We are thrilled to announce that Mrs Purvis gave birth to a boy , Luke Henry, on Monday 16th January. Luke was born four weeks early and his delivery took everyone by surprise. We are delighted to say that mother and baby are doing well . We can't wait until she brings Luke into school so he can be passed around for a cuddle.
We wish Mrs Purvis a happy and healthy maternity leave and look forward to seeing her back in school at the end of the summer term.

...Emily Newstead

My Name is Emily Newstead and I am our young reporter this week. I am a School Councillor, Prefect and Playground Buddy and I take my roles very seriously.

School Council is a group of children who listen to the views of others in order to improve the school. Every three to four weeks we have a School Council meeting to discuss improvements for the school. We also discuss good points about the school week. These meetings take place in Mrs Lancastle-Smith's office and last for 45 minutes to 1 hour. School Councillors have to listen to the improvements their friends suggest and pass them on to the Teacher. In order to be a School Councillor you have to be responsible, caring and reliable. School Councillors are a variety of ages from 6-11 years and we have two children from each class in school (Y2 to Y6) .

Buddies ensure that all children have something to do throughout break times.
Each day Year 5/6 pupils who are buddies go to the KS2 yard and KS1 yard to make sure everyone is safe and happy.They take equipment outside that is suitable for a variety of ages. If a child does not have anyone to play with the Buddies will set up fun and energetic games to play with them.

Prefects have to set a good example, be responsible and very sensible. A prefects job is to monitor the corridors to make sure no one is silly or unsafe. Prefects help during break times and dinner times. There is a rota so everyone gets a chance to prefect each week. Only year 6 pupils do prefecting as they are old enough and mature enough to take on a big responsibility. No prefect works alone they always work in twos or threes.

Written and Published By Emily Newstead(Yr 6)

Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope that you have all had a safe and restful holiday and that everyone is ready to move into the New Year with energy, and enthusiasm. It is now time for us all to regain focus, and to build on what has been taught in order to help children make significant gains in their learning.
We are looking forward to another exciting year full of learning, trips and fundraising .
J Anderson

We have been informed by the NUT, NASUWT, Unison and ATL unions that they will be taking industrial action in the form of a strike on Wednesday 30th November ( one day only). This action is about changes to the pension schemes of their members.
A significant proportion of staff in Swalwell Primary School are members of these unions and will therefore be on strike. .
For health and Safety reasons the school will be closed. The decision to close this school or send pupils home is never taken lightly, but in this instance, the school has no choice but to take appropriate steps to ensure the well being of all pupils.
We will re-open on Thursday 1st December.

The aim of School Council is to provide the children of Swalwell with the opportunity to have their opinions heard.
The children, from Y2 - Y6, vote for two candidates from their class (usually one boy and one girl). The candidates with the most votes are then elected to the School Council.
The successful candidates must have the following attributes; responsibility, honesty, reliability, eager to learn and must also be able to remain unbiased in their quest to improve the school.
The councillors will talk with their class to tell them what is happening in School Council and will also listen to any ideas their classmates may have about the school.
School Council has regular meetings with Mrs Lancastle - Smith to discuss the views and ideas of their classmates.
This years successful candidates are;
Y6 - Emily and Jordan.
Y5 - Matthew and Antony.
Y4-Lauren and Reece.
Y3 -Anna and Joseph.
Y2 - Harry and Danika.
We wish them good luck for the year ahead, we are sure they will do a good job of representing their classmates' opinions and views.
Photographs are on our display board in the corridor and also in the website gallery
J Anderson

It is with sadness that we must say goodbye today to our wonderful Year 6 class. They have been model pupils who have worked hard in the KS2 SATs. They have performed superbly in their studies and under the guidance of Mr Hampson they have matured and taken many a lead role in school. We wish them good luck for the future and hope they all achieve their goals. They have been a credit to the school, to Mr Hampson, Mrs Anderson, their parents and themselves. Congratulations and Well Done Year 6!

