Family Matters - South Bristol edition

SOUTH BRISTOL EDITION

ISSUE 41 • FEBRUARY 2018

FORMERLY

Mothering

Sunday HELPING WITH YOUR SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT NURSERY

WORLD BOOK DAY

www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

prizes to be won

Keynsham & District Mencap Society Providing social and leisure opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities Weekly Social Clubs Sports and Fitness Day Trips Holidays Activities

We also have opportunities for people to join us a volunteer, for only a couple of hours on a weekday evening or Saturday morning.

Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds welcome.

No experience necessary, just a positive attitude!

For more information about joining one of our clubs or becoming a volunteer go to www.keynshammencap.org.uk Call 0117 9865659 / email laura@keynshammencap.org.uk Find us on Facebook and Twitter

WELCOME

Welcome to the first Family Matters magazine of 2018!

As you can see, we have made a few changes which we hope you like. It’s a new design, a new name but the same great magazine!

The magazine now ties in with our fantastic website www.FamilyMatters-uk.co.uk, where you can read more articles, enter our competitions, upload your WOW photos and much more.

Make a cuppa, take 15 minutes and read our article about Fear of Failure in children. It’s a great insight and could explain a few things if your child suffers with anxiety. Also take a look at our Mother's Day feature; instead of the normal gift ideas or breakfast in bed, we have decided to give our mum's ideas for a relaxing day. Remember Mother's Day should be all about them! We hope the weather isn’t too bleak this February so you can get out and about and visit some of the events on offer from our advertisers.

Have a great half term and enjoy!

p7 choosing a nursery

p4 Treat yourself this Mother's Day

p12 World Book Day

p9 Prizes to be won

p17 It's all about Pancakes

p14 Is fear of failure affecting your child?

Published by Ignyte Media Ltd - email: info@ignyte-uk.co.uk call: 01761 410141 While every care has been taken to ensure the data contained in the publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Ignyte do not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system in any form without the prior permission of the publisher.

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Mothering Sunday Mother’s Day is around the corner and you may be expecting the typical gifts. But even though you’d never turn down these gifts, if you want to make it through your time as a mum, you have to start taking care of number one. As the flight attendant says when preparing for take off, ‘make sure you put on your own oxygen mask first before you help the child next to you’. Mother’s Day is the perfect excuse to make yourself a priority and recharge your batteries.

You’re a fabulous mum and now it’s time to celebrate that you made it through another year in one piece.

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Sleep in

Make sure your partner knows you are not moving from your bed until a certain time and that the children aren’t allowed to bother you. You don’t need to deal with who had the most jam on their toast or what socks need to be put on.

A home spa

Lock yourself in the bathroom and don’t come out until you’ve used all that face cream, face masks, nail varnish and body butter you’ve been hiding.

Have a party

Invite several of your friends over, have a few wines and nibbles and have your partner or children be in charge of serving you and your guests - and also clean up afterwards!

Box Set Binge

An evening of uninterrupted, not-for-kids box set or series is worth its weight in gold. If not, try the latest film you've been dying to watch that's not suitable for little eyes.

Playtime

Take time out to spend on your favourite hobby undisturbed.

Whether it’s painting, sewing, exercise, reading etc. Keep thinking. Keep exploring. Keep moving.

Walk away from it all

Sometimes, the best thing for a mum is an opportunity to wander away from all the to-do's and noise. A stroll around the block, a coffee shop stop, a dog walk on your own. Leave the phone at home and get out the house for an hour.

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FREE Holiday Drop-Ins

Elephants on Parade - no booking required.

Make a cheerful, colourful hanging decoration with elephants and camels – inspired by some of the paintings in our exhibition Anthony Fry: A Retrospective

Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 February 10.30am -12.30pm & 1.30 - 3.30pm

Experience Half Term

Family Skating Fun! Sat 10th till Sun 18th February 2018 Open 10am – 6pm 144 SQ M UNDERCOVER SYNTHETIC SKATING RINK

Tickets £5.50 For tickets and information visit:

www.farringtons.co.uk

Finding the right Finding good childcare was a confusing task when I was looking for my little ones. There were many questions and concerns that swirled through my head.

Will they cater for my child's needs? How will I know if my child will be happy? What if my child doesn't like it?

If you want to use a nursery or pre school for your child's care, I recommend trying to visit a few different establishments in your area or near your place of work.

