Newsletter 11 Spring Term

The Big Ask is back - we need your views!

Our annual parent and carer survey, the 'Big Ask'was launched last week. The Big Ask is your opportunity to give us feedback and only takes 5 minutes to complete; our Senior Leadership Team reads every response and your views help us to shape the next academic year. So far we have had 28 responses but we hope for many more!

A summary of last year's survey results can be found here

Our survey closes at 5.00 pm on Friday 26th April and we would like as many voices from parents and carers as possible. Thank you for giving us your feedback and helping to make our school even better!

Click here to take the survey and have your voice heard

A message from the Headteacher - Happy Easter!

As we move through Holy Week and the end of our school term, we would like to wish all of our families a very Happy Easter. 

As a Christian Church of England school, Holy Week is an incredibly important time of reflection in the school year. In worship this morning, we explored the events of Holy Week and drew parallels between Lent and Ramadan. Tomorrow, we will be attending St Mark's Church for our Easter Service at 9.00am and parents and carers are welcome to join us in worship at the church. Thank you for supporting our church school, where our Christian values are inseparable from any other aspect of school life.

This half term, we have focused on our Christian values of justice and peace. In worship, we have used examples from the Bible to guide us in considering justice as a positive force. We learned about: the difference between equity (giving others what they need in order to succeed) and equality (giving everyone the same); social justice (being equitable by helping others in need) and restorative justice (repairing with others and showing forgiveness and understanding). Pupils reflect on their learning in worship as part of their lessons; for example, one pupil summarised their understanding beautifully by saying, 'Another way of looking at justice is trying to help people who have made bad decisions instead of punishing them - linking to equity instead of equality. In the Bible, Jesus tells us to seek the more positive kind as much as possible '

Message from Father Robert

Easter weekend services at St Andrew's and St Mark's

Just to say, there are three services that are particularly suitable for children, at St Andrew’s and St Mark’s this Easter weekend. 

The first is our Good Friday Worship for children at St Andrew’s (10.00am).

Here, we sensitively recreate the Easter story, from the Last Supper, through Gethsemane and the Cross all the way to the open tomb. It’s fully interactive as children explore the church and different objects relating to the story. It lasts about thirty minutes, and is followed by a craft activity and then hot cross buns. Parents should expect to stay alongside their children for this one.  A lovely way to introduce children to the story of Holy Week. Remember, that’s at St Andrew’s.

The second is on Easter Day (Sunday) at St Mark’s (9.15am) where we have our Worship for Families with young children, an Easter special. This includes some fantastic action songs and the children help to construct a cross of daffodils. This will last 35-40 minutes and will be followed by an Easter Egg Hunt in the churchyard at St Mark’s.

Our third is our main choral Eucharist of Easter Day, which will be at St Andrew’s (11.00am). The choir will be there in full force and we finish by singing ‘Thine be the glory’.  There will be Sunday Club (like Sunday School, with a children’s activity) at this service too and there will also be an Easter Egg Hunt after the service, this time with eggs hidden in the churchyard around the back of St Andrew’s.

Adults are also welcome at our Easter services!

Our Maundy Thursday Eucharist is at St Mark’s (7.30pm); our Good Friday liturgy is at St Mark’s (2.00pm) and our Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday/ Easter Eve) service is at St Mark’s (8.00pm). These are incredible liturgies and worth experiencing at least once in your life, if you’ve never been. But these aren’t focused on children.

Hope to see people this Easter!

Father Robert

Celebrating Neurodiversity at SASM

This week, SASM is celebrating neurodiversity by helping pupils understand, respect and celebrate the different ways people’s brains work. Mrs Crowther led a Collective Worship on autism and Mrs Reitsma and Miss Cumper, our ADHD Ambassadors, are running a variety of ADHD awareness activities.

During Collective Worship, Mrs Crowther explained that 1:100 people have autism (although at SASM it is nearer 5:100) and that every autistic person is unique. We looked at the ways that some autistic people may experience the world and how this can make some parts of life tricky. We also reflected on successful adults who have autism and a wide variety of their careers. For example, James McClean (an Irish professional footballer), Elon Musk (entrepreneur), Chris Packham (naturalist) and Greta Thunberg (environmentalist). Children thought hard about the importance of showing kindness and patience when anyone is finding something difficult. Mrs Crowther shared the words of some SASM pupils who are diagnosed with autism that they wanted their peers to know…

• “I can lose concentration easily and I find light and sound much brighter and louder than other people.”

• “It acts like a superpower to me - it makes me better at art than I would otherwise be.”

• “Something that all people should know is that if a person has autism, you shouldn’t judge them for that. Treat them with respect and be kind.”

• “I think my autism might help me with my maths - especially adding and subtracting.”

• “I would like other people to be patient with me as I can find it tricky to communicate with new people.”

• “It takes courage to be different.”

Parenting Course for 4-11 year olds 

The ADHD Embrace Team are running a new 6 week parenting course; Maximising Cooperation, Self Reliance and Self Esteem.  Please click here for further details and to book a place. 

Cases of measles are rising in London. Ensure your children are protected with two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Measles is a very unpleasant illness that spreads very easily among people that are unvaccinated. To be full protected against measles, you need two doses of the MMR vaccine.

You can check that you are up-to-date with your MMR vaccines by checking your red book or contacting your GP practice.

It is never too late to catch up. If you are missing one or both doses, you can either book an appointment at a local vaccination clinic or at your GP practice. Local Vaccination Clinic: find more

information about how to book an appointment on the HRCH children’s immunisation website, or calling 020 3691 1019.

GP Practice: book an appointment through the NHS App or by contacting your GP practice.

Click here to view poster.

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. 

Parking outside SASM

If you are driving to drop your children off or pick them up from school, please park considerately on the surrounding roads.  Please don't park over driveways or over the zig zag lines. This helps keep everyone safe.

We have received reports from local residents of dangerous parking and verbal unkindness from some parents and carers. Please help us to be a positive part of our local community. Whilst the school is not responsible for enforcing street parking, we have advised our local community to report all instances of poor parking or behaviour to the police.

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.