St Edmunds News

Week beginning 5.2.24- 18.2.24

A photo of the way the hall was set up for Year 2's wellbeing 'wow day' this morning. It looked like something from a spa hotel!

Headteacher's Welcome

Dear Families, 


This week has been Children's Mental Health Week, a week set up by the charity Place2be, to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people's mental health. This is something very dear to St Edmund's and brings to an end this half term's theme of 'Caring for Ourselves' perfectly. There have been lessons and assemblies across the school to further develop our knowledge and understanding of our mental well-being using the theme this year, 'My Voice Matters'. You can see this year's video below. 


Please also see the link to Place2Be's Families page with lots of support, advice and activities for parents: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/families/#:~:text=Children's%20Mental%20Health%20Week%20will,they%20need%20to%20express%20themselves. There is also lots of activities and games for children on this link: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/families/what-matters-to-you-activity-for-4-11-year-olds/ 


Year 2 also dedicated a 'Wow' Day to the theme of 'Caring for Ourselves' in which they practised mindfulness in different ways, such as physical exercise, breathing techniques, stories and talk. They also focused on their senses and created lavender-scented bags. Children wore an item of green reflecting nature and its calming effects and it was an opportunity for the children to focus on the moment and to find coping strategies to help relax and self-regulate! 


Also, in today's poetry assemblies, children across the school performed poems, which all centred around the theme of 'Caring for Ourselves'. The children performed their poems brilliantly with some classes incorporating actions and even drums to accompany their recitals. The themes included eating 5 fruit and veg a day, brushing your teeth, loving yourself as well as mental health.


On Thursday, Key Stage 2 were treated to a wonderful assembly by Class 6.1. Mr McCarthy's class delivered a clear message of needing to care for ourselves before we can care for anyone else. The story told of a lady called 'Sarah' who was doing everything for everybody else but forgetting to leave any time to look after herself and in the end she burned out. Year 6 children said we should dedicate time to doing things we love such as reading, exercise and speaking to God in order to look after ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. The children acted, performed and sang brilliantly and it was a wonderful first class assembly for Mr McCarthy who was supported with planning and preparations by Ms Freitas. Well done to everyone involved in this fantastic assembly including the parents for helping the children learn their parts for what was their last class assembly at St Edmund's. 


Elsewhere, Tuesday was Safer Internet Day. This was marked by a special assembly led by Mrs Pearson and the Code Club. One of the main messages of the assembly was to think about how the internet has changed over the years and, although much of this is for the good, the more the internet has developed, the more dangers it brings too. The code club offered the school a range of statements such as  'AI will make our lives better?' and 'People online are nicer online than they were before'. The children in the audience then had to point at one of the signs, which read 'I Agree', 'I Disagree', 'Not sure' or 'I think it depends', to say what they thought about the statements. It was an excellent activity, which really got everyone thinking about the positives and negatives that come with the Internet. You can see a picture from the assembly below. Thank you very much to Mrs Pearson for preparing and leading this important assembly.


It has been a very busy, eventful week with the girl's football team playing a couple of matches (you can find the report at the bottom of the newsletter), Year 4 celebrating their Class Saint, Josphine Bakhita's Feast Day (you can find a prayer to her below) and Reception had their Wow Day as they travelled around the world embracing many cultures and traditions. They focused on two books called 'No Dinner', which is set in India and 'Handa's Surprise', which is set in Africa. The children made and ate samosas and were also visited by Mr Nesarajah, who brought in his tabla (traditional Indian drums) for the children to play and to teach them some traditional Indian dance. 


It has been a great week to end the half term.


Have a lovely week off and remember to take care of yourselves by doing something that makes you happy.


See you on Monday 19th February,


Mr Abrahams 


Students of the Week

Class 1.1: Raquel - For a perfect first week at St. Edmund's. We are so happy you've joined us. 

Class 1.2: Corey - For always completing his homework to a high standard.

Class 2.1: Saidu - For memorising the entire poem for our poetry assembly!

Class 2.2: Mahdi - For showing lots of enthusiasm in his learning, especially in maths.

Class 3.1: Kejsi - For displaying great progress and improvement in her sentence structures.

Class 3.2: Aaron - For significant improvement in his willingness to participate in class discussions and his enhanced skills in mental Math.

Class 4.1: Declan - For working very hard to get his pen licence. You have shown wonderful resilience and determination. Keep it up!

Class 4.2: Tsion - For a huge improvement in her working attitude. Well Done!

Class 5.1: Kalel - For always being steady and trying really hard in all school subjects, especially in Math, where he's getting really good and feeling super confident.

