This week at Bentley...

I hope this newsletter finds you well. It has been a truly wonderful week at school, filled with exciting learning and memorable moments. It is always such a joy to see the children engaging with their lessons and showing such enthusiasm for their learning.

This week, I had the pleasure of teaching Year 4, and I was absolutely amazed by their impressive times table knowledge—proof that all their hard work and perseverance is paying off! When I visited Year 6, I found them deeply engrossed in an arithmetic code-cracking task. In fact, they were so focused, I am not sure they even noticed that Mrs. Blake had left the room and I had taken over!

Our youngest learners in Year R have also been shining this week. Some children beautifully retold the story of Owl Babies and impressed me with their ability to sequence pictures to show their understanding of the story. It has been a delight to see their confidence grow as they share their learning.

I am also thrilled to share that we have reintroduced the ‘Bentley Kindness Cup’ into our celebrations. The cup was originally donated to the school a few years ago by the Phillips family, and I am delighted that we are awarding it again. The cup will be awarded termly to a child who has been recognised for demonstrating great kindness to all. This term, the cup has been awarded to Rhys in Year 6. Well done, Rhys—you have set a fantastic example for us all!

On another note, I wanted to update you on the work taking place on the recreation ground. Unfortunately, due to the recent weather conditions, there have been delays. As a result, I have made the decision to move Sports Day to Friday, 11th July 2025, to allow plenty of time for the rec to be ready. This event is always a highlight of the school year, and I am looking forward to us all coming together as a whole school to celebrate.

ATTENDANCE

At Bentley CE Primary School, we believe that good attendance ensures children have the best educational start in life and that arriving on time builds good habits for the future and starts each day positively.

The Government sets a standard of 95% attendance for primary schools. Our Governors have set a school target of 97%. Achieving an attendance rate of 95% means that your child would have had approximately ten days of absence throughout the year.

To support your child to have good attendance, please avoid making routine doctor or dentist appointments during school hours and only request a leave of absence if it is for an exceptional circumstance. Please be aware that there are very few reasons for which the school is able to authorise absence. To promote good attendance in school, we will announce the class with the best weekly attendance in our collective worship on a Friday as well as displaying this in our newsletter. We understand that sometimes children do get poorly and absence from school is therefore unavoidable. In these circumstances, please inform the school office as soon as possible so they can make a note that your child will be absent.

Attendance figures for last week are below:

HOUSEPOINTS

This week’s housepoints totals:

COFFEE MORNING

All parents/carers are invited to our coffee morning next Tuesday. Mrs Rhodes will be there with school nurses and a behavioural consultant for informal advice.

A REQUEST FOR TISSUES

It’s that time of year again when noses seem to become extra sniffly and it would be great if every family could help keep those germs at bay by donating a box of tissues, so we can ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’! We would really appreciate your donations this year in:

January – Year R, Year 2, Year 4 and Year 6

February – Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5

Please give your box of tissues to your child’s class teacher or hand them in at the office. Thank you!

ECO UPDATE

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 – 24-26 January

This weekend is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch – the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey and a really important citizen science project which provides lots of information about our bird populations in the UK. It’s free and easy to get involved, simply click here

Design our Bee and Butterfly Garden Competition

There is still time to enter our fabulous ‘Design our Bee and Butterfly Garden’ competition and all children are welcome to enter with the winning entries being invited to help create the garden. See the poster for more information and also check out the internet for inspiration such as the BBC's guide or Nestle's Guide to a pollinator-friendly garden.

A Fruit Tree for Every Garden

Fruits trees are a great way to attract wildlife in your garden and also to provide you with healthy food at a very low cost. If you would like a fruit tree in your garden, now is the time to order them thanks to the ‘Fruit Tree For Every Garden’ project led by PeCAN in Petersfield. There is a great variety of trees on offer at the bargain price of £12.50 each - we have already bought some for the bee and butterfly garden! For more information and to order, please head to the PeCAN website by clicking here.

Eating for Tomorrow Film Screening – Saturday 25^th January

Presented by Sustainabites, an ACAN group focused on sustainable, planet-friendly eating, the film Eating for Tomorrow is being screened on Saturday 25^h January. See poster below for more information and details about how to book.

PTFA

Break The Rules Day

On Friday 7th February, children are invited to break the rules! Keep an eye out in book bags for more information. The children are all very excited about this day! 50p per rule.

Bingo Night at The Anchor