I know the parents enjoyed their German lesson and their German cake! Well done to everyone for such as successful event.
Year 3 and Year 4 do their parent share next Friday afternoon. It will be our first complete outdoor parent share and it will take place no matter what the weather is like! The children are all very excited. They have worked so hard during the past weeks on this very special and different project. I know they have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of their time working with Campbell and I am really looking forward to the performance on Friday.
Tuesday 16th February
It is the half-term holiday and I find myself with enough time to add to my journal. If I am honest I am avoiding a particularly nasty piece of paperwork which must be completed this week. I have just added an entry to my Cre8us journal and hope that those of you who read this journal will also have a look at that journal particularly as the project and the links develop. There is a link called Cre8us on the front page of the website.
We are having some exciting building work done during this break so I am looking forward to popping into school later in the week to see how the work is progressing. It is particularly exciting because it is the first small phase of the modernisation of the school. It is also a change which will make a positive difference to every child and adult who works in the school.
Sunday 31st January
As I prepare for next week I have been thinking about last week. It was a very mixed week not helped by the fact that I had problems with a tooth and could not speak properly!
There were good bits such as sharing good work with lots of children and going a step further with the planning for the modernisation of the school. We are now getting close to the formal planning stage and the plans for improving the school are very exciting. I will settle for nothing less than Cheswick Green Primary School being the best primary school building in the Borough. This week I also met with someone from Solihull Council who is working on providing a cycle / scooter route to our school to make it safer for our pupils. We are also hoping to have a safer crossing point established on Cheswick Way.
Unfortunately the bad bit was the behaviour of a few children who are letting themselves, their families, their classmates, their teacher and their school down. Poor behaviour is rare at Cheswick Green so that makes it even more disappointing. I am not sure that these pupils realise just how much the staff at our school care about their well being and how much poor behaviour even from a very small minority of pupils can affect everyone. I am hoping that next week will bring a better attitude from these few boys and they see the new week as a fresh start. Rewards are so much better than sanctions!
At the moment next week looks like a quiet week. I wonder if it will stay that way.
PS
Thanks to Malcolm. I now know that my journal has been looked at well over a thousand times. This means I am not the only one to be reading it!
Wednesday 27th January
I have just been looking at the new website design. Everything has moved so I hope you have managed to find my journal. It is looking very good and very different. In fact thinking about it, I may well be the only person that ever reads this! At present there is no way of knowing how many people if any visit the website or read this page. This is something we need to look into.
You may have noticed a new link on the front page of the site which takes you to some new journals we have set up to enable you to follow progress on a new project that Year 3 and Year 4 will be taking part in during this term. The project is to help us develop outdoor learning and it is funded by Cre8us who support creative partnerships in schools. The journals / blogs will tell you all you need to know about the project from different points of view.
Very soon there will also be some links to some mathematics pages which will help parents to help their child with mathematics. Initially these will focus on number and how we teach addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Friday 8th January
I wish everyone a very Happy New Year.
The snow has certainly managed to disrupt this week. It has though been good to see the children and in some cases the teachers, enjoying the snow so much.
The staff of our school all spent the in-service day last Monday at Alderbrook School with all the teaching staff from the cluster of schools which feed Alderbrook. It was a very interesting and worthwhile day and we learned a lot about how we all learn and how we can get the very best from learners. We were particularly learning about some research completed by Carol Dweck. She has investigating how learners need a growth mindset to continue learning. This means as educators we need to believe that everyone has the capacity to keep learning and the brain can keep growing. Learners also need to believe that they can keep learning as long as they are resilient and do not give up when learning gets difficult. We also need to think about praising effort and learning far more than the end product.
We still have much to learn about Carol Dweck's work in future weeks. It was very good to have such a good mix of staff on Monday and to be able to share ideas and thoughts. I know the staff at Cheswick hope that we will be able to have other in service training together in the future.
Thursday 31st December
As it is the last day of the decade, I thought I ought to complete the entries for the 2009 on my blog. I have to admit I was surprised that I had not written in it at all during December. As there was so much to write about this seems a particular shame.
The build up to Christmas was fast and busy. The Foundation and Key Stage 1 Nativity, the Year 3 and 4 Greek Museum and the Year 5 and 6 Evacuee Story were all excellent and I know they were all enjoyed by the all the visitors to the school. There was one day when every year group in the school had visitors!
