Newsletter 13 Autumn Term
6th December 2023
St Andrew’s and St Mark’s
Church of England Junior School
“I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.” John 10:10
-School News-
Our Instagram feed displays photos of school events. Click or tap on a photo to find out more:
If you would like your child to have the opportunity to be featured on our Instagram page, please update the parental consent on the SIMs Parent App and ensure permission to be posted on social media is ticked.
Looking for a Christmas gift? SASM has some pre-loved iPADs for sale!
We have a limited number of pre-loved iPads for sale which can be purchased via the school shop on ParentMail. Whilst we are able to include the plug, you will need to provide your own lightning cable. Most of the iPads will be sold with their survivor case.
iPad 5 (32GB) - £65
IPad 6 (32GB) - £100
Whilst we do not envisage any problems with the iPads, please check them thoroughly and report any issues as soon as possible. No exchange or refunds will be accepted after 9.00am on Monday 11th December 2023.
Reasons to be thankful
In an age of internet commentary and 24-hour news, the art of thankfulness is a rare and wonderful thing. Thankfulness has been our Christian value theme for this half term. After the theme was introduced by our Faith Committee, Open the Book, our clergy and school leaders all devoted their collective worship sessions to explore how we can be thankful, using Biblical examples to guide us. From the letters of St Paul to the woman with the alabaster jar.
We explored how being given something makes us thankful, which in-turn makes us happy; we then considered that we might be happier if we are thankful before we are given things, which then makes the world around us happier. This week, we are asking pupils to reflect on what they had learnt from our study of thankfulness. Here is a selection of responses from Year 6:
Being thankful is important because people who are thankful are happy.
I have learnt that you don`t wait for something good to happen to you, you can do something good and then be thankful for what you have. During the collective worship this half term, they have taught me to be more thankful for what I have, as other people in the world are less fortunate.
To me, thankfulness means to be grateful for everything in your life at the current moment, even if others may think that they are bad. This is because being thankful makes good things come, not the other way round. The bible story about St Paul getting shipwrecked shows this because he gives thanks to God and manages to be saved by him.
A Bible story that represents thankfulness is the feeding of the 5,000. This shows thankfulness because Jesus is thankful that the boy had the two fishes and five loaves of bread.
Thankfulness means that you are grateful for your family, friends, the food that you eat or something else. Even in the hardest situations, you can the thankful.
SASM WinterFest 2023 - pupil collection arrangements on Friday 8th December
In order to keep everyone safe, children will be collected from the school's front garden at the following times:
3:10-3:20pm - Years 3 and 4
3:20-3:30pm - Years 5 and 6
Parents and carers will need to queue up by the gate entrance (near the bike sheds) and will be guided through the garden to collect their child. If you have children in multiple year groups you will sent around to queue for the next pick-up.
After you have collected your child(ren), you can enter WinterFest, which is open until 4:45pm. This gives an opportunity for children to spend any unused tokens. Parents and carers will be able to use their own money to buy additional items (using a QR code, card reader or cash).
Pupils who walk home on their own will not be permitted to re-enter WinterFest unless they are accompanied by an adult. After-school club will be operating as normal but will not be entering WinterFest.
Attendance update
School attendance continues to be a headline-grabbing issue. At the time of writing, our attendance rate is 96.8%. This is by no means poor, in fact it is well-above the national average and a testament to the collective effort of our families and our school working together. However, any figure below 100% shows that some learning has been missed by pupils. In an age of working from home, increasing anxiety and ever more expensive holiday travel, pupils' attendance at school has become a national issue.
It may surprise you to learn that 8% of our pupils have been persistently absent from school so far this year, meaning they have missed at least 32 missed lessons. Another way to think about it is, if a pupil has 90% attendance each year, they will have missed a whole year of school by the time they take their GCSEs in Year 11, with ramifications for their qualifications and prospects. It is now, in the primary years, where habits and expectations are made.
Whilst we act on pupil absence daily, we look at our attendance data termly to look for trends, taking further action if necessary. Parents and carers of pupils with under 90% attendance - persistent absentees - and those with a high level of unauthorised absence are sent letters or are asked to meet with a member of our leadership team or our local authority Education Welfare Officer.
As we enter the winter season, it is understandable that illness increases. The NHS' 'Is my child too ill for school?' remains the key guidance that parents and carers should refer to when thinking about whether their child should attend. It explains that it's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes. Absence must be reported daily to the school office with a reason. More information about how we code attendance can be found at the end of our attendance policy.
