Ripon Cathedral School Update

Year 2 had a brilliant morning at the fire station on Thursday! We explored real firefighting equipment, tried on the uniform, and met the fire officers who showed us how their jobs and tools have changed over the last 400 years.

The highlight was climbing into the fire engine—we pretended to drive, used the walkie-talkies, and learned what everything inside is for. We even received our own printed “incident report” to take home.

The trip ended with an exciting send-off, complete with sirens, horns, and flashing lights. We loved every minute!

Congratulations to our Stars of the Week celebrated in today's worship:

Nursery - Jacob for growing in confidence and becoming a more confident and independent learner.

Reception - Elysia for her amazing attitude to learning. She always shows such great enthusiasm, listening to others and sharing her own ideas with confidence.

Year 1 - Wilfred for wowing us all with his amazing attitude to learning for the last few weeks. He's been putting 100% effort into all his work, especially his narrative writing in English. He's been sitting beautifully on the carpet too!

Year 2 - Pippa for showing outstanding perseverance and resilience in maths. We have been working hard on addition and subtraction and Pippa has tried her best, worked independently, and completed corrections with a fantastic attitude.

Year 3 - Eric for his super attitude to his learning, especially in maths where he is taking on the more challenging questions.

Year 4 - Levi for wonderful effort and determination with your writing, believing in himself because he can do it!

Year 5 - Sophie for always coming in with a smile on her face. We are so happy she is contributing more and more in class.

Year 6 - Ava for showing determination in maths.

We hope to see many families at the disco evening. Please note the times and details on the poster below. (Sorry, only for children on roll at Ripon Cathedral School.)

Our next big event is the Christmas Fair which takes place in the school hall on Thursday 4th December, 3.00-4.30pm. We will have some stalls selling 'pocket money friendly' items and a lot of games for the children to enjoy, plus a visit from Father Christmas! One highlight of the fair is always the Christmas raffle. Please see the ClassDojo message posted on Thursday, asking every year group for donations to the differently themed hampers. If you can start sending in items from Monday (leave with class staff), it will help us to have time to make the hampers up, thank you. Our themes are:

Nursery = Christmas

Reception = Sweet Shop

Year 1 = Toy Shop

Year 2 = Yorkshire

Year 3 = Indulgence

Year 4 = Best of British

Year 5 = Around the World

Year 6 = Baking

In addition to the hampers, we have some extra special items which will be in a different raffle. So far they include a family ticket to Stockeld Park and a chocolate hamper from Hemingways. If you know of a local business who will be happy to provide a prize for this raffle, please do let us know. We would also be grateful if any local businesses could sponsor purchase of the selection boxes which are Father Christmas's gifts!

Raffle tickets will go on sale on ParentPay next week (£2 a ticket, 3 tickets for £5) and you will also be able to buy in cash at the fair.

Thanks for all support for these Christmas events and to all volunteers at the disco tonight.

A reminder that our management information system ScholarPack is being discontinued. Our switch over to the new system Arbor began on Thursday. Apologies that this may cause some inconvenience in the short term. You may need to look out for messages on ClassDojo rather than by email or text/app message. The ScholarPack app will obviously fall out of commission too.

We hope that the new provider gives an improved service but apologise for the inconvenience meanwhile.

As the cooler months arrive, students are reminded that we are now wearing winter uniform.

Boys’ Winter Uniform:

Bottle green woollen ‘V’ neck jumper or cardigan (logo preferred)
School tie
White shirt (long or short sleeves)
Grey trousers
Sensible black shoes
Grey or white socks

Girls’ Winter Uniform:

Bottle green woollen ‘V’ neck jumper or cardigan (logo preferred)
School tie
White blouse (long or short sleeves)
Grey skirt, trousers (long or short), or pinafore dress
Sensible black shoes
Grey or white socks, or grey tights

Footwear:
Boots may be worn during winter. If boots are black, they may be kept on throughout the day. If not, please ensure students bring their school shoes to change into.

Thank you for supporting our students in wearing their winter uniform neatly and with pride!

PE Kit

A reminder that children should wear PE Kit on PE days. This consists of a plain white polo shirt, plain black shorts or grey jogging bottoms and a plain green hoody. Trainers may be worn on PE days but on no other days.

General reminders:

Long hair should be tied back and no jewellery must be worn other than some simple stud earrings. Earrings must be removed for PE. A wristwatch is allowed, but no Smart-watches.

Nursery and Reception

Uniform is optional in Nursery. Children in the Reception class must wear uniform but the tie is optional.

Friday 21st November - School Disco

Tuesday 2nd December - 9am EYFS and KS1 Superstars Assembly

Wednesday 3rd December - 9am KS2 Superstars Assembly

Thursday 4th December 3-4.30pm - Christmas Fair

Wednesday 10th December - 2pm Christingle Service at the Cathedral – KS2

Monday 15th December - 1.30pm Nativity Performance 1 at the Cathedral – EYFS and KS1

Monday 15th December - 4pm Nativity Performance 2 at the Cathedral – EYFS and KS1

Wednesday 17th December - School Christmas Lunch

Friday 19th December - School closes for Christmas holidays

Ripon Concerts is delighted to share an exciting opportunity for your students and families. On Sunday 14 December at 3pm, the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist David Gordon, together with his trio, will be performing at Holy Trinity Church, Ripon.

Our concert will begin with performances by two talented young musicians from Thirsk School and Ripon Grammar School, showcasing exceptional local talent and setting the stage for an inspiring afternoon of music.

Described by The Independent on Sunday as “a richly gifted player with a sparkling style and boundless imagination,” David Gordon is known for his engaging performances, inventive improvisation, and approachable style that resonates with young musicians and listeners alike. The concert will feature an uplifting mix of jazz favourites—plus a few festive surprises!

To support music education locally, we are pleased to offer free tickets for students and families from your school. Thanks to the generosity of a local sponsor, two FREE tickets are offered for all adults accompanying an under 18, making this an affordable festive treat for local families.

We hope this will be an inspiring musical experience for your students, whether they are budding performers or simply enjoy exploring new musical styles.

Free tickets should be booked via our website www.riponconcerts.co.uk.