Family Matters - North East Somerset edition

NORTH EAST SOMERSET EDITION

ISSUE 62 • 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

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

p14 World Book Day

p11 Prizes to be won

p19 It's all about Pancakes

p16 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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St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School Charlton Road, Midsomer Norton BA3 4BD ‘Growing Together Through Christ’

Where every day is an OPEN DAY We are a smaller than average school and pride ourselves on our caring approach and our ability to meet every child’s needs, helping them develop and ensure they reach their full potential, whilst growing in the love of Christ. We welcome children of all faiths.

We also offer wrap-around care as well as an independent on-site Nursery.

Come and see for yourselves what the St Benedict’s experience can do for your child.

Please call 01761 418594 to make an appointment Email: stbenedicts@educ.somerset.gov.uk www.stbenedicts.info

Come and see us at our next open day: Saturday, 10th March 2018

Pre-School

Forest Club

t: 07971 330577 | e: bsps@hotmail.co.uk bishopsuttonpreschool.org.uk registered charity No: 1172849

Midsomer Norton Primary School

A warm, loving and caring nursery rated ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted in October 2017 With over 30 years experience as a setting, it is our aim to make your child’s nursery experience as happy as possible and provide a homely, loving and caring environment for them to learn and grow to their full potential.

Please feel free to contact us for more details or to arrange a visit, our books are now open for September 2018.

T: 01761 418100 E: teddybearnursery@outlook.com teddybearnurserywestfield

You could be reading YOUR advert 01761 410141 info@ignyte-uk.co.uk

East Harptree Nursery Pre School & Forest School ww.ehnps.co.uk

Mon - Thurs: 8am - 6pm, Fri: 8am - 5pm Open 50 weeks a year 30 hour funding places available

Places available in Sunbeams 2-3 years Sun 3-4 years School 5-11 years Pop in or give us a call 01761 412 289

High Street, Midsomer Norton BA3 2DR

Please contact us on 01761 220191 or 07931 267598 Email: ehnps1@yahoo.com

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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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

Great British Spring Clean

2 - 4 Ma r ch 2018 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

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.

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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KUMON MATHS AND ENGLISH STUDY CENTRES

Sat 27th January

Captain Underpants – 2.30pm Dunkirk – 7.30pm

Sat 24th February

Book your two-week Free Trial now!

Midsomer Norton 01761 411400

Terms and conditions apply.

Things have been busy in our workshops, with several restorations being done for customers and some for our own showroom stock, which can be seen now. We have a lovely Bluthner upright, a Bechstein upright as well as a Bechstein grand piano. We also have many other pianos in stock to meet all budgets, and what better gift than the gift of music this Mother’s Day! Also piano tuning... with the new year upon us what better time than to dust off those old keys, get the piano booked in for a tune up. Why not give us a call and see if we can help to make 2018 a more musical one for you.

Ninjago: The Lego Movie – 2.30pm Victoria & Abdul – 7.30pm

£5 Adults, £3 children, £12 family (2 adults, up to 2 children)

Fully licensed bar at all screenings 01761 419133 www.midsomernortoncommunitytrust. co.uk

You could be reading YOUR advert 01761 410141 info@ignyte-uk.co.uk

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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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.

Are your children reading comfortably?

DID YOU KNOW 20% OF THE POPULATION CAN READ FASTER AND MORE FLUENTLY USING A COLOURED OVERLAY OR TINTED LENS? The most common symptoms coloured lenses can help with are: • Glare from the page • Headaches when reading • Sore eyes when reading • Movement/blurring of print PRICES FROM JUST £35 FOR BASIC SCREENING. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A PATIENT WITH US. ALL WELCOME. The Irlen Method has helped children and adults worldwide become successful rather than continue to experience enormous difficulties.

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LATEST SCHOOL NEWS

EVENTS

DIARY DATES

YOUR SUCCESSES

News and Reviews IT’S A WRIGGLY NATIVITY! It’s not often that children are told “Don’t sit still!” - but this was definitely the case with the latest ‘Wriggly Nativity’ at Chew Stoke Church School. The children were positively encouraged to wriggle their way through the songs, actions and narration of their Christmas play with as much enthusiasm as they could! Great fun was had by all, as the 4 and 5 year olds of Hedgehog Class, performed their play to parents, grandparents and other guests on stage in the school hall.

Pictured: Hedgehog Class ready to perform their Wriggly Nativity.

CAKE SALE RAISED MONEY FOR THE STROKE ASSOCIATION Midsomer Norton Primary School raised money for the Stroke Association which is a cause very dear to their heart. The money was raised through a cake sale and ‘design a cake’ competition. The children raised lots of money and enjoyed themselves in doing so.

Jen Robinson-Slater came into school and the children presented her with a cheque for £161.85. The school are very proud of the children and their efforts.

