Warden Hill Primary School Cheltenham

Events

Look Who’s Talking

On Friday 10th January, we had our whole-school Look Who’s Talking finals.  All 12 finalists blew the judges away with presentations about mushrooms, books, dancing and much more!  We were all enthralled by these presentations and every finalist should be very proud of their achievement. 

We would like to congratulate our three winners who will now be representing our school at the Cheltenham heats.  These were:

Key Stage 1 – Elsa PG
Lower Key Stage 2 – Alin C
Upper Key Stage 2 – Darcie C

We wish them all the best for the next round!

Cheltenham Young Artist – Winter Moments

On Sunday 12th January 2025, we had the privilege of attending the first Cheltenham Young Artist of the Year Awards. Even more thrilling was the fact that we had two pupils who had been selected to be exhibited.

Both Mille and Lexi produced beautiful work and had their piece chosen to be framed and exhibited at the Garden Gallery in Cheltenham. The exhibition ran over the weekend and was open to the public.

Both girls did an amazing job and it was lovely to see them and their art works on display. The awards were on Sunday afternoon and attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire.

A special mention to Millie, whose work was also awarded, the Judges choice award.

We are so incredibly proud or everyone who entered and are looking forward to next year’s competition

School Council and Eco Warriors Elections

School Council and Eco

We are inviting children in Years 1-6 to stand for their class’s School Council and Eco Representatives for the Spring Terms.

Please see below the job descriptions for KS1 and KS2 roles:

School Council KS1 - Job Description
School Council KS2 - Job Description
Eco Warriors KS1 - Job Description
Eco Warriors KS2 - Job Description

As announced in Autumn term, this year we are starting a slightly new system to enable more children to take on these roles during their time at Warden Hill.

Your child will only be able to stand once for each role in Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.

As this is a new system, all children can stand this year, even if they were a class representative last year.

Children need to tell their teacher two days before that they wish to stand. Elections will happen on the same day in every class.

Children need to have prepared something and have it with them on voting day in order to stand.

Years 1 and 2: Children need to draw a picture or make a poster to present to their class.

Years 3-6: Children need to create a verbal presentation (no Power Points). They can also have props such as posters or pictures but nothing should be handed out to the class.

Parents are welcome to support their children in preparing for the role but posters etc must be the children’s own work.

Wednesday 15th January: Inform your teacher if you wish to stand and for which roles.

Friday 17th January: Election Day. Children to present to their class.

Good luck to all candidates.

Easy Peasy Nativity Squeezy

On Tuesday 10th December, Year 2 performed their nativity, called Simply the Nativity, to the parents and grandparents at Warden Hill. The children had spent lots of time practising in the run up to the performance in order to perfect their lines and acting skills, and they did not disappoint.

We were so proud of the children’s engagement, confidence and enthusiasm. They all delivered their lines brilliantly, projecting their voices and speaking clearly. Their acting skills were fantastic and they performed their parts convincingly.

Thank you also to the audience for their participation which helped to enhance the atmosphere of the occasion and make it all the more special. When our narrator invited the audience to say, ‘hello Donkey’, the response was fantastic! The children sang their songs beautifully throughout the nativity. They succeeded in putting everyone in a festive mood, as well as reminding us about a very special Christmas story.

At the end of the performance, the children ‘raised the roof’ with their enthusiastic singing of their final song called, ‘It’s Christmas!’

A big thank you to all of the parents for their help with costumes and for their support.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Star Write Recognition

Our school is currently brimming with pride as we showcase our first, fabulous display of Star Writes! This captivating collection features a stand-out piece of writing from each year group, highlighting the exceptional skills our young learners have learnt throughout the week. The display is proudly on show for all to admire, and we’ve been delighted to see both children and adults stopping by to read the incredible work. We are immensely proud of their achievements and look forward to celebrating many more writing successes in the future.

Rain Garden Sign Designs

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust have worked with The Co-op in Salisbury Avenue to create a rain garden outside their shop. 

Warden Hill Eco Warriors invited all children to take part in a competition by decorating a letter to be included in the Rain Garden sign. They were absolutely blown away by the amount of entries they had! After much deliberation, the Junior and Infant Eco children created a shortlist of the best letters.

