Wednesday

House Meetings for FS2 - Prep 6 at 9am.

Prep 6A Assembly.

Mr Greenham begins Guitar Lessons today.

Parents Information Evenings, tonight include:-
FS1        6.30pm
Prep 3   6.30pm
Prep 4   7.30pm

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact
Mrs Darroch or Mrs Nelson who will be happy to help.

Redcourt is run in an open and friendly manner and Parents have ready access to all school policies via the website or by personal request.

Thursday

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact
Mrs Darroch or Mrs Nelson who will be happy to help.

Redcourt is run in an open and friendly manner and Parents have ready access to all school policies via the website or by personal request.

Friday

Prep 5 & 6 Games  Boys to be collected from The Fields between 3.15pm & 3.30pm and the Girls are to be collected from school at 3.30pm.  Please remember your kit!

Prep 3 & 4 Swimming  Please remember your swimming kit!

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact
Mrs Darroch or Mrs Nelson who will be happy to help.

Redcourt is run in an open and friendly manner and Parents have ready access to all school policies via the website or by personal request.

Saturday

Saturday School for Prep 6.

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact
Mrs Darroch or Mrs Nelson who will be happy to help.

Redcourt is run in an open and friendly manner and Parents have ready access to all school policies via the website or by personal request.

As always, should you have any further queries, please contact

Mrs Nelson or Mrs Darroch who will be happy to help.

On Wednesday 30th June, Prep 6 held a Leavers Assembly for Parents, Grandaprents, carers and Mrs Lavin!  As the people were arriving for the assembly, they were treated to some beautiful piano playing by some of the very musically talented children in the class.  Mr Scott had produced a wonderful slide show of pictures of the children, from as far back as their Nursery years.  It brought back so many memories for the children and the visitors, and gave a few chuckles too!
As the assembly got underway, each child spoke about their memories and best moments at Redcourt, the transition of moving to secondary school and their hopes and aspirations for their future!  It was very moving, emotional and also gave a lot of laughs!!

As a surprise, FS2 (Prep 6's Reading Buddies) came into the Hall and sang a goodbye song to them!

The treats didn't stop there - afterwards the visitors and children enjoyed light refreshments outside in the sunshine and it was time for many, to reminisce. Miss Stevenson had oragnised two fabulous cakes containing pictures of every child in Prep 6 - thank you Miss Stevenson.  And as a final surprise, the Leavers Books were presented!

Many thanks go to all the Staff involved in the assembly, all the visitors and finally to the children for a fantastic contribution!
                                Good Luck Prep 6!

Thursday 24th June ~ Redcourt had invited St Mary’s Chess team to a Chess Challenge and were looking forward to some competitive games.  For over half an hour, you could hear a pin drop in the intense atmosphere of the Music Room!  Not only was one of their competitors a county player, but his father is also St Mary’s Chess coach and a Chess Champion!!  Eventually, it was an honorable draw!   Afterwards the children enjoyed some light refreshments and were allowed extra playtime on the playground!
With thanks to Mr Alcock and Mr Collins (St Mary’s Head) for organizing this challenge - of which we hope there will be many more!

The time:  Summer term 2010 ~ The Class of 2016.

The project:  A Class Family Story… 

What Happened…Miss Suchdev, Mrs Peers, and 19 children decided to commemorate their first year at Redcourt.  The big question was how?  After learning about “qu” in Phonics, we came across the word “quilt” as a good example of the sound.  Then, we found a few books about quilts, as well - we read “Grandma’s Story” and “The Patchwork Quilt”.  We thought that the characters in the books were brilliant!  Then, we realized we could do something similar…we could each contribute a fabric square, or a “story” and put them all together to make a Class Family Story Quilt.  The result is beautiful, meaningful and a true indication of how wonderful our Class Family truly is….I ask "Will all future Form Teachers and relevant members of staff please continue the tradition of our quilt and sew on a special square of fabric please?"  Please see below for the reasons why the squares are special stories…

Stories match the Quilt Squares (from top-to-bottom, left-to-right)

