We are very excited to bring all of our work regarding respect, equality, diversity and community under one umbrella!  Mr Kirby and Mrs Davison are leading on a project which will eventually give the school community the 'Rights Respecting School Award'.  For us, this is much more than adding a logo to our letterhead.  It is about how our school community works together to ensure the best for everyone - children, parents and carers and staff.  It will, of course, include our local and wider community and look at global aspects, too.

We pride ourselves on how well our school works together, but we are always looking to make things even better!  Some of this work will be through general curriculum teaching and some will have a high profile like the 'Global Citizenship' week in November. 

For more information click on the link...

<font color="#0066cc">http://www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa</font>

Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold gave pupils a fascinating insight into her life as a world class athlete when she visited Cliftonville Primary School this term.

Lizzy, 25, told how she is determined to improve on the 90mph speed she set on her skeleton board to take gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.  She explained how her body is so close to the ice run during her performances that her protective headgear gets damaged where her chin is just centimetres from the ground at incredible speeds.

Using a PE bench to simulate her sled, she demonstrated her race position and gave pupils and staff the chance to try it out wearing her race helmet.

Lizzy was very keen on sport as a teenager at school in Maidstone, and was introduced to skeleton racing in 2008 through UK Sport’s Girls4Gold talent search.

She began competing in 2010 and won her first official race in the Europa Cup, in November 2010. The following seasons found her learning tracks, developing her skeleton-racing skills and achieving the athletic performance required to compete at the highest World Cup level.

She was 9th in 2011/12 season and became junior World Champion and a bronze medallist in the senior World Championships in 2012.

She told pupils: “Skeleton is a crazy and mad sport but I love it. It is like plunging down a water flume at top speeds only on ice so very close to the ground.  I am a bit of an adrenalin junkie so going fast is perfect for me. I do get nervous and a little scared but I always know that I want to give it a go and I am determined to do my very best.”

She answered a variety of questions from pupils, including some from the new Cliftonville Pupil Sports Council, and gave inspirational answers, as well as showing them her gold medal and signing a sports shirt.

The visit was organised through the Inspire Kent programme which aims to maintain the legacy of the London Olympics in 2012 and engage young people in a range of activities including sports.

Lizzy was appointed and MBE for her services to the sport in the 2014 Birthday Honours.

http://www.4us2.org/uncategorized/4us2-announces-chat-giggle-dates/

4us2 has won a £28,000 grant from the Lloyds Foundation. They will use the money to run weekly “Chat & Giggle” play and support sessions around Thanet for families of children with disabilities. 4us2’s manager Andrea Bennett, who is herself mum to a severely disabled teenager, said, “Isolation is a real issue for parents and carers of children with disabilities. You can feel trapped in your own home and by the problems that surround you. We’re running these sessions to reach out to families and give the children a safe place to play while the parents and carers can get some support and make new connections, and hopefully take some steps to overcoming that isolation. We’re really grateful to the Lloyds Foundation for making this work possible.”

Chat & Giggle sessions will run on Thursday mornings in Thanet.  4us2 staff will be there to lead the sessions and will bring special equipment like fibre optic lights, a dark tent and sensory toys and puppets for the children to play with. Parents whose children are at school / college are welcome to come too. Full details of the dates and times of sessions are on their website, on the events calendar.

Improve your English with other parents

Come along and meet other parents who are learning to speak English.  Mrs Kirby always makes it fun and it's nice to meet up with other families.  Just come to the main reception after the children have gone into school. 

EVERY THURSDAY MORNING FROM 9 - 10am

I am delighted to report that the amazing fundraising in memory of Mr Oliver Thompson has enabled a cardiac screening to be planned for November 29th.  The CRY, Cardiac Risk in the Young, charity will be screening young people and adults aged between 14 and 35.  This will be at the school (details attached).  Thank you to our fabulous families, children and staff for their support.

Our library will be open twice a week in the holidays for Year R - 5.  Children can change books and, where applicable, do their Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes on the ipads.  We are very grateful to Mr Hedges who has kindly offered this for the first time.  We hope that lots of families come along!  Parents must stay with KS1 children.  KS2 children who come without an adult will be very welcome but the expectation will be that they choose a book, quiz etc and then go home (ie this isn’t the same as a holiday club).  We are only responsible for the children when they are in the library.  

Mr Hedges will sign each owl on your sheet when you visit the library – try to earn some £s for the Term 1 book fair! 

Remember to bring your sheet in each time!

It will be open EVERY TUESDAY & THURSDAY 10am - 12 from the week beginning 28th July until the week ending 29th August

Staff Charity Champs Remember Oliver Thompson

Team Awesome made up of staff from our school, both present and past, took part in the CRY Heart of London Bridges Walk 2014 raising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young.

They took part in the five mile walk through London in memory of their friend and colleague Oliver Thompson, who passed away suddenly a year ago at the age of 29.

They were joined by Oliver’s family as around 1200 CRY supporters crossed seven of the Thames bridges from Embankment to Tower Bridge.

Cardiac Risk in the Young aims to provide heart screening programmes which can help identify heart conditions that may otherwise go unnoticed and they also support families who have suffered bereavement.

Teaching assistant Sarah Barnett said: “It was an emotional day full of laughter and fond memories.”

Team Awesome have also staged the Wizard of Oz panto and other fundraising events at the school to raise money for the charity.

Year 3 and Year 4 had a fantastic day today when Kent and England cricketer Geraint Jones came to Cliftonville Primary School. After an assembly to the whole school where the children asked lots of interesting questions of Geraint, each class had their opportunity to develop a few basic skills in catching and throwing before putting them into action in a game. All the children had a great deal of fun.  He kindly donated a signed bat which will take pride of place in school.