Newsletter: 4th April 2025
Newsletter: 4th April 2025
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A Message from Mrs Murphy
A Message from Mrs Murphy
Dear Parents and Carers,
Well we have reached the end of the Spring Term and what a term it has been!
There have been so many successes this term which include:
Provided 138 free places for after-school teacher-led clubs this term
248 children across Y3-6 have competed in 16 sports competitions
59 in children in Year 5 and 6 met the End of KS2 Swimming expectations of being able to swim 25m.
286 children have achieved a reading award (201 at 50 reads, 68 at 100 reads and 17 at 150 reads)
We received huge community appreciation for our Weybridge Station Art update, which included Tilly the Cat.
St James facilitated 16 external clubs to run this term, providing these wider opportunities for over 200 children.
We have raised £1,210.90 for our global charity, Coco Foundation.
125 children continued to learn the Ukulele.
Our attendance remains above national and Surrey averages.
We have raised £259 for other charities over the Spring Term
585 children benefited from curriculum enhancement off site visits, (some children had more than one visit this term).
576 children benefited from curriculum enhancement workshops in school (some children had more than one visit this term)
Over this week alone, we were treated to a fantastic display of musical talent as Mr Gillani's guitar students hosted their very own recital. The staff, parents and children in Y4 and Y5 were wowed by the confidence and skills of all the children. Well done everyone who took part! You really did let your light shine bright!
To continue the week, we have had the fabulous display on Easter bonnets on Thursday in our Easter bonnet parade. There were so many amazing designs and we are grateful for the families who took the time to make these. On the same day, the children all attended an assembly, led by Mrs Sykes, to learn about the Christian celebration of Easter. The whole school also took part in an Easter trail around the field to revisit the Easter story.
Also this week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Tim Oliver OBE, Leader of Surrey County Council and Weybridge Councillor to St James on Thursday. Tim visited last in October 2023, and therefore it was such a pleasure to discuss all the changes we have made at St James. I also took the opportunity to discuss other areas where would like further support from Surrey County Council, including our ongoing discussions about improving the roads to make the journey to school safer for all our children and the community.
To end this term, with a bit of Easter 'egg-citement', we all took part in our 'Dare to be Different' Mufti day. It was so much fun to see the children's creativity come through as they chose which rules to break. Thank you to the Friends of St James who organised this event and to the everyone who contributed. All children and staff had lots of fun today!
Enterprise Sale
In other news, we were able to announce the winners of the Enterprise Week sale as we have finalised all costs. Today in assembly we have discussed with the children how profit is calculated and the winning year group received DOUBLE break time as their prize.
Following a very tense reveal in assembly today, we would like to say a huge congratulations to Year 2 for raising the most money for Coco Foundation with their enterprise efforts!
Enterprise Day raised a total of £1,210.90.
Reception £133.56
Year 1 £119.50
Year 2 £257.95
Year 3 £150.41
Year 4 £156.80
Year 5 £139.00
Year 6 £253.68
Cross Country
On Saturday, Mrs Cowden and I were so proud of all the children who ran for St James at the District Cross Country event at Notre Dame. The sun was shining for this event and all the children showed great St James courage as they ran distances of 1.2km (Year 3&4) and 1.8km (Years 5&6). Well done to everyone who took part.
Whilst all children represented the school brilliantly, I am thrilled to announce that our Y3&4 girls team came 2nd overall in their event. We also had four children who came in the top ten runners in their events. Congratulations to Katelyn (6th), Aveline (9th), Joshua (5th) and Daisy (5th).
Books
As you know we have invested considerably in our reading books over the last three years and especially the reading for enjoyment books in both the KS1 and KS2 library. Sadly, we are noticing that some of the popular books have not been returned to the library. Please could we ask that parents and carers check bookcases at home and return any St James books after Easter. The most popular books, Bunny Vs Monkey, have depleted dramatically so we would be keen to see a return of these so more children can enjoy them.
Eco Club
Mrs Procter has been working hard with her Eco Committee since September. They have worked together to create an Eco Charter for St James. This is displayed around the school
St James Reflection Wall
This week we have introduced the new Reflection Wall at St James. This is outside my office and all children are welcome to come and take a moment, tie a ribbon and reflect about one the key areas: giving thanks, environment, people around the world, repairing harm and family and friends. In assembly on Monday, we discussed that reflection is so important to us at St James. The children shared that at school, they reflect about their learning, their prior learning, their use of vocabulary, they use purple polishing pens to reflect on improvements and also reflect on behaviour choices. This reflection wall will provide another opportunity for the children to take a moment of calm and think.