FARRINGTON SCHOOL Farrington School were straight back to usual routines at the start of the year. Class 2 attended their first swimming session at Paulton Swimming Pool and the children in Class 3 were outdoors with EcoWild investigating the countryside around us. Class 1 have already been on a trip to ‘We The Curious’ and both Classes 3 and 4 have had basketball coaching from Matt Analts through the School Sport Partnership.

Year 5 have been back up to Norton Hill to make scones in their food technology session and the Bath Abbey Singing Project has begun again – this term with Class 3; the school welcomed in a new teacher, Mrs Bethan Fryer, who had a really inspirational first session with the class. As well as this, Miss Higgins took 12 pupils from her class to a Sportshall Athletics tournament. All in all, it has been an exceptionally busy start to 2018 for Farrington.

FARMBOROUGH THROUGH TO COUNTY FINALS Just before Christmas the football team took part in the annual small schools tournament held at Writhlington school and won! They all performed brilliantly with great play and teamwork and have now qualified for the county finals which will take place in Street in January. Good luck at the finals!

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ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CRAFT DAY AT CHEW STOKE CHURCH SCHOOL Glitter, tinsel and glue were in abundance for the Chew Stoke Church School Annual Christmas Craft Day.

SENIOR CITIZENS’ PARTY Farrington School second their Senior Citizens’ Party just before Christmas and welcomed in many visitors for a tour of the school and then tea, mince pies and some carol singing in the Memorial Hall.

The Year 6 pupils were a real credit to the school as they showed the visitors around; thanks also went to the children in the Farrington Forum who helped serve the drinks. The school have received two letters since the event thanking the pupils for their great hosting skills, as well as their singing!

HIGH LITTLETON COMPETE AT ATHLETICS The athletics team from High Littleton School travelled to Wellsway School for the annual indoor athletics meet. The children competed in several track races as well as two field events. The children performed particularly well in the runs which were all relay races and included a six-lap paarlauf (this is where two runners get to choose how many laps and in which order they complete the six-laps).

WELLSWAY ATHLETICS TOURNAMENT Twelve pupils from Farrington Primary Years 5 and 6 went to Wellsway School for an indoor athletics tournament. There were six field events including standing triple jump, vertical jump and chest push, as well as six relay races, which included an obstacle race, an over and under relay and a 6-lap paarlauf.

The whole team really enjoyed the event and despite being the smallest school there, finished a respectable 6th place.

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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YOUNG VOICES CONCERT Mrs Easton from High Littleton Primary took 30 children to the Genting Arena in Birmingham to participate in this year’s Young Voices concert. After the two and a half hour journey, they arrived at about 1.30pm. It was extremely busy but the children found it exciting walking in to the arena with the thousands of other school children. The concert commenced at 7.00pm where the six thousand strong choir performed to the packed audience of parents, friends and relatives. It was a brilliant day for all involved!

HIGH LITTLETON ON PARENT POWER LIST High Littleton Church of England Primary School were mentioned in the Sunday Times annual Parent Power list. This list shows the top 250 schools in the country.

They were pleased to read that we are ranked joint 23rd best small school in the country.

This is a reflection upon the dedication and hard work of all the staff and governors, as well as you as parents.

JOE FUSSELL

KILMERSDON PRIMARY SCHOOL Kilmersdon Primary School children, families and school staff went carol singing at The Southgate Centre in Bath. They sang for 45 minutes underneath the tree and snow machine.

It was a wonderful evening full of Christmas Spirit and the school raised ÂŁ130 which will go towards improvements at the school.

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Joe Fussell age 10, from Longvernal School, plays cricket for Chilcompton Cricket Club and was put forward for Somerset District Cricket Squad. The trials were held at Writhlington School

by Somerset Cricket Board in October and Joe was asked to join the district squad a week later. Training with them will start in March followed by spring and summer cricket festivals. He's following in his dads footsteps who also played county cricket.

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PEASEDOWN ST JOHN PRIMARY SCHOOL CALLS OUT FOR VOTES TO BAG A SHARE OF TESCO’S BAG FUND Peasedown St John Primary School is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative, to help provide a selection of art and craft equipment and storage, to be used outdoors in our wonderful conservation area.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of up to £4,000, up to £2,000 and £1,000 raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores awarded to local community projects.

Three groups, the School being one of them, have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

To vote, you will need to make a purchase within store of any value.

You will receive one token per transaction and it's not necessary to purchase a carrier bag in order to receive a token. If you are not given a token please ask for one.

Voting is open in all Tesco stores throughout January and February.

Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £40 million to 9,700 projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for January and February. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities.”

