Dear Families, 

We are delighted to be welcoming your family to Dunalley in September and look forward to working with you to ensure that your children enjoy school and flourish in all areas of their development.  To make the transition to school as smooth and successful as possible, we will be hosting a number of welcome events later this term.  We very much hope that you will be able to join us.

Pippin's (our school dog) Birthday Party – Saturday 25 April, 2–4pm. Join us for a fun-filled afternoon on our school field.  Families are warmly invited to bring a picnic, relax, and enjoy the school grounds while getting to know other families and staff. It’s a lovely way to begin your Dunalley journey and feel part of our school community.

School Readiness Meetings with the early years team; these meetings will run for about 30 - 45 minutes, you would only need to attend one of them as the content will be the same.
Tuesday 19^th May at 9am or Thursday 21st May at 9am

Welcome ‘Tea Party’ for Parents & Carers only– Thursday 18th June at 2pm-3pm
This will provide you with an opportunity to meet with our school leaders, and once again with the early years team, we will also share practical information about starting school and discuss the ways in which we can work together to make the experience as positive as possible for your children.   
Please ensure that you bring your child's birth certificate with you to the tea party for our admin team to certify.
This event is not for children, there are many other events for the children to attend.
Dolce Ltd, our catering provider, will be at hand to offer a taster session of the lunches provided for the children.

Stay and Play Sessions for Children with their Parents/Carers- 
Wednesday 24^th June 2pm to 2.45pm and Monday 13^th July 2pm to 2.45pm
We would like to invite you and your child into school to enjoy ‘stay and play sessions’ with the EYFS teachers.  
These sessions will be held on our front field and further information will be provided for families nearer the time. 

Summer Fayre – Friday 3rd July from 3pm
Families are welcome to join us for our Summer Fayre hosted by our wonderful PTFA helping us raise money for our school. More details will be available via our weekly newsletters in the weeks ahead.

Starting School – Part time/Full time 
We realise the importance of knowing school term dates as soon as possible and are pleased to be able to inform you now about the part-time/full-time schedule for your children starting in September. 

New Reception children will start PART TIME ONLY from Thursday 3^rd September to Friday 4^th September.
If the children are ready to attend school on a full-time basis, they will do so on Monday 7^th September.  Exact times and more detailed information for morning or afternoon sessions will be provided later this term. 

What to do now
We encourage you to explore our website to help you familiarise yourself with our school community.
Additional information will be sent to you from the beginning of June.

Finally
Please don’t hesitate to contact us at dunalley@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk if there is anything that you would like to discuss on an individual basis, we will be very happy to do so this term. 

Yours truly,  

Alison Godfrey 
Headteacher