St Paul's Newsletter
Friday 13th December 2024
Message from Mrs Evans
Christmas Events
This week, Christmas has definitely arrived at St Paul's. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 did a fabulous job with their Nativity performances. We are incredibly proud of them! Thank you to the Reception and Key Stage 1 staff for the work that has gone into preparing for the performances, to Mrs Walker for the wonderful singing and to Mrs Griffin who coordinated the Nativity which includde putting the script toegtehr this year!
The PSA one again put on a brilliant Children's Christmas Market for the children. It is always such a brilliant experince watching the children carefully picking out gifts for their family members. Thank you to the PSA and their helpers for organising the event and running it for us this week.
The choir have started their Christmas events and along with singing at our Christmas Fair they ahve also been to sing at the Star and Garter care home, at the King's Centre Christmas event, at John Lewis this week and are looking forward to singing st St Paul's Church on Sunday followed by their Trafalgar Square event on Monday. These are all events that take a lot of organising - thank you again to Mrs Walker and Mrs Griffin for organising all of this and to Mrs Forrester for supporting.
Christmas Fair Success
The PSA held an incredible Christmas Fair for the school; it was a very successful day! It was wonderful to see the community engaging with all of the games, great to have so many previous families and pupils in attendance and it was wonderful to hear the choir sing. The day raised an incredible £4512.03 and has meant that we now have enough to pay for our new libraries which we are hoping will be fitted during February half-term. Thank you to all of our parents and carers who have worked together to raise this money!
Attendance Update
Since school closures in 2020, we have seen a slip in the level of attendance at our school. Whilst we absolutely agree that children should be kept at home if they are unwell, we are asking that our families try to avoid absence for reasons other than illness wherever possible.
If your child's attendance falls below 90%, they meet the 'persistently absent' threshold which will lead to discussions around reasons for absence with the Education Welfare Officer at the local authority and evidence will begin to be requested for illness related absences. We will be sending letters next week to families who have children who have met this threshold.
Whole School Attendance
| Reception | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|
96.70% |
94.34% | 95.92% | 97.00% | 95.27% | 96.29% | 97.05% |
| Our Target | Current Attendance | National |
| 97% | 96.05% | 93.9% |
Holidays in Term Time
I would like to remind all parents that holidays during term time will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. These cause disruption within the class due to children missing parts of the learning in topics which will later be built upon and can lead to children being unsettled on their return to school.
Holidays in term-time should only be taken for 'exceptional circumstances' which means that this would not be a regular (including annual) occurrence.
We are currently reviewing our attendance strategy and are closely monitoring the link between term-time absence and an increase in support needed for some of our pupils and families in school.
If you are considering a term-time holiday, I would really ask that you reflect on the confusion in the messaging to the children when they are taken out of school for a holiday having been told up to that point (and after) that they 'must' attend school.
Please look out for further updates about the changes to our strategy in the coming year.
Birthday Treats
A reminder that we do not allow cake or sweets to be given out on children's birthdays. If you are keen for your child to be able to share a treat with their class to mark the day, please provide a platter of fruit to be shared by the class or a new book to be added to the class library.
School Website
Please remember to make use of the school's website and calendar (which can be synched to your phone) for reminders and updates.
Support with Behaviour Concerns
A plea to parents/carers that if they have concerns about an incident that has taken place at school, that they avoid directly contacting other parents as this can lead to both misunderstandings and upset. We ask that any concerns are brought directly to school staff and that school are then left to deal with these. We will always follow up any concerns brought forward and would always prefer to find out more and resolve these within the school day (wherever possible) as this makes it easier for the children to accurately recall what has taken place. One of our key priorities is developing positive relationships across our community and this is something that our families can do to support us with this.
School Trips/Visits Policy
At St Paul's we have developed a rich programme of trips and visits to support our curriculum. Whilst parents/carers will always be asked for permission for their child to attend, these experiences have been carefully chosen and planned to enrich our pupils' learning and therefore we are always keen to enable as many pupils as possible to attend.
