Dear Parents, Carers and Children,

Welcome to the final newsletter of this school year.  This final term has certainly been a long one, with lots going on!  I would like to thank those of you that were able to attend our whole-school art exhibition this week- it was absolutely fantastic to see so many of you and to see all of the artwork on display.  I know that the children had a great fun creating it all and they should be very proud of themselves.

Below, I have attached a link to our annual parent survey.  We value all stakeholder views and use parent, pupil and governor voice to help is improve our educational and holistic offer.

The results of this survey will be shared with governors and with you and will be considered as we set our school development priorities for the next year.  As well as reflecting on what we can do better and learn from, it is also a lovely way to celebrate what is working well and our successes as a Linden community.  The survey will remain open and active until Friday 4^th August.

Parent Survey

It has been an absolute pleasure to watch the Year 6 children enjoy so many of the rites of passage that being a ‘Linden Leaver’ entails.  The production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ was incredible and such a magical way to end their journey at Linden.  We wish them all the very best of luck for September and beyond.

As we head into a well-deserved break for the summer, I would like to say a few ‘thank-yous’.  Firstly, to the children…you have had a brilliant year and have impressed us all with your resilience and hard work.  Secondly, I would like to thank all of the staff.  For many reasons, it has been a challenging year, yet their determination and dedication has, as always, been unfaltering.  Lastly, I would like to thank all of our parents and carers for your invaluable support this year.

On a final note, as is often the case at the end of the year, we have staff moving on to new adventures.  I would also like to take the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to Mrs James (Learning Partner), Mrs Gassman (Year 4), Mrs Greaves (kitchen) and Mrs Palmer (MDS).  

I really hope that you all have a wonderful break over the summer and I look forward to seeing all of the children return for the start of term on Wednesday 6^th September 2023. 

Best wishes,
Lucy Collins

The Stars of the Week for week ending 14th July:

Class 1 and Class 2 went to the hall to visit some reptiles. We saw a bearded dragon, a bull frog, a snake, a tarantula and a scorpion. We all enjoyed seeing these different reptiles and learning interesting facts about them. We were even allowed to hold the reptiles, which we were very careful about.

On Tuesday 4th July, Year 6 took a trip down to Oxford University where we were able to complete our Building Bridges Science Project. Oxford University kindly hosted, where they showed us the Botanical Gardens, talked us through career options and showed us some of the amazing sustainable projects they have on the go. A massive thank you to all at Oxford University for organising and hosting us. 

Last Thursday saw our final Rocksteady performance of the year, and what a performance it was! First up was The Flaming Pizzas playing 'Wellerman'. Our next 'band' was The Stealing Pillow Gang, but due to absences this meant that George Price's first Rocksteady performance was a solo playing 'Shotgun'. Well done, George! The next band was Chocolate Covered Crystal Galaxy playing 'Something Just Like This'. Finally, Secret Horizons played the classic 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. All the performances were fantastic and we felt ever so proud of the children for getting up on stage in front of a packed school hall. Thank you to everyone who came to support the concert, and a huge thank you to our Rocksteady teacher, Trinity, for all her hard work this year.

The Year 1 Children had an amazing time at Nature in Art in Twigworth. They got to explore the museum, art gallery and the sculptures in the garden. They talked to the artist in residence about her work and what inspires her to create her pictures. They all had the chance to weave with natural materials and also made mobiles.

Pizza time! This week, year 3 made veggie pizzas as a celebration for all the hard work this year. We then enjoyed them with a film. 

 This week EYFS and KS1 had a visit from Puddle Pucks swim school to teach us about water safety. We discussed the risks/dangers that may occur and how we can prevent them by using the 4 rules;  Stopping and thinking, staying together, floating and calling for help.

We enjoyed learning about water safety and explored a range of supportive techniques together I.e. using armbands, looking out for a lifeguard etc.

LOUD AND PROUD! After 10 weeks of practice, year 3 performed their end of year cornet (trumpet!) pieces to a huge crowd and made us all very proud. Thank you to Peter and all the children for all their hard work. We can't wait to see some future musicians! They have learnt to read music and which valves to press down on their cornets. The children loved having the opportunity to showcase their skills and the concert was enjoyed by all. Well done Year 3!

This week Class 1 and 2 were introduced to ‘Barry the tortoise’. We each had the chance to hold Barry and learn new facts about him. The children enjoyed stroking, holding and feeding him different fruits I.e. lettuce, peppers and strawberries! Class 2 overfed Barry but all had a wonderful experience when meeting him!

The year 2 team were delighted to welcome parents and carers to school on Thursday afternoon for the year 2 Graduation Assembly. The children looked fantastic in their graduation hats and we were so proud of them for speaking and singing in front of a packed hall, as we have been proud of them all year for their hard work. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for joining us in celebrating graduation and for all your support throughout the year. 

As the school year comes to an end we would like to thank the parents/carers, staff and the whole school community for supporting the gardening club with donations this year, during our houseplant, vegetable plants and the first produce of the year sales.

We were so happy to share our successes with the whole school community. We couldn’t have done it without your help! We managed to purchase gloves for children, pebbles for painting and few other items necessary for sustainable gardening. Our next venture for next year is to create our own compost and purchase a most necessary gardening shed where we can store our tools and pots. 

Mrs Arthurs' woodwind group performed to key stage 2 on Wednesday morning. It was fantastic to see how much the children's skills and confidence has grown since their last performance, with so many solos, duets and ensemble performances from children from year 4 to year 6. We hope that the year 6 children continue showing off their musical talents in secondary school, and we look forward to seeing the other children continuing with Mrs Arthurs in September. Well done to all!

Summer Fair 

We were very happy that the rain stopped in time for our annual Summer Fair to go ahead as planned. It was lovely to see everyone enjoying the event, from the bouncy castles to the PCSOs, the ice cream van to the items provided by our external stallholders.  Plus, the huge variety of fun games stalls, the class makes and the ever-popular raffle.  We also enjoyed a fantastic display by the children from The Dojo Karate Academy.  

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone, both parents and staff, that helped with the preparation, donated cakes or items for the tombola/bric a brac stalls, setup on the day or at the fair itself.  Without this help, the event could not take place.  Thank you also to the staff and children for making some beautiful items for the class makes stall.  It was lovely to see their creations.  

Lastly, thank you to everyone that came along to support the event.  I am delighted to be able to tell you that a fantastic £1154 was raised.  

We have some amazing sponsors that generously contribute to our fair, enabling us to raise more money for the school.  

** TG Lettings ** 

** King of the Castles **

** Wheatley’s Whippy **  

Plus, the following donators to our raffle  

Tuck Shop 

Some of the left-over items from the Summer Fair were sold at the Year 6 show and after school one day last week.  This raised an additional £201.  Look out for more Tuck Shops when school starts back in September.  

Sponsored Read 

Thank you to everyone that took part in this event that we ran over half term.  The winners were awarded their prizes in assembly last week, when we also presented the books to the school.   

A phenomenal £960 was raised in sponsorship money.  A further 60% of free spends were generously given to us by Usborne.  This meant that the total available to spend on new books for the school was £1536 and over 140 books were purchased for the classrooms. 

We hope that you all have a wonderful summer break, and we look forward to providing more exciting events in September.  

Friends of Linden 

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]