Clarence Road, Four Oaks,

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B74 4LD

Telephone: 0121 308 5392 Fax: 0121 308 5061

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES

I hope that you all had a very good Christmas break and wish you good

health and happiness in 2012

Tue 10th Jan PTFA Meeting – 7.30 pm

Wed 11th Jan Year 2 Parents’ Meeting – SATS - 6.45 pm - KS1 hall

Thur 12th Jan Parent Council Meeting - 2.00 pm

Fri 13th Jan Crescent Theatre visit for Years 4/5/6 - 1.30 pm

Mon 16th Jan Foxes MATHS INSPIRE – 9.00 am to 11.00 am - KS1 hall

Otters MATHS INSPIRE - 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm - KS1 hall

Tue 17th Jan Hippodrome Theatre visit for Reception, Y1/2/3 - 1.00 pm

Wed 18th Jan Zumba Fundraising Event – KS1 hall - 7.15 pm - all welcome

Thur 19th Jan Swallows Class Assembly - 2.30 pm – KS1 hall

Year 2/3/4 Parents’ Meeting - Numeracy - 6.45 pm - KS1 hall

Fri 20th Jan Swallows Class Assembly - 2.30 pm – KS1 hall

Tue 24th Jan “Chinese New Year” Lunch

Thur 26th Jan Swifts Class Assembly - 2.30 pm - KS1 hall

KS2 Parent Meeting - Internet Safety - 6.45 pm - KS1 hall

Fri 27th Jan Swifts Class Assembly - 2.30 pm - KS1 hall

Mon 30th Jan Hares MATHS INSPIRE– 9.00 am to 11.00 am - KS1 hall

Badgers MATHS INSPIRE 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm - KS1 hall

Thur 2nd Feb Hedgehogs Class Assembly - 2.30 pm - KS1 hall

Year 6 Parents’ Meeting – SATs - 6.45 pm - KS1 hall

Fri 3rd Feb Hedgehogs Class Assembly - 2.30 pm - KS1 hall

PTFA Valentines’ Disco

Tue 7th Feb Parent Council Meeting - 2.00 pm

Wed 8th Feb Gymnastics Festival for Four Oaks Cluster - 2.30 pm

Thur 9th Feb “Valentines” Lunch

Fri 10th Feb BREAK UP FOR HALF TERM

Mon 20th Feb Back to School

Tuesday 10th January 2012

SATS PARENTS’ MEETINGS

KS1 On Wednesday 11th January there will be a short

meeting for the parents of children in Year 2 taking their KS1 SATs this year . The meeting will be held in KS1 hall and will

start at 6.45 pm. It will outline the schedule for conducting the tasks/tests the children will be required to take and give you opportunities to ask any questions you may have.

KS2 On Thursday 2nd February there will also be a meeting for parents of

children in Year 6 taking their KS2 SATs this year . This meeting will be held in the KS1 hall and will start at 6.45 pm. Again you will have an opportunity to ask

questions. The evening will also outline the progress of booster work undertaken by the children in the run up to the tests.

We hope to see as many of you as possible on the night - however, if you cannot attend

but would like any relevant documentation then please contact your child’s class teacher.

HILL WEST PTFA

As you know we have an active PTFA at school. If you would

like to join or feel that you might have fund raising ideas to

contribute then please feel free to attend both or any of the meetings

below. Thursday 23rd February

Wednesday 21st March 7.30 pm start

Late Arrivals

If your child arrives late to school they should be brought to the school office so they can be entered on the register as part of the school’s Fire Regulations. Children should be on the playground no later than 8.45am. The bell sounds at 8.50am for the start of school. After this time all children who enter school via the main entrance will be recorded as late. As part of our commitment to ensure all children have full attendance we carefully monitor lateness and will be contacting parents of children who persistently arrive late to school to offer support in achieving punctual attendance each day.

Congratulations to all of our Year2

children for their super Nativity perform-

ances before the Christmas break. You

are all stars in our eyes.

