School News

Zimbe!

On 22nd January, some of our Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils took part in an amazing music concert at Felsted Senior School.

Danny, Jake, Ben, Calum, Joshua, Molly, Emily, Bethany and Holly attended a singing rehearsal on Saturday 21st, with children from other schools, led by the composer of Zimbe, Alexander L'estrange. This was amazing in itself but was even more impressive when they were joined by an adult choir for a rehearsal on the Sunday.

The weekend was great fun (and tiring), but ended with the fantastic live performance, accompanied by piano, saxophone and double bass.

Well done to all of the children that took part and thank you to the staff at Felsted School for inviting us to join the event. Also a big thank you to the teachers who gave up their time to support the children.

Cinderella

On Friday 11th November the children and staff of Rayne Primary and Nursery School were treated to a wonderful performance of Cinderella by http://magicoftheatre.com/

It was so lovely to see the smiles and hear the laughter from the children from the Nursery to Year 6 and seeing them have so much fun watching the pantomime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bailey said, "Everyone in the school watched a Cinderella pantomime which all the kids enjoyed. The pantomime was very entertaining and funny. The funniest bit was when Mrs. Khine and Mr. Ball got called up onto the stage and they they started dancing that made everyone laugh! The other thing that was funny was when the little cheeky rat kept on coming through the small hole in the kitchen. It was saying that the ugly stepmother was pretty ugly! The costumes were very detailed and weird at the same time."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah said, "I liked it when the Fairy Godmother made Cinderella a dress and when Prince Charles's servant called up Mr. Ball and Mrs. Khine to dance we could not stop laughing! At the end when the Prince and Cinderella kissed nearly everyone went yuck and hid their heads."

We would like to thank the M&M Theatre Production Company for coming to our school and entertaining our children and staff.  We look forward to your next production.

Rayne School PSA - 110 Club

We do have a 110 club currently running within school. However, we are not sure if all of you are aware of how this works? So here goes, a quick explanation...... Every month, 4 numbers are drawn out of a hat, with 1st prize being £20, 2nd prize £10, 3rd prize £10 and 4th prize £5. All you have to do is pay for a number, or two, or even three! Costing £12 per number per year, then wait to see if you are one of the lucky winner. Subscription to the 110 Club is currently up for renewal, so if you would like to be allocated a number, please complete the slip that was on the PSA letter sent home with your child. If you have not received one please come into the office where we will be able to give you a copy. Once your slip is completed along with your payment of £12 per number we will then forward your details of your number and every month you will be updated as to who the winners are, or maybe given a cheque! Wishing you the very best of luck!

 

The FA Tesco Skills Programme

We have been extremely fortunate to have Kevin Baker from The FA Tesco Skills Programme visiting our school over the past few weeks.  Kevin is delivering Football Coaching to our children in Years 1 - 6. This is a programme that is being co-ordinated by the FA and funded by Tesco and Sport England.

Over the past few weeks the children have:-

• Learnt the set up of the game and basic tag invasion game.
• Explored attacking and defending principles of invasion games.
• Learnt the technique of dribbling and the use of this skill to beat a player.

Not only are the children learning new skills they have been having a lot of fun during these sessions and this has also benefitted their health and fitness too.

The children have been able to develop and build physical abilities relating to dribbling and invading and this has led to improvement in their skills such as agility, balance, acceleration, deceleration and strength relating to these skills. This has also helped to enhance their understanding of which physical components are required relating to the performance of particular skills.

The children have learnt how to communicate as a team using a variety of ways and have been able to evaluate their own performance, strengths, weaknesses and points of actions for improvement in performance. They have also been able to work as a team to correct problems and solve problems in tactics.

On behalf of all the children and staff, at Rayne Primary School, who have participated in these sessions I am sure that we would all like to say a huge thank you to Kevin for his hard work and dedication over the past few weeks.

 

 

 

KS2 Visit to Clacton

The KS2 Topic this term is to compare the coastal town of Clacton and the village of Rayne so on Monday 12th September, 2011 KS2 children visited Clacton-on-Sea.

During the trip the children identified tourist attractions, hotels, shops and local amenities and compared them to what we have in our village.

They were asked to look at the buildings and record how many storeys and windows they had. Were there any significant landmarks (churches, railway station, park, pier, beach and shopping areas)?

The children also carried out a traffic survey, recording the vehicles that they saw during a set period of time.

Following lunch the children made their way to the Pier.

 

 

They were able to spend their money on some ice-cream and some rides.

 

 

Although it was rather a windy and blustery day the children and the adults too had a fantastic time.

