Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that you had a restful half term. I have been hearing about lots of the things that the children enjoyed doing in the holidays. After a long half term, I think we were all grateful for a rest – ready and renewed for the excitement of the second half of the Autumn term.
This week, we have enjoyed welcoming prospective parents for tours and yet again, I have received such positive feedback from the parents about our lovely Year 6 children, as well as about our lovely school.
This weekend, we celebrate Remembrance Sunday, representatives from the school will be laying a wreath at the village service. Do come along if you can. We will celebrate Remembrance Day in school on Monday as a school family in collective worship and each year group will spend time on a particular aspect of learning relating to Remembrance during their learning next week.
On Tuesday 12th November, the wall of the Church car park is being repaired. The Church have very kindly delayed the start of the work until after the closing of the gates so that our entry to school is not affected. However, there will be no vehicle access to the Church car park on this day and the car park must be clear of pedestrians by 8.50am. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
God bless,
Mrs. O’Donovan
Collective Worship
This week, we explored the Mark’s Gospel where a scribe asked Jesus what were the most important of the commandments. Jesus replied to Love God and to Love your Neighbour. We all had some time to reflect upon how we could ensure we obeyed these commandments during our week. I have certainly seen so many examples of the children loving their neighbour this week.
Diwali
One of our Year 4 pupils led a beautiful assembly this week, where she shared with the school how she celebrates Diwali at home. She brought in a beautiful rangoli pattern, a diva lamp and wore traditional clothing and shared the story of Diwali. She led the assembly with such confidence, and we all left with new knowledge. Thank you for teaching us all about your faith and the festival of Diwali.
Friends of St. Cuthbert Mayne
I am looking forward to meeting with the new Friends team on Monday. I would like to thank Aimee Hart, Jennifer Rees-Thomas and Rebecca Ferguson for stepping forwards this year. A big thank you also to the team from last year for everything that you did for our school community.
Online Safety
With Anti-Bullying Week coming up next week, this week’s Wake Up Wednesday is on the same theme of respect.
An Advent Celebrations
I can’t believe the time has come to already be thinking about Advent, but it will be with us before we know it.
This year, children in Reception, Year 1 and 2 will share a Nativity play with the school and parents on Tuesday 10th December at 10am and Wednesday 11th December at 2pm in the Church.
Children in Key Stage 2 will be leading an Advent Service this year, with children in Year 6 taking the lead with this. The children in Key Stage 2 are so mature and regularly share such a depth of their faith and we feel that the move to an Advent Service will provide the opportunity for them to lead our whole community in a mature reflection on Advent. This will of course still involve spoken parts, singing and acting. It will take place in the Church on Tuesday 17th December at 2.00pm and Wednesday 18th December at 6.00pm.
We look forward to sharing these events with you.
Anti-Bullying Week
Every November, schools throughout the United Kingdom take part in Anti-Bullying Week. This is an opportunity to spotlight bullying and consider the steps we can take together to stop it. We will be marking the event with an assembly, activities in class and our annual Odd Socks Day.
This year, the theme of the Anti-Bullying Week is ‘Choose Respect’, which has come about following consultation with teachers and pupils by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which coordinates Anti-Bullying Week every year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Teachers and children wanted a theme that empowered them to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.
On Friday, 15th November, we will also be celebrating Odd Socks Day. Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun! It is an opportunity to encourage children and staff to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes them unique! All the children have to do, to take part, is wear odd socks to school - it couldn’t be simpler! In addition, they will already be in mufti for the school disco, so the socks will just add to their outfit!
Charity – Shoeboxes for the Ukraine appeal
We are supporting the Cranleigh Rotarian’s appeal for shoeboxes for the Ukraine. If you would like to make a donation to this appeal, you need to wrap and fill a shoebox with gifts for a child. Any donations need to be brought to the school office by November 15th or they can be taken to a donation station – details on the poster (click here).
Ukranian Christmas Carol Concert
The Ukranian School Surrey are leading a Carol Service and play at Cranleigh Baptist Church on Saturday 30th November at 5pm. There is a suggested donation of £5 for adults and children are free. The proceeds will support those in need in Ukraine in partnership with Ukraine Mission UK.
Reception 2025
We have just settled our Reception intake, but it is already time to think about 2025’s new intake! If your child is due to start school in September 2025 and you would like to find out more about St. Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School, we will be running tours of the school so that you can see us in action and have the opportunity to meet with Mrs. O’Donovan, Head of School on the following dates:
Numbers will be limited to 6 families each week to ensure that the children in classrooms are not overwhelmed. To book a place, please complete this form.
School Lunches
I have sent a separate email to all parents regarding lunch ordering for Key Stage 2 after half term. You can read it below:
"Starting after half term, we will be implementing changes to our school meal booking process.
To avoid accumulating debts for families, we cannot book lunches for children without funds in their Scopay accounts. Please note that this does not affect children in Reception, Year 1, or Year 2, who are eligible for universal free school meals, nor those receiving free school meals.
Beginning November 4th, if your child arrives at school without a pre-booked meal or packed lunch and does not have a balance on their Scopay account, our office will contact you. You will have the option to add funds to your account for us to book a meal or to bring in a packed lunch for your child.
If you are facing financial difficulties, please feel free to reach out to me in confidence so we can explore ways to support you.
Thank you for your understanding.
Drop off and pick ups
Whilst we recognise that everyone has the odd occasion where they are late to either drop their child off or pick up, this should be an exceptional circumstance. Please remember that the morning gate opens at 8.40am and then closes at 8.50am. If you arrive after the closing of the gate, you need to take your child into the office to sign in and you will be asked to provide a reason for the lateness.
Similarly, at the end of the day, the gate is opened just before home time - which is 3.15pm. The gate is closed once the playground is cleared. If you arrive after the gates are closed, you will need to collect your child from the school office. Thank you for your support with this.