Your first impressions of a day nursery are important.

Is there a friendly, warm atmosphere? Are the staff welcoming? Are the rooms and toys clean? And most importantly, do the children look happy and occupied?

y r e s r u n

I have put together a few thoughts to help you to spot the signs of a good day nursery: Make sure staff ask about your routine, and talk about how they can help your child settle into the new environment. They should also ask questions about your child’s care and health.

Will they be able to cater for your child if they have any dietary needs? Find out what the nursery serves at meal times to make sure they offer a range of fresh, nutritious options.

Check that your child can’t leave the building without being noticed, and that nobody can enter.

Security should be a high priority for your peace of mind.

Children learn through play, especially mine, so look for somewhere that places a high value on children simply doing activities that they enjoy.

Talk to other local parents and friends to find out what they think of the day nursery you’re interested in.

You’ll want to know if the day nursery can be flexible for your needs. Will they allow you to pick up and drop off your child at different times if your working hours change at short notice or you have an emergency?

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Look at the displays on the walls. You want to see plenty of drawings and paintings that the children have done themselves, which shows that their creativity is valued and encouraged.

A good day nursery will have their registration certificate displayed prominently. Ask to see it if it isn't.

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Unlock your child’s potential

with our expertly led singing,dancing and acting classes for 4 -18 year olds.

BRISTOL KEYNSHAM 0117 902 8925 stagecoach.co.uk/bristolkeynsham BRISTOL SOUTH WEST 0117 902 8925 stagecoach.co.uk/borehamwood

Creative Courage For Life Stagecoach Performing Arts is the trading name of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Limited. Stagecoach Theatre Arts schools are operated under franchise and are independently owned by their Principals. Stagecoach and Creative Courage For Life are registered trademarks of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Limited.

Win Prizes

Enter now at www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

Win a family ticket to Wookey Hole

WIN A FAMILY TICKET TO VISIT DIGGERLAND! Drive, ride and operate real JCB diggers! Diggerland prides itself on having something fun for all ages – and with 20 different rides and drives at each park with over 100 machines; there really is something for everyone!

Experience the thrills of spinning around fast in a Giant Digger bucket on the Spindizzy ride, operating a Giant JCB 806 Digger, racing around in a Go-Kart, getting lifted 50ft in the air by the Skyshuttle, whirling around on the Dig-a-round carousel and so much more! Also let the kids drive a REAL car!

In addition, Diggerland also boasts the DIGGERS DEN indoor play area, GOODIE STORE souvenir gift shop and the DIG INN restaurant.

Further information and to book can be found on the Diggerland website, www.diggerland.com or by calling 0871 2277007.

Win a family ticket to Sea Life Centre, Weymouth Explore an amazing underwater world and take a fascinating journey to the ocean depths at Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park.

Get up close to over 1,000 creatures including our playful family of otters, comical Penguins and magnificent rescued Sea Turtles. Find out how it feels to touch a Starfish, crab and other creatures in our interactive rock-pool, and conquer three remarkable towers and five fun slides as you explore Calypso Heights at Caribbean Cove.

With fun talks, animal feeds, special events and our Dive Adventure Quiz Trail there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy at Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park.

Over 20 Fantastic Attractions.. all included in the one day ticket!

Your visit to Wookey Hole includes a trip to the caves and over 20 other fantastic attractions making it a truly memorable occasion for all the family.

The UK’s largest show caves system and home to the infamous Witch of Wookey. Wander through the prehistoric Valley Of The Dinosaurs and enter the 19th Century Paper Mill, which houses a variety of fascinating attractions including the Victorian Penny Arcades, Magical Mirror Maze, museums and soft play areas.

Round the day off with a game of Pirate Crazy Golf – all attractions included in your ticket!

WIN 4 UNLIMITED MEGA WRISTBANDS FOR BREAN THEME PARK Visit BREAN THEME PARK, the Pre-eminent Free Admission Theme Park in the South West. Just off the M5 junction 22 (near Weston Super Mare). 100 metres from the sand dunes and seven miles of Golden Beach! It’s a great day out for all the family!

We have over 40 attractions. There is something for all ages and all adrenaline levels. There’s an excellent Go Kart Track with both Single and Double seater karts! and we also have an 18 hole action packed Congo Adventure Golf course. Did you know we’re The Home of Sooty where the TV programmes are filmed?

TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING THESE FANTASTIC PRIZES, simply visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk, click on the Competitions button and complete the form. It couldn’t be easier! Closing date for entries: 1st March 2018

what’s on 1st February - 16th March Toddler Explorers A fun-filled session of play and active learning; make animal prints, your own snow globe and much more!

Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury www.swheritage.org.uk/rural-life-museum 1st February - 31st March Spring Flowers and Family Trail All spring there are lots of things to spot in the grounds, see how many you can spot on our fun family trail.

Lacock Abbey, Lacock www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museumand-village 10th - 18th February Half Term Skating Fun New to Farrington’s - a skating experience with a difference! A synthetic ice rink, all undercover.

10am – 6pm daily. Booking essential. Farrington Farm, Farrington www.farringtons.co.uk 10th - 18th February Tyntesfield Half Term Fun You can tick off some of your 50 things to do before you're 11 3/4, and try your hand at welly wanging.

Tyntesfield Estate www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield 10th - 18th February Avebury Half Term Fun Children 'can touch' the display or dress up in the costumes.

Discover how to survive prehistory with a Museum trail and storytelling in the book shop. Avebury Manor, Avebury www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury

10th February Holistic and Wellbeing fundraiser for HorseWorld There will be stalls selling treats, Raffle Prizes and Concert to finish off the event.

The Guildhall,Bath www.horseworld.org.uk 12th - 16th February Family Half Term Fun Join us for a family trail, Crafting Monday, Pancake Races on the 13th, Friday Gardening fun, and have fun in the Dragons Lair.

The Bishops Palace, Wells www.bishopspalace.org.uk 13th February Forest Fun - food, shelter and fire Kids can come and learn some fab winter bushcraft skills in our wonderful outdoor centre.

Arnos Vale Cemetry, Bristol www.arnosvale.org.uk 13th - 14th February Elephants on Parade Make a cheerful, colourful hanging decoration with elephants and camels 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-3.30pm Holburne Museum www.holburne.org 14th February Valentine’s Sweetheart Evening Join us for a night of romance, delicious food, incredible wine and fun in the Ewe Tree Cafe & Bar! Cholderton Charlie’s Farm www.choldertoncharliesfarm.com

For further information about each event

15th February, Family Fun Chinese New Year Celebrating the Chinese year of the Dog; make a paper lantern, a Chinese dragon puppet and an origami dog! Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury www.swheritage.org.uk/rurallife-museum 15th February Family Learning Day ‘Wonderful Woodlands’ Will you come down to the woods today for this action packed adventure full of games, twiggy crafts, shelter building, mud painting, trails and much, much more? Carymoor Environmental Trust, Castle Cary. www.carymoor.org.uk 16th - 18th February Shepton Snowdrop Festival Events each day from 10am till 4pm from Children’s Fancy Dress Parade and Face painting to Poetry readings and book signings. Throughout Shepton Mallet www.sheptonsnowdropfestival.org.uk

24th February Snowdrop Celebration Walk through the stunning gardens and witness the snowdrop experience with beautiful moats and a breathtaking arboretum Bishops Palace https://bishopspalace.org.uk 5th - 9th March Hairspray at Bristol Hippodrome Don’t miss this irresistible feel-good show that will have you smiling for days - let your hair down and book now!

Bristol Hippodrome www.atgtickets.com 11th March Mother's Day at Tyntesfield Wander through the spring blooms on the estate and finish off with a delicious seasonal treat in the Cow Barn restaurant.

Tyntesfield Estate www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ tyntesfield

17th February 2pm Little Frankenstein - A little horror for little horrors!

Little Frankenstein will tickle the imagination of everyone from 5 to 105 years old. A fantastic puppet show £7.50 £5.50, Family ticket £21. 2pm Merlin Theatre, Frome. www.merlintheatre.co.uk

11th March Mums Farmyard Quiz Make Mother’s Day special with £1 entry for mums for the whole day - have lunch and a farmyard quiz plus much more for a fun-filled evening.

Cholderton Charlie’s Farm www,choldertoncharliesfarm.com

17th - 18th February Chinese New Year celebrations Welcome in the Year of the Dog with spectacular traditional and contemporary performances, stalls, workshops and activities.

Bristol Museum, Bristol www.bristolmuseums.org.uk

17th March Family Science Fair 2018 Bath Taps into Science focuses on exciting and enthusing young children and families with science and engineering. FREE activities on offer. www.bathtapsintoscience.com

24th February The Lego Ninjago Movie Children £3, Adults £5, Families £12 (2 Adults, 2 Children).

Midsomer Norton Town Hall, Midsomer Norton www. midsomernortoncommunitytrust .co.uk

29th March There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly A magical musical stage show with a feast of colourful animal characters and heart warming fun. It’s the family treat you can enjoy.

Merlin Theatre, Frome www.merlintheatre.co.uk

please visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

World Book Day announces stellar line-up of authors, illustrators and more for 2018

•The world’s biggest celebration of reading for pleasure, World Book Day returns on Thurs 1st March

• Authors for 2018 include Clare Balding, Tom Fletcher, Julian Clary, Nadiya Hussain and many more

• 10 titles to be released at £1 with Marvel, Mr Men, and Paddington Books included on the list

Penning new works that will cost just £1 or free in exchange for a £1 World Book Day book token, will be bestselling children’s authors and illustrators for 2018 include: Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain, broadcaster Clare Balding, musician Tom Fletcher, comedian Julian Clary and top illustrator David Roberts to name a few. In addition to these new titles, and completing the line-up, there will be releases from favourite household brands Marvel’s The Avengers, Mr Men and Paddington. The £1 World Book Day book tokens are available to all schoolchildren in the UK and Ireland.

Over the past 20 years, World Book Day UK has distributed over 290 million £1 book tokens to children and young people across the country. It was first marked in the UK in 1997, in response to an increasing concern over poor reading and writing standards in children. It is now a global phenomenon. For 2018, titles chosen will offer a message of inclusivity, through the authors, illustrations, stories and a wide assortment of characters, enabling young readers to see the world in which they live reflected between the pages.

As well as celebrating the joy of reading, this year’s key ‘Share A Story’ theme encourages adults, parents and older siblings to participate by reading and sharing stories and books with family, friends and colleagues alike.

World Book Day will be celebrated on Thursday 1 March 2018. From late February 2018, children in the UK will be given a £1 book token in their nurseries, preschools and schools, which they can use to claim their free World Book Day title in participating bookshops and supermarkets from 26 February to 25 March 2018.

Visit www.worldbookday.com today for more information and to subscribe to the free monthly World Book Day e-newsletter.

Illustrations © Jim Field

You can also read more about World Book Day, the books and authors and also more about ‘Share a Story’ on our website. www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

COULD FEAR OF FAILURE BE A CAUSE OF YOUR CHILD'S ANXIETY? Fear of failure seems to be an increasing problem for our children, and in particular for those considered ‘more able’ academically. They don’t want to get things wrong and can get stuck always learning within their safe zone.

At Explorium we talk about learning out towards our edges which inevitably means getting a lot wrong! In fact we are so upfront that we will be making mistakes together, that we learn about neurons, synapses and neuroplasticity! Once our children understand the basic neuroscience behind what is going on in their brains when they get something wrong, they relax and begin to see failure as part of the adventure towards success.

But it doesn’t always come easy! The problem many of our children face today is they may not be getting enough challenge. If they are able (or more than able!) to do the work that is presented to them then they are probably far too comfortable with getting things right and are not building up emotional resilience needed to get things wrong.

Perhaps their reading age is way beyond their actual age?

Maybe they are in the top spelling group and always get

10/10? In maths they be rushing ahead with their times tables and love all those ticks in their workbooks but get extremely upset (disproportionately so) when they get a cross against something. Their fear of failure may be getting so strong that they are developing strategies to avoid it rather than developing effective strategies to tap into their full learning potential.

We have worked with a lot of children from local schools about overcoming their fear of failure and there always seem to be a common thread that comes up when we ask them why they don’t like making mistakes.

"Because people will laugh at you. If we are the people who always get it right what happens when WE get it wrong? Maybe people will realise I’m not as clever as they think I am."

It seems our children are getting really good, very early on in life, at protecting themselves from external judgement by their peers, teachers and parents.

Meet Alfie. He came to us because his parents realised that, although he is incredibly academically and artistically gifted in many ways, he would get frustrated and angry when he couldn’t do something.

