St Mary's Weekly
Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing;
together shining a light
Perseverance
Last week, we introduced the new value for this half term: Perseverance. To illustrate this important quality, we read the classic story of "The Hare and the Tortoise." Through this tale, the children learned how the tortoise kept his eye on the prize and steadily made his way to victory, while the hare, despite his speed, lost focus and ultimately lost the race.
Gary continued with the theme by introducing the children to St. Paul, highlighting his incredible perseverance. Despite facing numerous challenges and hardships, St. Paul remained steadfast in his mission and unwavering in his faith.
We encouraged the children to think about how they can apply perseverance in their own lives, whether it’s in their schoolwork, relationships, or personal goals. We hope this value inspires our children to keep striving, no matter the challenges they face.
Key Dates
This week...
Week 8
Monday 10th to Friday 14th June - Year 4 Multiplication Check and Year 1 Phonics screening
Monday 10th June - after school - Year 3 boys Athletics final
Wednesday 12th June - Reception trip to Whipsnade Zoo
Friday 14th June - 14:00 - 15:00 - Choir singing at Riverside Lodge
Friday 14th June - 15:15 - 17:15 - Movie Night - raising money for Playskill charity
Next half term...
Week 9
Monday 17th to Friday 21st June - Year 6 Residential
Monday 17th to Friday 21st June - Years One to Five - English and Maths assessment week
Friday 21st June - pm - Year 5 Play Leader Training
Saturday 22nd June - Summer Fair - We will have performances from the Year 4’s that performed at the Three Rivers Dance Festival, before school gymnastics club, Karate club and the KS2 choir
Saturday 22nd June - 11am - Open Morning for potential Reception children
Week 10 - Monday 24th to Friday 28th June - Science / STEM Week
Tuesday 25th June - afternoon - Year 2 trip into Rickmansworth to support their local study
Thursday 27th June - 9:30 - 15:00 - Years 3 & 4 - Aquadrome activities with Three Rivers District Council running the sessions for us
Friday 28th June - Year 6 leading a Science workshop for all year groups
Week 11 - Monday 1st July to Friday 5th July - Sports Week
Monday 1st July - afternoon - Year 5 at the Aquadrome with Canoe Sports Trust - Katacanoes (6 to a boat) & Open Canoes (3 to a boat)
Tuesday 2nd July - each class to visit St Mary's church
Wednesday 3rd July - St Mary's Children's Polling Day experience
Wednesday 3rd July - afternoon - Year 6 at the Aquadrome with Canoe Sports Trust - Stand Up Paddle boards & Sit on Top Kayaks
Thursday 4th July - Sports Day - KS1 - morning followed by picnic lunch; KS2 - picnic lunch followed by sports afternoon
Thursday 4th July - 15:30 - 17:00 - Year 6 leavers party
Saturday 6th July - 08:00 - 12:00 - Parent Painting day - come along and paint your child's classroom for next academic year - please let your Parent Rep know if you are able to attend
Week 12
Thursday 11th July 9.30 - 11.45 - Transition morning
Week 13
Monday 15th July - Year 6 production - evening performance for parents
Tuesday 16th July - Year 6 productions - afternoon performance for parents
Thursday 18th July - afternoon - school disco and end of term activities
Friday 19th July - Year 6 Leavers Service at St Mary’s Church - all children to be dropped off at the church at the start of the day
Friday 19th July - 13:15 - End of term - No JD Club
Shining a light on...
House Points this week
Total House Points for the Term
Effort & Progress in Learning Certificates
Congratulations to the children below who received a special certificate on Friday for 'Effort and Progress in Learning'.
Reception - Siddharth
Year 1 - Spencer
Year 2 - Jamieson
Year 3 - Emmie
Year 4 - Tobias
Year 5 - Sam
Year 6 - Lily
All the children that received certificates will be celebrating with Mrs Maxwell over a hot chocolate and marshmallows this week.
