Weekly Blog Friday 24th October 2025
Date: 23rd Oct 2025 @ 8:01am
Attendance
Every week in our Celebration Assembly, we celebrate the class who has achieved the highest attendance for that week. This week Mrs Davies' class had the highest attendance with 95.56%. Well done Year 1!
Please see below for the attendance figures for this week. The target attendance for all children is currently set at 97%.
Nursery - 86.67%
Reception - 92.11%
Year 1 Mrs Davies - 95.56%
Year 2 Mrs Ward & Mrs Walker - 86.96%
Year 3 Mrs Ronan & Mrs Wood - 94.05%
Year 4 Mrs Parkes - 92.71%
Year 5 Mrs Pickersgill - 90.42%
Year 6 Miss Dunn - 91.30%
Celebrating fantastic attendance!
Each week, each class with 100% attendance on a particular day will receive one letter from the word MAYFLOWER to put on their classroom door. Once a class has spelt out the word MAYFLOWER, a member of the class will bring all their letters down to the office to claim their prize from our box of Awesome Attendance Activities!
Please see below where each class stands at the end of today:
Nursery - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R
Reception - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y
Year 1 - M A Y F L O W E R
Year 2 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R
Year 3 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R
Year 4 - M A Y F L O W E R M
Year 5 - M A Y F L O W E R
Year 6 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E
This week, Nursery completed MAYFLOWER for the second time and enjoyed their reward of a mini disco this morning. Year 5 chose their reward and watched a film for some of the afternoon.
Stars of the week
Each week in our Friday Celebration Assembly, we celebrate our stars of the week. Each class teacher chooses 2 children from their class each week who have really impressed them. Here are the children who have been chosen this week.
Nursery & Reception
Rux has been chosen as star of the week for Nursery this week. She is always so kind to the other children. She loves helping the adults and being given a job to do. She always remembers her manners and says please and thank you. She has grown in confidence and it is lovely to see how happy and smiley she is.
Sophie is our next star of the week this week in Nursery as she is so kind and helpful to the other children. She shows a really caring attitude towards others. Sophie always tries her best in what is asked of her. She listens carefully and follows instructions, she knows our routines and does what is expected of her.
Our first star of the week for Reception this week has shown kindness when we had some visitors in reception, greeting them with a big smile as they walked through the door and offered to show them round our outdoor area. You notice when others help you and make sure to show your thanks with a big smile and kind words. Well done Aaron 🙂
Our second star of the week for Reception has shown such wonderful gratitude this week (and every week) by always using her manners and showing appreciation for the little things in the day. She takes care of our classroom making sure things are put back in the right place or picking things up from the floor so they don't get broken. Well done Ava 🙂
Year 1
This week we have been thinking about how we show gratitude. From the simple but powerful statement of saying, "Thank you," to a hug or other act of kindness, Year 1 are all amazing at showing their gratitude of others.
Rosa has proven herself to be such a thoughtful girl recently. She always says thank you and shows she means it by giving a big smile and a hug too. I have been grateful for Rosa's hard work and dedication to her writing. She has written some amazing descriptions, demonstrating that she's listening and learning in all of her lessons. Well done Rosa! Thank you for all your hard work.
Erin-Mae is someone who is always kind and thoughtful and we are all very grateful for the care and respect she shows every member of our class. She demonstrates her gratitude by saying thank you and giving a beaming smile. She also does lots of little things to help, showing us that she appreciates our classroom environment and all of the people in it. Thank you for having a brilliant attitude for gratitude, Erin!
Year 2
Jasper for always showing gratitude towards others. He always does this with the biggest smile and most cheerful attitude. He is always so grateful when others help him and loves to show his thanks in return. Thank you, Jasper, your kindness, happiness, and gratitude remind us how lovely it feels to be thankful.
This week, Hugo has worked so hard in all his learning and has started to show real gratitude along the way. He's noticed when others have helped him and made sure to say thank you. We are so proud of how determined and positive he has been. Well done, Hugo, your effort, kindness and growing gratitude have really shone this week!
Year 3
George - George is a polite member of our class who always uses excellent manners. He is always grateful for the time adults spend with him in class and he makes the most of this time by working hard and listening carefully. George lights up our classroom with his smile and we appreciate how kind and caring he is. Thank you, George!
Lais - Lais is a quiet member of our class who shows how grateful she is in many ways. She is always smiling, she always says thank you and always helps other children when she can. Lais works hard in class and makes the most of help she is given by an adult or partner, taking on advice immediately! Thank you, Lais!
