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23 November 2008 
- Our recent Open Day was variously described as, ‘successful’, ‘brilliant’, ‘interesting & informative’, ‘impressive’. Many thanks to the visitors who shared our work for the day and to the Governors who put in the hard work to make it all happen. The activities taking place were given a new dimension with extra adult interest and encouragement. Smiles were to be seen on the faces of people of all ages.
- Our PE enrichment continues with weekly ‘Tag-rugby’ with Coach Anthony;
Q; “Is team work a good thing?”
A; “NO! It’s the ONLY thing!”
We’ll have to watch the ‘six-nations’ or even world cup in about twenty years time to see the long term results but in the short term the enthusiasm and motivation for physical exercise and mastering new skills is most impressive.
 - Our student teachers are settling into their placements with us. Miss Sarah Glover will work alongside Mr Storey and Miss Kate Adamson alongside Mrs Slaughter & Mrs Borner.
- Sherington Pre-School came to share activities, planted their beans in the veg-plot and stayed for a jacket potato lunch crafted by Donna Leahy and Sharron Wright. All were engaged by the activities shared and well fed to restore their energies. This being Sharron’s last activity with us as Governor we give her our thanks and best wishes for the last six years of effort and inspiration.
- The ever-busy PTFA arranged a non-uniform day for Children in Need (see their posting). This gave us all an opportunity to reflect on the good fortune enjoyed by the pupils of Sherington School and to consider what we thought the money might be usefully spent on to improve the
 lives of others; ‘firework shows’, ‘dressing up clothes to play with’, ‘transformer toys’, ‘ballet lessons’, ‘new clothes’, ‘a bike to ride on’, ‘a new bed’. Whatever the real needs of the recipients of the money raised it was a thoughtful day at times and good for our children to know that they could make a positive contribution to the lives of others.
- The term gallops forward toward the end of the year in Partnership with Emberton School with an invitation from them to follow-up our recent day in Emberton by accompanying them to Campbell Park for more outdoor Art on the seasonal theme.
- Preparations for our Nativity Play are underway and the performances, to which you are invited, will be in St Laud’s Church as follows;
- Dress Rehearsal Wednesday 10th December @ 2pm
- Full performance Thursday 11th December @ 2pm
- Full performance Friday 12th December @ 6pm
 - We at Sherington CE School wish you all a very Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year. To all those who have supported the school through the year, and latterly during Mrs Bourne’s absence, we are immensely grateful. Even small acts of positivity do not go unnoticed in the hurly-burly of school life and it is a very heartfelt “Thank you” to all in the community who give us their support.
A message from Mrs Bourne
- "A very big thank you to all who have sent me messages of support with
your best wishes. They are very comforting. I do miss school and the
children and would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas".
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20 October 2008 
- The new school year is fully into its stride. The Reception children have quickly got into school life – see a sample of their views below ! Children across the school are working hard in their many learning activities. We celebrate also the excellent SATs results achieved in the recent Summer term, reflecting the commitment at Sherington CE School to a highly qualified teaching provision, a rich and stimulating curriculum in a small village school environment, and an overall intent that every child should be supported to achieve their potential. Some of the recent school activities are set out below, after details of our forthcoming Open Day:
Is your child starting school in September 2009 ?
If you are interested in your child joining a great first school
with an excellent Ofsted report, results above national standard and a wonderful village school ethos, please contact Sherington CE School if you want a place for your child. A visit is always welcome and we will be holding an
OPEN DAY on Wednesday 5th November
Between 9.30-11.30 am & 1.30-2.30pm
for anybody interested in sharing a day in the life of our school.
If you are not already members of our school community please let us know by telephone or e-mail that you wish to visit.
Telephone: Mrs Lawrence 01908 610470
e-mail: sheringtonf@milton-keynes.gov.uk
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Activities and Events in Sherington School
- The Reception train set is a wonderfully fluid and variable activity. Watching the children cooperate and solve conflicts reveals their growth in personal and social skills. Eaves-dropping on one session the following philosophical exchange was heard, perhaps worthy of supposedly much more mature individuals;
Child A “We’ve got to build the track to make it work.”
Child B “But I want to do it this way.”
Child A “No! This way.”
Child C “But it’s more fun if we get it right together and enjoy it more.”
- Having thereby discovered the principle that the process is as important as the product the activity moved on and the teacher ticked a few boxes!
 - Our Harvest Festival Celebration in St Laud’s Church was such an event where the final product was perhaps the more pleasing because the processes that led to the children learning the songs with Mrs Borner had been relaxed and enjoyable. Job done and fun had for all.
- Mrs Pattison’s dance classes were shown to great effect when we visited Emberton School for a return Partnership visit. Emberton children had been practising their gymnastics and the two schools combined for a morning of shared activities with a joint performance at the institute in the afternoon. Our youngest children acquitted themselves well in both events and were a credit to the school after such a short period with us.
