Cheam Common Junior Academy
Weekly Newsletter
Friday 20th October 2023
Cheam Common Junior Academy: Kingsmead Avenue, Worcester Park, KT4 8UT
Email: ccjoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk http://www.cheamcommon.org.uk/
School Updates
Happy half term!
We wish all of our children and families a happy and safe half term.
Please remember: Monday 30th October is an INSET Day and we will be returning to school on Tuesday 31st October.
'Turn It Up' @ British Science Museum
Last week, we were excited to receive a (very) last-minute invitation for five of our children to attend the grand opening of the new exhibition at the British Science Museum: 'Turn It Up'. Our Art Leads, Jemimah and Aaralyn, as well as some of our Arts Council members (Ethan, Katrina and Marnie) went along with Miss Maclean to try out some of the new activities. The exhibition opened to the general public today and will be open until May 2024 - you can buy tickets here!
Google visits Cheam Common
On Thursday morning, we welcomed visitors from Google for Education to Cheam Common. They spent the morning visiting lessons and speaking to many of our children.
We received incredible feedback from these visitors and wanted to share it with our families here.
Harvest Festival
BBC 500 Word Story Competition
500 Words, the UK’s most successful children’s writing competition has now opened for submissions and will run till Friday 10 November.
Since the competition was first launched in 2011 by Chris Evans on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it has received over one million stories from children throughout the UK.
This year, the two age categories will be 5-7 year-olds and 8-11 year-olds.
Children of all abilities are encouraged to use their creativity and imagination to write a story they would love to read without the pressure of having to worry about spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Our brilliant 500 Word judges are back; award-winning and best-selling authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, and former children’s laureate, Malorie Blackman. We are delighted to say that this year there will be a new addition to the panel, TV legend, children's author and World Book Day ambassador, Sir Lenny Henry. The judges will be casting their expert eyes over the final 50 stories. You can find out why they are perfect judges here.
This year, BBC Breakfast will be hosting the competition supported by us on BBC Teach. The winners will be featured in a special 500 Word programme with The One Show, on World Book Day on 7 March 2024.
You can find out more information here.
All the stories must:
Be 500 words or less (title is not included in the number)
Be written by an individual and not a group
Be a child’s own original idea
Be prose, not rap or poem
Stories must not:
Give any personal details of the child, including their name
Recount an historical event (but they can use a real person or historical character as a source of inspiration)
Book in a Jar
On Monday, Mr Strange led an assembly regarding our new challenge: Book in a Jar!
To enter, simply choose a poem or book that you love and create a representation of it in a jar. You can use any materials you like, such as paper, fabric, paint, or even clay. Be as creative as you can!
All entries must be submitted to 6S by Friday 20th October. The winners will be announced in the Celebration Assembly on the 3rd November . The winning entries will also be displayed in the library for all to see.
Check out our new arrivals from this week below!
Introducing... Our new Year 6 Pupil Leadership Team
This half term, we have been busy recruiting and working with our new Pupil Leadership Team in Year 6.
By working with Senior Leaders and teachers, these children have been setting up and understanding their roles.
Our Head Boys and Girls have been hosting Celebration Assemblies.
Laura, our Head of Peer Mediators, has been advertising and organising these roles - this will get started after Christmas.
Our House Captains have met to discuss their plans throughout the year.
Mya and Latishan, our Heads of School Council, have helped organise all of our donations to Epsom and Ewell Food Bank.
Rylie has been helping to set up a more efficient system in our Library.
Jemimah and Aaralyn, our Heads of Art, have taken part in a trip to see a brand-new exhibition at the British Science Museum: 'Turn It Up'
All children have been involved in re-designing and furnishing our new Pupil Leadership Room. We cannot wait to show you the finished product!
And there's so much more to come!