Year 4
Phoebe - Phoebe demonstrates gratitude in everything she does. She is always polite and respectful to everyone she talks to. Phoebe can show high levels of empathy with others and includes everyone in her play. Phoebe always uses her manners in conversation and is a role model to her peers.
Jagoda - Jagoda is one of the most polite, kind and well-mannered children I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Her ability to show gratitude in everything she does makes her a shining example of doing it the Mayflower way. Her smile is infectious and her positive attitude towards learning enables her to make amazing progress.
Year 5
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more."
Mason - Mason shows gratitude throughout every day. He always uses his manners and says thank you to those who support him in and out of the classroom. He is always polite and demonstrates lovely manners on a daily basis. I am very grateful to have such a wonderful student in my class.
Mae will confidently tell someone if she has problems doing her work and listens to feedback, which will take her learning further. Mae shows gratitude for the help that she is given by saying thank you. Mae works cooperatively, shares her ideas and thoughtfully listens to what others say. I am very grateful to have such a kind and caring child in my class.
Year 6
The focus this week across school has been on gratitude; it was lovely to hear the children expressing their gratitude during their Pupil Voice sessions and also at church during our Harvest Service. This week's Stars of the Week have been chosen with this in mind:
Charlotte - Charlotte shows gratitude through her words and actions every single day; she always says 'thank you' when given advice or feedback on her learning and shows that she is grateful for guidance on how to improve by acting upon it to make her work even better. She shows gratitude towards adults, peers and her friends, offering thanks for the things they do with a big smile on her face. I hope you realise how grateful we are for you, Charlotte.
Frankie - Frankie shows gratitude in many different ways; he always says 'thank you' for any support, guidance or feedback received and shows that he appreciates it by acting upon it to make his work even better. He shows gratitude towards his peers by being a kind and supportive friend, ensuring that he values others and treats them the way he would like to be treated. You have had a fantastic start to Year 6, Frankie, and we are grateful for the contribution that you make.
Half Term message from Mrs Powell
Happy half-term Mayflower families,
Storm Benjamin has certainly made the last few days interesting seeing the children playing with the wind and rain behind them! Let’s hope the weather is kinder to us all next week. It has been a very busy week in school with parent’s evening and a wonderful Thanksgiving service at church on Wednesday. The message from Rev. Becky was about being thankful for everything we have in our lives. The children shared so many wonderful examples of this with her including; for the beautiful world and animals and plants; for our pets, for our families; for all the things we can do to help others that have nothing. Always, their compassion towards helping others astounds us all. It was in this that she talked about gratitude leading to generosity and we thought about how we do that in our community and how we do that further away. School and St Nicholas’ Church are supporting Bassetlaw Food Bank and Water Aid this year and any donations received already or in the future are gratefully received.
Following this, this week’s values assembly on Monday was themed around gratitude and our pupil voice focussed on how we can achieve our goal of being a more appreciative school community. STARS of THE WEEK and Superstar Award this week all celebrated the thanks and appreciation that the children have shown to all the adults in school. This has been achieved especially by our dinner dynamite awardees this week showing excellent manners in the dinner hall and on the playground.
My Superstar award this week goes to Isabelle E in Nursery. Even though this is only the first half term Isabelle has been in our school, she is already proving herself to be a Mayflower star! She tries hard in all that she does, and we are grateful for all the wonderful smiles and contributions she is already bringing to the class. Well done!
I wish you all a wonderful half-term break where maybe you too can spend some time sharing some gratitude and spreading some of the generosity that we feel as a response to this with others.
Mrs Powell
Makaton Sign Of The Week
The children are continuing to learn Makaton's 'Sign of the week' each week. Each Monday, the children learn the new sign for that week. We thought it would be useful to share the following week's sign with parents/carers on our Friday blog so you can get involved too if you wish. Please click on the link below to see the sign for the coming week.
https://makaton.org/TMC/News_Stories/SOTW/SOTW_Art.aspx
Harvest Donations
Thank you again for all the harvest donations. We have shared some with some members of our school community and the rest will be collected by Bassetlaw Food Bank during the first week back after half term.
Christmas Art Project Orders
If you returned your child's artwork to be sent off to Xmas4Schools, they will be in touch using the information provided on your form as soon as the system is open to take orders. The deadline for orders to be placed with Xmas4Schools is Wednesday 5th November. All orders will be returned to school and will be taken to class for the children to bring home. We will send a message once the orders are received in school.
PTA Bingo Night Wednesday 12th November
Letters will be coming out on the first day back after half term for the PTA Bingo Night which will take place on Wednesday 12th November from 3.10pm to 4.10pm. Tickets are £5 per family to include refreshments. There will also be a tuck shop available.
