Dear Parents & Carers,

As always at this time of year, I find it hard to believe that we already find ourselves half way through the school year and very soon we will find ourselves in the final term of this academic year.  It really has felt like a very long term, but I think we are all grateful to see the return of lighter mornings and evenings…Spring is on its way! 

Looking to next term, a very short one by comparison, we begin with World Book Day on Friday 3^rd March -get those PJ’s and onesies ready.  In addition, we are looking forward to celebrating all thing science during British Science week and we will be having our spring term Parent’s Consultations evenings in a few weeks’ time, bookings for these will open shortly.

It is looking very likely that school-life will experience some disruption during the coming weeks. The NEU has indicated that they will continue strike action for a further three days after the first strike a few weeks ago.  These will be on the 2nd March and the 15th to 16th March.  Please make a note of these dates now and I will write to you in advance of each date to confirm any changes to arrangements and/or closures.

Finally, I would like to wish a slightly premature good luck to Mrs McNair who is leaving us after half term to pursue a change in career.  Mrs McNair has been a valuable member of the Linden team for many years and I am sure you will join me in saying a big ‘thank you’ for all of her hard work.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please make an appointment to see me through the school office.

I wish you all a lovely half term break and look forward to welcoming you all back on Monday 27^th February.

Kind regards

Lucy Collins

The Stars of the Week for week ending 3rd February:

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

Reception

We continued our learning about different places and localities. We went for a walk around Linden and talked about the different things we saw. We talked about where we lived or where other people we know live. We also talked about the bus, hair dressers, barbers, pharmacy and the many houses we saw.

We also invited our parents in for our first Stay and Play session. It was lovely to see the parents in our provision and the children had great fun showing their adults what we do when in school. Reminder that there are more Stay and Play sessions booked in the calendar for each term. Please check the school's app, the SZapp for more information and to book on.

Year 3

This week in Science, Year 3 looked through different types of soils. We found worms, dead leaves, roots, rocks and even a centipede! 

Changes to Wrap Around Care

We are changing the way we take after school care bookings.

We are seeing increased volumes of children in wrap around care and to enable us to accommodate the maximum amount of children each evening, the next time the bookings open (Monday 27th February) we will now require you to complete one form per child for each day that you need care.

We will do our best to accommodate all bookings made in this way.

The Late Booking Form will still be available but we are increasingly finding that we are unable to accommodate late requests, so to ensure your child has a place please book during the booking window.

At this time, Breakfast Club bookings remain the same.

Telephone and Email

Please may we remind you that if the school phones absence line is recording you may get a busy tone or no tone at all – the lines aren’t down, but please do try again.

If you are emailing the school please be reminded that the school office can be very busy and emails will be replied to as soon as is possible.  If the matter is urgent, please do ring the school office on 01452 527020.

And here as a PDF:  Lin-Diner Menu 27/02-31/03 2023

EYFS:

Word Trouble (Walker), Vyara Boyadjieva’s debut as author-illustrator, is a beautifully sensitive depiction of starting a new school as a child with English as an additional language. The emotional resonance calls to mind the Little Rebels-winning The Boy Who Loved Everyone, and the use of speech bubbles and comic-book-style panelling adds to the storytelling.

Also from Walker, Get Real, Mallory! is the latest picturebook from the award-winning Daisy Hirst, starring a little girl called Nomi whose drawing of a dog magically comes to life. With an inclusive cast, and some wonderful messages around art, imagination, and creative play, Get Real, Mallory! is picturebook perfection.

From Padmacandra, the illustrator of The Tale of the Whale, Don’t Be Silly! (Scallywag) is a fun and representative rhyming picturebook about the joy of silliness, and how playtime need not stop when you grow older.

