Newsletter 10 Summer Term

28th June 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.

Mufti day and other activities to raise money for Born Too Soon

Please remember to support the SASM Fundraisers tomorrow (Thursday 29th June) in raising money for Born Too Soon by donating what you can.

The Big Sleep! 

Last Friday, Year 4 were welcomed back to SASM for the Big Sleep! Based on a Harry Potter theme, pupils boarded the Hogwarts Express before being sorted into houses. Activities included potion making, herbology and even a battle in the Forbidden Forest (hosted by the Lazer Lions team). After an exciting evening, the Year 4 pupils and teachers settled down in the hall for a perfect night's sleep. 

A huge thank you to Mrs Morgan, the Year 4 team and the vast number of SASM staff who gave up their time to create a magical experience for the children. 

 

Transition Day: Wednesday 5th July

Please see the letter sent to all parents and carers with our arrangements for Transition Day next week. 

Pupils in Year 4 will be told who is in their new class on Tuesday 4th July and everyone will find out who will be their teacher next year, on Wednesday 5th July. Please be aware that to ensure data protection, we are unable to share class lists with parents and carers for any reason.

Reminder: 3AD Class Collective Worship

Parents and carers of children in 3AD are invited to attend Class Collective Worship this week on Friday 30th June. Please enter via the school playground gate, the hall doors open at 8.45am for a 9.00am start and collective worship will finish at approximately 9.30am.


Update: 4H Class Collective Worship

Parents and carers of children in 4H are invited to Class Collective Worship on Tuesday 11th July.  Please note, this has been moved from Friday 7th July. 

Winners of the Tidy Shield!

As a reward for winning the Tidy Shield four times, pupils in 6M can come to school on Friday wearing mufti.  Well done 6M!  

Crazy Hair Day

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Crazy Hair Day last week, we raised £236 for the PTA and there were some ingenious hairstyles on display!

13 Bridges Challenge  

Last Saturday, Arthur (6B) braved the heat and took part in the 13 Bridges Challenge which is a 16 kilometer (10 mile) walk across 13 bridges in Central London.  Arthur was the only child in his team to take part and to their amazement he completed the route in 4 hours.  What a fantastic achievement. Well done, Arthur.   


Surrey Neon Gymnastic Competition

A huge well done and congratulations to Summer (3D) who last weekend took part in the Surrey Neon Gymnastic Competition and won a gold medal for coming first in her age category for the vault and floor routine.  Good luck Summer, for your next competition in September. 

-This Week's Notices- 

Clarks Measure and Fit Appointment service 

Skip the queues and book a 15 minute Clarks measure and fit appointment at a designated time to suit you.  

Clarks will also be extending their opening hours throughout August and the first week of September.

 

Places are filling up fast.  To make a booking for July and August please click here. 

                                                        -Repeat notices-

Hong Kong parents: primary to secondary school transition workshop


香港家長：預備升中工作坊 

An online workshop for Hong Kong parents about transition from primary to secondary school is being held on Thursday 29th June from 5.00pm to 6.00pm. This is free, and funded by the Mayor of London. Kingston BEATS are delivering the workshop with Achieving for Children, so that we have Cantonese interpretation. 


Hong Kong parents with children in Years 4 to 6 can follow this link to sign up to join the workshop.

Albany Outdoors Summer Activities 2023


Albany Outdoors is an accredited outdoor, adventure and water activity centre by the Thames in Kingston. The centre has a lively atmosphere with activities taking place at the centre and off-site locations. Based on the River Thames between Kingston Bridge and Teddington Lock, the centre is well served by road, rail and public transport. There are courses for adults, children and families at all levels and abilities, from school holidays, adult Saturday courses and even Hampton Court evening river trips.  A range of adapted activities and courses are offered for young people and adults with a learning disability or physical disability.


Albany Outdoors' entire team of instructors are young local and energetic and ensures everyone gets involved. With their multi activity courses, there are different activities every day and there is nowhere better to be in the summer than on the river in a boat.


Bring a packed lunch and a change of clothes a hat and plenty of sunscreen for a great day making new friends and learning new skills and facts about the mighty River Thames. 


Albany Outdoors is approved and licenced by the Adventurous Activities Licencing Authority, the RYA and British Canoeing and all staff hold the National Governing Body instructor awards for the activity they are leading.


For all bookings and further information please click here.

Jungle Book and Buzz - Two free family theatre shows in local parks

Come along and enjoy two fun-packed outdoor theatre shows for children aged 4 to 10 - touring across Kingston from Saturday 1st July to Sunday 9th July. Packed with spectacle award winning puppetry. the Smoking Apples Company present the environmentally-themed Buzz - a brilliant adventure featuring a giant honeycomb set. 


Renowned accessible theatre company Jellyfish, will be taking a playful and inventive retelling of the much loved story, Jungle Book, using integrated sign supported English. See website for times and locations.

Sign up to Free School Meals – not automatic and more than just a free lunch!

 

Please click here for further information. Please sign up to the Free Schools Meals scheme if you are eligible.

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. 


Tbis week the Safeguarding Hub is talking about Reddit. Click here to find out more about the platform including potential risks and tips for staying safe. 

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-

Break time snacks

As a healthy school, pupils' daily snacks should be full of goodness to keep children full until lunch. Suitable snacks include:


Insect bites and pollen count


As we enjoy the warmer, more of our pupils are wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts. This coincides with an increase in the bug population. Whilst we always monitor our school site with regular health and safety checks, our playground is outdoors.  Pupils will spend more time outside, both when at school and away from school.  Preventative  measures that can be taken at school and elsewhere is to cover exposed skin by wearing long sleeved shirts and long trousers, as well as reminding children to be careful around flowering plants. Similarly, the pollen count is set to increase, particularly for grass, triggering some allergies. 


Here is some more information from the NHS about insect bites and hayfever: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insect-bites-and-stings/  and  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever/ 

Summer uniform

From now until the end of the October half term, pupils may come to school in their summer uniform, which includes a white long/short sleeved school shirt or blouse, white polo shirt or red checked dress. 


For further information regarding our school uniform please follow this link to our school website  and our school uniform supplier.  

 

Alternatively, every Friday there is a second hand uniform sale in the office foyer


PE Kit

On PE days children must come to school wearing their PE kit.  Please click here to see PE days for each class.

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. 

Hair and shoes!  

Please remember that all shoulder length hair needs to be tied back for school, even on mufti days. Having your child’s hair tied back, is one of the most effective ways of keeping the nits and lice at bay.  With the hair tied back, it makes it more difficult for the lice to hold on to  the hair. Please note that pupils are required to wear black shoes  (no trainers, boots or footwear displaying a logo).

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.