Newsletter 11 2016

Hillcross Primary School.27th May 2016 Whole School Newsletter 11
May has been an extremely busy and rewarding month at Hillcross. Elder Class hosted their
celebration event in the first week. The parents and children had a great time together. The Early
Years children went on a mini-beast hunt at Morden Hall park. The weather was perfect for the
bugs but was a bit too wet for some of the children and staff! We were all inspired by the assembly
led by a professional adventurer who visited Hillcross last week. He has lived with remote tribes in
Nagaland, crossed Iceland by foot from North to South, climbed mount Everest and run 250 km
across the Sahara desert. Year 5 were lucky to take part in a follow up workshop where the
children discussed the importance of setting goals and considering milestones for achieving them.
The Polka Theatre staff visited year 2 to share their ‘Round the Corner’ safety talk. This was very
well received and promoted a lot of discussion about how to keep each other safe. Year 3 have
been very busy with successful visits to both a chocolate factory and a recording studio (thank you
to Nathan’s parents for providing a fantastic musical experience for the children).
The MSSP swimming gala heats took place last week and some of our
year 5 children have made it through to the finals which are being held on Friday 24th June. I will
let you know how they got on in the next newsletter. Sadly the EYFS Sports Day had to be
rescheduled due to terrible weather. This will now be on Tuesday 7th June. The planned
cricket friendly for the year 5&6 boys also had to be cancelled due to poor weather but the girls’
friendly match against Poplar took place (see more information below). The EYFS children took part
in session led by coaches from the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Association. This took place on the
same day as their Ugly Bug Ball resulting in an interesting spectacle as ladybirds, caterpillars,
bumble bees and a whole host of other mini-beasts wowed our visitors with their ball skills.
The year 1 children thoroughly enjoyed their Victorian Day today and were able to apply all the
learning that has taken place this term. The Key Stage two sports events were a resounding
success—we will let you know the scores next month. There are lots of things happening after half
term. Please note the dates on the school website are not all correct—please only use the list at
the end of this newsletter as a reference until the new website is active. Thank you and
apologies for any inconvenience. Have a lovely half term break.
Lisa Francis , Headteacher
Parental Questionnaire
The staff and governors are continually looking at ways to develop and
improve the school and seek the views of all members of our school
community in their planning for on-going improvement. You should
have received a text informing you that our whole school parental
questionnaire is now live. You can either click on the link in this text
message or go to the letters to parents section of the school website and
click on the link in the letter that appears there.
This questionnaire provides us with essential information to help us to assess
how things are going and help us plan for the future. It only takes 5-10
minutes to complete and for every questionnaire completed your child will get
a point for their house. Thank you for taking the time to complete this
questionnaire. Your views and opinions are very important to us and will be
used to help inform the schools decisions over the next school year.
SATS
The children in year 2 and year 6 have completed their SATs test this month. I would like to say a
huge congratulations to them all. I am extremely proud of their positive, learning focused attitudes
and approach to these assessments. There was a lot of media coverage suggesting that children
have been traumatized by their experiences. I am pleased to say this was not the case for any of
our children and I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the staff and parents who made this
possible by taking such a calm and reasoned approach to the tests. By ensuring children were fully
prepared and by keeping the pressure low it is true to say that many of our children actually
enjoyed the experience and have asked to do them again soon!
Use of Social Networking Sites & Apps
We have recently become aware of a
number of incidents involving children in
Year 4, 5 & 6 having access to, and making
inappropriate use of social networking sites.
These concerns have been reported to us by
both children and parents and have mainly
focused around the use of Whatsapp and
Youtube where unpleasant comments have
been made or children are being excluded
and isolated from group forums.
We would like to take this opportunity to
reiterate that social networking sites such
as these, as well as Facebook & Instagram,
are targeted at older teenagers and adults.
All have a strict registration policy as
detailed in their privacy policies and
procedures are in place for reporting
under-age use.
Links to provide parents with useful
information and advice about how to
support their children to stay safe online
can be found on a separate letter on the
school website.
Clothes recycling bags
will be sent home with
every child on Friday
24th June. Please fill
these over the weekend
and return to school on
Wednesday 29th June.
Each bag will be donated to charity and the
school will receive a contribution to the
school fund for each bag received. If you
need more than one bag, spares will be kept
in the school office.
Hillcross Primary School Whole School Topic 2016
The Olympic Games- Rio!
