Head Teacher's Blog 17.07.23
16th July 2023
Well, here it is, the last blog of this school year!
It’s certainly been a busy year at Swansfield. I would like to extend a huge thank you to the whole school community - children, staff, families, governors, friends and volunteers for helping to make it a happy and successful one. We look forward to celebrating achievements in our Leavers and Celebrations Assembly on Friday.
Last week was action packed, here are some of the highlights:
I’m delighted to say that our fabulous Friends of Swansfield raised a magnificent £2262.98
at our summer fair. This is an amazing total and will go a long way towards helping us provide more brilliant experiences like the ones I’m about to tell you about…
Year 4 children had a fantastic three day residential at Ford Castle. They coped with the downpour on Wednesday with smiles on their faces followed by an indoor campfire! On Thursday children tackled the challenge course, played aeroball, learned how to fence and shoot arrows, whilst on Friday some of the Year 4s zoomed down the zipline with others learning how to build shelters to survive out in the wild. They loved every action-packed second and there were some tired faces at 3pm on Friday! All the photos and videos are now up on the school website. My thanks go to Mr Warburton, Mrs Sapor, Mrs Amy Smith and Mrs Young for leading the children on this adventure.
Our Year 5 children had a great time out on the lake at Druridge Bay on Friday. With their wetsuits and buoyancy aids securely fastened, there was no stopping them on the paddle boards and kayaks. They enjoyed paddling after plastic ducks, playing handball from their kayaks as well as attempting to jump from one paddle board to another. The combination of splashes and laughter could be heard across the lake! The highlight of the day however had to be the ‘Slip and Slide’ competition off the jetty… The children (and staff!) certainly showed us some impressive moves.
Year 3 enjoyed a ‘clarty’ time at Howick this week, challenging themselves in overcoming fears and trying out new activities. The activities included an obstacle course, tug-of -war, relay race and preparing wood to make a campfire. The children used saws and axes to cut down branches into fire tinder, kindling and fuel. They also used strikers to start their fires and worked as teams to keep their campfires burning. From individual achievements to team work, from helping and motivating each other to building their own resilience - Year 3 did it all with big smiles (and mud!) on their faces. Please see the Willow and Chestnut class pages to see photos of the children in action.
These experiences really do show that learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms. A huge well done to each and every one of these children who embodied our school three 3Cs of being caring, curious and courageous throughout their adventures.
We felt very fortunate to dodge the downpours for our sports days last week. UKS2 children competed superbly on Tuesday morning to finish the competition that LKS2 had begun the week before. Everyone assembled on the school field at 11.30am to hear the final results. I’m delighted to confirm that Warkworth reigned victorious and Penny Donaldson and Caleb Rule, our proud Warkworth Castle Captains, lifted the trophy to rapturous applause!
Our Infant sports day on Thursday afternoon was a great success. Children had lots of fun putting their all into each activity and they were given so much encouragement from family and friends who came to spectate.
My thanks to Mr Warburton for his careful and thorough planning of three fabulous sports days over the last two weeks!
Let’s look towards the week ahead:
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There are no school-staffed clubs on Monday or Thursday this week
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Bikeability continues on Monday and Tuesday
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Children are invited to bring a bag to school on Wednesday so that they can take their school books home
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Y6 family lunch takes place on Wednesday
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Apple Class children will be having their picnic on Thursday. The forecast looks a bit tricky but whether it’s indoor or outdoor, much fun will be had!
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Our Leavers and Celebrations assembly takes place on Friday at 2.00pm. Y6 families are warmly welcomed to join us. Invites will be sent on Monday to invite families of prize winners
In the blog last week, I was very sorry to leave one name off the prize winners from Alnwick in Bloom. Rowan Horsburgh received 2nd prize in group 1 for his fabulous painting.I send my hearty congratulations to Rowan for his great achievement and my apologies for omitting him from my round up.
Here are our very last batch of stars of the week for this school year. A very big well done goes to: Isabella Inglis, Myla Packard, Amara-Jay Heathcote, Emily Lamb, Lola Anderson, Nicola Welch, Brody Gibson and Brydon Armstrong.
So, as we head into the final week of term, I’m sending my best wishes to you all for a happy summer. To our Year 6 friends who are moving on to high school, thank you for the part that you’ve played in making our school such a great place to be during your time with us. Everyone at Swansfield wishes you the very best for the next step in your education. Keep working hard and remember your purple roots!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz73c8rz4QA
With my best wishes,
Mrs G