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

• Kindness Week 2022

  Fri 18 Nov 2022

  Children have had a wonderful time celebrating Kindness Week this week!  Kindness Week was celebrated to empower pupils to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying can cause. They have taken part in some activities, including: designing kindness badges, writing themes such as poetry and creating class kindness diaries. 

  
  Children have been encouraged to apply for a newly released, silver Blue Peter kindness badge. This badge gives the children free entry to over 200 attractions in the UK. 

  
  Click the link below to find out how to apply and which attractions they can go to. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/blue-peter-apply-for-a-silver-badge 
   

  

• Year 6 pupils continue their 'lifelong' learning through Bikeability

  Fri 18 Nov 2022

  This week, school has provided our year 6 pupils a cycling opportunity which is the first of its kind at Greswold!  They've had the opportunity to pass their Level 3 Bikeability certificate, something usually reserved for secondary aged pupils. 

   

  The Bikeability Level 3 course aims to develop riders’ skills and confidence so they can ride in diverse road environments, including complex, often busy roads and junctions, sometimes with speed limits above 30 mph. Successful demonstration of National Standard assessment criteria in Bikeability Level 2 (which the children complete in year 5) is a prerequisite for participation in Bikeability Level 3.

   

  The pupils have done exceedingly well cycling on the roads around school, whilst traffic passes by and are now increasingly confident in their own skills and ability in such an important lifelong learning situation.  In total, 70 children passed which is fabulous.   Well done everyone. 

  

• Greswold comes together for 'Children in Need'

  Fri 18 Nov 2022

  Today, the whole school community came together to raise money for Children in Need. Not only did the children and teachers wear non-school uniform (donating £1) and Pudsey related clothing but they are also wore very fetching odd socks for the occasion. 

   

  In total, £540.09 was raised.

  

• World Cup fever is upon us and Greswold is catching the football bug!

  Thu 17 Nov 2022

  In a special World Cup 'Luck of the Draw' assembly this week, hosted by Miss Bragg, every class along with other members of staff were allocated, through a special draw, a country to support during the upcoming football World Cup 2022.  The prize will be an hour of golden time for the winning class to play football with a new World Cup football!  Let the competition begin....

  

• A letter of thanks from our local community

  Thu 17 Nov 2022

  Greswold recently received a letter of thanks from the Christian Renewal Centre for our generous donations to their Helping Hands charity.  The wonderful donations that families were able to give which coincided with October's Harvest festivals, were gratefully received by Emily and her team, as detailed in their letter below.

   

  Thank you to everyone in our school community for demonstrating our school values, especially those of Belonging and Kindness.  Our local community always appreciates your help.  

  

• A very positive Open Morning with glowing feedback from families

  Thu 17 Nov 2022

  Wednesday marked Greswold's first Open Morning of the year, a chance for prospective parents and families to visit school, speak with staff and pupils, and see the EYFS department at first hand, enabling them to make the all important decision about where to send their children to start their education career.

   

  In total, 29 families visited, with year 6 tour guides once again doing a fabulous job in escorting the families and sharing their vast knowledge of the school and their experiences.  Of the 29 families, 24 gave feedback at the end of their visit with some wonderful results and comments:

   

  Using a scale of 1 (poor) - 5 (excellent), 100% of the families rated the tours guides being helpful and informative with a 5 indicating excellent. 

   

  100% of families gave a score of 5 again for having all of their questions answered and 100% also gave a 5 for staff being so welcoming and supportive. 

   

  Finally, 100% of the families gave a score of 5 for their overall impression of the school!  

   

  Some of the additional comments included:

  'The tour guides were brilliant!'

  'The staff and students were so friendly!  The children look so happy here.'

  'Very knowledgeable guides, lovely atmosphere and friendly teachers' 

  'Well organised and informative'

  'Staff and children were enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable'

  'I was really impressed with our tour guides who were a credit to your school'

  'I was impressed with the tour guides who were very confident.  The SENCo answered all my questions.  Felt very welcome'

  'It has been a very positive experience all round' 

   

  Thank you to everyone involved and especially to our fabulous year 6 tour guides! 

   

  

• Even more sporting success....

  Wed 16 Nov 2022

  Rowing and football were the sporting competitions on the agenda this week and the success just keeps on coming! First up were the year 6 rowing team who, after practising on a daily basis with Mr Isles, achieved the best finish of any Greswold rowing team in recent history.  The team managed to secure 3rd place on Monday in the South Solihull Schools' Rowing competition for this year, a magnificent achievement.

   

  This was followed by Tuesday's 3rd league match of the season for the boys' school football team against Shirley Heath at Old Silhillians, a school which had beaten Greswold twice last year.  However, this year the players acquitted themselves fantastically well and ended up winning 5-2, a cracking performance which maintains the team's 100% record so far this year, with the next round of games against Dorridge and Balsall Common fast approaching on the 1st December.  Well done to everyone involved, and especially to Mr Isles who led the successful teams at both events.     

  

• Information Writing from Year 4

  Fri 11 Nov 2022

  Year 4 pupils were tasked with writing an information text about skyscrapers. Some children shared their writing with Mrs Scott who was impressed with how they used facts in engaging and informative ways. Here are a few examples from Chaffinches. Mrs Scott wonders if you may learn something new.

  

• Greswold remembers...

  Fri 11 Nov 2022

  Like many others schools, Greswold took part in a short Remembrance service this morning.  All week, children have been learning, thinking and talking about Remembrance Day in whole school, key stage and class assemblies, which culminated in this morning's silence, reading and prayer.  Mrs Scott, along with two year 6 pupils, will represent Greswold on Sunday at the Remembrance service at the war memorial outside St Alphege Church and will lay a wreath. 

   

  Every year, a silence is held throughout the country at 11 o'clock on the morning of the 11th November and these words are heard:

   

  They Shall not grow old

  As we who are left grow old

  Age shall not weary them

  Nor the years condemn.

  At the going down of the sun and in the morning

  We shall remember them.  

   

  Dear God,

  We shall remember those who have lived and died in the service of others.  We pray for all who suffer through wars and are in need.  We ask for your help and blessing to do good in the world and to live in peace and harmony with one another and with you.

  Amen

  

• The Living Streets' Travel Tracker returns to Greswold!

  Thu 10 Nov 2022

  In March this year, Greswold launched the very successful Active Travel Campaign, a three month event which aimed to promote the benefits of travelling to and from school in an active manner.  The event utilised a special website which helped to track children's progress.  Some children who earned a WOW badge from doing this still wear them with pride today!  

   

  Therefore, we have decided to relaunch the Travel Tracker so that children and their families can start logging their methods of travel again.  However, this time children can earn a WOW badge each month by simply travelling actively to and from school just once a week!

   

  Our year 6 team of Junior Travel Ambassadors will assist Mr Hornsey in monitoring the Travel Tracker and giving out WOW badges to pupils when they have earned them.  What's more is that this year's history-themed badges are all completely new and the children will have plenty of time to earn them, as we plan on continuing the Travel Tracker for the rest of the school year! 

   

  Admittedly, Greswold does use the Travel Tracker differently to other schools, in the way journeys are recorded.  We give out password details to parents so they can log journeys from devices at home.  It saves time and gives a sense of ownership and responsibility to the children.  However, if for some reason, children need to do this at school, the JTA's will be available during the week to do this for them, if needed.  Instructions on how to log journeys are located in the photo gallery below.  

   

  For your information, Park & Stride refers to those vehicle users who park at venues associated with school, including The Hub on Hermitage Road and St Helen's Church.  Those vehicle users who park between 5 and 10minute walk away can also consider using this option if they feel their child has walked a reasonable distance from the car to school.  The start date for logging journeys on the Travel Tracker is Monday 14th November.  You can scroll back and fill in days you've missed from this date but you won't be able to log travel on days before this date. 

   

  Good luck everyone!