NEWSLETTER Issue: 4.04

HEAD’S VIEW
One of our core principles as a school is to do everything in our powers to help our children discover and develop their interests and talents. Another of those principles is to have our school at the centre of the local community. We see examples of these principles every day but I would just like to highlight a few this past week and say ‘WELL DONE!’ to the following:

- All our children who had their excellent art work displayed at the community art exhibition at St John’s Church last weekend. Congratulations to them and to our parents who exhibited, not forgetting our vicar and governor, Clive Garrett, whose photographs on display were very impressive.
- The gymnastics team who won the BANES competition on Wednesday amidst very strong competition.
- The hockey squad who may not have won their competition but gave up their Sunday morning to play with the spirit and attitude that we respect so much at Newbridge.
- The whole school community who rallied round at short notice and raised over £350 for Comic Relief last Friday.
- All our parents, Mrs O’Gara and Mr Baigent for toiling in this fantastic weather to run the Bath Half Marathon, cheered on by, it seems, the rest of Newbridge!
- Over 100 who came along to last Friday’s Quiz Night, raised a stack of money for the school, and at the same time displayed outstanding intelligence and good humour to match!

Of course, we only have these opportunities because of the commitment of those adults who make these events happen in one way or another. Our gratitude goes to all of them.

Talking about community spirit, the next Groundforce Day takes place next Saturday 28th March. We have much to do so any help from our families is most appreciated. Just come along at any time between 9.00am and 1.00pm, with gardening implements to hand, and help us take the next step in developing our external environment. If you have any queries please contact Martin Powell on Martin.Powell101@googlemail.com or phone 01225 424765.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY W/B 23/03/09
Tuesday 24/03/09
- Year 2 trip to the American Museum
Wednesday 25/03/09
- Year 5 trip to the Herschel Museum (am)
- Dance Umbrella (pm)
Thursday 26/03/09
- Dance Umbrella (pm)
- Rugby match vs Paulton Juniors @ 3.30pm (H)
Friday 27/03/09
- Clubs finish
- Year 6 trip to Life Skills Centre in Bristol
- Class 4P assembly @ 2.45pm
Saturday 28/03/09
- Groundforce Day 2: 9.00am – 1.00pm

HEADLICE!
This is a constant problem in schools up and down the country and particularly in our school at the moment. A number of upset and frustrated parents have contacted us requesting help and support in advising all parents to check and treat their children’s hair for headlice. It is the responsibility of every parent to check their child’s hair regularly and treat accordingly, otherwise the problem persists and it becomes very frustrating for those who do check regularly and treat when needed. As a school, we do all we can to bring it to the attention of parents / carers in a particular class when we are made aware of headlice.

WANTED
Old toothbrushes and lengths of lining paper/wallpaper, 1m or longer, for new Art Club. More information to follow. Please bring to reception where a box can be found!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING ‘STARS OF THE WEEK’
Foundation Stage
Thomas, Aisha
Years 1 and 2
Jade, Maisy, Maddie
Years 3 and 4
Faisal, Eleanor, Emily, Alex
Years 5 and 6
Amy, Alfie, Emily, Eloise
PPA Art
Theo, Brandon
PPA PE
Poppy, Jadek, Helen
PPA Music
Emelia, Hodaviah, Jack

A CURIOUS ADVENTURE - 30th April in the Pavilion
A big thank you to all those involved for all your hard work. A letter will be coming out shortly with some details for all of Year 4, the Choir, Blues Band, Recorders and Orchestra. Please contact Mrs Houston if you would like more details.

COMIC RELIEF
A big thank you to everyone who donated to Comic Relief.
We raised a fantastic £395.00 – as follows:
Joe D – Penalty Shootout - £10.10
Kirstie R – Danceathon - £30.00
Staff Football Match - £72.05
Staff Curry - £44.85
Collection - £238.00

LOST
Bike Helmet – Pink with butterflies, to fit age 5-6. Lost near the bike racks last week. If anyone has information please contact the Office.

CONGRATULATIONS
Well done to Alex , Sydney and Jacob who have been selected from the Multi-Skills programme to take part in the Academy at the University.

HOCKEY
On Sunday 15th March two Newbridge Hockey teams trekked through Bath, avoiding the half-marathon, to play their last league matches at the University of Bath. The sun was shining and everyone was in good spirits. Both teams played St Stephens’ B and All Hallows, from Frome. Both teams played extremely well and persevered against two experienced schools. Jack deserves a special mention as he played goal keeper for all four matches and had a great day. Well done Jack, the goals scored against us would have been higher if you hadn’t played so well. Thank you to all the children who played, giving Mrs Kennaugh, Mrs Bartlett and the parents real entertainment. Thank you to Mrs Kennaugh for coaching the teams and organising their tactical play.

Date for your diary: Hockey tournament on 1st April at the University of Bath from 1.00pm – 4.00pm. Letter to follow.

FOOTBALL REPORT
On Friday 13th March Newbridge School football team played St Mary’s. The team got off to a great start. The ball bounced right in front of Jacob and he smashed it and it rattled the crossbar and went in. The second goal came from Mark’s ball in to Alex’s feet and Alex placed it into the corner. The third goal came from Mark. At half-time it was 5-0. In the second half we were all over them, with goals from Joe D and two each from Jacob and Alex. Unfortunately they scored by hitting the ball over Tom. The final score was 10-1 to Newbridge.
We would like to thank Mr Cumpson for organising the game and to everyone who supported us.
By Tom and Jacob

NEWBRIDGE CROWNED GYMNASTICS CHAMPS!
Well done to all those children who took part in the Gymnastic Competition on Wednesday 18th March. All eight children performed incredibly well and parents should be proud of their achievements.
Congratulations to Newbridge A squad who came 1st in the Level 2 competition, winning out of 10 teams. The standard was extremely high and the judging rigorous; well done to you all.
James and Lily came second in the overall individual event and Sophia came first in the vault, with a perfect 10 as a score. What a star! The other victorious gymnasts were Bryony, Hannah, Amelia, Naomi and Emily.
Thank you very much to Sarah Wendland for all her help with Gym Club and Miss Palmer for her organisation. Thanks also to the parents who helped to transport the children to the competition. CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL DONE TO EVERYONE.

WORLD BOOK DAY – THURSDAY 5th MARCH 2009
To celebrate World Book Day all teachers swapped classes to read a story to a different class. This was great fun and enjoyed by all – children and teachers.
Literacy Week this year will be in June. More details to follow closer to the time.

NPSA NEWS
Quiz Night
Following another great quiz night last Friday, I am thrilled to announce that a record-breaking £992 was raised! The profits in previous years have been nearer to £700 so the organizers think that the extra profit had a lot to do with the great support shown by the many thirsty dads attending the event!
A massive thank you goes out to Sharon Alcock, Lucy Hanney, Jules Tolley, Kelvin Rogers, Sian Burton, Carla Musgrave, Jackie Ainsworth, Stewart Taylor and Great Western Wine for all their hard work and support in bringing this event together. An equally big thank you goes toThe Greengrocer’s, Chelsea Road for donating the veg. Thanks also to Dave Courtenay for putting out the tables and chairs. A special thanks must go to the very talented Mr Hempleman, who took to the role of quizmaster like a pro and a final thank you to everyone who came along!

Groundforce Day – Saturday 28th March: 9.00am – 1.00pm
Just a quick reminder that any cakes or biscuits you fancy baking for Groundforce Day would be very welcome indeed! They can be left in the Blue Room Kitchen on Friday the 27th or brought along with you on the day. There will also be sausages in rolls available for the reasonable price of £1 plus a free drink!

Make it a Night to Remember – 15th May: 8.00pm – 11.30pm
If you missed it last time, you really missed out! A great time was had by all. DJ Paulo is here again for an early summer get together. Come along and have a bit of fun! Tickets will be available shortly, but put it in your diary now!