‘Happy Birthday Jesus!’
Thank you so much to everyone who came to see our Nursery children perform ‘Happy Birthday Jesus!’ Thanks go to all the staff who made this happen and thanks to all parents who joined in the sing song!

Wriggly Nativity
Well done to all our Reception children (and staff!) for putting on a super show of Wriggly Nativity for us. The children were very brave standing and singing in front of all the adults who came to see them.

European Christmas Card Exchange
Children from Waldridge class have once again been making friends with children from 27 different European countries, by taking part in the European Christmas Card Exchange. Our children made tree decorations and leaflets about our school to send to other countries and we have received 27 in return. This has been a fantastic international project for the children to take part in.

Gala Theatre
All children in Y1-6 went to the Gala theatre to see the pantomime, ‘Aladdin.’ The behaviour of the children was excellent and this was commented on by the Gala staff, which makes us extremely proud.

Performing Arts
Congratulations to all who took part in the performing arts club pantomime ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ It was an excellent performance and was enjoyed by everyone who came to see it. Well done!

Christmas Jumper Day
Thanks to all of you who brought in 50p last week to help raise money for ‘Save the Children’. There were some super, sparkly jumpers from both the staff and children so thank you for your generosity.

Church Carol Concert
Thank you so much to everyone who supported the children at the church for their Christmas concert. It was fantastic to see so many people there enjoying the readings and lovely singing of our children.

GET!
A huge thank you to everyone who brought books in for the Global Education Trust (GET), shop in Chester-Le-Street which is a charity aimed at keeping books out of landfill and makes books available to everyone. Waldridge class took over 300 books down to the shop. Pop in over Christmas for a free book.

Christmas Raffle
Our Christmas raffle was drawn in assembly on Wednesday. Thanks go to everyone who bought tickets. Thanks also to Sarah Irvin who came from Barclays bank to match fund the money raised.

I can’t believe it’s time to change the clocks already, Autumn is definitely here!

House Captains
Well done to our new House Captains for 2019-2020
Emeralds: Declan Wood & Lily Price
Rubies: Savannah Hood & Alistair Elliott
Sapphires: Erin Brandford & Chloe Brown
Diamonds: JoJo Farhan & Ava Taylor-Burrell

School Council
Our new school councillors have gone through a democratic vote to be elected for their class. This year’s school councillors are: Finley Phillips, Libby Graver, Miley Clark, Mya McAnally, Kaidence Stobbart, Aisha Shatwan and Daniel Williamson.

Macmillan Coffee Morning
Thank you so much to everyone who donated cakes and came to the coffee morning. We raised £190.91 for Macmillan which is fantastic.

A Couple Of Reminders!
1. As the weather is becoming colder, children need to bring a coat to school.
2. Please remember to check that your child has their PE kit and swimming kit in school on the correct day.

Congratulations Mrs Hedges!
Huge congratulations to Ms Hamilton who got married earlier this term. She is now Mrs Hedges. We wish her our congratulations and best wishes!

Fabulous SATs Results Again!
Very well done to our Y6 children and staff! Overall we achieved 85% in reading, 95% in SPAG, 95% in maths and 93% in writing.

Trophy Winners
In our Special Awards assembly congratulations go to the following children who received trophies: Evan Brain, Hannah Ruddick, Jack Murray, Isabel Ruddick, Molly ford, Jacob Duke, Emmie Cutmore, Brenda Aiello, Amelia Kielty, Oliver Younger, Scarlett Ridley, Sophie Holding, Daniel Williamson, Kaydee Blyth, Carrie-Anne Shipley, Freya Jepson, Callum Brandford, Lauren Wight and Edan Paget.
Well done also to the children who received a medal for their progress and efforts.

Hoopz!
On Monday each class had a chance to practice and perfect their hula hooping skills when a company called ‘Hoopstarz’ came into school and worked with the children. The children (and staff!) thoroughly enjoyed the sessions.

Cathedral service
Our Y6 children attended the Leavers’ Service at Durham Cathedral along with 100s of other Y6 children from across the County. They proudly marched our school banner down the aisle and enjoyed the varied activities organised there. The children were a credit to us all.

Sports Day
Thank you to all parents/carers who came to support the children during the Sports Days we held at the beginning of this half term. Thankfully the weather stayed fine!
The Wizard of Oz
Congratulations go to children in Y3-6 who are in the performing arts club. They put on a fantastic performance of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Thank you to all parents who came to support and spectate.