Above & Beyond
Stella, Apostolos , Norah, Lennon, Millie, Aavani, Juliusz, Darcie, Eryk, Oscar , Lilly G, Tom , Nancy, Poppy , Mary , Dolly, Ella, Victor, Felix , Issy, Megan , Henning, Saskia, Henry, Sebastian, Alessandro, Shenya, Makensie, Kezia, Harvey, Gianna, Tilly, Nic, Kalina, Owen , Leo D, Lillia
Weekly Class Attendance
Art Week
We had a fabulous week creating artwork based on this year’s ‘Take One Picture’ by The National Gallery. The painting ‘Courtyard of a House in Delft’ by Pieter de Hooch inspired the children to create a range of typographic artwork originating from their observations and questions about the stone plaque found in the painting and the many textures, including brick and stone.
On Wednesday, print artist Clare Somerville-Perkins visited the school to share her techniques and artwork before delivering a screen printing workshop for all our children.
The children worked in their houses to create a ‘motto’ based on a part of the school vision statement.
Aspiring - St Andrews - Make a difference, have ambitious aspirations
Nurturing - St Patrick - Discover your gift and nurture it
Flourishing - St George - You’ve got to nourish to flourish
Together shining a light - St David - Let your light shine the way for the world
Clare then turned the mottos into striking typographic screens, for the children to print from. Take a look at the fabulous results!
Back in class, children then experimented with text and letter-pressing to create a range of collage, digital, clay and print artwork - with fantastic results! A huge thank you to FoSMs for funding such a wonderfully creative day.
Exciting Sports Week at St. Mary's!
We've had an action-packed week of sports, filled with fantastic achievements and memorable moments!
Last Monday, our Year 6's spent an exhilarating day at The Reach, challenging themselves and having a blast. On Thursday, Years 3 & 4 enjoyed an energetic Hockey afternoon at Merchant Taylors, showcasing their skills and teamwork.
We’re thrilled to announce that our Year 6 boys have advanced to the cricket finals, and our Year 3 boys have made it to the Athletics Final! Both teams will be competing this week, and we couldn't be prouder.
Year 3 Athletics
Years 3 & 4 Hockey
Year 6 Cricket
Year One's Exciting Trip to Brooklands Museum!
Just before half term, Year One embarked on an amazing class trip to Brooklands Museum, where the children had an incredible time exploring and learning. They delved into the fascinating history of plane development and impressed us all with their newfound knowledge.
The children got hands-on experience creating their own planes and learning about thrust and drag. A major highlight was getting inside various planes, including the iconic Concorde!
A big thank you to our wonderful parent helpers who supported us and made the day such a success. The children had so much fun, they didn't want to leave!
Exciting Karate Grading Success!
This weekend, twenty-two of our children participated in the Karate grading for Red Belt, and they did an outstanding job! With well over a hundred spectators, our children demonstrated their skills with confidence and poise.
A special congratulations to Blake Hall, who impressively graded to Yellow Belt, and Bobby Hall, who achieved the Brown Belt. Both showed exceptional dedication and skill.
Well done to all our karate kids for their hard work and fantastic performances! We are looking forward to celebrating their successes with a performance at the Summer Fair.
Successes in Gymnastics
This weekend, several of our talented children (Suri, Lola-Rose, Tilly, Lilly and Rosalind) competed at the Club Championships at Harefield Gymnastics and Dance. They all performed brilliantly and showcased their incredible skills.
A special congratulations to Rosalind, who won the gold medal in her level, competing as one of the youngest gymnasts in the category.
Well done to all our gymnasts for their hard work and outstanding performance!
Celebrating Erin's Performing Arts Achievements!
Erin attends Performing Arts classes every week, where she participates in singing lessons, ballet, tap dancing, and gymbatics. In March, she took her examinations and has now received her results and certificates.
Congratulations, Erin, on your wonderful achievements! Keep shining brightly!
