St Mary's News
Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing;
together shining a light
Embedded Files
“Let your light shine before others.”
Matthew 5:16
How can I look after our world?
How can I look after our world?
Last week, we turned our reflections into action by thinking about the question, “How can I look after our world?” The children watched the BBC Lifebabble: Going Green episode, which encouraged them to think about the small but powerful changes we can all make to protect our planet.
We revisited the three key ways our Eco Council has asked everyone in our school community to help make a difference:
💡 Turning off lights when they’re not needed
🚰 Turning off taps to save water
🚶♀️ Walking more often to school
We also have some exciting news to share! Over the half-term break and in the weeks that follow, work will be taking place across our school to make our lighting more energy efficient. All ceilings are being adapted so that we can install sensor-controlled LED lights, which will make a significant difference to our electricity use and help St Mary’s become an even greener school.
Looking after our planet.mp4Key Dates
Key Dates
There are lots more dates to add to the calendar but we wanted to get these to you as soon as possible to put into your dairies...
This Week ...
Week 7 - Themed week - Black History Month
Tuesday 14th October - Reception, Years 1 & 2 Target Reports sent to parents
Tuesday 14th October - Year 3 - Celtic Harmony Class Trip
Tuesday 14th October - FoSMS AGM - 7:00pm in school
Wednesday 15th October - afterschool - secondhand book sale - all proceeds to go back into our Library
Thursday 16th October - 09:00 - 10:30 - Parent workshop with Lynn Turnball from PINS project
Friday 17th October - Show Racism the Red Card - non-school uniform day - please wear something red
Autumn Term...
Week 8
Tuesday 21st October - Reception, Years 1 & 2 Parent Consultations
Tuesday 21st October - Year 2 - Pirate Day in school
Tuesday 21st October - 3:00 - 3:45 - Year 4 Book Look
Wednesday 22nd October - Reception, Years 1 & 2 Parent Consultations
Wednesday 22nd October - 3:00 - 3:45 - Years 3, 5 & 6 - Book Look
Wednesday 22nd October - Year 4 - Class trip to the Science Museum
HALF TERM - Thursday 23rd October to Tuesday 4th November
Week 9
Monday 3rd November - INSET Day - no school
Tuesday 4th November - Children back to school
Thursday 6th November - 16:30 - 18:30 - Fireworks Night, book tickets by clicking on the advert
Sunday 9th November - Remembrance Sunday Church service and procession
Week 10 - Themed Week - Anti-bullying week
Monday 10th November - Odd Socks Day
Tuesday 11th November - Remembrance day - children can wear their scouting uniform to school
Week 11
Tuesday 18th November - Year 6 Class Trip to the Imperial War Museum
Week 12 Assessment Week
Wednesday 26th November - Wreath Making Evening
Friday 28th November - afternoon - St Andrews House Celebration
Friday 28th November - afterschool - Choir singing at Rickmansworth's Winter fair
Week 13
Wednesday 3rd December - Years 3 to 6 Target reports sent to parents
Friday 5th December - 2pm - Parent rep meeting
Saturday 6th December - Christmas Market
Week 14
Tuesday 9th December - am - Reception Nativity Dress Rehearsal to school
Tuesday 9th December - afternoon - Pantomime at Watersmeet - parents to pick up from there
Wednesday 10th December - 9:30am - Reception Nativity Performance for parents
Wednesday 10th December - am - KS1 Nativity Dress Rehearsal to school
Wednesday 10th December - evening - KS2 Parent Consultations
Thursday 11th December - 9:30am & 2:00pm - KS1 Nativity performances for parents
Thursday 11th December - evening - KS2 Parent Consultations
Week 15 No Enrichment Clubs
Monday 15th December - Christmas Jumper Day & Christmas Lunch
Monday 15th December - afterschool - Years 1 to 3 - Christmas Disco
Wednesday 17th December - 3:00 - 3:45 - Reception, Years 1 & 2 - Book Look
Wednesday 17th December - 6:00pm to 7:00pm - Years 3 to 6 Carol Service at St Mary's church
Thursday 18th December - Afternoon - Reception Disco
Thursday 18th December - Afterschool - Years 4 to 6 - Christmas Disco
Friday 19th December - wear Christmas jumpers - school finishes at 1:15
SpringTerm...