Aadi - Head Boy
Aarya - Head Girl
James - Deputy Head Boy
Alma - Deputy Head Girl
Jaeden - Deputy Head Boy
Scarlett - Deputy Head Girl
Evan - Head of Learning Council
Aadhya - Head of Learning Council
Joseph - Head of Sports Leaders
Rory - Head of Sports Leaders
Latishan - Head of School Council
Mya - Head of School Council
Elinor - Head of Active Citizens
Laura - Head of Peer Mediators and Wellbeing
Grace - Head of Travel Ambassadors
Rylie - Head of Library
Mason - Head of Eco Council
Rea - Head of Digital Leaders
Tippi - Head of Digital Leaders
Jemimah - Head of Arts
Aaralyn - Head of Arts
Aadhya - Head of Maths/Science
Ben - Head of Maths/Science
Olivia - Pine House Captain
Kiran - Pine House Captain
Sara - Willow House Captain
Omer - Willow House Captain
Hayden - Oak House Captain
Ivan - Oak House Captain
Archisha - Elm House Captain
Eliot - Elm House Captain
♻️ The Big Recycling Hunt ♻️
This Recycle Week, we’re leading a nationwide hunt for the ones that often get away. We want to hunt out all the recyclable items that are going in the rubbish bin and return them to their rightful place: the recycling!
Competition: Pupils are encouraged to take part during Recycle Week (16-22 October 2023), but the competition is open until 25th November 2023.
Flu inoculations - Wednesday 1st November
On Wednesday 1st November, the NHS Sutton and Merton Immunisation Team will be in school to provide free flu immunisations. You can find out more information out here.
If you have any queries, please contact the Sutton and Merton
Immunisation Team: 0203 903 3373 / 3371
Registering for Pupil Premium
All children in Sutton will automatically qualify for Universal Free School Meals, but this does not mean automatic qualification for benefit-related Free School Meals.
It is vitally important that you still complete your school or borough’s registration form in case your child is eligible for extra funding for their school from the Government, worth £1,300 per year. That’s extra money to spend on enrichment activities, teacher development, and targeted support for the children that need it most. Depending on how schemes operate in your borough, it may also entitle you to other benefits like food vouchers during the holidays. Please register for Pupil Premium here.
Free School Meals - Sutton.pdfOur Book Wishlist
Children across the school wrote a wishlist of the different books that they would like to see in their library and their classrooms.
We have collated this wishes and have put together an Amazon Wish List, which can be found here. If parents and families wish, there are over a hundred books that children are desperate to read on the list and these can be ordered as a present to our school. Alternatively, if you notice a book on the list that your children no longer read, we are always grateful for any donations!
It has also been suggested by our children that, on a birthday, rather than bringing sweets in for their classmates, children choose a book on the list that they would like to donate to their class. This also falls in line with our commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles. On the order, there is an option to leave a message - you can specify which class the book is for. As ever, we recognise that money can be tight so please note that this is entirely optional. Any support is always appreciated.
Thank you to the Carson family for your donations this week - these have been shared across the school.
Weekly School and Sporting News Stories
It was another busy week of events at Cheam Common!
🏉 Year 3/4 Tag Rugby Festival: On Monday morning, some of our children represented Cheam Common at a Sutton Sports Tag Rugby Festival. We learned key skills and had fun learning all about a new sport.
🏐 Year 6 Netball League Match: On a very rainy Wednesday afternoon, we hosted Cheam Fields in our next netball league match. Both our A and B Team played incredibly well and we managed to win both games.
⚽ Year 6 Football Borough Cup Match: On Wednesday afternoon, we played in the next round of the Borough Cup against Muschamp. In extremely rainy conditions, the game was tied 2-2. With the weather conditions, it was agreed that there would be a second leg to the match, rather than continuing. Goals were scored by Rash and Jake.
💻 Google Visit: On Thursday morning, we welcomed visitors from Google for Education to Cheam Common. They visited lessons and spoke to many of our children. Their phenomenal feedback can be read above.