All these events put a lot of pressure on hall space. There is no question that we could do with a larger hall. A limit of an audience of a hundred makes it very difficult and I know it leaves some families disappointed that grandparents etc cannot attend events. Hopefully when the school is modernised during 2011 we will be able to improve the situation.
We can now start to look forward to 2010 which I am sure will be another very good year for Cheswick Green Primary School. I am particularly looking forward to a very special project that Year 3 and 4 will be working on during the Spring term, starting wrap around cover for our Nursery pupils, improving outdoor play facilities and starting to do the detailed planning for the modernisation of the school. I am sure lots of other exciting things will also happen.
Friday 27th November
Today is the second day of the Year 1 and Year 2 restaurant. Yesterday's opening went really well and the customers seemed very happy with the food and service.
As I write this I can hear Year 5 and 6 preparing for their play about children during World War 2. The singing is sounding particularly good. I can also hear parents preparing the tombola items the children have brought into school this morning for the Christmas Fair.
The whole school is extremely busy and we are finding it hard to find spaces to work and free hall time for rehearsals. I know it will all work out in the end.
Sunday 15th November
It seems that Christmas and the preparations for the end of term are already starting to take over. With the Year 1 and 2 Restaurant, Year 3 and 4 Greek Museum, Year 5 and 6 Wartime Christmas, the Foundation and Key Stage 1 Nativity, the Town Hall Christmas Choir and Christmas parties there is a lot to fit into a small space of time. There will be lots of opportunities for parents to visit the school and share their child's learning.
I did some teaching last week. I really enjoyed my day with Year 4 but I particularly enjoyed my mathematics teaching with Year 6 during the week. Mathematics was always my favourite subject when I was at school and also as a teacher. I did not realise how much I missed teaching mathematics and the challenges it brings. Maybe I will be able to fit in more teaching during the coming months.
Sunday 8th November
We are all tired this weekend after a fantastic Firework Display at the school on Friday night. The School Association worked really hard to cope with nearly two thousand visitors to the school. It still amazes me how so few people can manage such a huge event. The money raised will be used to help us extend our Computer Suite.
Saturday 24th October
What a fantastic week we all had!
The Creative Arts week was brilliant. I saw so many fantastic things happening around the school. There were children cooking outdoors and indoors, Greek Banquets and wartime cookery lessons. There was also lots of fantastic art work. We had our Harvest Festival on Thursday and the 'Helping Hands Charity' were really pleased with our gifts of food. This food will be used to support many families over the coming months.
We also had two very successful Parents Evenings, a book fair and a non-uniform charity day. We raised “170 for the Art Cart Charity at Solihull Hospital. This will enable the charity to make up eighty- five new art packs to help people during their hospital stay.
Thank you for all your donations this week. They will all make a difference to people in Solihull and in need.
It is hard to believe so much can be packed into one week. No wonder I am so tired.............
Sunday 18th October
Next week is a Creative Arts week. This event is linked to Food and all the classes are doing interesting activities linked to food and their main areas of study for this term. I know that Year 3 and 4 are having a Greek Banquet and Year 5 and 6 are going to be 'Digging for Victory' in the school grounds. There is also going to be some outdoor cooking and lots of investigations into healthy eating. I am sure there will also be a lot of cooking taking place.
On Thursday we have our Harvest Festival. We are really looking forward to welcoming Reverand Ian from St Patrick's to our school to help us celebrate Harvest. All our gifts will be going to the 'Helping Hands' charity who support families in Birmingham who have no food.
To end the week it will be an own clothes day. The donations from this will be going to Solihull Hospital for their Art Cart. As we were spending our week enjoying creative arts it seemed a good time to think of people less fortunate than ourselves who are in hospital. Many patients get great pleasure from being able to complete crafts and art activities provided for them from the Art Cart.
This week is also Parents Evening week so it is going to be very busy for everyone. We certainly seem to be fitting a lot into one week. It is probably just as well it is the half-term holiday the week after.
Sunday 11th October
Today I am trying really hard to get through some of the paperwork which has mounted up. To be honest I am not enjoying it at all as the more I do the bigger the pile seems to get. I know this is impossible but it certainly seems that way.
I have though just completed a very long form connected to a project Year 3 and Year 4 will be doing in the Spring term 2010. The project is with Cre8us and we will have creative practitioners working on a very exciting project about Invaders and Settlers. I am sure the hours spent working on the form will be worth every minute.
