Richmond House School


NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE 29 February 2008 Dear Parents We share the excitement of Josie and Sam McKay on the birth of their sister, Maia Francesca (9lbs 4oz). She arrived in the middle of this week’s earthquake! We send our best wishes and congratulations to all the family. Please note that our final Parents ‘N’ Tots session will be held on Thursday 13 March at 1.45pm for all children who have accepted places for September 2008. Year 6 Parents’ Consultations These will be held this coming Thursday 6 March. If you have not yet made an appointment and would like to, please contact the Office on Monday. Mr Heaton will be in his classroom and I will be in my office (up the stairs near the library, opposite Mrs Bentley’s classroom). Orchestra/Wet Weather Plan Thankfully, yesterday was fine and Orchestra could go ahead as usual. However, if it is wet on a Thursday morning, Orchestra will still take place and other children arriving at school who would normally go to the gym, should go to Mr Heaton’s classroom if they are in Upper School, and Mrs Matthews’ classroom if they are in Lower School to wait for the bell. Inspection Questionnaires Thank you for the prompt return of so many questionnaires for our lead inspector, Mrs Gordon. She will take them away at the end of her initial visit today. If you have missed the deadline and still wish to return your questionnaire, we may be able to pass a small number onto Mrs Gordon when she returns mid-March. Mrs J Godsave Acting Head THE LAST ROLO! The School Council, with the support of Mrs Blackie, organised the Last Rolo event for the first time this year. The Rolos were wrapped beautifully by Mrs Blackie and other staff and were distributed throughout the school today by the School Council members. This event has been very successful and the children have raised £146.50 to go to the charity KOST (Kenyan Orphan Sponsorship Trust). The trust has two centres in Western Kenya that cares for 120 children. Well done and thank you to everyone. Mr P Oldham Assistant Head Year 4 India Day “I had a wonderful time on India Day. I learned how to do block printing and how to put a sari on. I did not enjoy wearing the sari because it kept on falling down.” – Lara Hails “I enjoyed the India Day because we tried some Indian sweets and made some, too. I found the talk by Mrs Vyse-Peacock about where her family live in India very interesting.” – Katie Bastin “This was a great day. There were lots of fun activities like sweet making, block printing, basket making and henna pattern designing. Everyone looked really good in their costumes.” – Sheev Patel “Yesterday was India day. It was very good fun and people were dressed in Indian clothes. It was really fun when we did block printing. I enjoyed sweet making and they were really nice.” – James Kemp. IMPORTANT CRB INFORMATION I am currently in the process of updating police checks on all volunteers of the school. If you are a parent volunteer, please will you ensure that your Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check with the school is still valid, ie less than three years old. If you are not sure, I can check for you. If you have had a CRB check done by another organisation, unfortunately, this will no longer be acceptable at Richmond House School. Your services as a volunteer will be very welcome, but you will need to complete one of our CRB forms which will be checked by me and then sent to Bradford Grammar School who will forward it to the Criminal Records Bureau. Bradford Grammar School is the registered agent for our CRB checks. I am in school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays all day, and Wednesday morning. Mrs M Young Director of Administrative Services BALLET EXAMS Please note that these will take place on MONDAY 10 MARCH, not on the Wednesday of that week, as per the lessons. Please inform the School Office if you are able to help with changing the children. The exams start at 9.30am so volunteers should be in the library for 9.20am. Thank you. Mrs V Van Bellen Ballet Teacher CHOIR CANCELLATION Choir will be cancelled on Monday 3 March. I apologise for the short notice. Many thanks. OPERA NORTH AUDITIONS I am pleased to announce the success of Hugh Kelly, James Micklethwaite, Hollie Bruce, Aoife Jackson, Matthew Boyle and Soutrik Basu who recently auditioned and were successful in obtaining places in two different operas. The children will be involved in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth and will be singing in some of the top venues in the north of England. Our congratulations go to these children and we are very proud of them. Miss V Lloyd Director of Music PERIPATETIC MUSIC LESSONS Any child who wishes to stop lessons must give half a term’s notice by Friday 14 March – lessons will continue during the notice period until Summer Half Term. New forms can be collected from the office for any child wishing to start instrument lessons which will be £16.00 per half hour. Parents of children who take peri lessons are invited to attend their final lesson of the term during the week before we break up for Easter. As we break up on Thursday 20 March, for children who have a lesson on Friday, their parents are invited to attend the Friday before. Please let the Office know if you are able to attend. TRIPS Year 2 are visiting Eureka on Thursday 6 March and will leave school at 9.00am and return for 3.30pm. Year 5 are going to the Yorkshire Water Treatment Works between 10.00am – 12.00noon on Thursday 6 March. Reception are looking forward to visiting Temple Newsam Farm on Friday 7 March. They will leave school at 9.15am and return for 3.15pm. Photographs Class photographs will be taken on Wednesday 12 March. Please ensure your child(ren) come to school with clean and tidy uniforms and shoes. Mrs S Pattinson School Secretary SPORT Match Result This week, our netball and tag rugby teams played Highfield. The wind played a big part in the games, blowing the ball and tags but our U11 tag rugby team won 14-8. Our netballers had very close games with our U10s just losing 5-6 and our U11s winning 8-7. Cross Country Good luck to our cross country teams in tomorrow’s Leeds Schools’ League race at Boston Spa. Next Week’s Fixtures Our U11 netball team is playing in two tournaments next week. On Monday 3 March, the team will play in the Leeds Schools’ High Five tournament at Leeds Girls’ High School. The team will leave by minibus at 12.30pm and will return at about 4.15pm. On Thursday 6 March, the U11 netball team are travelling to Ranby House School in Nottinghamshire to play in the IAPS Regional Netball Tournament. Our U10 and U11 football teams are also busy next week. On Tuesday 4 March, they are playing Clock House at home, starting at 3.40pm. These players may be collected from the pavilion at about 4.45pm. The football teams are also playing Ghyll Royd (away) on Wednesday 5 March. They will travel by minibus and should return at about 4.45pm. Good luck to all these players. Health and Fitness Week Activities Health and Fitness Week is 10-14 March and we have many activities organised for this week, including ‘guess the vegetable’, ‘play in a day’, and the sponsored skip for the British Heart Foundation. Years 5 and 6 will also have fitness sessions at Carnegie. Year 5 have an early start to their health and fitness week and they will go to Carnegie for their fitness session from 2.00 to 3.00pm on Friday 7 March whilst Year 6 will go in the morning of Wednesday 12 March. For these sessions, pupils will require their PE kit and tracksuit. They will walk to and from Carnegie. Year 5 will be back in school for the usual end of school. Mrs A C Milne Games/PE Co-ordinator