- Their ‘Settling in Survey” questionnaires revealed what was apparent from their classroom and other activities. Pupil views are important to us - they are after all why we are here - and the following ‘snap-shot’ gives us their perspective.
 - Smiles were abundant as we visited Wild Britain to look at butterflies, mini-beasts and some very cute rabbits with velvety coats - not to mention the goats and chipmunks. Follow-up work at school encompassed the whole curriculum particularly speaking & listening, art and writing as part of our Poetry Unit currently under study.
- Following the interest shown in the Totem Pole Project Parent Helper Paula has prepared the following essay describing its genesis and initial progress;
A Condemned Tree Breathes New Life
A teacher had a dream. A parent helper had the skill. The PTFA had the funds. Frosts Landscapes won the felling contract and we were thrilled to learn that a tree stump was soon to be ours. Sherington CE School, embraces outdoor learning at every opportunity. Our school has an outside classroom and activity area. Within the school grounds our children enjoy growing, harvesting, cooking and eating their own vegetables and fruit. To add to our outdoor educational facilities we have a well-established pond, bird boxes and hedgehog homes made by the children, all encouraging even more wildlife to help us with nature studies. As a result of these initiatives we have won many awards. We had a new ‘outdoor’ project on our mind – a wooden work of art to be designed by the children. Paula Noble, the parent helper let slip that she adored woodcarving and suddenly the dream became a reality. We were to create a school totem pole. The dream was easy, the logistics of sourcing and mounting a tree stump almost 9 feet tall and 2 and half feet wide proved trickier, but possible with the assistance of Adrian Lusted, his friends and a tractor. Paula contacted many wood yards, but it was Graham Cod of Frosts Landscapes who came up trumps. He really understood our vision, being a woodcarving enthusiast himself. From the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Hanslope, an oak tree of eight-foot diameter was rotten and needed felling. It is a branch of this tree that now stands proudly at the entrance to the school. The children were asked to design animals that they would like to see carved into the oak stump. From these imaginative designs, Paula and Mark Storey are carving a nature scene, and in so doing are carving new life into a condemned branch. Our tree stump looks quite at home as though it has always been there. Traditionally, a totem pole was carved with symbols that communicated messages to the tribesmen it belonged to. Our totem pole has become a focal point for people to gather around to get to know each other. It is not only the children who are benefiting from this project, but also parents, teachers and passers-by who stop to share thoughts about the sculpture, their own woodcarving stories and some have even become inspired to take up the hobby themselves. The stump has the most amazing colour, texture and tactile grain that’s reminiscent of the swirling of water. Its colour and textures draw people towards it. The children are full of questions as they watch the woodcarvers at work. Their wonderful animal pictures will inspire new and exciting stories in literacy studies, for every child who passes through our school. Our wooden sculpture has warmth and a magic that can only be experienced by coming to see it. Look out for our totem pole when you come to visit Sherington CE School.
 - Thank you Paula and thank you children for your contributions.
- Lastly, the plumbers, painter and carpenter have finished installing the new heating system; we are all now tropically warm! When the complete redecoration of the interior of the school is complete we will be turning our attentions to Governor plans for extending and improving other facilities for the children.
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21 September 2008
 - “Where did that come from?” asked a returning child. An oak tree had sprouted next to the playground in the holidays. They usually sprout from acorns but we couldn’t wait! Parent Governor, Paula, has become artist in residence. Having made a beautiful mini totem-pole to adorn our small forest classroom she will now be working on a somewhat larger scale, drawing upon designs made by the children during their first days back.
- The children starting with us this term and the returning ‘old hands’ have settled into their new working groups very well. Years 1 & 2 have been looking at ‘Food & healthy eating’ with Mrs Slaughter and ‘Travelling with Barnaby Bear’ & ‘Designing and Making Puppets’ with Mrs Borner. Apart from the initial hard work apparent across the school year groups there have been many smiles on happy faces.
- A workshop on the theme of ‘Every Child Matters - What we enjoy and achieve!’ was a very busy morning with lots of interesting ideas, comments and work of a high standard coming from all year groups.
- Preparations are underway for our Harvest Festival Celebration in St Laud’s Church on Friday 3rd October at 6pm.
 We will be holding an
OPEN DAY on Wednesday 5th November
Between 9.30-11.30 am & 1.30-2.30pm
for anybody interested in sharing a day in the life of our school. If you are not already members of our school community please let us know by telephone or e-mail that you wish to visit.
Telephone Mrs Lawrence 01908 - 610470
e-mail e-mail sheringtonf@milton-keynes.gov.uk
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- In addition to our other awards we have recently been awarded the Primary School Quality Mark for excellence in education and the Activemark for exceptional delivery within the National School Sport Strategy. Well done to all pupils past and present whose efforts have helped us achieve this recognition.
 
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| New School Profile
- Each year schools are required to produce a document called the ‘School Profile’ (this has replaced the previous format of an annual Governors’ report to parents). Our new school profile(2006-2007) is now available as follows:
| | 2007-2008 Prospectus
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