Eaton House The Vale
News
Welcome Letter
10th January 2012
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year - and welcome to the new pupils in the Nursery!
Please bear in mind that clubs will begin next week, starting Monday 16th January. Unfortunately we are unable to run the Healthy Kids Club this term. Please check the club lists that are up in the front hallway and make a note of the finishing times. Invoices will be sent in the first week.
I always like to take this opportunity to refresh memories on a few points: term dates, absences and times of arrival in particular!
As always, the term dates are easily accessible on the website, but: half term is the week of 13th February, with Friday 10th February being a normal school day finishing at 3.30. Term ends on Thursday 29th March at 12 noon. May I make my usual request here of asking you to please book your holiday flights so that your children have a full term of school. If, for any entirely unavoidable reason, you have to take your child abroad during term time, I need a written request for the time off please.
As far as absences are concerned, if your child is unwell and unable to come to school, please email me or leave a voicemail to let us know as early as possible on the day; this allows us to fill in the registers accordingly.
I open the door each morning between 8.30 and 8.45 am. Please aim to get your child here during that time; after 8.45 children are officially marked as 'late' in the registers. After 8.45, if I do not answer the buzzer it is because I am in Assembly or elsewhere in the school; please go down the stairs on the left of the front door and ring the basement doorbell. I would also appreciate it if you could be as prompt as possible when collecting your child(ren)!
I hope you all had wonderful holidays and that you are looking forward to the new term as much as we are!
With best wishes
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Welcome Letter
8th September 2011
Dear Parents,
For those of you joining us for the first time, a very warm welcome, and to our returning pupils and families, welcome back.
We have new faces amongst the staff this term, all of whom I am sure you will get to know as the term progresses. Our new staff include Miss Jess as an Assistant in the Nursery, Miss Alexandra as the Teaching Assistant in Reception, Miss Sinead as the Form 1 Class Teacher, and Monsieur Remy Le Ny as the French teacher. We also have Miss Louise and Miss Friederike assisting around the school, and Miss Cornelia who is a student teacher from Germany with us for six weeks.
Could I make my usual request for you to please check the term dates on the school website so that you can plan your holidays accordingly. Half term is the week of 24th October, and we will have a long weekend with Friday 18th November as a holiday.
I would like to invite you to an informal information and drinks evening next Wednesday, 14th September. The class teachers will be in their classrooms at 6pm to give you a brief outline of some aspects of your child’s curriculum, after which I would be delighted if you could join me in the Hall for a glass of wine between 6.30 and 7.30.
I am sure the children will settle down very quickly as always. Do take them into their classrooms for the first couple of days; please don’t stay long though, as they will calm down much sooner if you leave them and us to it!
We look forward to a happy and successful term – the Vale community spirit is always very much in evidence and all new parents and pupils will find they are warmly welcomed by everyone. Please do feel free to talk to us and we will answer any questions you have as best we can.
With best wishes for a wonderful Autumn term,
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Welcome Letter
28th April 2011
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the Summer Term 2011. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with the children and that you didn’t get too sunburnt if you stayed in the U.K.!
Many of you will have noticed the redecoration of the front hallway - it looks so good it almost seems a shame to put things on the walls, but fear not…we will be putting up notice-boards and a few other things during the course of the next few weeks. We have also had the ground floor childrens’ loos redone; it is now so much more child-friendly and many of the pupils are excited about the colourful scheme in there!
I would be interested to know how many parents would prefer 'letters home' in the form of emails instead. Please fill in the attached form and return it to me!
There are a few dates to save this term:
Parents' evenings will be Tuesday 28th June and/or Thursday 30th June
Sports Day is on the morning of Tuesday 5th July
End of term: 12 noon on Thursday 14th July
As ever, we all look forward to a super Summer Term! Here’s hoping that the weather last week wasn’t a flash in the pan...
With very best wishes
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Welcome Letter
13th January 2011
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year – and welcome to the new pupils in the Nursery!
We welcome Miss Rochelle as the new teacher in the Lower Kindergarten class on the ground floor, and Miss Bridget joins Miss Sally-Anne in the Nursery class. We also are very pleased to welcome Miss Katherine, who will be assisting in the Nursery this term. They have already been working hard to prepare a happy welcome for the children – please do introduce yourselves to them.
Clubs continue as last term, with the exception of Science, which unfortunately Miss Bella is unable to offer this term: Art on Mondays with Miss Sally-Anne and Miss Chloë; Spanish with Miss Chloë on Tuesdays, as well as French club for the Nursery, KG and Form 1; French club for Year 2 and 3 on Wednesdays;. Letters will be winging their way home, so watch out for them! I know that Mr. Bedford has already been contacted by those who have signed up for Tennis.
There is also a letter regarding a possible Chess Club for Years 1 – 3. I would be interested in feedback.
I always like to take this opportunity to refresh memories on a few points: term dates, absences and times of arrival in particular!
As always, the term dates are easily accessible on the website, but just to make life easier… half term is the week of 21st February, with Friday 18th February being a normal school day finishing at 3.30. Term ends on Thursday 31st March at 12 noon. May I make my usual request here of asking you to please book your holiday flights so that your children have a full term of school. Start now! If, for any entirely unavoidable reason, you have to take your child abroad during term time, I need a written request for the time off please.
