This month, Sea Turtles class have been very busy enjoying our learning! In Literacy, we have thoroughly enjoyed reading the first episode of Michael Morpurgo’s version of Beowulf in order to re-tell the story using lots of fantastic subordination and descriptive language in our writing. We then went on to write our own version of the second episode and finally wrote our own legend taking inspiration from the courageous Beowulf’s conquests. The children’s own legends were fantastic and some of the best writing I have seen from them so far! We have now moved on to learning about ‘Plastic Pollution’, and the devastating affects it has on our environment, as well as what initiatives are being taken to help cut down on the amount of plastic we are using. The children will then be writing a formal, persuasive letter as their writing focus for this unit.

In Maths, the children have been working really hard to add, subtract, simplify and convert fractions this half term. We have been looking at fractions, improper fractions and mixed numbers. Despite this unit being tricky for some, they have all demonstrated great resilience when it has come to tackling problems!

In PE, we have loved getting active on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! On Tuesdays we have been practising old skills and developing new ones during our hockey lessons, and on Wednesdays we have been enjoying soaking up the expertise from Miss Young, where she has taught the children some new football skills as well as practising old ones. The children have also loved our mini 3 v 3 and 4 v 4 games!

In DT this half term we have embarked on our learning journey to make vegetable soup! The children have been recapping their understanding of the different food groups and what ingredients we can include to ensure our soup reflects a balanced and nutritious meal- whilst also being delicious! We are currently up to the lesson that involves practising our peeling, cutting and slicing techniques.

In Science we have moved on to our new unit: ‘Properties and Changes of Materials’. We were extremely lucky to have been invited by Halsted and St Andrews to their school to undertake a science lesson based on our current unit with their Head of Science, as well as a Food Technology lesson where they made a healthy and delicious Greek salad! The children all thoroughly enjoyed themselves and behaved impeccably – we were so proud of them.

With the lead up to the end of term and Christmas, the children have been practising their two Christmas songs and they sound fantastic- we really look forward to seeing you all at the Christmas concert! 

Tickets are still available to buy online for our much-anticipated Winter Wonderland Party on Wednesday, 4th December. It promises to be a delightful evening filled with fun, games, and festive cheer!

The party sessions for the evening are as follows:

• Starfish, Seahorses, and Jellyfish Classes: 4:45pm – 5:45pm

• Manta Rays, Angelfish, Sea Turtles, and Dolphins Classes: 6:00pm – 7:00pm

The cost for each child to attend the party is £5. This will include a small chocolate bar, a small bag of popcorn, a glow stick, and a LED finger light. Water will also be provided to keep everyone hydrated throughout the festivities. There will be no other items for sale on the night so there is no need to bring any additional money. Children should come dressed in their party clothes.

There will be two party sessions; please give permission by ticking the consent box online. Please pay £5 per child by Friday 29th November online using the Tucasi payment system. Go to www.scopay.com/maybury or use the link from the School Website under online payments. Please note that tickets are non-refundable and if your child is not in school on Wednesday 4th December they must not attend the party in the evening, their party bag will be kept until your child returns to school.

Tickets will be sent home on Tuesday 3rd December.

Looking forward to a wonderful Winter Wonderland celebration with all the children!

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that lunches are currently free for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 students under the government's Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. For children in Years 3 to 6, the cost of a school lunch is £2.95 per day / £14.75 per week. We would appreciate it if you could ensure that your child has sufficient funds in their lunch account. Please can we remind parents that school dinners should be paid for in advance. Please ensure that payment for the week ahead is made by the Monday morning.

Please click here to view the menus via our school website - School Meals

If your child would like to change from a packed lunch to a school dinner or vice versa, please contact the school office to advise of the change.  Please note changes can only be made at the beginning of a term.

Please be reminded that we are a nut free school.  Please do not send your child to school with any food containing nuts, for example Nutella / nut chocolate spread, Peanut butter, Peanut chocolate bars (Snickers) or nut cereal bars etc.  If you are unsure please visit the school office to pick up a healthy lunch leaflet.

In addition to the above no extreme hairstyles are permitted including overly spiked, sculptured, shaved areas and razor lines/pictures. If in doubt, please ask before a visit to the hairdresser/barbers.  

All hair bands/ clips/ bows must be plain and in school colours only which are black, white, navy or sky blue, grey, or matching the school summer dresses.

A gentle reminder earrings are not permitted. 

Lastly, a reminder that all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 should only have bookbags not rucksacks in school.

If your child has recently borrowed spare clothing from school, in particular children in Reception class, year 1 and year 2 please can we ask that these are returned.  We have a washing machine onsite so you can be assured that any items returned are washed as needed.  

We are also looking for donations of spare clothing such as underwear, leggings, jogging bottoms in small sizes such as ages 4 - 8.  Please either hand into the office or to the class teacher.  Thank you for your support. 

Please see below for PE days for the Autumn Term

The children will need to wear their correct PE kit on their PE day. Correct PE kit consists of:

·        Sky blue Maybury t-shirt

·        Navy blue or black hooded jacket

·        Navy blue or black jogging bottoms

Trainers (only lace up if your child can tie their own laces please) 

If you consider that there are exceptional circumstances relating to your request, please let the school have full details. Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis.

Penalty Notices to Address Poor Attendance at School

A Penalty Notice may be issued as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child’s unauthorised absence from school (absence without the agreement of the school or not covered by a medical note) and willbe used by Surrey County Council in the following circumstances :-

1. Pupils identified by police and Attendance Advice Officers (formerly Education Welfare Officers) engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.

2. Leave of absence in term time (5 days or 10 sessions or more).

• Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration)(England)(Amendment)  Regulations 2013, which became law on 01 September 2013 state that Headteachers may  not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• The Headteacher is also required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.

• In such cases the Headteacher/Governing Body must decide whether there are exceptional circumstances.  They may request that Surrey County Council issue Penalty Notices when the absence is not authorised.

Warnings will not be given where it can be shown that parents have been notified that such absences will not be authorised.

3. Finally, the issuing of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where it is judged that a parent is failing to ensure their child's regular school attendance.

This will be considered when a pupil has incurred 10 or more unauthorised sessions in the previous 10 school weeks, which may include a pupil arriving late after close of registration.

If you believe at any stage that your child’s absence from school may leave you liable to receive a Penalty Notice, it is extremely important that you act without delay to secure their regular attendance. 

If you have any questions or require further support to achieve an improvement in your child’s attendance, please contact your child’s school or the Attendance Advice Officer.

Penalty Notice relating to Exclusions

If a child is excluded from school, Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours. 

This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion.  Failure to do so will render the parent/carer liable to a Penalty Notice. (Alternative education provision will be made available from the sixth day of any exclusion.)

Amount Payable for a Penalty Notice and Consequences for repeat uauthorised absences

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.

Advice and support is available from an Attendance Advice Officer by contacting Surrey Attendance Service as follows:-

North West - Tel: 01483 518130 South West   - Tel: 01483 517179

North East - Tel: 01372 833588 South East   -       Tel: 01737 737777

Please bear in mind that all of these dates are subject to change