Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Our Year 6 pupils' proving once again that they really can change the world!

  Thu 26 Oct 2023

  Over the last half term, Year 6 have been focussing on the topic of the Amazon Rainforest. Through Geography they have been learning about how people live and use the rainforest, through History we have been looking at how deforestation has shaped the rainforest and how living in the rainforest  has changed over time. Through English we have developed our descriptive story writing and this week, we have used our learning to write persuasive speeches that we want to send to COP28. It was inspiring to listen to the children deliver their speeches with such passion and enthusiasm, showcasing their learning from the past 8 weeks.

   

  A handful of children gave a presentation of their speeches to Mrs Scott and Mr Hornsey who were both considerably impressed both by the quality of powerful and descriptive language used and by how they passionately they presented their speeches.  

  

• Forest School Fun

  Tue 24 Oct 2023

  The heavy rain last week certainly did not dampen the spirits of the children who attended our forest school. They made the most of the flooded areas while staying safe, of course.

  

• The Book Fair arrives next week! Don't miss out!

  Thu 19 Oct 2023

  To coincide with Parent Consultations evenings next week, the Book fair will again be available to parents in the school library.  To help families familiarise themselves with the books on offer, please click on the link below:

   

  https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/travelling-books/parents 

  

• Free 'Get Pedalling' sessions available to all families!

  Tue 17 Oct 2023

  This is the perfect opportunity for children to learn, ride and improve their cycle skills and coincides perfectly with autumn walk to School Week and International Walk to School month.  See picture gallery below for more details.

  

• Autumn Walk to School Week - politeness and respect is the name of the game!

  Sun 15 Oct 2023

  During this week's autumn Walk to School Week, please take some time to reflect on the following message:

   

  Greswold is always incredibly grateful when so many vehicle users and families work in partnership with school’s values and expectations, particularly in relation to ‘drop-off’ time in the morning.  We realise that as a very large primary school, we have a duty and obligation to ensure all families are completely safe as they travel to school, along with raising awareness of the local residents and some of the difficulties they may face each day.

   

  Our school values are incredibly important to everything we set out to achieve and that is why it’s imperative that everyone shows mutual respect to one another during that very busy time of the day.  Greswold is aware that a number of parents highlight our expectations to vehicle users, in particular, and we appreciate this ambassadorial role. 

   

  In situations which involve parents talking to other parents about parking choices, politeness is always key even if there is a degree of frustration.  As a community, we have to remember that there may be challenges being faced by others that we’re unaware of and, as a result, occasional or one-off mistakes may take place as a consequence, such as dropping off or parking in the wrong place. 

   

  Also, children are always present during parental encounters so we must remain aware of the impact any sort of confrontation or raised voices may have on them, including the tooting of a car horn, something which can induce anxiety amongst young people.  Greswold is a very inclusive school and there is a significant number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as well as pupils who require help with their Social, Emotional and Mental Health and this should always be taken into account by our community,

  especially in the mornings, a time which can be a rush and therefore stressful.   

   

  By communicating with each other in a cordial, respectful and polite manner, especially when pointing out school’s expectations, then these messages will undoubtedly be received more openly, therefore enabling  Greswold's values of respect and belonging to be promoted and sustained.   

   

  Enjoy this week's Walk to School Week and don't forget to log your child's journey on the Travel Tracker! 

• A fantastic effort rewarded with a bronze medal for our Year 4 Mathematicians!

  Fri 13 Oct 2023

  On Friday, Mr Hobday accompanied four year 4 children who were part of the Greswold team taking part in this year's King Edward School's annual Maths competition. 

   

  The children did fantastically well and managed to achieve 3rd place.  Mr Hobday commented on how incredibly well they worked as a team with everyone contributing.  They were each awarded with a medal and a certificate.  Well done children, you've made your families and Greswold proud!

  

• Harvest donations delivered...

  Fri 13 Oct 2023

  This morning, all generous harvest donations were delivered to the Community Essentials Food Bank in Olton, Solihull.

   

  Two car loads of items were delivered and gratefully received.  The representatives at Community Essentials wanted to pass on their thanks and appreciation to everyone for their generosity, especially at a time when the food bank is being inundated with customers. 

   

  The link below provides more information about the organisation itself. 

   

  Thank you to our whole school community for helping to make the lives of others a little less difficult.

   

  https://community-essentials.org.uk/ 

  

• Attendance on the up

  Fri 13 Oct 2023

  We're pleased to say that after several dips our attendance is back up again. Last week was our highest of the year so far with 95.9%. We've still got a way to go to reach our target of 97% but we are pleased to celebrate this success. Thank you, as always, for your support with this. 

  

• Autumn Walk to School Week starts Monday!

  Thu 12 Oct 2023

  As part of International Walk to School month, Solihull Sustainable Travel team are running an autumn Walk to School Week starting on Monday 16th until Friday 20th October 2023.

   

  Their aim is to challenge families to travel sustainably by walking, scooting, cycling or, for families that live further away, parking at least 5 minutes away from school and walking the remaining journey.

   

  This is an ideal opportunity for all families to engage with this year's Living Streets' Travel Tracker, our national programme for rewarding pupils for travelling actively to school.  At present, only 17% of the school population are engaging in it and this is chance to significantly increase that figure.  

   

  In the gallery below, you'll see the password for logging on with instructions available in Parents/Sustainable Travel.  Below, you'll also be able to view a 5-minute Walking Bubble around school to help you decide how far away vehicle users can park and walk the rest of the way.

   

  It is also a chance to encourage all parents to treat each other with respect and politeness when helpfully pointing out examples of unauthorised parking or vehicle use which doesn't match school expectations, to other parents.  

   

  Link to International Walk to School month: 

  https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/international-walk-to-school-month 

   

   

  

• The Journey of Water - A visit from Seven Trent!

  Thu 12 Oct 2023

  Today, all of the children in years' 1-6 enjoyed a special assembly delivered by a representative of Seven Trent Water. 

   

  The assemblies aimed to raise awareness of the importance of water in our lives and very much focused on the Water Cycle, recycling and the journey of water, important curriculum aspects of both Science and Geography.

   

  A very interactive assembly helped to engage and enthuse the children, along with some astounding facts and information.  Apparently, there are enough water pipes under the ground in the Seven Trent area to wrap around the world 2 1/2 times! Amazing!  

   

  The next time you're travelling by car on the M42, look out for the Seven Trent sewage plants at Barston, Coleshill and Minworth to help add to extra context to their learning today!