Experience Easter at St Peter’s Church During the week beginning 21st April 2014 we have been invited to visit St Peter’s Church to enable each class to participate in “Experience Easter”. The children will take part in activities at 5 stations around the Church relating to different aspects of the Easter story. At each station there will be a short time of reflection which will be drawn together in a corporate act of thanksgiving at the end of the session. In order to make this possible, we will once again need the support of parents to accompany us. Please let your child’s classteacher know if you are able to help. The times and dates are given in the chart below. If you cannot help with your child’s class but are able to help at another time please let us know as we may be short of helpers in a particular class. Thank you. Date 9.15 – 10.30 10.40 – 11.55 1.15 – 2.30 Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Class 14 Class 13 Class 1 Wednesday 23rd April 2014 Class 12 Class 10 Class 9 Thursday 24th April 2014 Class 8 Class 7 Class 6 Friday 25th April 2014 Class 5 Class 4 Class 3

Dear Parents What a busy term! It feels as though the weeks are flying by. School will close at 3.00 p.m. on Friday 4th April 2014 for all pupils and re-open on Tuesday 22nd April 2014 for the start of Term 5. Congratulations to House Captains who treated the School to a musical extravaganza! The standard of performance is always very high. We are in the process of looking into ways that we can share these experiences with parents utilising our website. We shall keep you posted with developments. Congratulations to the Eco Council who have been awarded the Green Flag for the second time. The assessor was most impressed with the children’s work and the evidence they had presented. Well done Mr Seeley and the team! May I take this opportunity to wish your family a happy, well deserved break. Happy Easter! Sam Porter

Strings Group with Mrs Hogarth will resume on 30th April 2014

Don’t forget swimming starts for Classes 12 and 8 on Tuesday 22nd April 2014.

Week ending 4th April 2014

Isle of Wight Visit 2014 I would like to invite you to a meeting about our residential trip to the Isle of Wight. The meeting will take place on Wednesday 14th May at 7:00 p.m. in the school hall. At this meeting we will explain all about the trip including what clothes the children need to bring, how much pocket money they are allowed, timings of the journey etc. If you have any concerns I hope we can answer them on that evening. The meeting will last approximately 45 minutes/one hour.

Mr Mackenzie

Balcarras School Cookery Course The next cookery course at Balcarras will start on Tuesday 29 April and runs for 7 weeks each Tuesday from 4pm to about 5.15 pm. If you are in year 5 or year 6 and you enjoy cooking, or you want to improve your skills in the kitchen, why not come along? The course is open to new students or those who have been before and provides an opportunity to cook with Mum, Dad or Grandparents and experience what it is like at Balcarras. We will be tackling some new recipes with a summer theme, giving you lots of lovely things to impress your family with. The cost is £35.00 for the 7 week course and this includes all ingredients each week. All pupils have to be supported at each session by a responsible adult but this can be someone other than Mum or Dad. For more information please email me at jcb@balccarras.gloucs.sch.uk Mrs Brunt (Cookery Course Coordinator)

Governor News! An insight into my first 6 months as a Parent Governor’ – Tim Beardsmore

Asking people to their faces whether they’re doing their job properly; trying desperately to make sense of spreadsheets compiled and filled with alien acronyms; attending training sessions at which it will transpire, amid a mounting sense of horror, that the governor is as legally responsible as the head teacher for school failures! If I’m honest, I didn’t know the half of what I’d taken on: the paperwork; the due diligence checks; the extensive training requirements in such dry subjects as legal responsibilities, curriculum obligations and Ofsted expectations.

Throwing my hat in the ring was a simple statement on my part; as parents we expect the school to maintain its high standards and I thought I might be able to help. There is nothing wrong with occasionally giving up your time to do something difficult and worthwhile. Altruism, after all, is its own reward!

Not only do parent governors have to work in the best interests of the school, but they have to balance this with their natural desire to see the best outcomes for their own child(ren). I want their school to be as welcoming, aspirational and culturally enriching as it can possibly be and I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Parent governors are well placed to understand parents’ views and to remind the governing body how matters being discussed affect parents. Visibility, where possible of the governors’ work is something I will encourage.

I’ve sat on the school’s governing board for 6 months, and, if I’m honest, I still feel that I have a lot to learn. However, I have had some terrific support from the existing governors in helping me to understand that good governance is what I am sure most people think it is - reading the relevant information, raising issues, asking questions when you don’t understand and listening to other points of view. The toughest bit for me has been trying to embody that oxymoron, the “critical friend”. It’s not easy, for example, to ask in such a high achieving school, why the school has slipped in a specific area without sounding more like an enemy.

The job needs a firm sense of purpose, tact, patience and stamina, but the rewards are immense. For a start, a school is a most interesting place and you are privileged to be part of it.

Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service recently attended a small fire at the house of one of our pupils. Having successfully dealt with the fire they offered to return at a convenient time to carry out a FREE “Home Safety Visit” – part of their job is to help prevent fires by promoting awareness of precautions that can be easily followed to minimise the risk of them occurring in homes. They will arrange a mutually convenient time to visit, check and/or fit smoke alarms and cover some basic fire safety advice. Any alarms they supply and fit are free of charge. During the visit – which should last about twenty minutes – topics covered include: Safety in the kitchen Open fires/chimneys Heating Systems and the dangers of Carbon Monoxide Smoking materials Candles Electrical safety Electric blankets Escape routes If you would like to receive a visit from a Cheltenham Fire Representative please either Telephone 0800 1804140 or Visit www.glosfire.gov.uk select the “Your Safety” tab and click on the “request form online” link And from the parent concerned "You never expect a fire in your home. You think you have everything covered. So when it does happen it's scary. The response from Gloucestershire Fire Brigade was excellent - fast, efficient and reassuring. And the next day they came to my home at a time entirely convenient to me to discuss all the fire safety issues in my house and even fitted me with additional free smoke alarms. They are an amazing part of the emergency response services and I would suggest everyone avails themselves of their free advice and expertise. Nobody expects a fire after all ..."

ParentPay Over the past weeks we have noticed that a few parents are selecting events to pay for but not completing the transaction fully. The event then remains in the ‘basket’ but shows as unpaid on our side of the system. Please would you ensure that the transaction has been successfully completed before exiting the site. Thank you. Mrs Smith and Mrs Evans

Project Wild Thing In the bookbags , you will receive a sheet asking for your ideas about your favourite outdoor places to play or to go for a walk. Please do fill it in over the holidays. There will be a box for them in the entrance hall from the start of next term. Thank you!