⚽ Year 6 Football League Match: On (another rainy) Thursday afternoon, our Year 6 Boys' Football Team played against Cheam Fields in our next league match. We managed to win the game 8-3, with Jake scoring a hat-trick! He received a match ball in Celebration Assembly.
🏉 Year 5/6 Tag Rugby Festival: On Friday afternoon, some of our Y6 children took part in a Sutton Sports Tag Rugby Festival. They learned the key skills needed in tag rugby and, although it was a friendly competition, managed to finish 2nd overall. Well done!
⚽ Year 5/6 Football B League Match: On Friday afternoon, our Y6 Boys' B Team travelled to Cheam Park Farm to play their first league game. We battled incredibly hard and our Players of the Match were Ewan and Albie for making many fantastic saves. Congratulations to CPF on their win!
Ana's Amazing Art!
Ana-Maria (Y5) has been completing Art lessons outside of school for the last three years and is incredibly proud of the progress that she has made.
We are proud of you Ana-Maria - keep up the hard work!
Harriette's Chess Competition
Last weekend, Harriette (Y3) took part in a local chess competition: the Hampton LJCC Qualifying Tournament. She played incredibly well and was awarded 'Top Girl' in the competition.
Anoshka's Ballet Qualification
Anoshka (Y6) took her ballet exam with the Royal Academy of Dance in the summer. She passed her exam with a Merit!
Well done, Anoshka!
If you would like to share your child's achievements outside of school with us, we'd love to hear them! Please email the school office.
Autumn Term Dates
Please find below all the key dates and times for the next few weeks of the Autumn Term.
PTA events are shown in this colour. Please see below for more details.
New dates
Monday 23rd - Friday 27th October
Half Term
Monday 30th October
INSET Day
Wednesday 1st November
Flu inoculations
Thursday 2nd November
Year 5 Trip: Orchestra Unwrapped
Friday 3rd November
Year 1 and 2 Disco (3:30-4:30pm)
Monday 6th November
Year 6 Bikeability: Week 3
Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th November
Parent Consultation Evenings
Wednesday 15th November:
6W, 6CB and 6SB Trip: Sutton Life Centre
Monday 20th November
6S: Trip: Sutton Life Centre
Tuesday 21st - Friday 24th November
Year 4 Trips: Roman Amphitheatre
Friday 1st December
MUFTI Day
Friday 8th December
Year 3 Stone Age Workshop
Friday 15th December
GymKidz Performance to Parents (9am)
Wednesday 20th December
Christmas Lunch
Thursday 21st December
Christmas Class Parties
Friday 22nd December
Last day of term (2:10pm finish)
Friends of Cheam Common - Updates
The Friends of Cheam Common now has a new Facebook group, where you can follow any updates on upcoming events or how you can get involved.
The Friends of Cheam Common will be distributing secondhand uniform to anyone may need it.
If this is something you would be interested in, please contact them on friendssecondhanduniform@gmail.com.
A message from the Friends
Christmas Art Fundraiser
Across the various events we hosted last year and thanks to the incredible generosity of our wonderful parents and the wider community, we made a gross profit of just shy of £25,000.
We used this to fund a number of exciting projects for the schools.
Among other things, we helped the schools to procure:
● play equipment, with tunnel, for the nursery;
● a climbing wall for year 2;
● a new portable PA system to use for sports days and other outdoor events;
● a variety of new sensory equipment for Cheam Common Infants (CCI);
● scooter boards for CCI;
● a playhouse for CCI’s playground;
● an outdoor stage for Cheam Common Junior’s (CCJ’s) playground;
● shade sails across parts of CCJ’s playground;
● a variety of items bought for the wild garden in CCJ.
It is a privilege to be able to support our schools by providing opportunities for the parents / carers, teachers and children to all spend time together doing fun things and getting to know each other better, as well as to help procure resources which can further the education of all our children.
