02.12.22 Principal's Message

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Christmas Fair on Saturday. A big thank you to all of the PTA, staff and roped in family members who made the event a real success. However, the fundraising is still happening! Silent Auction bidding is open until 8pm on Sunday!

This week I had the privilege to teach 4Chestnut on Monday and Tuesday. As a Principal, you rarely get the opportunity to spend full days in class, with many far more dull things on my to-do list. Teaching is what I got into this profession to do and like the vast majority of my colleagues, we love it. What I loved about my experience this week was watching how respectful, diligent and willing to succeed the children were.

Mr N Dosad

*new dates in red

Monday 5th December - LKS2 Dodgeball Tournament @ Tree Tops

Tuesday 6th December - Year 5 trip to the Tate Modern

Wednesday 7th December - Year 2 Kidenza Music Workshop

Wednesday 7th December 5.30-6.30pm - KS2 Christmas Concert @ Marden Church

Thursday 8th December 4.00-5.00pm - EYFS Open Evening (for Sept 2023 intake)

Monday 12th December 3.30-4.30pm - KS1 Football Match Marden v Tiger

Wednesday 14th December 1.30pm - 6.00pm - Parent Consultations

Wednesday 14th December - Christmas Lunch

Wednesday 14th December - Christmas Jumper Day

Thursday 15th December 10.00am EYFS & KS1 Christmas Morning Performance

Thursday 15th December 10.00am - 12.30pm - Year 5 Nativity Musical Trip @ Cornwallis Academy (details to follow)

Thursday 15th December 2.00pm - EYFS & KS1 Christmas Afternoon Performance

Christmas Performances

Christmas Lunch & Christmas Jumper Day

Our annual Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day is taking place on Wednesday 14th December.

Christmas Lunch - The cook needs to have final numbers a week in advance, so please ensure you complete the Christmas Lunch Booking Form by Monday 5th December if your child would like to have a Christmas Lunch. If we do not receive a response, we will assume your child is having a packed lunch. Children will not be able to request a school meal on the day.

Christmas Jumpers - Children are asked to wear Christmas jumpers over their normal uniform. No donation necessary.

Office Messages

Christmas Card Post Box

The Christmas Card Post Box will be on display in Reception until the last day of term. Children are invited to write cards for their friends and staff and then post them through the letter box.

Please ensure the recipient's name and class are written on the front of the envelope and our Year 6 elves will do daily collections and deliveries to the classrooms.

Due to GDPR we are unable to provide class lists to parents, however, staff should be able to help with a list of first names upon request.

Autumn 2022 Parents' Evening

We would like to invite parents/carers to attend our Autumn 2022 Parents’ Evening which is being held on Wednesday 14th December between the hours of 1.30-6.00pm.

Due to the number of children in 5Aspen, there will also be appointments available to year 5 parents on Tuesday 13th December between the hours of 4.30-6.00pm.

All appointments will be held face-to-face in the main hall and can be booked via the MCAS app.

Fabulous Projects Christmas Play in a Day

Experience the magic of Christmas, with a day of fun drama, singing and dance, followed by an enchanting performance to family and friends.

Open to children aged 7-15years. Marden Congregational Church.

Wednesday 21st December 2022 £30.00

Email Jen/Maryjane fabulousprojectsinfo@gmail.com for more details.

National Online Safety

A free online safety guide on social media & mental health.

An estimated one-third of children have a social media account, so it’s important that trusted adults know what content young people are consuming, what they’re posting and the interactions they’re having. On social media, it can be easy to go down a rabbit hole that isn’t beneficial to our wellbeing. As platforms grapple with managing ‘legal but harmful’ content, lives are being impacted – sometimes to tragic effect. We might be daunted by the scale of the tech giants and their content which enthrals young people, but we can still help children to be mindful of their mental wellness: recognising when something isn’t OK … and knowing what to do about content that upsets them.

In the guide, you'll find tips such as how to hide content, setting daily limits and discussing what children have seen online.