Dear Parents

The end of an academic year gives us an ideal opportunity to look back and see just how much

progress the children have made and to appreciate all their achievements. In the classroom

they have been exposed to a variety of learning opportunities, been stretched and supported as

needed and performed highly across curriculum areas. However, their learning has not been

confined to the classroom or to one or two specific areas, it has been across subjects and

beyond the classroom and often the school. Most importantly, they have had a happy year

during which they have strengthened established friendships, made new ones and all grown up

that little bit more.

During the school year there have been many educational visits, notably the Year 4 residential

trip to Pioneer Centre when the children faced challenges and learned new skills. In sport,

there have been many fixtures both at home and away, sometimes involving a squad of just 8

children and sometimes, as with our whole school Sports Day, involving all children from the

Nursery to the Upper Sixth. There have also been many successes as you will see from the

following pages. The children have entertained us musically with nativities, Year 3 Strings

Concerts, the wonderful Summer Concert and most recently the Year 5 play, showing the

wealth of instrumental and vocal talent in the school. Whenever the children have represented

our school they have done so admirably and I am extremely proud to be their Headteacher.

Inevitably, at the end of a school year we say goodbye to some colleagues and friends.

Although saying goodbye is difficult, we are also feeling very positive about September having

very successfully filled our teaching vacancies. At a time when nationally the teacher vacancy

rate is climbing and fewer people than ever are training as teachers, we had an outstanding

field of applicants to select from. Investment in staffing is at an unprecedented high and has

been made possible as a result of how well the school is doing. While other independent

schools in the Midlands are contracting, we are growing and, as a result, investing. I look

forward to welcoming the new members of our team to the School.

While the children are enjoying their long holidays, the Junior School will be a hive of activity. In

September, the School Office will be rehoused in the current Music Room, and a new electric

security gate will be installed nearby. The Reception mobile exterior will be painted, new

carpets will be laid and new outdoor equipment and resources will arrive. The Pippins Nursery

is expanding into the current office area and a new space for learning will be developed. And,

most excitingly, work will begin on the £100K creation of the Sarah Ennis Music School.

As well as developing this building, we will be purchasing 50 new instruments to offer a

Woodwind Scheme in Year 4 akin to the Strings Scheme in Year 3. Additional painting, lighting,

and furnishing work is planned throughout the Junior School and I look forward to sharing these

developments with you next term.

On that note I would like to thank you all for a brilliant year. I wish the Year 5s lots of luck and

success as they enter a new stage of their education at the Senior School and I look forward to

seeing them grow and develop, taking advantage of the new opportunities that lie ahead. I have

truly loved my first year at the Dixie, getting to know all of you, your families and your children. I

wish you all a fantastic summer and very much look forward to welcoming you back on 4th

September for the start of the new academic year.

With my warmest wishes

Mrs Emma Billington Headteacher, Dixie Grammar Junior School and Nursery

The

Dixie

Post

July

2017

01455 293024

infojs@dixie.org.uk

www.dixie.org.uk

The Dixie Grammar

Junior School and Nursery

New glass-fronted music block

Miss Fowler joined us in September as a Year 1 and

Year 5 teacher and has been much loved by

the children that she has taught. She ran

the after school Art Club during the

Autumn term, enabling lots of children to

develop their creative skills. Her classroom

was always bright and inspiring with

wonderful displays of the children’s work.

She leaves us to further her career as a Year 1 teacher and

we wish her lots of luck and happiness in her new school.

Mrs Jones-Gerrard retired (early) at the end of term

having joined the School in 2007 as Science

Coordinator and Year 5 class teacher. As well

as preparing the children for the Scholarship

Exam and their transition to Year 6, she is also

famous for her annual Year 5 play productions.

She ran a gardening club and often organised

teams of children to help pick the apples and

cherries to sell at the end of the school day, funding small treats

for the children.

Mrs Jones-Gerrard also ran the popular after school club,

‘Nature Detectives’, and could often be seen rambling to the

nearby woods, leading a line of welly-wearing children and

carrying a flask of hot chocolate and biscuits!

We wish her happiness in her retirement as she and her

husband take to the French waterways in their boat and spend

time visiting their daughter in Japan.

