Newsletter

20.01.23

Principal's Message

This week we have had curriculum development reviews from our Curriculum Advisors from LAT. They were centred around Music, Art, History, PSHE and Science. During the reviews, they look at lessons, curriculum plans, subject leadership and speak with the children. There is an awful lot to celebrate and we have made significant progress in these areas. A shining light as always were the children, who were able to talk about their learning with eloquence and clarity.

To support our fantastic curriculum enrichment 4Chestnut had a trip to Staplehurst, exploring landmarks. The work they have created with the enrichment experience has been fantastic. Take a look at the 4Chestnut page on the tab.

I am very much looking forward to Young Voices on Monday. Music is such an important subject and the opportunity to perform at the O2 will be incredible.

Mr N Dosad

Monday 23rd January 2023 - Young Voices Concert @ The O2 (Choir only)

Tuesday 24th January 2023 - Year 5 Swimming Lessons @ Tonbridge Pool

Wednesday 25th January 2023 3.30-430pm - KS2 Football Marden v East Farleigh (Home)

Friday 27th January 2023 2.15-3.15pm - Year 2 SATs Parent Information Meeting

Office Messages

Year 2 SATs Parent Information Meeting

As you may be aware Year 2 children will complete SATs tests in Maths, Reading and Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) in the summer term. These are national tests carried throughout the country and the marks scored will assist class teachers in making their judgements in the end of year assessments.

Our Year 2 teachers would like to invite you to a brief meeting about the assessments in order to provide you with further information about what this will involve and how you can support your child at home.

Please bring your mobile devices or tablets so we can show you how to access Google Classroom.

Responsible Parking

We are receiving daily complaints regarding parking issues outside the school. Please can we ask parents to be respectful of our neighbours and not block driveways or access routes to their properties.

As a driver, you have a responsibility to park in a safe and considerate manner. If you don’t, you could be endangering a child’s life.

Perhaps you can re-think your journey to school; try walking, cycling or scooting – even if it’s just one day a week, it can make a big difference!

If you need to drive your child to school, for their health and wellbeing, consider park & stride or car sharing.

Please park with care and help make the area near and around the school a safer place for pupils.

Kent Police - Illegal parking

If the vehicle is parked:

  • on zig zag lines

  • dangerously

  • in a way that would prevent emergency vehicles from accessing

You can report these to Kent Police online

If the vehicle is parked:

  • over a dropped kerb

  • on a pedestrian crossing (including the area marked by the zig-zag lines)

  • near a school entrance

Year 6 Leavers' Hoodies

We are delighted to offer Year 6 parents the opportunity to purchase a Class of 2023 Leavers’ Hoody for their child. We are working with Fizz Hoodies, the UK's premier supplier of Leavers’ Hoodies, and are eagerly anticipating what is sure to be a wonderful keepsake to celebrate their time at the school.

The Hoodies will have a large ‘23’ print on the back, containing the names of all students in Year 6, and will also feature an embroidered logo on the front.

All of the students have the opportunity to purchase a Hoody. It is essential that orders are placed in plenty of time so the cut-off date will be 9th April 2023.

To place an order, please visit the following website:

https://shop.fizz-group.co.uk/

Our School Unique ID is: J08476YR6

FREE Mental Health Training

Mid Kent Mind are currently providing free training across the county in the form of a course called ‘Everyday Mental Health’.

Taking on feedback from people unable to access their three and a half hour training sessions, they have made a one-hour session which touches on key areas of mental health and also looks at how things like rises in the cost of living can have an impact on mental health.

It is free to anyone in Kent, and for sacrificing an hour of your time, you will have the confidence to support someone who may be struggling. As we all know, you never know when or where you may encounter someone who is finding things difficult – so if we all engage with opportunities like this then we can make a collective difference in our communities.

You can find more details here: https://www.maidstonemind.org/everyday-mental-health-training/

National Online Safety

A free online safety guide on Twitter.

Twitter is a social media network which allows users to post short messages (‘tweets’) of up to 280 characters. Tweets can consist of text, photos, videos, audio, links, polls and GIFs – often linked by hashtags if they share a common theme or message. Hashtags receiving high levels of interest are said to be ‘trending’. Twitter users can engage with other people’s posts by liking, retweeting (sharing) or tweeting back (commenting on). Since the entrepreneur Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion, the platform has undergone several major changes.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as trolls and bullying, fixation on view count and interaction with strangers.







High scores league table

Each week we will be celebrate the class and individuals who achieve the highest scores throughout the week. Make sure that you practise regularly.

Class league table: A big congratulations goes to the winning class:

The individual class winners are:

3Beech: Sophie S

3/4Cedar: William S

4Chestnut: Tonyted B

5Aspen: Maria C

6Elm: Imogen C

6MonkeyPuzzle: Layla D