Bolton School Junior Boys' Weekly Newsletter - 18 October 2023

Bolton School Primary Division Junior Boys’ School Wednesday 18th October

Autumn Term, 2023 — WEEK A

From Mrs. Faulkner

COMPULSORY SCHOOL EVENT THIS TERM: Carol Service, Tuesday 19th December, 7pm

Wednesday 18th October Swim Development, 4-5 Cubs, 6.30pm

As we approach the end of the first half of the Autumn Term, it is fantastic to reflect on how much has happened in school. In many ways, it feels like we only returned to school a few days ago, though I am quite sure the boys (and staff) are all ready for a well deserved rest. Of course, before that rest can begin, we are very much looking forward to the annual House Cross Country event. Details of timings have previously been shared (Y3 & 4 race is at 2.15pm and Y5 & 6 race is at 2.45pm) and we look forward to seeing many of you there. Currently, the weather forecast does not look particularly favourable, and, whilst we would always seek to run the event, we must also be mindful of the safety and comfort of the children. If we feel we need to alter the specific arrangements, we will endeavour to let you know as soon as possible on Friday morning.

At the very end of the half term break, is the 2023 Fireworks Display. The Girls' Division Parents' Association (GDPA) is selling tickets for this event, which will be held on Sunday 5 November, from 4pm until 7pm. This annual event is always spectacular, with an incredible fireworks display, and this year the music will reflect a Sci-Fi theme.

To purchase tickets, please use the following link: https:// www.ticketsource.co.uk/bolton-school-fireworks and feel free to share with family and friends - all are welcome to join us.

Further information can be found on the flyer opposite.

Thursday 19th October U10 Rugby Festival, SGS Jujitsu—4-5.30pm LAMDA—4-5pm Sailing Club, (collection from Anderton Centre, 6pm) Cubs, 6.30pm

Looking further ahead, the Friends of Bolton School is organising a family summer event on Sunday 23 June, 2024 and is looking for volunteers to join an organising committee.

If you would like to support the organisation of this event, please do be in contact with Mrs Woodhead via email, saw@boltonschool.org.

I should like to wish you and your family an enjoyable and relaxing half term break.

School will resume on Monday 6 November and I look forward to welcoming our pupils back, ready for the second half term with all of the excitement and fun that brings.

Contacting the School Office Park Road, BOLTON, BL1 4RD. t: (01204) 434735 e: parkroad@boltonschool.org.uk. www.boltonschool.org

Friday 20th October House Cross Country, 1.45pm (access on site via Tudor Avenue only from 1.30pm) Fencing, 4-5pm

The School Office is open from 8.15am — 4.15pm during term time.

Please note that any texts sent by the Office cannot be replied to.

Please direct all enquiries to parkroad@boltonschool.org and always include your son’s first name and surname, as well as his form. Please note that ParkRoadOffice email is no longer monitored.

If your son is going to be absent from School, whether he be off sick or attending dental, medical or any other appointment, please email parkroad@boltonschool.org so that the registers may be marked accordingly. Please use this email address for all day-to-day enquiries relating to school matters to ensure that your enquiry may be dealt with in a timely manner.

For all coach / transport enquiries: Logistics Co-ordinator: Mr B. Gould, t: (01204) 434711, e: bdmgould@boltonschool.org.uk

Sports Round Up

Cross Country at Moss Bank Park BACK TO SCHOOL Monday 6th November Judo, 4-5pm Tuesday 7th November Y3 Coding session, morning Chess, 4-5pm Wednesday 8th November Swim Development, 4-5pm Cubs, 6.30pm

Last Thursday, Year 5 and 6 runners took part in the second week of the Moss Bank Cross Country League. It was an extremely muddy course following a few weeks of rain, but the boys persevered well! As with the first week, the first four positions are added together each week to give us our team score. Last week, we had a total team score of 44!

Well done to all boys for taking part and I look forward to seeing how the boys do this week on the final run of the League!

Amos Thompson – 2nd

Alex Barnard – 11th

George Bleakley – 12th

Billy Brindle – 19th

William Darbyshire - 33rd

Gwilym Dixon - 179th

Teddy Armer - 196th . MLB

U9 Football vs Egerton CP On Monday night, Year 4 played against a strong Egerton team.