The run-up to Christmas is a particularly vulnerable time for attendance, so have a look below for things you can share with your child to get them excited about being in school for the full term.
St Mark's Church
Things to look forward to in Christmas Week
Although there is still over a week to go until the final week of the term, we wanted to share some of the exciting events we have in store alongside our usual teaching and learning:
Monday 18th December - the Big SASM Christmas Quiz - hosted by Mr Gates, the whole school will be taking part in a giant quiz. With a mixture of academic, team and Christmas-themed challenges, which class will come out on top?
Tuesday 19th December - Christmas jumper and lunch day - a SASM tradition, pupils may come to school wearing a Christmas jumper instead of their SASM jumper for the day. Pupils are served a Christmas lunch by the teachers, complete with crackers and festive music!
Wednesday 20th December - (school closes at 12.00pm) - Christmas service and CVP draw - join us at St Mark's Church for our Christmas service, led by some of our Year 6 pupils. Pupils will arrive at the church at 9:15am. After we return to school, we will have our half termly CVP draw. This is where those who have earned 5 Christian Value Points (CVPs) or more have a chance to win books from our book vending machine. Those with 100% attendance from the last check (on 17-10-23) will automatically receive 5 CVPs and be entered into the draw.
A work of art!
Idrees (6M) has a passion for drawing and recently decided to challenge himself by exploring watercolor and acrylic painting which has helped him to discover new techniques. Idrees can be seen here, holding one of his watercolour paintings and the other is his first attempt at painting a landscape in acrylics. Well done, Idrees.
Feeling inspired? We invite all young artists to share their creativity within our school community.
Parent/ Carer Workshop - Friday 23rd February 2024
Sarah Crowther and Emily Woodward will be running an informal coffee/workshop for all parents/carers on Friday 23rd February 8.45am - 10.00am where they will present;
“What is SEND? and How are SEND pupils supported at SASM?”
“How are SEMH needs supported at SASM?”
There will also be the chance for a discussion and Q&A.
Please complete this form if you would like to attend.
Please note, on this occasion it will not be possible to join this meeting via Google Meet.
Beyond Fussy Eating
Beyond Fussy Eating is a new online programme for families of children who have feeding difficulties. Please follow this link for further information.
Free school meals status and 'FUEL'
Families who have signed up for 'free school meals status' (not to be confused with actually receiving free meals at school, which is free for everyone this year) have access to a significant amount of provision. At SASM, free-school meals status pupils are able to attend breakfast club, a school-led after-school activity club and a stay and play session at no additional cost. In addition, residential visits are subsidised for this group. The school also receives funding for every pupil whose family has signed-up.
If you believe your family is eligible for this status please do sign up here as soon as possible: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/schools-education/free-school-meals-1
Outside of school, Achieving for Children (AFC) is responsible for providing free activities and food for children who are receiving benefit-related free school meals. This is known as 'Feed Ur Everyday Lives' (FUEL). Bookings for the FUEL winter holiday programme are now live, please book their places via the FUEL website. Each eligible child will have their own unique FUEL booking code, which families will have already received from the school office.
-This Week's Notices-
Christmas Trees!
Surrey Christmas trees will are selling fresh Christmas trees of all sizes from our carpark on the following dates;
9th & 10th December
16th & 17th December (Farmer's marker)
Opening times for this year:
Saturday 8.00am - 4.00pm
Sunday: 9.00am -4.00pm
-Repeat notices-
Kingston Christmas touch typing course for 7 - 16s
Date: Tuesday 2nd - Friday 6th January 2024
Time: 10:00 - 12:15 pm daily
Place: St Joseph's Primary School, Kingston KT1 2UP
Beginners, improvers and advanced typists are warmly welcome. Learn how to type 40+ words per minute with the correct fingers and posture.
The latest app style games and challenges are used to make learning effective and fun.
Cost: £176.00
Child care vouchers accepted
(10% sibling/ bring a friend discount)
Duke of Edinburgh skill assessor
More info from sarah.holt@typingscool.co.uk. Apply at www.typingscool.co.uk
Making a difference within our community
Surbiton Community Fridge is joining forces with Surbiton High School to donate products on the first Thursday of each month from 3.30pm until 5.00pm at the Community Fridge, 115 Brighton Road, Surbiton.
Families receiving free school meals are invited to attend. To receive products you will be kindly asked to complete a brief registration form. Please click here for further details.
Home learning support
Our home learning webpage includes step-by-step guides to signing into each app as well as answers to frequently-asked questions.