A new Early Years poetry collection from Otter-Barry Books, A Ticket to Kalamazoo! is exuberantly illustrated by Neal Layton with poems by James Carter, the author of Zim Zam Zoom!. It’s packed full of rhymes, repetition and rhythms, lending itself perfectly to performance and reading aloud. And for older poetry fans, Selfies with Komodos by Brian Moses and Ed Boxall is also new from Otter-Barry this month.

KS1:

Beware the Blue Bagoo (Happy Yak) calls to mind such books as The Gruffalo and The Grotlyn in examining the role played by rumours in the creation of a monster – the mysterious Blue Bagoo – that may not be all that it seems. Andrea Stegmaier’s bright and bold illustrations accompany Karl Newson’s text, with rhymes that contribute to the narrative storytelling, including the twist.

Joining such similarly-themed titles as Ruby’s Sword and Stanley’s Stick is A Stick Called Cyril (Faros Books) by Alison Falkonakis and Nearchos Ntaskas. We follow a human protagonist and his stick companion; as he grows from boy to man to pensioner, we see his beloved stick taking on new meaning and purpose at every life stage. Inventive and quietly moving.

Matty Long’s Who Ate All the Bugs? (Oxford University Press) follows an intrepid snail around the garden as it tries to crack the titular case, learning all about the food chain along the way. An entertainingly gory introduction to this science topic for younger readers, and features Long’s characteristic comic-book style and humour that readers will recognise from his Super Happy Magic Forest series.

Continuing the minibeast theme is Darwin’s Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular! (Wide Eyed Editions) by Polly Owen and Gwen Millward. A silly yet scientific successor to Vivian French’s Yucky Worms, aimed at an older readership, this book focusses on Charles Darwin’s sensory experiments with worms, concluding with the key role their poo plays in food production. Fun and informative.

Lower KS2:

Acclaimed picturebook creators the Fan Brothers bring us their latest collaboration, Lizzy and the Cloud (Frances Lincoln). Greyscale illustrations with bold pops of yellow tell the fable of a young girl who adopts and cares for a cloud; it’s also about loving and letting go, which along with the theme of pet care would pair well with The Pet Potato.

Alcatoe and the Turnip Child, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Isaac Lenkiewicz, is an atmospheric paranormal fantasy set in a not-so-sleepy village in the woods, with a diverse cast and narrated by a cranky local witch (Alcatoe herself). Flying Eye truly excels at publishing highly illustrated fiction for younger readers, with Alcatoe joining such titles as Joe Todd-Stanton’s Brownstone’s Mythical Collection and Luke Pearson’s Hilda comics in their collection.

Thirty Trillion Cells (Welbeck) is a comprehensive tour through the cells of the human body. The accessible and entertaining text, written by Isabel Thomas, author of Moth: An Evolution Story, is complimented by inspired supportive illustrations and visual metaphors by Dawn Cooper – the perfect addition to a KS2 science shelf.

Some new editions of older favourites: Sita Brahmachari and Jane Ray’s celebrated tale of loss, heritage and selkies Corey’s Rock (Otter-Barry) has now been published in sleek paperback format; and My Father is a Polar Bear (Walker), a gentle short story on family secrets previously featured in Michael Morpurgo’s From Hereabout Hill, has been republished as a standalone novella, with new illustrations by Felicita Sala.

Upper KS2:

The latest instalment in Scholastic’s ‘Voices’ series of representative historical fiction, A Different Kind of Freedom takes place in Sheffield in the late 1800s, and tells of a young Romani boy who finds himself caught between his new-found love of football, and his Traveller heritage and family. Evocatively written by Richard O’Neill, and incorporates the real-life story of Rab Howell, the first known professional Romani footballer.

Once Upon a Hillside (Zephyr) by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Chiara Fedele, is another excellent work of historical fiction: a collection of original short stories, taking place over seven different centuries – from the Neolithic era up to the 21st Century – all on the same piece of land. It unveils and explores how human societies and their relation to the landscape have, or have not changed over the years.