Mrs Pepper has worked at the school since 2001

as a classroom assistant. She has

been a huge support to many

children, staff and families and

worked in most year groups across

the school. She has also been a

valuable member of the After School

Homework Club supervision team.

Mrs Pepper is now looking forward to spending more

time with her family and enjoying holidays during

term time. We wish her well in her travels.

Mrs Burdett has retired after just over 5 years at the

School. She has been both a Year 3

and Reception Class teacher during her

time with us. Mrs Burdett has also

been the Religious Studies Coordinator

and ran a popular after school puzzle

club during the last academic year.

Having lived abroad and travelled

widely, Mrs Burdett was able to bring a wealth of

knowledge into the classroom, which was inspiring to

staff and pupils alike.

We hope Mrs Burdett enjoys her retirement spending

more time at her cottage in Norfolk and supporting her

younger daughter’s sailing activities.

Miss Hudson is leaving us for the second time. She

previously worked at the School for 3 years,

leaving in 2015 to further her musical

career. After a couple of years away, we

enticed her back into the fold to cover Mrs

Jarvis’s maternity leave.

Since November she has inspired the

children to produce some great performances, both vocally

and instrumentally, beginning with the Young Voices Concert

in January for the Year 4 and 5 children and culminating in

the Summer Concert in June. We wish her well as she leaves

us this summer and look forward to hearing news of her

future musical adventures.

Miss Upham joined the School in 2015 as a graduate

assistant and has now completed both her PGCE

qualification and passed her NQT year. She has

been a valuable and enthusiastic member of the

PE team, working right across the school from

Pippins to Upper Sixth. She has been especially

proactive in supporting extra-curricular hockey

and her cheerful willingness to help throughout

the school has been greatly appreciated.

She will be greatly missed but we wish her lots of luck as she

leaves to embark on the next stage of her career.

Year 3 were impressive

in their final Strings

Concert of the year.

This half term, as ever, the children have gladly taken the

opportunity to entertain us. The lovely Summer Concert

with the themes of growing up, travel and adventure,

gave children from Reception to Year 5 the chance to

perform in front of their parents and grandparents. The

final Strings Concert of the year showed just how far the

Year 3 children have come since September.

Some of our Speech and

Drama pupils recited

their pieces from the

Nuneaton Festival and

LAMDA exams.

The choirs were

outstanding, the guitar,

ukulele and brass players

were fabulous and the

Speech and Drama recitals

were all brilliant.

The Strings Programme will continue for Year 3 in September

and we will introduce a Woodwind Scheme in Year 4 later in

the term. We look forward to making full use of the new

music department facilities to further develop the

instrumental and vocal talent the children display.

Sports Day July 2017

Thank you to everyone for your generous support

of our sponsored event. The children had a great

afternoon bouncing in the sun to raise money for

the Happy Days Children’s Charity. Almost £600

was raised in total and a special mention goes to

Clive who raised a fantastic amount all on his own!

The sun has been shining

for us and the children

have loved being able to

play outside.

Vikram and Jamie practised their mark-making

skills by chalking outside. Both boys put a lot

of detail into their pictures. Jamie drew a

spaceship and Vikram a tractor.

We have talked a little bit

about life cycles, observing

frogspawn last half term and

chicken eggs this half. The

children have watched with

fascination and excitement as the

eggs in our incubator began to

move and then one day a tiny

bird emerged! They loved

watching as it grew and

transformed into a cute and

fluffy chick.

Our 25% of the bounce money has paid for a

selection of magnetic toys and building

blocks. The children are enjoying

discovering the ’magic’ of magnets and

building the tallest towers they possibly can.

Princesses at play

‘Tea and cake please’

Hard work in the sand!

Wilson Vale, our school

caterers, came to talk to

the children about healthy

eating. All the children were

able to sample different

fresh and dried fruits.

As the weather reached 31

degrees the only thing to

do was put the paddling

pool up and get wet.

Continuing with our fresh food

theme, we took the children to the Sparkenhoe Cheese

Farm at Upton. They visited the dairy, met the cows

and learned a little about the cheese-making process.

Most importantly, the cheese was delicious!

SPIDER HUNTING!!