We have also started to plan carefully with the help of our School Council to improve the outdoor play facilities. We have some exciting ideas for that too and the School Association are going to help fund the ideas. Hopefully the weather will stay good enough for this work to start after the half - term holiday.
Sunday 4th October
I have just been looking at a new feature on j2e which will enable teachers to mark children's work when it is online and add also add stickers. It is very clever and I am now desperate to try out. It will be interesting to see how the teachers use it and if the children like it.
Last week I had the opportunity to work with three different classes, years 1, 4 and 5. I enjoyed all of the lessons I taught but Mathematics remains my favourite. I really wish I had more time to teach Mathematics within the school as I still miss teaching it every day. I will be teaching years 1 and 4 again next week so perhaps I will get to do some more Mathematics teaching.
Saturday 26th September
It has taken until today for me to find the time to write anything on my journal. This is because I have been teaching this week and having lots of meetings. Although it was a very tiring week I enjoyed most of it. I certainly enjoyed teaching both Year 4 and Year 1. Year 1 were very lively and they made me feel old because they have so much energy. Both classes did some good work and I hope their teachers were pleased with their efforts.
I have just been looking at the learning journals with Sweden and Germany and it is interesting to read how the children are asking each other questions to find out about their schools and what they do in school. Hopefully the links with Ireland and Scotland will soon be completed. It takes a long time to set up the links properly and make sure both schools can use them safely.
I am hoping next week is a quieter week and the sun shines all week. I will keep my fingers crossed.
Thursday 10th September
We have now been back at school for a whole week. Everyone seems very happy and I have already seen lots of fantastic work. The teachers are all exhausted but the children seem full of energy!
We have some new links with Sweden, Germany and Northern Ireland and I am really looking forward to getting started with their journals next week.
Monday 31st August
I have just remembered my journal and it is hard to believe it is two months since I have added to it and the summer holiday is nearly over.
Now I have to make sure everything is ready for the start of school. I hope all the teachers are ready. They have a lot to do on Thursday and Friday before the children return on Monday.
Sunday 28th June
Last week was Eco Week and everyone had a great time learning about what we can do towards saving our planet. There was a lot going on all week but I know the children's favourites were Forest School, Mad Science, making Litter Bugs, doing animations and writing a class Eco jingle.
Our new school Eco Committee, 'The Little Green Warriors' was also formed. We are now waiting to find out if we have done enough to get our Bronze Eco award. If we have work will start immediately towards getting the Silver award.
I hope some children have already started to look at my Shape Challenge and played some of the great games that are part of the challenge.
Next week looks like a quieter week so perhaps I will get time to read all the reports and make my comments.
Saturday 20th June
Amazingly it is two weeks since I last wrote anything in my journal. I am not really sure where the two weeks went. Today I am going to try and set up a link to my new challenge page which is all about shape. I hope lots of children will have a go at it and tell me if they enjoyed doing it.
The link should be in the top right corner of this page if I have got it right!
Saturday 6th June
Our in-service day last Monday went very well with the teachers having the chance to cook chocolate bananas and toast marshmellows on the fire. We also had the chance to go on the rope swing. I loved cooking on the fire but I was not brave enough to go on the swing.
This week I have spent two very good afternoons working with Year 4 and seeing how well they get on with their work and with each other. I was impressed by their fantastic attitude to learning.
Foundation impressed me this week too. They had visitors in their classroom and showed them how well they work and how much fun they have. Everyone particularly enjoyed looking at a fish. The Reception children could not wait to tell the whole school about their 'fishy' experiences in yesterday's business assembly.
We also had our very first Parent Council meeting this week. I really enjoyed the meeting and I am sure that the Council will soon establish itself well.
I am now going to work on a very special shape challenge using j2e. I hope it will soon be completed and linked to this page so everyone can try it out.
Sunday 31st May
It is already the last day of the half - term break although the children have another day off because it is an in-service day tomorrow. The staff will be working on the School Improvement Plan and experiencing Forest School. It will be a very busy day.
I have a feeling that this term is going to go very quickly because it will be so very busy. With Parent Shares, a Summer Fair, Open Evening, Reports and the Leaver's Assembly there will always be something going on. I am sure it will be a lot of fun!
Sunday 17th May
I cannot believe another two weeks have gone by since I last added to my journal. Last week was Year 6 SAT week. It was a hard week for all Year 6 and I was pleased with the way they all handled their difficult week. I know they will all have done their best.
