What a scorching week we have had at school! It is the middle of June and the weather should be hot, the children are managing well in the heat and there is some shade in the playground.

The building work is almost finished, we have emptied the containers and the new doors and windows are in place.  There are now only two weeks before we can move in!

It was a hot day on Monday for Year 5's day at Henley Fort in Guildford. The children enjoyed climbing and challenge courses; an excellent chance to work as a team! It is a great location, with stunning views across Guildford. 

We had some excitement on Tuesday, with a swarm of thousands of bees gathering high up on one of the trees in the playground. There were a few children stung at lunchtime and reports of bees falling from the sky. We managed to contact Guildford Beekeepers Association, and one of their beekeepers came out to school in the early evening. He had a large vacuum tool, which unfortunately couldn’t reach the branch. He said that the bees would fly off in a day or two. We could see the scout bees flying around looking for a new place to move too. The following morning, after cordoning off the area, and making sure that everyone knew to stay away, the bees suddenly took flight and moved on! Year 1 saw them go. We hope that they have found a new safe place to settle.

On Wednesday morning, Year 4 led our First Communion Celebration. As the children had made their First Communion in smaller groups, it gave us all a chance to see them all together and to hear about this important step on their spiritual journey. It was a lovely assembly and a pleasure to see them all looking so smart.

After school on Wednesday we hosted a training session for our teachers and teachers from St Thomas of Canterbury on ‘Master Readers’, a whole class approach to teaching reading which will help children succeed as soon as they progress on from the daily Little Wandle phonics lessons. We are looking forward to starting this in September, and it should have a really positive impact of the children’s reading in KS 2.

Here are our Year 2 children learning about healthy eating with a practical food pyramid: 

Finally, our cross-country running club is back for a final burst until the end of term! What a contrast it was this morning to December when we were shivering in temperatures of minus 7. It was great to see the same dedicated children turning up to run and a few new faces! Well done everyone!

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine,

Elizabeth