Welcome to our weekly newsletter!

Welcome back to Spring 2

We hope you had a wonderful half term and are all refreshed and ready for yet another short but action-packed half term.  This term sees a visit from Tom's Talking Reptiles for Year 1.  Drama performances for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 as well as various other themed days and weeks before we break up for Easter.  

 World Thinking Day 2024

Thursday 22nd February was the annual Thinking Day, where all members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are encouraged to celebrate, reflect on and renew the promise that they make shortly after joining. On 22nd February, members of the Scout movement celebrate Founders Day, also known as Baden-Powell Day. It is dedicated to Robert Baden-Powell who founded the Scout movement in the early 20th century.  Lots of our pupils who belong to the Guiding or Scouting movement wore their uniforms to school on 22nd February to celebrate World Thinking Day.

Drama Workshop 

Our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children were very luck to participate in a drama workshop this week provided by PerformUK.  The children loved harnessing their inner Cowboy and Cowgirl in a 'Wild West' themed performance.  

Nursery have been on a bear hunt this week.  They have started to find out all about different types of bears.  They have been finding out that brown bears are sleeping at the moment or hibernating and polar bears are white so they can hide or camouflage with the snow.  They have had a go at painting their own bears as well as making their own binoculars to help them on their bear hunt!  

They have also continued to explore numbers using different representations as well as developing their mark making skills. 

What a busy week! Well done Nursery!

 Reception are learning about 'People who help us'. We began by reading 'The Jolly Postman' and exploring how the postal service works. The children drew their own houses, wrote letters and cards to friends and painted beautiful post boxes. They enjoyed thinking carefully about which jobs they might want to do when they are older. In maths we continued to work on addition by using part-part-whole models and writing number sentences.

The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the drama workshop on Tuesday.

Well done Reception! 

 In English, the children started the week identifying the features of non-fiction books. 

Can the children spot the contents page, glossary, labels and facts in an information book? 

The children have really enjoyed researching tigers and learning facts about them. They were very excited to start creating their own non-fiction tiger book.  

As mathematicians, the children have been measuring length and height. We began the week using a variety of units like cubes, pencils, hands and feet. They moved on to using a ruler and measured a variety of objects, finding out how many cm long they were. 

Can you measure objects around the house? How many cm long is your teddy?

As scientists, the children enjoyed exploring different clues, sorting pictures and objects into birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. They then focused on mammals and we discussed the features of a mammal. They were fascinated that they are mammals. The children learnt all about what animals eat and sorted the animals. Are lions carnivores, herbivores or omnivores?

In Design Technology, the children explored pop up book and moving pictures. They found flaps, sliders, pivots and explored playing with these. 

Year Two have been enjoying their new book entitled 'Leaf' in their Writing lessons this week and made some sensitive responses to it.  

Can the children remember anything that puzzled them about the story?

In maths we have been measuring length and mass. We have learnt about kilograms, centimetres and metres. 

Can the children tell you any top tips for measuring with a ruler?

Working as artists, the children have been enjoying exploring shape and pattern using watercolours.  They took inspiration from the works of the artists Marela Zacarias and Charlie French.

Working as scientists, they have collaborated in groups to find out facts about different animals.  They enjoyed carrying out their research using Thinglink and learned some new facts about tree kangaroos, orangutans, otters and jaguars.  

Can they remember whether the animals live alone or in groups?

We love to celebrate the achievements of our pupils, including those achieved outside of school.  

If you would like us to share your child's achievements in the newsletter or end of term assembly please complete this form.   

Celebratory Lunch

Well done to Jazira, Tito, Anisa and Jonathan who through displaying the 3 Bees during lunchtime had lunch with Mrs Townsend.  

Please check the dates section regularly as dates may change and new dates will be added.

Friends Update

There are many different views about physical chastisement, but it is widely accepted there are much more effective ways to teach children right from wrong. 

As a local authority, Sutton has seen a number of children coming to the attention of police and social care due to the use of physical chastisement and as such has worked with other local authorities on an initiative to reduce this number. 

In line with this initiative, we agree that anything that causes harm to a child is unacceptable.

As a school, we have a duty to report incidents of suspected or confirmed physical chastisement to social care and the police and this can be with ot without visible bruising, grazes, scratches, minor swelling, cuts as well as stress injuries from prolonged standing, position holding as these are banned by law in the United Kingdom.

Smacking or chastising that does not leave a mark is now illegal in Wales and Scotland, and there is currently pressure being placed on the Government to make it illegal in England and Northern Ireland too. It is therefore important to understand that even if a child has been smacked but no injuries are visible, social care or the police may still choose to take further action.

If you would like support on how to manage your child’s behaviour at home, please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help. 

Safeguarding Team

Surrey County Council encourages residents to foster

Fostering is an incredibly rewarding experience that can transform the lives of both the children being fostered and the foster carers themselves. Children who enter the care system have often experienced trauma and instability in their lives, and a caring, stable foster family can make a significant difference in their wellbeing and development.

Nationally, there are currently over 70,000 children living with foster families in the UK. However, there is still a significant shortage of foster carers, with around 9,265 new foster families needed in the next year alone. In Surrey, there are over 1,000 children in care and Surrey County Council have just under 400 foster families.

Foster carers come from all walks of life and backgrounds, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fostering. Whether you are single or married, young or old, own your own home or rent, you can still become a foster carer. The most important thing is a willingness to provide a safe and loving home for a child in need.

This is the message that Surrey County Council is promoting in national recruitment film ‘Any of Us’. The short film has been jointly funded by over 80 councils across England and aims to raise awareness about fostering, particularly among those people who may not have previously considered themselves suited to fostering. The film looks at the potential of three people from different backgrounds to become foster carers, and the potential of children they care for to grow and thrive. ‘Any of Us’ will be available to watch from 26 September.

If you have ever thought about fostering, now is the time to take that first step and find out more. The more people who consider fostering, the greater the chance of finding loving, stable homes for children in Surrey who desperately need them.

You can contact Surrey County Council Fostering Service on 0800 096 9626, via email at fostering.recruitment@surreycc.gov.uk or by visiting the website; www.surreycc.gov.uk/fostering

You can watch ‘Any of Us’ via Any of Us - YouTube and connect with the Fostering Service on social media via @surreyfostering

Dads' Football

Some Cheam Common School Dads get together on a weekly basis to play football and have a good chat. 

Join us in our WhatsApp group! ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/FwN7SksNXnBIxanYRJ9TEc) 

See you on the pitch!

Keep up to date with all the news, events & opportunities from across @LEOacademies. You can now follow us at: