Termly Update taken from the Headteacher's report to Governors June 2009
Once again we have had a really busy term. There is a lot to celebrate and there are many people to thank. One exciting bit of news for the Greenleas ‘family’ has been the safe arrival of baby Benjamin Youdan. I am sure governors will want to join me in passing on congratulations to Mrs (and Mr) Youdan. Benjamin attended his first school fair on Saturday. If we had charged for a peep into the pram we could have made a fortune!
Miss Laura Dean has been covering Mrs Youdan’s class and has quickly become a valued part of the team. We are pleased to say that Miss Dean will be staying with us until at least Christmas.
Throughout the year Miss Wood has been supporting the year 5 and year 6 children as they work towards their Civic Awards. Thirty-nine children have been involved this year. Year five children have achieved Arrowe level. They have participated in a project on Leisure in the Wirral and went on a trip to take photographs of the Wirral Waterfront. Year 6 children have achieved Birkett Level. This included a project on the environment. The children went to a City Learning Centre to produce a radio broadcast on recycling. All the children involved have been invited to a presentation evening when they will be presented with their awards by the Mayor. I would like to thank Miss Wood for her ongoing commitment.
There have been a number of very successful school trips over the last few months.
In March the Y5/6 department attended a concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic. The concert was entitled ‘Going Global’ and featured music from different countries and cultures. I would like to thank Mrs Hynes for organising this visit.
On the 2nd April the Y5 children went to
On 22nd April the Y1/2 department went on a visit to Chester Zoo. They were particularly interested in nocturnal animals and really enjoyed the bats. The children wrote very enthusiastically about all they had seen and learnt.
On 12th May the F2 classes went on a visit to St Nicholas’ Church. We were very appreciative of Jeff Staples’ willingness to open the church and support such visits.
On the 14th and 15th of May Mrs Hutchinson and the Y3/4 teachers took the children in their department to visit Birkenhead Priory. The children really enjoyed the visit and learned more about the history of our local area.
I would like to thank all the staff involved for their willingness to organise and run such trips. They really do enrich the curriculum.
The week after their SATs the Y6 children went off to the Barnabas Centre in Northamptonshire for three days on their residential trip. The children had a really great time and tried lots of new activities. Miss Mastora and I went to visit them on their last evening and were very impressed with the site and all the facilities available. I would particularly like to thank Miss Russell, Miss King, Mr Chesterman, Mrs White and Mrs Holmes for planning and organising the trip and giving up their time and energy to accompany the children and look after them. Tom Russell also attended the residential as a volunteer. Taking children away is a really big responsibility and so their willingness to support this trip is greatly appreciated.
As well as lots of trips out, we have also had some special events in school.
The F2 classes finished a topic on pirates by having a Pirate day when the children and staff dressed up. They had a lovely day that I am sure they will remember for many years to come.
On June 9th the Y3/4 department had a visit from the Fun Food Chef. The children made pizzas and fruit smoothies and learnt lots about food hygiene and cooking. The chef made the experience great fun and the children particularly enjoyed eating the food they had made together.
Over the last few weeks children in Y5/6 have had the opportunity to have lessons in safe cycling. These lessons were initially in the playground but then included cycling on local roads.
On 2nd June the whole school enjoyed a visit from the Robin Hood Theatre Company.
We had two performances of a play about protecting the environment. This was paid for by the GSA and was really enjoyed by the children.
On Friday 5th June we had a concert which was performed by the string members of the Wirral Peripatetic music service. This concert introduced children to different stringed instruments and to music from different eras.
On Monday we had the last in a series of assemblies led by a team called ‘Open the Book’. The team have been coming in each Monday morning throughout the year and have presented bible stories through drama and song. The children have really enjoyed these assembles and have become very fond of the team. The team will making a final visit in few weeks when they will be presenting bibles to children in Y6.
We have had visits from two gentlemen who have been helping us look at Lunchtime provision. Mr Mike Randal has been working with our MDAs (Midday Assistants) to look at their roles and training needs. Mr Brian Stoker has looked at our grounds and has made some valuable suggestions about improvements we could make to the layout of the playground and the facilities we offer.
On Thursday 11th June we had a visit from a National Strategy Consultant who was visiting Local Authorities to look at Disability Equality Schemes. Greenleas was suggested by Wirral as a school which has good practice in this area. The visit went very well and the consultant advised us that our scheme was the first she had come across that met all the requirements.
One of the most significant things to happen this term has been the start of the planned and much awaited building project. Four classrooms are being extended and a new classroom is being built to replace the mobile. New toilets and storage areas are also being built. The classroom section is due to be finished before the start of school in September and the rest should be finished in October. So far the project is going well. The builders are ahead of schedule and they are being extremely co-operative and helpful.
Lisa Madden and the GSA team continue to do a fantastic job raising funds for school. The adult quiz night in March was really successful and the Spring Discos in April were enjoyed by all who attended. The Summer Fair took place on Saturday. The weather was kind to us and the fair was really well attended. I would like to offer my thanks to Lisa for her excellent organisation and to all the parents and staff who gave up their time to make this event such a success. The next GSA events will be the Treasure Hunt on Friday 26th June and the Summer Discos.
This term we have had a really good number of extra curricular clubs and activities. These have included; Yoga, Ball skills, Dance, Book Club, Kwik Cricket, Gymnastics,
Multi Skills, Cheer Leading, Tennis, Thinking Skills, Radio Club, Choir and Orchestra.