Newsletter 13 12/12/25

Thank you so much for your support of our Christmas Fayre last Sunday, whether you were helping to set up or run stalls or if you were just there with us spending your money! The final figures are in the process of being calculated but a sum of around £3000 was raised. We will be asking the children, through our School and Class Councils, how they would like to use the money to improve their playtimes. Congratulations to the new FOSH team and supporters, following the excellent example of the outgoing team, for organising and working so hard on the event. Thank you also to the staff who also gave up their time last weekend. I know that FOSH have plans for lots more events in the new year.

Following on from last Sunday, we have enjoyed wonderful Nativities from Year 1 and 2 this week. The children sang and read beautifully, learning lots of words to put on a great performance. Well done to them all, along with the staff who organised and managed the children expertly.

Thank you also to Mrs Elvidge and the choir who performed with distinction at both the Christmas Fayre and, again, in Waitrose last night. They are a select example of our wonderful singing tradition at Sacred Heart, with much credit going to Mrs Elvidge. In the coming week, the choir will be performing in a church service for the mayor on Wednesday which follows on from our Carol Concerts on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Thank you for your donations to the SVP Christmas Hamper Appeal this week. The items will be added to the cards that children have made to help brighten the lives of people in our community. Some individual pupils from our Mini Vinnies have taken the time to make cards at home to supplement lovely examples from Miss Simpson and Mrs Robb's classes.

Much of what I have mentioned in this message reinforces the ethos we seek to instil regarding helping those in neeed and, more generally, thinking of and helping others. Along with us, amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations during Advent, I'm sure that you will join with us in regularly reminding the children of the true meaning of Christmas and the example of Jesus that we seek to follow.

Mr Beazeley

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. 

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

• 16/12 – KS2 Christmas Service 1.45pm

• 16/12 – KS2 Christmas Service 6.30pm

• 17/12 – Year 6 Victorian day (in costume)

• 17/12 – KS1 Christmas Party afternoon

• 17/12 – Choir with Mayor at Sacred Heart Church

• 18/12 – KS2 Christmas Party afternoon

• 19/12 – LAST DAY OF TERM - PLEASE NOTE THAT SCHOOL FINISHES AT 1.00PM FOR EVERYONE ON THIS DAY

• 22/12/25 to 2/1/26 – CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

• 5/1/26 – CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOL

Below are our Nourish dinner menus, which will run until the end of March

Some of our school choir sang at Waitrose and spread their christmas cheer, with some wonderful compliments from shoppers.

Christmas jumpers and Christmas dinners were enjoyed and so much fun was had.

KS1 Nativity was wonderful, with beautiful singing and acting. Sharing with us the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Our Year 6 pupils have been enjoying their bikeabilty lessons. They started on the playground and then progressed out into the local area. Great work Year 6!

We are looking forward to delivering another successful Holiday Activity and Food programme this Christmas. 

The programme will run from Mondays and Tuesdays 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th December 2025. 

Eligible families will be able to book up to a maximum of 4 sessions and only attend one club per day. 

Next steps for Schools – Christmas HAF Programme Email all your Benefits Related Free School families to share the booking link to book their Christmas HAF bookings on Wednesday 26 November at 10.30am. 

Here is the link: to the Eequ Booking site: Book your free HAF place here 

We know some of our families struggle with technology, so we have partnered with the Salvation Army and have arranged 2 drop-in sessions from 9.30am to 12 at the following locations to support families to book onto the HAF clubs and find out more information about free Early Years Childcare options 

Salvation Army Community Centre Frobisher Way Shoeburyness SS3 8UT 

Salvation Army Community Centre 121 Elm Road Leigh on Sea SS9 1SP 

At both venues Jade Hartley from the Early Years team will share childcare support available for families from 9 months to 4 years. 

No need to book and refreshments will be available. I will be available to support families to access a HAF place and potential providers who want to know about how to become an approved HAF Provider. 

Any questions please contact me email HAF@southend.gov.uk or call 07795 044329 We look forward to seeing you at the Drop-in sessions. 

Kind Regards Fiona Comish HAF Coordinator 

Dear Parents and Carers,

We wanted to send a reminder to all our families of the uniform requirements from September 2025. We would like to draw special attention to:

• Hair styles - must not be extreme

• Earrings - no earrings of any kind. If you wish to get your child's ears pierced, the must be done at the beginning of the holidays to allow sufficient time to heal before returning to school. 

• Shoes - must be sensible and sturdy - no trainers

• Boots - only to be worn to and from school - need to change to shoes in school

 Please read the attached document for full information on all uniform requirements. 

 There will be a PRE-LOVED UNIFORM EVENT at the beginning of September, so please look out for this. 

 We would also like to remind everyone that all items in school must be clearly labelled, and the school will not accept responsibility for lost items. 

 Please help us to be 'The smartest school in town' and support us in ensuring the children are wearing the correct uniform, are fully prepared and ready to learn.

Kind regards,

School Office.

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.

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.  Lost Property with no name is regualry sorted and either given to the pre-loved sale or taken to a local charity shop.

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.

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

Thank you to everyone who attended the Autumn ISP meetings and parent meetings—we really appreciate your time and input. Please remember to add your comments on the Provision Map website, as this helps us keep everything up to date and ensures your child’s support is clearly documented.

During the meetings, many conversations focused on children experiencing sensory overload. We’d like to share a helpful resource with you, the Sensory Toolkit, which offers practical strategies for supporting children with sensory difficulties. It’s a wonderful tool for both home and school.

https://padlet.com/specialistteachingteam/southend-city-inclusion-ideas-and-inspiration-cbow1gcprlnux121/wish/4b3zaM0Rep3gW2j7

Thank you for your continued support!

Best Regards

Mrs K. White (SENCO) 

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

Click or tap on the picture below to view the digital brochure for Christmas In The City 2025 – Southend’s festive celebration full of activities, entertainment, and seasonal fun for all ages!