St Edmunds News

Week beginning 25.09.23-29.09.23

Headteacher's Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Last week we were treated to our first Class Assembly of the academic year and what a treat it was. The theme of Class 4.2s assembly was about caring for God's earth, linking into our Catholic Social Teaching theme of Care of Creation. The children told us about the importance of looking after God's creation and used an analogy of building a sandcastle. They said that, when we build a sandcastle, it takes time and care to perfect it in the way that we want and we need to be extra careful when removing the bucket to ensure it doesn't break. However, once it is formed to perfection we can sit back and be proud of it - and this is what God said in Genesis - 'He was pleased with what He saw'. However, it only takes one person to come along and knock it down with no respect for the beauty of the sandcastle and the hard work of its creator. And that is why we need stewards of the earth; someone to protect that sandcastle like the way we are called to protect God's earth because there are too many of us not caring for it or the hard work of its Creator. 

Also in the assembly, Class 4.2 shared the video below, which features an interview with Bill Anders who recorded the famous 'Earthrise' photo upon the Apollo 8 mission. He recalls how seeing the earth from outer space really enabled him to appreciate how beautiful it is from afar. He compared it to a Christmas ornament and poses the question of why we don't treat the earth with the care one might treat a Christmas ornament.

All in all, Class 4.2 did a great job in relaying these important messages through their clear reading, singing and prayer. Thank you to all of the children, to Mr Harding and Mrs Edgar and all of the parents who came to watch. 

There is a message for all of us to learn and, if we all try to be stewards of the earth, then we will make it a better place.  

Yours sincerely,

Mr D Abrahams

News

When Will There be Harvest?

Every year, the children at St Edmund’s mark the harvest season in a special way.  

 

This year, Year 3 will be leading a celebration to mark our Harvest Festival, which all children will be invited to. We invite the parents of the Year 3 children to attend a short service in the school hall on Thursday, 5th October at 9.10 am.

A big part of the Harvest Celebration for the children is the donation of items for a good cause. Please send what you can, which might include the following:


We shall ensure that all donations will be passed on to vulnerable people within our Parish. Please can all donations to be sent into School as soon as possible and by Wednesday 4th October at the latest.

                                            

Thank you in advance for the support you give us in teaching your children the virtues of giving and of Christian charity.

Say Cheese!

This Wednesday 4th October, Churchbury will be in to take the individual children's photos. So please make sure the children are looking their smartest and bring their loveliest smiles with them on that day! 

They will need to wear their school uniform to school that day. If they have PE or a sports after school club, they should bring their PE kit in a spare bag to get changed into.

Welcome Mass:

Next Thursday 12th October at 9.30am, the children will be celebrating a Welcome Mass for the new academic year. The mass will be led by our liturgical team and all parents are invited to attend what will be our first mass this academic year.

Reception Liturgy:

Next Tuesday, 10th October, there will be Reception Welcome liturgy for our Reception parents. This will be a very special moment as it will be the first time our new intake of children will have the opportunity to pray together in their new setting with the staff and parents in attendance. We encourage all parents to attend this special liturgy if at all possible.

We ask parents to make their way around to the school car park after you have dropped off your children and wait by the hall doors until approximately 9.05 when you will be let in by staff. The liturgy will start promptly at 9.15am.  

Bagels are Back!

We are delighted to announce that, in conjunction with the National Breakfast Programme, we are able to provide bagels in the morning for the children. They can be found as they enter the Reception, KS1 and KS2 gates  every morning when they arrive at school.

Bikes Left in Playground:

There are several bikes that have been left in the bike shed in the KS1 playground for a long period of time. If any of these bikes belong to your child, could you please bring them back home. Any bikes still left at half term (Friday 20th October) will be thrown away. 

Enfield Town Football Club:

Enfield Town FC Football School are welcoming new participating boys and girls at its very popular Donkey Lane 3G pitch every Saturday morning. It is open to primary school children of any age or ability and is a great opportunity for fun, exercise and teamwork as well as improving football skills.

For more information please contact Ram Ismail at ram.ismail@enfieldtownfootballclub.co.uk or call Jon Doyle on 07809600271.

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 you can see, this term is dedicated to ‘Love’ with the first half term focusing on 'Loving God's World' (which links to the Catholic Social Teaching theme of Care for Creation). 

