St Mary's Weekly
Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing;
together shining a light
Forgiveness
This week in Collective worship we continued to explore our current value of forgiveness.
On Monday, Mrs Maxwell (and 'extras') told us the story of the Unforgiving Servant. We learnt that Jesus teaches us to forgive again and again. Gary then developed this idea on Wednesday as he explained the meaning behind communion. He invited every pupil and Staff member to partake in a mock communion - tasting a sip of wine (juice) and a piece of bread. As a school we reflected on the example of forgiveness shown by Jesus.
We are really looking forward to welcoming parents and carers of Years 1-6 to our Easter service at St Mary's Church on Wednesday 27th March from 6-7pm. Each class will be performing a song to help tell the Easter story as well as Year 3 who will be praying and Year 4 who will be leading us in the dramatic story.
Key Dates
This week...
Monday 18th March - Year 5 - class trip to Legoland for 'Science of Rollercoasters' workshop
Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th March - Year 1 to 6 - Parent Consultations
Tuesday & Thursday 21st March - Reception - Parent Consultations
Thursday 21st March - all day - Year 6 - Greek day in school
Thursday 21st March - World Down Syndrome Day - children are welcome to wear their favourite socks to support this day
Friday 22nd March - Non-uniform day for Cardiomyopathy charity
This half term...
w/b Monday 25th March - No Clubs running other than JD Morning and ASC
Tuesday 26th March - Easter Egg hunt
Tuesday 26th March - Bake Sale / café afterschool to raise money for Cardiomyopathy charity
Wednesday 27th March - 18:00 - 19:00 - Easter Service at St Mary's Church - Years 1 to 6
Thursday 28th March - Easter activities. Last day of term - finish at 13:15. NO JD Club
Next term...
There are lots more dates to come but we wanted to get as much information out as early as possible...
Monday 15th April - Start of the Summer Term - please remember to book your child's school lunch - the new menu can be found below
Friday 19th April - 13:00 - 14:30 - Marafun fundraiser - all year groups (more information soon...)
Monday 22nd April - World Earth day
Friday 26th April - St George's House celebration afternoon
Monday 6th May - Bank holiday - no school
Thursday 9th May - Parent Workshop on RSE (Relationships & Sex Education)
Monday 13th to Friday 17th May - Year 6 - SATS week
Saturday 18th May - Open morning at St Mary's Church - we will be supporting this event with the choir, children serving cakes as well as having a stall to promote us
Monday 20th to Friday 24th May - Art Week
Wednesday 22nd May - afterschool - Art Exhibition
Monday 27th to Friday 31st May - Half Term
Monday 10th to Friday 14th June - Year 4 Multiplication Check and Year 1 Phonics screening
Wednesday 12th June - Reception trip to Whipsnade Zoo
Monday 17th to Friday 21st June - Year 6 Residential
Monday 24th to Friday 28th June - Science / STEM Week
Monday 1st July to Friday 5th July - Sports Week
Thursday 4th July - Sports Day
Friday 19th July - 13:15 - End of term - No JD Club
Shining a light on...
House Points this week...
House Points so far this 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 - Norah
Year 1 - Louis
Year 2 - Max
Year 3 - Annabelle
Year 4 - Ben
Year 5 - James
Year 6 - Leo D
All the children that received certificates will be celebrating with Mrs Maxwell over a hot chocolate and marshmallows on Wednesday.
Above & Beyond
Savanna, Caleb, Jenson, Luke, Rosalind, Lola- Rose, Sylvie, Roman, Harry B, Kathryn, Suri, Oscar, Fletcher, Scarlett, Darcie, Willow, Esme, Charlie, Harvey, Makensie, Saskia, Bobby, Owen
Weekly Class Attendance
🌟📚Booky Cake Sale 📚🌟
A massive thank you to everyone that produced some fabulous cakes / brownies etc for our Booky Cake Sale. We raised £159.15. The raffle raised £198.00 - Well done Savannah. The Reading Ambassador Sponsorship - £125.02.