We are always keen to hear from parents/carers if they have any concerns about a trip or visit and will then invite them to come in and meet with us to discuss this concern further in the hope that together we can create a plan of support which will enable their child to take part.
Please do not be surprised to be asked to come in if you have not given permission for a trip/visit - we really value these opportunities to have conversations about concerns and to consider what can be done to support.
Developing Healthy Online Habits
We are aware that even our youngest pupils have regular access to devices such as iPads and phones to access activities online. We wanted to share some top tips with families to support them in helping their children to develop a healthy relationship with this technology. Parents and carers can do this by:
- Setting clear limits on the amount of time that these are being used daily
- Ensuring that devices are being used in an area that allows adult supervision at all times
- Discussing with children how to respond if they see something online that they do not like or if they are contacted by someone that they do not know
- Having regular conversations about what they are accessing
- Setting boundaries around online device use and bedtime – ensuring that there is a period of time when children are not using these before going to bed.
- Creating healthy habits, open discussion and clear boundaries early in children's lives is extremely important as it is much harder to put these in place once unhealthy habits have been formed. The following guide gives some suggestion
If you would like any further support with this please see the information on our school website here: Online Safety Advice for Parents
Alternatively, please contact Mrs Evans or Mrs Griffin to arrange a time to discuss this with them further.
With Me in Mind - Mental Health and Wellbeing Support for Families
This newsletter is a place where we can share with you: resources, strategies and thoughts to consider. We are keen to reach more families with messages and resources that we use with your children at school. We look forward to receiving feedback on this new venture for us.
- So what do you want to know more about?
- Are there challenges that you are facing that you would like to consider differently? Please let us know your thoughts on this Google Form
In this issue:
A Book: A book about how we can happiness to others in what we say and do.
A Look: A video from our prefects on how to speak to one another.
A Hook: How do you speak about other people? Are you always reflecting kindness when you do this?
Book..
Look...
//www.youtube.com/embed/L7XWAKrbO80#t=0.5
Hook...
Our Mental Health Team...
Sharon Griffin Lianne Cook Fahmida Wadud
Mental Health Lead Emotional Support Mental Health Support
PSA Updates
St Paul's PSA: ‘Bringing our school community together to create lifelong memories’
The PSA have done such a fantastic job in their fundraising over the last year which has made a visible difference to a variety of areas around the school. We are so excited that we will soon be having our new libraries fitted which we have been raising money for.
Along with the improvements outside, here are some other examples of the fabulous resources that have been purchased for the school through last year's fundraising:
PSA Purchases
Remember to check out our events guide on the PSA page which is a guide for families about what our different events involve and how you can help:
Look out for upcoming events
PSA Store
Don't forget to head over to our PSA store to get involved in the latest events using the link below:
Second Hand Uniform
We have a large amount of good quality second hand uniform available, please use the link below and follow these instructions:
- Once on the website click on the three lines to the right.
- Scroll down to ‘find your school’
- Select Kingston upon Thames as our Local authority.
- Select St Paul’s C of E KT9 1AJ
Please carefully read the instructions on when to collect your items.
Easyfundraising
Easyfundraising turns your daily shopping into every day magic!
Easyfundraising partners with over 7,000 brands who will donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice. It won't cost you any extra. The cost is covered by the brand.
Brands pay Easyfundraising a commission because when you start your shop from the Easyfundraising website or app, they can see we sent you to them. If you make a purchase, a commission is generated, and we turn that into a donation - magic!
Click the link above to register to use Easyfundraising - remember to search 'St Paul's Primary School, Chessington' when searching for your cause and turn on the donation reminder. Every little bit helps!
Class News
Reception
Last week in Reception we looked at why is Christmas special to Christians, we looked at the Christmas story and then acted different parts out. We also looked at flags around the world, then created our own flags. We had fun doing our play doh disco with our disco lights, using our fine motor skills to copy the actions. We used multi link cubes to make different numbers from 0-10. This week in Reception we have been looking at how Christmas is celebrated around the world, discussing what we do for Christmas. Using our fine motor skills we cut pictures out to make a Christmas list for Santa. In maths we practiced our counting, by completing the different questions on our Christmas mats.
