Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been another warm week in Cheltenham and, for our Year 6 children, a particularly warm one in Torquay on their PGL residential! I can hardly believe that we have reached the penultimate week of the academic year, but here we are.
It has been lovely to hear about the visit from Tricia and Ken from the Gloucestershire branch of Butterfly Conservation, who came into school to introduce our Eco Warriors to the Big Butterfly Count, the UK’s largest citizen science survey of butterflies and day-flying moths. This year’s count runs from 17 July to 9 August, and the children learned how taking part helps scientists monitor wildlife and better understand how different species are faring across the country. Current reports show that 33 of the UK’s 59 butterfly species have declined since 1976, making initiatives such as this more important than ever.
Butterfly Conservation Visit
Over the past two years, our Eco Councils have played a significant role in establishing our wildflower meadow within the school grounds. They have also worked hard to raise awareness of the importance of growing wildflowers to attract these beautiful pollinators back into our local environment. We are incredibly proud of their commitment to making a positive difference and encouraging biodiversity within our school community. Please do take a moment to read more about the visit and the children’s learning.
Our Reception and Year 1 children have thoroughly enjoyed their visits to Copsegrove Farm this week. A day at Copsegrove Farm is fundamentally about experiencing life in the countryside. It is an opportunity to step away from technology, classrooms and playgrounds and instead spend time outdoors, getting muddy, rosy-cheeked and gathered around a campfire. It is also one of the most beautiful places to visit, and the children returned full of stories, smiles and wonderful memories.
Reception Trip to Copsegrove Farm
We are always looking for ways to further strengthen the expertise within our staff team. This week, Mr Antonious and Miss Phillips successfully completed their ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) training. The programme is designed to build schools’ capacity to support the emotional wellbeing needs of pupils using their own skilled staff. We are delighted to have two more colleagues equipped with these valuable skills, which will further enhance the support available for our children.
That just leaves me to say have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing all of our children on Monday for our final week of the academic year!
Warmest regards
Georgina Flooks
Headteacher