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 current theme this half term is Care for Creation. You can read more about this on our website on https://www.st-edmunds.enfield.sch.uk/page/?title=Catholic+Social+Teaching&pid=111 

Thought of the Week:

Rosary Reflections:

As October is the month of the Rosary, we have decided to bring the school community together on six separate dates during the month to reflect and to pray a decade of the Rosary. Each Year group has their own date (see below) in which all children and parents from that year are invited into the school hall to reflect together:


Friday 6th October - Year 5 (The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is Saturday 7th)


Wednesday 11th October - Year 3


Friday 13th October - Year 6


Wednesday 18th October - Year 1


Thursday 19th October  - Year 4


Friday 20th October - Year 2


When it is your child’s Year Group’s day, please enter through the school car park gate with your children from 8.40 am and walk up to the hall doors to enter into the hall. Once you are inside, you will have the opportunity to pray in silence with your child until the reflection starts at 8.50am. The car park gate will close at 8.50 and no one will be allowed into the reflection after this time. The reflection will be led by class teachers and children and will finish by 9.00am. Children should bring their Rosary beads to the reflection if they have them.



Students of the Week

Class 1.1: Daniel E. - For working well in RE, contributing god ideas.


Class 1.2: Godwin - For always listening carefully and trying his best


Class 2.1: Leora - For her excellent behaviour and positivity in class.


Class 2.2: Filip - For great focus when completing his tasks.


Class 3.1: Esther - For excellent responsible attitude to all her learning, especially in key subject areas. She is always a

most cooperative and helpful student in class.


Class 3.2: Pavel - For his increased willingness to participate during question and answer sessions in class.


Class 4.1: Amber - For making a fantastically confident start! You are a wonderful addition to our class and St Edmund's, as a whole.


Class 4.2: Kaya - For writing an excellent Greek myth and for being a role model in the class.


Class 5.1: Tyrell - For staying focused and persevering through difficult tasks.


Class 5.2: Isabella - For showing fantastic leadership skills during this weeks Forest School session.


Class 6.1: Ebunoluwa - For enthusiastically embracing all areas of her learning and relishing any challenges.


Class 6.2: Jediael - For displaying an excellent attitude towards his learning by fully engaging in all lessons and producing fantastic pieces of work



Attendance

Whole School Target: 95%

Last Week: 95.67%

This Term: 95.13%

Class R.1: 90.58%

Class R.2: 93.45%

Class 1.1: 99.29%

Class 1.2: 98.28%

Class 2.1: 99.62%

Class 2.2: 96.8%

Class 3.1: 89.29%

Class 3.2: 94.14%

Class 4.1: 92.67%

Class 4.2: 98.0%

Class 5.1: 99.23%

Class 5.2: 94.62%

Class 6.1: 96.33%

Class 6.2: 97.5%

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).

DINNER MENU

Please see below, the new school dinner menu which will rotate over three weeks for the remainder of the term.

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 AUTUMN WINTER 23-24 - STIR Primary.pptx Halal.pptx.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.

Last week, Ethan in Year 6 was the worthy winner of this award as he was noticed taking his own time to ensure that all of the chairs were tucked in in the dinner hall. He did this without being asked to. Well done Ethan - you have set an excellent example.

Safeguarding

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. This week, it is all about setting boundaries around gaming.

We rescue good, surplus food from the food industry that cannot be sold and would otherwise go to waste. This is high-quality and nutritious, including a high proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, salads, meat and fish. We collect or receive food from over 539 suppliers, including supermarkets, wholesalers, farms, restaurants and delis.

We then sort and then deliver this food to almost 1000 front-line charities, primary schools and holiday programmes in London. That way, food that would have gone to waste is reaching vulnerable people, homeless, people with mental health or those who simply cannot afford to buy regular, healthy food.

St Edmund's have a delivery every Tuesday. Food will be available at the end of the school day under the KS1 shelter. We ask that you take a small amount each so in these difficult financial times all our families are able to benefit.

Photography Competition Time

In line with our Catholic Social Teaching theme of Care for Creation, we are asking all children across the school to send in photos of God's creations. We have been teaching the children the meaning of the word 'awe' - something they see that makes them go 'Wow!' Children can send in photos that they may have already taken or we encourage you to take some over the coming weeks. The best entries will be put up on display and the top 3 winners will receive a special prize. Please see below some examples from our staff. Children can upload their photos on to their Google Classroom page or hand in the actual photos to their class teacher. This will be part of the children's homework for the next two weeks.