St Paul's Newsletter
Friday 5th July 2024
Message from Mrs Evans
We have had an exciting couple of weeks at St Paul's. KS2 Sports Day was a fantastic morning and our new Year 2 'Races' event was a great success. It was lovely to give the Year 2s a small taste of what it will be like for them next year.
Today the classes have all had a transition PE session with our new sports coach Mr Burridge who will be taking over from Mr T in September. We will be sad to say goodbye to Mr T but are also looking froward to welcoming Mr Burridge to the St Paul's community.
Year 4 Keyboard Concert
On Thursday 4th July, Year 4 had the opportunity to showcase the keyboard skills they have learnt this year with Mrs Taylor from the Kingston Music Service. Groups gave fabulous renditions of Mattachins and Super Trooper. We also heard beautiful playing from the Year 4 members of Recorder Club and the violin initiative. The concert ended with a fantastic, energetic performance of This Little Light of Mine.
Move Up Events
This week our Year 6 pupils spent time in their new secondary schools. We cannot believe that it is that time of year already where we will say goodbye to them. We are really looking forward to the celebration events that we have planned in for the last couple of weeks to mark the end of their time at St Paul's.
We are preparing to welcome our new Reception children for their first visits next week and are looking forward to our 'Move Up' event on Tuesday 16th July where children will get to spend the morning with their new teachers.
We have been finalising the end of year reports and they will be sent home on Friday 12th July - there is a lot to celebrate! On Tuesday, we will receive the KS2 SATs results and we look forward to sharing how the Year 6 pupils got on.
KS1 Sports Festival - Thursday 11th July
We are also looking forward to our KS1 Sports Festival with sessions at 9am for Reception and 10:15am for Year 1 for the children to take part in a carousel of activities. We hope that many parents/carers will be able to join.
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: Considering the power of asking Why before making a judgement.
A Look: What is Theory of Mind and how can we understand this better when developing our relationships and perspectives on events? Why do people think how they do?
A Hook: How can we consider a different perspective or alternative narrative. By being curious could we come to something quite differently?
Book..
Look...
//www.youtube.com/embed/6SniaiSbx7o#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’
Here are some examples of the fabulous resources that have been purchased for the school through this year's fundraising:
PSA Purchases
Thank you to the parents/carers and local community members who supported the summer fair - it was a huge success which will allow us to continue to look at improvements around our school to enrich our pupils' experience!
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:
PSA Store
Many of you will have seen our new PSA website. 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 learnt all about bees, looking at how important bees are to the world. Reception then got the chance to create their own beehive and write a fact about bees. We have enjoyed the sunny weather where we have been playing with sea animals in the water trays. Reception have been very creative in the outdoor are - they created a ferry with cars on it. This week in Reception we have been learning about spiders. We have also been learning about subtraction using playing cards to make number sentences and using our prior knowledge to create symmetrical minibeast pictures.
Reception Newsletter
Year 1
In Year One we had an exciting visit from the Magical Toy Museum. We saw lots of different toys from over the years and learnt about how they have changed over time. In Maths we have been looking at making change from both 10p and 20p. We enjoyed pretending to visit a shop and check to see if we got the right change. In our English we have continued planning our pirate themed stories. We have chosen carefully our problems and different ways the pirate could fix them in the story. In RE we continued looking at promises Christians make including getting baptised and getting married.
Year 1 Newsletter
Year 2
Year 2 have been learning about capacity and volume in maths. We had a lot of fun using measuring jugs to measure the capacity of various containers using water. In English, we wrote our own ending to 'The Tin Forest' story, including lots of different types of sentences, adjectives and conjunctions. We have learnt more about the ocean in Science and discovered which creatures are suited to the different layers of the ocean too. For our 'Wonders of the World' topic, we researched some of the world wonders on chrome books and have created a class book full of interesting facts about these places.
Year 2 Newsletter
Year 3
In Year 3 this week in maths, we have been using our rulers to compare mm to cm. We have been drawing and measuring lines with accuracy and calculating equivalents. In English, we have been using our punctuation skills to record a conversation between Beowulf and Grendel during their fatal battle. In indoor PE, we have been enjoying skipping as we work in teams trying to improve our technique and pace.