"Alfie wouldn't try new things. If he thought he couldn't do it, he wouldn't do it." Zoe, Alfie's mum.

During our initial consultation I presented Alfie with a task that involved a bit of problem solving.

He did everything to avoid doing it. He began to get frustrated, walk around the room, and started looking anxious. But I persisted and encouraged him. When he begin to try I asked him how he was feeling. He replied ‘my brain feels like scrambled eggs.’

I love this description! I am sure we can all confess to those moments when our brains turn to mush.

If we haven’t learned how to organise our thinking or to employ effective strategies to move through a problem, then it can feel like a scary place to be, even for us as adults.

The good news is that it is remarkable how quickly our children can embrace making mistakes when we give them permission to do so. That isn’t to say that moving from a fixed to a growth mindset happens overnight - it doesn’t. For many of us it may take a lifetime! As parents we can be so busy making sure our children taste success that we can overlook the importance of legitimising failure and more importantly actually nurturing failure.

NB: If you think there are other factors underlying your child’s anxiety you should seek advice from your health professionals.

If your child is showing signs of fearing failure, which can present itself as low level anxiety, then here are some simple steps you can take immediately:

1

Start a conversation in your family about why mistakes can be good for you.

2

Redefine success broaden out what it means to succeed and include failure in that definition.

3

Start praising the effort your child puts into something rather than the outcome. Too much emphasis placed on external motivation star charts, golden hour, smiley face stickers, can reinforce that it is the end result that is important rather than the hard work (and mistakes made) that should be valued.

Article was kindly supplied by Julia Black, founder of Explorium and creator behind Lights On. explorium.co.uk "With over 26,000 hours of learning delivered to over 600 learners I've now got a transformational framework, Lights On®, that empowers you to play an active role within your child's education without having to take them out of school full-time."

presents

A week long festival for everyone whether in school or out. What ever your age we have loads of events and activites for you. Here are just a few that are happening during the week: Saturday 10th March - Launch Event A selection of activites for all the family including a talk from the author of "The Scientific Secrets of Dr Who" Monday 12th - Friday 16th March Events offered to schools alongside an evening programme of talks and discussions for adults to find out how university research affects our everyday lives.

Wednesday 14th March Two family focused talks to celebrate Pi day (if the date is written in American format it is 3.14 2018!)

Saturday 17th March Join us for the final event of the festival - the Family Science Fair at its brand new venue at the Rec in Bath. Get hands-on with fun science, take part in crafts and enjoy a great day out.

www.bathtapsintoscience.com

Pancake Day Tues 13th March

The Frying pan is smoking hot, the batter is mixed and it’s time to start tossing... one of our favourite days of the year is here, it’s Pancake Day! Here are some fun facts about Shrove Tuesday: The largest pancake ever made measured 15 metres and weighed in at three tonnes.

That's ‘flippin’ huge!

Andrei Smirnov from Russia ate a colossal 73 pancakes in one hour. That’s more than one a minute. He must have been ‘flippin’ hungry!

The highest pancake toss reached 329cm high. Lets hope you have a high kitchen ceiling if you want to try and match this!

The most flips anyone has ever done with a pancake is 349 flips in two minutes.

Us Brits use an unbelievable 52 million eggs on Pancake Day. That’s 22 million more than any other day.

In France, people like to make a wish before flipping their pancakes. They do this while holding a coin in the other hand.

On average we consume two pancakes per person on Pancake Day, which means that we get through 117 million pancakes in one day! This requires enough milk to fill more than 93 Olympic swimming pools and almost 13 million kilos of plain flour.

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LATEST SCHOOL NEWS

EVENTS

DIARY DATES

YOUR SUCCESSES

News and Reviews ANTI-BULLYING WEEK Castle Primary School’s Anti Bullying Week went very well with children having special sessions around the theme ‘All Different, All Equal’. The children raised £103.70 by bringing in 50p contributions for dressing in blue, the charity’s colour theme. There is a section for parents on their website www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week which gives practical advice on dealing with bullying. The schools additional sale for ‘Children in Need’ raised £107.80 and they have passed the donations to both charities. Well done to all involved.

WHITCHURCH FOREST SCHOOL Whitchurch Primary School started the Forest School programme with Years 3 and 6.

The children will be offered regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a natural environment with trees. They enjoyed exploring, taking on challenges and using their imaginations in their first sessions.