We have been thrilled to see how popular this has been this week and have had some lovely conversations with the children about their choices of ribbons.
Return to School
As we enter into the Easter holidays, I would like to remind all parents that we return on Tuesday 22nd April. On this day the children will be warmly greeted by a member of the St James team as always from 8.35am on both Infant and Junior gates.
To support children with the return to school after the holidays, Mrs Wales has created some visual prompts. These have also been included on the daily school bulletin if you would prefer to download these.
Warm welcome
After Easter we are pleased to welcome Miss Chadburn to the St James team. She will be joining as a Year 5 teacher but will also be joining our Senior Leadership Team as Upper Key Stage Two Leader. We are very much looking forward to having her onboard and I know all parents and children will make her feel welcome.
Easter thanks to the team
As we are are at the end of the Spring term, I would like to thank all my staff for their continued hard work to support the children of St James.
As you may be aware, we are expecting our Ofsted inspection here at St James and have been waiting for this visit, every week, since October 2023. My staff continue to show great determination and commitment to the school improvement journey and always aim to deliver the highest possible quality of education for all children every day. They do this every week, with the best interests of the children at the centre of all decisions, with dedication and enthusiasm, whilst also being prepared to show off our school's amazing strengths to a potential Ofsted visit with less than 24 hours notice. I am incredibly grateful to all my team for their support in our mission to strive for excellence in everything we do here at St James so every child can 'let their light shine!'.
I am sure all parents will join me in wishing them all a well-earned rest over the Easter period.
Happy Easter from all at St James!
Mrs Murphy
Phase Celebrations
Phase Celebrations
Early Years Newsletter – A Wonderful Term of Learning!
What an incredible term it has been in Early Years! We have made amazing progress in reading and handwriting, moving from writing single words to full sentences. The children have also brought their stories to life by creating imaginative speech bubbles, giving voices to their characters in the most creative ways.
Our learning journey has taken us to the coldest places on Earth, with a special visit from an expert who transported us to the Polar regions. We have also enjoyed planting seeds and watching them grow, eagerly looking forward to taking them to the allotment after Easter.
Diving into the prehistoric world, we explored the land of dinosaurs, sharing fascinating facts and discovering even more along the way. Our vocabulary continues to expand through our Word Aware sessions, with some of our favourite words this half term being identify, archaeology, and lunar.
Creativity has been at the heart of our learning. We crafted beautiful daffodil artwork for the train station and even stitched our own bookmarks, proudly sewing our names onto them. St. David’s Day was extra special as we welcomed parents to share in our maths learning, where we showcased our skills in recognising 3D shapes and understanding what makes 10!
We are finishing the term with an exciting trip to Broadwater Lake, where we will explore our local environment and create maps to guide us there and back. What a fantastic way to end such a busy and enriching term!
Wishing you all a wonderful Easter break!
Key Stage One
Year 1 - In Science we have been understanding animals and how we can sort them, we have classified them based on whether they are herbivores, omnivores or carnivores.
Year 2 - We recreated a 1950’s seaside holiday experience. We made sandcastles, played in the sea, looked for shells, held puppet shows and played games. We imagined eating fish and chips and ice cream and going for donkey rides on the sand.
Lower Key Stage Two
Year Three and Four have been very busy this term and have produced some incredible work in lessons across our curriculum. In Year Three, we have been learning about hemispheres, longitude & latitude and plotting coordinates on Earth. In Art we have been focusing on shapes, shading and texture to create abstract drawings of flowers. In Computing we have learnt about branching databases and made our own versions on line and in real life. In RE we have been learning about Christianity, how Peter was changed by meeting Jesus and how Jesus has changed peoples lives.
In Year 4, we have been working incredibly hard and presenting our work beautifully. In English, we explored a variety of writing styles, including letters, diary entries, character and setting descriptions, non-chronological reports, and narrative piece - we even published our work! In Maths, we mastered fractions and decimals, while in Art, we experimented with different painting techniques and created a stunning spring display for Weybridge Railway Station. History came alive with a fantastic Elmbridge Romans Workshop, where we discovered fascinating facts about Roman life. In DT, we designed and tested our own sling-shot cars! In RE, we explored Communion traditions worldwide and learned how Jesus is remembered across different cultures.
Upper Key Stage Two
Year 5
In Science, we have been studying the topic of Space. We have conducted different experiments, one of which focused on shadows. In the photos displayed, during the experiment we left a stick outside of the classroom and recorded the shadow length using chalk at hourly intervals throughout the day, the children then plotted the results on a line graph. The children also wrote an evaluation to summarise the results of the experiment.