House Meetings
During Thursday's Collective Worship, children gathered in their house groups facilitated by our Year 6 pupils who did a fantastic job leading and guiding younger pupils to their respective locations. The session centred around brainstorming ideas for our school prayer, focusing on what makes St Mary's special and what pupils are proud of about our school. Together, they reflected on what aspects of our community we can thank God for and how we can "shine a light" both within and beyond the walls of St Mary's School. It was a meaningful and insightful discussion aimed at fostering a deeper connection to our school values and ethos.
Year 5 - Week Two - with the 'Mini Police' Programme
During the second session of the 'mini police' programme, Year 5 looked at anti-social behaviour and what the police can do when they see it happen. Some examples of anti-social behaviour are, graffitiing, playing loud music late at night, entering other people's property and 'knock a door run'. We learnt that these things could affect anyone and can make people in the community feel unsafe, worried and uncomfortable. Well done mini police for always knowing right from wrong!
St Patrick's House Celebration
On Friday, our St Patrick's House festivities were in full swing, led by our enthusiastic house captains who delivered an engaging presentation on St Patrick and Northern Ireland. We also enjoyed some delicious soda bread and had a blast trying out Irish dancing!
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
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.
E is for Expectation - To helps us maintain high expectations for attendance and ensures that every child's absence is accurately recorded and promptly addressed, please remember when phoning or emailing in for a child who is off school, we require an actual reason for the absence. Additionally, please make sure you have contacted the school by 9.15 am if your child is going to be absent. If we do not hear from you, we will ring you to find out why your child is not in school.
Playground Zones
We're excitedly looking ahead to the Summer Term and hoping for more favourable weather—ideally, a bit drier! Our aim is to enrich the children's playtimes, which accounts for 20% of their overall school experience. We believe it's vital to their development and happiness at school.
To this end, we're planning to introduce various zones during playtime to provide a range of activities. These will include -
- den and big building zone for imaginative construction
- calm zone in The Secret Garden for quieter opportunities with reading, drawing, colouring, role play, lego and gardening in this area
- structured games to encourage active, organised play
- refereeing football/netball matches
There will still be opportunities for children to be free to choose their own games / activities.
This initiative is just the beginning, as we plan to further enhance lunchtimes in the new academic year. However, we need your help to make these improvements a reality. Currently, our resources are limited, and we would greatly appreciate donations (second hand or new) to help us set up these play zones.
We have created an Amazon wishlist for any new items as well as a Google Docs so that you can write down any second hand items.
Your support in providing these items would be invaluable in creating a more dynamic and engaging play environment for our children. Thank you in advance for any contributions you can make. Together, we can make playtime a more enriching part of our children's school experience.
World Down Syndrome Day
Thursday 21st March
Cardiomyopathy Charity
On Friday 22nd March, we will be holding a non-school uniform day. This is to support Miss Devlin's determination to complete the London Marathon in support of the charity Cardiomyopathy.
If you are able to, please send in a donation to support Miss Devlin with this amazing charity.
On Tuesday 26th March, there will be a bake sale / café afterschool in the hall. We would love to see lots of you there with opportunities to sit and have a chat. We would appreciate cake/biscuit donations to sell.
Final Week of Term - Easter
Our school Easter service is on Wednesday 27th March in St Mary's Church, from 6-7pm for Years One to Six. Children will need to be at the church by 5:45. Each year group will be singing a song to help tell the Easter story. Our Christmas service with Years 3- 6 was fantastic and not a seat to spare in the church! We anticipate a similar feel with our Easter service.
The next day, Thursday 28th March, is a half day (school ends at 1:15pm) and will be full of Easter activities, including an Easter bonnet parade as is our St Mary's tradition. More information below...
PHN Newsletter primary Spring 2024 (1).pdfCommunity
Community News
We would love to hear and share news regarding the activities and accomplishments of our children outside of the school environment, as well as updates on noteworthy contributions or events within our parent body and the broader local community.
Please submit all relevant information to Mrs Palmer at admin@stmarys698.herts.sch.uk. Your contributions will not only serve to highlight the diverse talents within our community but will also contribute to the collective narrative that shapes the identity of St Mary's.
St Mary's Church
Lent, Holy Week and Easter 2024
Click here to find out more.
Holiday Activities
We 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.
