Caring Curious Courageous

Enabling all children to learn and grow

Dear families,

And just like that, the academic year is about to end! It is unbelievable how time has flown, but I am sure the children and you are ready for a well-deserved break in the routine! 

Today, you should receive your child's report and a letter stating which class they will be in next year. If, for some reason, you have not received these emails by 4.30pm, please contact the school office.

This week has been busy with the preparation for the year 6 production. They pulled out all the stops and there was definitely a tear or two in the audience. Well done to the children and thank you to the staff for preparing them so well.

We hosted two football competitions this week, for years 5 & 6 and a few local schools came up for the afternoons on Monday and Tuesday. The event was a great success and will be repeated next year. Thank you to Ms Foster for organising these competitions, which I know the children involved loved.

There was even more to celebrate this week. The Vineyard chess team had success at the weekend, coming second in the borough! The children represented the school brilliantly last Saturday. Well done to all who took part.

The time has come to wish you all a wonderful summer holiday. I hope you find time to relax as a family. A fond holiday memory of mine is my dad reading to us in the evenings, in our tent! Treasure Island, The Hobbit and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to name a few. Please find time for reading – it is a great way to recuperate.

Frances

Frances Bracegirdle

Headteacher - headteacher@vineyard.richmond.sch.uk

Governor's update

Please find here the summer term report from the governors.

The Vineyard Walk

This event was a huge success and one we would like to make a yearly event. Sadly, the charging policy for the parks is making this difficult. This year we negotiated a reduced fee of £431.25 excluding VAT. The original fee was £1,725.00 which is completely unaffordable.

Antony Cook, Chair of Governors, has written to The Royal Parks and copied in our MP Sarah Olney.

Friends of the Vineyard

Please find the end of the financial year report from Friends of the Vineyard here.

The School Day Timings - a gentle reminder

The timings of our school day have been adjusted, and the following timings will be in place from September 2024: 

- The main school gates will open for all children to enter the site at 8.35am 

- Classroom doors will open at 8.40am 

- All class registers will be taken at 8.45am 

- Finish times will be staggered for the Gems and EYFS 

Gems: 8.40am - 3.05pm

EYFS: 8.40am - 3.10pm 

Years 1-6: 8.40am - 3.15pm  

Local charity fundraiser led by the School Council - Friday, July 19th

Thanks to the School Council, we had many children and staff dressed in purple or grey or like elephants to raise money for their selected local charity, The Purple Elephant Project!

• The Purple Elephant Project supports children and their families when they need help with their thoughts and feelings (their mental health).

• The elephant is the symbol of the charity because it is one of the most nurturing animals - it is powerful and gentle.

• A big part of helping children and their families feel better is through listening; elephants are known to be ‘all ears’!

Plenty of elephant themed biscuits and cakes were sold by the School Council and we can’t wait to make our school elephant mural with all the drawing submitted. If children would like to add to our mural and draw a purple elephant over the summer, they can be submitted in September. Please make sure you donate to the charity directly with each submission.

A gentle reminder…

If you haven’t donated yet, you can donate directly to the charity online HERE

Thank you for your support – the charity really appreciates every pound raised!

Amy Jackson

I was lucky enough to spend my early 20s exploring the world by working as a scuba diving instructor. It was during this time, whilst living in Central America, that a passion for teaching children was sparked when I began teaching English to the local children on an island I was living on. I found their enthusiasm and determination contagious and loved finding new and exciting ways to engage them in their lessons. Upon returning to the UK, I soon began my career in education by training to teach. Throughout my career, I have always felt that focussing on children’s emotional needs as well as their academics is vitally important in order to best support each child as an individual and my professional development reflects this with a qualification in children’s yoga, mindfulness and a PGCert in children’s mental health and wellbeing. I am greatly looking forward to meeting the children at The Vineyard in September and supporting them to achieve all that they are capable of and feel proud of their successes.

Site Manager for the day - won by Benji in the PTA silent aution

On Monday and Tuesday this week, Benji in Y2 joined the site management team, as part of the “Site Manager for a Day” prize he won in the PTA raffle. He did a fantastic job painting lines on the field for the Y5/6 football tournament, and also helped with the general maintenance and tidying of the premises. Here he is helping to clear some of the accumulated leaves from the playground before break time. The site team would like to thank Benji for his help, and have awarded him a certificate of appreciation for his efforts.

ISEB Tests for 11+ Exams 2024/25

Some families have been asking about whether we will host ISEB tests at The Vineyard in the autumn. We will host these on Saturday 23rd November at 9am. In order to do this, you will need to register your child on the ISEB portal. If you are interested, the fee will be £150. If you are interested, please ensure you have everything set up on the portal. All the information can be found here: https://info.iseb.co.uk/cpt-parents-guardians Please note, we are unable to answer any questions about the process other than the testing circumstances on the day. 

Reading Challenge UK

Join the Summer Reading Challenge UK to keep your child's reading skills sharp over the holidays! This fun, free program encourages kids aged 4-11 to read six books, with rewards and certificates to keep them motivated. It's a great way to support their learning and foster a love of reading. Visit your local library to get started or visit https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/#online to get started!