Newsletter 29th Sept 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a busy few weeks, with so much already happening at St Helen's. It was great to see so many of you at our Open Week to meet the teachers and hear about the expectations for this year. If you were unable to attend, please contact the school office or speak to the class teacher.

It has been great to see many of you coming along to; assemblies, attending our volunteer workshop, and supporting our coffee morning. We value and appreciate your support for all events.

Please do remember we are always here to listen and help; if you have any questions, would like support and advice, or just a chat, come and find us on the playground or visit the school office.

You are always welcome to join us on a Friday morning for our school masses - these take place in the chapel each week at 9:00am.

Class assemblies take place on either a Wednesday morning (KS2) or Thursday morning (Rec & KS1) starting at 9:00am. Click here for Mass & Assembly Dates

We will send you regular updates and reminders of events taking place and they can also be found here -

Click here to see our planned Workshops for Parents

Click here for the School Events List More dates will be added throughout the year

With blessings and prayers

Miss Doherty xx

Click here to read the Religion Newsletter from Ten:Ten - October Issue

Click Blue buttons at the bottom of the page to see highlights from each year group.

Exciting New Play Area!

Thanks to the generosity of parents & families who support our fundraising events and pay the parental contributions, we have been able develop a wonderful new play area behind the KS1 classrooms. We are so grateful to have so much space at St Helen's so that we can provide a wonderful environment for our pupils to enjoy.

Here are the before photos ...

Here are the photos of the development of the area ...

And here are photos of the finished area ...

Reminders

Timings - please remember that school starts at 8:50am each day. Gates will close at 8:55am. The school day finishes at 3:20pm each day. Session times for Pre-school and Nursery are 8:30-11:30am and 12:20-3:20pm.
Uniform - children are able to wear light blue polo shirts that do not have the school logo. We encourage pupils to have a jumper with the school logo. We have a stock of jumpers that are in very good condition that have been donated from past pupils. If you would like a recycled school jumper, please see the office staff. Pupils can wear any brand of grey trousers, shorts or skirts. Girls can also wear trousers if they prefer. Any brand of Summer dress can also be worn in the warmer weather -these need to be blue & white. Black shoes must be worn each day.
PE Kits - children can wear any dark shorts or bottoms for PE. They can wear a plain white top or a t-shirt with the school logo. Any brand of plimsolls or trainers can be worn for PE. Football kits are not allowed for PE lessons.
Online Safety - it is essential that you monitor your child's use of the internet including apps on their phones. There are times when children are on platforms such as Snapchat, WhatsApp and others, when children can be exposed to inappropriate language and behaviour. You should ensure that your child knows who they are talking to/communicating with. Our advice would be to not use apps that are not age appropriate.
Click here to access some useful information about online safety.
Smart Watches are not permitted in school. Some watches have the facility to take photos and videos. We are unable to check all watches, but we need to ensure that all pupils and staff are kept safe. The easiest way to ensure the safety of all, is to not allow any smart watches in school so that inappropriate recording can't take place. This includes Fitbits and other devices.
Road Safety - Please do not park on the zig-zag lines at the zebra crossings, or on the double yellow lines around the entrances to the school. These parking restrictions are in place to keep everyone safe. Please also be mindful or parking on the curbs/pavements. The pavement is very narrow and these need to be kept clear for those who are walking.
Wrap Around Care - If you would like details of our Breakfast Club (7:45am until start of school day) or 6 O'clock Club (3:20-6pm) please contact the school office between 8am and 4pm for prices and information.
Furniture - If you are looking for second hand furniture that is reasonably priced - you might find this website helpful. https://furniturereuse.co.uk/pages/newham

6 O'clock Club
We have been having fun whilst doing our homework and doing some gardening!

Sporting Success
Our KS1 Team won the Hot Potato competition.

KS1 MIXED HOT POTATO SEPT 23.pdf

Fundraising

Thank you to those who came to our Macmillan Coffee Morning - we raised £80 for Macmillan Cancer Support. A Charity that is close to many of our hearts. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Flynn and Miss Corsan for organising the coffee morning and to the School Council for helping out!

We also thank the NHS Nurses Charity from Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for their generous donation of £2000 for HCPT - a charity we work closely with to take children to Lourdes at Easter. This generous donation will help to fund the pilgrimage next Easter.

Our Parish - St Margaret's and All Saints

Here is a link to St Margaret's and All Saints Parish Website where you will find the latest copies of the Parish Newsletter and other information such as Mass times and events. There is a Live Stream for all Masses at the Main Church, and if you would like to watch School Masses at the Convent Chapel they are also Live Streamed. Here are the links -

St Margaret's Church Live Stream Convent Chapel Live Stream (School Masses - Friday am)

Important information about vaccines and other Newham Services - please read carefully.

Letter.pdf

Peppo Tutors Community Centre Poster.pdf

Measles_School version.pdf

Well Newham A5 v6.pdf

Young Carers Flyer 1 A5.pdf

EYFS

KS1

Years 3 & 4

Years 5 & 6