Pudsey Bear paid us a visit today, and he was really happy to see how brilliant we all looked in our spots! We raised a fantastic £157, and have all had fun taking part in Pudsey activities throughout the day. Thank you!

This week, fire officers from Bishop Auckland Fire Station came to talk to all of the children about staying safe over the bonfire season. They showed us how to STOP, DROP and ROLL in the case of a fire accident, we got great advice for using sparklers safely, and lots of important messages to ensure we all enjoy a happy bonfire night. Ask your child about what they learnt – they are experts now!

Yesterday, Cheryl from the NSPCC came into school to talk to our children about the important message – ‘Speak out, Stay safe!’ She used the idea of a bag of worries to explain how telling a trusted adult can help with any thing that they are concerned about. She will be returning next week to work with our Y5 and 6 children, as part of our whole school safety week . Each class will be raising funds fore the NSPCC next week too. Our School Council have worked with their class to choose an NSPCC Buddy’s Workout to undertake on Thursday. We are asking for a donation of one pound per family and hope to raise  £150, which would pay for 30 calls from vulnerable children to be answered by childline.

The NSPCC are also delivering a free parent workshop with O2, on Friday 21st September in school, 2-3pm. Come along, and then get a Friday Flyer by taking your child as soon as the workshop ends.

Welcome to the new school year! We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer. School reopens on Monday 3rd September at 8:45am. Breakfast club will be available from 7:45am on Monday and all after school clubs will begin the following week, beginning 10th September.

Well done to our Y5/6 football team. After a slightly rocky start to the season we soon gained confidence and were on form winning games and scoring goals. As always the team were always courteous and played as good sports people. At the end of the season we have finished 5th in the league, which is a great achievement and every member of the team should be very proud of themselves.

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came to support us!

What a lovely day we had at Sports Day last week in the sunshine. Well done to all of the children who took part, and huge congratulations to The Green Team, our 2018 champions!

A huge congratulations to Daniel and Alfie for representing Wear Valley and Teesdale today at the County Finals. They were chosen from a recent Athletics event to run both the sprint and relay for the Wear Valley Team. This is an incredible achievement to compete against the best athletes in County Durham. Well done from everyone.

Last week we had a visit from Margaret from CAFOD, who led workshops to help us think about the journey and difficult decisions many people fleeing their homes have to make. We then took part in CAFOD’s Share the Journey walk, stopping at different points around school to reflect and pray for those who have been forced to undertake their own journeys due to famine, war or persecution.

In total, our children walked 209 miles on Friday, and then shared a picnic together in the field.

Our Lenterprise event was a huge success on Friday. The children enjoyed selling and buying the wonderful gifts, tasty treats and toys on offer. The children’s hard work and generosity has meant we raised £270 and each class is able to sponsor a refugee child in crisis – helping with their education, welfare and medical needs.

This destination for our fundraising has been the children’s choice through our school council. They have continued to be inspired to help other children, following our very moving ‘Refugee Week’ last year. We are very proud of our children’s efforts and their compassion for other children in need. Well done!

Year 3 and Year 6 have completed their work with Bowes Museum, with the production of two beautiful stained glass coats of arms and a celebration assembly, led by Julia from the museum. This project with Bowes has run in school for the last three years, and has seen our children visit the museum, work with artists using textiles, printing and glass work, and have the opportunity to share their experiences with parents and families at free open days at The Museum.We would like to thank The Bowes Museum for their help and support over the course of the project. They have been wonderful, and our children have really enjoyed the exhibitions and activities.