Armed with bug pots and magni-

fying glasses, Reception went into the wood-

land area to hunt down some minibeasts! They

learned about their body parts, that they

have blue blood that they have up to eight

eyes and six knees on each leg. They made

paper plate spiders and wrote facts

about them on each leg.

In other news….

Reception have been outside

enjoying the weather, building

dens, dressing up, reading

stories and playing with sand

and water with their friends! In maths they have been learning

their number bonds to 5,8 and 10.

The children have been adding by

counting along a number line too!

In phonics Reception have been

using all the sounds they have

learnt this year in their writing.

Here we were practising the ‘air’

and ‘igh’ sounds!

The children have

been investigating

changes of state -

from solids to liquids.

We made biscuits to

see how heat can

change food.

As artists, the

children have been

practising and

improving their

cutting and weaving

skills and produced

some fabulous artwork.

In English, the children

have been learning

about the ‘-ing’ suffix;

they practised using

words ending in ‘-ing’

when writing their

Pirate poems.

The children have been

learning to multiply by 2,

5 and 10. They have

counted in groups and

used various maths

resources to help.

They put sweets in the

middle of the biscuits

and observed that they

became liquid in the

oven. The liquid set

again when the biscuits

cooled down.

As Scientists the children have been

learning about the importance of healthy

eating and exercise. They have been finding

out what happens to their bodies when they

exercise and understanding the benefits.

The children have been learning

about habitats and micro-habitats.

They went on an adventure into

our secret garden in search of

mini-beasts. They enjoyed looking

under logs, in bushes and in trees.

They have also had the opportunity to

taste a variety of fruits when a

representative from Wilson

Vale, our catering company, visited.

As researchers they used the

chrome books to discover

what sort of habitats different

creatures live in and why

they prefer those habitats.

The children

created their own

3D habitats using a

variety of materials.

As scientists, the children have been learning

about the importance of healthy eating and

exercise. They have been finding out what

happens to their bodies when they exercise

and understanding the benefits.

The children have been learning about

habitats and micro-habitats. They went on

an adventure into our secret garden in

search of mini-beasts; they looked under

logs, in bushes and in trees.

They have also had the

opportunity to taste a variety

of fruits when representatives from Wilson Vale, our catering

company, came into School to talk about healthy eating.

As researchers they used the

chrome books to discover what sort

of habitats different creatures live in

and why they prefer those habitats.

The children created their

own 3D habitats using a

variety of materials.

The children have continued to

learn about Ancient Egypt and

as part of this topic they

designed and created their own

death masks. They had to find

out how they could strengthen

their masks by experimenting

with different techniques.

The children were then

given the task of thinking

about, and writing, their

own stage directions.

They used a familiar

play for this exercise,

and acted it out.

They completed their creations by painting

their masks, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

The children became script writers, actors and

directors when given the task to write their own

plays. They began by reading existing scripts.

Using their new skills

and knowledge they

wrote their own plays,

working collaboratively

with a partner.

Adventure stories

Year 3 have been improving their

adventure story writing skills. They first

learnt how to draw a story map which

they linked to their previous class book

‘How to train your dragon’. They then

practised following a story map focusing

on writing a paragraph for each section

and including adverbs. The children

concluded the literacy focus by

independently writing their Viking

adventure stories linked to Lindisfarne

using their own story map.

Mindfulness

Year 3 have slowly been learning more about mindfulness and

practising techniques. They can now pay more attention to

what is happening in the here and now. They are learning how

to observe their emotions, thoughts and surroundings, in an

even-minded way. This half term they have also done some

‘mindful movements’ taken from the Class Dojo app.

Seed investigations

Year 3 became dedicated scientists this half term while

carrying out their own seed investigations. The children

planned their own experiments, deciding which one variable

they would like to change. We had some interesting

questions being tested; Coke vs. Fanta as a liquid source

becoming a favourite. The children took responsibility for

carrying out their tests on a daily basis, using pipettes to

ensure the two comparisons were fairly treated. After monitoring the seeds for 2 weeks, taking

several photographs, the children evaluated their results and shared their findings with the class.

Viking assembly

Year 3 finished their Viking

topic with a fantastic

assembly to the school and

parents. They performed

two small Viking plays before

sharing examples of work

completed during the topic.