The Opening Ceremony will be held on Friday 10th
June from 2:15-3:00pm—your child should come
to school dressed to represent their country of
focus (see separate letter on website for each year
groups focus country). This may be the traditional
dress, the colours of the country’s flag or fancy
dress that is related to their country.
Monday 20th June will be Olympics Day where the
children will mix up across year groups and take
part in a selection of Olympic themed learning
experiences across the day.
Hillcross Olympic Tennis Tournament (week
beginning 27th June) - This competition is open to
any child from year 1 to year 6 who would like to
take part. Children who want to enter should
complete an entry form which will be available
after half term.
Finale (Friday 8th July) - to close our topic we will
be holding our very own Olympic Games. Every
member of staff will be competing to try and win
house points for their allocated house. As the
event is being led by staff, in order to ensure the
children’s safety, we are unable to open up this
experience to parents. Please send the children to
school in their house colours on this day.
If anyone has any information or links to any of the
countries being studied; is a former Olympic champion themselves; knows any athletes; or has any
resources they could share with us, please let a
member of staff know.
Please see letter on website for more information.
Wristwatches
Wearing a watch is a really
good way of children getting
used to telling the time and we
are happy for the children to
wear a watch to school.
We have however become
aware of watches being worn to
school that are not suitable. Please can you
ensure that the watch your child is wearing is
not a toy and does not have games on it. Our
school uniform policy allows a “small discrete
wristwatch.”
Headlice.
We have recently seen an
increase in the amount of
cases of headlice that are
being reported across the
school.
In order to control these outbreaks it is
necessary for all class members to be treated
at the same time. Classes are sent a text
message when an outbreak is reported.
Remember the entire family should be
checked and/or treated for head lice in order
to stop them re-occurring.
Thank you!
We would like to express a big thank you to Camp Beaumont who will be hosting a zorbing activity
for our Year 6’s at the end of June. More information on Camp Beaumont and the activities they
offer children throughout the Summer holiday is at the end of the newsletter.
We would also like to say thank you to Owen's Mum, Andrea, for the
sunflower seeds she gave to Oak Class. The children really enjoyed
planting them and they are all very excited as they have
started to grow!
Thank you also to the following parents/grandparents that have kindly
donated
plants
and
seeds
for
the
allotment:
Shannon Abington, Jo Thompson, Katie Wooton and Janet Harper.
Cake and Uniform Sale
Thank you to everyone who donated and brought
cakes at our recent cake and uniform sale. We
were overwhelmed by the response and raised a
fantastic £303 from the cake sale and £75 from the
uniform sale. All monies raised will go towards
improving the playground equipment. A big thank
you as well to those parents that helped sell the
cakes and Mandy and Maria from the Admin team
who helped with the uniform.
Playground Safety (Sports Arena)
Due to health and safety considerations we are not
able to allow the children to use the sports arena
before or after school. Please supervise your child
when they are in the playground to ensure they
are following this rule. Thank you.
The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations!

Competition: adapt a cake recipe to
make it as healthy as possible (closing
date 6th June).

A Giant Hillcross Birthday Cake for Her
Majesty’s birthday (a £1 donation per
child would be gratefully received).

A whole school street party
Monday 13th June —with a focus
on healthy packed lunch options.
Children can dress up in ‘Royal’
style on this day.
ACHIEVEMENT NEWS
As ever the children of Hillcross have been amazing us with their extra curricular activities! The
Summer is usually the culmination for a lot of clubs and sports so if you have anything you would
like to share with the Hillcross community, please email info@hillcross.merton.sch.uk so that it
can be included in the next newsletter. We also celebrate the children’s achievements in our
weekly achievement assemblies.
Ashleigh H (Pine) received a distinction for her primary tap exam.
Ashleigh H (Pine) and Jason H (Apple class) have both been
selected to perform in the Arnold School of Dance production:
"The Wonder of Words" at the Epsom Playhouse
Congratulations to Jamel G in Holly Class for completing his grading In Choi Kwan
Do. He is now a yellow belt senior.
Following a fantastic season, Farris A was awarded U7
Rugby Player of the Year for the Wimbledon Warriors—
Well Done Farris.
Jenson.N, took part in his first London series BMX
race on the weekend of 21st/22nd May, racing
against some top young riders from all over
London and South England. He had 3 Motors
(qualifying races) and qualified for the semi finals even crashing in one of
the races. After racing his semi final he then
qualified for the A Final. Unfortunately he got caught up in another big
crash but got up and finished What a fantastic achievement!!
