Newsletter 30 09/05/25

As we celebrate the election of the new Pope, Leo XIV, we give thanks for a new leader, somebody who will continue to make love, care and concern for others the centre of the Catholic mission. In a world of fear, one that is often not welcoming and full of love, we need to endeavour to be the light that shines to warm and brighten the lives of others.

Our Reception class of St Paul sang and exemplified 'This Little Light of Mine' as part of their class assembly yesterday. Among the youngest of our children, they brought a smile to all of our faces and a warm feeling inside as they retold the story of Jesus on the lake with the fishermen, singing lovely songs along the way. Like all of our children - as we adults can be too - they are the hope and the spirit of the future. Thank you to St Paul class, including Miss Field and all of the other staff, for making our faces and hearts smile.

We thought about the future whilst reflecting on the past yesterday, as we remembered and gave thanks to all of those who have defended our freedoms and fought against tyranny. VE Day was particularly a time of joy and celebration and we thought about our living relatives in their eighties - and older ones who have died - who took part in or experienced times of conflict. Let us hope that we learn the lessons of history and find a better future for everyone.

Our Year 6 pupils are fine representatives of our school and its Christian values and we wish them very well when they take their SATs 'exams' next week. As my Grandad George - since passed and fondly remembered - used to say to me, 'You can only do your best.' The children have worked hard this year, and in previous years, developing their knowledge and skills and we pray that they are guided to show their capabilities next week. SATs are quite a narrow measure of what is just a part of the 'academic' and, however they do in those tests, there are many other skills, attributes and characteristics with which they also shine.

We hope that our slightly younger, Year 5, pupils have had an enjoyable week. The classes have, separately, spent a night away at Wat Tyler Park in Basildon, trying new things and enjoying new experiences. Along with the staff who have accompanied and stayed over with them, for whom we are very grateful, we hope that they get a chance for full rest and recovery this weekend.

Enjoy the best one yourselves. God bless.

Mr Beazeley

Please follow the link to the Ten Ten collective Worship Newsletter this month www.tentenresources.co.uk/prayers-for-home/parent-newsletter/  

• 12–15/05/25 – Year 6 SATS week

• 13/05/25 – Pre-Loved Uniform Sale

• 16/05/25 – Pilgrims of Hope Walk – Pier to Chalkwell

• 22/05/25 – Pentecost Dash at St Thomas More – selected KS1 Team

• 23/05/25 – INSET Day – No children in school

• 26-30/05/25 – HALF TERM – No children in school

• 02/06/25 – CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOL

• 02/06/25 – Year 6 catch up swim session

• 03/06/25 – Spanish Morning

• 05/06/25 – St Peter Class Assembly at 9.00am

Next year's term dates have been announced, please see below for the school calendar

Here is our new Summer Term dinner menu, which is now in effect.

In line with other schools we will be introducing a new policy where by any children not collected from school by 3.30pm will be placed in our after school tea club and a £6 fee will be applied to your School Money account.

We have seen an increase in the number of children not collected on time and we hope the new charges will ensure children are collected promptly.

Our Amazon Wishlist is live!! The idea is that friends and family of the school can donate directly to the school library. We’ll still accept preloved copies from home that you may also wish to donate. The selection of books are chosen by the staff as texts that may benefit the pupil's reading comprehension, engagement with the curriculum and foster an interest in reading. The current list is reflective of this and will update as and when donations come through.  The link to our Wishlist is here.

A big thank you to those that have bought books for the school, we truly appreciate it.

,Our Year 5 children spent two days at Wat Tyler Park this week.  Here are a selection of photographs, with many many more posted to our Facebook page.

Year 4 enjoyed a Greek immersive experience and learnt lots of fun facts, in wonderful costumes.

OLOL Class have enjoyed painting their fantastic clay starfish that they made on World Art Day.  In RE, the class learnt about the story of the journey to Emmaus and how Jesus appeared to his followers and that they were puzzled. The class made puzzles to reflect how sometimes we can be puzzled by God's work until we remember the bigger picture, that Jesus rose again to take away our sins. In computing, we created avatars and a picture with our name on it.

Here are our stars of the week who have represented our core values well through their actions of responsibility, achievement, compassion, equality, faith and respect 

PUPIL ABSENCE

When a child is off sick, a phone call must be made daily to record their absence.  For sickness and diarrhea, the school has a 48 hours policy from the last episode before a child can return to school.

Any medical appointments need proof of the appointment for our records.

For any other absences a leave of absence form must be completed which can be obtained from the office.

LOST PROPERTY

Please can all parents check their child’s clothes -  All items should be clearly labelled and your child needs to ensure they can identify their own property.  Staff are wasting too much time searching for children’s clothing and dealing with frustrated parents.

Thank you for your co-operation.

We would like to remind all our families using breakfast club of the importance of booking in advance.  We have noticed an increase of children not booking in advance and this effects our staffing ratio.

Breakfast club (£3 per session) runs from 7:30 until the start of school and includes a light breakfast and childcare.  

We also run a tea club (£6 per session) from 3:15-5:30pm which includes a light tea and childcare - again all bookings must be booked and paid for in advance.  Failure to pay will result in the child not being able to attend future sessions.

All bookings must be made at the beginning of each week so we can ensure we have enough staff available.  Priority will be given to children who have booked in advance and those who have not booked may not be able to stay.

If you need assistance making a booking please email annemariedriscoll@sacredheart.southend.sch.uk

We would like to remind all our families that we are a nut free school to protect some of our pupils/staff and therefore request that no items of food containing nuts are brought in.  We have noticed an increasing number of children bringing in snacks and spreads containing nuts ie cereal bars, chocolate spread etc.  We hope you all understand the importance that some of our community have epi pens for their allergies and we need to ensure their safety at all times.  Thank you for your co-operation.

Dear Parents/carers,

Thank you so much for attending the Spring ISP meetings with your child's class teachers. Your involvement and partnership in your child's education is deeply appreciated. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to book a meeting, it's not too late! We encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher to discuss the targets they will be working on next term. This is a wonderful way to support your child's learning and progress.

As a polite reminder, we have created a Learning Plan tailored to your child's needs and would greatly value your input. You can view and comment on the plan by visiting the following link: https://edukeyapp.com/parent/login. To access the plan, please use the code provided by your class teacher or contact our school SENCO, Mrs. White, for assistance in accessing it online.

Your feedback is important to us, and we look forward to your contributions, as we continue to work together to support your child's development.

Warm regards,  Mrs White (SENCO)

Click on the image below to read a workshop for parents of children who are anxious or worried about coming to school

Free Training - How to safeguard children and young people from experiencing gaming and gambling harms 

About the Workshop: Ygam are delivering fully funded City and Guilds workshops on how to safeguard children and young people from experiencing gaming and gambling harms. 

There is a dedicated Parent Awareness session for parent/carer/guardians who wants to learn more around the topic of gaming and gambling harms effecting young people. 

Why Attend?

+ Learn how to spot the signs of gaming and gambling harms 

+ Increase your safeguarding knowledge 

+ Support young people in managing screen time and in-game spending 

+ Receive free resources to embed the learning into your safeguarding practice 

+ Gain a City and Guilds Certificate and digital credential for attending our training 

Workshop Details: To secure your free place on our training, click the link below: 

https://ygam.org/training/south-of-england-safeguarding-children-partnership-workshops/ 

If you have any questions, please contact training@ygam.org