Year 3 Market

Bosworth Anti-Litter

Campaign Poster

Competition winners.

Scientists

The focus on bees began during

our study of plant pollination.

The children dissected a flower to

investigate the different parts.

While observing flowers they saw

many different stamen and

stigma and also noticed how

many bees there were searching

for pollen and nectar.

Researchers

The children researched honey bees to create fantastic bee lapbooks. Everyone learnt so many

new facts, and improved their researching skills.

Artists

During their research, Year 3

learnt that bees do not see the

same colours as people.

The children created

paintings to demonstrate

this fact, by first sketching,

then improving their tracing

skills to create four identical

flowers; they painted two in

‘human vision’ and two in

‘bee vision’. They also

created solitary bee homes

by carefully sawing canes.

Poets

The children read lots of insect poems

from the book ‘Buzzing’ by Anneliese

Emmans, both to improve their

performance poetry and

also for inspiration for

their own poems. They

performed various bee

poems in groups and

also wrote their own honey bee poems.

They made bee mobiles using corks.

And finally the children were

tasked with building as high

a tower as possible, but

again with limited resources.

This challenge involved

spaghetti and marshmallows

and some careful planning.

More marshmallows were

eaten than used to build

towers resulting in some

interesting results but the

teams worked well to try

and disguise that fact! The

team with the winning tower

won a bag of marshmallows

to share!

The final Art lesson of the term

was spent exploring some S.T.E.M

challenges (Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics).

The first challenge was to work as a team

using cups and straws to recreate a pattern

from a photograph. It was surprisingly easier

than first anticipated and the children worked

well as a team to get some good results.

The next challenge was to create a device to ensure the safe landing

of an egg… from the skylight window in 4D, out onto the path

below! You may think this would be easy but the only equipment

the teams were allowed to use consisted of 120 straws, scissors and

one roll of sellotape! There were some very inventive ideas and the

excitement when the egg was dropped was unsurmountable!

Year 4 spent part of their PE

lesson on transition day doing a

team building exercise. The

project was 'Lunar Landing' and the

‘mission’ was to transport a tennis ball

from one post to another, using only a

ring connected to a parachute cord.

It was challenging

and tested the

children’s patience and concentration!

There was an opportunity to practise

for the first half of the lesson, and then

the posts were relocated to various

locations around the school grounds.

There was an exciting Art lesson this

term when the children were given

a selection of ingredients, some

scales, two baking trays and a

recipe sheet complete with

instructions (which were somewhat

overlooked in our excitement and

desire to eat the cookies).

However, most of the

children carefully

weighed the ingredients

before putting them all in

a bowl together, stirring

and hoping.

Some results were

interesting but most turned

out rather well. They all

tasted great and very few

made it past the school

gates in our origami boxes.

Well done to everyone who took part.

It was a positive experience and Miss

Healey was very impressed by the 'can

do' attitude a lot of the groups adopted.

Y

E

A

R

5

Year 5 have finished the year off in

fine style with their brilliant

performances in ’Go for Goal’. Not

only have they drawn and painted

their own props and pulled together

many different outfits, they also

played 43 different roles in a year

group of just 19 children.

Their hard work in learning their

lines and achieving smooth

costume and role changes was

evident in their outstanding shows.

Their singing was also exceptional.

Congratulations Year 5.

Year 5 sailing,

hiking & camping

ISA Athletics – Midland Area Event

A very cold, wet and windy day but the children’s spirits were still high

and they were enthusiastic about competing at such a wonderful venue

– Alexandra Stadium Birmingham. 30 children from years 4-6 took part

in the event and every competitor held their own in their chosen event.

The National team is still being selected as we type. Well done to the

whole team on their individual and team successes on the day.

HABSPAN - Hockey Level 2

After winning the Level 1

competition back in November it

was time for the 2nd round. 3 teams

from Years 5 & 6 and 3 teams from

Years 3 & 4 entered the Level 2

competition held at Barton Road. Super hockey was played

against lots of local schools from the Hinckley and Bosworth

area. Both Dixie A teams did a fantastic job, winning the

overall event and securing their place at the School Games.

HABSPAN Quad kids.