The deadline for reply slips and entry fee to be returned to school will be Friday 7th November, to allow time for the PTA to purchase refreshments and items for the tuck shop.
Half Term
Some restaurants/cafes in Doncaster are providing free meals or heavily reduced meals for children when adult meals are purchased. Please click on the links below for further information.
Children eat for free or reduced price during half term
Toby Carvery children eat for £1
'Your Place' support over half term
As the half-term break approaches, City of Doncaster Council's Your Place team are still here to support families during this time. They understand that half-term can be a challenging period for some families, and are here to assist in any way possible. Whether it’s providing support, offering guidance, or simply being a point of contact for families in need, they are ready to help.
Please click on the link at the bottom of this page for further information and contact details for the Your Place teams around Doncaster.
Wraparound Care after half term
Please see below for the flyer to enable parents/carers to book their child into wraparound care next half term. Don't forget that there is a free breakfast club every morning from 8.10am - places need to be booked 48 hours in advance for these free sessions.
Poppy Appeal 2025
We will again be raising funds for The Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal this year. We have had some poppies and other items (bracelets, stationery items etc) delivered to school this week. These will be available for the children to purchase during the first week back after half term. The suggested donation for each item is £1; however, all donations will be most greatfully received.
Merry Masterpieces
Lee Pitcher, the MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, would like some help designing his Christmas card for this year. He would like children to design a Christmas card that Mr Pitcher could then use to send to community leaders, charities, other politicians and the Prime Minister.
If your child would like to take part, the deadline for entries is Friday 7th November. Further details are provided below.
Halloween comes to Mayflower!
Thank you very much to Mrs Stanfield, our wonderful cook, who brought a touch of Halloween to lunchtime today. Mrs Stanfield had decorated the serving area and had made some halloween-themed biscuits for the children. As you can see, the children really appreciated it and thought the biscuits were delicious!
Lunch Menu for week commencing 3rd November 2025
Please see the menu below for the first week back after half term. Mrs Stanfield, our School Cook, will continue to monitor the children's likes and dislikes and there may be changes to these menus in light of these.
There may also be last minute changes to the menus on occasion, to take into account availability of items or delivery issues.
Diary Dates
Please see below our current diary dates. It may be that there are dates on here that involve your child that you haven't had any information for yet. Please don't worry, information will come out in plenty of time prior to the date concerned. Dates that have been added since the last blog are shown in bold.
2025-2026 School Year
2025
Friday 24th October - last day at school before half term
Monday 27th October to Friday 31st October - half term
Friday 31st October - closing date for Secondary school applications for September 2026
Friday 31st October - PTA Halloween Disco Bawtry New Hall 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Monday 3rd November - first day back after half term
Wednesday 5th November - Reception visit to Boston Park Farm - parents to drop off and collect from Boston Park Farm
Monday 10th November - Year 1 visit to Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery
Tuesday 11th November - Flu vaccinations for children from Reception to Year 6
Wednesday 12th November - PTA Bingo Night 3.10pm to 4.10pm - £5 per family ticket to include refreshments. Tuck shop also available
Thursday 13th November - Year 5 visit to Lincoln Castle
Thursday 13th November - Nursery and Reception phonics stay and play - straight after the morning register has been taken. Will last about 1 hour
Friday 14th November - non-uniform day - cash donations to go towards families in our community who need support
Tuesday 18th November - An introduction to Autism workshop 8.45 - places to be booked beforehand
Wednesday 19th November - open evening 4pm to 5.30pm for visits for Reception places for September 2026
Tuesday 25th November - Challenging behaviour: strategies to support your Autistic child workshop 8.45 - places to be booked beforehand
Tuesday 25th November - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Wednesday 26th November - Rocksteady concert 2pm - for those taking part in Rocksteady sessions. ***Change of date***
Friday 28th November - EFL Kids Cup at Eco-Power Stadium - further information to follow to parents of KS2 children involved
Monday 1st December - raffle tickets on sale for Christmas Chocolate Raffle. Raffle tickets will also be on sale at all our Christmas events including the nativities
Tuesday 2nd December - Flu vaccination session for any children absent on the original flu vaccination date
Tuesday 2nd December - Coping with anxiety: strategies to support your Autistic child workshop 8.45 - places to be booked beforehand
Wednesday 3rd December - choir singing at Bawtry Residents Christmas Lunch
Monday 8th December - Key Stage 1 nativity dress rehearsal 10.30am
Tuesday 9th December - Foundation Stage nativity dress rehearsal 10am
Tuesday 9th December - Key Stage 1 nativity performance 2pm
Wednesday 10th December - Foundation Stage nativity performance 10.30am
Wednesday 10th December - Key Stage 1 nativity performance 2pm
Thursday 11th December - Foundation Stage nativity performance 10.30am
Friday 12th December - PTA Christmas Shop during the school day
Tuesday 16th December - Christmas church service St Nicholas' church for Year 2 to Year 6 - walking to church straight after morning registration. All welcome to walk to church and back with us.