Mrs Cassidy is also leaving us, she has worked hard with our Reception class and with all children to produce our fantastic end of term musical extravaganza 'Swalwell's Got Talent' ...we will miss her greatly in September. We thank her for her hard work and dedication and wish her good luck in the future.
Posted by Mrs Anderson

Today was our annual sports day .Children from Nursery to Year 6 had the opportunity to show off their sporting ability and good sportsmanship. The weather was kind to us for both the morning and afternoon events.
This morning Nursery children astounded everyone with their skills before enjoying a wonderful picnic with parents,carers,aunties,uncles and grandparents.
After lunch our KS2 pupils took to the field and showed everyone how talented they are. Congratulations to Sam and Leigh -Ann who were each awarded a sportsperson trophy for achievement and excellence in sport. House Team ,Tyne, were presented with the cup for best overall scores.Well done everyone ..you were all brilliant and behaviour was superb!
Well done Miss Lawson !
Photographic Link
J Anderson

Swalwell School has once again been awarded the 'Impetus' Award. Nick Mawson from the Association for Citizenship Teaching presented our Year 5/6 pupils with the award for their work in promoting children's rights. Caitlyn, Sam, Sophie, Jake T, and Amelia led the project , which focused on developing our local park, and our work with Gateshead Council and the local community. They produced a diary and presentation to the Impetus representative in order to achieve the award. Mr Mawson was most impressed with the children's work in Citizenship and said they were "incredible... a credit to the school".

Photographic link
J Anderson

In our quest to provide the best Forest School opportunity for our children we enrolled the services of a Forest School practitioner for a staff training session on Tuesday 24th May.
Miss Lawson, who is well on her way to becoming a Forest School qualified leader, took staff through safety procedures, hygiene and tool talks.
Staff were very impressed by this outdoor approach to learning - What a great way to encourage and inspire individuals of all ages!
Photographic link
J Anderson

Congratulations to Mr Hampson who supported the leadership of a Raising Aspirations Conference organised by Gateshead Authority. Mr Hampson had topresent the good work of the school in career awareness and job development. This event was attended by seventeen representatives from other Gateshead schools who will benefit from the knowledge and skills which Mr Hampson shared. This is another example of Swalwell Primary School leading good practice.
Written by Mrs Lancastle- Smith
Published J Anderson

Parents evening will be held on 7th and 8th of March. Could parents please ensure that children attend with them as we like pupils to chair the meeting. During the meeting your child's progress and attainment in reading, writing, mathematics and general subjects will be discussed. You will also receive aprint out of your child's attendance.

We are thrilled to announce that Mrs Wheatley will be having a baby in June. Mrs Wheatley will begin maternity leave on 6th June and will return to school in November. We wish Mrs Wheatley a happy and healthy maternity leave. This will be the first staff baby for 6 years, we can't wait until the baby is born and passed around for a cuddle
Written by Mrs Lancastle - Smith
Published by Mrs Anderson

We are always keen to hear from former students about how they are getting on and what careers they have followed. We are therefore putting a call out to all former students to help us with our careers guidance, to help our pupils start on the path towards their dream careers.

To give children an insight into different careers and jobs we are looking for former pupils of Swalwell Primary School or Swalwell Junior School to tell us about what they have done in their working lives and the challenges that they have faced in getting where they are now.

If you want to help all you need do is contact us with details of your job, qualifications and career path as well as any advice you can give to someone who is considering that career.This will not only provide pupils with a first-hand view of a career option, but will also let us know what you are doing.

We hope to display the information on our careers wall to inspire pupils with their future prospects.

If you can help please contact the school via e-mail (swalwellprimaryschool@gateshead.gov.uk), or fax your responses ( 4334002).

Please use these questions as a basis of your reply:
When did you attend our school?
What is your job?
What qualifications did you get that you needed for your job?
What advice would you give to the pupils in our school with regards to jobs and careers?
Is there anything else you would like to add to help our students with thinking about careers?

If you were not an ex pupil of our school but would like to tell us about your career we would love to hear from you too.

Many thanks - Mr P Hampson

J Anderson

Today we welcome Mr Melgar to school. Mr Melgar will be with us until the end of June and will be teaching Spanish, PE and some music to children from Nursery to Year 6 as part of the schools work with the British Council and international links.
He will also be teaching children about the customs and culture of Spain.
Mr Melgar may also be persuaded to teach Spanish to parents, depending upon parental interest.
J Anderson

Amy, Sophie, Emma, Rachel, Courtney, Bethany, Hannah, Emily Brown, Sara, Emily Birdsall, Emily Newstead, Jessica, Thomas, Jake P, Caitlyn, Britanie, Angel and Shay are our new Playground Buddies. They can be seen at playtimes and lunchtimes on the KS1 and KS2 yards organising equipment and games for all pupils in school from Reception to Y6.
Well Done, you are all doing a fabulous job!