Clubs and Wrap-Around Care
We have a fantastic offer of after-school clubs, Breakfast Club and After-School Care. On Friday, our club offer for the Autumn Term will be sent via ParentMail. Please remember to book your child into Breakfast Club and After-School Care in advance of them attending.
Safer Schools App
We would encourage all parents/carers to download the Safer Schools app for free push notifications about online safety and helpful advice. You can download the app using the instructions here.
Safeguarding Hub
This week the Safeguarding Hub are discussing all you need-know on 'Youth Vaping'.
Do you have concerns about a child?
Adults - you can contact the Single Point of Access to request support, or to report a concern about a child or young person. Click here to make a referral. You can also call for advice. Opening hours: From 8am to 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8am to 5pm on Friday call 020 8547 5008 (Out of hours, phone 020 8770 5000). If you think a child or young person is in immediate danger call 999. Referrals are not limited to safeguarding: the Single Point of Access acts as a signposting service to other services, including mental health. Matt Gates is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
-What's New? Community Groups-
Click the 'Community Groups' button to see all community notices:
-School reminders-
Pupil Premium Grants
For the first time, all pupils at SASM are entitled to receive a free school lunch. To enable your child to access this, you must book your child's lunch via ParentPay.com.
If you were previously eligible for means tested free school meals or are in receipt of any of the following benefits...
income support
income-based job seeker's allowance
income-related employment and support allowance
the guarantee element of state pension credit
support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
child tax credit (but not working tax credit) and have an annual income of less than £16,190
working tax credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit
Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
...your child maybe eligible for a Pupil Premium Grant. This will gives your child access to:
This gives your child access to:
A free after school club every half term
A free 'stay and play' session in our Wrap Around Care each week
A free place at Breakfast Club every day
A discount on school residential visits
... and much more!
Please contact the school office if you have any issues with activating an account.
Our school gates close at 8:45am
The school gate on Maple Road opens at 8:30am and closes promptly at 8:45am, when registration begins. If pupils are late to school, they must arrive via the school office and log the reason for being late to school.
Winter uniform
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, our uniform has now switched to ‘winter uniform’, which pupils wear until the end of the spring term. This includes a white long/short sleeved school shirt or blouse and a red tie with the school logo (a tie does not need to be worn with blouses). More information can be found on the school uniform page of our website.
We have continued to have conversations with families regarding uniform and will be writing notes in planners this week as appropriate. Pupils are required to wear smart black shoes as part of their uniform. Trainers, boots or football boots are not allowed and shoes should not display a logo. All hair beyond shoulder length must be tied back with a black, red or white hairband. Polo shirts and summer dresses are not permitted as part of the winter school uniform.
School uniform can be purchased from our second-hand clothes shop in the school office in return for a donation to the PTA. This makes sure the correct uniform is accessible to all of our families. Thank you to the many families who have donated their old uniform to the shop; you can donate any pre-loved items to the school office at any time.
Bringing valuable items to school
Expensive 'Air Up' bottles are becoming regular features in some classrooms. Should such items be bought to school and become lost or broken, the school will not be responsible for this.
No toys in school, please!
We would like to remind parents and carers that pupils are not permitted to bring their own toys or collectables into school. Not only do toys provide a distraction from pupils' learning, there is a potential for personal items to be misplaced. Please be aware that any lost toys, collectible cards or other play items are beyond the responsibility of the school.
Jewellery
Children can wear watches to school but the wearing of jewellery and earrings of all types is not permitted on safety grounds. Any child wearing earrings to school will be asked to remove them. If they are unable to remove them they will be required to stay inside during break and lunch times and will not be able to participate in any PE or physical activities.
Smart Watches
Fitness trackers without smart watch capability are permitted but St Andrew’s and St Mark’s accept no responsibility for the loss or damage of these items. Smart watches , including iWatches- are not permitted due to their messaging capabilities.
Lost Property
Please remember to label your child’s uniform, lunch box and water bottle. All named lost property will be returned to your child by the next school day. Unlabelled property will be kept for one week only in the school office.
Road safety for children
If your child walks to school on their own, it is important they know how to cross roads, including zebra crossings safely. Please click here for more information about Road Safety for children.
Unwell and absent children
If your child is unwell and absent from school please contact the school office before 10am. If you need to leave a message on the answerphone please explain the symptoms of your child’s illness. Siblings of unwell children should attend school.
Diarrhoea and vomiting
PHE recommends that children are kept off school until 48 hours after the last symptoms have passed. Whilst this is not enforced by us it is responsible practice by parents/carers.