Class 5.2: Emmanuel A - For demonstrating excellent initiative this week, you have become an agent of your own studies which is such an admirable learning behaviour! Kepp it up!

Class 6.1: Daphne - For always being committed to doing her best. 

Class 6.2: Rose - For settling in very well in her new class.

Measles:

Please find attached above informative Measles leaflets & flyers, along with the school aged children immunisation clinics contact details and available clinic dates up to, and including, the February half term.   In view of the continued serious risk of measles outbreak in London, these attachments provide relevant information for you to make an informed decision and be able to contact the immunisation team, should you wish your child to be vaccinated (if required).  

More information about the School Age Immunisation Service can be found here: https://saisenfield.co.uk/ 

Measles Leaflet (1).pdf
UKHSA_12557_Measles+2-page+A5+flyer_School+version_01_WEB (1).pdf
Immunisation Clinic Dates 23-24 SAIS (1).pdf
2024 2025 Term Dates.pdf

News

Last Chance to have your say on RHE Survey:

Thanks for those parents who have responded to our RHE survey regarding parents feedback on the RHE Curriculum and the Tenten resources that we use at St Edmund's. We will be closing this survey in two weeks time on Thursday 22nd February.

If  you would still like to respond, you can do so on the following link: https://forms.gle/kWBa7H61zRRD2Axx5 

We will evaluate the results and feedback from this survey and then share our response to this in a parents coffee morning on Wednesday 20th March. More information about this will be sent out nearer the time.

2024/25 Term Dates:

Please see above for the term dates for next academic year.

Parents Evenings:

You would have seen on the calendar on this email that there are Parents' Evenings in March. On Tuesday 19th March, school will close early at 1.00pm to allow for the consultations to take place that afternoon. The second evening will take place on Thursday 21st March where appointments will be available up to 7.00pm. All consultations will be face-to-face and there will also be the opportunity to look through your children's books.

Details on how to book appointments will be communicated soon.

Prayer for the Repose of Souls:

Sadly, there have been some deaths to close relatives of our St Edmund's family this past week. Please take the time to pray for the repose of their souls.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Our thoughts are with all of the families at this difficult time as they mourn the loss of their loved ones. 

Half Term Fun!

Please see the flyers below advertising free cycling lessons during half term at Raglan School and a free funded teddy experience at Millfield Theatre where Platinum Performing Arts have partnered with Enfield Council and the Household Support Grant to bring you this exciting event.

Catholic Life

Once again, the academic year will follow the three words which make up our school motto - 'Love, Care, Share'. In order to bring the motto to life, I have divided its three words into the three terms of the school year. Therefore, our assemblies contribute towards the focus of the term, which can be seen in the diagram below. As we move into the new term, we shall focus on 'Care for Others', which will link into the Lenten season.

Catholic Social Teaching:

This year, St Edmund's are raising the profile of Catholic Social Teaching. According to CAFOD, Catholic social teaching (CST) is rooted in Scripture, formed by the wisdom of Church leaders, and influenced by grassroots movements. It is our moral compass, guiding us on how to live out our faith in the world. Our faith calls us to love God and to love our neighbours in every situation, especially our sisters and brothers living in poverty. Following in the footsteps of Christ, we hope to make present in our unjust and broken world, the justice, love and peace of God.  

At school, we follow the Rooted in Love programme and we will dedicate the first lesson every half term and an assembly towards the Catholic Social Teaching theme. You can see these themes below.

As you can see, the theme this half term is Solidarity and Peace. You can read more about this on our website on https://www.st-edmunds.enfield.sch.uk/page/?title=Catholic+Social+Teaching&pid=111 

Attendance

Whole School Target: 95%

This Week: 94.46%

This Year: 94.74%

Class R.1: 95%

Class R.2: 86.1%

Class 1.1: 96.3%

Class 1.2: 86.9%

Class 2.1: 92.31%

Class 2.2: 97.69%

Class 3.1: 98.33%

Class 3.2: 94.51%

Class 4.1: 97.59%

Class 4.2: 94.14%

Class 5.1: 95.38%

Class 5.2: 93.33%

Class 6.1: 95.86%

Class 6.2: 99.31%

At the moment, we are just under our target of 95% for attendance. Let's hope, as the weather gets warmer, and the bugs begin to disperse, we can start to meet that target. If you need more information and health advice to know if your child is unwell and what with, you can use the QR codes below to help.

NO NUTS OR SEEDS 

Please remember we are a NO NUT SCHOOL. This is also extended to seeds. Some members of our school community have severe allergies to nuts and seeds, and food products containing them.