Thank you to all those parents who are registered to

receive ParentMail. There are still however just over

100 families in the school who do not receive com-

munication in this way. As you know we have been

sending our monthly newsletters via email for some time now and it has proved a very reli-

able way of parents receiving information on time. Those of you who have not registered

will shortly receive a letter from us giving you further details. You will continue to receive

paper copies of correspondence but, if you do have access to emails (whether at home or at

work, or both), we would urge you to join ParentMail by letting us have your email address.

This method of communication is particularly useful in inclement weather.

Remember you can also register your MOBILE PHONE number for text messages

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Could we remind parents that the

school uniform is:

Green school sweatshirts/cardis

Grey trousers/skirts

White polo shirts and

Black shoes

For health and safety

reasons we would kindly

ask that your child’s

jewellery remains at home.

Reminder

Please note that the final day to submit applications for Reception 2012 places is January 16th 2012.

You can apply online at

www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions

or contact School admissions on

0121 675 0555

We are pleased to welcome Miss Kelly Stone to school.

She will be teaching Robins class until the end of the year supported by Mrs Page

and Mrs Thomas

SNACKS AND DRINKS We have noticed that children are bringing into school sweets,

crisps and chocolates for their break time snacks. As you know, we

have a “Healthy School” policy and if children do

bring in unhealthy snacks we will be pointing this out to

them.

Also children’s water bottles must only contain water not

squash or fruit drinks as these can be very sticky if the

bottles get tipped over. Children may, of course, have a fruit drink

at break time or with their packed lunch.

PTFA VALENTINE DISCO

Friday 3rd February

6.30 pm to 7.30 pm Nursery

and KS1 only

7.30 pm to 9.00 pm for all ages

KS2 hall

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

MEMBERS

Do you know who the senior members of staff are in school?

Miss Beth Clarke – Head Teacher

Miss Fiona Marsh – Deputy Head and lead on Behaviour & Safety

Mrs Joy Tombs – Assistant Head, Inclusion Manager, and SENCO

Mrs Nichola Leeson - Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning

Mrs Lisa Pardo - Enjoyment and Enrichment Manager

Mrs Tracey Willmore - Basic Skills Manager

Mr Steve George - Strategic Achievement Manager

ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL

If your child is absent

from school please telephone on the

first morning so we can

accurately complete our

registers. On return to school

it is essential that you send a

written note giving the reason

for the absence.

Thank you.

STUDENTS FROM BIRMINGHAM

CITY UNIVERSITY

We are pleased to be supporting the

following students from Birmingham City University this term.

Amy Harwood will be working with Mr Hamilton and Mrs Pick in Hedgehogs

Charlotte Hickey will be working with Miss Longden, Mrs Maddox and Mrs Scandrett in

Owls

Alexandra Sawyer will be working with Mrs Sharp and Mrs Pick in Rabbits

Leah Reynolds will be working with Mrs George, Mrs Pardo and Mrs Rahman in Wrens

We know you will join us in wishing them every success

Zumba Would you like to learn how? Or would you like

to show off your Zumba skills?

On Wednesday 18th January from 7.15 pm to

8.00 pm in KS1 hall we will be running a Zumba

Dance event to raise funds for the Bockleton

Trip in April.

Everyone is welcome and the fee of £4.00 is

payable on the night. .

Pantomime

Just to remind you the children

are visiting

The Crescent Theatre to see

Sleeping Beauty on 13th January

(Yrs 4,5,6)

and

Birmingham Hippodrome to see

Cinderella on 17th January

(KS1 & Yr 3)

Each child

should bring a

packed lunch and

a drink.

PAYING MONEY TO

SCHOOL

Can I thank all those

parents who send money

into school in a marked

envelope with the child’s name, class and

what the payment is for clearly marked on

the outside. This really does help our school

office who as you can imagine receive lots of

money for lots of different things and from

different children in different classes.

We would also kindly ask that you ensure

that all envelopes are sent in to school

with your child and that you remind

your child to hand these to the class

teacher during Registration as this helps

to develop your child’s growing

independence.

