PTFA NEWSwww.swallowfieldlowerschool.co.uk • email: swallowfieldptfa@hotmail.co.uk

We love to see familiar as well as new faces at the PTFA meetings! We meet every 6 weeks or so, and details can be found on www.swallowfieldlowerschool.co.uk / PTFA or you can email us at swallowfieldptfa@hotmail.co.uk.

Dip in and out of the PTFA, get involved in one event a year, choose something that interests you, or just be an extra pair of hands – every little helps and it’s all for the children!

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time... from the desk of the EditorChristmas is well and truly on its way, the High Street lights are up, the internet is grinding to a standstill and my daughter’s permanently singing Jingle Bells/Grumpy Sheep mash ups in the back of the car. I am already getting palpitations at the thought of aligning writing cards and buying stamps in time for the final postal date and trying to remember what I have ordered online from where. However my main concern is just what do you buy a 6/7 year old girl? If the truth be told I’m struggling!

There has to be a limit to Moshi Monsters, Baby Born (why do I keep calling it Baby Bjorn?) is yet another doll, pink Lego friends are mainly for me, felt-tip pens and books are all around the house and then

Foundation Painting DayA big thank you to all the helpers and volunteers that braved the frost on Saturday 1st December and came to give the Foundation building a much needed coat of paint. The colour is vibrant and the volunteers included teachers, parents, governors and the local Community Payback Service. We are very grateful to Tillie at Groundwork Luton and Bedfordshire who helped us become part of the Dulux ‘Lets Colour’ campaign.

House football match:Swallowfield’s first House Football Festival was a great success. The children

representing their houses clearly enjoyed themselves as did all those who came to cheer them on. Kingfishers took the spoils in the Key Stage 2 competition whilst Robins were the victors in Key Stage 1. We very much look forward to the next House sporting event in the Spring Term. Mr Pastore.

Juicy School CouncilOn the 14th November 2012 at Swallowfield Lower School we had our first fresh juice sale. We raised over £20.00. It was a total success thanks to the support of all the children.

Let’s hope every juice sale is as successful and we can keep

raising money to benefit our school. Morgan Brown, School Council Treasurer.

Macmillan Mufti DayThank you to everyone who supported Kelly Green & Sarah Barnes’ Mums up a Mountain fundraising campaign by dressing in GREEN on Friday 26th Oct.

We raised an amazing £215 for their Macmillan charity, from your kind donations!

Look out for them shaking their Macmillan Collecting Buckets outside Tesco (Bletchley) on 21st Dec – They’ll be the ones dressed in GREEN, with clashing Santa Hats and Tinsel a-plenty!

After School ClubsCheck out the school website www.swallowfieldlowerschool.co.uk / News & Events / Clubs, though there may be changes for the start of each term.

What the PTFA funds have been used for:Have you seen our beautiful new learning pod? When you walk past it on the way into school - give yourself a little pat on the back. You did that. You and all of our other lovely parents and carers who bought a drink at coffee mornings or raffle tickets - or had a little shop online using easyfundraising.

Whether you bought a mug from MSW, Christmas cards for the festive season or tags from easy to name - you’ve all done your bit to make the learning experience for our children that little bit better. Well done you - let’s keep it up in 2013!

Your PTFA Committee

Chair: Catherine Wilkins Vice Chair: Kelly GreenSecretary: Claire Smith

Treasurer: Claire Sim Easymoney/100 club:

Hilary Cox

there’s Barbie... Just how many Barbies are there? I only had one Sindy and one Pippa so I’m stuck at the mo. The top 10 toy sites are no help – I don’t have a garden to cope with an 80mph quad-bike or a 10 storey tree-house; funny how the stores recommend the most expensive items. I did one year attempt to repel anything Disney from the house but failed miserably. I’m surprised Disney haven’t actually sponsored Christmas yet! Still, we have a number of shopping days left and I’m confident that TV adverts will provide my daughter with last minute inspiration that can be ordered, wrapped and hidden in time for the BIG day and all my worries will disappear.

