23rd June 2023
Wow what a week! In addition to two exciting school trips, we have had so many amazing visitors to school to support our ARTS WEEK. We have been acting, singing, rapping, dancing, listening to orchestral music, finding out the difference between 'wardrobe' and 'costume', watching a delightful outdoors theatre performance, finding out about make-up and special effects and uncovering who does what from script writers to directors.
Our aim was to show the children the breadth and depth of professions, skills and expertise required to put on a theatre performance. We wanted to give the children the opportunity to say now “Wow! Who knew that was a job?!” to widen their own knowledge of possible careers and maybe uncover a spark to ignite their own passions for the future.
It is always wonderful to see what started as just a few seeds of an idea, turn into a magnificent week, which delivered something for everyone. Thank you to Mrs McFeeley for all her hard work to make our dream a reality, for the support from the entire Alveston team who made it all possible and to all our visitors, including parents, who made it truly magical! Mrs McFeeley will introduce you to this amazing cast and tell you much, much more below!
Wishing you a restful and peaceful weekend,
Anne Clewley
Head Teacher
Year 3 ~ Shhhhhh......it's a surprise for next week!
Year 4 ~ Harrison
Year 5 ~ Chloe
Year 6 ~ Jake
Congratulations to all of our Stars - well done!
House Point Cup Winners!
As part of their Science topic on Evolution and Inheritance, Year 6 investigated how beak types impact upon feeding. In groups they wrote their own questions, such as, ‘How do different food types affect the feeding of the Galapagos Finch?’. They considered the equipment they would need and wrote hypotheses. Subsequently, the Battle of the Beaks commenced!
Overall, we found out that our Tweezer-Beak Finches were most suitably adapted to eat the food. The Spoon-Beak Finches were the least successful in feeding.
In conclusion, the finches on the Galapagos Islands have evolved over many years to suit their specific environment and this is why there is no finch in the wild which has a spoon-beak!
Arts Week 2023!
For our Reception parents and those new to our school, each year we provide a week of Arts enrichment for our children. Children across the whole school are treated to a plethora of music, dance, craft, art, cooking, designing and making. We invite experts in the field of the Arts to join us in school to help make the week an extra special learning experience for all.
This year our Arts Week theme was ‘Performance’. We have been fortunate to have welcomed experts from the Arts World to Alveston this week and we thank them enormously for their time, enthusiasm and expertise.
The week began with a whole school sing-a-long with our very own nightingale, Mrs Newitt, singing favourite pop songs and Disney classics. For KS1 children this was followed by dance workshops with our dancer extraordinaire, Mrs Rogers. The children practised energetically before performing to one another at the end of the day.
The children were treated to musical performances throughout the week. On Tuesday we welcomed three talented musicians; Di, Maddy and Oli from Orchestra of The Swan. They performed to the school before working with Year 2, 3 and 4 classes throughout the day. In Year 2 the children discussed how to look after our world and created lyrics to their own original song about how beautiful our world is. They even worked on melody ideas. In Year 4 the children worked with the musicians to produce a song on No Planet B with layered singing, body percussion and even beat boxing!
On Friday, KS2 were treated to guitar demo workshops by guitar teacher Tom, supported by Matthew (Y5) and Sonny (Y6). He was impressed with the enthusiasm- who knows there may be lots of guitar lesson requests from the children as a result!
On Tuesday afternoon the whole school met with Sandy, Head of Wardrobe for the RSC who spoke to the children about her role in theatre productions. It was a fascinating listen as Sandy explained how costumes are intricately made, organised, stored and laundered. The children asked really insightful questions and even got to race to put on the Shakespearean ruffs - not a quick or easy feat (imagine having to do this quickly for a costume change!)
On Thursday, Ian Wainwright (Flo in Year 5’s Daddy) from the RSC came in to talk to all of our children about how a performance comes to life, considering all the roles within a production. He then worked with Year 5 undertaking rehearsal room warm-ups and games. They practised being an ensemble before acting out, ‘The Worlds Shortest Play’- only three scenes! Much fun was had by all!