After a host of chances from our boys in the first half, the deadlock was broken with a brilliant strike from Myles. After half-time, we moved into second gear and scored two more goals through Louis and Charlie.

A great performance all round and I am very much looking forward to the next game!’ TG

News from the Park Road PA SAVE THE DATE !

We will be holding a Festive

Thursday 9th Movie Night after school on Friday 8th December, with a snack included.

November More details on how to purchase tickets will follow soon.

Jujitsu—4-5.30pm Look out for details of the Xmas4Schools pack which the boys will bring home this week, LAMDA—4-5pm where they can design a greetings card and £1 from every sale will go to the PA !

Ski Improver Course, WhatsApp — if you would like to join the PA WhatsApp Group to keep up to date with all Chill Factore, collect 6.30 things PA, please click on the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BRtBl8QwJpS9OxpBm3MHDj (CF) or 7pm (PR) PA Mailing List — if you would like to be added to the PA mailing list, please get in touch: Cubs, 6.30pm parkroadpa@gmail.com

Twitter – don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @BSPDJnrBoysPA .

Friday 10th November Lots more dates for your diary to follow very soon !

PA Diwali Breakfast Club, 8-9am House Cross Country—cake donations U11 Football vs MTS, KO 2.30pm (H) PR PA kindly requests donations of baked goods, store bought or homemade, for the House Cross Country event which is Fencing, 4-5pm taking place this Friday, 20th October.

Please ensure store goods are kept in their original Water Polo, 4-5pm packaging with the ingredients list visible and home-baked goods must not contain any nut products.

Hockey, 4-5pm We request donations to be brought into Reception at Park Road on the morning of 20th October.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Roman Visitor Gary the Roman came to visit us on Monday and told us lots of things about life in Ancient Rome.

He told us that Julius Caesar’s father put a clip onto a spear which would come off in battle and then would be no use at all for the Celts.

He told us that one Roman coin equalled £20 and that a Roman coin’s special name was a ‘denari’!

We pretended to be Romans and used shields and spears to learn how to attack.

The Romans threw spikes onto the floor so that they would harm the feet of their opponents.

We learned that a Roman warrior from Rome had two years of training and 15 years service in the army and a Roman warrior who wasn’t from Rome had 6 months training and 25 years of service.

We made a Roman board game, called ‘Tabla Lusarius’ using clay for the counters and fabric for the board and a Roman oil pot out of clay.

We had a great day learning all about the Romans!

If you would like to learn more about the Romans, why not visit the museum (in Greenhead, Brampton, CA8 7JB) over half term https://romanarmymuseum.com PC & Class 4B

Term Time Holiday Requests There has been a notable increase in those seeking approval for additional days of holiday, very often immediately before or after the normal school holidays.

We monitor all such absence in order to spot patterns and discern trends. It is timely to remind you that I cannot, by law, grant absence for holidays in term time unless in exceptional circumstances.

The clear sense of the guidance is that ‘exceptional’ also means rare and certainly not due to the planning of flights and other logistical arrangements.

Permission must be granted in advance, so a letter on the day of the absence or a call as a holiday is extended, cannot be authorised.

This is why such absence is recorded as ‘unauthorised’.

SAF

Y6 Cub Camp—7th & 8th October What an amazing 24 hours!

Thirteen Year 6 Cubs were presented with so many amazing opportunities in such a short space of time.

We'd thought that bat watching would be their highlight: we had echolocator devices and a brilliant guide, but no, it was being given a budget, going shopping and preparing their own meals that they loved. It was a joy listening to their conversations: "I now know how much £30 really is", "Do we buy the cheaper bananas or the fair-trade ones?", "Just because you want it, doesn't mean we are going to buy it - we're shopping as a group."

This year, we camped at our Scout HQ, Brookside, which enabled the Cubs to be involved in the whole process from getting out the tents, to cleaning up at the end. Their previous experience of Cub camps was evident, and it was a delight to see how their scouting skills have developed during their time in Cubs.