The Office will no longer accept payments

or paperwork in the morning as notified in

the last newsletter

THANK YOU Thank you to all those parents who

attended one of our festive gatherings

before the holiday. We hope that you

enjoyed your time spent in school with

us. We would like to thank our cook

Anita Gould and all of the staff in the

kitchen for the delicious Christmas

Dinner. Thanks go to Mrs Maddox for

organising a super Santa’s grotto again

this year. Thanks also go to the staff in

Year 2 for a thoroughly entertaining

Nativity performance. We now look

forward to the events of this term which

start in earnest with the pantomime next

week.

BEHAVIOUR UPDATE

As you will know we have had a heightened focus on behaviour this academic year so that all children are viewed by their peers as behaving well. This focus doesn’t simply involve working with those children who find it difficult, for whatever reason, to conform. It has been a whole school approach which has asked the children to think carefully about their own behaviour and how this impacts on those around them. We are encouraging all our children to be self-regulating and this has been a topic for discussion in assemblies. Something as simple as walking around school when supervised or un-supervised can reduce the number of accidents or inappropriate behaviours. It is good to know that you appreciate and recognise this drive with 97% of you on the most recent questionnaire believing that teachers promote good behaviour at Hill West.

INCLUSION FOCUS -

Gifted and Talented Our parent council at a recent meeting thought that you

would appreciate knowing more about our gifted and talented policy. At Hill

West Primary School we use the Excellence in Cities definition to allow us to

identify those children who are gifted or talented; The GIFTED are those with

exceptionally high ability in one or more academic subjects. The TALENTED are

those with exceptionally high ability in sport, music, visual and/or performing

arts. At Hill West however we have decided to identify all our exceptionally

able pupils and our gifted and talented children form part of this group. This

allows us to include a broader spectrum of pupils including those with an aptitude

for a particular subject or area of learning.

We use a variety of strategies and data to identify our exceptionally able pupils.

But since children develop at different rates identification is an on-going

process and teachers are asked to signpost exceptionally able pupils to suitable

enrichment activities throughout the year. These currently include events and

activities organised by the school such as

Year group enrichment activities / mini-enterprise projects

Maths classes at Arthur Terry

Literacy classes at Arthur Terry

Modern Foreign Languages teaching with specialist teachers

Extra curricular activities e.g. football, art

Specialist drama classes

and clubs or tutoring external to school that families are signposted to. If you

would like to know more about our exceptionally able provision please speak to

Mrs Tombs our Inclusion Manager.

This year I am going

to walk Bobby and

Monty more.

This year I am going to

play rugby.

This year I want to stop

being slow at getting

ready for dance.

This year I want to

learn more French.

This year I want to

stop eating sweets.

This year I want to

stop sleeping in

mommy and daddy's

bed.

This year I am going to

help with the housework.

This year I want to

learn how to wash the

dishes.

This year I want to

see my friends more.

This year I want to stop

eating eggs.

In Year One we have written

our own New Years resolu-

tions. We had lots of fun

doing it. Miss Head wants to

stop biting her nails and

Miss Roberts wants to go to

the gym more. Here are a

few of our New Years Reso-

lutions. The rest we have up

in class to remind us!

We hope you enjoy reading

them!

PARENT QUESTIONNAIRES

Can I thank the 46% of families who completed the parent questionnaire

before Christmas. Comments made were very constructive and we will

discuss them at this month’s parent council meeting.

We have attached a staff list to the back of this newsletter for those

parents who were unsure of our staffing arrangements.

We agree that children arriving late to school is a serious concern and we

are tackling this pro-actively. We also agree that parking on Clarence Road

continues to be hazardous and are in discussion with our local constabulary

to ensure regular visits. One of the members of our parent council is taking

a lead role on this issue.

We were surprised to read that some parents have not had the opportunity

to meet with their child’s class teacher. Please do ring the office to make

an appointment if this is the case.

Although we note the concern regarding newly qualified teachers I would

like to reassure parents that all of our newly qualified teachers teach good

or outstanding lessons on a daily basis as witnessed in lesson observations.

This is not always the case for those teachers nearing the end of their

careers, although not necessarily at Hill West.

I would like to assure parents that the children who receive awards at the

end of year do so on merit. We take time to ensure that the same children

do not receive awards on consecutive occasions.

