Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Happy Christmas

  Sat 22 Dec 2018

  Wow what a final week of term!  It has been a fun busy week at Short Wood, frosty fractions have been a theme across school to keep everyone thinking in a festive way - this work will be displayed in the hall from the beginning of next term.

   

  Christ Church hosted two lovely visits for us this week, half the school visited on Monday with the remaining half going on Tuesday.  The pupils were a pleasure to take out and we had a warm welcome at the church.  Christ church has a number of services over the Christmas period that everyone is invited to attend if they would like to go along.  Thank you to everyone that made us so welcome.

   

  Congratulations to our catering team who served over 400 meals on Wednesday to pupils, invited guests and staff.  We were delighted so many members of the local community were able  to join us for this special meal.  The lunchtime staff did an amazing job - from Val and her team in the kitchen to the festive lunchtime supervisors who made the occasion great for everyone involved.

   

  Congratulations to Hayden who was presented with first prize in an Art competition this week by Mayor Raj Mehta.  Councillor Angela McClements also presented books to the school this week to celebrate Telford's 50th anniversary, we will be handing these out in the new year.

   

  Sparkle, fun and laughter filled the school on Thursday as all of the children were treated to Christmas parties.  We even had a very special visit from Santa himself who delivered a gift for every pupil in school. 

   

  On Friday afternoon we had a very special assembly to say goodbye to some of our team who left us this week.  Mrs Simons has decided to finally retire after many years of teaching in this community, many families will have benefited from her enthusiasm, talent and warmth and we wish her well as she starts the next chapter in her life. Mrs Sergeant left this week to take up an Assistant Head post in Stafford, her seven years at Short Wood have been varied, from leading Maths across school to leading the Key Stage 1 team.  We wish her well as she takes on a new challenge.  Miss Towers has also left us, she has decided she would like to spend more time with her young family, we know she will have lots of fun.  Finally Mrs Kirby-Murray is going to be leaving us for a short while as she takes adoption leave to spend time with her new family.   We did remind them once a Short Woody always a Short Woody, and expect them to come back to visit! New members of the team will be starting in January, Mrs Tymon will be our new Reception teacher, Mrs Kennedy is taking on the role of Key Stage 1 leader and Miss Wheat is going to be working with Class 10 and Class 13.  We know everyone will make them welcome and look forward to working with them. 

   

  Thank you to everyone who bought a raffle ticket at the end of term and supported the PTA's Secret Santa gift sale.  All profits will go to supporting the school.

   

  As always, well done to the golden leaf winners this week - they are sure to make the good list!

   

  Finally thank you to everyone for their hard work and support this term we really appreciate it, we would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.  Enjoy a restful break and we will look forward to seeing everyone on January 7th for the new term.

  

• Making memories

  Fri 14 Dec 2018

  We have had some magic moments this week and have been delighted to welcome so many family and friends into school to share them with us.

   

  We designated this week as 'Community Christmas' week in school.  This was started on Saturday evening by Rebecca and Dylan, our school council captains, reading a poem at the All Saints Carol service, which they did brilliantly.  Reception and Nursery have been performing the Christmas Story this week a little differently to how we have done it before.  Reception shared the story around the camp fire in forest school, celebrating precious moments with their families with hot chocolate and cookies as a special treat.  They have also created a heart warming film 'Is that you Santa?' which can be seen on Mrs Doult's blog on the Early Years page of the website.  Nursery then followed this by having real animals as part of their tableau on Thursday this week, there was a donkey, a turkey, a sheep, chickens and a rat.  The children were so excited to meet the animals so close up - they responded in a gentle and caring manner.  The smiles and moments of pure joy were a delight to share.

   

  On Tuesday evening, 'Carols Around the tree' was full of Christmas magic.  The Year 5 pupils have been working closely with the team from TACT and The Schools Arts Trust to learn, rehearse and perfect a range of Christmas songs, from traditional classics to more modern choices.  We had so much positive feedback for the audience.  The quality of the performance was excellent showcasing the talents of our Short Woodies.  We are grateful to Jack Pierce form TACT who gave up his time to accompany the children on the evening and to the two Wrekin College students who came along with Jack to play the violin and cello, it all added to the atmosphere of the evening.