Week 1 - Breakfast & afterschool starts back
Wednesday 7th January - children back in school
Week 2 - Enrichment Clubs start back
Thursday 15th January - 9:00 - 10:30 - Parent workshop with Lynn Turnball from PINS Project
Week 3
Monday 19th January - pm - Y5 Mini Police - Bullying and Internet Safety Sessions
Week 4
Week 5
Monday 2nd February - pm - Year 5 Mini Police - Road Safety
Tuesday 3rd February - afternoon & evening - Year 4 & choir - Young Voices
Week 6 - Themed Week - Art week
Monday 9th Febraury - pm - Year 5 Mini Police - Interactive session, drill and equipment
Tuesday 10th February - 3:00 - 3:45 - Parent Book Look
HALF TERM - Monday 16th to Monday 23rd February
Week 7
Tuesday 23rd February to Thursday 25th February - Scholastic Book Fair
Friday 27th February - whole school watching the M&M Productions - Wizard of Oz
Week 8 - Themed Week - Book Week
Thursday 5th March - World Book Day - dress up as a book character
Friday 6th March - afternoon - St Davids House celebration
Week 9
Sunday 15th March - Years 3 to 6 - Oliver production - Dress rehearsal
Week 10
Tuesday 17th March - Parent Target reports to parents
Wednesday 18th March - afternoon and evening - Oliver production
Thursday 19th March - afternoon - Oliver production
Friday 20th March - St Patrick's House Celebration
Friday 20th March - evening - Oliver production
Week 11
Tuesday 24th March - Parent Consultations
Wednesday 25th March - Parent Consultations
Thursday 26th March - 2pm - Parent Rep Meeting
Thursday 26th March - 6pm - Easter service in Church for Years 1 to 6
Friday 27th March - Last day of term - finish at 1:15
Summer Term...
Week 1 - Breakfast & afterschool Clubs starts back
Wednesday 15th April - children back in school
Week 2 - Enrichment Clubs start back
Friday 24th April - afternoon - St George's House celebration
Week 3
Week 4
Monday 4th May - Bank Holiday - no school
Week 5 - SATS Week
Week 6 - Themed Week - STEM week
Tuesday 19th May - 3:00 - 3:45 - Parent Book Look
HALF TERM
Week 7
Tuesday 2nd June - children back in school
Week 8 - Year 1 Phonics Screening; Year 4 Multiplication Check
Week 9 - Year 6 residential
Week 10 - Themed Week - Diversity Week
Saturday 27th June - Summer Fair
Week 11
Week 12 - Themed week - Sports Week
Monday 6th July - afternoon - Charity Mini-Marathon at the Aquadrome
Thursday 9th July - Secondary Transition day
Friday 10th July - Sports Day
Friday 10th July - afterschool - Year 6 Leavers party
Week 13
Monday 13th July - Reports to parents
Wednesday 15th July - evening - Year 6 performance to parents
Thursday 16th July - afternoon - Year 6 performance to parents
Week 14
Monday 20th July - Year 6 Leavers assembly for parents
Tuesday 21st July - Leavers Service at St Mary's Church
2025-2026 Academic Year
INSET Days and Trust Development Days
INSET and Trust Development Days (in red, light blue and purple) are days children are not in school. These are important training days for staff to enhance their skills, knowledge, and collaboration across the school and Trust. They ensure we deliver the best possible education for our children.
Personal Development Blog
Personal Development Blog
Growing Stronger: Building Resilience and Looking After Ourselves
At St Mary’s, we believe that personal development is just as important as academic learning - helping our children to grow into kind, confident, and resilient individuals.
We’ve talked a lot about our bucket filling and dipping analogy in school. Every time we do something kind, thoughtful, or helpful, we fill someone else’s bucket - and our own too! But sometimes things happen that make our buckets feel a little emptier: someone’s unkind words, a disappointment, or a mistake we’ve made.
That’s where resilience comes in. Resilience is like putting a lid on your bucket. It helps to protect the good things inside when challenges come our way. Having a lid doesn’t mean we ignore difficult feelings, but it helps us to stop those moments from emptying our bucket completely. We can still feel sad, worried, or frustrated, but we also know how to look after ourselves and find ways to bounce back.
In school, we’re helping children to practise this by:
💬 Talking about their feelings and recognising what might dip their bucket.
🧠 Learning simple strategies to “use their lid” — taking a deep breath, talking to someone they trust, or focusing on what’s gone well.
🌱 Celebrating acts of kindness and perseverance that fill our buckets and strengthen our sense of community.
You can support this at home too by talking with your child about their bucket - asking what’s filled it today, what’s dipped it, and how they’ve used their lid to protect it.
Building resilience takes time, practice, and encouragement, but every small act of reflection helps our children to become stronger, more positive, and more compassionate so they can shine their light even when things feel tough.
Information
Information
Some of our thoughtful Year 4 children have come up with a fantastic idea — to hold a secondhand book sale, with all proceeds going towards new books for our school library.
Please come along and support their wonderful initiative by browsing and buying some pre-loved books this Wednesday after school. It’s a great way to encourage reading, recycle well-loved stories, and help develop our library further!
October Holiday Camp – We’re Going Ahead!