Finn:  “I used to wear it when I was four.  It was a short-sleeved t-shirt.  I used to wear shorts with it.  My Mum cut it up.”
Rachael:  “It was my little baby towel.  Every time I got out of the bath my Mum used to wrap me in it.  And Grandma Rosa bought it for me.”
Holly:  “It’s from my blanky.  I had a big one called Evie and a little one called Millie.  I used to drag it everywhere.”
Daniel:  “It was from Mummy’s fabric but I don’t think she wanted that anymore. It is used for my Letterbox door and when I’m dressed as Postman Pat I put letters into it.”Matthew:  “Blanket.  I used to wear it when I was a baby when I was in bed to keep myself warm.”
John:  “That was from my t-shirt when I was three.  I went to the zoo with the t-shirt and then I had a picture.  I saw the elephants.”
Louis:  “I used to wear it when I used to go to the park in West Kirby.  It was quite warm and I used to wear it on the beach too because it was fleecy with a hood and it kept me cosy.  I was always warm when I was running in it.”
Grace: “I still use it for the bottom of my bed.  Mummy fold it up for my bed.  I get warm in the night.”
Harry H:  “I used to wear the shirt when I went to Tenerife and my Mummy cut it up.  I used to wear shorts with it.”
Joseph:  “I used to wear it when my Mum used to put me in the pram.  I wore it when I went to sleep in the pram and I went to a café in the pram.”
Blank SquareTravis (from Nana Peers):  “This fabric is from when my daughter Rachel made Travis a little cushion.  She had just bought a new sewing machine and cushions are a good way to practise using it.”
Harry G:  “It was from my treehouse curtain.  My Mum made the curtains for the treehouse and me and Jordan and Lewis play in it.”
Ellis: “You put it around your neck and pretend to be a robber.  I didn’t want to cut it up.Anaia:  “When I was a little bit little I wore a cardigan. When I used to wear it I shouted at my Mum, ‘I look like a boy’.”
Libbie:  “When I was a baby I used to wear it to keep myself warm.  I was going to give it to my baby but then I decided to cut it up.”
Rose:  “When I went to my Nan’s I chose it and I bought it home so my Mum could cut it into a square.  Mummy sewed it to be Beth’s little skirt.”
Joel:  “When I was four I used to use it as pyjamas.  My Mummy cut it even though I wanted Isaac to wear it.”
Emma:  “It used to be a party dress and I liked it.”
Megan:  “It’s a top and a skirt went with it.  My mummy was going to give it to another baby but then she cut it.”
Miss Suchdev:  “This square of fabric is from a few meters that I have bought recently.  I would like to make a quilt for the baby that is in my tummy right now!  I liked the pattern because it is suitable for a boy or a girl.  I will work hard on the quilt so the baby will be nice and cosy in it.”
George:  “Mummy bringed it in.  It’s brother Harry.  Put on him.”

Mrs Peers: “This material is from my first grandchild’s quilt.  I picked blue because we knew Rachel was expecting a boy.  Travis has outgrown his quilt now and we plan to pass it on to the next grandchild.”

Report by Joseph Hay (5K)

On 23rd March Prep 5 all went to The Potting Shed in Heswall to paint the pots that we made out of wet, soggy clay two weeks ago in school.  At 12.30pm we boarded our bus with our multi-coloured aprons and set off to our destination. 
When we got there we were greeted by an eerie smell of wet, damp clay.  There was an electric go-kart track but sadly we didn’t go on it!  We got inside and saw our pots had changed from a soggy, brown clay pot to a white, strong pot – there was immediate change!

May 2010 ~ Congratulations to Alice Williams-McIver on becoming Wirral’s Young Photographer of the Year 2010.  The competition was oragnised by Wirral Council in conjunction with Wirral Globe Newspapers and Birkenhead Rotary Club.  Alice went to meet the Mayor at his parlour, where she received her prize and her winning photograph will soon be on display.

TOP PICTURE: Alice's winning photograph

BOTTOM PICTURE: Alice and her brother Joe with the Mayor

....who has been awarded Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) on behalf of the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. This has shown that Mrs McIver has successfully fulfilled all of the requirements of the Children’s Workforce Development Council to gain Early Years Professional Status.   Well done!

On Thursday 18th March, the monkeys of Prep 5 and 6 visited Jungle Parcs in Croxteth, Liverpool and had a fantastic day of fun and adventure.  Thank you to all of our brave parent helpers on the day!!! 

