22nd April 2022

A Message from the Head...

It has been lovely to welcome everyone back this week in the sunshine and with the promise of warmer weather on the horizon.

It has been a short first week back and in fact the next two weeks will be equally short as we all benefit form the additional Bank Holiday for the Queen's Jubilee next Friday (29th April) as well as the usual May Day Bank Holiday the following Monday (2nd May). School will be fully closed on both days and I hope everyone will be able to make the most of the long weekend.

Tickets went on sale today for our first ever lower Key Stage 2 production which takes place on 4th and 5th May. We are trying out a new platform through which tickets for school events can be bought so, any feedback parents have on this as they secure their tickets would be gratefully received.

Parents in the relevant year groups (Upper 1 and Lower 2) are invited to click the button below to purchase their tickets for this event.

Go For Gold!

The highlight of this week has to have been the Prep Danceathon held yesterday. I loved seeing all the Prep pupils arriving at school in all manner of jazzy gear and I hear that they had a blast with all the dancing that went on throughout the day! You can read more about this event below. Thanks to every who kindly donated so much money towards our fundraising cause, especially the Timothy family!

Have a great weekend everyone.

- Dr Tracy Johnson -

Prep Danceathon

On Thursday there was excitement in the air as everyone from Early Years and Prep arrived dressed in their party clothes ready to dance the day away.

Each year group chose their own theme; we had Abba, movie songs and even an animal theme. The children loved dancing to their favourite songs, choreographing dances and creating some excellent signature moves. Click here to see a short video.

As with all school events, it wasn’t just the children who were excited. The Prep and Early Years staff of course had to have their moment on the dance floor - click here to see staff doing the 'Macarena'.

The sponsored danceathon was to help raise money for a defibrillator for the school grounds.

We are very pleased to say that we raised a total of £3,316! In addition to this, Mr and Mrs Timothy (Honor and Gabriel’s parents) have very kindly offered to purchase a second defibrillator for the school. This has given us the opportunity to donate the rest of the money to the PFA to go towards funding the outdoor sports courts upgrade.

A huge thank you to all the parents who helped sponsor their child and a very big thank you to the Timothy family for purchasing a second defibrillator.

- Mrs Fiona Watford -

CCF passing out ceremony

In the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) the newest set of recruits recently completed their passing out ceremony by taking the cadet force promise and receiving their berets from Captain Davies. This took place in the PAC in front of their proud parents. Before they could receive their beret, they had to pass a test on military knowledge and also a practical test on turnout and drill.
In the weeks leading up to this ceremony the cadets had been working hard to improve their knowledge of the military, including ranks and badges of rank, regiment history and the values and standards of the British army. To pass their drill test, they had to learn how to wear their uniform properly, how to get on parade, march, salute and turn in unison.

Congratulations to all the newly appointed fully fledged cadets.

- Lt Sophie King -

CCF Easter camp - Isle of Wight

Over the Easter holidays 15 cadets and 4 staff from Gateways School CCF took part in the CCF Easter camp (Spring Splash) on the Isle of Wight. The event took place at the UK Sailing Academy, where the participants gained national governing body qualifications from the Royal Yacht Association.

Three members of staff also gained the RYA Powerboat Level 2 qualification, in preparations for them becoming Dinghy Sailing Instructors in the future.

Click here for more information.

- Captain Davies -

Lucy's success with the Leeds Rhinos netball team

During the Easter break, Lower 5 pupil Lucy Dyer represented Leeds Rhinos Netball in the U17 NPL (Netball Performance League) closing weekend at Nottingham University.

Leeds Rhinos finished second in their group so took to the court against Surrey Storm who also finished second in their group. Both teams displayed skill and determination but it was Rhinos who came out on top, ending the match with the scoreline 52-46 in their favour. The result of this fixture meant that Leeds Rhinos secured their spot as NPL U17 league bronze medalists having lost only 1 match the whole season against Manchester Thunder.

Following the end of the NPL season, teams were invited to take part in a play-off style competition; Leeds Rhinos secured the victory and finished as tournament champions. Well done to Lucy and the rest of the Rhinos team!

Photo credit: Morgan Harlow

PFA update

Thank you for supporting the Gateways PFA Summer Ball in 2019 where we raised £8,000 towards the outdoor education facility. This year’s ball is taking place on Saturday 2nd July 2022 where we hope to raise the remaining funds required to upgrade the outdoor sports courts. We have a few tickets left if you would like to attend and we also have some table sponsor opportunities available at £200 each.

In return you will receive :
•   Your opportunity to promote your brand/product to our parents, teachers, friends and wider community
•   Your branding on one of twenty tables
•   Your literature in the goodie bags distributed on the night
•   Shameless plugging in our newsletters circulated to more 1200 subscribers and on social media

If you would like to buy tickets or be a sponsor, then please contact us at gpfa@gatewaysschool.co.uk

- The Gateways PFA Committee -