Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you to everyone involved in the Christmas Fair preparation and to those of you who manned stalls, set up or tidied up afterwards. It was lovely to see so many of you enjoy the fair on Sunday and for the community to come together. Keep reading to find out how much the Friends have raised!
The school has been full of the sights and sounds of Advent preparations this week. Early Years and Key Stage 1 shared their wonderful Nativity with their families on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Church really was filled with joy and the children shared the true story of Christmas so well. It was especially wonderful to see some children really come out of their shells and shine in their performances. Thank you again for your understanding with the last-minute change to the timing of Wednesday’s performance.
We had some feathery friends come in for some warmth and a nose around the hall on Tuesday! Luckily our resident pigeon wrangler, Mrs Morrison, was on hand to help them back outside. When I walked into the hall, they were flying around me, and I was not as calm as Mrs Morrison!
On Wednesday night, the choir, led by Mr. Ellson performed at the Cranleigh Carol Service hosted at the Baptist Church. They sang beautifully and made me immensely proud! I am certain that those of you who were there felt the same.
The over 50s Parish Coffee Morning was hosted in school on Thursday. Every class enjoyed sharing some of their Nativity or Advent Service songs with our visitors whilst they enjoyed a tea or coffee and a mince pie! The visitors loved hearing the children sing and share the joy of the season.
As I am writing this, I can hear Key Stage 2 practising some of their songs for the Advent Service. You really are in for a treat next week!
Mrs. Amy O’Donovan
Head of School
Collective Worship
This week in Collective Worship on Monday we talked about St. John the Baptist and how he prepared the way for Jesus. We reflected upon how we could prepare the way for Jesus.
The children produced some beautiful work linked to St. Cuthbert Mayne. Do have a look at the display in the front of the school the next time you come in.
Advent events
KS2 Advent Service
This week, on Tuesday 17th December, KS2 will share their Advent Service with parents at the Church at 2pm. On Wednesday 18th December, the Advent service will be in the evening at Church starting at 6pm. Please see the email from the KS2 team with all of the details for this event – including where and when to pick up and drop off.
Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day
The children will have Christmas lunch on Wednesday 18th December and can wear a Christmas/Winter jumper to celebrate. Hats and festive accessories can be worn too!
End of term Mass
We will be celebrating the end of term as a school with Mass at 10am on Friday 20th December at the Church. Do join us if you are free. There will be no PE lessons on this day, so please can the children wear their school uniforms. Thank you.
From the Friends: Thank You for Your Incredible Support!
We are thrilled to share that our December fundraising efforts raised an amazing £5k! This includes a record-breaking £3.2k from our Christmas Fair alone, surpassing last year’s total despite having fewer sponsors this year. From Wreath-Making Evenings to raffles, Christmas baubles, and the school disco, every event was a testament to the incredible generosity and spirit of our school community. Thank you to all the families, friends, and volunteers who contributed their time, effort, and support to make this happen – we couldn’t have done it without you! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, The Friends x
Road Safety and parking
I am afraid that my message regarding parking is really a bit of a moan. Our school priorities are to ensure your children are safe, happy and learning, but much of our time is being taken up with parking issues.
On Thursday lunchtime, a crew member from the Surrey Fire and Rescue service based at Cranleigh came to school to raise concerns regarding the parking situation outside of the school. Due to the manner in which parents are parking, they are concerned that an emergency vehicle would not be able to come down the road. As a community, we all need to ensure that we are not putting the lives of others at risk.
We still have a small minority of parents who are parking on the double yellow lines along St Nicolas Avenue and a very small number using the Church car park. The car park belongs to the Parish and is not for school use during drop-off and pick-ups. It is exceptionally dangerous after school when people who park in the car park try to leave when pedestrians are walking through.
Additionally, I have been made aware by residents in the road that some of our parents are parking over driveways and on private roads.
Final rant (I promise) - parking on the double yellow lines causes chaos for other road users and families as they try to enter the avenue.
Please can we make it our new year’s resolution to be more considerate with our parking? Thank you.
Wake Up Wednesday
The holiday season is a time for celebration, relaxation and spending well-earned time with loved ones. While this period will hopefully be calm, it’s important that as parents and educators we acknowledge there are still things we can do to make these weeks as safe as possible for the young people in our care. Here is this week’s Wake Up Wednesday:
Volunteers
We would love to have some parents/grandparents help with reading in school. To volunteer, you will need to be committed to coming into school regularly, undertake a DBS and safeguarding training. Please contact the office if you can offer support with this.
Snacks in school
A gentle reminder that KS2 children may bring in a snack to have at morning play. Reception and KS1 receive free fruit and vegetables from the Government. Children in KS2 should bring fresh or dried fruits or vegetables.