Prep 4 visit to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Concert

On March 3rd, Prep 4 attended a concert given by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra at the Philharmonic Hall. The orchestral concerts are performed for Key Stage 2 pupils and are designed to enhance and enrich both the music and wider school curriculum. It was an extremely entertaining performance, and as 2010 has been designated Liverpool’s Year of Innovation, the chosen pieces of music linked in with key aspects of innovation over the years. Prior to attending the concert, the children had listened to the pieces as part of their music lessons, and had analysed their content. A good time was had by all on the morning, and we would like to say a special thank you to those parents who accompanied us to the event and to Mrs. Carrington and Miss Jones.

Below are some extracts from the children’s accounts of their visit:

‘I was so excited that I was about to explode!’ Michael Allsopp

‘I was so excited when I walked in - I’ll never forget that day.’ Georgina Gardner

‘I thought the performance was beautiful, amazing and excellent.’ Connie Ngo

‘As we waited, different members of the orchestra came on slowly and played a piece of music slowly coming together.’ Daniel Light

‘One of my favourite pieces was ‘Jasmine Flowers’. I liked it because it was slow and quiet.’ Scarlett Horne

‘The orchestra wore different coloured T-shirts so everyone could tell the different families. It was the most exciting day ever.’ Anna Finegan

‘Slowly the musicians walked onto the stage and the conductor walked in. The audience was relaxed and waiting to hear the music. A man ran down the stage with his arms in the air and he screamed ‘Hello!’ It made me jump. I thought he was a bit crazy, but he was just excited. He explained what the music was about.’ Luke Styles

‘We all had a lovely time and really enjoyed it.’ Lewis Burrows

S. Clixby
MUSIC TEACHER

Mrs. Clixby’s New Appointment!

Trinity College of Music is a renowned music college: many of the children at Redcourt who take exams on their instruments are awarded their certificates through the Trinity College examination system.  In conjunction with the Open University, Trinity have recently introduced a course enabling teachers to develop their teaching skills delivering classroom music and instrumental class teaching at Key Stage 2.  In order to do this, each practitioner is allocated a mentor – someone with the knowledge, skills and experience to assist them with the course.  I have recently been appointed by Trinity College as a mentor for the course, and will be working with practitioners in Wirral, Cheshire and St. Helens.  I am enjoying the experience of enabling other teachers to develop their music teaching skills in the classroom, whilst at the same time gaining the opportunity to reflect on my own practice.  As this is part time work I will be continuing my two days a week at Redcourt.

S. Clixby
MUSIC TEACHER

Dr Mark visited Redcourt for a day of 'Cool Science' and a day of 'Cool Maths' during our Maths and Science week.  All children from FS2 to Prep 6 were involved in his workshops which included lots of fun experiments and mathematical tricks. Some of these involved inserting sharp sticks into balloons and bags of water, but without bursting them or liquid leaking.  Ask your child how they work if you want to know how! At the end of his visit we had a whole school assembly where each year group showcased what they had learnt and been most interested in. It was fantastic to see how many children were excited and influenced by Dr Mark and tried to replicate his work, some even added twists of their own. 

Well done every one. Thank you also to all the children (and staff!) who bought items from the Tuck Shop.  It was very successful and popular once again.

Miss Mazumder

11th February 2010

To all the children of Redcourt a sincere thank you for all of the cards, kind thoughts and effort you have made to make me feel so special.  It has been a privilege to look after you and the school, and I will cherish the memories I have of our activities over my time at Redcourt. 

And I would like to thank all of the Parents for their unbelievable generosity for my parting gift.  Thank you all so much.

Mr Bird.

On Friday 29th January, caretaker of Redcourt Mr Peter Bird, hung up his hat for the last time and said goodbye to his army of fans, parents, pupils, staff and friends.

Mr Bird started at Redcourt on 30th July 2001 and his unique contribution will never be forgotten and he will always be held high esteem.  Mr Bird will be greatly missed and irreplaceable.  We hope he will come back and visit us soon!