If getting involved with Friends sounds like something you would enjoy, please contact us at friends_cca@outlook.com. We always welcome more help and fresh ideas for new things to try.
Celebrations, Awards and Stars of the Week
Stars of the Week
3A - Sama
3F - Adam
3S - Jess
3T - Leah A
4I - Haiqa
4C - Ida
4HJ - Ayo
4M - Tom
5VH - Bobby
5G - Maisie
5JH - Alessia
5M - Ellen
6S - Jack L
6CB - Aarya
6SB - Chloe
6W - Alex
PRIDE Ambassadors of the Week
Perseverance, Respect, Imagination, Dedication, Encouragement
3A - Aaron
3F - Martha
3S - Jon
3T - Min Woo
4I - Aanya
4C - Noah
4HJ - Amara
4M - Henry
5VH - Kinsey
5G - James
5JH - Kosse
5M - Joseph
6S - Ines
6CB - Jonah
6SB - Rashad
6W - Renata
Times Tables Rockstars
Our top three classes were:
🥇6CB
🥈4HJ
🥉4I
Our top Rockstar in each year group was:
Year 3: Stefanos (3T)
Year 4: Yug (4HJ)
Year 5: Ashley (5JH)
Year 6: Ben (6CB)
SEND & Inclusion Updates
Young Carers at Cheam Common
At Cheam Common Junior Academy, we hold a weekly small group session to support children across the school who fulfil the role of ‘Young Carer’ because they have a sibling or parent with serious health issues, special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
We want to celebrate the important role our Young Carers play, but also recognise that they may face challenges and pressures not shared by the general school population.
The group meets during assembly time and is led by Mrs Hart.
If you would like your child to take part please complete this form.
If you have any questions about the group, please feel free to contact us at ccjsend@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Please click here for more information on how parents can be supported with the behaviour and understanding of their children. The courses that are available are as follows:
Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities
Care for the Family
Adapt to Learn
Please click here to access the Local Authority's Ambitious for SEND parent newsletter to stay in touch with what is happening in the local area. To receive these newsletters (three produced each year) please subscribe to the local area Ambitious for SEND newsletter. It is a great way to stay in touch with what is happening in the local area. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Click the image above for further information!
Keeping Safe Online
DIGI Safe - Keeping Children Safe Online
LGFL have launched a wonderfully informative and practical website full of resources to help keep children safe online. With videos, informative guides and top tips, there is lots to explore to help keep your child safe whilst online. To visit, click here.
Family Support
Any of Us: Surrey Fostering Campaign
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
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.
🇭🇰 Hong Kong buddies needed 🇭🇰
Volunteer Centre Sutton are currently looking for volunteers in their latest project 'Integrating Sutton'.
They are looking for anyone who has recently moved from Hong Kong to buddy up with families who have recently moved to Sutton.
If you are interested in volunteering, you can find out more here.
Sutton Library of Things - why buy when you can borrow
You could save money, space and help the environment with a visit to Sutton Library of Things. For a small daily cost, hire tools and equipment, from a carpet cleaner and drill to an ice cream maker and party kit, for those one off activities for your home, projects and adventures. Located in Sutton Central Library, it takes just a few clicks online to reserve your item for collection. There is even a no questions asked 25% discount rate available for anyone who may need it.
Take a look at what's on offer here.
Primary Parent Webinars Poster 23-24.Education Wellbeing Service.pdfMental Health and Wellbeing Update
WL & St George’s Mental Health Trust: events for parents and carers
The SW London and St George’s Mental Health Trust has ongoing events for parents and carers to support their primary or secondary aged children. Sessions cover body image, mental health, school avoidance, social media and gaming, sleep, parenting children and young people with ADHD, understanding ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and lots more.
Find their primary school aged events on Eventbrite, or events for parents and carers of secondary aged children.
Local Activities and Events - General Information
Please find flyers attached for the following advertisements:
Dance Unlimited @ North Cheam
Tamil School - North Cheam
Future term dates
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