Sporting round up.
Cricket Friendlies
In preparation for the upcoming tournaments, cricket friendlies were arranged against our
neighbours Popular for Wednesday and Thursday last week. Unfortunately the rain put pay to the
boys friendly on Wednesday but luckily the sun shone on Thursday to dry the grass and allow the
girls game to go ahead. This was the first competitive fixture for some of the team and despite
Poplar winning 225 runs to Hillcross’s 207. A superb effort was noted by all of the girls who showed
fantastic improvement in their over arm bowling, batting and fielding. Well done to all the girls who
played: Sabiha, Alice, Molly, Yussra, Aanaya, Maya, Bella, Ruby, Sophia and team captain Tia.
Boys Year 5 & 6 Cricket Tournament
The sun was shining on Tuesday 24th May as the boys walked the short distance to the Old Ruts to
take part in the Year 5 &6 Kwik Cricket tournament organised by the MSSP. The tournament was
open to all primary schools in the borough. The Hillcross team won every game in
their group, sending them through to the final against Hollymount. They won the
final by 30 points!! The boys now qualify for the Borough Final on Thursday 16th
June which will again take place at the Old Ruts between 10am and 3pm. Well done
to: Aryan, Ben, Charlie, George, Hasan, Krish, Tahir, Umer, Vaz and Vincent.
PTA News
Fathers Day Market—Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th June.
You may have seen the fliers around school with details of the upcoming Fathers Day market. The
event is being run differently this year. There is no need to pre-book prior to the event. Parents
should bring their children to the school hall either before or after school on Monday 13th or
Tuesday 14th June to buy a wrapped gift for Fathers Day. The PTA will be wrapping presents for
this event on Tuesday 7th June. Please come along if you are free to help!
Summer Fair! Saturday 25th June 12-3pm
Programme Design Competition. We would love to have the children’s
artwork on the front cover of the programme. Entries should be
submitted on white A4 paper with your child’s name and class on the
back by Monday 13th June. Please see flier on the website for more information.
School Discos
The school discos this week were a resounding success. So much fun was had by all! Thank you to
the parents and staff who supported the events.
Dancing at Hillcross
On 7th May, Tracy Felton our Specialist Dance Teacher of 6
years relocated her Dancing School, Traymark Junior Dance
Club, to Hillcross Primary School. Every Saturday morning
Tracy and her team teach classes in Latin American,
Ballroom, Freestyle/Disco (solo, pairs, trios and teams),
Rock'n'Roll and Salsa plus many of the traditional and up to
date party/fun dances. Classes are run in small groups
depending on age and ability for boys and girls aged from
4 to 18 years.
Following a successful Medal Test where over 200 IDTA dance examinations were
passed with exceptionally high grades, Tracy and her team are now preparing for
their 30th Anniversary Year with a Presentation and Dance Demonstration Day in
July. Tracy will be recruiting new members to Traymark in September. Please give
her a call on 0208 643 5919 or email her on traymarkdance@hotmail.com if you
would like to make an enquiry. She is well known to the pupils of Hillcross Primary
School.
Habits Of Mind Vote
Parking
Please select the three habits
you feel we should focus on
next year by clicking on the
link below. The survey has all
16 Habits to choose from with
a short description of each.
You may select a new habit or
any of those we have already
explored. Thank you!
https://
www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/
HillcrossHabits
The school car park is for
staff and agreed visitors only.
Please can I remind parents
not to follow staff into the car
park nor to drive in if the
school gates are open when
arriving to drop off or collect
your child. This should also
be observed after school
hours during whole school
events such as school discos.
Parenting without tears.
Sarah Galloway (TAMHS
Clinical Nurse Specialist ) led a
very successful parenting
workshop last week. This will
be followed up with a series
of parenting programmes that
will run for 5 weeks each. If
you were unable to attend the
workshop but would be
interested in joining one of
the progammes please speak
to Louise Hart
(Inclusion Officer).
Saturday 25th June
Hillcross School Summer
Fair...Needs you!
Our annual summer fair is fast approaching, and the PTA are
hard at work organising and planning behind the scenes. Can
you help with any of the following?
International Food Stall
Our International Food Stall is always extremely popular but in past years we have only had a small
number of parents contribute dishes towards this attraction. We are sure there are lots of budding
master chef’s in our school community and would encourage everyone to donate an international
dish they love to cook for their families. We are keen to represent as many different countries as possible which could include donations of: Samosas, Fortune cookies, Noodles, Cornish Pasties, Pizza,
Paella, Tacos, Lasagne, Shepherds Pie, Sushi and any other.