Prep 4J have written tributes to him:-

Dylan Davies writes:-  He is a lovely man, who always helps around the school.  He always helps to keep our school tidy and safe for us.  He is warm hearted man and I will miss you when you when you leave.  Enjoy your retirement, we will all miss you.

 ~~~~~~

“Thank you for looking out for me and the school.  You are the best caretaker in the whole world!  I wish you could stay a bit longer so we could see your smiley face.  Who is going to brush all the rain off the playground?  Who is going to fix things when they break?  I hope you have a nice retirement and do lots of fishing.  Love Andrew Wright”

 ~~~~~~~

Mr Bird helps lots of people.  He sweeps all the snow away because he doesn’t want the children to fall over.  He cares so much for the school.  He sweeps the puddles away so no one has wet feet.  He says “Hello” to everyone in the school.  He orders milk for the Nursery children.  He helps people when they fall over.  We will all miss Mr Bird when he retires.  Everyone in the school will miss you!  By Tanya Jacob

 ~~~~~~~

Pablo Broughton says “Dear Mr Bird.  I will really miss you when you are gone.  All the things you do from cleaning to saying “goodbye”.  You do so many things for the school; I don’t know how we will manage without you.  You always have a smile for everyone and a friendly word for everyone.  Who will get my lunchbox from over the wall?  We wish you lots of happiness and good luck for the future.  Goodbye.” 

On Thursday 21st January, Redcourt held a Latin American Day for the junior children, allowing them to discover South America, with Senorita Cowell and her

amigos!!

They tasted Latin American food, had their faces painted with moustaches and learnt dances such as el caballito (the little horse), el menaito (typical Columbian dance), el oerrito (the little dog) and uno, dos, tres (salsa). 
The children all had a great time and managed to practice their Spanish and also had chance to show off their dance routines with a little show for the rest of the school later on in the day!

Click here to see more pictures

Wednesday 20th January - We have been looking at Special People and what makes them so special.

Who are your Special People?

• Mum
• Dad
• Carers
• Teachers
• Police
• Doctors & Nurses
• Fire Services
• Friends

Why?

• Help you
• Love you
• Make you feel special
• Cheer you up
• Fix you
• Make you better
• Educate you
• Devotion

This term Prep 3 have been studying The Romans.  On Monday 18th January, a Roman soldier came to visit Prep 3.  He told us all about the life of a soldier and we learnt what the soldiers wore.  We also looked and talked about what the soldiers carried with them in their packs.  Noah even dressed up as a Roman legionary. 

In the afternoon we went out onto the playground and imagined we were all in battle.  Using shields, we created a "turtle" to protect ourselves from enemy fire.

We all had an interesting, fun-packed day!

Prep 2 enjoyed a puppet sewing afternoon with parents and grandparents as part of our Design Technology class work. Everyone worked hard and the children thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. It was nice to see so many parents and grandparents in the classroom supporting the children. Thanks for all your help!

Miss Critchley

Redcourt Choir Performs at Abbey Lawns and Acorn House Nursing Homes

On Wednesday 9th December, Mrs Harvey and Miss Kennerley took some Prep 5s and 6s to Abbey Lawns Nursing Home, where Molly Geary's dad, uncle, grandpa and grandma work. We had a great time and some of the residents started to cry! They also went back to their rooms singing!

On Thursday 10th December, Mrs Harvey took some children from years 5 and 6 to Acorn House to sing for residents and Mrs Penn's Dad.

Reports by: Molly Geary and Siobhan Howlett, Prep 6M

Christian Brothers Music Festival

On Thursday, 8th October Mrs Clixby, Miss Mazumder and Mr Arnold kindly took Prep 6M to Liverpool to sing in a Christian Brother’s Music Festival at St Mary’s College, with the theme of Harvest.
When we arrived St Ambrose were there too. We sang four songs in total, two of which we sang with St Mary’s and St Ambrose called “When your Father made the world” and “All things bright and beautiful”. Redcourt sang songs by themselves called “Sunshine” and “Hooray for Harvest”.   All schools were awarded a certificate and shield. After that we had refreshments and a little play on St Mary’s playground. It was great fun and a good experience!
By Olivia Martin & Emily Pennington

FS2 have been investigating healthy snacks this term!

We have been super at bringing in healthy fruit snacks for our morning break. The children love ‘showing and telling’ different fruit like fig, kiwi and mango! We created our very own delicious-looking fruit bowls to display next to our snack area.
We also conducted a literary study of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. In addition to talking about our fruit preferences and creating a huge caterpillar display, we actually ate what the caterpillar ate on each day of the week! Over that weekend, our FS2 families ate some of the long list of Saturday food, like - pickle, sausage, salami, ice cream, cherry pie, chocolate cake, lollipop, Swiss cheese, watermelon and cupcake! It was really fun to act like the Hungry Caterpillar! Well done FS2!
Miss Suchdev