Archive December 2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Before the term ends and we all wish each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, it is time to pause for a moment and reflect on the children’s development over the past term.

I am sure that for many of you the start of school in September seems like a distant memory. It is hard to remember just how nervous the children felt at the start of the year, whether they were moving to a new class or starting school for the very first time. Now, it is wonderful to see all of our children arriving at school each morning full of energy and smiles, looking forward to the day ahead. They have all settled into their new routines and are engaged fully in school life. We are all very proud of The Queen Anne children.

The school has been full of Christmas joy over the past few weeks. The children have thought about the modern traditions of Christmas and, of course, the meaning of Christmas for Christians. It is a privilege to have an opportunity to see Christmas through the children’s eyes and to share their excitement and joy.

Although a joyous time for many, Christmas can bring its own stresses and strains to family life. If you feel that you would benefit from a chance to share your feelings with others, you’ll find free confidential and friendly support using the links below.  

Mind: Bucks & East Berks https://www.bucksmind.org.uk/guide/bucks-mind-friends-in-need/ Call us on: 01494 463364 (Monday to Friday: 8:30 – 16:00)Email us at: info@bucksmind.org.uk

Men’s Advice Line 0808 801 0327    mensadviceline.org.uk
Confidential advice and support for men who have experienced domestic violence and abuse by a current or ex-partner or family member. The Men’s Advice Line is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm.

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)  0800 58 58 5 thecalmzone.net Provides listening services, information and support for anyone who needs to talk, including a web chat. CALM’s helpline and webchat are open from 5pm to midnight, every day of the year. CALM’s advice on coping with feeling anxious at Christmas.

Quite a lot has happened in our busy, little school during the month of December. You’ll find just a few of our December highlights below. Thanks, as always, go to The Queen Anne staff who work so hard to make The Queen Anne such a wonderful school for all.

Thank you from all of the staff for your lovely Christmas wishes, cards and gifts. Your thoughtfulness and kindness are appreciated by all. Thank you!

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Mrs Street

December began with our amazingly festive Christmas Fair. Thank you to all of the Committee and to all staff, pupils and parents, who worked together to make this event magical and great fun for all of the children.

Of course, QAPAFA have supported the school in many other ways this term, including the cost of coach travel, the reindeer visit, cake sales, Green Team ground work, attending the school Open Evening, resources for the classrooms, Father Christmas gifts and so much more.

Thank you to all of the committee for your continued hard work. Your support makes a huge difference to all aspects of school life. Thank you !

Theatre Visit

The children visited the Watermill Theatre and watched an amazing performance of The Wizard of Oz.

Not only did this provide an opportunity for all of our children to experience  a high-quality children’s production, but also, an opportunity to experience travelling by coach, which was a new experience for some.

Thank you to QAPAFA for funding the cost of coach travel for this special event.

The Nativity

The whole school Nativity provided  an opportunity for the whole school  to celebrate the birth of Jesus and perform to a large audience.

The Nativity is one of many school  occasions when we can clearly see our school vision of Enjoy, Include and Achieve in action.

It was an absolute delight to see the children all shining in their own way.

Thank you to all staff and children for working so hard to make the Nativity such a success.

Father Christmas

We were lucky enough to be joined by Father Christmas , who took time out of his busy Christmas schedule to join us. Father Christmas shared festive joy with all and gave each class some rather special gifts to share

Christmas Lunch

Our visit from Father Christmas was followed by our whole school Christmas lunch.

 Every year, I am impressed by the delicious food and efficient service. I cannot begin to imagine cooking Christmas lunch for over 150 people.

 Huge thanks to all of the kitchen and school staff involved not only in today’s feast, but in the provision of lunch each and every school day. Thank you!

Christmas Service

We offered Reverend Sally and all of our parents a warm welcome to our Christmas Service in school.

We celebrated the birth of Jesus and gave thanks through song.

Our younger children sang about some of the Christmas traditions which continue today, whilst our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils reflected on the birth of Jesus many years ago.

Our Year 2 pupils told us about the meaning of the Christingle.

It was lovely to have an opportunity to gather together at this special time of the year in the Christian calendar.

Vision Celebration

We end our Christmas term this afternoon with our traditional school Vision Celebration.  Pupils will be celebrated for demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit and school vision through their words and actions. It is always a wonderful example of pupils knowing and showing the values in their everyday lives.

BOOK BURST

Last week, our first Book Burst Sessions, led by Jeanette Kemp, provided a tempting taster of a wide range of wonderful reading books.

Jeanette shared a selection of new book titles suitable for each year group.

We are fortunate that QAPAFA fund termly Book Burst Sessions for each class.

At The Queen Anne, we aim to inspire pupils and engage them in reading widely.

We value and support reading for pleasure through:

• adults reading aloud daily in class
• inviting book areas in each classroom.
• providing time to read in class and develop a sociable reading environment where children enjoy reading together and sharing books
• planning opportunities for the children to engage in a range of genres each year.
• providing a range of cross-curricular books
• regular use of the school  library
• engaging and exciting termly Book Burst sessions.

Through provision of a wide and varied reading diet, we foster a love of familiar books and a keen appetite for new titles.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Thank you to Mrs Morris for organising the Operation Christmas Child project and to everyone who was able to make a contribution.

We were able to deliver a total of 56 boxes to the organization. It is wonderful to know that 56 children around the world will experience the delight of receiving a gift this year.

Sending gifts to others develops our Fruit of The Spirit. A focus on sharing love and joy around the world helps the children at The Queen Anne to understand that they are able to make a difference to the lives of others around the world and see themselves as agents of change.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

― Mother Teresa

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

The school gathered together in the hall for our Remembrance Service on Friday 10^TH November

.  The children thought about the significance of the poppy as a symbol and gave their thoughts to the service and sacrifice given by people in the past and today.

 Thank you to Mrs Warburton for leading the service of Remembrance and to all the children and staff who created our outdoor poppy display.

NATIONAL ANTI-BULLING WEEK

As part of National Anti-Bullying Week, the children discussed behaviour and relationships in school.

Each class thought about what behaviour is expected, what bullying is and what we can do if we are worried about bullying. Everyone thought about The Queen Anne expectations of Ready, Respectful and Safe.

We were fortunate to have two visitors to school to support our learning this week.

PC Bullock joined our Y3 and Y4 children to share his PC Ben books which have a central theme of inclusion. The children reflected on and discussed the events in the book and the impact of events on the characters in the stories.

Mr Jackson, a semi-professional footballer, led a games session with the children and talked about the behaviour required to be a sportsperson.

Thank you to both Mr Jackson and PC Bullock for taking the time to support the children’s understanding of appropriate behaviour and inclusion of all.

REINDEERS

Thanks to QAPAFA, we had some very special visitors to school this week.

The children were delighted to meet the reindeers and to discover lots of facts about how reindeers live, grow and survive.

It was a wonderful for the children to have to meet and to feed the reindeers.

 Certainly, many life-long memories were made and the visit provided a magical start to the Christmas season in school.

AUTHOR VISIT

Earlier in the month, the FS and Y1 children met with local author Rhian Lynette.

She shared her book ‘Goose and Bear’ with the children, which is a tale about friendship, kindness and bravery.

The children had an opportunity to ask lots of question about the theme of the book and about the life of an author.

It was an engaging and exciting way to develop the children’s love of reading and writing and develop an appreciation that they, too, could be an author one day.