Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas break and wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year! It was wonderful to welcome the children back on Monday (although a bit of a shock to get back into routine and know what day of the week it was!)
Can I thank you again, on behalf of all of the staff for your kind messages, cards and generous gifts at the end of the term. It was particularly lovely to have so much positive feedback about the Nativity and Advent Service.
At the end of term, Reception and Year 6 buddies made cards for the residents at Knowle Park Nursing Home. Mrs. Newland delivered them on the last day of term to some very happy residents. This was a wonderful way for the children to spread some Christmas cheer!
There is a lot of unnamed uniform in the lost property box under the covered area of the KS1 playground. Do go and have a look if you are missing anything. There are a few unnamed coats in there!
Luckily, we escaped the snow this week. The plan I shared in my letter will be what we put in place if we were to have any bad weather. We will always endeavour to open the school on these occasions if it is safe to do so and this includes Breakfast Club and After School club. In the rare event of needing to close the school, we will try to notify you as early as possible to support you with planning your day.
Have a lovely weekend,
Mrs. Amy O’Donovan
Head of School
Collective Worship
Collective Worship this week fell on the actual date of the Epiphany, although the feast day had been transferred to Sunday. The children really impressed me with their knowledge of the symbolism of the gifts that the Wise Men presented to Jesus. Each class took back a symbol to put above their doors to mark the Epiphany. The signs were written with chalk that Fr Alistair had blessed. See if your child can explain what this means!
Wake Up Wednesday
This week’s Wake Up Wednesday is all about JusTalk Kids. This is an alternative version of the JusTalk app, aimed at an audience aged 13 and under. As that upper age limit suggests, this social networking platform is intended to be suitable for younger chidren, providing them with a space of their own to interact with a community their own age.
Unfortunately, there are still risks associated with JusTalk Kids, so it’s vitally important for parents and educators to understand the potential dangers for those who use the app. The free guide below delves into the most prominent online safety concerns of JusTalk Kids, while also letting you know how to ensure that children can be protected, should they wish to create an account.
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.
Parking
During the holidays, PCSO Aaron Baker emailed me as he had been in contact with Surrey County Council regarding the parking issues around our school. Please can we all work hard and work together to ensure the roads around our school are as safe as possible for the children as they arrive at and leave school. It is more important than ever to focus on this at the moment with the road works at the end of St Nicolas Avenue.
Points to remember please:
I know that a parent talked to the PCSO about having a walking bus. If anyone would like to volunteer to organise that - please get in contact with Mrs O’Donovan via the School Office. She would love to hear from you!
Spring term dates for your diary
Monday 13th January - Start of the spring term Mass at 10am in the Church
Wednesday 15th January – Year 2 Dodgeball at Glebelands for invited children
Monday 20th January – Year 6 attending Parish Mass at 10am – parents welcome to attend
Tuesday 21st January - Year 6 Class Collective Worship in the school hall at 2.30pm. Parents are invited to join.
Wednesday 22nd January – Year 5 trip to Butser Farm
Sunday 26th January - Mrs. O’Donovan’s Induction Mass with the Bishop at 11am in the Church. All families are invited and it would be lovely if the children could wear their school uniform.
Monday 27th January – Year 5 attending Parish Mass at 10am – parents welcome to attend
Tuesday 28th January – Year 6 trip to Henley Fort
7th February – INSET day school closed for children
Job Vacancy at Glebelands
Glebelands are looking to appoint a Finance and Premises Assistant. For more information about the role and how to apply, please see: https://www.eteach.com/careers/glebelands-surrey/job/finance--and--premises-assistant-1456733?src=Jobs%20widget
