August - Headteacher's Farewell

• Although I have been at Sherington for only two terms it seems to have been much longer - in the nicest possible way! The warmth of welcome from the school and village community made me feel at home very quickly and I will miss you all. Many, many thanks for the wonderful gifts, your kindness and generosity was overwhelming. I look forward to wearing my beautiful necklace on our trip to see 'Les Mis', a really super treat for both myself and Chris. I will certainly keep in touch with the children and new friends I have made in Sherington, particularly as I am now the proud owner of my very Thumbstick! Sherington is a very special place and the strong bond between the school and village enhances the lives of all involved, it has been a great pleasure for me to be part of it.
                                  Lesley Barnard

  July

• Sherington First School was the winner of the 'Best School Garden' in the Garden of the Year 2004 competition. Runners-up were St Thomas Aquinas RC School Bletchley and Moorland First School Beanhill. The competition was organised by the Milton Keynes Citizen in conjunction with Frosts Garden Centre and Milton Keynes Council, supported by Midsummer Housing Association.

  June

• We sadly have to say a farewell to Mrs Lesley Barnard who, invited by the Governors to step into the role of Headteacher, has quickly become the central part of the school team rather than a guest. She has continued to oversee the major refurbishments begun several years ago and has continued to take the school forward in achievement with excellent results again predicted for this year’s SAT results. Praise too for the sensible and mature members of Class 2 who coped admirably with the change of Captain on this year’s voyage; you have made us proud again. We will say a fulsome goodbye to Lesley and the current Year 3 leavers at our special assembly on July 16th.
• The imposing figure resting on the ‘mini-Knoll’ at the front of the school is Doris our dinosaur sculpture made by Class 2 as a post SAT treat with the help of sculptor Antony Hayes, Mrs Sue Temple and Nigel Anderson. Many nails and hammers were in evidence but not a single finger was lost in this creative and hard-working outdoor activity.

• We met our new cohort of parents through a series of home-visits and followed this by an evening meeting to prepare for the children’s induction afternoons. We warmly welcome, Mason Dowd, Megan Down, Grace King, Rhys Boyce, Edward Clarke, Francesca Boulton & Dylan Smith to our school community.
• Mr Jeremy Hines very kindly brought his vintage car to school for a question and answer session with Class 1 to initiate a writing project and ‘The Old Bent’ was an instant hit with all concerned, especially Mrs Cartwright who undertook the arduous task of sampling a spin around the village on all our behalves.

• The children of Woodend First School, Stantonbury paid us a visit for a day and shared many activities including Maypole dancing. This was carried out in far better weather than we had for the traditional Mayday occasion! Both schools acquitted themselves well and once again the children of Class 2 made us proud by showing hospitality to guests of the school.
• We have secured another grant from Milton Keynes Arts Association to fund an African Arts week in the Spring Term 2005 and nearer that date we will be grateful for any artefacts that we could borrow to enrich this project. With inputs from the School Music Service and students from Oxford Brookes University as well as staff talents we look forward to this addition to our staple fare with great anticipation.

• Sport’s Day will take place between 5-7pm on Friday 9th July. All are welcome to share this with us. We are fortunate to have secured the services of Martin Smith our regular guest coach and his team from Premier Soccer to organise this event.
• But to end on the happiest of notes; Firstly, Mrs Lund, originally also a guest, has agreed to continue in her post next year and this vital element of continuity will help the school to accommodate to the change ahead. Secondly the Governors are more than pleased to have secured the return of Mrs Arlene Bourne to the post of permanent Headteacher from September. Mrs Bourne, as Interim Headteacher, shepherded us through the twin trials of replacing the school’s boiler and our most recent Ofsted inspection. The success of the latter began the much overdo process of refurbishment and renewal that the school has seen in recent years. We can look forward to a period of further growth and stability in school fortunes as a result of this popular appointment.

  May

• Tooth marks in the soap! Yes there were and the culprits were a small family of field-mice that have been persuaded to return to the nature areas that are developing nicely. The pair of pheasants that over-wintered in the school grounds is less obvious now that we are using the field but they can be seen snacking on Shepherd’s Purse early in the mornings before returning to the farmer’s field and hopefully their new family.
• SAT’s week has passed uneventfully with Class 2 visiting Mr Crook’s garden Centre to stimulate their skills in writing a recount of the trip. Well done Mrs Barnard, Mrs Lund and the children of Class 2 for their hard work and efforts during this time. Class 2 are also the focus of a forthcoming production of the Pied Piper of Hamelin or RATS! to you and me. Details to follow. To this end, and as part of Class 1’s ‘Pet Week’ the school had a visit from Craig Storey with ‘Luke’ and ‘Tom’; two fine specimens of pet hooded rat. All three acquitted themselves well during the visit with many interesting observations and questions from both classes.
• Martin Smith has begun his specialist PE sessions with both classes which are greatly enjoyed by the children as well as giving them a full 45 minute physical workout including practice in many basic skills.