Once again, this academic year has flown by and I simply cannot believe we have reached the final newsletter of the year! We have certainly started our wind down to the end of term in style this week and it has been truly remarkable.
Our Colour Run, in memory of Mrs Russell, on Tuesday afternoon was such a fantastic occasion with the whole school community coming together to celebrate the life of such an extraordinary lady. Thank you to Mrs Jackson for taking the lead organising the event and to all who came and supported us or contributed to the charities. On the Just Giving page alone, we have so far raised £1219 and there is still time to add more or bring in cash to the office.
At the latter end of the week, our children from Years 5 and 6 put on three amazing performances of Matilda and the show really did blow me away! The talent of individual children and the collective impact of them all together were really something to be proud of. Thank you to all of the children involved, the staff who worked so hard to bring the show together and to all who came to watch. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Thank You
I speak regularly about my pride of being a part of this community and having now reached over ten years as headteacher, that pride is stronger than ever. It is a privilege to spend my days with your children and to watch them grow. It is also a privilege to work with such a committed team of staff and governors. Thank you to all who make Galley Hill the special place it is – children, parents, staff and governors. For those of you still with us, I look forward to doing it all again next year. To those whose time has nearly come to move on from Galley Hill, whether that be our amazing Year 6 children or those leaving from other year groups, we wish you so much success for the future.
Of course, I have to give a special mention to Mrs Reynolds, who is also leaving Galley Hill on Wednesday. She has been an incredible asset to our school throughout her time here and I have been so fortunate to have her as my deputy for the last two years. Thank you for everything. Enjoy this special time with your family.
End of Year Reports
Today you should have received your child’s end of year report via email. We are using a new system for the first time this year so please do let us know if there has been any issue with the delivery. We hope that you find the reports interesting and informative about your child’s progress. Please direct any questions about the content to your
child’s class teacher in the first instance. We are sure there will be lots of proud parents today!
Parents of children in Year 1 and some Year 2s will also have received a second report regarding your child’s phonics screening check. For Year 4 parents, you will have received your child’s multiplication tables check results and Year 6 parents will have received your child’s SATs results today. These were also all sent via email. Please report any problems to the school office.
Leaver’s Assembly
A reminder that parents and carers of children in Year 6 are invited to their Leaver’s Assembly on Wednesday morning, starting at 9am. The children will share some memories in their assembly and there will be a chance for light refreshments and photographs afterwards. We hope many of you are able to join us.
Start of the School Day
The official start of our school day is 8:45am, with children being able to enter the building from 8:40am. At 8:45am, all children should be in the classrooms and learning should be starting. Unfortunately too much learning time is being lost by children continuing to arrive until much later. This causes disruption for all.
In September, please ensure that your child is in school for 8:45am. The gate that leads onto Gadebridge Road will be locked at this time each day. The gates on Pudding Lane and by the main school entrance will be locked at 8:50am. Please ensure that you have left the school site by this time so you do not get locked in. If you are running late and will not be able to vacate the premises before this time, please take your child to the school office.
Welcome Meetings
In September, we will be holding our usual ‘Welcome Meetings’ presented by the class teachers for each year group. This will be an opportunity for the teachers to go over the key information for the year and for parents to ask any general questions they might have.
Our Welcome Meetings will be held at 3:20pm on the following dates:
Year 4 - Thursday 3rd September (in Coral)
Year 3 - Friday 4th September (in Emerald)
Year 6 - Monday 7th September (in Topaz)
Year 2 - Tuesday 8th September (in Pearl)
Year 5 - Thursday 10th September (in Sapphire)
Year 1 - Friday 11th September (in Jade)
Anyone wishing to attend should enter through the appropriate classroom door once all children have been dismissed.
Early Years Vegetable Patch
A massive thank you and well done to Mrs Prince and her crew of keen gardeners from Reception Garnet and Turquoise who have been doing amazingly well growing flowers, and vegetables. The children, with the guidance of Mrs Prince have nurtured them from seeds and tiny plants to growing corn, and giant marrows! Well done Early Years team!
Message from the Governors
As we come to the end of another academic year we, the governors, would like to congratulate our pupils on all they have achieved this year whether it was in the classroom, the sports field, creative arts or just by showing kindness and resilience. We wish the very best of luck to those pupils moving on and hope you look back on your time at Galley Hill with happy memories.
We would like to thank our staff for their commitment, enthusiasm and dedication. It is your hard work that enables every child to reach their potential. We would like to say a special big Thank You to Mrs Reynolds for all the work she has done in her time here. She has made a big impression and will be missed by all. We wish you luck and happiness for the future. Our new deputy head, Mrs Hewitt, will be starting in September and we would like to give her a warm welcome.
I would also like to thank my fellow governors for the time, expertise, and commitment they freely give in supporting the strategic direction of our school and ensuring the very best outcomes for our children.
Finally, I would like to thank parents/carers and families for your continued support. Your involvement and encouragement play a vital role in the success of the school community. On behalf of the Governing Body we wish you a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable summer holiday.
With best wishes,
Tracey Hunter Chair of Governors
We are Going on a Book Hunt!
As it nears the end of the school year, we would ask that you check under beds, behind sofas and in the depths of your children's bags for any school owned books. All of our books have the Galley Hill Stamp in the front (a few may still have Martindale or Rossgate) so they are easy to identify. Those with a gold spot on the front are from our very newest collection.
From Wednesday this week, no further books will be sent home with the children so that we can check our current book stock. This will include all scheme and class library books. We invest a lot of school money in these so would ask that all books are returned. The children can still access books whilst in school until the end of term in their classrooms.
As always, you can get free access to a fantastic range of books from our local library. This is situated in The Forum in the town centre. Membership is free and you can borrow 10 books at a time, plenty to keep your children reading throughout the summer! They are also running their Summer Reading Challenge event this can be done online or by visiting the library.