 

Welcome Back

Welcome back to the beginning of a new school year at Rayne Primary and Nursery. We hope you enjoyed the summer break, though many children have told us that they couldn't wait for school to start again!

A big welcome to all our new reception children who started in Mr. Brownsell's class this week - exciting times ... and also for children in 4/3K and 4/3E who have new, enlarged and separated classrooms to work in. We achieved a lot during the summer but didn't quite get everything finished (some decoration still needed, doors to be fitted etc). A huge thanks to all staff who worked extremely hard moving furniture, equipment, materials and lots more ready for the children upon their return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As part of this year's Harvest celebration we are again supporting "Harvest for the Hungry" and we are asking for donations for plain flour, sugar and lentils (in plastic bags to contain any spillage during transit. Alternatively they are also supporting children from deprived families by collecting stationery for use in schools - new and unused pens, pencils, felt tips, rulers, rubbers, pencil sharpeners (but not paper). We hope to have as many boxes as possible ready for collection on Friday 7th October.

Increasingly we are being encouraged to move towards a "paperless society" and online application forms wherever possible. If for example you think you may be eligible for Free School Meals you can now apply through:

www.essex.gov.uk/educationawards

If you child is in Year 6 and you are considering admission to one of the Selective (Grammar) Schools in Essex for September 2012, the Parental Information Guide is now available on the CSSE (the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) website, where you can also register your child to take the 11+ tests. These take place on 19th November 2011 and children must be registered by 31st October 2011 :

www.csse.org.uk

(A few paper copies of the Information Guides together with registration forms are also available from the school office).

Online applications for Secondary Education are also encouraged and Year 6 parents should already have received information about the application process and an orange booklet "Is your child going to secondary school in September 2012?" Copies of "Secondary Education in Essex" and application forms are available at www.essex.gov.uk/admissions I cannot stress enough the need to ensure that applications are made by the deadline date of 31st October 2011 - failure to do so will mean that your child will only be considered after all other applications have been processed and you will be offered whatever is left over.

• As always we hope you will help us to ensure the safety and well-being of our children by walking to school whenever possible, and if travelling by car, parking with due care and consideration.
• Don't forget to let us know if your child is going to be absent for any reason - if not we will phone you on the first day of absence!
• If your child brings a bike or schooter to school, please ensure that they do not ride them on the pathways and standing areas at the front of the school.
• The school uniform shop will be open on Thursday mornings from 8.50 - 9.15 every week.
• A reminder that "Berty Bin" - a large green container for recycling clothes and shoes is still positioned by the edge of the school car park. We all want our children to have a healthy concern for the environment and recycling and hope to fill Berty Bin more frequently.

ANNUAL INFORMATION UPDATE FORM

In order to keep school records as up-to-date as possible, I would ask you to complete the Annual Update for each of your children attending Rayne School. These will be kept for one year and all information given will be checked and updated on other school records, as necessary.

It is intended to use these forms for reference and up-to-date emergency contact numbers, therefore, please complete all sections, both sides, for each of your children (even if information has already been given). I understand that if you have more than one child at school this is a tedious exercise. However, it is very much appreciated and the forms are very useful to the office.

Please return this form by Friday 23rd September 2011

If there are any changes in circumstances during the school year after completion of the Annual Update Form please contact the School Office.

Many thanks for your continuing co-operation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of Term

We have ended yet another busy and interesting year at Rayne Primary.  This has also marked the end of an era as our Year 6 children have now left us and will be starting their Secondary Education in September.

To all our Year 6 children, who presented an excellent Leavers' Assembly - we are proud of the young people you have become and of your achievements and we wish you well at your new schools.

Thanks must go to Miss Megahey and Mrs. Lee for all their hard work in providing maternity cover for Mrs. Stacey in 2/1S and Mrs. Williams in Reception and to Miss Russell for covering during Mrs. Kolton's absence.

We would also like to thank the many helpers who have given up their time to support us - weather as a member of our strong PSA, helping in class, hearing readers, or for example running netball club and gardening club, your assistance has been very much appreciated.

There were a few cases of head lice in school at the end of term and you may feel that the Summer holidays are an ideal time to check and treat if necessary and we can be a "nit free" school up to Christmas!

Please note that we can only administer medicines such as antibiotics prescribed to complete a course of treatment.  All others should be administered at home.

Braintree District Museum Service - Exhibition in the Museum Gallery "On the Box" - Children's TV since the 1950's - on until 10th September.  Museum open 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Please click on the Calendar for more details.

Warner Textile Archive - (open every Wednesday 11 am to 4 pm) 13th July to 8th February 2012 "Heritage Silks" - silks and velvets produced for stately homes, castles and cathedrals. Tel 01376 557741 for more details.

