RAPS IN THE NEWS

Children at Ramsgate Arts Primary have been served up a tasty return to school.

There is a new catering company providing delicious and healthy meals and the young diners are licking their lips at the prospect of trying out the nutritious menus in the weeks ahead.

There is a wide choice of dinner and pudding to meet all dietary needs prepared fresh every day.

One day’s options show the diversity of fare served up for the children. Chicken lasagne; spinach, sweet potato, lentil curry and rice; macaroni cheese; jacket potato with variety of fillings; fresh carrots and garden peas; wonky strawberries; homemade flavoured breads; fruity yogurts; cheese and biscuits.

RAPS children are happy to give the new meals their seal of approval. Leo said: “The salad bar has great options, like olives and feta cheese or crunchy peppers,” while Grace added: “We have lots of main meals to choose from and there is freshly baked bread too.”

Isla agreed that the menu was “really great” and added:  “The puddings are the best because they are healthy but delicious as well.” She also loved her dinner too: “The lasagne was so tasty.”

Helen Rolandsen is Mobile Manager for Independent Catering from Sevenoaks. She is working with the school kitchen team of Laura, Ange and Mandy for several weeks teaching them the way the company expects their meals to be prepared and presented.

 She explained: “I’m a bit of a foodie and I believe it is very important to give our children the best nutritionally balanced healthy range of meals to enjoy.

“We prepare, cook and serve our meals ‘old school’ with all of our dishes prepared fresh each day from locally-sourced produce whenever possible.

“We offer a range of four options on our daily menu for dinner and pudding and there is always a salad bar and fresh fruit too.

“Special dietary needs, allergies, vegetarians and vegans are catered for and we are happy to chat with parents to decide what is best for their children. Our hygiene standards are first class and our kitchen and preparation areas are checked throughout our service to ensure a top level of cleanliness is maintained at all stages.

“Our food choices are on a five-week cycle so there is always something different to taste each day, and we feature seasonal-flavoured menus as well as holding theme days celebrating all range of ideas from Roald Dhal to pirates.”

The Independent Catering team is also providing meals for RAPS partner schools within the Viking Academy Trust – Upton Juniors at Broadstairs and Chilton Primary in Ramsgate.

 

About Independent Catering: In 1996 Andrew Saunders founded the company with a vision of creating a service based on great food using locally sourced ingredients and suppliers. The company, still led by Andrew with a team of passionate skilled chefs, now provides a service to over 70 schools in Kent, Surrey and Sussex cooking tens of thousands of meals a day!

It states: “We are proud of our environmental and sustainable approach to our menus and food standards which underpins our commitment to fresh, seasonal and locally grown produce. Our commitment to using the best food that Kent, Sussex and the UK can offer lies at the heart of our approach and always has done!

“Our core values ensure pupils and school staff receive healthy and innovative menus, served with a smile by our wonderful dedicated team of catering staff.”

 

*For more information, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847

Please find letter attached from the DfE regarding taking your child to primary school what you need to know.

Please find letter attached.

A musical fantasy adventure in gameland was the special end of year production at Ramsgate Arts Primary.

Year 6 children performed Let the Games Begin about technology-obsessed youngsters who visit their grandfather who becomes increasingly frustrated with their lack of interest for anything other than their phones and the internet.

He reveals a pair of very unusual seven sided dice that were given to him in the Far East by a wise old mystic. Through the magical dice children are transported to another land and they meet Lady Fortune where they become pawns in her games. Each of them must compete against the devious, devilish diva in a game of their choice to win their freedom.

The main characters - Vicky was played by Phoebe and her on-stage siblings were portrayed by Charlie and Louisa-Mae. All gave enthusiastic performances.

Year 3, 4 and 5 girls and boys joined in and performed dances dressed as video game characters, Monopoly characters and dice.

RAPS Arts Lead Hannah Dannell said: “The play was a fantastic success and it was lovely for the children to still get the opportunity to perform under the current circumstances. I would like to thank the Arts Curriculum staff for all their hard work.

“The performance was recorded so the parents can still see the children doing what they love - singing dancing and performing.”

Head of School Nick Budge praised the production. He said: “All the cast performed with great enthusiasm and they really enjoyed being on stage and performing.

“Live shows of drama, music and dance are integral parts of life at our arts primary and once again the standard was high and the production was enjoyable. It was clear a lot of effort had been put into the whole show, on stage and in rehearsal, by pupils and staff.

“I am sure that families will love seeing the completed video film we have made – hopefully in the next school year we can welcome them back in to school to see our shows, exhibitions and general school life for themselves.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School and Chilton Primary School.

*For more information, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847

Children at Ramsgate Arts Primary have created a special art project to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Turner Contemporary at Margate.

The school, which enjoys strong educational links and partnership projects with the flagship gallery, wanted to mark the decade since the seafront art centre opened in 2011.

Girls and boys from Year 3 to Year 6 learnt how to make an origami envelope. They hand-painted their envelopes and wrote birthday wishes and anniversary thanks.

Art teacher Karen Vost said: “The card is like a mini art installation in itself - it can be enjoyed as a piece of art and interacted with when reading the children’s messages.

“It was wonderful how much knowledge, thanks and praise for this art gallery the children had and they loved learning new skills while celebrating this important moment at the same time.”

Head of School Nick Budge said: “Turner Contemporary is a marvellous creative centre and our pupils have enjoyed working on many projects with the gallery’s educational team, such as the three-year Pioneering Places public art initiative.

“It has benefitted our development as an arts primary and we have worked with Turner Contemporary since RAPS was opened in 2017.

“The strong sense of community through art is something we celebrate with our children throughout their time with us, and it is this same ethos that is so special at Turner Contemporary.

“For a specialist arts school, the link with such a prestigious gallery is fantastic for our pupils and our staff. It is rightly widely recognised as one of the leading art centres in the UK and we are proud to be working with their team. This is an amazing journey that marries art and education.

“The tenth anniversary is a milestone we wanted to acknowledge and the lovely artwork and installation by our children is thoughtful, colourful and expressive.”

It is currently on show at the school and will be presented to Turner Contemporary as a surprise birthday present.

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School at Broadstairs and Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate.