Welcome Back After Half Term. I hope you all had an enjoyable break. It’s great to be back together—I can’t believe it’s already the final half term of the year!

INSET Day Update
Our INSET day on Monday was very productive. We reviewed children’s writing in their books and are working hard to inspire the children and raise standards across the school. In the afternoon, staff took part in some excellent autism training.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Staffing News
I’m sad to share that Mrs Puddick will be leaving us at the end of the summer term. We wish her every success in her new role. Melanie will be stepping up as our new full-time Reception teacher.

This week, our new Reception class—who will start in September—visited for their first session with their families. They met Melanie and the team, which was a very exciting moment for everyone!

Looking Ahead to Next Week

• FOSS Barbecue (Wednesday): We’re really looking forward to this event—fingers crossed for good weather!
• Empathy Day (Thursday): Empathy Day was founded to highlight the power of empathy in creating a better world. Empathy is a skill we can all learn, and it’s scientifically proven that reading and stories help develop this vital social and emotional skill. To mark Empathy Day, I’ve bought some of the recommended new reads, and teachers will be sharing these books with the children throughout the week. Each class will also have a dedicated circle time to learn about empathy, and we’ll create a “kindness chain” with all our wonderful ideas.

Thank you for being such a supportive community. Let’s make this half term a fantastic one!

Very best wishes

Caroline

headteacher@southill.dorset.sch.uk