Later on Thursday, it was our much-anticipated outdoor theatre performance by, ‘Quantum Theatre’. They performed, ‘Wind in the Willows’ beautifully. The children could appreciate that the actors, as well as being talented actors and singers were also sound engineers, prop, wardrobe and staging experts, rolled into one!
We ended our week on a high with a visit from Fi and Lavinia from the RSC WHAM department; wigs, hair and make-up department. They brought in a huge array of wigs and make up …and FAKE BLOOD!! The children loved trying on the wigs and beards as well as having bruise and scratch marks applied. We learnt that the best bit of their jobs were to make the actors look as characterful as possible - even better when it’s a gruesome or aged look.
What a fabulous week! We would like to thank all of our visiting specialists for helping to make our Arts Week shine brightly. We are already making plans for next year’s Arts Week so watch this space...
For more photos and a rundown of how each year celebrated Arts Week back in the classroom, click here.
"I just wanted to drop a note to say thank you all for ‘arts week’ . (Our children) have been full of excitement and anticipation all week, sharing stories about what has happened during the day and what was to come... to see them experience different things has been lovely" Year 3 Parent
If you are interested in music lessons, please click here. Warwickshire Music have opened their waiting lists for: Piano, Violin, Oboe, Flute, Clarinet, Tenoroon/bassoon, Cello, Viola and Guitar (age restrictions apply to some instruments. Contact Warwickshire Music directly for more information or to sign up: https://www.warwickshiremusichub.org/
Please let the school office know each day your child is absent from school by calling 01789 293412 and leaving a message. You may also email parents3002@welearn365.com. You do not need to contact us daily if your child is sick. Absences for sickness will be recorded 48 hours from the end of the day your child was last sick (i.e. if sick on Sunday, come back on Wednesday; if Tuesday come back on Friday) nor for COVID absences.
Medicines in School
We cannot accept medicines in school without a prescription label and a medical form completed by a parent or carer. Please ask the school office for more information and/or a form: parents3002@welearn365.com.
Fitt4Kids before and after school clubs
If you are interested in more information or signing up to Fitt4Kids before and after school clubs, please contact Simon directly: fitt4kids@gmail.com - 07731639980 - http://fitt4kids.org.uk/
Naming Items in school
Please ensure any items brought into school are named so they can be returned to your child if misplaced. This includes uniform, water bottles, snack and lunch boxes, etc.
Are you eligible for Free School Meals?
Do you know if you are eligible for Free School Meals and other support? To find out more, please click here to be redirected to our website.
Parents Helpline and Webchat ~ YoungMinds are the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health. This charity also offers three different services to parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health, up to the age of 25. You can find out more about the Parents Helpline, Webchat and Email service here.
Key Information
Don't forget to check our School News by visiting: www.alvestoncofeprimary.co.uk and click on the ‘News’ tab. Alternatively, you can click on the ‘News’ tab on the App.
Throughout the week lots of different organisations share their news and local activities. These have been saved to 'Our Community' tab on our website and App.
If you are not set up on the e-schools App, and would like to, please email parents3002@welearn365.com for assistance.
Below are some key dates for this term and the academic year - they have also been added to the website calendar. In addition, you can find information relating to term dates here and teacher led club dates here:
26/6/23 New Reception Settling sessions (Week 2)
30/6/23 Learning Together Time (9:05-10am) [Event Sheet sent out on 16.6.23]
5/7/23 Transition Day
7/7/23 Summer Fayre
12-14/7/23 Y6 Residential Trip [Parent Meeting held on 3.5.23; Event Sheet to be sent on 29.6.23]
17/7/23 Half-term Cup Presentation
17/7/23 Y6 Leavers’ Play (4:30pm) [Event Sheet coming soon…]
17/7/23 Open Evening
18/7/23 Sports Day & Family Picnic [Event Sheet coming soon…]
19/7/23 Reserve Sports Day & Family Picnic
21/7/23 Leavers’ Assembly [Event Sheet coming soon…]
21/7/23 2022/23 Academic Year ends
24-25/7/23 INSET DAYS (Children not in school)
4/9/23 2023/24 Academic Year starts
Friends of Alveston dates are also included in the website calendar.
To view our calendar, with more information and dates, please click here.