Photographs can be seen on the website by clicking here
J Anderson

It was with regret that school was closed for most of last week but today it is with delight that we welcome all children back into school.
During severe weather conditions the Headteacher has to assess the safety of the school sitefor children, parents and staff. When this is assessed to be dangerous the school has to close as a temporary measure.
Thank you to all parents who have offered support during the closure. If parents have experienced difficulty receiving information this is due to a number of circumstances:
1. The school must have record of your most recent mobile phone number in order for us to send a text of updates on bad weather arrangements .
2.Some parents do not receive the text until mid morning due to phone network even though the messages are sent at around 7am each morning
3. When the school is closed we cannot input messages onto the school website, however, Radio Newcastle, Real Radio, Metro Radio and Galaxy Radio and Gateshead Council are informed, therefore as a parent /carer, you have six points of reference to find out whether the school is closed.

As from tomorrow (Tuesday 7th December) the school will be open as usual at 9:00am / earlier for those children attending Breakfast Club unless there is very heavy snowfall overnight. If this is the case we will notify you as usual by text of any temporary closure.

School will be closed on Tuesday 30th November due to adverse weather conditions.
We will review the situation daily and advise parents / carers by text of the outcome -
Please note the importance of keeping us up-to-date with new telephone numbers

Further information about school closures can be found by listening to local radio stations or under winter weather 2010/2011 on the Gateshead Council website
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk
J Anderson

On Wednesday 3rd November Mr Hampson , Mrs Anderson and three children from Y5/6 ,Caitlyn, Sam and Amelia presented Swalwell Primary School's work on the Robinson Crusoe project to other Gateshead teachers and Head teachers at a conference at the City Learning Centre. The presentation was a huge success. Well Done to those involved in the organisation and implementation of the event.

We have been extremely lucky to secure training and funding to become a forest school. Miss Lawson will be specifically trained in outdoor education, play and survival techniques. The impact for staff and children is that more of our lessons will be spent outside. Children will be engaged in problem solving, learning about eco systems, science, technology and how to respect each other and all living things.
J Anderson

We are one of twelve Gateshead schools whose work will be presented in a Creative Curriculum document. Over the past few years staff and children have worked hard at producing an exciting curriculum, including basic skills in Literacy and Maths and enriched with visits and visitors. The school is developing a toolbox of lifelong learning skills. Teaching and learning now includes activities which promote skills, knowledge and understanding in thinking and reasoning.
Written by Mrs Lancastle- Smith
Published by Mrs Anderson

The children have settled well into school this week. They have all made an excellent start to the new academic year. Everyone is focused and interested in tasks and new topics. All classes are participating in exciting projects in order to expand knowledge and understanding of themselves and the world.
Year 5/6...Swalwell and British Heritage
Year 3/4...India
Year 1/2...Africa
Reception..Rumble in the Jungle
Nursery.....Ourselves and special times
Photographs can be seen in the website gallery
Posted by J Anderson

On Tuesday children had the opportunity to meet their new class teacher.
Classes for September are as follows:
Nursery - Mrs Purvis, Mrs Vanner
Reception - Mrs Wheatley, Mrs Gray
Year 1/2 - Miss Foster, Miss Woods
Year 3/4 - Miss Lawson, Miss Gowland
Year 5/6 - Mr Hampson, Mrs Anderson
Miss Scott will be working with small groups of children
Posted by Mrs Anderson

Many new photographs have been added to albums in the gallery lately...Why not take a peek ?
There are new prints in: Themed Menu Days, Music Workshops, The Butterfly Garden, Cinderella, After - School Clubs, Art and the Sports albums.
Recently added albums include : Nursery Pirate Day, Outdoor Learning in Nursery, Sports Day and Y2/3 Anthony Browne Project and Maths Fete .
J Anderson

Our Student Councillors are very proactive, planning and completing school improvements. Last week they conducted a health and safety check around the school and presented their findings to the school in a special assembly. Our Site Manager then followed up the School Councillors suggestions and took immediate action to improve the building.
This week the councillors will discuss teaching and learning in school and consider what is good and enjoyable about lessons and what aspects could be improved.
J Anderson

Congratulations to Miss Scott (Rec / Y1) who has successfully led the school through the Non- Smoking Gold Award. The award was presented at a ceremony on Wednesday 10th March 2010.