Tuesday 16th December - Christmas Dinner Day
Wednesday 17th December - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Wednesday 17th December - panto in school
Wednesday 17th December - Carols round the tree and Christmas Market
Thursday 18th December - Christmas Party Day including party food for lunch
Thursday 18th December - last day at school before Christmas holidays
Thursday 18th December - Christmas Chocolate raffle being drawn during the school day
Friday 19th December - Training Day - school closed to pupils
Monday 22nd December to Friday 2nd January - Christmas holidays
2026
Monday 5th January - Training Day - school closed to pupils
Tuesday 6th January - first day back after Christmas holidays
Thursday 15th January - closing date for applications for Reception for September 2026
Tuesday 27th January - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Tuesday 10th February - Choir perform at Young Voices concert at Sheffield Utilita Arena - further details to follow
Wednesday 11th February - non-uniform day - no donations requested
Wednesday 11th February - PTA discos - Nursery, Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 3.10pm to 3.50pm (Nursery & Reception parents to stay at the disco with their children). Years 3 to 6 4pm to 4.45pm
Friday 13th February - last day at school before half term
Monday 16th February to Friday 20th February - half term
Monday 23rd February - first day back after half term
Tuesday 24th February - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Wednesday 11th March - Reception visit to Boston Park Farm - parents to drop off and collect from Boston Park Farm
Friday 13th March - PTA Gifts for a loved one shop during the school day
Wednesday 18th March - Rocksteady concert 2pm - for those taking part in Rocksteady sessions
Monday 23rd March - Year 6 visit to Crucial Crew
Tuesday 24th March - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Wednesday 25th March - PTA Easter Egg Hunt during the school day
Friday 27th March - last day at school before Easter holidays
Monday 30th March to Friday 10th April - Easter holidays
Monday 13th April - first day back after Easter holidays
Wednesday 15th April to Friday 17th April - Year 5 residential to Dearne Valley PGL
Tuesday 28th April - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Monday 4th May - bank holiday - school closed
Monday 11th May to Thursday 14th May - Year 6 SATs
Wednesday 13th May - non-uniform day - no donations requested
Wednesday 13th May - PTA discos - Nursery, Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 3.10pm to 3.50pm (Nursery & Reception parents to stay at the disco with their children). Years 3 to 6 4pm to 4.45pm
Monday 18th May - Year 1 visit to Austerfield Study Centre
Tuesday 19th May - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Tuesday 19th May - Year 3 parents meeting for Austerfield residential
Wednesday 20th May to Friday 22nd May - Year 6 London residential
Friday 22nd May - last day at school before half term
Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May - half term
Monday 1st June - Training Day - school closed
Tuesday 2nd June - first day back after half term
Tuesday 2nd June to Friday 12th June - Year 4 multiplication checks
Wednesday 3rd June - class photos
Monday 8th June to Friday 12th June - Key Stage 1 Phonics screening week
Tuesday 9th June to Wednesday 10th June - Year 3 residential to Austerfield Study Centre
Friday 12th June - Reception visit to Boston Park Farm - parents to drop off and collect from Boston Park Farm
Monday 15th June to Sunday 26th June - Bawtry Festival
Wednesday 17th June - choir taking part in Sing Out concert
Thursday 18th June - Sports Day - times to be confirmed
Friday 19th June - PTA Gifts for a loved one shop during the school day
Wednesday 24th June - Rocksteady & Guitar/Woodwind/Brass concert 2pm - for those taking part in Rocksteady sessions and/or music lessons with Doncaster Music Service
Wednesday 24th June - PTA Summer Fair
Monday 29th June to Wednesday 1st July - Year 4 Hollowford residential
Tuesday 30th June - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Monday 6th July - Year 6 transition evening at The Hayfield School for parents and children
Tuesday 7th July to Wednesday 8th July - The Hayfield School transition days
Tuesday 7th July to Wednesday 8th July - Queen Elizabeth's High School Gainsborough transition days
Tuesday 7th July to Thursday 9th July - XP Secondary School transition days
Wednesday 8th July - New Parents Evening at Queen Elizabeth's High School Gainsborough
Wednesday 15th July - PTA Colour Run
Friday 17th July - last day at school before Summer holidays
Monday 20th July - Training Day - school closed to pupils
2026-2027 School Year
2026
Wednesday 30th September - individual/sibling photos