A Special First Holy Communion Celebration in Italy
Alessandro and Francesco received their First Holy Communion in Italy. After more than a year of preparation in Rickmansworth, the family flew to Italy to celebrate this important moment with relatives and friends. It was a very special day since Alessandro and Francesco were going to receive their First Holy Communion with two of their cousins who live in Italy. They were all looking forward to it and it made the moment even more memorable. After the celebration in the church, they all went to a lovely restaurant to celebrate with families and friends. It was a fantastic day for everyone, filled with faith, love and joy that we will cherish in our hearts forever.
Enhancing Our School Grounds: A Big Thank You to Jay And The Crew!
A massive thank you to Jay and the crew for their incredible work on improving our school grounds. They have created a fantastic water structure in the Reception garden for continuous provision, offering endless fun and learning opportunities for our youngest children.
Additionally, they have constructed a long jump sandpit, enabling our KS2 children to practice and excel at Sports Day events. They have also laid new turf at the front of the Secret Garden, where we will be installing a gate to provide a serene, grassy area for children to enjoy during lunch breaks.
We greatly appreciate their skills and time in making our school a more engaging and enjoyable place for all our students
Information
2024 - 2025 Term Dates
Autumn Term
Autumn Term
Thursday 5th September 2024 - Autumn term starts
Monday 28th October to Friday 3rd November - Half Term
Friday 20th December 2024 - Autumn term finishes
Spring Term
Wednesday 8th January 2025 - Spring term starts
Monday 17th to Friday 21st February - Half Term
Friday 4th April - Spring term finishes
Summer Term
Thursday 24th April - Summer term starts
Monday 26th to Friday 30th May - Half Term
Friday 18th July - Summer term finishes
Important Reminders
Reception - KS1 drop off
We would like to simplify and speed up drop off in the morning, enabling Reception and KS1 parents to 'drop and go' more easily. As three year groups are dropped to the playground with parents, making the area very busy, we will be encouraging parents to 'drop and go' from entrance to the classrooms by the KS1 prayer garden. Teachers will remain in the classrooms to greet the children and start their early morning work. Mrs Palmer will remain by the gate and a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) will be by the prayer garden taking notes from parents as needed.
The doors to the classrooms will be open from 8.35am and close promptly at 8.50am. TheKS1 gates will close at 8.55am.
KS2 drop off
We are noticing that children are coming into school earlier and earlier and hanging out in the KS2 playground. We have had children not booked into JD arriving at 8.15am. There are no adults on the playground to supervise them at this time. We want to keep them safe!
From Monday 10th June, the KS2 playground gate won't be opened until 8.35am when the children can come in from the road. By then, staff are working in their classrooms. If you would like your child to be in school earlier than 8.35am, please book them onto JD. If we see them hanging around the gate or front of the school without parents before 8.35am, we will pull them into JD.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club will be running in the Dining Hall from Monday 10th June. This allows parents dropping off easier access and allows us to keep the KS2 gate closed. Mrs Morris thoroughly enjoys leading Breakfast Club and we will be on hand to support her more easily.
The children will continue to enjoy varied activities from the Dining Hall and will be released / escorted to their classrooms once the doors are opened as normal.
Attendance at school is the foundation to a child's future success and happiness. Over the coming weeks, we will be taking a letter from the alphabet, in turn, in order to highlight the importance of being at school and advice for parents and carers.
K is for Keeping Us Informed: If your child is absent from school and we have not been able to reach you, we will visit you at home. To avoid this, please ensure that we are kept informed about your child's situation and provide us with an expected return date. Clear and timely communication helps us to support your child's education and well-being effectively.
Parenting Courses
Parenting Course Calendar - Summer 2024.pdfWe have such an amazing school and are looking at ways to promote ourselves in the wider community. To do this, we will be developing our use of social media. Please like our new Facebook page and any posts that you enjoy.