On behalf of everyone at Rayne Primary and Nursery School we do hope that you and your family are enjoying the Summer break and we look forward to seeing children back in school on Tuesday 6th September, 2011.

Thank You from the PSA

It was most definitely raining in Rayne on Saturday! Despite this, and having to cancel all of our events on the field, we still managed to go ahead with stalls inside and under cover, and made a fantastic total of £1,800.

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of you who braved the weather and came and supported us on Saturday. We would also like to thank all of the staff and parents that helped set up, run stalls and tidy away, we really do appreciate all of your hard work!

Thank you once again for all your support.

World War II Day

On Thursday 14th July, 2011 the children in KS2 took part in World War II Day.  Throughout the day they experienced what it would have been like to be a child in World War II and were able to join in a range of activities that included cooking, knitting, games and role play.

During the afternoon Children celebrated the day with a VE Day Street Party.

Some of the older members of the community came and joined us for an informal chat and a cup of tea and the children very much enjoyed talking to them about what it was like for them during World War II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even some members of our staff dressed up for the part!

 

All the children and staff had a wonderful day and really enjoyed the experience of what it was like during World War II.

 

Visit from Braintree Library

On Friday 17th June, during our Assembly, Jo from Braintree Library came in to talk to the children about the 'Summer Reading Challenge'.  This is a scheme that encourages all of our children to attend the Library or Mobile Library during the Summer holidays.

When children join they will be given a 3-D circus stage and as they read their books, they will receive stickers of characters to place on the stage. Scratch and sniff stickers will add to the circus atmosphere. Children who read six books will be awarded a Circus Stars medal. All children will receive a certificate just for joining the challenge so if children can't yet read, they can still join in as you can read to them.

Children holding up some of the awards that they can receive during the 
'The Summer Reading Challenge' 

The Summer Reading Challenge activities are free and children can join any time during the summer holidays.

This event runs from Wednesday 20th July to Saturday 3rd September 2011.  Let's see just how many books our children can read.

For more information click on the link(s) below:-

www.circus-stars.org.uk

www.essex.gov.uk/libraries-archives/libraries/childrens-library/pages/summer-reading-challenge.aspx

Masterchef Competition 2011

On Wednesday 15th June and Thursday 16th June children from Year 5 and Year 6 were invited to enter the Masterchef Competition which is in association with our local Secondary Schools (Tabor, Alec and Notley).  The task was to cook a healthy main course of their own choice.  They had to bring in their own ingredients and at a cost of no more than £5 and cook within an hour time limit.

The meals were presented to a panel of judges under 'blind taste test' conditions (teaching staff were fighting for a place on the panel!) here at Rayne School. 

All the children produced some incredible dishes in the time limit set, the quality and presentation was absolutely outstanding and our congratulations go out to all the children who took part in this competition.

It was an extremely close run contest and only a few votes separated them!

It is with delight that Charlotte (Year 6) and Jake (Year 5) are our overall winners who will now go through to the semi-finals at Notley High School on Wednesday 22nd June.  We wish them both every success.

Charlotte (Year 6) and Jake (Year 5)

The Masterchef Contestants receiving their certicates 

A huge thank you must also go to Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Khine for organising this event.  Your help has been truly appreciated.

Year 5 PSL Visit to Notley High School

On Monday 13th June children from Year 5 attended Notley High School for a taster day.  They followed a time table for the day and their first lesson was P.E.  Miss. Piper's class had a rounders lesson and Mrs. Matthews class had a Football Lesson.

 

 Following the P.E. Lesson the children attended an Assembly led by the CHIPS (Childline in Partnership with Schools) Team and then had a break.

After break both classes had an art lesson and used watercolours to create some abstract art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The children produced some fantastic pieces of Abstract Artwork and were all very pleased with what they produced.

Miss Piper's class were challenged to design their own biscuit and they had a lot of fun doing this!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the children had a fantastic day at Notley High School and our thanks go to all the staff for making it a success for our Year 5 children.

Maths Workshops

We would like to thank you for attending our Maths workshop on 25th May, your participation was greatly appreciated by us and I'm sure your children as well.

Since this session Mrs. Khine held a more detailed workshop in the Parents' Room on 14th June.  We have updated some resources, these include a home maths pack designed for children working at Key Stage 1 level to help improve counting skills and number recognition and a handy hints and games booklet for parents to play with their children. In addition to this the PSA has kindly donated a number of books to help explain maths ideas. These are available in our Parents' Room.

A copy of our Four Rules Policy has been sent home with children. This was discussed and explained at the meetings.  However, if you would like anything clarified, regarding the approaches that we use to teach your children maths, Mrs. Matthews will be available in the Parents' Room on Monday 4th July from 10.20 a.m. - 11.00 a.m. to answer any of your questions.

