Just a reminder that the initial non-refundable deposit of £27.50 is due by Sunday 12th March please – this is payable by card on the Weduc app or by cash/cheque at the school office.
If you have not already done so, please could you return your child’s Arthog initial consent form to the school office as soon as possible.
Thank you!
Mrs Hilditch is very excited to announce she has some spaces left in her Born to Move club to offer to any Year 5’s. Some of you had a little taster of this at the end of last term and it would be lovely to see you there. It will be mixed with the year 6’s but there should be plenty of space to spread out in the hall. You can book via school money. See below for more details.
Born To Move is a really exciting programme designed by the global fitness company Les Mills. It is specifically designed for school aged children to help inspire a love of physical activity. It combines: boxing training, martial arts, dance, yoga and games and is aimed at both boys and girls.
I have completed my official training and in order to use the official Born to Move music and materials I will need to charge a small fee to cover the licence costs.
The club will start on Monday 10th January 3:15pm-4:00pm. It will be £12 per half term.
IMPORTANT: Year 5‘s are NOT allowed to walk home alone and must be collected at 4pm.
However, if your child is in year 6 and you would like them to walk home alone, please send written permission into school, otherwise please collect your child at 4pm.
Mrs Hilditch (our year 6 teacher) has had to postpone the Y5 Arthog meeting which was meant to be happening on Monday 6th Dec – we will confirm a new date in the new year.
Any queries or questions please see Mrs Hilditch.
Dear year 5 parents, carers and guardians
We are currently experiencing a significantly high number of cases of Covid-19 infections in the year 5 class.
Therefore, we will be closing the ‘bubble’ tomorrow only due to operational reasons and in the hope that it will try and break the cycle of infection in room 7. Hopefully this 3 day ‘circuit’ breaker will help reduce incidences of infection; reduce Covid-19 transmission across the school and ensure we are keeping everyone as safe as possible.
Work will be set on the website for the children as usual.
Please can I also remind everyone of the following Government guidance.
PCR testing
All household contacts of a confirmed case (PCR positive) should undertake a PCR test, with or without symptoms, and remain home until a negative PCR is returned. This means that pupils who have a household contact who is a confirmed case (PCR positive) should be recommended to take a PCR test and not attend school while awaiting the result. If the PCR result is negative, then pupils should be recommended to have a further PCR test after 4 or 5 days as a precaution. They can continue to attend the setting when waiting on the second PCR result.
All close contacts of confirmed cases (PCR positive) are also recommended to take a PCR test but unless they have any of the 3 main symptoms of COVID-19 or any of the precautionary symptoms, they can continue to attend the setting when waiting on results of the PCR.
Anyone with the 3 main symptoms or the precautionary symptoms (even if they are not a close contact of a confirmed case) are recommended to get a PCR test and only return to school after a negative result. They should also consider contacting 111 for medical advice if required because these symptoms are not unique to COVID-19.
I very much regret having to take this action and am very aware of the disruption caused to families when a closure is necessary, even for a day. I therefore sincerely thank you all for your continued understanding and support.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact, and I look forward to seeing all the year 5 children back in school on Monday.
Mr Langford
Mrs Hilditch (our year 6 teacher) will be holding an Arthog information meeting for parents of our current year 5’s on Monday 6th December at 3.30pm in the school hall. The meeting should last approx. half an hour and is an opportunity to find out a bit more about the kind of daily routine, activities, and sleeping arrangements for the residential visit that the children will be going on in November 2022 when they are in year 6.
When our current year 5’s start in year 6, they will be having a residential visit at the Arthog Outdoor Education Centre near Fairbourne. The visit will take place from Monday 31st October to Friday 4th November 2022. The cost of the visit is £330 (which includes transport and all outdoor pursuits equipment including waterproofs, walking boots and a rucksack).
Please see Mr Langford’s letter for full details: Arthog Nov 2022 Letter
A full kit list is available here: Kit List
The Arthog consent form (a paper copy will be sent home during the Summer Term 2022): Consent Form
Dear year six parents
The activities each day when Arthog comes to Pontesbury will be as follows:
Monday
Ice breakers, preparation, Snailbeach
AM – Onsite – Team building, Icebreakers and problem solving Activities
PM – Trip to Snailbeach including a visit into the mines and bushcraft activities
Tuesday
Canoe Day
Full day canoeing on the River Severn.