Another exciting subject the children have been experimenting in is Design & Technology, where the children have been learning about cooking and nutrition. Over the last few weeks, the children have been investigating food production. They have come up with a unique Bolognese recipe, and have even practised chopping and softening hard vegetables in the school cookery room. They have all created their own new and innovative brand, label and real Bolognese sauce.
Year 6
During another busy and productive half term, Year 6 have had the opportunity to take part in some valuable experiences. One of the highlights was attending the Junior Citizen Event at Sandown Park Racecourse. This multi-agency safety event was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn important life skills designed to help them stay safe as they grow more independent, particularly as they prepare to transition to secondary school.
Throughout the morning, the children engaged in a variety of hands-on activities that taught them about safety, responsibility, and how to make informed decisions in different situations.
In Music, the children have been learning to play the keyboard, developing their musical skills and enjoying the process of creating melodies.
In Design and Technology , our budding designers and engineers have successfully designed and created functioning automatons! The children worked hard to bring their creations to life, applying their creativity and problem-solving skills. We are very proud of the impressive results, and you can see some photos of their work attached.
Furthermore, in RE we have been exploring, "What Christian Faith in Action" means, thinking out how we can "Let our Lights Shine". The pupils have made links between our school values, British values and deeply held religious beliefs in terms of the impact they and others can make in local, national, and international communities
We are incredibly proud of the hard work and progress demonstrated by all our Year 6s in their preparation for our approaching SATs.
Celebration Awards
Celebration Awards
Celebration Awards
Celebration Awards
Y1 Wrens - Phoebe / Maya
Y1 Wrens - Phoebe / Maya
Robins - Damian / Aarvika
Robins - Damian / Aarvika
Y2 Woodpeckers - Harry / Lili / Ada
Kingfishers - Bertie / Joshua
Y3 Barn Owls - Adan / Pixie
Snowy Owls - ALL / Elena
Y4 Kestrels - ALL / Elsie / Evie
Merlins - ALL / Daisy
Y5 Falcons - Isabel / Henry / Eva
Kites - Sami / Mia / Dylan / Bade
Y6 Eagles - Sofia / Henry
Hawks - Evelyn / Dolly-Rose
Values Certificates and Counter Collection
This week we awarded:
LOVE: Coral / Oliver / Avie / Noah S.
RESPECT: Indi / Katelyn / Thann
UNITY: Ki Sum / Noah / Edwin / Noah M.
COURAGE: Richard / Robert / River / Elsie / Imogen / Megan / Lexi / Olivia / Lily-Mae / Grace A.
Attendance Award
The attendance trophy is being given out every Friday to the class who has the highest attendance each week.
The award has been presented to the following classes:
Friday 28th March: Barn Owls
Friday 4th April: Robin Class 98%
Well done to all of the children in these classes.
Year Group totals from September - April
Governor Newsletter
Governor Newsletter
Our Governors published their Easter Newsletter earlier this week and this was emailed to you.
In case you missed this, please find it attached here.
Governor Newsletter March 2025 (1).pdfSafeguarding
Safeguarding
As you know, we take Safeguarding very seriously here at St James.
As we head into the Easter Holidays, we know many parents will be using holidays clubs to support them with childcare during this period.
The DFE issued a helpful guide for parents to help them ensure that they have all the correct information to make a judgement if the club is safe for their children.
We wanted to share this to help parents keep their children safe when not in school.
14.227_DFE_Safeguarding_ParentalGuidance_AnnexC_v8a_Web.pdfCollective Worship
Collective Worship
W/C : 24th March
Monday: Great School Clean Up
Tuesday : Father Damian's Collective Worship
Wednesday: Singing
Thursday: Picture News
Friday: Celebration Assembly
W/C : 31st March
Monday: Reflection
Tuesday : Father Damian's Collective Worship
Wednesday: Singing
Thursday: Picture News
Friday: Easter Assembly
SEND Support
SEND Support
QR map (3).pdfWhat is Mindworks poster - for schools V.1.pdfCrisis line poster - for schools V.1.pdfSummer Term Clubs
Summer Term Clubs
NEW TENNIS CLUB - SUMMER TERM
NEW TENNIS CLUB - SUMMER TERM
RB Tennis will be running an after school Tennis Club at St James during the summer term.
This club is open to children in Years 2 - 4 .
Tennis club sessions will run from the 1st May - 22nd May.
To sign your child up to this new club, please use the QR code on the tennis club flyer.
Please find below the timetable for all other Summer Term clubs at St James.
Links and information leaflets have been provided to sign up for clubs run by external providers.