Please feel to join her for an informal chat and a cup of tea.

 

Enterprise Champions

Congratulations to Jamie-Lee Bamford, Ross Dawson, Chloe Howard, Louise Howard, and Lucy Williams who are the 2011 Essex Enterprise Challenge Champions!!

They have been working really hard running a small business in school making and selling Learning Bookmarks. After submitting a portfolio of their work, they were chosen to be one of the 17 schools to reach the finals and pitch to the "Dragon's Den" at the Chelmsford City FC conference centre. The Dragons were extremely impressed with our children's ideas, teamwork, and presentation, and awarded them First Place, a large trophy and a cheque for £500 !!!!!                                         We are all very proud of them.

Visit to the Palace of Westminster

On Friday 11th March, 2011 the children who represent our School Council were invited by Brookes Newmark MP to tour the Palace of Westminister.  It was a fabulous tour and the children were able to see the Queen's Dressing Room and also the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The children also enjoyed feeding the squirrel in the park!

Everyone had a fantastic day.

Chess Champion

The new chess club run by Mrs. Harrison has been extremely popular and to finish off this half term she organised a Chess Tournament. Each member of chess club had to play everyone else and I was very pleased to hear that everybody won at least one match.

However there was one person who in fact won all of his matches and is therefore our new Chess Champion........

Well Done Ben McRae-Adams in 5/4M!

 

Megan's Anglo Saxon House

Today Megan Baldock brought in an Anglo Saxon House made out of gingerbread. I was a bit wobbly so she cleverly held it up with cocktail sticks. She used spaghetti for the roof, a marshmallow for the sheep and made the horse, the fireplace and the Anglo Saxon man out of icing. It looks much too good to eat!

Dance Workshops

We are very grateful to all parents for the many vouchers they collect on behalf of our school.

This year instead of buying equipment, we used our Sainsbury's vouchers to pay for 3 days of dance workshops. Children in KS1 now know how to Line Dance (though the teachers are still not very good), and KS2 classes enjoyed workshops on Salsa dancing and Hip Hop / Street Dancing.

Emily hears from the Queen!

Emily Pearson had a very special day recently ........... she wrote to the Queen and received a Royal Letter back together with a photograph of the Queen!

More Homework you can eat!

As part of their work on Anglo Saxons this term Molly Clark made this excellent loaf of Medieval Bread - very tasty! ....and Zara Crane made this brilliant cake shield using chocolate sponge and icing suger with red food colouring.

                  

 

Jake's Rugby Assembly

 

Jake Whiteside is really good at many different sports but in assembly this week he gave us lots of information about rugby. Jake plays for Braintree Rugby Club and even got to play at Twickenham once! He told us all about the training he does, how he first started and then showed everyone the equipment you need.

Maddy's Art Assembly

Maddy Arkwright is a very talented artist and loves to spend time drawing and painting. On Monday she talked to all the children in assembly and brought some of her work in to show.

We were all very impressed - Lauren in Mr Brownsell's reception class was so inspired by Maddy's work that she has been doing lots of pictures at home too!

John's Fishing Assembly

John Durell is interested in lots of things but he really likes going fishing. He brought all his fishing tackle into assembly to show the children and told them what you have to do to be a successful fisherman (including being very patient!)

John also brought in some maggots that he uses for bait and gave them to Mrs. Wootton to hold ( and she didn’t scream!).

Well done John.

Homework you can eat!!

Last term KS2 were learning a lot about space and the planets. For homework David decided to make an Earth cake as if you could see it from space. David baked the cake himself and mum helped a bit with the icing.

 

As part of their History topic, Danny and his brother also made a cake – an Anglo Saxon house made very cleverly with sponge, chocolate, and mint Matchmakers for the wooden posts

 

You would never believe that

homework could taste so good!

                                                                   

Congratulations to the Girls' Football Team

Huge, huge, huge congratulations to the Girls' Football Team who have just become the Essex County Champions!!! Well Done.

P.S.A. Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be held in the School Hall at 7.30 p.m.

This is the time of  year that a new P.S.A. Committee is elected.  In order for the P.S.A. to run effectively, it is vital to have a full set of Committee Members - so do please consider standing as a Committee Member.

Agenda

• Apologies for absence
• Minutes of previous A.G.M.
• Matters arising
• Correspondence
• Chairperson's Report
• Treasurer's Report
• School Report from Mr. Wright
• Appointment of New Committee
• Spending of P.S.A. Funds
• Forthcoming Events
• Any other business

We look forward to welcoming any new members.