World Book Day can be such great fun: everyone dressing up, playing games and sharing books! WBD was established by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1995 to promote reading, publishing, and copyright protection globally. In the UK, the World Book Day charity event began in 1998 and, to avoid a clash with St George's Day and the Easter holidays, is celebrated on the third Thursday in March.
This year we wanted to continue our focus on the children's enjoyment of, and flourishing through reading. That's why, with the help of Mrs Jackson and our Reading Ambassadors, we had lots of reading-focused activities happening throughout the day. We are also looking forward to sharing the Class 6 and Early Years film collaboration on Julia Donaldson's book "Zog", which the team created and filmed on Thursday.
Of course, not everyone wants to dress up, and we are very aware of the expense that this expectation can have on families. That is why we made it optional. To help further with the expense of school life, our PTA also offers clean, used uniform items to those families who find the costs tricky. Order forms are available from our office.
With more support from our PTA, the aim is to continue to refresh and add to our books in school. We are very grateful for the donations we have received over the past few months, and for the money raised. Frustratingly, whilst all funds have been deposited into our PTA bank account, ongoing technical issues have meant that the money has been stuck there. Weekly efforts to get the money released continue, and we are sure that we will gain access to it in the coming days. As soon as it becomes available, reading books and updated IT equipment for the children will be urgently ordered, and we will share that exciting news with you as soon as it happens.
To help with further fundraising, but also to have some fun ourselves, the upcoming PTA Quiz evening tickets have gone on sale. These are available for only £4, from either our school office or St Bartholomew's church, who are hosting the evening with us. It promises to be another enjoyable event, and your team could come away with a trophy and more! There will be snacks and soft drinks available to buy on the night, plus a raffle and entertainment, so please bring some loose change alongside your own "not-so-soft" drinks! Tickets are limited, so make sure you get yours, as we won't be taking payment for entry on the night. If you haven't done so already, put 28th March in your diary.
In another advance notice, our photographers are coming into school on Tuesday 18th March. They will be taking individual and school-sibling photos for you to buy. So, make sure the children are in school on time, in their clean, smart uniform - hair and teeth brushed...
On Ash Wednesday, Lent began. Fr Ben led us to consider the meaning of Lent, sharing Daniel 9:3-4, and how important repentance is. The joy of Easter is that, alongside our repentance, there is hope, and this hope is so important in the world we find ourselves in.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Restall & The St Bart's Team