As always I have lots of paperwork covering my desk. We are now working on our School Improvement Plan for the next school year. It seems no time at all since we were working on this year's plan and now most of those targets have been achieved.
I am also working on adding another special challenge page to my journal. This time I would like it to be linked to mathematics, as that is still my favourite subject. Hopefully I will complete something very soon.
Sunday 3rd May
It seems ages since I last wrote on my journal and a lot has happened since my last entry. Our Ofsted report has been published and I am very proud of our school and all the hard work that contributed towards such an excellent report.
I spent last week in Scotland with our Year 5 and 6 pupils. We stayed at an outdoor pursuits centre at Barcaple which is not far from Dumfries. The children had a fantastic time and they all took the opportunity to have a go at all the activities. This included mountain biking in the forest, archery, assault courses, canoeing, ropes courses, orienteering and lots more. The centre is situated in beautiful grounds and all the activities take place either on the grounds or very close to the centre.
I am hoping that next week will be a quiet week in school so I can catch up with all the paperwork from last week!
Monday 6th April
Last week was a busy week full of activity. Year 3 and Year 4 presented all their Ancient Egyptian work to their parents and we had a week of creative activities related to Easter. This included an Easter Bonnet Parade and a Decorated Egg Competition. I was really glad that I was presenting the prizes and not judging as it was such a difficult task.
I popped into school this morning to see how the Cheswick Chimps Holiday Playscheme were getting on in the Green Trees Centre. It was their first day in their new home. They have settled in very quickly and the children were enjoying making Easter biscuits. Unfortunately I was a little too early to try one.
Although I have seen the draft Ofsted report we are still waiting for its official publication so that the staff, governors, parents and children of the school are able to read it. I feel sure everyone will be pleased with the result.
Sunday 29th March
Unfortunately I did not get time to do my journal last weekend because I was preparing for Ofsted. We had a one day inspection on Wednesday and it went very well. I am very proud of my staff and pupils who have all worked so hard. We will hopefully get the written report very soon.
Immediately following the inspection we had a Parent Workshop Event. I know the parents who came enjoyed the experience and learned how to further support their child particularly with reading, ICT and Science. We were though very disappointed that over half the parents who said they were coming did not turn up or even send an apology! It had been a hard day for my staff but they still turned up ready to support parents and help the children in our care. I thank those parents who did come and of course my staff who put a lot of time and effort into preparing the workshops.
We also had the Year 1 and 2 Parent Share Event on Thursday. This was one of the most special events we have ever had in school and it was a very moving experience that I will remember for many years. As part of the Kenyan Market the pupils of Reynalds Cross Special School came to teach our children and their parents how to drum. The enthusiasm and confidence of the pupils from Reynalds Cross was a real joy to watch. Everyone enjoyed the experience enormously and had great fun.
I thank the staff and pupils of Reynalds Cross and the staff and children of Year 1 and 2 who created such a fantastic Kenyan Market experience.
This week we have the parents of Year 3 and 4 coming into school to find out if they are as healthy as the Ancient Egyptians. As we also have a creative arts event with the theme of Easter, it is going to be another very busy but exciting week in school.
Sunday 15th March
I am feeling very pleased with myself today because I have reached my target of fifty responses to my challenge and I think I have managed to put a link to the pages completed by the children to the button above which says 'Special Interests'. I hope those of you reading this will have a look at the pages and send questions to the authors.
Now I will put my target up to seventy-five responses and twenty completed pages. So far eight children have completed their page about their special interest.
Friday 13th March
Today is Red Nose Day and it seems really strange to see so many red clothes in the school. So far the children and staff have made a contribution to the charity for wearing red clothes, made special biscuits and put jokes on the school website. I am hoping we manage to raise more than a hundred pounds for the charity.
My challenge has only gone up to forty - six responses this week so I am going to have to promote it in assembly this afternoon. I am determined to reach my target.
The Upper Junior Indian Tea Party was brilliant on Wednesday afternoon and so very different from anything the school has ever done before. I know that the parents who attended really enjoyed it because I have read all their fantastic comments. WELL DONE YEAR 5 and YEAR 6 and all the adults who helped you create such a lovely afternoon.
After spending the last day and a half in Year 1 doing Design Technology I am exhausted but very impressed with our Year 1 children. They are very sensible and get on with their work so well. They have produced some very impressive safari jeeps and I am sure Mrs Choonpicharn will be very impressed by the display in her room when she returns on Monday.
Sunday 8th March
I have just checked the responses to my challenge and there are now forty - four responses. I have still not quite reached my first target. I am now working on the page that will put all this lovely work together and give you the chance to ask these experts questions about their special interest. All the children who have taken the challenge have done really well.
Parents Evenings seemed to go very well. I saw lots of happy and proud parents and I know that everyone will have gone away knowing what they need to do next to get even better.
Very soon work will be starting on improving the 'Quiet Area' on the large playground. Although the money was raised last year we have had to wait for the better weather to get started. At the request of the children the area will be made into a space where they can go to be quiet in their free time during the school day.
This week I am really looking forward to the Upper Junior Indian Tea Party on Wednesday afternoon. I have heard some of the rehearsals but I have not seen any of the performances yet. It promises to be a very different and interesting experience for all those who attend.
I am also teaching Year 1 for a few days at the end of the week. I am looking forward to this because I know we are going to be doing lots of design technology. This should be great fun for us all.
Saturday 28th February
Thirty-four children have now started my challenge, this means I am getting closer to my first target of fifty responses. Most of the children have had a reply in their j2e folder and the remainder will be sorted on Monday. I am really looking forward to seeing if all the children complete the challenge so we can start Cheswick Green's first Wiki.
The Blog with Finland has also started this week, the children in Year 4 have been sharing information with the school in Finland about their school. Their school is a very similar size to our school. We are still waiting for Milan to get started with their Blog. Now I am going to see if I can find more partners around Europe with the help of the British Council. This means more classes and children can be involved with the 'Cheswick Going Global Project'.
Next week is Parents Evening week so it will be a very busy week for the staff. I hope all our parents will be able to meet with their child's class teacher and discuss progress and future targets. There is a lot of lovely work on display around the school so I hope parents also have the time to see this.
Saturday 21st February
It is hard to believe the holiday has gone already and I have not done half of the things I planned to do. Twelve children have responded to my challenge so far, so I am quite away off my first target. There were obviously more exciting things to do during the half-term break!
We are now already to start our Blog with Finland and Year 4 will be starting work on this next week. The Blog with Italy should get started very soon too. We are looking forward to comparing our schools to find out the similarities and differences.
Now I must go and sort out an assembly for Monday on the theme 'Good to be me' and then I had better attack the paperwork ready for next week.
Saturday 14th February
I was very pleased to hear that Cheswick Green Primary School is already doing many of the things recommended in the new Primary Curriculum. I enjoyed listening to the speakers and talking with Headteachers and Advisers from other Midland Education Authorities. I feel very proud of our school, as we offer the children in our care so many fantastic experiences including an exciting, relevant curriculum.
As some children have already pressed my challenge button I have been sending replies through j2e. My first target is to have replies from fifty children. So far nine children have replied.
Thursday 12th February
Today I am not at school because I am going to a QCA conference to hear about the new Primary Curriculum which is being developed. From all the reading I have done, I think Cheswick Green may already be doing many of the things QCA will be recommending. I will find out more later.
Wednesday 11th February
After a few days disruption because of the snow we are back at school and the sun is shining on a playground covered in ice. Unfortunately this probably means there will be no outdoor play today. Maybe the sun will manage to clear the playground in time for the mid-day break.
We are all looking forward to the half-term break next week but the children have a disco on Friday to get excited about first!
Wednesday 4th February
We are back to school today after school was closed yesterday because of the bad weather. The playground is still covered with snow and I know the children cannot wait to get outside and play with their friends. I hope they have remembered their outdoor shoes!
The Year 5 project with Milan has been accepted, so communications will start very soon with both Finland and Italy. I am sure we will learn a lot about education in two countries different to our own. Hopefully the French school will also respond very soon.
I spent some of my time yesterday analysing the surveys that parents have sent back to school. I am very grateful to the seventy-four parents who have already completed and returned the surveys to school. We are already working on news sheets to improve parent knowledge on issues highlighted on the survey. It is not too late for the surveys to be returned to school.
Sunday 1st February
It seems that I managed to miss out a whole week on my journal. Time has gone very quickly.
I have just heard that our project with Finland has been accepted and Year 4 will soon be sending messages to Finland to find out what life is like for the children there. We are now waiting to hear if our project for Year 5 has been accepted, so they can find out about life for children in Milan, Italy. A school in France would like to work with Year 6 in French and English so I am hoping Miss Issac, our French teacher, will help us with this one! We hope that every class will soon get a link.