As far as absences are concerned, if your child is unwell and unable to come to school, please email me or leave a voicemail to let us know as early as possible on the day; this allows us to fill in the registers accordingly.
I open the door each morning between 8.30 and 8.45 am. Please aim to get your child here during that time. After 8.45, if I do not answer the buzzer it is because I am in Assembly; please go down the stairs on the left of the front door and ring the basement doorbell.
I hope you all had wonderful holidays and that you are looking forward to the new term as much as we are!
With best wishes,
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Welcome Letter
9th September 2010
Dear Parents,
Welcome to all the new parents, and welcome back to everyone else! As ever, the start of the school year can prove to be very busy, but if you are not yet used to the getting up, getting ready, and getting to school, you soon will be...
We also have two new teachers to welcome to the Vale this term. Miss Kim Versey joins us in the Early Years, teaching a mixed class of Kindergarten and Nursery. She is an experienced teacher and has already become an integral part of the school. Miss Kim will also be teaching class music, as Mrs Nicola will now be focusing on string teaching. Miss Anna-Lisa Fritz is a student teacher from Germany, and is with us for work experience, so she will be assisting around the school.
I understand that Perry, our uniform suppliers, are having difficulty supplying uniform at the moment. Please do not worry! I really don’t mind if children are not in full school uniform at this point. Until you are supplied with all the bits of uniform, I don’t mind what your child wears – I am happy to see them in school in whatever clothes work for you. Nursery age children do not need to wear uniform.
Could I ask you to please check our website for term dates so that you can book your holidays accordingly. Because this term is a long one, we will also have a long weekend, so there will be no school on Friday 19th November.
Enclosed is a form concerning medication. If your child needs to be given medication during the school day, please fill in the form accordingly and pass to the class teacher. Please note that we will be unable to administer medication without a completed form.
Finally, I would like to invite you to an informal drinks evening next Tuesday, 14th September, between 5 and 7pm. You will have received some information about what your child is doing this term, and it is a chance for you to meet the teachers informally and ask any questions you may have.
Best wishes for a fantastic Autumn term.
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Welcome Letter
21st April 2010
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the start of the summer term – those of you who have indeed managed to get back despite volcanoes…I wonder how many were rescued by the navy? All funny travel anecdotes to me please!
I trust that you all managed to have good holidays before the travel chaos began, and we look forward to the children arriving back at school refreshed and ready to begin again. One of the Summer term events we look forward to is Sports Day, which will take place from 2 – 3 o’clock on the afternoon of Wednesday 23rd June.
Art Club continues with Miss Louisa and Miss Jude on Monday afternoons. French Club (Petit Pierrot) will be taking place again this term on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons – please see me as soon as possible if you have not yet registered your son or daughter for this and would like to do so. We don’t assume that children who took part last term will automatically do so again this term unless you fill in the relevant slips...
Tennis with Mr Bedford also continues on Thursday and Friday afternoons – again, please see me if you need further information.
Another reminder about arrival time:
Please note that all pupils should arrive at school between 8.30 and 8.45. We have assembly three mornings a week, which begin at 8.50 – it is so important that the children have time to greet their teachers and friends, and to organise themselves, so please do get them here on time.
I am sure this will be a good, productive term and I look forward to seeing everyone as flights begin to get everyone back home.
With best wishes
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Summer 2010 Menu Information
15th April 2010
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the latest edition of the catering information letters once again. It’s Summer again and before we know it will be sports days and end of year events.
We continue to use pollack for the battered fillets and have sourced a product made from a whole piece of fish and not minced. We are introducing a baked salmon fillet in order to comply with the government legislation requiring us to provide ‘oily’ fish once every 3 weeks. The suppliers of these choices are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council who ensure that they come from well maintained and sustainable stocks. The quality and flavour of meat is extremely similar to cod.
Roast dinners are on the menus once a week and are very popular with pupils and staff alike. All roasts are served with a vegetarian gravy which is also suitable for most allergy sufferers and can be eaten by all at the school at present.
We have a freshly made tortilla wrap back on the menu filled with plenty of wholesome vegetables such as red peppers and tomatoes in the filling which are good providers of vitamin A and the chicken is breast meat only.
Filled baguettes are back and always prove popular with the pupils as they can have as many fillings as they like in an organic baguette.
We will also have our mini sausage pasta with our homemade pesto (nut free) and this has proved a popular choice in the past.
There are more fruit based pudding choices now that we are in the summer term.
We are now using a wholesale butcher (Heanens) based in Roehampton. They Achieved a 5 star hygiene rating from Wandsworth council who were so impressed with the quality offered that they now supply all of Wandsworth councils schools with their meats. This means that we get Fresh meats Cut Either the same day or the during the night and delivered fresh the day we want to use it. We use only fresh chickens still and are now getting a handmade unfrozen 4oz burger that is 100% beef and delivered fresh the day before use. Our roast joints are also now all fresh too.
