Newsletter FEB 19

We have a great opportunity to raise funds for the refurbishment of the outdoor play area in our Playgroup and Nursery Class.  We  have been accepted into the Co-op Local Community Fund programme and simply by registering to support us you can help raise money every time you shop at the Co-op.  Please keep reading and follow the link to support our cause.

Thanks

The Co-op Local Community Fund helps to support local projects that our members care about. Since its launch in 2017, Co-op members have raised £39 million pounds for over 12,000 local causes. We’re delighted that Stepaside Community Playgroup will now be able to access this funding opportunity

How the fund works

Every time our members shop at the Co-op, 1% of what they spend on Co-op branded products and services helps fund community projects. Members can shop at any Co-op Group stores across the UK to raise money for your cause.

Members can choose which causes to support by signing into their membership account or by calling the membership helpline on 0800 023 4708. Your cause will be available for members to select until November 2019.

Your cause will receive two payments as part of the Local Community Fund. The first payment will be in June 2019 and the last payment in November 2019

You may remember earlier this year a couple of news items from Stepaside CP School relating to grants and donations.  The first related to a “bags of help” grant which we received from Tesco.  Parents, family and friends of the school all voted with their little blue discs over the Christmas period last year and in January it was announced that we had won £4000.  We were delighted with this and the opportunities it provided for us to develop our outdoor play area.  However as we started to look around at equipment we realised that £4000 was not enough to achieve what the pupils needed.  We were very fortunate, a couple of months later, to be approached by Denise Burrows and her family with a very generous legacy donation in lieu of flowers at her Father’s funeral.  Later Denise approached us with a further very generous donation from her parents’ estate.

Added together these finances allowed us to plan for a fantastic play area and provision of extra outdoor seating for group work and quiet activities.  The installation of the play equipment is complete and the benches are expected any day to complete the works.

“We are extremely grateful to Mrs Burrows and her family for the generous donations she presented to the school.  We are also very grateful to Tesco, their customers and Groundworks UK for the grant of £4000.  These donations have meant that a previously impossible dream has been realised.  There simply is not the money in school budgets to provide this type of activity centre.  The pupils are enjoying using the equipment as part of their PE lessons as well as during play times.” Commented Mr Paul Harries, Headteacher at Stepaside CP School.

 

   

 A new term is well underway at Stepaside CP School.  Pupils have returned looking very smart in their uniforms and ready to learn.  The attendance and behaviour for the first few weeks has been excellent.  Staff are excited to welcome pupils back and to see new faces in their classes too.  There are exciting topics and activities planned for the term both in school and with extracurricular club and trips.

The infants have booked their outdoor learning sessions at Penderry Woods and the Nursery class have a block of outdoor Thursdays this term, visiting the beach and the forest.

Nursery pupils are also enjoying their Messy Wednesdays where they play and learn in a sensory way.  New pupils in the Nursery were also joined by class pets this year, two friendly guinea pigs called Flame and Roxy.  Pupils in Year 2 are studying plastics pollution, and are hosting a mini version of Bertie the Sea bass as he visits local schools.  The children have written a  persuasive letter home to their parents outlining the problems of using and disposing of plastics.

Dosbarth Wiwer are also planning trips to the woods later this term.

Year 6 pupils have secured funding from Arts Council of Wales to make an expedition to the Egypt Centre at Swansea University where they will take part in workshops and handle genuine artefacts. “This is the second time we have accessed funding for this trip, it is so beneficial to the pupils learning on this topic in our history curriculum.  The Centre is a great resource for us and we are very grateful for the support we have received from Arts Council of Wales to make this trip possible.” commented Mr Richard Adams, class teacher.

Dosbarth Draenog are working hard on their topic of Space and are preparing to teach each other what they have learned from their research.

Afterschool clubs have restarted too with pupils involved in cooking, cross country, Welsh and French alongside ball skills, netball and football.  Our ever popular Buzz Club has gone down well this year with pupils watching reviewing films.

“All in all, a fantastic start to the new school year.  It good to see everyone engaged in their learning and we are delighted with the support we are receiving from parents with regard to uniform and attendance.  We look forward to making the most of the opportunities we have as members of the Stepaside CP school community.” Commented Mr Paul Harries Headteacher

The end of term has been marked at Stepaside CP School with the presentation of awards to pupils who have worked hard all year.  There have also been presentations to mark the hard work of the school council and presentations to the winners of Tenby in Bloom.

The class awards were presented to: Nursery, Jack Williams and Phoebe Williams.  Reception, Freya Thomas and, Caiden Thomas.  Year 1, Cody Glanville and Lisa Stevens.  Year 2, India Brace and Noah Reynolds.  Year 3 Kristina Ardern and Bertie Hobbs.  Year 4 Sophia Dellaquaglia and Morgan Jones.  Year 5 Jamie Keating and Patience Fraser-Brown

Year 6 awards were presented at their Leavers evening to the following

Carys Wood, overall academic, Jamie Albero, maths, Daisy Hobbs, English,  Rocky Lee, Art,  Jack Jones, reading,  Ryan Cooper, cricket, Lola James, services to school,  Megan Davies, musician, and James Ardern, services to sport.