The stall will be run in the hall so we will be able to store food appropriately and warm up dishes as
appropriate. If you, or anyone in your family, would like to donate please let a member of the PTA
or the school office know the name of the dish and the country it represents.
Donations should be brought to school at the end of the day on Friday 24th or on the morning of the
fair.
Donations of
Cakes
On Friday 24th June,
please send in cake
donations
Donations of Jam Jars
Earn House points for your child’s team!
From Monday 13th June, please send
Jam Jars filled with sweets, toys, hair
bands, jewellery or other small items
into school. One house point will be
awarded for each jam jar so please
indicate which house your child
is in by putting an appro-
priately coloured sticker or label on the jar.
Donations of
Cuddly Toys
A great opportunity to
clear out any
unwanted cuddly toys!
From Monday 13th June,
please send any clean soft
toys for our teddy tombola
and a new stall - “Adopt a
Donations of Bottles
and Chocolate
On Friday 17th June there will
be a mufti day in exchange for
items for the fair. In a change
from previous years, we will be
asking for different donations
from different year groups:
EYFS & KS1 (1,2,3) Chocolate Donations.
KS2 (4,5,6) - Bottles.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Please note the dates on the school website are not
all correct—please only use this list as reference until
the new website is active. Thank you and apologies
for any inconvenience.
REMEMBER BLUE IS NEW!
Second Half of Summer Term
6th-12th June
Tuesday 7th Yr.4 Visit to Museum of London.
Tuesday 7th Yr.3&4 Rounders.
Tuesday 7th Yr. 5&6 Girls Cricket Friendly against Hatfeild.
Wednesday 8th June Sex and Relationships Workshop for Yr.5 (Yr.6 please see letter)
parents.
Thursday 9th Year 6 Metro Bank Training.
Thursday 9th Yr. 5&6 Girls Kwik Cricket Competition.
13th-17th June
13th-17th June
Cycle Training - Level 1 and 2 training for Year 6
Monday 13th Jam Jars/Teddies for Summer Fair to be sent in
13 & 14 June—Fathers Day Market before and after school.
Tuesday 14th Maple Class Celebration Event
Thursday 16th June—Yrs. 5&6 Kwik Cricket Borough Finals. 10-3pm Old Ruts.
Thursdayth16th Yr.2 Once upon a time performance 9-15 & 13:45
Friday 17 June Mufti Day in exchange for bottles/chocolates for the Summer Fair.
20th-24th June
Tuesday 21st MSSP Athletics Tournament.
Wednesday 22nd Yr.6 Trip to Metro Bank in Sutton.
Thursdayth23rd EU Referendum Polling Day—School Closed to Pupils
Friday 24 Cake Donations for Summer Fair
SUMMER FAIR – SATURDAY 25TH JUNE
27th June-1st July
27th-1st Hillcross Tennis Tournament
Monday 27th Yr.6 Zorbing activity.
Wednesday 29th Clothes recycling bags to be collected.
Thursday 30th Pine Class Celebration event.
Friday 1st Holly Class Celebration event.
4th-8th July
Wednesday 6th EYFS Trip to Drusilla's Park.
Thursday 7th Elm class Celebration event.
Friday 8th Birch Class Celebration event.
11th-15th July
Tuesday 12th Secondary
school choices Meeting 3:15pm-4:15pm
Wednesday th
13th Yr.6 End of Year Show
Thursday 14 EYFS Graduation
Thursday 14th Yr.6 Trip to Flip Out—Wandsworth.
18th-21st July
Tuesday 19th Class Handover Day and Family Picnic
Wednesday 20th
Yr.6 Prom 6pm-8pm.
Wednesday st20th Last Day of Nursery
Thursday 21st Yr.6 Graduation
Thursday 21 Last day of term – School finishes at 1:30pm for EYFS and KS1 and 1:40pm
for KS2
Wimbledon Fire Station
Sunday, 3 July 2016 10.30am–4:00pm
Wimbledon Fire Station will be holding a community open day to give residents an insight
into the working life of a fire station.
Fire fighters, police officers and St John’s Ambulance will be on hand to give fire safety, first
aid and crime prevention advice, while younger guests will be able to have a look inside a
working engine.
There will also be a range of live displays throughout the day.