2025 Club dates and times Summer Term.pdfNEW Summer Menu
NEW Summer Menu
Please find below the Summer lunch menu from our school caterers, Twelve15. This is a three week rolling menu. All children choose from one of the three meal options at the start of each school day. There is also a fully stocked salad bar and fresh bread served daily.
If your child is in KS2 and has a school meal, please remember to pay for and book their meals in advance using the SCOPAY app for next term.
Friends of St James PTA
Friends of St James PTA
We’re excited to let you know the summer party tickets are now on sale.
16th May at the Ship hotel.
7pm-Late.
To include an arrival drink, buffet, live band and auction & raffle.
This is an adults only event. No need to put together a table, just buy a ticket and see you there 😊
https://www.pta-events.co.uk/friendsofstjamesweybridge/index.cfm?event=event&eventId=97040
Attendance and Penalty Notices
Attendance and Penalty Notices
Weekly reminder - for parents/carers, that if they take their children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), then you will be liable for a penalty notice fine
1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.
Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.
The St James Attendance Policy can be found here..
Leave of Absence form can be found here.
Attendance
The Government released two longitudinal studies on the impact of low attendance on future attainment and on future earning this week. Please see the two posters which demonstrate their findings.
Thank you to all the parents who support us in aiming for positive school attendance. Our current school attendance figure is 95.1% which is above National and Surrey level.
Vacancies
Vacancies
Please find below links to view and apply for current vacancies at St James:
After School Club Playworker - Part time positions available - After School Club Play Worker
Class Teacher (Maternity Cover) - Class Teacher
Class Teacher (Part time) - Part Time Class Teacher
Family Support
Family Support
Parenting Courses
We have been sent the following informnation about parenting courses to support families.
4-week Talking Teens programme: Wednesday evenings 1830-2000, 23 April-14 May 2025, online - fully funded for anyone parenting that lives in Elmbridge & Spelthorne Boroughs
What is the 4-week Talking Teens Programme?
Teenagers are rewarding, stimulating and fun, but being a parent of one can be stressful and challenging. The Talking Teens Parent Group helps deal with those challenges so you can have a calmer, happier family life. A tried and tested Programme, it helps us think about what we do, why we do it and how it makes us feel and looks at questions that many parents have, like: How can I stop my child always getting the last word? Why do they always sleep in so late? Can I do anything to help them argue less? What’s normal? Why don’t they want to tell me how they’re feeling? Inside every teenager is a child and an adult.
The Four Sessions:
1. Being a parent of a teenager ; The role of parents for teenagers ; Responding to difficult feelings
2. Understanding your teenager ; Understanding teenage development ; Parenting styles ; Praise and criticism
3. Communicating with your teenager ; Talking and listening ; Communicating clearly ; Handling difficult issues
4. Managing conflict ; Rules and boundaries ; Choosing how to respond ; Problem solving
10-week Nurturing programme: Tuesday evenings 1900-2045, 22 April-1 July 2025, online - fully funded for anyone parenting that lives in Elmbridge Borough.
What is the 10-week Nurturing Programme?
Children are rewarding, stimulating and fun, but looking after them can be stressful and challenging. The Nurturing Programme helps deal with those challenges so that you can have a calmer, happier life. A tried and tested programme, it helps us think about what we do, why we do it and how it makes us feel.
What does it cover?
Over the 10-week Programme, you will look at lots of different topics, including: Understanding why children behave as they do, Recognising the feelings behind behaviour (ours and theirs), Exploring different approaches to discipline, Finding ways to develop co-operation and self-discipline.
If you are interested in attending the form to complete can be downloaded from here or contact Mrs Doe for further information.
Diary Dates
Diary Dates
To view our calendar online, please visit:
https://www.stjames-weybridge.surrey.sch.uk/calendar/?calid=1&pid=3&viewid=1
St James Yearly Planner 24-25.pdfEaster Flyers
Easter Flyers
St Georges College Maths Quest - Year 5 ONLY.
We would like to invite Year 5 children to take part in the latest instalment of the St George’s College Quest series, designed to be an enjoyable way of engaging with a College subject outside of the classroom.
Written by the College Maths Department, the Easter themed Quest provides a fun maths problem for pupils to solve. Please feel free to complete over the Easter holiday. Please see their website HERE under ‘Fun College Quests’.
How to enter
Pupils need to send a photo of their solution to marketing@stgeorgesweybridge.com. Add their name and the name of their school on the entry.
The deadline for entries is Tuesday 22 April.
After the closing date, St Georges will review all entries and contact all winners directly, who will be sent a certificate and a book token.
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