Issue 1 16 September 2016

Junior, Infant and Pre-School Newsletter Issue 1 Friday 16 September 2016 Dear Parents I am pleased to report that we have had a busy start to the new Academic Year with lots of activity around school. The children have settled into their routines well, including our new starters, who we are delighted to welcome to the KGJS family. It was lovely to see so many parents at our social event on Tuesday.

Our clubs, both at lunchtime and after school, are now up and running and well subscribed as ever. We have also enjoyed our Book Week this week which we hope has increased the children’s enthusiasm for literature. They have certainly enjoyed dressing up for the occasion today and so, too, have the staff!

The J3 children are now looking forward to their Bushcraft Trip next week and I am hoping to join them overnight for part of their trip. In past years this has been a wonderful and unforgettable experience for them.

Our first Parents’ Evening is scheduled for just before half term, however, should you have any questions or concerns before then, please do not hesitate to contact form staff or myself at any time.

Wishing you all a very happy weekend.

Mrs AS Roberts Headmistress Follow me on Twitter: Annette Roberts @KGJShead

Welcome to all our children and their families! We have had a wonderful start at Pre-School and look forward to doing some very exciting things together. We have begun our topic, ‘All About Me’, our main topic for this term, and are enjoying learning about our body and the way we look.

We have read the story ‘Funny Bones’ during our Literacy lessons, had some very interesting conversations and painted some super skeletons. Book Week began with the story of Elmer the Elephant which led to many activities about colour, shape and size. We have made some patchwork collage and also designed our own Elmer. Our I3 friends came to visit on Thursday 15 September and read some books with us. It was lovely to see how much they have grown over the summer holidays and hear them read so well to the Pre-School children.

Our new I1 children have settled quickly into their new daily routines, and even joined the rest of the school for morning assembly on their very first day! They have all behaved well in and around school, displaying wonderful manners!

It has been lovely to welcome so many new starters in our other year groups too as well as in Pre-School.

We hope you all enjoy your time here, and warmly welcome both pupils and their families into our KGJS family!

Please could we remind all parents that we have an overflow car park at the Willows Catholic Club on Bryning Fern Lane.

This helps to avoid congestion on and around Ribby Road.

Thank you

Please could we ask that all Showmaker t-shirts are returned to school as soon as possible.

There are still places available in Showmaker for I3 children. Places are given on a first come first served basis.

Please see the school office for a leaflet if your child is interested in attending.

Sport/Event Photographs If parents take photographs at school events/sports fixtures we would love to see them!

They may even get used in school newsletters, on the website and in press releases.

Please email them to Michelle Tickle at m.tickle@kirkhamgrammarjnr.co.uk Thank you

Kirkham Grammar Junior School Facebook news is now on the Kirkham Grammar School Facebook page….we hope this will make the ‘whole school news’ easier to follow!

Please visit and ‘LIKE’ the KGS page for all the latest news, photographs and information.

The Facebook page name is ‘Kirkham Grammar School’ and can be easily identified from our KGS logo above.

Please follow us on Twitter for the latest news at KGJS! twitter.com/kgjs_

Please could we kindly ask pare n t s /

House

16.9.16

Total

Fylde

333

333

Kirkham

327

327

Preston

379

379

School

336

336

On Saturday 17 September, a KGJS team of Annette Roberts, Helen Shuttleworth, Michelle Tickle, Lindsey Case, Alicia Blanco-Bayo, Kate Aldeen, Sharon Anyon, Jill Knowles, Lucy Knowles, Gill Latham, Jessica Richardson and Claire Blacow will take on the challenge of the Pretty Muddy run at Lawson's Field in Blackpool.

They will work together over the 5k obstacle course to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Your kind donations would be gratefully received. www.justgiving.com/KGJSMuddyTeam Thank you in advance for your support.

KGJS had a special visitor into school last week, when Mr Butterworth’s new puppy, Mabel, came in to meet the children!

SCHOOL UNIFORM SHOP OPENING HOURS All uniform requirements may be purchased from our shop situated on the Senior School campus. Details of opening dates and times are given below. If you have any queries concerning uniform please contact Mrs Malings on 01772 688118.

AUTUMN TERM 2016 Week Commencing

Monday

12 September 2016 – 21 October 2016

Tuesday

Wednesday Open

Open 11.00am – 5.00pm

11.00am – 5.00pm

Closed Half Term

31 October 2016

Closed Half Term

7 November 2016 –

12 December 2016

Friday Open

11.00am – 1.30pm

24 October 2016

9 December 2016

Thursday

Open 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Open

Open 11.00am – 5.00pm

11.00am – 5.00pm

Open

Open

Open

11.00am – 1.30pm

11.00am – 5.00pm

11.00 am – 12.00 noon

Open 11.00am – 5.00pm

Open

11.00am – 1.30pm

Closed Monday 21 November 2016 – Speech Day Holiday

SPRING TERM 2017

Week Commencing

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday Open

2 January 2017

9 January 2017 – 10 February 2017

Closed

Open 11.00am – 5.00pm

11.00 am – 4.00 pm Open

11.00am – 1.30pm

Open 11.00am – 5.00pm

This week the children have enjoyed a range of activities as part of Book Week which included some special Roald Dahl activities to celebrate 100 years since his birth!

The Book Fair was once again in school with each class given the opportunity to peruse the huge variety of books on sale. Thank you to Mrs Hughes for her support with the Book Fair.

Today, the staff and children came to school dressed as book characters. There was a wonderful array of outfits including Cat in the Hat, Gangsta Granny, Aladdin and Fantastic Mr Fox!

Congratulations to Leoma in J2 who has been chosen as the winner of the recent ‘Ancient Adventures’ anthology.

Her mini saga, The Death of Cleopatra, has been very proudly printed at the very beginning of the book.

Well done, Leoma!

J2’s Science Topic this half term is ‘Habitats and Living Things’. They have been out on a very interesting ‘Bug Hunt’ and were amazed at just how many different bugs they collected!

Many thanks to all those parents and children who spent their time collecting worms from their gardens! The topic has been made even more exciting by bringing in wonderful resources from home to enhance their learning. Every morning it has been amazing to be able to watch where the worms have travelled overnight in their Worm World!

J2 have also introduced five caterpillars (still discussing names!) and are excited to watch them grow and change over the forthcoming weeks.

It was wonderful to see so many of our KGJS parents on Tuesday night at our Social and Information Evening. This event gave parents the opportunity to find out lots of information and speak with their child’s teacher about the coming year. Parents and staff were entertained by Charlotte O’Neil, a fifth year pupil at the Senior School, who played the piano beautifully.

Thank you to Charlotte and also to the catering team for their delightful array of refreshments and canapé nibbles!!

Saturday 17 September - U10 Rugby 7s Tournament (H) 10.00am Wednesday 21 September -J3 Bushcraft Residential Trip departs 8.15am (returns Fri 23 4.30pm) I1 Parents Information Evening 7.30pm-8.30pm Thursday 22 September - Pre-School Parents Information Evening 6.00pm-7.00pm Saturday 24 September - U9 Rugby Tournament (H) 10.00am

Tuesday 27 September - ‘Working Together’ - Infant Parents Evening 7.00pm-8.00pm Wednesday 28 September - AJIS U10 & U11 Boys & Girls Cross Country (A) 1.00pm Friday 30 September - Macmillan Coffee Morning 8.45am-10am Junior School U10 Girls & U11 Boys Hockey v AKS (H) 4.15pm