I have to say I can’t wait for

‘The Grumpy Sheep’ Christmas play. Having heard the songs the play has much to live up to, as I’m sure it will. Grumpy sheep has already brightened up our lives, it’s very cathartic to sing when leaving shops who have provided particularly bad customer service. Launch into a verse when Dad is getting slightly humpy over the footie results or throw in a few Bleat, Bleat, Bleats when the kids are whingeing – smiles do return very quickly. So to lower stress levels over Christmas I would personally make the learning of Grumpy Sheep compulsory and I really think Michael Buble missed a trick not popping a version on his Chrissie Album.

So to all of Swallowfield, have a brilliant and very Merry Christmas break and New year.

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Once again the PTFA helped bring some festive cheer to the Woburn Sands Christmas Fayre courtesy of the mulled wine and mince pie stall.

A perfect winter’s day and the promise of seeing Greg Rutherford flick the switch on the new Christmas lights, brought people out in droves.

The volunteers worked their Christmas stockings off to help raise over £680 for school funds. A fantastic effort and well done to all those involved!

Now, time to start stock piling for next year..

Creative Christmas festival at St. Michael’s Church... The St Michael’s Church Christmas Tree Festival was held on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th December and was a great success.

As the lunchtime Craft Club I have been holding has proved extremely popular, I thought it would be a lovely idea to display a ‘Swallowfield Lower School’ Christmas Tree at the above festival.

I was so excited to have so many children across all years in the school to help me make decorations for this display. The theme I have chosen is ‘The Night Before Christmas’ by Clement C Moore. I have attempted to make various themed decorations from this well known Christmas Story. The Children have helped make Reindeer, Stockings, Snowflakes, Presents, Father Christmas coming down the chimey, sleighs, sweets/sugar Plums and gingerbread men.

All the children have been enthusiastic and very excited at each session (as I have!), and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with each child to ensure they are happy with their individual masterpiece!

I would once again like to thank all the Children for taking part and helping produce some lovely decorations. Each child will be able to bring home their individual decoration on Friday 21st December to hang on their own tree!

A Merry Christmas to all... and to all a Goodnight!

Kate Faulkner

Merry PTFA mulled wine and mince pie stall was a triumph!

On Friday 1st February 2013 here at Swallowfield Lower School we’re helping to kick off National Heart Month in style! We are asking the children to ‘Rock up in Red’ to school for a

donation to support the British Heart Foundation.

Heart Disease is the UK’s single biggest killer and every 6 minutes someone dies from a heart attack.

Every single person who takes part will help the British Heart Foundation to continue their life saving work. Kim Brown Heart Failure Specialist Nurse Supported by the BHF (Morgan & Ruby’s mum)

‘Rock up in Red’ for the British Heart Foundation - Friday 1st February 2013

PTFA NEWSGrab yourself a cuppa, we’ve got some news, dates and gossip for you...

Can you help? Much Loved Stories Needed

If anyone has squirreled away any good condition books that they are willing to donate to Swallowfield the children would love to read them.

Exciting or unusual job?

Could you give an hour’s talk or teach the kids a talent? Please get in touch as the PTFA want to set up a skill bank of our parents, carers and friends. Happy for your name to go on the list then please email.

Can Your Company Help?

Do you own a business, work for a mega corp. or small local firm? Do they help schools, have volunteer schemes, grants, and local/education schemes or offer free advice? Anything - funds, products, time, expertise and pointers for grants available - would be gratefully received. Please get in touch – or just email a company contact/weblink to Liteneasy@hotmail.co.uk.

Carry on with the Cash!This year the site raised over £300 for the PTFA. If you are not using the site for your web purchasing then where have you been? It’s really easy and it works.

Combine shopping and fundraising at the same time, surely extra money for the school is always a valid reason for new shoes? So please sign up, its money for nothing against all your online purchases.

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/swallowfieldptfa

As a user, select Swallowfield PTFA and make this your favourite entry site for all your online shopping.

http://swallowfieldptfa.easysearch.org.uk/

Switch from Google to Swallowfield PTFA and raise money every time you search, it couldn’t be easier!