As you can see from the photograph of winning entries, the standard was extremely high.

The designs have been given to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to be incorporated in their sign, which will be installed outside The Co-op.

Furthermore, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust will be visiting the school in the New Year to present prizes for the top 3 entries.

Congratulations to everyone who took part. 

GWT have partnered with RSA Insurance to provide Natural Flood Management solutions in Gloucester and Cheltenham, to limit the impact of flooding and improve the resilience of local communities.

Exceptional Football Talent Shines at Warden Hill

We are delighted to announce that three of our exceptionally talented Year 6 footballers have been selected to represent not just Warden Hill, but also a team from Cheltenham schools. Their talent has been recognised far and wide, after a very tough round of trials in the summer months. We are very proud of their great skill and modesty in achieving this honour.

Throughout this term, our star players have participated in three games, showcasing their abilities and dedication. On a cold, wet, and windy Friday night in December, they faced the formidable Gloucester Schools team and emerged victorious with an impressive 6-2 win. Jack dazzled with a hat-trick, Jamie wowed everyone with his amazing dribbling skills, and Edward’s immaculate corner-taking proved crucial to the team’s success.

At Warden Hill, we take immense pride in recognising the achievements of our children, both within and outside school. This accomplishment is no exception and to have three of our pupils make the squad is excellent! Let us continue to support and celebrate their journey as they represent our school and the larger Cheltenham community with pride and excellence.

Keep up the fantastic work, and here’s to more victories in the future!

Musical Showcase

On Monday afternoon, Mrs. Kingswood was joined by her talented violinists who performed a short showcase for the whole school. There were a range of group and individual performances and the whole school enjoyed some classical pieces alongside some festive treats. It culminated in a whole school singalong of jingle bells!

Thank you to Mrs. Kingswood and a huge well done to our performing musicians!

Yellow Rattle Sowing

On Friday, 29th November, the Junior and Infant Eco Warriors had the incredible opportunity to work alongside Tricia and Ken from Butterfly Conservation to start to create Warden Hill’s very own wildflower meadow. 

Under the guidance of Tricia and Ken, the children enthusiastically sowed Yellow Rattle seeds, which provide essential nourishment for the stunning Painted Lady and Common Blue butterflies. The Yellow Rattle plant also plays a crucial role in preparing the soil for the wildflower plants we aim to cultivate in March. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Tricia and Ken for their generosity in supplying the seeds and for their invaluable guidance during our session. 

This initiative forms part of Butterfly Conservation’s Wild Spaces programme, which focuses on enhancing biodiversity in our communities. Following the results of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2024, they declared a butterfly emergency. They found that the combined effect of habitat loss and climate change means that butterflies and moths are in severe decline across the UK. But… it doesn’t have to be that way. Butterfly Conservation is asking for everyone’s help in creating more Wild Spaces where butterflies and moths can thrive. ​ More details about how everyone can get involved can be found at https://wild-spaces.co.uk/

Cheltenham Young Artist Competition

Cheltenham Young Artists 2025 Competition

We are delighted to announce a new competition to celebrate pupils’ art in the Cheltenham area, open to both primary and secondary schools. This will culminate in fifty works from the two sections being framed and displayed at an exhibition open to the public at the Gardens Gallery in Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham over the weekend of January 11th / 12th 2025. Other selected work will be projected in the Gallery. Winners will be invited to an awards ceremony at the gallery on Sunday 13th January at 3pm.  Cash prizes for the top 3 in each section as chosen by the judges.

The competition is very simple, each pupil can enter ONE art work,

A4 in size on the theme, WINTER MOMENTS.

Medium 2D: Paint, pencil, crayon, pastels, inks (no oil, collage or photography)

On the back, please print: Title, Pupil’s name, Age, School name, Teacher’s contact, School email

Entries close on FRIDAY DECEMBER 13th 2024

Completed entries should be put in a large envelope titled CYA 25 and, on the back, printed with the SCHOOL NAME. They can be delivered to collection boxes at local libraries during open hours or posted. Please see the accompanying rules for further information and delivery locations.

We are indebted to Cheltenham Round Table, The Paragon Gallery, Art Union and Cheltenham Art Council for their sponsorship.