J Anderson

Exciting things are happening in Swalwell Park....Due to the excellent work of the Swalwell Park Group, the climbing frame, zip wire, large swing and long slide will soon be in the park. Swalwell Park Group worked with local residents and Swalwell School children to find out what sort of park everyone would like. The group put together a bid and were awarded over £60,000 from Playfinder and the Local Housing Company. This is only phase one, with future phases and areas of the park planned for 14 to 19 year olds, 0 to 8 year olds, mums, dads and senior citizens.
This is your park, to be enjoyed now and by future generations of Swalwell children and residents. We ask all children, parents and residents to safeguard Swalwell Park. Do not let anyone take away or damage what is yours. CCTV cameras will be operating from the school directly into the park as a further security measure.

The 'Swalwell Park- Our Contribution' album, in the gallery, has now been updated to show new photographs

Y5/6 are featured in the February - March 2010 edition of the Gateshead Council News magazine. They are pictured with the Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor John Eagle, at the unveiling of the blue plaque commemorating William Shield, the Swalwell born composer of 'Auld Lang Syne'. Photographs of the occasion can also be seen by clicking this link.
J Anderson

Diane Surtees,Educational Welfare Officer, came into Swalwell today to award Newcastle United v Preston match tickets.The names of all children who have had 100% attendance and no recorded 'late to school' marks were entered into a raffle. Congratulations to the winners, Lee (Y1), Sara (Y4) and Demi (Y2/3). We hope you and your guests will have a lovely time and enjoy the match.
J Anderson

For children who have 100% attendance and no recorded late to school marks - their names will be put into a hat at the end of half term - three lucky children will receive a pair of tickets each to watch Newcastle v Preston at St James' Park on Saturday 20th February 2010. Remember - you have to be in it to win it!J Anderson

Swalwell Primary School will be closed today and Friday (7th and 8th January 2010) due to severe weather conditions.Food deliveries for school lunches cannot access South View Terrace and some staff live in rural locations and have difficulty getting to work. We apologise for any inconvenience. The school will re-open on Monday, if not a notice will be sent to Newcastle Radio, Metro Radio and Gateshead Council. Schools which are closed will be listed on Gateshead Council website- under severe weather conditions and school closures. Mrs Anderson

Happy New Year ..We hope everyone had a good holiday. Thanks to all who made the end of term entertainment in 2009 go so well. The play, pantomime, the class parties, the singing at the unveiling of the William Shield plaque, the singing at the pensioners party in the Community Centre, the church service and the PTA disco- well done to those who made it all happen and to those who helped it all to run so smoothly. We trust that we will have a very successful 2010.... a year, once again, with lots to celebrate.J Anderson

We are grateful to the ladies of the Womens Institute who often come into Swalwell School to hear our children read.The children get so much pleasure out of reading to a different audience. Thank you ladies for using your spare time to do such a worthwhile job.Photographs can be seen in our website gallery in the visitors album

All children have made an excellent start to the new academic year.Everyone is settled ,focused and interested in tasks and new topics. School Councillors have been elected with two representatives from each year group.Year 6 prefects have been chosen and are taking the responsibility well.( Photographs can be viewed on the website gallery)

Christine Constance, an artist, has been in school working with children to design our new Butterfly Garden.Children began by drawing their designs.The next task was then to cut tiles before choosing colours and tile size. The beautiful ceramic butterflies are now on display on the walls in the newly formed Butterfly Garden located in the KS2 quadrangle. Photographs can be seen in the website gallery. Mrs Anderson

The school was approached for views and given the opportunity to contribute to the plan to redesign our local park. The school council examined and assessed the existing site and completed a site survey. Areas of importance for our children were space, accessibility, and equipment. On return to school we generated ideas and made models. Our ideas, feelings and opinions will hopefully be used by landscape architects after it was agreed to upgrade the ball court, create an adventure area and make a younger child play area. We can't wait for our ideas to be used to update this once neglected land. We have already made and placed bird boxes in trees of our choice in Swalwell Park. Photographs can be seen in the gallery.Posted by J Anderson

STS-119 the crew of the latest shuttle mission to the international space station are visiting the UK and our children, from years 2 to year 5 have been lucky enough to be invited to meet them! The astronauts will speak to the children about science, education, and their passion for space during the meeting. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet with these leading scientists. Watch this space for an update on how the visit went!J Anderson