 

Year 6 were also presented with a dictionary from the Saundersfoot Rotary club and a geometry set from the school.

Tenby in Bloom winners from Stepaside CP School were Scarlett Evans, Mason Riley, Eliza Wood, Lisa Stevens, Jacqueline Dunfee, Gabriel Reynolds, Brooke Shields, Codey Handley, Shaylyn Mason, Sohia Dellaquaglia, Lucy lewis, Jimmy Salisbury, Ashleigh Morgan- Scourfield, Carys Wood, Erin Torres and Rocky Lee

    

 

In the final assembly of the year pupils with 100% attendance for the whole year were awarded medals and the whole school were treated to an ice cream at break time for their excellent attendance this year.  The school has exceeded its attendance target for the third year in a row meaning that pupils are making the most of every day at school.

We were also delighted that one of our year 6 pupils, Cobie Jones, won a competition related to Bertie the Sea bass.  Pupils were asked to guess how many plastic bottles were inside the new Sculpture at Amroth.  Cobie’s guess was the closest and he won a lovely book with was given by Amroth Community Council.

Mr Harries, Stepaside CP School Headteacher, is delighted with how the year has gone at School, commenting, “We are exceptionally proud of all our pupils, they work very hard in school and we are often complimented on their behaviour when they are on offsite visits.  We wish our leavers all the very best in their various secondary schools.  We are looking forward to making a new start in September and welcoming some new pupils to join us at Stepaside CP School.  We know that parents will continue to support us making sure that their children are in school at every possible opportunity.”

Staff and pupils were delighted to welcome Mrs Denise Burrows and her husband Ian along to a special assembly today.  Mr and Mrs Burrows brought along past and present governors of the School Mrs Jan Holt, Mrs Joyce Lewis and Mrs Rosemary Tippet- Maudesley.  The presentation was in honour of Mrs Burrows’ late parents Mr and Mrs Godfrey Jones of Stepaside.  Mr and Mrs Jones had a passion for the importance of education.  Mr Jones passed away earlier this year and his wish was for a donation to be made to the school to help  continue to develop the great learning environment at Stepaside CP School.  Mrs Burrows spoke to the Junior pupils in their assembly about how education gives you choices.  An opinion which she and her two brothers hold dear, as past pupils of Stepaside School they have gone on to careers in micro biology, engineering and English lecturing.

The donation of £2055 will be put to very good use as a group is formed in the school to plan a development to the schools outdoor facilities to enable staff to continue to deliver its range of learning activities on site and to give pupils areas to be active and areas to be still.  “We look forward to working with parents, friends, governors and pupils as we develop the school grounds to benefit the entire school community” commented Mr Paul Harries, Headteacher.

Eisteddfod winners at Stepaside CP School

Pupils and staff of Stepaside CP School were pleased to welcome so many parents and friends to the school last week to help celebrate St David’s Day.  One week later than scheduled, due to the County forced closure of all schools for the bad weather,  Infant and Junior classes combined to give two sets of musical performances on stage alongside ensemble and solo pieces from the brass players.  Off stage competitions were held for poetry, art, map work and handwriting and the winners were as follows:

Dosbarth Cadno art award 1^st Rocky Lee, 2^nd Carys Wood, 3^rd Ashleigh Morgan-Scourfield, Handwriting award 1^st James Ardern, 2^nd Lola James, 3^rd Carys Wood, Poetry award 1^st Carys Wood, 2^nd  Jamie Albero, 3^rd Dylan Thomas and Map award 1^st Rocky Lee, 2^nd James Ardern, 3^rd Jamie Albero.

Dosbarth Mochyn Daear art award 1^st Alfie Luger, 2^nd Teah Arthur, 3^rd Phoebe Alderman, Handwriting award 1^st Alice Gottwaltz, 2^nd Dolci Lee, 3^rd Davey Flynn and Rhys Howells, Map award 1^st Vienna Probert, 2^nd Millie Howells, 3^rd Monty Brooks.

Dosbarth Draenog Art award 1^st Shaylyn Mason, 2^nd Sophia Dellaquaglia, 3^rd Morgan Chinsammy, Handwriting award 1^st Mali Phillips, 2^nd Dylan Beddis, 3^rd Elias Evans, Map award 1^st Savanah Price, 2^nd Dylan Sine, 3^rd Libby Evans.

Dosbarth Wiwer Art award 1^st Brooke Shields, 2^nd Lucy Keating, 3^rd Freddie Brooks, Map award 1^st Kristina Ardern, 2^nd Liam Sharp, 3^rd Ffion Harries and Handwriting award 1^st Lucy Keating, 2^nd Liam Sharp, 3^rd Ffion Harries.

Dosbarth Cwningen Art award year 1, 1^st Angharad Bowen, 2^nd Riley Smith, 3^rd Macey Evans, Handwriting award year 1,  1^st Katie Flynn, 2^nd Lisa Stevens, 3^rd Kayla Lewis.

Dosbarth Pili Pala, Art award. 1^st Samson Probert, 2^nd Mason Riley, 3^rd Franky Probert-Lyons, and Handwriting award, 1^st Tia Blewitt, 2^nd Scarlett Evans, 3^rd Zara Cappell-Rees.