IT’S BEEN A BUSY COUPLE OF WEEKS AT CASTLE SCHOOL! Arundel Class had their WOW day where they explored their Inquiry about ‘Who is the greatest artist?’ They did a variety of activities including building towers out of pipe cleaners, drawing self-portraits and making a ‘London Landscapes’ collage.

The Year 1 children are studying the Inquiry ‘Where does chocolate come from?’. They had an amazing ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ themed day when they went on a treasure hunt around the school looking for golden tickets, designed their own chocolate wrappers, wrote letters to Willy Wonka and even made chocolate milkshake and chocolate rice krispie cakes!

Children in Stirling Class are learning about ‘How has technology changed the world?’. They designed, created and made their own ‘Stirling newspapers’.

And lastly, Dover and Windsor Classes are finding out ‘How do we make music?’. They had great fun on their WOW Day, making their own musical instruments, listening to classical music and trying the ‘guess the planet’, as well as singing and playing along to the song ‘Happy’!

Apparently there was some excellent dancing going on too!

CHRISTMAS FAIR RAISES THOUSANDS Thank you goes to everyone who attended Saltford School Christmas Fair. It was a fantastic event and a great way to start the Christmas festivities.

The school are always extremely grateful to everyone who gives up their time to help at the fair in so many ways. Thanks went you to all the staff for helping throughout the fair as well as the organising team.

The school raised over £3000 towards PTA funds for the school; which is just fantastic and will be of great benefit to the school.

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WHITCHURCH NETBALL TEAM

PENSFORD SPORTING NEWS

Huge congratulations to the school netball team who won the match against Pensford Primary, with an impressive score of 9-1!

Report from Sienna and Leona – Year 6:’Our school netball team played against Pensford.

It was a cold and windy day and as soon as Pensford arrived we had to get started because of the dark. Whitchurch scored a goal within the first minute and dominated the game. Our success carried on throughout the game, ending with an outstanding result of 9-1. Pensford scored their goal in the last minute but didn’t give up.’

Eco Team Top of the League Again!

Pensford School Eco Team have continued to meet weekly and earn points in the Energy Sparks competition. They are pleased that, for the moment, they are top of the schools’ league, having earned the most points so far for their activities. Well done!

Football Pensford v Winford Our football team played their last league game on Wednesday and achieved an impressive 5-1 win against East Harptree. This means that they have played 5, won 3, drawn 1 and lost just one game. Other teams are yet to arrange and play their remaining fixtures so we will await the outcome of the league and let you know how we get on. Congratulations to Mr Miller and the whole squad for another very impressive performance.

Netball Whitchurch A v Pensford B We’re really pleased that the interest in netball has grown so rapidly this year that we are able to run two teams. Our B team took on a strong team from Whitchurch on Thursday this week. Despite losing the match, the team were a credit to Pensford and have gained a lot from their experience against strong opposition in their first match away from home. Thanks again to Mrs Rawlinson for all the work she is doing for both teams and to the parents involved for their great support. Mrs Rawlinson reported that the team played superbly well and in a very sporting way.

SALTFORD COLLECT 167KG FOR KEYNSHAM FOOD BANK Keynsham Food bank collected the donations from Saltford Primary School "Reverse Advent Calendar.” The idea behind the calendar is that instead of counting down to Christmas with a treat each day, children from Saltford School would bring in a treat from home each day for 25 days. These donations will be given to those in need over the festive period. Keynsham Food bank were very grateful to all of the parents, children and staff who participated and the school collectively donated 167.2kg worth of goods. This is an amazing achievement and well done for all your generosity.

HEY EWE! Foundation/Key Stage One children from Saltford Primary staged their nativity ‘Hey Ewe!’ and the standard of the production was amazing.

The children sang so well and showed such commitment to learning their words and actions. The quality of the nativity reflected how hard everyone worked to achieve the high standard of acting and singing.

SALTFORD GET EIGHT NEW TOUCHSCREENS In one of the biggest changes to Saltford Primary Schools classroom environment for many years, is that eight new touchscreens were installed in the main building and Year Six classrooms over the Christmas holiday. Now all children have access to the latest learning technology.

Jess in Year 4 said how pleased they are with a large, clear screen that everyone can enjoy and interact with.

everyone can see and use them from anywhere in the classroom.