We are now using wheat pasta and sauces that are enriched with vitamins to provide the full amounts of vitamins required by the new legislation. Wheat pasta is used so that celiac sufferers can eat it too.
A printout of exactly what levels of nutrients our menus provide and how we comply with the new legislation should also be available to see on the website and if anyone would like to know more on how this works please contact me.
Sports days will repeat last years format and not give out individual picnic bags where a lot of the items were wasted. Instead we will be allowing pupils to help themselves from a selection of fruits (bananas, melon & satsumas). These quench their thirst and give vital vitamins and potassium. There will also be pastries (muffins, flapjacks & mini doughnuts). These provide carbohydrates and sugar to replace lost energy. We will also have a selection of sandwiches and some savoury pies as well just to fill them up. Each pupil will be provided with their own bottle of water and each class will also have a large bottle of water as back up. These bottles can be filled at any time from the kitchen area of the pavilion. We will also be providing cold drinks for the adults but not any hot beverages unfortunately. There are vending facilities should you wish.
As always we are committed to providing a wholesome and healthy lunch within the new government legislation while at the same time trying to find new and better ingredients and products.
I hope that this is helpful in showing you how we put the menus together and the direction that we are trying to move towards. If any parents have any questions about the menus or food in general please feel free to contact me through the Manor office or if you are passing the kitchen and I am in just drop in and see me. Should you wish to have a specific meeting I will be only too happy to arrange this.
David Clayton
Catering Manager
Headmasters Letter
7th January 2010
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to an icy start to 2010 – and Happy New Year to all.
There are a few more clubs this term than previously – please forgive me if I don’t always remember who is doing what when… Art club continues on Monday afternoons, run by Miss Louisa and Miss Jude; please see them for information.
We start two afternoons of French club, run by Club Petit Pierrot: Tuesdays 3.45 – 4.30 for Nursery and Kindergarten children; Wednesdays 3.45 – 4.30 for Year 1 and Year 2 children. I will send invoices out shortly to those of you who signed up your children at the end of last term.
We also start two afternoons of Tennis, run by Mr Luke Bedford. I know he has been in touch with you directly to organise days and times, but these coaching sessions will take place in the school hall on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
Just the usual reminders:
Absences from school
If your child is unwell, or unable to come to school for any reason, please telephone the school, leaving a message if necessary, before 9 a.m. This allows us to fill in out Registers correctly, and also at least lets us know where all the children are.
Please also take note of term dates; children should not be missing school for family holidays during term time. If this is absolutely unavoidable, it is customary to write to us seeking permission for the absence. When we are inspected, we are required to provide written evidence of absences other than illness.
Arrival time
Please note that all pupils should arrive at school between 8.30 and 8.45. We have assembly three mornings a week, which begin at 8.50 – it is so important that the children have time to greet their teachers and friends, and to organise themselves, so please do get them here on time. I have noticed some slippage in arrival times!
We all look forward to another great term.
With best wishes
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
Announcement of new Headmaster at Eaton House The Manor Preparatory School
from September 2010
19th December 2009
Dear Parents,
As you are aware we have been waiting to announce the successor to Mr Hepher as Headmaster of Eaton House The Manor Preparatory School. We are now delighted to confirm that Mr Jeremy Edwards has accepted the role and will start in September 2010.
Mr Edwards is currently Master at Westminster Under School and was appointed in April 2000. He was formerly an English teacher and then Deputy Headmaster at Emanuel School where he also spent time as Head of Drama and Head of Rowing. He has a B.A (Hons) in English and a PGCE awarded by the University of London as well as an M.A. from the Institute of Education in Educational Studies and Educational Management. He is married with three children; two daughters aged 19 and 17, and a son of 15.
Mr Edwards will be writing a letter of introduction to all our current and prospective parents early next term.
We are very excited by this appointment and look forward to introducing Mr Edwards to you at a number of formal and social occasions over the next few months.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely,
Hilary Harper
Principal
Headmaster's Letter
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2009 - 2010 Academic year! I trust everyone had a good summer and feels refreshed and ready to start term. I know we are all looking forward to getting things under way here.
It is particularly delightful to have the first Nursery class starting with us. Those of you who are established Vale parents and pupils will, I am sure, join me in welcoming Miss Sally-Anne Goodman as our Nursery teacher.
This is the longest term of the academic year. Many schools take a two-week half term. We have, as a group, decided to opt for a slightly shorter break (as well as the usual one-week half-term), which is less intrusive in relation to school days missed but will allow the pupils to recharge their batteries. We will therefore have a long weekend towards the end of November - there will be no school on Friday 20th and Monday 23rd November. This also means that we will lengthen the final day of term across the year to end at 2.00pm. Please also note an alteration to our end of term date for next summer - we will finish on Thursday 8th July 2010.
I am sure the children will settle down very quickly as always. Do take them into their classrooms for the first couple of days; please don't stay long though, as they will calm down much sooner if you leave them and us to it!
We look forward to a happy and successful term - the Vale community spirit is always very much in evidence and all new parents and pupils will find they are warmly welcomed by everyone. Please do feel free to talk to us and we will answer any questions you have as best we can.
Best wishes for a fantastic Autumn term.
Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster
