Meriden Mag Spring 2007 Hello from Meriden Primary School to this edition of the Meriden Mag, We would like to tell you about our ‘Inspire’ workshops, where we welcome parents or family members to work with their child for the morning once a year. We started the workshops last year, as we were keen to help families understand more about how the children work and learn in school. Many significant studies have shown the same kind of results, that ‘those schools which were doing particularly well were those which had a whole school commitment to parental involvement’ (Widlake & Macleod ) For some people it is daunting remembering school from childhood, but we try to provide fun activities that provide really useful practice of learning that is going on in the class. We usually make a game, and we always show how it can be adapted to play to provide more challenge. The latest ‘Inspires’ this week was for Year 1 and Year 3. The Year 3 children are very excited by their project on Ancient Egypt, so they were set the task of making a game called ‘Mummies and Pharaohs’. Little did they realise how much Maths they were practising when they had fun making and playing it together with their family member as you can see from the photos. Continuing the Maths theme, Year 1 made a special dominoes game to practise their number skills. With a chance of winning a raffle prize, refreshments and a new game to take home to play together with the children, we are so pleased parents have found it to be fun as well as worthwhile. Typical comments are ‘really good fun and a wonderful opportunity to do some great things together!‘ and ‘fun and interesting, very enjoyable‘. Right from when the children start school we like to keep families informed as much as we can, with special books with pictures of their teachers, classroom and the kind of activities they will be doing to remind them of their introductory visit. Every term we send out information about what each class is learning, as well as newsletters, and of course have parents evenings and reports on progress. We love parents helping our children in school and welcome families as partners over the seven years a child will be a pupil. If you have a child coming up to Nursery or Reception age and haven’t already applied for your place, please get in touch quickly, as the admissions process will be allocating places in February. If you’d like to know more about us for the future, then please do call to make an appointment to look round. Mrs Jacky Smith
Parents and children hard at work
This year's Meriden Festival will be launched by Caroline Spelman MP and will coincide with the Cyclists' Memorial Service on The Green at 11am, Sunday 13th May The Festival Committee would be delighted to see as many local residents as possible on this occasion. There will be several other events this summer, although, at the time of going to press, only Meriden Rotary Club's event, Jazz on the Lawn, has been confirmed for Sunday, 24th June. Please look out for the Festival's promotional leaflet through your door around the end of April. If any residents or local organisations have plans to stage an event this summer in Meriden and would like the Festival's help in promoting these, please contact either John Yates, Meriden Festival, PO Box 470, Coventry CV7 7YT, or email David Maugham at Maugham97@aol.com
See inside for free tickets to the Home Building and Renovating Show