Dear Parents & Carers,

Well, we’ve all made it to the end of a long term. Well done everyone!

We have enjoyed our run up to Christmas – the children have enjoyed their Christmas dinner, class Christmas parties and we have been so lucky to have been able to have both our nativities and carol concerts go ahead.   I know that the children really enjoyed being able to perform to an audience and they were all amazing!

Earlier this week, we had a furry visitor into school.  Otto, my Cockerpoo, came into school for his assessment to become a Dog Mentor. 

Myself and Mrs Matthews worked with the two trainers and we are pleased to say that Otto passed his assessment with flying colours.  This means that post-Christmas, Otto will be gradually introduced into school life.  More information will on our return in January.

Lastly, I would personally like to thank you all for your continued support this year.  We look forward to welcoming you all back on Wednesday January 5th (after a bit of sleep and rest!) and I will be in touch prior to the start of term.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas.  Stay safe.

Best wishes

Lucy Collins
Headteacher

Please can we remind you of the expectations for Year 4, 5 & 6 PE kit.  We ask that children wear:

• Red school jumper/cardigan (no hoodies)
• A white t-shirt or polo shirt 
• Plain grey or black tracksuit bottoms/shorts  (no brand labels)
• Trainers (any)

The Stars of the Week for week ending 10th December:

The Stars of the Week for week ending 17th December:

Year 3 - Stop Motion Day

Year 4

Y4 made puppets on Monday- here are some of the finished results 

Class 4

Year 2 Christmas Party

Christmas Card Competition

A picture of Lola Evans with her certificate and winning Christmas card design. 

Year 6

Class 13 had a lovely party and ended it with the After Eight challenge! 

We were fortunate to welcome Diane Arthurs into school this morning to perform some Christmas numbers for all the children in the school. In the absence of our traditional Christmas sing-along, it was a fantastic way to finish our term with a bit of Christmas spirit.

If your child was inspired by the music this morning, a reminder that years 4 - 6 can sign up for clarinet or flute lessons with Diane starting in January. Contact the school office or Mr Brown for more details, or complete the form here:

Clarinet or Flute Lessons Provisional Booking Form

It has been a busy term for Friends of Linden, with the Christmas Cards, Class Coin Challenge and collection for GFTH. I would like to thank our helpers for all their efforts to ensure that our events and projects ran smoothly, and to the staff who have supported the running of the events in school.  We were also delighted to be able to contribute to the class Christmas parties again this year.  

GFTH Christmas Collection
Thank you to everyone that donated to our collection for GFTH. It was gratefully received and the items are being handed out to a variety of groups to spread some kindness during the festive period.

Class Coin Challenge
This was a huge success, with some classes filling more than one bottle! Over 18,000 coins were brought in, and a phenomenal £640 raised. Thank you to everyone that supported this event. Below is a breakdown of the amounts each class raised.

Class 1 - £39.20
Class 2 - £50.10
Class 3 - £31.09
Class 4 - £37.91
Class 5 - £36.53
Class 6 - £66.57
Class 7 - £54.63
Class 8 - £41.53
Class 9 - £90.56
Class 10 - £16.84
Class 11 - £78.44
Class 12 - £30.46
Class 13 - £27.35
Class 14 - £38.28

The activities for next term have been planned, take a look:

KS1 - Term Plans - Spring term

The Holiday Activity and Food Programme have arranged some free activities for your children booking is required:

There is a party at the Club @ Tuffley for Linden Primary School pupils. Here is the link so that you can book a space: https://gloucestercityhaf.co.uk/the-club-tuffley-cic/

Your Next Move Festive Get Down - we are running two Hip Hop Days as part of Gloucester's Winter Holiday Activities and Food Programme.  There will be activities in Dance, Beatboxing and Graffiti Writing alongside music and food. 

Mon 20th December, 11:30am-3:30pm  

Tue 21st December, 11:30am-3:30pm  

Please note: recommended ages for activities are 8+, but the day is family friendly, so everyone is welcome to enjoy the music and the food!

These events are free to attend, but booking is essential via the CABS booking system:

https://yournextmove.coordinate.cloud/list

Finding fun activities for the children can be hard work, especially in January.

At Robinswood Hill we have a selection of exciting wildlife winter activities for you to think about how to ‘go greener’ as a family in 2022.

Gloucester Library

Family Learning are running some wellbeing courses online which are designed especially for parents/carers.  All courses are open to all and free* to many.

Calm Kids, Calm Home

Calm Kids, Calm Home is a 6 week course running on Friday mornings. The course looks at ways of making the home environment calmer, including discussing effective co-parenting, family routines, parents as role models and self care.

Starting on Friday 14 January from 9:30- 11:00.

Calming the Mind

Calming the Mind is a 6 week introduction to mindfulness. Parents who attended this course last year have noticed a real change in their lives, and a greatly improved relationship with their children.

Starting on  Tuesday 11 January from 7:30-8:30.

Parents can enrol online through clicking on the QR codes on the flyers, or by contacting:

Fay Tucker
Adult Education Family Learning Coordinator
EE & I, Gloucestershire County Council
01452 583567  or 07760 171477

* The courses are free if you are over 19 years old, have lived in the UK/ EU for 3 or more years, or have a valid Residence Permit, and are one of the following: Unemployed or earning below £17,374 per year; Qualified below a Level 2 ( less than 5 GCSEs); Have mental health challenges, Have a learning difficulty or disability.