Bikes galore!

On Wednesday 4th November we were very lucky to have received 8 brand new bikes from Sportline.co.uk. A lovely man called Simon Wild arrived at school with 8 bikes of varying sizes. Some lucky pupils from Corfe and Tintagel Class were able to watch Simon un-wrap these fabulous bikes. This was wonderful timing as on 9th and 10th November 4 of the bikes are being used for Bikeability Training which some of our older students are taking part in. The younger pupils in Primary house were very excited to use the new bikes at playtimes. Simon enjoyed his morning so much he also sent us 8 brand new helmets and some accessories for our older bikes so we can keep them serviced and working. All the pupils involved were very grateful and made Simon a wonderful thank-you card. A huge thank you to the kind generosity of all at Sportline.co.uk.

 

 

 

Keeping on growing

Our pupils and staff are continuing to have great success with their growing beds. The particularly mild autumn has enabled us to have good crops of radishes, which are now being eaten and enjoyed by many. Here is an example of our amazing radish crop. This is a group of prize radishes from Tintagel's bed:

There has been much growth and here is one of our pupils proudly measuring their plants:

Safeguarding at The Castle School

At The Castle School we take safety and wellbeing of our pupils extremely seriously. This is our number one priority. OFSTED check this very carefully and were very happy with what we do stating:

Statutory safeguarding requirements are met and scrupulously followed. The protection of all the pupils is the major priority of the school staff

We have now set up a new page on our website which will show you all the things that we use to ensure that your children are kept safe whilst at school. Please click here to have a look.

Happy Half Term

It has been another busy and exciting term that has whizzed past. There have lots of exciting things happening, which I hope are reflected in the newsletters you receive. We hope that your children have a lovely half term break.

In the meantime, here are some key dates for next term:
 

Flu Immunisations - 11/11/2015

Pupils whose parents have agreed, will be given their winter flu immunisations in school today. These will be carried out in secondary hall by the School Immunisation Nursing Team.

Children In Need (Non Uniform) - 13/11/2015

Staff Training Day: Pupils not in school - 27/11/2015

Carol Service @ St Nicholas' Church - 02/12/2015

Come and enjoy this wonderful occasion where our School choir will be performing alongside other schools from the area. This event is a lovely way to start the Christmas festivities. More details will come out closer to the time.

Community Choir singing @ Sainsburys - 04/12/2015

Our community choir, which is a collaboration between The Castle School and Spurcroft School, will be singing a selection of festive treats in the big Sainsbury's Supermarket in Newbury from 11.15am. Come along and support their efforts.

Secondary House Christmas Show - 08/12/2015

Key Stage 3 and 4 perform their Christmas Show to parents and carers.

Christmas Carol Service @ St Mary's Church - 15/12/2015

This is our annual Christmas Carol Service which will take place between 9am and 11am. Details will be sent out closer to the time, but places are very limited as space is tight.

Post-16 Christmas Cafe - 16/12/2015

Come along and enjoy all manner of Christmas treats at our student-run Post-16 Cafe

End of Term 2 - 18/12/2015

Have a great half term and we look forward to seeing our pupils back on Tuesday 3rd November.

Thanks,

Jon Hewitt

Protect against norovirus this winter

Norovirus, sometimes known as 'winter vomiting bug' is the most common stomach bug in the UK, affecting people of all ages.

There are simple ways to protect against the virus. Please click the link here to find out more.

Halifax Help Us Out

Today, a lovely group of staff from the local Halifax in Newbury came into school and worked incredibly hard to clear our sensory garden of unwanted foliage. They spruced the area up and have planted lots of lovely spring flowering bulbs in the pots and borders. Our thanks goes to our friends at Halifax Newbury who are:

Caireen Reed
Yola Sanger
Zoe Perryman
Steph Conner
Nell Burgess
Rachel Pawalie

Here are some pictures of their wonderful handiwork.

Success keeps on growing!

Our class teams have been working really hard to ensure that our new beds are cultivated and growing well so that we have our radishes and onions this autumn. The pupils and staff have made them all look lovely with decorations, scarecrows and artwork. There is quite a bit of competition now between classes to see who can produce the best crop.
 
Here are two pictures of what the beds looked like only a few weeks ago at the start of term

And here are pictures of the beds now!! What a difference