Newsletter 11 Summer Term

3rd July 2024

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.

Transition Day

As many of our Year 6 pupils visited their new secondary schools today, our pupils had an opportunity to meet their new teachers and find out where they will be next year. Parents and carers in Years 3, 4 and 5 received a ParentMail today with more information about their child's class for next year. 

As part of Celebration Afternoon on Friday 19th July (3:00pm - 4:00pm) parents and carers are invited to visit their child's new classroom. The afternoon also provides an opportunity to celebrate your child's learning in their current classroom, look at their books and discuss your child's Record of Achievement with their current class teacher in an informal setting.

Farewells and hellos

Schools are dynamic places. As the transition process begins, we would like to share some staffing changes.  In July, we will be bidding farewell to Mrs Biddle, Miss Bradley and Miss Gnanayutham. Mrs Church, our School Business Manager, will be retiring in September. On the final day of term, pupils will be sharing their appreciation for our leaving teachers as part of our final collective worship of the school year.

We are delighted to welcome Gracie Gardiner, Lois Lancaster and Emily Rickards to the teaching team this September. Laura Dandy is also joining the team as our new School Business Manager. 

Parent/ Carer Workshop - Supporting children with their emotions

Mrs Crowther and Miss Woodward would like invite any parents/carers to SASM this week on Friday 5th July from 8.45am - 10.00am for a workshop sharing the school’s approach to supporting children with their emotions. The workshop will include the strategies we use as an ‘attachment aware’ school and an understanding of how we work with other professional services. There will be an opportunity for Q&A and informal conversations. 

If you would like to attend, please sign up using this link by tomorrow at noon and let us know whether you will join in person or virtually. Thank you.

SASMFest 

The playground was abuzz with excitement on Friday as the PTA ran our annual SASMFest. From Mr Bubbles to mini golf to duck shooting, there were a wide variety of activities for pupils to enjoy together. A huge thank you to everyone who supported the event and made it such a success; whether you volunteered to run a stall, attended as a parent/carer or donated items and money for your child to take part, you have helped make a different to the experience of children at the school. 

All monies raised from PTA events are used to fund experiences for SASM children; it is due to the work of the PTA that all non-residential school visits and experiences are delivered free-of-charge to all parents and carers. As I look at the Instagram feed scrolling above this message, I can see just how many events are funded due to the work of the PTA.

Year 5 Bake Sale in aid of Oxfam - Friday 12th July at 3:30pm 

As part of their Archbishops' Young Leaders Award, Year 5 are hosting a cake sale after school on Friday 12th July. The award is designed to inspire pupils to demonstrate community action.


They are in charge of organising and running the event to help raise money for Oxfam and to achieve their badges for the award. The sale will be cash only, so bring your change and come and support the Year 5 children as they raise money for a good cause!


Reminder:  PTA - Crazy Hair Day

Get ready for some wild and wacky fun!  This Friday is Crazy Hair Mufti-Day.  Children can come to school with their craziest hairstyle and please bring a £1 donation.

PTA Summer Raffle Tickets

Raffle tickets for the PTA summer raffle will be sent home with your children this week. Please return the raffle stubs (the short part of the ticket with your child's name and class written on it; you keep the longer part with the picture).  All payments and any unused raffle tickets should be returned to the office by 4:00pm on Friday, 12th July. 

The winning tickets will be drawn during SASM Rocks! on Monday 15th July. 

Prizes include;

All proceeds to go the PTA. 

SASM Rocks! 

We are excited to invite you to SASM Rocks! on Monday, 15th July from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.  

Pick up your child from their class as usual, and stay on site to enjoy performances by SASM’s very own rock bands, led by Tim Graham/Rock Squad. Delicious hot dogs, pizza, ice cream, and drinks will be available for purchase (cash only or card with a minimum spend of £10).

Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult to remain on site for the event. We can’t wait to see you there!

Oracy at home


Future Thinking....


This week, children in years 3-5 have found out and met with their new class teachers for the upcoming academic year. We'd like to invite you to have a conversation at home with your family and friends answering the following points:



Consider: 

Big Question of the Week!   

At SASM we thrive ourselves on learning about various religions, cultures and beliefs. One way in which we are able to do this is through the use of Picture News. Picture News is an online platform that SASM use to share child-friendly information about things happening around the world. Each Friday, our Faith MPs carry out an amazing job of teaching their peers about a global event that took place during the week. By including this segment in the newsletter, we hope that adults at home will join us too in learning about more exciting things unfolding worldwide! In this week's poster, you will find information about our weekly news lesson and have the opportunity to discuss with friends and family our Big Question of the week. We hope that you will find it enjoyable!  