I might be so bold in claiming: Best Year 6 Cub Camp ever! ALH

School Uniform Our school uniform supplier, Monkhouse, is offering a huge 20% off everything in store and online between 16th October to 22nd October . If you need to top up on any uniform or P.E or sports kit items or need a refresh on your everyday essentials and stationery, now’s the time to shop. Use code DEAL20 at checkout or in store. www.monkhouse.com

Dentist Local dentist, Synergy Dental Clinic, wants to help tackle health inequalities in Bolton and would like to offer FREE children examinations.

Please contact Katie Glover at the Clinic, at 94 Watersmeeting Road in Bolton for further information.

Water Bottles We request that boys bring only water into school in their water bottles, without any additional flavourings added, this includes through the use of air up pods.

Water bottles should be transparent and clearly named so that they can be returned to boys when they are inevitably found around the building.

Thank you very much for your support in this.

Half Term Football Camp If you are not away over half term, why not book your son into football camp with ex Bolton player, Nicky Hunt. All the details can be found on the flyer opposite.

October Geography Mission

The Great Geography Bake Off! Instructions: Get in the kitchen and start baking!

Create a geographically-inspired bake that would crown you Star Baker on Bake Off! See the pictures below for some inspiration….

Be creative, take a photo for submission…. and then eat it!

After School Activities Friday 20th October Please note that that there will be NO AFTER SCHOOL HOCKEY and NO AFTER SCHOOL WATER POLO SQUAD TRAINING on Friday 20th October as the boys will all be taking part in the House Cross Country fixture earlier in the afternoon.

However, FENCING WILL GO AHEAD AS USUAL.

Cold Weather

How to submit your bake: -email lgillibrand@boltonschool.org.uk with your submission by 9am on Tuesday 31st October !

PRIZES FOR THE WINNERS! WHO CAN CREATE THE MOST GEOGRAPHICAL AND CREATIVE BAKE ?

Please ensure that your son brings a warm, waterproof coat to school with him each day. It is now getting extremely cold, and very often wet, and we do expect the boys to go outside at break times, so a warm coat is very helpful indeed.

Please ensure that the coat is clearly named, as they do all begin to look very similar to each other when we have over two hundred coats in the building! If your son wishes to wear a vest under his shirt, please also ensure this is named and white.

BBC 500 Words Story Competition In a recent assembly, boys looked at the word 'imagination' and began to develop story ideas for the BBC 500 Words Story Competition.

Your son's English teacher will have discussed this further in class, as all boys have been asked to submit their imaginative, typed stories to their English Showbie classes for an in school competition, by Friday 10th November, where three stories will be selected per class to make a book in the school library.

In addition, to enter your son’s story into the BBC competition for a chance to win exciting prizes, including a chance to visit Buckingham Palace, please follow the instructions on the BBC website: The organisers of 500 Words want children to have fun writing their stories, be as creative as they can and make them laugh, cry or just be blown away by what they are reading.

Over the years, there have been incredible stories submitted. There are very few rules on 500 Words but a few points to remember: All the stories must: • Be 500 words or less (title is not included in the number) • Be written by an individual and not a group • Be a child’s own original idea • Be prose, not rap or poem.

Stories must not: • Give any personal details of the child, including their name • Recount an historical event (but they can use a real person or historical character as a source of inspiration)

All stories will be judged on the following criteria: • • • • • •

Characterisation Plot Originality Language Enjoyment Prizes!

50 finalists, along with their parents or carers, will be invited to attend a grand final next February at Buckingham Palace!. Not only will the bronze, silver and gold winners of each age group have their stories read by celebrities, but the event will be shown on a special 500 Words edition of The One Show, on World Book Day on 7th March, 2024.

All the finalists will receive a £20 National Book Token and their stories will be recorded and published on the website.

The winners in each category will receive an array of prizes. As well as their stories being read out by celebrities, they will all receive a bundle of books.

The two gold winners will receive the height of Sir Lenny Henry in books and their schools will receive 500 Books

The two silver winners will receive the height of Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, in books The two bronze winners will receive the average height of a 7 or 11 year old in books Good luck to all boys who enter! MLB

Holiday Club

Outdoor Adventure Camp

The holiday club programme for October half term at Kidzone can be found linked here, please do book early to avoid disappointment !

BSS will be holding an Adventure Camp, with a trip to Delamere Forest, over the first week of half term.

A link can be found here with all the details , again, please do book early to avoid disappointment !