Newsletter 3 Summer Term

What's happening at SASM?

The facilities and resources at our school are exceptional. There are few other primary settings with a cookery room, dance studio, art room and science lab! However, we are always looking to enhance the spaces we have here at SASM. 

You may have noticed a skip in our car park and wondered what is happening. Over the next few weeks you will spot a few areas of the school that are being developed. Here are the projects due to start shortly:

A covered staircase - in order to make the staircase outside the Year 4 classrooms safe and suitable all year-round, a covering is being fitted. This is due to be completed in June. The classroom doors are also being replaced during this period.

A new meeting space - the Headteacher's office is being divided into an office and a meeting room; this is where most of the parent/carer meetings will take place and work is currently underway.

New 'pod' spaces - for smaller group work two new small buildings are being created. These will be on the site of the current PE shed and by the table tennis tables. This work is also due to be completed in June. 

A new PE shed - is arriving this week and will be positioned near the MUGA, facilitating easier access to equipment for lessons.

Mental Health Support Team – Online Workshops

Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for parents of primary aged children. The ‘Helping Children with …’ webinars will cover a

range of common difficulties experienced by children and will aim to share evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their children with these difficulties. 

Please follow this link to see a list of webinars on offer over the coming months. In the third and fourth columns of the table you will find the sign up links.

Year 3 - Museum of London visitor

Year 3 were lucky to attend a Blitz workshop, discovering how the Blitz caused children to be evacuated from the city to safer countryside areas, leaving their families behind.  They learned about how bombs destroyed huge storage warehouses in the London Docklands which led to food rationing. Year 3 can’t wait to learn more about World War II in the summer term!

Music in action!

We are so lucky at SASM to have a Governing Body with a high level of expertise. Each of our Governor volunteers is linked to a subject taught in our school. On Friday, we were delighted to welcome Jess Cresswell to view some music teaching in Years 3, 4 and 5 and speak with Miss Husband, our music subject leader. Miss Husband and Jess had a fantastic morning watching Year 3 play some games in the front garden to help them find the pulse of the music, Year 4 learn to sing 'Lean on Me' and Year 5 practising the chords they have learnt this year on the ukulele before putting them into action by playing 'Sweet Caroline'.  It was great to see all pupils actively enjoying their music education. 

Oracy in action at home! 

Dictionary Corner

The English language is full of strange and wonderful words; here's a few that you might not hear everyday. Discuss with your friends and family what the definition of each word could be, then look it up in the dictionary to see if you are correct! 

Can you use any of these words correctly in your writing this week?

• Lollygag

• Cattywampus

• Bungle

No lollygagging, crack on with your definitions! 

Coming soon - Sports Week

The final week of this half term is Sports Week. There are a wide range of exciting opportunities for pupils to get active, as well as two events that parents and carers may attend. The dates for your diary are: 

Monday 20th May - Playground Personal Bests at SASM 

• 9.15am - 10.15am - Years 4 & 5

• 10.45am - 1 1.45am -  Year 3 & 6

Tuesday 21st May - Sports Day in Victoria Park  

• 9.30am to approximately 11.00am 

Team EB - raising funds to find a cure

To find out more about EB and why it is such an horrendous condition to live with, or to donate to the cause, please visit Team EB - raising funds to find a cure! 

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

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. 

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.