Dear Dorchester Families,

Dear Parents and Carers

I am writing this as I am travelling back from Dorset on the coach with a group of our amazing Year 6 children.  We have had a brilliant week on residential - it is wonderful to see how these experiences support children’s development.  They learn so much about themselves and about how to relate to and support others – the empathy they have shown is second to none.

The staff on the visit were reflecting on the value of these experiences for our children.  They get to challenge themselves in a safe environment – I couldn’t jump from the heights most of the children did during coasteering – as well as try things out that they may not ordinarily be able to.  They also learn how to handle tiredness, how to cope with a snorer in your tent, sort out an ever-changing daily kit for activities, making sure you have applied your suncream, filled your water bottle, packed your backpack, remembered your lunch and are lined up on time for each activity, hanging your wet stuff on the line to dry after water activities etc.  And this year we have ended up with only a small handful of bits of lost property!  All these things mean we are bringing back young people who are just a little bit more mature, wiser and able to manage themselves and others better than they were last week.  We were also told we had the most well-mannered and quietest children on camp!  Well done children!  And thank you to those parents who supported the trip, helped their children with packing and organising themselves and for all the encouragement you gave the children to be their best selves on the visit. 

Next week is busy with Year 2 Tie Assembly, Leavers’ Assembly, Platinum Reading Breakfast and our annual Staff vs Year 6 water fight, to name but a few activities, but the learning doesn’t stop, and we aim to keep the routine as normal as possible for the children until Friday.  Remember that school finishes at 1:30pm on Friday.

Have a wonderful, sunny weekend.

Cathy Bell
Headteacher

Despite the very wet start last Saturday, the weather soon dried up and a fantastic time was had by all at the Summer Fair. We'd like to say a MASSIVE thank you to all parents & carers for all your wonderful donations to the Fair and support on the day, also to all the volunteers for your help. We could not run the Fair without you all! We'd like to thank Mrs Bell, Mr Dennis, Mrs Thackwell, Ian, Annabel, Carol & everyone in the office for all their help in the lead up to and on the day of the Fair. SM Pineger, The Butcher for the delicious fresh meat for the BBQ, Kevin William Peare and Sons Ltd & Connor Prince Estate Agents for their generous cash donations which were won by 4 lucky winners in the raffle! Also to all businesses who donated a raffle prize.

A big thank you also goes to all the lovely external stalls who joined us:

• Guilty Pleasures - Can be found on instagram at: guilty_pleasures21
• Viv's Craft Corner - Can be found on instagram at: vivs_craft_corner_1
• Little Sunflower Gifts
• Mini Sleepers Sleepovers
• Pamper Me Pretty - Can be found on instagram at: pampermeprettyspabus
• Pyramid Crafts
• Angelical Gifts
• Sophia's Jewellery
• It's Sweet as
• Lisa's Shop

Additional thanks to these external stalls who donated fabulous prizes to our raffle, It’s Sweet As, Pamper me Pretty Spa Bus, Angelical gifts, Sophie’s Jewellery & Pyramid Crafts.

A massive thank you goes to Darren Altman for once again being fab on the mic & keeping everyone entertained & informed!

Lastly, we'd love to thank Pure Vibez Dance Co. for putting on a fantastic dance performance despite the wet weather. They were all brilliant and everyone enjoyed the performance. We'd also like to give a special mention to our committee member Louise Day. It was sadly her last Fair with us as a committee member. We hope Emily enjoys her last week at Dorchester and hope to see you at future fairs to enjoy all the fun with us. You will be greatly missed on the committee, thank you for everything you've done over the years.

Once again, thank you to everyone who made the Fair a huge success despite the weather. We could not do this without you all, from all of us on the FODS Committee, Kirsty Beers, Louise Day, Clare Singer, Becky Qema, Mandy West & myself Jackie Carroll. Thank you!

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/raffle/fods-big-summer-raffle-2025?fbclid=IwY2xjawK38SlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCaE81eHB5VVd3R2R1UktXAR444ZoxCZPHDWaQ0-5_VjR8YOCFhbIe_o0VeNwFTe0rW8EyCHBFQX4aecA9pA_aem_554dbf3qAJSRyjefCRCydw

Do you know about Your School Lottery? Dorchester Primary School is part of this fantastic lottery. This lottery has been set up specifically to raise money and make a difference for our children! It's a fantastic way to bring parents, carers, teachers, and the wider community together, in partnership with our school, and at the same time give something back. There are lots of amazing prizes to be won, your support is greatly appreciated, and we wish you good luck! To sign up or find out more information, please visit the website via this link: https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/dorchester-primary-school?fbclid=IwAR2UqkYQ4Yf79s9ZZul-tgcgLtJp9McVlXXqWutUrjklVom85O1EppaUonM

 We have been made aware of an error with Amazon & eBay while using easyfundraising, please ensure that your basket is empty prior to shopping, or it will not register the use of easyfundraising.

Thank you for your continued support.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on Facebook where we keep you up to date on all things FODS! Find us at: Friends Of Dorchester School PTA

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