12th May 2023

We're hoping that the weather is going to stay dry for our May Fayre tomorrow, the preparations are well under way and the PFA committee have been busy organising everything, so it looks like it is going to be a fun filled occasion for all the family. Do come along and join in the fun. (There are more details below)

You will have seen the changes that are happening to the 'Barn' on the field and our new outdoor classroom is very quickly taking shape. The work will continue next week, and we are looking forward to taking the children for a look round, once it is completed.

Mrs S Reynolds

Walk to School Week – Whole School

The Eco Warriors met with Mrs Burkitt week to discuss Walk to School Week, and they are keen to try and reduce the number of cars travelling to school.

Schools all over the country are taking part in Walk to School week. The Eco Warriors would like everybody to try and walk, scoot or cycle at least part of their journey next week.  We will be recording our journeys and seeing which is the most active class at our school. Even if you can't walk all the way to school, why don't you try and park a short distance away and walk the rest of your journey. This will help reduce congestion and air pollution near our school. 

There will be a special badge for each child that walks, scoots, rides, park and strides at least 3 times next week. The Walk to School caterpillar will also be awarded to the class that has the most non car journeys to school.

Next Week's 'Learning at a Glance'

Parent Information Session – Whole School

Thank you to those who joined us online on Wednesday evening for our information session. We hope it helped you gain more of an understanding about Online Safety, PE and Metacognition in school. If you missed it or had trouble logging in, you can find the PowerPoint presentation on your class homepages. A little reminder of how to access future Google Meet links: making sure you've logged into your child's Google account before clicking the Google Meet link.

School Class Photos – Whole School

If you would like to view/order your child's class photo and didn't manage to pre-register, please email support@sbsdigital.co.uk with the school name, child’s name and class, and Stanley Baker Studios will provide you with a code. We've had a sneak peek, and are very pleased with the result.

Year 2 Trip to Mop End – 17^th May

On the day school uniform is not required, and your child will need to be dressed warmly in outdoor clothing. They will need a pair of sensible outdoor shoes, plus named Wellington boots in a named bag and a waterproof coat. They will also need a packed lunch and a water bottle. If you've ordered a packed lunch from Dolce, please still pack a water bottle.

Singing in the Park – Year 1

Year 1 have been invited to sing at Higginson Park on Sunday 11^th June between 12pm – 1pm for the Marlow Regatta, other schools will also be participating. We would love to see as many Year 1 children as possible. Thank you to all the Year 1's who have registered already. Year 1 children have been practising some songs with Mrs Phillips and Sheila Wilson already. If you would like your child to attend, please sign up here. We kindly ask that children wear their red school jumper/cardigan.

Sharing Your Views – Whole school

As part of their commitment to the continuous cycle of school improvement, the Governors of Marlow C of E Infant school are reviewing the process for pupils starting school in Reception. This will cover everything from open days, admissions and induction. We’re looking for parents to take part in a focus group, in particular families who are new to the school, but any parent is welcome! It will just be a one-hour session with a daytime or evening option depending on what works best for you.

This is a great chance to provide feedback to the school and have an input on shaping the future admissions and induction process.

There will be 2 sessions which will take place on Thursday 25th May as follows:

1. 11am–12noon
2. 7.30pm–8.30pm

Please click here if you are interested in participating.

Term Time Leave of Absence – Whole School

We have received a number of requests for term time leave of absence for family holidays this term and would like to remind parents of the procedure for this which is laid out in our Attendance for Learning Policy which can be found here.

Before considering applying for leave of absence for their child or children, parents/carers must apply using the 'Request to authorise term time leave of absence due to exceptional circumstances’ form (see Appendix 1) which must be obtained from the school office, at least 30 days before the planned leave (no less than a month). Parents are strongly advised to discuss the proposed absence with the school before completing the form. The school does acknowledge that in some instances, such as funerals, it may not be possible to complete the form 30 days before the absence. 

We are not permitted to authorise absence due to holiday except in exceptional circumstance and, whilst we appreciate that many family holidays have had to be rescheduled due to the COVID pandemic, this is not considered an exceptional circumstance.

Headlice – Whole School

There have been some cases of head lice in school over the past week. Please take this opportunity check your children's hair over the weekend and treat as soon as any head lice are found. Children do not need to be excluded from school if they have been treated for head lice. As a reminder there are some tips on checking your child's hair in the leaflet here.

If you find live lice, don't worry – head lice are a normal part of life and nothing to be embarrassed about. Go to the pharmacist who can advise which treatment best suits you and your family. Treatments should only be applied if a living, moving louse is found – never 'just in case'.

Tissues please – Whole school

Our tissue supply is low again. Please can we kindly ask that children bring in a box of tissues for their class. This means that there will always be tissues available for children in school without parents having to remember to put them in school bags each day. Thank you.

May Fayre – This Saturday, 13^th May 11am–2pm

Just a reminder that we have our annual summer May Fayre taking place tomorrow (Saturday 13^th May) 11am–2pm.

We have a great line up of performers including the Sandygate Singers, Maypole Dancing, Marlow School of Dance and Jane Douglass Dance as well as a bar and BBQ, and lots of activities and stalls.

Please come along to support this event and bring your families and friends. Most of the stalls will be CASH ONLY, so please bring some change with you! See you there!

Midsummer Dinner Dance – Saturday 17^th June

Tickets continue to be on sale for our first Sandygate parents Midsummer dinner dance event which will be held at Temple Golf Club on Saturday, June 17^th 7.30pm. Dust off your dancing shoes and join us for a fun evening of dinner and dancing with a live band.

Tickets are £55pp and are available on ParentPay and include a welcome drink, 2-course dinner, band, raffle and photo-booth. We have the band 'An Absolute Shambles' providing live music, and it's set to be a great night. It is planned to be a relaxed and fun evening; there is no table plan/specific seating so no need to worry about finding a group to come with – everyone is welcome (limited to the maximum tickets available).

PFA Fundraising Update

The PFA are very aware that we are often asking for help and support with events both in time and financially. We thought you may like to know how the money we raise benefits the school so have created a poster to show where the money has been spent so far this year. We have also summarised how much money each of our events has made (profit) this year.

Any questions or if you'd like to become more involved in supporting the school and your child's school experience, please speak to someone currently involved in the PFA or email pfa@marlow-infant.bucks.sch.uk. 

Lighthouse Marlow

Lighthouse Marlow will run this year from Monday 31^st July to Friday 4^th August and registration for children's places are now open. You can register your child at https://lighthousecentral.org/get-involved.

Currently, we only have enough adult helpers to be able to offer 30 places per age group, and so we would love to have some more helpers register as well. If you are able to offer any time at all during the week this may enable us to offer places to more children.

Notcutts Garden Centre

We would like to thank Notcutts Garden Centre for their help in supplying us with 2 new bay trees!