The school also expect that ongoing maintenance requirements and energy consumption of these screens will be far lower than before.

This has only been possible because of the dedication and generosity of our PTA who have funded the entire project and the parents support for all the events. The whole school thank them, Mr May who co-ordinated the project and the IT team who worked hard over the holidays to install them.

Staff can now make full use of video and applications knowing that

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Kingswood Gymnastics and Trampoline Club Enrolling now for courses in Gymnastics and Trampolining for children 4-12 yrs Feb Half-Term Fun Sessions Tuesday 13th, Thursday 15th, Friday 16th £14 per child, just come along (bring packed lunch) Saturday Fun Club 10.30-12pm £6 per session

Birthday Parties and Pre-school sessions available, 1-1 Trampoline lessons and Rebound Therapy Call 01179476449 or visit

www.kingswoodgymnastics.co.uk

EXHIBITION: 17 MARCH - 7 APRIL www.blackswan.org.uk/young-open competition deadline: 16 February

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Black Swan Arts Young Open 2018 Black Swan Arts is now calling for entries to its hugely successful children’s art competition.

The Young Open is a great opportunity for young people between the ages of 8 and 19 to have their work curated, judged and exhibited in Black Swan Arts’ Long Gallery, Cafe and Round Tower for hundreds of visitors to see.

Winners in the three age categories (8–11 years, 12–15 years and 16–19 years) have the chance to take part in a one-to-one workshop with a professional artist. The Workshop Prize is a unique element of the Young Open, with local working artists and craftspeople from different disciplines offering 13 brilliant individual workshop prizes. Each of the sessions is carefully tailored to develop the skills and broaden the artistic abilities of the winners in each of the three categories.

Submissions in all forms of art and craft are welcome, including painting, drawing, collage, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, photography, video/animation, metalwork, carpentry and sculpture.

Our panel of judges includes Gavin Strange, Senior Designer for the Interactive arm of Aardman Animations and ‘best mate’ on CBBC’s Art Ninja; Michelle Robinson, award winning children’s author; artist Jo Walton and Chair of Black Swan Arts, Amanda Sheridan.

The cost is £5 for one entry, £8 for two entries, £10 for three entries and £12 for four entries. The deadline for entries is 16 February. Schools/Clubs can apply by group entry.

Selected artworks will be exhibited at Black Swan Arts from 17 March to 7 April at Black Swan Arts.

All details are the website www.blackswan.org.uk

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Great British Spring Clean

2 - 4 Ma r ch 2018 That is why the Great British Spring Clean is so important. It is not just about picking up litter it is about showing the world that you care about the environment on your doorstep and in the wider world.

It is about realising the impact litter has and changing behaviour to make sure that, one day, campaigns like this will not be necessary.

Keep Britain Tidy want schools, businesses, councils, community groups and individuals to support the campaign and get involved in making their bit of the world cleaner.

The Great British Spring Clean is a campaign with a simple aim: to bring people across the country together to clear up the litter that blights our towns, villages, countryside and beaches.

On the weekend of 2 - 4 March 2018, Keep Britain Tidy want to inspire 400,000 people to get outdoors, get active and help clear up the rubbish that lies around us. Join the growing army of #LitterHeroes who have had enough of other people’s litter and are willing to do something about it.

Together we can make a difference and clean up the environment on our doorstep. It is time that people understood how litter impacts on our world; how it makes places feel unloved and uncared for; how it makes people feel a little bit less safe in their community.

#LitterHeroes

For more information, to register, to find out what events are happening or to set your own up cleanup visit www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean

#GBSpringClean

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WOW

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WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT Name: Imogen Roberts Achievement: won 4 medals at Writhlington’s Gymnastics competition and came 2nd in her class.

Name: Lucia Hancock Achievement: achieved the British gymnastics proficiency award for level 8.

Well done Lucia

Name: Immy Isaacs Age: 6 Achievement: was awarded level 6 in gymnastics.

Well done Immy.

Name: Chloe Wall Achievement: won the Christmas colouring competition for the 5-7 age group.

Amazing work Chloe.

Name: Amelia Shell Age: 9 Achievement: a Level 4 in swimming.

Great swimming Amelia.

Name: Jess MIlverton Achievement: Won the Training Section Band Master prize at Wells City Band.

Well done Jess.

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