Community Aspirations Day Saturday 25th Feb

CALLING ALL EX PUPILS OF HILL WEST PRIMARY SCHOOL

Were you a pupil at Hill West or do you know anyone who

attended the school? We would like to know what you decided to do

after you left school. Whether you left 10 years or 40 years ago please

come and share your experiences with us on

Saturday 25th February 2012.

We will be serving Coffee, tea and cake and it will give you the

opportunity to meet up with old friends. Drop in anytime between 10.00

am and 2.00 pm. We will have a professional photographer on site to

make a permanent record of the day.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS We will be running the following clubs this term

MONDAY

Samba Drumming for KS2

Body Combat KS2

ECO Club by invitation

TUESDAY

Hill West Singers for KS2 children

Cross Country Training for Yrs 4,5 & 6

German for Yrs 4,5 & 6

WEDNESDAY

Drama for KS2

Body Combat KS1

HELP

AFTER THE KIND DONATION OF SOME PAVING SLABS WE NOW NEED SOMEONE TO

LAY THEM FOR US. THE 3 x2 SLABS NEED TO BE

LAID BETWEEN THE KS1 PLAYGROUND AND WOODPECKERS.

IF ANYONE CAN HELP US THEN PLEASE CONTACT THE

SCHOOL OFFICE.

ARE YOU OR YOUR PARTNER/SPOUSE

SERVING MEMBERS OFTHE ARMED

FORCES?

IF SO CAN YOU PLEASE LET THE SCHOOL

OFFICE KNOW AS THIS ENTITLES THE

SCHOOL TO A PAYMENT OF £250.

THANKYOU TO DR FRESHWATER FOR

ADVISING US OF THIS.

DEAR PARENTS AND STAFF

THANK YOU FOR THE CHRISTMAS GIFTS

AND CARDS, THEY WERE MUCH

APPRECIATED.

FROM

JOHN

THE CROSSING WARDEN

STAFF LIST

Head Teacher - Miss Beth Clarke Deputy Head Teacher - Miss Fiona Marsh

Behaviour Lead

Assistant Head - Mrs Joy Tombs Assistant Head – Mrs Nichola Leeson

Inclusion Teaching and Learning

Teaching Staff - Mrs Leigh Beesley Mr Thomas Hamilton Mr Adam Pattinson

Mrs Hannah Cook Miss Charlotte Head Miss Sophie Roberts

Mr Nathan Cross Mr Richard Jeffries Mrs Meryl Sharp

Miss Clare Doyle Mrs Nichola Leeson Miss Kelly Stone

Mrs Rose Everton Miss Sarah Longden Miss Natalie Wilks

Mrs Rebecca George Mrs Jessica Munro Mrs Tracey Willmore

Mr Steve George

Teaching Assistants Mrs Avril Anderson Mrs Diane Hardeman Mrs Wendy Pick

Mrs Lucy Bakewell Mrs Sue Maddox Mrs Mel Rahman

Miss Katie Durber Mrs Karen Page Mrs Sonia Scandrett

Mr Paul Fennel Miss Gurpreet Patter Mrs Julie Thomas

Administration Team Mrs Karen Balla (Office Manager)

Mrs Jane Connop (Clerical Assistant)

Mrs Dawn Griffiths (Admin Assistant)

ICT Team Mr Adam Hall

Mr Stuart Stanway

Building Services Supervisor Mr Tony Botterill

Lunchtime Supervisors Mrs Nadia Ahmed Mrs Sarah Foran Mrs Toyin Orymoyegun

Mrs Zoe Bowen Miss Carly Harris Mrs Wendy Pick

Mrs Rachel Carter Mrs Afshan Khan Mrs Gurdeep Sidu

Mrs Annette Cole Mrs Shivani Mehta Mrs Eileen Sivertsen

Mrs Julie Durkin Mrs Katie Miklasz Mrs Parm Sohal

Woodpeckers Mrs Sandra Curtis Mrs Sonia Scandrett

Miss Carly Harris Mr Ben Watts

Wagtails Miss Claire Jones Miss Tracey Sutton

Mrs Louise Pugh Miss Victoria Wakefield