Music Time!
We have been entertained with 2 concerts this week, 1 from the Durham Music Service and 1 from the Durham Brass Festival, ‘Loud Noises,’ which were enjoyed by all!

Robinwood
The Y6 children who went to Robinwood all had a fantastic time trying out new activities, learning new skills and facing difficult challenges. Their behaviour and determination were excellent!

100% attendance
Congratulations go to 13 of our children who have had 100% attendance this year. They all enjoyed a trip to the cinema to see ‘Toy Story 4’ and then had their lunch at McDonalds.

In this short half term, all children have been busy with assessments and SATs so well done to everyone for trying your best!

Sponsored Event
Well done to all children who took part in either the ‘Swim-Run’ or the Sponsored Run.We raised £2046.13 in sponsor money, some of which will go towards an end of term treat. The rest of the money will go towards the visit to the Gala theatre in the autumn term.

The Seeley Trophy: Our annual football tournament took place on Wednesday where Mr Seeley came in to referee the matches, along with Mr Hood. The Dark Demons won, with The Banana Bunch, also winning medals for fair play. Well done to everyone who played!

Fantastic Achievements!
We were delighted to receive 2 very complimentary letters recently. One from the Director of Education who congratulated us on our Ofsted inspection and one from the Director of Children and Young People’s Services who stated how impressed she was at the ‘excellent standard of education at Bullion Lane Primary School.’ Fabulous news!

Safer Internet Day
‘Together for a Better Internet.’ Well done to those children who created their own slogan for Safer Internet Day. Thank you to parents/carers who have discussed the importance of being safe on the internet with your children.

Big Foot Education
Children in Bede class enjoyed a drama workshop when Big Foot Education came into school to work with the children on themes around resilience and confidence building.

Super Dogs!
Thanks go to Ian and Helen who brought their Guide Dogs in for an assembly last week. It was so interesting to hear how they are trained and what they do. Jet and Ben, the police dogs, also came in with Brian, our Community Police Officer to read stories to Pelton class during National Storytelling week.

Cross Country
Well done to all pupils who have taken part in the cross-country league. Congratulations in particular go to Kieran Richardson, Kai Washbrooke, Edan Paget and Leona Reeve who all ran in the top 20. This is a fabulous achievement!

Fabulous SATs Results Again!
Very well done to our Y6 children and staff! Overall we achieved 90% in reading, 95% in SPAG, 95% in maths and 95% in writing.
Fantastic results!
Creatures Everywhere!
Everyone had an enjoyable time on Monday of this week when ‘Animalea’ came into school. All children had the opportunity to see, hold and stroke a wide variety of different animal species. These included: snakes, terrapins, lizards, geckos and other amphibians!
School Games Gold!
I am delighted to say that we have just received the School Games Gold award for our commitment, engagement and delivery of competitive sport in 2017/18
Ping Pong and Obstacle Course Sponsored Events
Thank you, and well done to all children who took part in either the ‘Ping Pong’ or ‘Obstacle Course’ Challenge.’ We raised £1437.40 in sponsor money, some of which went towards ‘Animalea’ coming in last Monday. The rest of the money will go towards a treat in the Autumn term.
100% attendance
Congratulations go to 10 of our children who have had 100% attendance this year. They all enjoyed a trip to the cinema to see ‘The Incredibles 2’ and then had their lunch at McDonalds.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Congratulations go to children in Y3-6 who are in the performing arts club. They put on a fantastic performance of ‘Charlie’ Thank you to all parents who came to support and spectate.
Robinwood
The Y6 children who went to Robinwood all had a fantastic time trying out new activities, learning new skills and facing difficult challenges. Their behaviour and determination were excellent!
District and County Athletics
Well done to our athletics team who competed in the Chester-le-Street District Sports Festival at the Riverside in June. We enjoyed our best performance in years with many children making the final. Congratulations to Lewis Chapplow and Ronnie Craggs for finishing 2nd and 3rd in their own events.
Cathedral service
Our Y6 children attended the Leavers’ Service at Durham Cathedral along with 100s of other Y6 children from across the County. We proudly marched our school banner down the aisle and enjoyed the varied activities organised there. The children were a credit to us all.
Sports Day
Thank you to all parents/carers who came to support the children during the Sports Days we held at the beginning of this half term. Thankfully the weather was great
Good-bye Year 6!
I would like to wish all our Year 6 children every success for the future. They have been a fantastic group of children who have worked hard and have shown a positive attitude all year.
Well done and good luck!

