Dear Parents

Wow, what a truly spectacular end to a week full of festive fun! Today was the last of Year 1 and 2's magical performances. Children of the World was a brilliant production and my thanks go to the whole Key Stage 1 team for their hard work bringing it to life. We could clearly see the benefits of our reading practice sessions as the children read with such beautiful expression and fluency. There are some wonderful singers amongst them and several budding actors! All of the children were engaged throughout and have enjoyed learning about how Christmas is celebrated in other cultures across the world. Judging from the comments I received as parents left each performance, you all enjoyed it too! Your generous donations to Little Havens Hospice raised £223.05 in cash, we are so grateful. Thank you to those who donated online as well. It was a pleasure to see governors and Mrs Castell at our Christmas shows in the past 2 weeks, we are very lucky to have their support. The teachers had a very difficult task this week picking out some stand out performances and I gave certificates to those children this afternoon.

Other Christmas activities yesterday included Turtles visiting the library to find out more about the Winter Reading Challenge, Christmas lunch for the whole school (thanks to the kitchen staff for their efforts!) and then Year 2 singing to the Link Club at the Christian Centre yesterday afternoon. Your donations from the Harvest Festival of over £130 contributed to their Christmas lunch and party and they were delighted to hear the children sing songs from the Christmas production. We are currently hearing shrieks of delight from the children as they watch the Rainbow Theatre Company's pantomime, Snow White! Thank you to our governors Mr Coffey and Mrs Gentle for attending the panto this afternoon (oh yes they did). Their ears are probably still ringing! 😉

All school books should now have been returned to school for safe-keeping over the Christmas holidays, so if you have any more at home please ensure you bring them back next week. The children have been allocated an e-book to read over the Christmas break. I hope you will also have Christmas stories and books to share at home - remember the library's reading challenge too!

Next week each year group will hold a Christmas party - Monday for EYFS, Tuesday for Year 1 and Wednesday for Year 2. Snacks and drinks will be provided, although if your child has significant allergies you may wish to provide an alternative in a named bag or snack pot. Wednesday is also Christmas Crazy Day, when children are invited to wear a Christmas jumper and go crazy with a festive hair-do!

There will be no newsletter next week, so may I take this opportunity to wish you and your families the most magical Christmas and to thank you again for all your support this term. My new role was a little daunting at the beginning of the school year, but every moment has been special and it's a privilege to see happy children and their families enjoying their time at the school. Even after well over 35 years, every day is still a genuine delight.

Try and find time to rest this weekend, before the last few crazy days of term!

Best wishes

Tracey Wilson

Clubs for Year 1 and 2 can now be booked via our website, or for staff clubs, via the Payments section of ParentMail.
School closes for Christmas at 3.10pm on Wednesday 20th December. We re-open in the New Year at 8.40am on Thursday 4th January.
A reminder that the Duckling Nursery has now closed for the term, so there will be no before and after school care next week. They re-open on 3rd January.
Please check the lost property box for any missing items!
Please also check at home for any school belongings, or uniform that children may have taken home by mistake and return it next week! We would be really grateful if you could take time over the holidays to label all belongings. Thank you.
Please check the diary dates for details of upcoming events.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated gifts, wrapped presents, bought tickets, and cooked and served so many hotdogs for our double PTA festive event last Friday. Across the two schools, the Elfridges Gift Store and Festive Movie night raised over £1,200 towards events and facilities for your children in the coming year.

One of these PTA funded events will be the National Elf Service book delivery next week. Every child will receive their own book from the elves, and we have a magical video greeting from the North Pole’s famous residents to share with the children.

Don’t forget next Wednesday is Christmas jumper and crazy hair day – no donations or tickets needed, just a bit of festive fun for the children.

Emergency contact details must be up to date. Please email us at parents@writtleinfantschool.com if your details have changed.
Any food brought to school must not contain nuts or egg-based foods (e.g. egg mayo, scotch egg, omelette etc.).
We all have a duty to safeguard the children in our care. If you have any concerns about a child, please contact the school, the Chairs of Governors (if your concern is about a member of teaching staff), or the Essex Child and Families Hub on 0345 603 7627.