A great afternoon of athletics. Hot

conditions made the 4 events of a

sprint, 600m run, a howler throw and

standing long jump tough going, but the

children did an amazing job. Lots of

personal records broken and the team

secured 5th place out of 10 schools.

County Tennis Finals.

A Year 4/5 team represented Hinckley & Bosworth in

the Year 5/6 County Tennis Finals. The competition

was strong and our players held their own on the

court. To qualify to such a high level was a super

achievement for all our players and we are really proud of

their determination and sportsmanship throughout.

HABSPAN Tri Golf

A super event held at Barton Road saw lots

of keen golfers showing off their skills. Dixie secured their Level 2

places and went on to play against other schools in the borough.

Year 5/6 were 40 points short, gaining 3rd place, while the Year 3/4

team won the shield and a place at the School Games.

School Games

The highlight of the sporting calendar is the School Games where 1000 athletes

from 10 local sports networks across Leicestershire meet annually to fight it out

for the chance of being crowned Leicestershire Champions! The Year 3/4 & 5/6

hockey teams and the Year 3/4 Tri Golf team all travelled to Uppingham for a

fantastic day of sport. The teams were representing Hinckley & Bosworth and

their aim was to compete according to the School Games Values and do their

best to win Gold.

The Year 5/6 hockey team took it all in their stride, winning all their games. The Year 3/4

team followed closely behind with 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss. With the overall points

gained and goals scored both teams secured Gold! Showing true sportsmanship

throughout and taking each win in a modest manner also gained the Year 5/6 children

the Spirit of the Games Award. Mr Vernon has taken hockey teams to the School Games

for the past 4 years … this year was the year to bring home the trophies!

The Tri Golf team did an amazing job too and played with efficiency and

determination. The scores were very close during this competition and the

team narrowly missed out on a medal-winning position. However, in true

Dixie style the children stepped up and stood out yet again to secure

another Spirit of the Games Award!

We pride ourselves as a department to teach the children the skills, game

play and etiquette of numerous sports. On 30 June all those elements came

together and we are very proud to have brought home 4 VERY well deserved

trophies that say so much about the sports provision at the Dixie.

Congratulations to all our athletes.

School Masot, Spot,

guarding the silverware

Medicines

Please remember that all

medicines must be handed in to

the School Office and consent

forms signed.

Children must not keep medicines

in their bags or pockets as this

poses a risk to themselves and

other children.

Some key dates for the diary:-

Term begins - Monday 4 September

Clubs begin - Monday 11 September

Half-term holiday - Monday 16 - Friday 27 October

Term ends - Wednesday 20 December

Please check the calendar via the school website for the most up-to-date

information regarding other term-time events.

And

finally…

Some

dates for

the diary

and other

useful

notes

01455 293024

infojs@dixie.org.uk

www.dixie.org.uk

The Dixie Grammar

Junior School and Nursery

Keep up to date with the school calendar and events on www.dixie.org.uk

https://twitter.com/DixieGrammar

https://www.facebook.com/the.dixie.grammar

Uniform

In September, summer uniform is optional until we break for the half-term holiday on

Friday 13 October.

May we take this opportunity to remind parents that girls’ skirts and dresses should be

knee length and their hair tied back. Boys’ shorts should not have large pockets on the

sides and their hair should be short and tidy. Exaggerated cuts and bleached or

obviously coloured hair are unacceptable in school.

Further details regarding uniform can be found in the Parent and Pupil Guidance

Booklet given out during our recent Transition Evening and is available on the website.

Summer Playscheme

A reminder that the Summer Playscheme will run for 2 weeks in the holidays:-

Week 1 is 24-28 July and Week 2 is 14-18 August.

All enquiries should be directed via funplayscheme@gmail.com

Snacks for morning break

As a School we promote healthy eating and

encourage the children to make sensible food

choices.

We ask that you support this initiative by

providing healthy snacks for your children to

eat during morning break and suggest a

piece of fruit as a good option.

Parking

A reminder that parents of children in Reception

to Year 5 must park on the main car park or

back playground when dropping off between

8.30-9.00am and collecting from 3.20pm. Only

Nursery parents and visitors may park on

the front drive at these times.

The yellow lines must be kept clear for

emergency vehicle access. Thank you.