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RecyclingThe School collects print cartridges and mobile phones which are recycled with a small donation returned to the school. They also collect stamps and plastic bottle tops to help local charities with their fundraising. So start collecting and bring them into School Reception!

Easy Money/100 Club Want to make your fortune and help the PTFA with fundraising? Contact Hilary Cox or email swallowfieldptfa@hotmail.co.uk. Winners are drawn monthly and announced via the Facebook Group.

Easy2name labelsDo you need labels for new school uniform? Then look no further than www.Easy2name.com Quote Swallowfield School MK17 on your orders (on-line, post or telephone) as a 20% donation goes to our fundraising.

The PTFA want to Go Green!The PTFA have an information page on the school website (www.swallowfieldlowerschool.co.uk) and a Facebook Group page.

The best way of keeping you all updated is via email. This can only replace old-fashioned paper communications if we have contact details for everyone.

Please help us save some time, paper and our environment by giving us your email address. If you haven’t done so already, please email us at swal lowfieldPTFA@hotmail .co.uk so we can add you to our emailing list.

PLEASE NOTE – These details are being collated by the PTFA, not the school and will only be used to send you information regarding the PTFA & School.

Friend Us!Swallowfield PTFA has it’s own Facebook group page where you can get up-to-the-minute information on all the comings and goings, events and meetings at the school.

All you need to do is search for Swallowfield PTFA and request to join the group, it really couldn’t be easier!

And you don’t have to volunteer for the PTFA to join the Facebook Group. Although you may find the sparkling wit and friendly nature of the parents, friends and carers will be incentive enough to get stuck in and help with one of our events!

Thank you!On behalf of the PTFA, I would like to thank everyone for the help and support throughout the year. The PTFA have some exciting new ideas for 2013which we look forward to sharing with you.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Catherine Wilkins

Big Up! This Month we are bigging up:• All the Children for their wonderful Christmas plays and nativity performances.

They have been truly spectacular - well done!

Date: Calendar Dec - April: Where: Time:FRi 14TH DECEMbER

Christmas Jumper Mufti day in aid of Save the Children

Swallowfield School

FRi 21ST

DECEMbER School closes for Christmas Holidays. Merry Christmas and a happy new year everyone!

Swallowfield School

3.30PM

MoN 7TH jANuARY

Staff training day - No School!

TuES 8TH jANuARY

Spring term begins. Swallowfield School

8.45AM

WED 9TH

jANuARYFresh Juice day. Don’t forget 20p! Swallowfield

School

WED 23RD

jANuARYFresh Juice day. Don’t forget 20p! Swallowfield

School

WED 6TH

FEbRuARY Fresh Juice day. Don’t forget 20p! Swallowfield

School

MoN 18TH

FEbRuARYHalf term begins.

FRi 22ND

FEbRuARYHalf term ends.

THuRS28TH

MARCHSpring Term ends. Swallowfield

School3.30PM

MoN 15TH APRiL

Staff training day - No School!

TuES 16TH APRiL

Summer Term begins. Swallowfield School

8.45AM

How to help your child – sign up to Mathletics!!What parent doesn’t want their child to have the best experience in learning maths? If you want to encourage learning in a fun way then read on…

Mathletics is a fun way of learning on line. With the time our kids spend on computers as a parent I am thankful that with Mathletics she gets some support in developing a skill that can be used for the rest of her life.

Kids are encouraged and rewarded. Not every child can be top of the class, mine tries hard but on Mathletics every child is a star and earns a certificate for doing their best. It is easy to use with my daughter able to log on and use it with little or no help. As a parent to see what she finds easy and difficult is a real help. The awards are motivating, and she can practice where she is struggling so it builds her confidence.

The educational benefit is that their class results should improve, it has helped my child’s confidence so why not spend a little time over the Christmas break to see if it can help yours.

What do kids say about Mathletics?

Need I say more? Brett Douglas

“I love my certificate”

“ Some of the questions are easy

but not always”

“ I enjoy playing against my

friends”

“Sometimes I don’t like doing homework ... but on Mathletics

dad says I am enthralled”