Dear Parents and Carers,
I was out of school on a course on Tuesday, which meant that I sadly missed Year 6’s beautiful class collective worship. I have heard so many positive things about the reflective liturgy that the children led for the school and their families. Several members of staff have commented on how moving it was! Thank you to Year 6 and Mrs. Hasler for preparing this for the community.
Despite the weather not being the warmest, Year 5 headed off to Butser Ancient Farm on Wednesday to learn more about the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. They had a great day and loved sharing what they learnt. They’ve told me they are very grateful for the invention of toilets and toilet paper, having seen what the Romans used! The children talked with such enthusiasm about their learning, for many, the best part was actually having a go at undertaking an archaeological dig!
This Sunday, at 11am you are all invited to my Induction Mass at the Church with Bishop Richard. There will be refreshments in the school hall afterwards. It would be lovely if the children could wear their school uniforms. Thank you in advance to everyone from the school community and Parish who have helped with the organisation of this! I look forward to celebrating this special occasion with you.
God bless,
Mrs. Amy O’Donovan
Head of School
Collective Worship
The Gospel last Sunday was the Wedding at Cana – Jesus' first miracle. We reflected on Mary’s role in this event and wondered if Jesus would have turned the water into wine without Mary’s prompt. We thought about how the problem of running out of wine was taken to Jesus and he helped – we can do that now and take our concerns or worries to Jesus who can help us with them. Or, as shown in the gospel, take them to Mary, who will intercede for us. A child in Reception shared that he would have been “amazed” to have seen Jesus perform his first miracle – even our youngest children worked out how I had turned the water into wine (with squash) when sharing the gospel!
Safer Internet Day
From the School Council:
"On Tuesday 11th February, it will be the 2025 Safer Internet Day. We would like to invite children from all years to design a mascot for our school for Safer Internet Day. These mascots will need to be handed to your class teachers by Friday 31st January. This year’s theme is “Too good to be true!”. This means staying safe and noticing when information you are reading could be too good to be true! For example, if you are on a game and someone says - “Do you want free money?” (In most cases this would be too good to be true). If this were to happen to you, you should say no and tell a trusted adult. You should probably avoid playing the game for your own safety. If this were to happen again, you might want to block the game or site.
For Safer Internet day, the school council lead assemblies for KS1 and KS2 all about “Too good to be true”.
Entry to the competition is optional. Have a great day and we look forward to receiving your entries. "
Wake Up Wednesday – Health and Fitness apps
Over time, more and more fitness apps have been finding their way into circulation. Usually free to download – at least initially – these apps claim to offer helpful advice and assistance in routine management to those looking to lead a healthier lifestyle.
While these platforms can be useful, they do present several safety concerns. These issues become more significant when we consider that children and young people can use these apps to stay active – whether out of concern for their own health or for reasons of body image. The free guide below breaks down the risks of health and fitness apps and offers expert advice on how to address these concerns to safeguard younger users.
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.
Attendance and lateness
Each term, we meet with our Inclusion Officer from Surrey County Council to review our school attendance. The national average for absence was 6.5% for the Autumn term and ours was 4%. Whilst we are proud that we are below the national average, we think our attendance/absence could be better.
One area that we are particularly concerned about is lateness. The image below highlights the impact of regular lateness.
Is your child well enough for school?
We thought it would be helpful to share a reminder of the processes in school and rules around when a child should be off school.
If your child is a little under the weather but you think they are well enough for school, do send them in. If they get worse during the day or we feel they are too unwell for school, we will give you a call. Coughs and colds are common illnesses that children do not need to be off school for, unless they have a high temperature or are really unwell.
This graphic from Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency is a useful guide regarding the rules for more serious illnesses. (The same rules apply in England)
You can find out more information the NHS website.
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
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
