Dear Parents and Carers, 

It was wonderful to welcome all of our new families to St Helen's last term, and of course to see all families back.  We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and to working with you all. 

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 call into the front office. 

Our main communication platform is ARBOR - please make sure you download this app for your phone. If you are new to St Helen's, the office staff will help you get set up with this. You will need login details - which you may have received as an email. When you set up your App, please make sure that your settings allow for notifications as well as emails. We send emails and In-App messages for all communications and information that we need to share - so please check you App / emails daily. Make sure your emails are marked as safe, so that they don't go to your junk/spam folder. In case of emergencies, we may use our texting service - this is not free and so we don't use this method if communication unless it is important. Please remember to not reply to our texts. 

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 - 

• Tuesday morning (Rec & KS1) starting at 9:00am 

• Thursday morning (KS2) starting at 9:00am

• Click here for Mass & Assembly Dates

You are also welcome to stay and join us for our weekly whole school exercise session - Wake Up Wednesday. This takes place on the playground at 9am every Wednesday - if raining, we do this in class! 

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

Go to our website, select News & Events and then select Calendar of Events - click here. This page is updated on a regular basis, as and when events and visits are booked. You will also be notified of all events through the ARBOR In-App messages and emails. 

We have planned for a range of workshops throughout the year - please come along to any that are interest to you. Click here to see our planned Workshops for Parents. Our resident Student Social Workers, will also be running a variety of workshops throughout the year too - we will communicate detail to you. 

You can keep up to date with the themes for our Assemblies and Prayer and Liturgy focus by reading the latest Religion Newsletters here - October and November 

At the bottom of this page, you will be able to click on the links to see what has been happening in each year group this term. 

With blessing and prayers 

Miss Doherty xx 

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 Nursery are 8:30-11:30am and 12:20-3:20pm. The Pre-school session is 9:00am-12pm . 

• 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 (7:30am 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. 

• Family Hub Website - a useful website for families https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/family.page?familychannel=1