Year 3 Newsletter
Year 4
Year 4 have had quite an exciting week this week! In English we finished off our mythical book and created our own creation myth as a class. In Science, we have been learning about sound and pitch. We did an experiment with elastic bands to see what different pitches we could make and how to make them. In DT, we have been carrying on our DT topic of seasonality. We looked at fruit and discussed how seasonality affects our eating habits. It turns out that we are much less affected by seasonal growth now as we can import produce or grow it in a greenhouse. We created our own fairy cakes which we were very excited about! In History, we had Freshwater Theatre come in and do a drama workshop about travelling through time to the Iron and Bronze age.
Year 4 Newsletter
Year 5
Year 5 have had another brilliant couple of weeks. In maths, we have continued working with decimals, fractions, and percentages, whereas in English, we have begun a new topic where we will be writing about dragons. It was exciting to take part in and celebrate one another’s achievements at Sports Day. We really enjoyed telling Mr Davies off for cheating in his race. This week, we got creative and designed our own VR games. We had to think about how the features of VR would be utilised in our games. In RE, we are looking at the Old Testament and have studied Moses this week. Finally, many of the class enjoyed taking part in Bikeability sessions this week as we developed confidence and riding skills in a safe way.
Year 5 Newsletter
Year 6
This week, Year 6 have been delving deeper into their production and Shakespeare! We have looked at how Shakespeare's plays introduced new language in a similar fashion to some modern day slang or rap music. We looked at how Shakespeare and Stormzy had some similarities in their role of being iconic British artists. We have started exploring Macbeth alongside Midsummer Night's Dream so that we can see the different genres that Shakespeare wrote about. Lastly, we have been getting creative making props for the production to reflect the Athenians and the fairies. This has pushed us to be collaborative and to show active listening in our groupings.
Year 6 Newsletter
Team Points
Congratulations to Sapphires and Year 6 who were the Team Points winners for the week beginning 24th June and to Rubies and Year 1 who were the Team Points winners for the week beginning 1st July.
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!
Surbiton Literary Festival
FUSE Festival
The Kingston Music Service are participating in the FUSE festival this year! We are running a family Gospel Workshop on Saturday 6th July at The Rose Theatre from 10am. Tickets are £13.50 for adults and £9.50 for children:
https://creativeyouthcharity.org/event/kms-workshop-come-and-sing-gospel/
FREE KMS Bandstand Concert at Canbury Gardens
Bring along a picnic and enjoy a few hours of free, top notch music at the Bandstand on Sunday 14th July.
Attendance Information
| Reception | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|
95.68% |
94.26% | 95.87% | 95.91% | 94.93% | 96.37% | 96.72% |
| Whole School | National |
|
95.66% |
94.1% |
Holidays in Term Time
We would like to remind all parents that holidays during term time will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Families may be asked to meet with Mrs Evans before their form is signed and/or may receive a letter from the school outlining the impact of their absence in line with our attendance strategy. Please see further information on the school website by following this link:
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 8th July: Year 5 Taster Day at Chessington School
- Wednesday 10th July: Year 1 visit to St Paul's Church
- Thurs 11th July: KS1 Sports Festival at St Paul's School - Reception Class at 9:00am - 10:00am (Parents/Carers Welcome)
- Thurs 11th July: KS1 Sports Festival at St Paul's School - Year 1 Class at 10:15am - 11:15am (Parents/Carers Welcome)
- Thurs 11th July: Year 3 Drama Workshop
- Fri 12th July: Year 6 Leavers' Service at Southwark Cathedral
- Fri 12th July: Reception Ugly Bug Ball
- Mon 15th July: Final Clubs this week
- Tues 16th July: Year 5 & Year 6 Production at 2:00pm
- Tues 16th July: Move Up Morning for Whole School
- Tues 16th July: New Reception Stay and Play Sessions
- Thurs 18th July: Year 5 & Year 6 Production at 5:30pm
- Weds 24th July: Year 6 Leavers' Service at St Paul's Church - 9:15am
- Weds 24th July: Year 6 Leavers' Assembly at St Paul's School - 10:15am
- Weds 24th July: End of Term 2:00pm Finish
- Mon 2nd September: INSET DAY (School Closed to Pupils)
- Tues 3rd September: INSET DAY (School Closed to Pupils)
- Weds 4th September: Children Return (Year 1 - Year 6)
- Tues 10th September: Year 1 and Year 2 'Meet the Teacher' at 5pm
- Weds 11th September: Year 3 and Year 4 'Meet the Teacher' at 5pm
- Thurs 12th September: Year 5 and Year 6 'Meet the Teacher' at 5pm
- Tues 17th September: Reception Parents/Carers Welcome Meeting at 7pm
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.