Wednesday
Climbing Day
Full day climbing and exploring at Grinshill Hill and Grinshill Quarry.
Thursday
Hill Walk and overnight Camp
Set up camp on field.
Then drive to Stiperstones for a hill walk.
Friday
Local activities including Archery
AM – Take down camp, collect and pack kit, Archery
PM – Walk to Lyd hole to explore area including river walking up the Pontesbury ‘Gorge’ and a lot of wet play! (Also the opportunity to do any further activities they enjoyed earlier in the week!)
The exact nature of the activities will be determined and adapted as the instructors really get to know the children.
They are going to have a lot of fun and we are all really excited!
Please ensure the children arrive promptly at 8.00am on Monday morning and collected in the evening at 8.00pm from the playground. No children will be allowed to leave site unaccompanied.
If there are any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact me via the usual channels.
Mr Langford
Arthog 2021
Final plans for our ‘Arthog at Pontesbury’ week are being sorted and I will post the finalised timetable as soon as possible.
In the meantime, I would like to explain a little how the week will be organised and what we hope to achieve during the week.
We are striving to make the week as close to the residential Arthog experience as possible with the structure of each day the same as that which the children would experience at the Arthog Centre in Wales.
Each day will start with a full breakfast to ensure everyone has enough energy for the day’s activities. As at Arthog, the children will be responsible for setting up and clearing the hall before and after meals in duty teams. There will then be a suite of activities each day led by Arthog staff, including a pack lunch provided by the school kitchen, followed by a hearty evening meal back at school. Activities will take place each evening and will include, as they do at Arthog, photosearches, orienteering and the dreaded nightline! Children will then be collected at 8.00pm each evening apart from Thursday which is camp night. Just to say we need all children collected from the school playground: no children will be allowed to walk home alone.
I know some have questioned the price of this week considering that many of the activities will be based local to school at sites which I am sure that many of you have already visited. I also very much appreciate that £230 is not a trivial amount of money and that it is a very serious proportion of household income.
Arthog is not simply about the activities. Anyone can book a climbing experience at the Shrewsbury Sports Village or a canoeing trip on the River Severn or even join the Snailbeach Mines Trust and have a trip into the mines. The difference with Arthog is its staff. They are simply the best outdoor instructors in the business and will provide an experience for your children which simply cannot be replicated by any other outdoor education provider or on a family day out.
Whether rockclimbing at Grinshill Quarry or simply walking through the woods on Pontesford Hill, each activity becomes a unique, never to be repeated experience. Not only are the instructors expert in every aspect of outdoor learning, their ability to really get to know the children in their group ensures that every activity is honed and crafted to ensure the children will have an unforgettable memory.
I have recently had a conversation with the parent of an ex-pupil who left 4 years ago. She told me, even after so many years, it is the instructor about which her son still talks!
The instructors will get to know your children inside out and exactly what they are capable of. They will then tailor activities to ensure all are challenged yet have it within themselves to succeed. That is their great skill. The children will find some activities challenging or maybe even a little scary, but when they do succeed, they will experience the unbridled pride at having done so, whether it is reaching the top of the climb or simply making it to the top of the hill. They will also experience the joy at seeing their peers sharing and applauding their success. For all of our children, the power of this is inestimable and the main reason that I, and so many of my staff and the Arthog staff, are striving so hard to provide this opportunity for our children and especially considering the terrible eighteen Covid ridden months we’ve all suffered and the massive impact this has had on our wonderful year six’s last year in primary school.
Kit List
Arthog will provide everything needed each day for each activity including waterproofs, walking boots etc. and all camping gear, including sleeping bags!
There is therefore no need to worry about having to purchase any expensive kit.
For each day, the children are only required to bring:
Please do not bring mobile phones, money or jewellery.
That’s it for now. Any questions please don’t hesitate to email me.
Mr Langford
If your child is starting at Mary Webb School & Science College this September, please can you return the pink/purple registration form (that was given to your child just before the half term holiday) to Pontesbury CE Primary School office (or to Mr Morris in Room 7) by this Friday 11th June. Thank you!
Pontesbury C.E. Primary School
Bogey Lane,
Pontesbury,
Shropshire.
SY5 0TF
Tel: 01743 790226
Headteacher: Mr Tom Lowrie-Herz
School Business Manager: Mrs Sara Andrew
