Bentley Weekly Update 30/11/18

Community Links – As a village school, we have always been committed to building community links and are very grateful for all the support we get from the church, the Parish Council and local residents. Which is why we were saddened to be contacted by a local resident who has on 2 occasions been shouted and sworn at by 2 of our parents, whilst children have been in the car. The last occasion was just last week when one of our parents came speeding up to the school and nearly hit the resident’s car before shouting and swearing at them. Additionally, we have on occasions received reports from parents about other dangerous driving and aggressive behaviour or language by particular parents / carers. We acknowledge that these people are very much in the minority and are very glad that despite the challenges surrounding parking outside the school, most issues are resolved politely and amicably and most people recognise that we all need to cooperate to make pick up and drop off times workable. We are worried that the actions of some parents / carers, in particular the speed with which they drive up to and past the school, will result in one of the children getting seriously hurt or worse. Please help us to keep all of our children safe and maintain good relationships with the community, by ensuring we all drive and park thoughtfully and considerately. If you are concerned about any dangerous driving that you feel is putting the children at risk, please come and speak to us. Thank you all.

Christmas Decoration Making – There was a record number of parents coming in to help with decoration making this year! Thank you to everyone who gave their time to support the children in making their fabulous items. Our thanks to Sandra Mehen as well who gives so much of her time to helping out at school; this week she has helped with the decorations, made a wreath with Worship Group and led a 2 hr cake club! The decorations that the children have made are hanging up in the hall. Do come along and see the display if you get a chance. 

Multi-Cultural Day – The children had a hands-on, thought provoking and interactive day of learning, all about different faiths, ways of life and what it means to belong. We are grateful to the 6 speakers who came along to share their knowledge and thoughts with the children.  We hope the children got a lot from the day and that it promoted some interesting discussions at home. 

Cake Vote – Hopefully you all saw the email about voting for cakes that we entered into the Educate and Celebrate cake competition. Just in case you missed it, the link is https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2176269802436732&type=3&_rdr and voting closes on 21^st December. 

Last Ever St Nic – Just a reminder that if you would like your child to receive a gift on the last ever St Nic Day, a named shoe needs to be brought in on Wednesday 5^th December. Only children with named shoes in on the day will receive a gift. 

Adders Trip to the Pub – Adders will be entertaining patrons at the OAP Christmas lunch being held at the Case Is Altered Pub, next Thursday 6^th December straight after our lunch here at school. They will be performing a selection of songs, both carols and from the play they are rehearsing. 

Christmas Plays – The dates for the Christmas Plays this year have been on the weekly news and on the website calendar for a while now, hopefully you have all had a chance to see them and mark them on your calendars. Ticket allocations this year will be as follows: 

Wolves – There will be 4 tickets available per family, 2 for the afternoon performance and 2 for the evening performance.  

Hedgehogs and Adders – There will be 4 tickets available per family, spread out across the three performances. For instance you might choose to have 1 ticket for Monday afternoon, 1 ticket for Tuesday afternoon and 2 tickets for Tuesday evening. Or you might prefer 2 tickets for one performance and 2 for another.  

Please email the school office with how many tickets you would ideally like and for which performance/s. Hopefully there will be some extra tickets for those families who request them but we can’t guarantee it. If you do not need 4 tickets, please also let us know this as we can distribute unwanted tickets to other families. 

Costumes are still being looked at presently; if there is a need for anything to be brought in from home, a note will be sent to you the early part of next week. A massive “thank you” to Katie C, Noah’s mum, who has supplied us with a mountain of costumes from her own collection; it has saved our families a lot of hassle.  

Carol Performances – We have 2 performances coming up for children that would like to take part; the first is next week on Friday 7^th Dec, at 6pm at Bypass Nurseries, Capel St Mary. The second is on Thursday 13^th December, at 7pm at Bentley Village Hall. The children have been practising their songs and we hope that lots of families will join us for these events. 

Christmas Dinner – Christmas Dinner this year will be on Wednesday 12^th December. The options are roast turkey with a chipolata or veggie roast and veggie chipolata, served with roast potatoes, stuffing and veg. Dessert will be ice cream and shortbread biscuit or fruit. Every child will get a cracker. If your child would like the Christmas dinner, please send in a note or email by no later than Tuesday 4^th December, stating their preference of meat or vegetarian and their dessert choice. Only children who have had a meal ordered by 4^th December will be able to have a dinner on the day of the 12^th, they will not be able to order one on the day.