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

29 February 2008
Dear Parents

We share the excitement of Josie and Sam McKay on the birth of their sister, Maia Francesca (9lbs 4oz). She arrived in the middle of this week’s earthquake! We send our best wishes and congratulations to all the family.

Please note that our final Parents ‘N’ Tots session will be held on Thursday 13 March at 1.45pm for all children who have accepted places for September 2008.

Year 6 Parents’ Consultations

These will be held this coming Thursday 6 March. If you have not yet made an appointment and would like to, please contact the Office on Monday. Mr Heaton will be in his classroom and I will be in my office (up the stairs near the library, opposite Mrs Bentley’s classroom).

Orchestra/Wet Weather Plan

Thankfully, yesterday was fine and Orchestra could go ahead as usual. However, if it is wet on a Thursday morning, Orchestra will still take place and other children arriving at school who would normally go to the gym, should go to Mr Heaton’s classroom if they are in Upper School, and Mrs Matthews’ classroom if they are in Lower School to wait for the bell.

Inspection Questionnaires

Thank you for the prompt return of so many questionnaires for our lead inspector, Mrs Gordon. She will take them away at the end of her initial visit today. If you have missed the deadline and still wish to return your questionnaire, we may be able to pass a small number onto Mrs Gordon when she returns mid-March.

Mrs J Godsave
Acting Head

THE LAST ROLO!

The School Council, with the support of Mrs Blackie, organised the Last Rolo event for the first time this year. The Rolos were wrapped beautifully by Mrs Blackie and other staff and were distributed throughout the school today by the School Council members. This event has been very successful and the children have raised £146.50 to go to the charity KOST (Kenyan Orphan Sponsorship Trust). The trust has two centres in Western Kenya that cares for 120 children. Well done and thank you to everyone.

Mr P Oldham
Assistant Head

Year 4 India Day

“I had a wonderful time on India Day. I learned how to do block printing and how to put a sari on. I did not enjoy wearing the sari because it kept on falling down.” – Lara Hails

“I enjoyed the India Day because we tried some Indian sweets and made some, too. I found the talk by Mrs Vyse-Peacock about where her family live in India very interesting.” – Katie Bastin

“This was a great day. There were lots of fun activities like sweet making, block printing, basket making and henna pattern designing. Everyone looked really good in their costumes.” – Sheev Patel

“Yesterday was India day. It was very good fun and people were dressed in Indian clothes. It was really fun when we did block printing. I enjoyed sweet making and they were really nice.” – James Kemp.