Reception 2024 Newsletter
Year 1
In Year 1 we have been looking at measuring in Maths. Last week we measured using cubes and this week we began measuring lengths in centimetres. We enjoyed measuring our heights in class and comparing them to each other. In English we read 'If I Built a House' and began thinking about what our dream house would look like. We liked the idea of trampolines to allow us to jump into a ball pit in the story. In Geography we have continued looking at homes around the world. Our Freshwater visit last week allowed us to learn more about life in other countries; we have been looking at cities and comparing how life is different in London, Sydney, Beijing and New York.
Year 1 Newsletter 2024
Year 2
We have had a very busy time in Year 2 with rehearsing and putting on our nativity. This Christmas we have all had an opportunity to be proud of ourselves on stage and we would like to thank our parents for helping us practice and for our costumes. In class we have continued practising descriptive writing in English, using adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions. In Maths, we have learnt about measuring in centimetres and millimetres. In Science, we left an eggshell in a cup of orange juice, a cup of coke and a cup of water for a week! This was an experiment to compare tooth enamel to egg shell. The orange juice shell was very smelly and Miss Welland wore gloves and made us stay away from the shell when she removed it to show us. We can now see why too many sugary drinks are not good for us! We have also made snowmen which we will soon be bringing home.
Year 2 Newsletter 2024
Year 3
In Year 3, we have been revising the features of newspaper reports and have included inverted commas, fronted adverbials and a variety of conjunctions into our writing. We are learning how to add and subtract 3-digit numbers in Maths and noticed patterns when doing so. We can now count all the way to 20 in French and have practised having simple conversations with our classmates in French with our knowledge of French numbers and animals. We have thought about the final few candles on the advent wreath in RE and considered how we can reflect joy, peace and light in our lives. We have designed cushions in DT and are excited to start making these using applique.
Year 3 Newsletter 2024
Year 4
This week, Year 4 have been doing some really good writing in English about our book Varjak Paw using all the different language devices we have been learning about – fronted adverbials, subordinate conjunctions and expanded noun phrases. We are all becoming really good at using these in our writing! In Science, we had a lesson with Mrs Velzeboer who came in to continue our learning on circuits and we did an investigation focused on conductors and insulators which was really exciting. We realised that metals are very good conductors! In DT, we started designing our torches. We will be constructing our torches next week using different recyclable materials as well as wires, a battery and switches that we learnt about to create a circuit so that our torch works. We've also been really excited about the Christmas market and buying all of our gifts and can't wait to share them with our families!
Year 4 Newsletter 2024
Year 5
We have had a great week in Year 5. We have started working with the expanded multiplication method which will start to help us when we then use the short multiplication method. We have been careful to regroup to the next column if the number is greater than 9. In English, we had 4 visitors from Holes come to our class. It was fantastic because we were able to interview them to gather quotes for our newspaper reports. However, we did find it a bit strange that they all had a bit of a Welsh accent! In Art, we have enjoyed recreating Andy Warhol inspired pieces and we are excited for next week when we get to choose our own medium for our pieces. Finally, in Geography we have been thinking about our local area and what we would do if we had to regenerate the streets around our school.
Year 5 Newsletter 2024
Year 6
We are working so hard in Year 6 to understand the sustainability of energy in the UK and we've started to look at the way that human geography and physical geography are interlinked. We spoke about how different parts of the UK have been historically linked with certain trade and certain energy consumption based on where they are. We had a fabulous Freshwater Workshop where we explored the different parts of the United Kingdom and the specific landmarks that make them so unique. We used drama to explore the different landmarks across the UK including rivers and oceans near us. We then took part in a physical quiz where we had to make freeze frames of each country's emblem. We've also worked hard on practising the Christmas songs including the one we composed in class; we have loved showing our creative side. Finally, we've enjoyed writing our retelling of the Christmas Carol and characterising Scrooge through grumpy Victorian dialogue.
