A huge thank you to all the parents who have attended our “Meet the Teacher” sessions. The turnout, so far, has been fantastic, and it’s been wonderful to see so many of you getting to know our new teachers and engaging with the school. Your involvement makes such a difference! If you could not attend, the slides are being emailed out afterwards.

This half term, we are focusing on Generosity as our Christian value. In school, we’ve been discussing how we can be generous in all aspects of our lives, whether that’s through kindness, sharing, or giving time to others. On that note, a heartfelt thank you to all of our Bentley volunteers who generously give their time to help on school trips, read with children, and support in many other ways. Your contributions are invaluable. If you have any time to spare, whether it's playing football at lunchtimes, reading with the children, or offering support in another way, we would love to hear from you! Please do get in touch—we would love to welcome more of you into Bentley school life.

Looking ahead, we are already advertising for our Year R open days for children starting Year R next year. If you know any families with children who will be starting school next year, especially those from Bentley, Froyle, and the surrounding areas, please do share the news! We would also be grateful if you could spread the word on social media platforms like Facebook to help us reach as many families as possible.

On a sadder note, those of you with children learning piano will have heard the news that Mark is beginning his phased retirement. After over 30 years of enriching children’s lives through music, we will be very sad to see him go as he has been an integral part of the Bentley family. Mark is working closely with us to ensure a smooth transition, and we are delighted to share that we have found an exciting potential new piano teacher, who Mark has recommended and is working with, to ensure continuity for the children. I will share more information soon.

Lastly, for those of you who asked about my skydive, thank you! Unfortunately, after a 6-hour wait, we were unable to jump due to weather conditions. I have rebooked for this Sunday, so fingers crossed for better weather! For those who kindly suggested I include the sponsorship link, here it is: https://www.justgiving.com/page/vicky-hallett-1705660638515?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fvicky-hallett-1705660638515&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and involvement in our school community.

Vicky Hallett

Headteacher

 

Meet the teacher Dates

It has been lovely to meet see so many parents in school this week at our Meet the Teacher events. This is a great opportunity to chat to your child’s new teacher, learn about what the school day will look like in their new class and get information about the curriculum, homework and reading expectations. You will also be able to ask any questions you might have about the year ahead. We look forward to welcoming the parents of Year 5 and Year 3 next week on the following dates:

 

Yr 5 – Monday 16^th September 2.45pm

Yr 3 – Tuesday 17^th September 2.45pm

 

APPLE PICKING

For the past 10 years, Bentley School has been collecting apples each autumn. Families and local residents kindly donate their surplus apples and windfalls. We organise apple picks with parent volunteers and all the children experience walking up to a local orchard and collecting the juicy harvest. It is an important part of their education to learn where the food we eat and drink comes from.

 

We are lucky to have a longstanding arrangement with Mr Whiteheads Cider Press who clean, press, pasteurise and bottle our juice.  Each bottle keeps for 3 months at room temperature, and once opened for 4 days in the fridge. With every bottle you get the unique taste of our local Bentley landscape and season. There are no added flavours or sweeteners. The PTFA are so proud to support our production of local, sustainable and natural apple juice. You could not get apple juice with a lower carbon footprint. 

We love that so many families enjoy the product we produce and support us with your purchases. Every penny we raise from the juice sales goes to the PTFA to fund projects that directly benefit all children at the school. We will be selling apple juice after school throughout the season so keep an eye out for notifications. £2 a bottle or 3 bottles for £5. If you can spare any time to help, ask your PTFA Rep for more information. We hugely appreciate the support of all those giving up their time to make this possible.

Class dates are as follows:-

Yr 5 – Tuesday 17^th September at 9am.

Yrs R & Y6 – Friday 20^th September at 9am.

Yr 4 – Wednesday 25^th September at 9am.

 

 

 

GARDENING TEAM – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Each Friday afternoon, the Gardening Team help the Year 1s look after the Courtyard Garden. They learn how to plant bulbs and grow seeds along with activities inspired by nature and the seasons. The children love the opportunity to learn outside the classroom in a very hands-on way. 

 

We would love some more volunteers to join our small team so this important experience can continue. You don't have to commit to every week and no gardening experience is needed, just enthusiasm. If you would like to know more, contact the Office who will put you in touch with the Gardening Team. 

 

STARTING SCHOOL AND MOVING TO SECONDARY SCHOOL – SEPTEMBER 2025

 

It is already time to be looking ahead to next September! If your child is in Year 6, please look at our community pages for information about open events for our local secondary schools, Eggars and Amery Hill. Applications are already open.

If you have a younger child who turns 4 between 1^st September 2024 and 31^st August 2025 (or know someone locally who does) we are already advertising our open events for prospective parents. Click here to find out more.

 

 

 

 

PTFA

 

Our annual AGM is on Tuesday 24th September, everyone is invited. It’ll be in the evening via Zoom. Please join us to find out what is happening this year, our targets and what last year’s fundraising has been spent on.

Apple season is upon us! Drop off area is the normal place in the staff carpark, sacks will be on hand for anyone to grab and use. 

Please ask your neighbours/friends if they have any surplus they are willing to donate! We are happy to organise pickers to go to their properties to collect them if it’s easier or even collect bags from their driveways. 

We need your help picking apples! If you’re available to help, please ask your reps to pass your details to Sarah C to be added. 

We also need help transporting the apples to the press in Froxfield on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays. Let us know if this is something you can do between 9-4. 

Class pick dates have been shared via the office email and extra hands are always appreciated. 

Our uniform shed is now open! Parents can access the shed to buy uniform at any time. You can collect the key from the office, all the information and how to pay is on a poster on the left wall as you walk in. Please keep it neat and tidy!

 

 

Bentley PTFA (Parents, Teachers & Friends association)

Visit the PTFA website by clicking here

 

click here to get more information about what’s going on in the local area