Two new murder mystery titles this month, both illustrated by Claire Powell: Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum (Walker) is the first in a new series from comedian Alasdair Beckett-King, starring a plucky girl detective in disguise; and The Swifts (Puffin) by debut novelist Beth Lincoln, is a cleverly written caper about nominative determinism and coming into one’s identity, with an intriguing murder at its core.

Publishing in March 2023, a new verse novel to watch out for is Zana Fraillon’s The Way of Dog (Chicken House). It follows the life and times of a stray dog named Scruffity, told from his perspective using a distinct and immersive authorial voice; the kinetic typography, formatting, and atmospheric illustrations from Sean Buckingham also contribute to the storytelling.

We have been taking lots of photos of all the trips, visits and events our school children have taken part in.  We love to take photographs or video clips of your children having learning experiences at school. 

We havent been able to share all of these with you as we still do not have updated permissions on file for a lot of the children (you may recall we have changed how we capture permissions).  

Here's the form should you wish to review the photograph permissions for your child:

FORM: Photograph Permissions

We have our own Facebook page now!

Please find the link to join the school's Facebook page (users can't view the group's content until they become a member which school have to authorise):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lindenprimaryhub/?ref=share_group_link

(Please ensure you answer ALL the questions - if you miss any we cannot add you) 

We have some exciting ideas for some events to hopefully run after half term.  Look out for more information coming soon.  

We are always looking for people to get involved.  Without our wonderful volunteers, we are unable to arrange and run the projects and events.  Please get in touch if you would like to find out more at [email protected] 

Hope you all have a lovely half term break.  

Friends of Linden 

Museum of Gloucester to celebrate Charles Wheatstone with a day of activities

The Museum of Gloucester is delighted to announce a day of activity on Monday 6 February 2023, to celebrate the forgotten genius of Gloucester born scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs, Sir Charles Wheatstone.

We are very lucky to be able to work with experts in the field including local historian Steve Rowley and Denis Pellerin and Rebecca Sharpe from the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy.

Please see the link to the press release and related images for your information: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13U5X7vxrHMD_BYbr5wf25y4DBimTsHbj plus a link to book events on our website: https://www.museumofgloucester.co.uk/events?tag=Wheatstone.

Please do share with your staff and parents in your comms/newsletter, especially the FREE workshop to anyone with an interest in photography/film/digital/media/comms, as we feel this would be a huge benefit to them and their peers to learn from such experts in their field!

Mrs Hamblin's Little Artists children's art club

Mrs Hamblin's Little Artists children's art club runs at the studio based at Longlevens Infant School and now also at Abbeymead Primary School.

This club is for all children from all schools in Gloucestershire aged between 4 and 11 years old, currently running through every school holiday.

Please take a look at details of the February Half Term Club that is now open for booking:

Multisports and CheerDance

Atlas Camps

It’s just 3 weeks to go until Atlas Camps will be running their award-winning holiday clubs this February, with a selection of places still available to book!

Rating Outstanding by Ofsted, Atlas Camps specialise in multi-activity clubs for children ages 4-14. With a focus on fun, activities on offer span everything from arts and crafts to sports and active play, all in a safe, enjoyable environment designed to cater for all.

Highlights include:

• Ofsted rated ‘outstanding’
• Childcare vouchers accepted from a variety of providers
• Early drop-off/ late pick-up options
• Sibling discount available

For further information, please watch this video https://atlascamps.co.uk/promo/generic-16x9.mp4 or check out the attached poster.

Head to the Atlas Camps website at www.atlascamps.co.uk to book.

Gloucester

Not So Secret Book Club - Robinswood Hill

My name is Ms Sidhu, 

Having worked at Linden Primary School for over 20 years, I am now the founder of my own business Draw to Explore.

My practice supports clients with a non-cognitive therapeutic method which is recommended by CAMHS. It is currently being used very successfully with children within my pastoral role at school.

Below are the details of the service I provide, please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information or wish to make a booking.

Email: [email protected]