BISHOP SUTTON ROCKING ROBIN STORY MAKERS Christmas at Bishop Sutton Pre-School & Forest Club would not have been complete without the children’s performance of a festive Active Story Making tale, and this year it was ‘A Rocking Robin!’ But this was no ordinary robin, but a little guy who decided to organise a party for Santa and asked his friends the chattering elves, the prancing reindeer and an old, cold snowman, to bring along gifts and join in the celebrations!

‘Active Story Making is a creative way of learning and remembering stories perfect for very young children. It helps to build their confidence and improve their speaking and mark making skills in an enjoyable and engaging way,’ explains Pre-School Manager Julie Read.

‘Stories are told together with actions as the children ‘read’ the large

PENSFORD SPORTING NEWS 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.

hand-drawn story maps, creating a fun and engaging way to help them memorise new words and recognise patterns within the story.

The aim is for the child to ultimately become the storyteller and the adult the listener,’ explains Julie.

This creative approach to early learning is one of the many reasons Bishop Sutton Pre-School and Forest Club has achieved a double Outstanding Rating by Ofsted.

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FABULOUS FAYRE AT PSJ!

ST MARY’S FIRE VISIT

What a fantastic event the Christmas Fayre was for PSJ School –It was buzzing and they raised a wonderful £2285! Not only is it great to be bringing in income to the school for additional investment but it is so good to bring the whole school community together and generate a festive spirit. Thanks went to everyone who supported the event and spent generously. Particular thanks, of course, went to the PSA Committee and volunteers, who worked so hard for the weeks running up to the event, as well as on the day.

As part of their topic on ‘The Great Fire of London’ Class 2 from St Marys CofE School, Writhlington enjoyed a visit from local fire fighters.

PSJ SING AT THE ABBEY “On Monday 11th December 2017, Year 6 participated in an amazing Abbey trip. They took part along with other schools across B.A.N.E.S in learning 4 songs written by Mr Tim Parker (the conductor of the amazing event.) The songs were: Follow The Star, Ring The Bells, Many songs, Sounds of Christmas. The parents also got to join in with the traditional carols including, Come All Ye Faithful. “It was amazing when the Organ played and it gave me such a thrill!’’ Lola M, Purple Class, Year 6. The service was prepared with readings made by children from surrounding areas. Peasedown St John Primary School were complimented on their exemplary manners.” By Imogen D.

UBLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL CHOIR IN BATH!

The school’s fantastic choir finished the Christmas term with the most wonderful performance at the Pump Rooms in Bath, during the evening of Friday 15th December. They were invited to join the Bath Bach Choir as part of their Christmas concerts and performed four Christmas songs to an audience of about 150! The children were absolutely brilliant and the school was extremely proud of the sound they made and the confidence with which they sang in front of such a big audience.

Year 6 from PSJ School travelled to Bristol and spent the day either at the M shed learning about the history of Bristol or attending the Life Skills Centre. Unbeknown to the children at the time, was the fact that the teachers were able to watch their progress around the centre on a hidden screen and that when they phoned the emergency service, the teachers answered their calls. The following report written by Lola and Evie that really sum up what a worthwhile experience it was for the children.

‘Life skills was an amazing experience to be part of and the people there were lovely. We were put into teams of three and four, I was put into a group with Imogen, Tilly and our leader was called Jan. First we learnt if we had a crash the weight would turn into the wait and force of a brick. (imagine that hitting you in the back of the head) Then we went shopping and bought some things and we were told we should always check our change before leaving the checkout. Then we had to save someone’s life (a doll) by using DRAB D-dangerous, R-response, A-airways and B for breathing and then we had to call 999 which the operators were actually our teachers! Then we learnt what to do in a fire, stranger danger, home rules and garden rules. It was brilliant.

Thank you Life Skills’ - Lola Mu, Purple class ‘Last Friday, we visited the Life Skills centre. It was the best experience to be part of. We were put into groups of 3 or 4 with a team captain.

(Mine was Andy). There were 19 different stations all set up with sound effects and fake props. We learnt C.P.R, always remove objects from someone unconscious and never retrieve valuable items from a dangerous place or situation. We also learnt about what to do in a case involving fire and smoke. Such as, get out, stay out, shout “FIRE!” Also shut all the doors after you’ve been through them. When doing C.P.R, we learnt a new word. DRAB: D meaning Danger towards yourself, R meaning response (from the casualty), A meaning airways and B meaning Breathing. We also learnt how to identify drugs and prescribed medicines. We all learnt a lot of tips and facts that could potentially save our lives from threatening situations. It was the best trip I have ever been on’. By Evie W Purple Class Yr 6.

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At Farrington’s, Farrington Gurney BA2 0EY

YR6 TRIP TO THE LIFE SKILLS CENTRE

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UPLOAD YOUR WOW! PHOTOS AND DETAILS TO OUR ONLINE WOW! FORM VISIT WWW.FAMILYMATTERS-UK.CO.UK

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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