Sports Day
A reminder that Sports Day will be held on Tuesday 5th June on the school field (weather permitting!).
Reception, Pelton, Lumley & Riverside (Y2s) 9.30am start.
Riverside (Y3s), Lambton, Waldridge, Penshaw, Cuthbert & Bede: 1:30pm start.
All parents/carers welcome!

KS1 and KS2 SATs
Very well done to all Y2 and Y6 children who have taken their SATs this term. They have all worked exceptionally hard and showed an excellent attitude towards some very hard tests!

Forest School
Nursery thoroughly enjoyed a day in the outdoors building nests and looking for eggs that the ‘Firebird’ had lost. They made bracelets and toasted marshmallows.

Natta-Lingo!
The Natta-Lingo Bus came to school this week. Each class experienced stories and activities from around the world and learnt how other cultures live.

The Seeley Cup!
Thanks go again to Mr Seeley who came to referee our annual Football Tournament for our teams, to see who would be the winners of ‘The Seeley Cup 2018.’ All teams played well with the winners being….. The ……team also won the medals for Fair play. Very well done to all those who played.

Forthcoming Sponsored Event!
We will be holding a sponsored event for all children on Wednesday 13th June. Children from Nursery to Y2 will be completing an Obstacle Course Challenge, and children from Y3-6 a Table Tennis Challenge. All sponsor money raised will go towards a treat for the children at the end of term. Please send money to the class teacher once collected.

Sport
Lumley, Pelton and Riverside classes took part in the Zambia Run at Maiden Castle. Well done to Olly Guy and Annalise Murray who won their races.
The Boys Y4/5 Football Team took part in the Willis Cup.
The Girls Football Team is doing very well and is seeded in the B league.

Mother’s Day Café & Lunch
It was lovely to see so many families have lunch together at our 3 Mother’s Day lunches. It was very well supported and thanks go to Linzi and staff in the kitchen, for all their hard work on those extremely busy days!
Easter Egg Winners!
A huge well done to all children, and thank you to the many parents/carers that took part in egg decorating. There were so many brilliant ideas; it was difficult to decide upon the winners!
Nursery Easter Sing Songs!
Thanks to the parents who came to listen to our Nursery children sing some Easter songs and to join in with ‘Stay and Play.’ It was a lovely way to end the term.
The Little Mermaid
Children from Penshaw, Cuthbert and Bede classes went up to The Hermitage to see their fantastic production of The Little Mermaid. Everyone enjoyed it and it was lovely to see past pupils: Abbie Clifford, Emily Walker and Shannon Rutherford participating in the show.
Big Breakfast
Our Big Breakfast was very well attended last week. Thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed a healthy breakfast with their child.
Sport Relief
Thanks go to everyone who came in their sporty gear last Friday. Thanks to your generosity we raised £129.08 for Sports Relief!

Safer Internet Week
‘Create, Connect and Share Respect. A better Internet starts with you.’ Don’t forget to ask your children what they have been doing this week with regards to e-safety!

Groundwork Community Learning
Parents and children from Y3, 4 and 5 will be helping Mrs Lewis and the Groundwork team develop the school grounds. They will learn new skills in growing, gardening and conservation. An exciting new project to take part in.

Barclays Code Playground!
Bede class had an exciting time working with Sarah Irvin, who came from Barclays to show the children how to code using Micro bits. They had to give the computer instructions, and download information onto the micro bit making it say ‘hello,’ show a picture and flash lights ‘on and off.’

Cross Country
Well done to all pupils who took part in the cross-country races recently. Congratulations in particular go to Hannah Ward and Alisha Mason who came 4th and 5th out of over 80 runners. Overall, we came 4th out of over 20 teams which is a fabulous achievement!
Thanks also go to Mr Hood and many members of staff who gave up their Saturday mornings to set up the course and support the team at Bullion Lane and also Langley Park.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
The performing arts club have started rehearsals for their production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which will be performed in July. It is lovely to see so many keen performers!

New Family Support Worker
Many thanks go to Sara Irving, our Family Support Worker who has left us to take up another post nearer her home.