Parent/ Guardian Catering Survey


At SASM (and Maple Infants) our catering is provided by Caterlink, who is an external provider. They would value your feedback to help them improve the service they provide to your children.  

 

Please follow this link or use the QR code to send to your parent/guardian feedback.  

 

The survey will close on Wednesday 31st July 2024.

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. 

-This Week's Notices- 

PowerStation Youth Centre Summer 2024


The PowerStation Summer programme is starting off with a bang. With a wide range of free activities and trips for young people aged 8-19 years old.


Check out the full programme for dates, times, age ranges and activities.


For more information contact Danielle Hutchinson. 

Powerstation KickstART - The Art Project with a kick


Free weekly Art sessions at Powerstation Youth Centre for young people aged 8-13 years old to take part in. Activities range from tie dye, sand art, badge making and more.


Click here to view the LUV monthly young women's group poster.


For more information contact Danielle Hutchinson. 

                                                        -Repeat notices-

Reminder:  Please send a water bottle with your child

As we continue to experience hot weather, its important to ensure that our pupils stay hydrated throughout the day.  Please remember to send your child to school with a  water bottle.  To avoid any mix-ups, kindly label the bottle with your child's name.   Thank you.

Wrap Around Care

To pre-book places in wrap around care for the Breakfast Club and After School Club until July 2024 please follow this link to our website. 

CAMHS Autism and ADHD screening/assessment process: information for parents and carers 


Videos have been developed by Kingston and Richmond CAMHS Single Point of Access (SPA) and Your Healthcare. 


The aim is to increase parent/carer understanding and confidence around the local pathway to seeking a diagnostic assessment for Autism and/or ADHD within CAMHS. 


These information videos are aimed at parents and carers of young people who are registered with GPs in Kingston and Richmond.


You can view the all the videos and associated content on the Kingston and Richmond SEND Local Offer

Activity Fund applications are open 

The purpose of the Activity Fund is to help provide children and young people with disabilities with a Short Break. 

Most applications are made by the parent/carer. A professional such as a Social Worker, Family Support Worker or school SENCO can also apply on behalf of a parent/carer.

The amount of funding available per child, per year (1 April to the 31 March) is £140. Only one application can be made per year.

Read more about Activity Fund and how it can be used 

Find out about activities especially for children and young people with SEND

Kooth: mental health support for young people for children aged 10+


Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community with helpful articles, discussion boards and a friendly team to talk to. The service is for children and young people aged 10-21 years and is recommended by our local authority mental health support team and school nurses.


Children can sign up for Kooth online and it is an anonymous service. Our year 6 pupils are made aware of this service in year 6 as part of their PSHE lessons and it can provide some useful wellbeing support for children outside of school.


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.

Autism and Sleep

For an information booklet about autism and sleep, please click here.   

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. 


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...  


...your child maybe eligible for a Pupil Premium Grant. This will gives your child access to: 


This gives your child access to:



... and much more!


In order to make this possible, our school receives funding for every pupil signed up. If you think you might be eligible please sign up as soon as possible here.


Please contact the school office if you have any issues with activating an account.   

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.


Attendance reminder: being late to school

Punctuality is an important life skill that is required in order to achieve and to succeed. Children must be in school by 8.45am each day. Children who arrive after that time but before the end of registration must come into the building via the main office, where they will be coded as late (this appears as an 'L code' on the register). Children will be marked late if they arrive at school after the gates have closed but before 8:55am, when the registers have been taken. 

If a pupil arrives after 8:55am, the register is closed and attendance after this time is considered to be an unauthorised absence and is recorded as a 'U code', which shows as a 'X' on the SIMS Parent App.

The school gates will be shut by 8.45am. Persistent lateness will be monitored by the school and may be reported to the E.W.O. (Education Welfare Officer) after the school’s initial interventions.

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.


Time for summer uniform

As the summer term begins, pupils may now wear summer uniform. This includes a polo shirt, summer dress and shorts for PE (as shown in the picture) and should continue to be worn until the end of the October half term.

Please also ensure your child wears smart black shoes on non-PE days. If your child is not in school with the correct uniform they may be giving alternatives from our newly-new stock. 

Insect bites and pollen count


As we enter the summer term and warmer weather begins, more of our pupils will be 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, which includes our astrotruf - 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/ 


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.