IMPORTANT CRB INFORMATION

I am currently in the process of updating police checks on all volunteers of the school. If you are a parent volunteer, please will you ensure that your Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check with the school is still valid, ie less than three years old. If you are not sure, I can check for you.

If you have had a CRB check done by another organisation, unfortunately, this will no longer be acceptable at Richmond House School. Your services as a volunteer will be very welcome, but you will need to complete one of our CRB forms which will be checked by me and then sent to Bradford Grammar School who will forward it to the Criminal Records Bureau. Bradford Grammar School is the registered agent for our CRB checks. I am in school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays all day, and Wednesday morning.

Mrs M Young
Director of Administrative Services

BALLET EXAMS

Please note that these will take place on MONDAY 10 MARCH, not on the Wednesday of that week, as per the lessons. Please inform the School Office if you are able to help with changing the children. The exams start at 9.30am so volunteers should be in the library for 9.20am. Thank you.

Mrs V Van Bellen
Ballet Teacher

CHOIR CANCELLATION

Choir will be cancelled on Monday 3 March. I apologise for the short notice. Many thanks.

OPERA NORTH AUDITIONS

I am pleased to announce the success of Hugh Kelly, James Micklethwaite, Hollie Bruce, Aoife Jackson, Matthew Boyle and Soutrik Basu who recently auditioned and were successful in obtaining places in two different operas. The children will be involved in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth and will be singing in some of the top venues in the north of England. Our congratulations go to these children and we are very proud of them.

Miss V Lloyd
Director of Music

PERIPATETIC MUSIC LESSONS

Any child who wishes to stop lessons must give half a term’s notice by Friday 14 March – lessons will continue during the notice period until Summer Half Term. New forms can be collected from the office for any child wishing to start instrument lessons which will be £16.00 per half hour.

Parents of children who take peri lessons are invited to attend their final lesson of the term during the week before we break up for Easter. As we break up on Thursday 20 March, for children who have a lesson on Friday, their parents are invited to attend the Friday before. Please let the Office know if you are able to attend.

TRIPS

Year 2 are visiting Eureka on Thursday 6 March and will leave school at 9.00am and return for 3.30pm.

Year 5 are going to the Yorkshire Water Treatment Works between 10.00am – 12.00noon on Thursday 6 March.

Reception are looking forward to visiting Temple Newsam Farm on Friday 7 March. They will leave school at 9.15am and return for 3.15pm.

Photographs

Class photographs will be taken on Wednesday 12 March. Please ensure your child(ren) come to school with clean and tidy uniforms and shoes.

Mrs S Pattinson
School Secretary

SPORT

Match Result

This week, our netball and tag rugby teams played Highfield. The wind played a big part in the games, blowing the ball and tags but our U11 tag rugby team won 14-8. Our netballers had very close games with our U10s just losing 5-6 and our U11s winning 8-7.

Cross Country

Good luck to our cross country teams in tomorrow’s Leeds Schools’ League race at Boston Spa.

Next Week’s Fixtures

Our U11 netball team is playing in two tournaments next week. On Monday 3 March, the team will play in the Leeds Schools’ High Five tournament at Leeds Girls’ High School. The team will leave by minibus at 12.30pm and will return at about 4.15pm. On Thursday 6 March, the U11 netball team are travelling to Ranby House School in Nottinghamshire to play in the IAPS Regional Netball Tournament.

Our U10 and U11 football teams are also busy next week. On Tuesday 4 March, they are playing Clock House at home, starting at 3.40pm. These players may be collected from the pavilion at about 4.45pm. The football teams are also playing Ghyll Royd (away) on Wednesday 5 March. They will travel by minibus and should return at about 4.45pm. Good luck to all these players.

Health and Fitness Week Activities

Health and Fitness Week is 10-14 March and we have many activities organised for this week, including ‘guess the vegetable’, ‘play in a day’, and the sponsored skip for the British Heart Foundation. Years 5 and 6 will also have fitness sessions at Carnegie. Year 5 have an early start to their health and fitness week and they will go to Carnegie for their fitness session from 2.00 to 3.00pm on Friday 7 March whilst Year 6 will go in the morning of Wednesday 12 March. For these sessions, pupils will require their PE kit and tracksuit. They will walk to and from Carnegie. Year 5 will be back in school for the usual end of school.

Mrs A C Milne
Games/PE Co-ordinator