Your child must not bring in any products containing nuts and seeds as a snack or as part of their packed lunch. This includes seeded bread, hummus (which contains sesame), pesto (which contains pine nuts), peanut butter and chocolate spread (which often contains nuts).

CHANGES TO DINNER MENU

Please see below, the BRAND NEW school dinner menu which will rotate over three weeks for this half term starting on Monday 19th February.

Please remind your children of the importance of eating their lunch: mainly to ensure that they are nourished and energised for their afternoon of learning but also to teach them the importance of not wasting food.

St Edmunds - Spring - Summer 24 STIR Primary.pptx HALAL (2).pdf

St Edmund's Way Certificate

Last year, we launched a special certificate that can be awarded to both children and staff if they show that they are truly living ‘The St Edmund’s Way’ by going above and beyond to show they are living out our motto and displaying selflessness, love and care for others. This week's winner was Raphaella in class 2.1 for always going above and beyond for everyone and taking time out of her lunch to help children practise for their poem!

Safeguarding and Family Support


Troubles With Sleep?

We know that many children have difficulty getting to sleep and that this can happen for a variety of reasons. Please see the image above to find the National Sleep Helpline for any questions or advice you need to help your child getting to sleep. 

Enfield Directory of Services:

Enfield Council have launched an Early Help Directory for all. They have put together a directory of community services and organisations for children, families, community members and professionals to enable you to access information you need in one place, at your fingertips. The directory is categorised under simple headings to help you find what you're looking for. The directory can be accessed in a variety of languages. You can access the directory here: https://enfielddirectory4all.co.uk/ 

Social Media Safety Advice:

Last Tuesday, 6th February was Safer Internet Day. Please see the following link to find free advice for parents and carers, including the following topics:

https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/safer-internet-day-2024-free-advice-for-parents-and-carers 

Housing Support:

Shelter is a UK charity dedicated to supporting people who are struggling with housing issues or are at risk of homelessness.  They can offer one to one, personalised advice online and by telephone and free legal advice and support with court attendances should it be required.   

"We (Shelter) exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything"

The link to there website is here: https://www.shelter.org.uk/  

If you need advice relating to benefits, housing or debt issues Citizens Advice may be able to help. You can find them here:

 https://www.citizensadviceenfield.org.uk/  

If you need a translator to access the advice that these services offer, just ask the person who answers the phone.  Or use Google Translate to make an initial contact online, explaining that you require translation services.  

Ponders End Youth & Family Hub: 

Ponders End Youth and Family Hub Flyer.pdf

Each week, we will share a guide from National Online Safety, which will give you advice about how you can keep your children safe online at home. But did you know they had an app? In preparation for Internet Safety Day, which is next Tuesday 6th February, I recommend that all parents download the app. This week, the page tells parents and carers 10 things you need to know about social media and mental health.

Thought of the Week:

Match Report:

Our Girls' football team were in action this week with some impressive performances and results. You can find out how they got on below in Amelie's match report.

St. Edmunds Girls' football team report:

At 3:00 we left school to go to Hazelbury, it was a long walk but we managed to get there on time. Before the matches, we did three stretches and practised some basic passing and before you knew, it was time.

I was playing upfront with Purity (6.1) on the left of midfield and Stephanie (5.2)  on the right. Esther was central midfield and Daniella, Julia and Sumni were defenders.

This match didn’t go well as the ball, as it rolled, managed to slip past Isabella who made some great saves as a keeper and we ended up losing 1-0.

Since we couldn’t lose this next match we HAD to win. Mrs Spinazzola and Mr Ellington suggest we pray for good luck like what they would do when they were around our age and… it worked!

As soon as the other team passed the ball I quickly tackled the player and started dribbling, I skillfully went past the defenders and shot right past the keeper.This was the first of 4 goals. A little later on, Sumni (one of our very talented players) cleared the ball and I managed to get the ball and start a run again. This time I ran past them all and shot again and it blasted in.

This was a great start! We celebrated quickly and then focused back on our match. I managed to get the ball after I made a strong tackle and passed to Stephanie who smartly passed back as a defender from the other team came rushing in.I took the opportunity and dribbled down the line.

It looked as if i couldn't score from such an angle as it was on the edge of the line but I shot and it was a GOAL! I had scored my first hattrick for the St. Edmunds Girls' football team and it was now half time.Not much happened in the second half but there was a talented player on the other team who did manage to score one.

We couldn't afford to let them catch up to us so I somehow managed to shoot outside the box after purity passed it to me and it was a FOURTH goal! We ended up winning 4-1 and I can't wait for our next matches!

Amelie