We have also been working on the modernisation plans for the school. Hopefully the finance which will make it all possible will be released soon. The plans will definitely include every class being part of the main school, replacing all the old windows and making sure the roof will not leak.
Sunday 18th January
After another busy week at school last week, I am hoping next week will be a little quieter.
I will be trying to set up some links with schools in Europe next week. There is a school in Norway and another in Italy who may wish to set up links with us. This will involve classes sharing information about their lives so they learn about life around Europe. This will be very interesting and exciting as one day we may even be able to visit each other.
Sunday 11th January
I would like to wish everyone a very happy and successful 2009.
It is hard to believe we have already been back at school for a whole week. All the new topics have started and staff and pupils have begun the new year with enthusiasm. I have already seen lots of lovely work around the school.
Sunday 21st December
As always the last week of term was very busy. The choir did brilliantly at the Town Hall and the Carol Service at St Patrick's Church was very special. It made it feel as if Christmas had really started.
I know all the children enjoyed their Christmas parties and I am sure they all remembered to thank the staff for organising them for them.
I would like to thank our whole school community for all their hard work during 2008, it was a very good year for the school and I am looking forward to an even better 2009.
Sunday 14th December
'The Grumpy Sheep' was fantastic on Wednesday but it was even better on Thursday! It was great to see the youngest pupils in our school so well supported by Year 1 and Year 2. The singing and dancing was lovely and even the Grumpy Sheep could not stay grumpy for long.
Well done Foundation and Key Stage 1 and their teachers and helpers.
We also had Christmas dinner this week and everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. I am glad I did not have to cook so many meals especially as it was turkey and I am a vegetarian!
Next week our choir are singing at the Town Hall, we have a Carol Service at St Patrick's Church, every class has a Christmas Party Day and the school is going to the Pantomime. I think it may be another busy and exciting week.
Sunday 7th December
Both the 'Pier Event' and the 'Tudor Experience' went very well. There were lots of parents in school learning what it is like to live in Llandudno or what it was like to live in Tudor times. There were lots of very positive comments.
Well done to all of Key Stage 2 and their teachers and helpers..
Next week it is Foundation and Key Stage 1's turn as 'The Grumpy Sheep' comes to Cheswick Green. As I have not seen any of the nativity yet, I am really looking forward to seeing the performance. I do hope the sheep is not too grumpy.
Sunday 30th November
I have just looked at my diary for next week and I cannot believe all the things that are happening in the week ahead.
Year 3 and 4 are changing their double hut into a pier so they can share their term's work with their parents. Their parents are also invited to a special seaside lunch prepared by the school cook. The only thing missing will be the sea!
Year 5 and 6 are changing their classrooms into a Tudor Museum and their parents will be able to share all their learning experiences for the term by visiting the museum.
While all this is going on all Foundation and Key Stage 1 will be preparing for their Nativity and all Key Stage 2 will be preparing for their Carol Concert at St Patrick's Church.
I am very proud of the hardworking staff and children of our school who make all of these special and exciting events possible.
Thursday 27th November
Today Year 1 and 2 took over the school hall and invited their parents to a 'Sensory Experience'. The school hall was packed with pictures, writing and science experiments. It was lovely to see children guiding their parents around all the activities they had created. I was very impressed and I really enjoyed my tour even though I got all the smells wrong in the competition.
Thursday 20th November
This week has been the busiest yet for me this term. I have had very little time when I have not been in meetings. This morning's meeting was particularly good because we started to think about how we could make improvements to our school building. Tomorrow I am going to watch some lessons around the school and I am particularly looking forward to that. I always enjoy going into classrooms and seeing all the fantastic work taking place.
Before I started doing my journal today I had a look at the class journals and the latest changes to the school website. There are now sections about E-safety and the school governors. The site is growing all the time and I really look forward to being able to see the changes.
Monday 17th November
This week is Anti-bullying Week so this morning our assembly was about what bullying is, how it can affect people and how it can take a long time to recover from the hurt. There will be lots of discussions and assemblies this week to help children think about what we want our school to be like and how we can ensure everyone is happy all of the time.
HSBC bank also came into school today to launch the new school bank. We are hoping that lots of children will join and start to save money regularly.
