This is our final newsletter of this academic year. There are still a couple of weeks to go with many events still taking place. We hope that you were pleased with your child’s school reports—the staff work hard all year getting to know your children, working on gaps in learning and supporting them the best they can. Obviously, the re-ports are created before teaching for the year stops which means that teachers are still working on many of the objectives right up until the end of term and whilst there are opportunities for a little more fun at this time of year the teachers are completing the teach-ing of the last few objectives.

This year has been tremendous, we secured an excellent in our SI-AMS inspection, and to date we are the only school to gain such a high inspection outcome in Gloucestershire. The school has also had significant sporting success, worked with a large number of other local primary schools and further developed strong links with Bournside School. We have won many writing competitions and a large number of children have been awarded grades for piano, violin and clarinet. We have developed a strong culture of music and the arts at school which culminated in the magnificent Jazz Festival last week. We have been joined by our new school pets who are already playing a vital part in supporting nurture in our school. Our work in developing health and fitness and mental health support has had a significant impact—this was seen in our mental health open event, monthly cookery workshop and the astounding amount of clubs and competitions available to your children including a parent and child club.

We have successfully implemented Philosophy for Children and been awarded a Bronze Award within the first year and we have supported a wide number of schools through sharing expertise. We have had a large number of teachers and leaders coming to watch our teachers teach and learn from us; we have been active research-ers with a large number of staff undertaking projects this year in outdoor learning, mathematics mastery, developing teaching and learning, reading and have been contributing the eminent Education Endowment Foundation research project called The Craft of Writing.

I am sure that you will agree that this all contributes to the quality of teaching and learning that our children get! We are a lucky school.

I would also like to thank you for the support, help and encourage-ment you offer our children and our staff, we know that schools and parents working in partnership is the best way to educate our chil-dren. Wishing you all an enjoyable summer!

THE SCOOP

I S S U E 1 6 5 T H J U L Y 2 0 1 9

DATES FOR THE DIARY

1.7.19 POSTER LAUNCH—Design

and make a poster celebrating

something amazing you’ve taken

part in at school this year

4.7.19 Skateboarding Competition

@ St. James’ + Science workshop

for Y5

5.7.19 Fun Swim Gala + Y6 Beach

Party

8.7.19 Brass for Africa—drumming

worship and workshops

9.7.19 Class Swap—children meet

their new teacher + meet the

teacher 3-3:30pm + Y6 Leavers’

Show—matinee.

10.7.19 Y4 Shakespeare Perfor-

mance as part of The Cheltenham

Learning Partnership + Governors

Curriculum Meeting + Y6 Leavers’

Show—evening performance

11.7.19 PTA Preloved Uniform Sale

3pm

12.7.19 Y6 Music Explorers Concert

16.7.19 Y6 to Cattle Country

17.7.19 Y6 Church Service + Whole

School Picnic

18.7.19 Poster Deadline

19.7.19 Y6 Leavers’ Assembly 9 am

Finish at 2pm

Wednesday 4th September

Back to school for children.

See you on the 4th!

Well done to all of the Children and

staff that attended the school’s ath-

letics meet.

Jazz Festival Success!

Artists at work!

Well done Y1 on your amazing out-

door gallery exhibition for your

theme day of trees!

Just fabulous….

‘It was a fun day, we did lots of weaving and I liked painting.’ Cataleya class 4

‘I liked banging in the nails.’ Taylor class 3

Last Wednesday, 27th June St. James' had a brilliant Jazz Festival. As a final cele-bration for our successful year in the Musicate Project, we invited Bournside Jazz Band, our Ukulele and violin groups and teachers and pianists aswell as a 'real life' jazz band to join our whole school festival of music. Each school phase adapted a song, Jazzing it up, and performed on our stage. Parents came along with picnic blankets and friends and the sun shone. A wonderful day, enhancing and celebrating the importance of music in our school.

Year 6 Leavers

We are looking for parents for

September!

Parent Helpers Wanted!

Can you spare a few hours each week, if so we

are looking for parents to help in school. Please

come to the office and let us know of your availa-

bility.

Year 6 are being kept busy in the run up to their final day.

They are working hard on the final touches of their leav-

ers show, spending time with their buddies and enjoying

time together. They still have a trip to Explore Music and

Cattle Country and of course the Y6 beach party tonight!

On behalf of all of the staff and children at St. James’ we

wish you all good luck when you move to Year 7 next

year—you have all been amazing and we have loved

watching each and every one of you grow...we will miss

you.

Our bunnies have finally been

named, we would like to introduce

you to Fudge (brown) and Snowball

(white) as chosen by the school.

Year 5 book club en-

joyed a visit to The

Everyman this week to

hear from some amaz-

ing authors!

We are looking forward to

Macbeth next week per-

formed on stage by Y4 as

part of a performance part-

nership with the RSC. Here

are some of the children

working on their lines!

Good luck everyone!

Celebrating our successes

From the office

Celebration Worship 5/7/19

Infants:

Class 1 - All of Reception

Class 2 - All of Reception

Class 3 - No merits given - on trip

Class 4 - No merits given - on trip

Class 5 - Oscar Durrant and Evelina Baillie

Class 6 - Mason Warr and Tyler Gratton

Juniors:

Class 7 - Rufus Buckland, Finn Howarth, Daniel Hutton and Angus

Bryan

Class 8 - Bella Seyforth, William Robinson, Maximo Vivet, James

Tomlinson, Jude Staff and Abigail Cottingham

Class 9 - Sam Everest and Martha Thomas

Class 10 - Joe Cratchley, Seb Bodley, Joe Forrest and Callie Hodg-

kinson

Class 11 - Isabella Whitelocks and Reuben Banks

Class 12 - All of Class 12

Class 13 - no merits given

Class 14 - no merits given

Extra Certificates:

Miriam Samuel - Royal Academy of church music award and also

completing the Cheltenham College Choir evening song award.

Silver Guitar - Finn Hamilton

Bronze Trampolining Award -Seren Walker

PTA Summer Fair Speed Goal Winners - Theo K, Josh A, Jesse H,

Farid AV, Josh R, Monty V, Lena C, Thomas G, Bella D

Tag Rugby Medal - Louis, Arthur, Mathilda, Freddie

Gold Guitar Award - Joe Forrest

Silver Violia Award - Callie Hogkinson

Gloucestershire Animal Welfare Association - a team of amazing

helpers have raised some money for this charity. Well done and

thank you.

Poster competition has started and entries are already coming in for

something you have loved doing this year at St James’.

Bunny Rabbit Names are revealed... our white rabbit is now

called Snowball and our brown rabbit is going to be

called Fudge. We welcome our newest and furriest members to the

St James’ family.

House points:

1st - 83 - Fire

2nd - 60 - Earth

3rd - 57 - Water

4th - 44 - Air

Lunch Debt—Please check your Parentpay account and en-

sure there are enough funds to cover meals until the end of

term. Any debt not cleared will be charged to the School.

Year 6 parents please use up any credit and clear any out-

standing balance. Thank you.

Medicines– All medicines must be taken home at the end of

term. Please collect from the office.