Newsletter
08.09.23
Principal's Message
Welcome back! I hope you have all had a great summer. It has been wonderful this week to see all of the children and watch them settle into their new classes.
Our new Reception children started this week - I would like to extend a very warm welcome to them and their families to the Marden Primary Academy Community. The children have had lots of fun this week getting to know each other, meeting their new teachers and settling into school life.
I would also like to welcome our new members of staff: Mr Ward (Teacher in Acacia class), Mr Newman (Teacher in Elm class), Miss Dean (TA in Oak Class), Miss Lister (TA in Sequoia class), Miss Rao (Cover Supervisor) and Mrs Bowden (Lunchtime supervisor). I am sure you will all join me in welcoming them to Marden.
This week the children have worked very hard on their Sustainable Goals projects which they were very excited to share with you all. They all showed an excellent knowledge of these goals and it was lovely to see how determined they were about wanting to make a difference.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend and the lovely weather.
Mrs H Penning
Saturday 23rd September 9.00-10.00 am - EYFS Open Event for children starting in September 2024
Monday 25th September - Y5/Y6 rounders competition
Wednesday 27th September - Year 6 Magistrates Talk
Monday 2nd October - Harvest Festival Assembly
Wednesday 11th October - Parent Consultation Evening
Friday 13th October 9.15-10.30am - EYFS Open Event for children starting in September 2024
Tuesday 17th October 5.00-6.00pm - EYFS Open Event for children starting in September 2024
Wednesday 18th October - Y5/Y6 Netball competition
Friday 20th October - Last day of term 1
Monday 6th November - First day of term 2
Tuesday 7th November 9.15-10.30am- EYFS Open Event for children starting in September 2024
Office Messages
KSCMP Management of Asthma and Allergies in Children Survey for Parents and Young People
To help understand how different professionals work with each other to support those who have a child (or are a child) with asthma or allergies, the KSCMP have developed a short survey for parents/carers and young people to complete.
The survey can be accessed by visiting https://forms.office.com/e/eHDnYDpm2E or using the QR code below.
Year R-6 Flu Vaccinations
Your child is invited to have a flu vaccination this winter.
Having the flu vaccine protects your child and your family and friends, by preventing the spread of flu. It’s recommended to have the vaccine every year as the type of flu can vary each winter. The vaccination is a quick and painless spray up the nose. There is no charge for the vaccine.
The Kent and Medway School Immunisation Service is visiting Marden on:
Friday 13th October 2023.
Please discuss this immunisation with your child and complete the online consent form at: www.kentcht.nhs.uk/imms before midnight on 9th October 2023 to tell us if your child is getting the vaccine or not.
'Protecting your child against flu' -Information Leaflet for Parents.pdfParent Council
We believe that it is important to work in partnership with parents and carers in order to support our children to achieve their full potential. With this in mind, we would welcome some volunteers to become part of a Parent Council. This would be an opportunity for some parents/carers to meet with members of the school leadership team to give feedback on what is working well and make suggestions for future developments at Marden. If you would like to be involved with this or would like further information, please contact the school office.
Introducing Baby Hallie!
We are very pleased to announce that Mrs Morgan has had her baby.
Hallie was born on the 10th of August weighing a healthy 7lb 15oz.
Mum and Hallie are both doing well and we would like to send our best wishes to Mrs Morgan and her family on this exciting arrival.
Home Learning
Home learning will be shared next Friday 15th September.
It will be shared via Google Classroom as we have previously. However, we are taking a new approach this year. The children are expected to do some reading and Times Tables Rock Stars every day. There will be document shared at the beginning of the term (next week for term 1) that will have a variety of options for the children to choose from. They should aim to complete 5 pieces by the end of the term and be ready to share their learning on Wednesday 18th October.
We have made these changes so that the children can be more creative with their home learning but also because we know that family life can be busy and it will hopefully be easier to manage instead of having weekly deadlines.
All of the information will be shared next week via Google Classroom. An information sheet will also go out to explain how to access and navigate the Google Classrooms. If you have any questions, please speak to your child's teacher.
Outdoor Learning
We are very lucky to have Mr Townsend at Marden and we know how much the children love participating in outdoor learning. Therefore, we have worked hard to amend the timetable so that we can ensure every class gets a turn at enjoying outdoor learning lessons.
The children in EYFS, Oak and Juniper Class, will have outdoor learning every Friday afternoon as soon as they are in full time.
Below is the schedule for when the children will have their outdoor learning sessions on Fridays:
Module One - 1 Willow and 1 Spruce
Module 2 - 6 Aspen
Module 3 - 5 Cedar and 5 Chestnut
Module 4 - 3 Beech and 3/4 Elm
Module 5 - 4 Acacia
Module 6 - 2 Maple and 2 Sequoia
We will, of course, remind you of this nearer the time.
National Online Safety
Like a lot of digital services, live streaming really found its niche during the pandemic – think of Joe Wicks’ at-home fitness classes, Billie Eilish’s virtual gigs and Miley Cyrus’ chat show, for example. Real-time broadcasting of video content over the internet isn’t solely the province of celebrities, however: anyone with a device and something to say (or show) can take part.
With platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Twitch all offering routes to a vast online audience, young people have enthusiastically taken up the baton – streaming on subjects from gaming to sports to live shopping (yes, really!). Potentially having strangers among one’s viewers, though, is just one of many concerns. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the key information.