Sunday 9th November
This is the first chance I have had to add to my journal this week. It has been a busy week because of the Firework Display on Friday. I am pleased to say the Firework Display went very well. Our School Association worked so hard to make sure it was a success. Nearly two thousand people came to the display and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The fireworks were the best I have seen, especially the ending.
The staff in-service day went well too even though I fell into the mud and everyone laughed!
Sunday 2nd November
It is already Sunday and it is back to school tomorrow. The children are lucky as they have an extra day. I am looking forward to tomorrow afternoon as all the staff are going to be doing some Forest School work. Let's hope it does not rain, or we will get very wet!
I have just had another look at Year 4's lighthouse work and lots more children have now done some work in j2e. It will be interesting to see if everyone manages to do something before Tuesday. There is some very good work already. I also listened to the radio advertisements for the Pier Day and I was very impressed by those too. The day sounds very exciting.
Tuesday 28th October
I have just discovered that I can look at the whole school's work on j2e. This is very interesting and impressive. I have particularly enjoyed looking at the work the children in Year 4 have been doing about lighthouses while they are on holiday. Well done to those of you who have already done some fantastic work. I will keep watching to see who else is finding out about lighthouses.
Saturday 25th October
The week went well, including Parents Evenings. It was though another busy week and I did not get time to write anything on my journal. I am glad it is half term as I feel as if I need a rest. Unfortunately I also have some work to do!
Sunday 19th October
Next week is Parents Evening week so I hope all our pupils are proud of what they have achieved since September and they are looking forward to sharing their work with their parents. It is a hard week for the teachers as they have to fit in lots of appointments. It is a good job it is the half term holiday next week.
Friday 17th October
WELL DONE TO EVERYONE!
Creative Arts Week was a great success. A special thanks goes to all the staff who arranged all the activities that made the week so special. I hope that the parents who came into school to share activities with their child enjoyed the experience and they will take the next opportunity to visit.
Thursday 16th October
Year 6 had great fun using j2e as well and they showed me how to create pictures and backgrounds in Paint and put them into j2e. They made it look easy so I hope it is that easy when I try.
The school is becoming full of displays about favourite books and stories and I am seeing some fantastic work.
Wednesday 15th October
Today it was Year 5's turn to use j2e and they already knew lots about it so they did some brilliant posters. Once again the children taught me a lot about how j2e works. Now I am looking forward to seeing what Year 6 can do tomorrow.
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Tuesday 14th October
I would not have believed it possible but today was even busier than yesterday!
But today I did get the opportunity to see some children from the juniors learning how to do their own animations. They were brilliant and they all had so much fun. I hope their work will be on the website soon so that everyone can see how well they did.
I also spent some of my afternoon working with Year 3 and some of their parents on j2e. Year 3 are just learning about j2e, but they did some very good posters. Now they could access them at home to finish them off properly.
Monday 13th October
What a busy day!
It was so busy I did not even get to visit the mobile library, even though it was sat on the playground all afternoon.
I did though spend the afternoon with Year 4 and some of their parents in the ICT Suite. They were using j2e and I learned a lot about all the fantastic things it can do. Now I am hoping I can remember it all. I was very impressed by how hard Year 4 worked to produce some very good posters and stories.
Sunday 12th October
Today is the day I have decided to start my Learning Journal. As this is the first time I have used j2e for a long piece of work I am hoping I get it right!
The first thing I have to say is how much I enjoy looking at the class Learning Journals and finding out all the details of what is happening in classes and more importantly what the children are learning and what they think about what they are doing. I must get a Teacher's Learning Journal started very soon.
Last week was another brilliant week at Cheswick Green. We celebrated Harvest by having a Harvest meal every day which was shared by the children and their families. The cooks worked really hard to serve an extra hundred meals over the week. It was lovely to see mums, dads, brothers, sisters, grans and grandads all enjoying the especially prepared meals. The custard seemed to be a favourite! We also collected lots of tins of food to support families who have no food to give to their children.
Next week is Creative Arts Week and I am looking forward to all the exciting things that will be happening as we celebrate the Year of Reading. I very much hope it will encourage everyone in our school to read more. I have just managed to find a copy of my favourite children's story, 'The Velveteen Rabbit' by Margery Williams and I am going to read it to the whole school in tomorrow morning's assembly. I hope the children and staff love the story as much as I do. Perhaps the children will write about it in their journals.
Now I have to do some paperwork. One thing I have learned as a Headteacher is that there is always a lot of paperwork!