   

  Our Key Stage 1 choir have been spreading their very own Christmas cheer again this week, they visited Sunnycroft, the National Trust property just up the road from school, to sing their carols and Christmas songs.  From 12.30 today they will be performing again at Oakwood.  The children and staff have really enjoyed performing and we are grateful to the venues for welcoming us so warmly.

   

  Our Governing body met this week to review the progress school has made this term.   At Short Wood we are lucky to have a really talented and committed group of volunteers who support the school, we would like to thank them for the work they do a part of the whole team effort.

   

  Well done to our Golden Leaf winners again this week, as always we are really proud of you all.

   

  Next week is a really busy last week of term at Short Wood, we are planning visits to Christ Church on Monday and Tuesday - half the school will go each day.  We have Christmas lunch planned for Wednesday and parties on Thursday. 

  

• Sharing the joy...

  Fri 07 Dec 2018 Gail Butele

  As we hurtle towards the end of term, there was great excitement this week as the Christmas Trees arrived in school. Our own Short Woody elves have ensured they are sparkling.

   

  The residents of Heywood Lonsdale Court were treated to some festive cheer this week as our Key Stage 1 choir went to sing Christmas songs for them.  Thank you to the residents and staff for such a warm welcome, we hope to visit again at some point next year.  The choir are also going to be singing at Sunnycroft on Monday 10th from about 12.30 and at Oakwood on Friday 14th from about 12.30, hoping to spread the Christmas spirit into our local community. 

   

  On the theme of Christmas, Year 5 visited Blists Hill Victorian museum on Tuesday this week to learn all about how the Victorians would have been preparing for the festive season.  They stirred the Christmas cake, dipped candles and explored the town. Everyone had a great deal of fun and came back full of enthusiasm. The children were a credit to school and a pleasure to be with.  Next Tuesday (11th December) Year 5 will be presenting Carols around the tree at 6.30pm in the school hall, this is being supported by Jack Pierce from the Schools Arts Trust.  We look forward to welcoming many of you on Tuesday evening. 

   

  Year 6 are looking forward to their 'night at the museum' this evening.  They will explore the school in the dark, make their own pitta pockets and share a movie with their friends.  Thanks to the staff who are volunteering their Friday evening to put on this memorable Year6 event.

   

  Our school council captains Rebecca and Dylan are representing Short Wood at the Mayor's annual Carol Service on Saturday evening from 6.30pm at All Saints Church in Wellington.  They have been asked to read a poem, which they have rehearsed in their own time this week.  Thanks to their families too for agreeing to take them along to the event.  

   

  Nursery and Early Years are busy rehearsing for their outdoor Christmas performances, these will be happening next week.  Class 1 will be performing around the campfire on Monday 10th, Class 2 on Tuesday 11th and Class 3 on Wednesday 12th.  Nursery will have 'special guests' at their performance on Thursday 13th. 

   

  The PTA are organising 'Secret Santa' this year to raise funds for school.  They are asking for a small wrapped gift to be sent into school (please state if it is specifically for a boy or a girl) anytime next week.  These gifts will then be on sale for £1 each on Tuesday 18th on Reception playground and on Wednesday 19th on the KS1/2 playground - where the cakes are usually for sale.  We have a really committed team of volunteers who are organising fundraising events, they are always looking for additional support , if you feel you could help out please contact Marie Duce, PTA Chair, or speak to any of the volunteers on the stalls.  The funds raised all go towards buying additional resources or supporting events in school that benefit all our Short Woodies, we really appreciate the help and support.

   

  The library is hosting some special events next week - Monday is Secret Books, Christmas crafts on Tuesday with Mrs Claus and surprise story tellers on Thursday.....Please do try and go along and join the fun.

   

  On a safety note as the nights are really getting darker please can you talk to your children about the need to be visible and careful while out and about.  Road safety is important at all times but especially so when it is dark and wet/slippy.  We have also had a number of issues regarding safety online recently and would like to remind everyone of the need to be vigilant around the nature of your child's online activity.  If you are unsure about any apps or websites the NSPCC has a useful app called Netaware which gives you details of latest apps including age restrictions and information about content. The online experience is ever evolving, we know keeping up can be a challenge.  Please come and talk to us if you feel you need any support.

   

  Well done as always to our Golden Leaf winners this week we are really proud of their efforts, it is always a pleasure to share in their personal sense of achievement.