Year 6 Newsletter 2024
Team Points
Congratulations to Year 1 and Diamonds who were the Team Points winners for the week beginning 2nd December and to Year 6 and Diamonds who were the Team Points winners for the week beginning 9th December. We are looking forward to seeing who the Team Points winners will be for the half-term next week!
Wider Community News and Events
Junior Parkrun comes to Chessington
The Junior Parkrun is a 2k fun run which takes place weekly at many different locations across the country. We are excited to announce that they have launched a weekly event at Lovelace Primary School on Sundays at 9am. It is a free event, but you do need to register in advance using the link here:
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/lovelaceprimaryschool-juniors/
It would brilliant to hear about some of our families taking part!
Family support Workshops
Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for parents of primary-aged children. The ‘Helping Children with …’ series of webinars will cover a range of common difficulties experienced by children and will aim to share evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their children with these difficulties. Please use the link below to find further information.
Safeguarding Information
What if I have a Safeguarding Concern?
A reminder to parents and carers that if you have a safeguarding concern about a child this should be brought to Mrs Evans (Designated Safeguarding Lead) or Mrs Griffin (Deputy DSL).
There is lots of information on the school’s website to support parents in keeping their children safe (particularly linked to online safety) which can be found by clicking on the link below:
Road Safety Around Our School
We ask that parents and carers are considerate of the other members of both our school and local community when parking for drop off and collection. Please do not park on yellow lines or on the corners of local roads - markings have been placed on the road in spots where it will become dangerous if a vehicle stops. Parking in these places makes it very difficult for families to check that roads are safe for crossing and we are aware that this also applies to our Year 6 pupils who are walking home alone. Please leave time to find a suitable place to park safely and work with us to make the local roads as safe as possible for our pupils and families.
Key School Policies
Please take some time to familiarise yourself with our School Policies: 'Separated Parents Policy' and 'Communication and Conduct Policy'. These have been put together in consultation with the governing body who have now adopted these. Click on the links below to access them; they can also be accessed on the 'policies' page of the school's website.
Separated Parents Policy Communication and Conduct Policy
Key Dates for Your Diary
New or changes to dates shown in blue
- Mon 16th Dec: KS2 Choir singing at Trafalgar Square
- Tues 17th Dec: KS2 Christmas Concert - 9:15am (date change)
- Tues 17th Dec: Christmas Jumper Day (date change)
- Tues 17th Dec: Whole School Christmas Lunch (date change)
- Tues 17th Dec: Reception & Year 1 Christmas Movie Treat
- Weds 18th Dec: KS2 Christmas Concert - 9:15am
- Thurs 19th Dec: Year 5 & Year 6 Rose Theatre Trip
- Fri 20th Dec: End of Term - 2:00pm
- Mon 6th Jan: INSET DAY (school closed to pupils)
- Tues 7th Jan: Children Return
- Tues 7th Jan: Weekly Cricket Coaching begins for Year 2 to Year 6 (please send children into school in PE kits)
- Fri 17th Jan: Mental Health Support Team (MHST) coffee morning for parents/carers at 9:30am
- Mon 27th Jan: RE Week
- Fri 31st Jan: NSPCC Workshops - Year 2, Year 5 & Year 6
- Mon 3rd Feb: Year 4 British Museum Trip
- Tues 4th Feb: Class Reps Meeting at 10am
- Weds 5th Feb: Year 3 Natural History Museum Trip
- Fri 14th Feb: Last day of half-term - 3:15pm finish
- Mon 24th Feb: Children Return to School
- Fri 7th Mar: St Paul's World Book Day - Dress Up as a Book Character
- Weds 12th Mar: Year 5 at 'The Easter Experience'
- Mon 17th Mar: Year 5 Rivers Trip
- Tues 18th Mar: Year 4 Rivers Trip
- Thurs 20th Mar: Parent/Carer Meetings - 4:00pm - 6:30pm
- Weds 26th Mar: Early Finish - 2:30pm
- Weds 26th Mar: Parent/Carer Meetings - 3:00pm - 6:00pm
- Fri 4th Apr: Last day of term - 2:00pm finish
Remember to visit the calendar page using the link above and to link our school calendar to the calendar no your phone for automatic updates.