Thank you to everyone who has registered their interest in our October Holiday Camp, running on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th October. We’re delighted that seventeen children have already signed up — showing there’s a real demand for this provision.
We’re pleased to confirm that the camp will be going ahead. As some building work will be taking place in school over that period, Mrs Maxwell will be leading much of the camp to ensure activities run smoothly and safely.
Across the two days, children will enjoy a range of fun, engaging activities, all designed to keep them active, creative, and connected with friends.
If you’d like your child to join us, please book via the School Gateway.
Children will need to bring a packed lunch, snacks, and drinks each day.
If you click onto the poster, it takes you directly to the website to buy tickets.
Reception 2026 Tours
We’re now welcoming prospective parents for our Reception 2026 tours. If you know families in the local area with children starting school next September, please do spread the word about St Mary’s! Our tours are a wonderful opportunity to see our school in action, meet the team, and experience our caring, values-driven environment. Families can book a visit through the school office.
Parent Courses
Please find below the Autumn Term free online parenting groups for parents and carers, funded by Herts County Council for parents/carers who live in Hertfordshire or who have a child attending a Hertfordshire school.
Please see below the latest DSPL9 Newsletter for parents, which includes a wide range of opportunities for support. There are coffee mornings, workshops (both in person and online), and a variety of support groups available to access.
If you would like any further information or guidance about what’s on offer, please speak to Mrs Budd, who will be happy to help.
Shining a light on...
Shining a light on...
House Points
This year, children will continue to earn House Points to fill their house team's bucket. Each week, the house with the most points will be awarded four points, the second place will receive three points, and so on. At the end of each term, the winning house will enjoy a non-uniform day as a special reward for their efforts.
Effort & Progress in Learning Certificates
Congratulations to the children below who received a special certificate on Friday for 'Effort and Progress in Learning'.
Reception - Felix
Year 1 - Charlotte
Year 2 - Caleb
Year 3 - Lennon
Year 4 - Florence
Year 5 - Simran
Year 6 - Issy
Above and Beyond
A massive congratulations to the children below who achieved Above and Beyond!
Tyler, Beau, Willow, Juniper, Lily, Sophie, Seb, Sidney, Judah, Korina, Niamh, Harry, Sophia, Jenson, Niven, Betty, Caleb, Scarlett, Siddharth, Angela, Scarlett, Sylvie, Harper, Millie, Jacob, Dylan, Sadie, Arina, Zack, Eddie, Jaiden, Jaycee, Mariam, Tom, Olivia, Sophie, Illia, Poppy, Ava, Scarlett, Poppy, Minnie, Nancy, Lilly D, Quinn, Oscar, Jules, Kieran, Dolly, Amber, Esmée, Willow, Austin, Mary, Tobias, Ava
Attendance Award
Coding Club: Working a Little Magic!
In Coding Club, our children have been working some serious technical magic - figuratively and literally!
Our Year 5 coders are developing their own project called “The Magic Wand”, where they’re learning to make sprites interactive and respond to changes within their program. Meanwhile, our Year 6 children are designing and building their own “Escape Room” game, combining creativity, logic, and teamwork.
Across both groups, the children are exploring the possibilities of Scratch, learning how different variables and commands can create new effects and bring their ideas to life. It’s wonderful to see such enthusiasm, problem-solving, and imagination at work!
Year 6 Science Investigations
Our Year 6 scientists have been busy exploring the fascinating world of fungi through two exciting investigations.
First, the children carried out an experiment to discover the best conditions for mould to grow, carefully observing how factors like warmth, moisture, and light can affect the rate of growth. Their observations led to some impressive (and rather furry!) results!
Next, they explored the spore dispersal of fungi, investigating how different methods help fungi spread and reproduce. Through hands-on experiments and close observation, the children deepened their understanding of how living things adapt and survive in their environments.
It’s been a brilliant opportunity to combine curiosity, careful scientific thinking, and a real sense of wonder about the natural world.
Rehearsals for our production of Oliver! are off to a fantastic start! The children have been absolutely amazing! The enthusiasm, teamwork, and talent on show have been incredible to see. The standard has already risen significantly from last year, and we couldn’t be prouder of everyone’s effort and commitment.
A big well done to all the children who auditioned and showcased their acting skills with such confidence and creativity. This week, it’s time to shine through singing auditions — so keep practising, projecting those voices, and bringing your characters to life!
We can’t wait to see the show come together.
Community
Community
Come along and listen to our choir singing. Further details soon
St Mary’s Highlights: Don’t Miss a Moment!
Stay connected and dive into the excitement at St Mary’s! Our social media pages are buzzing with all the amazing activities our children have been involved in over the past couple of weeks. From vibrant class projects and special assemblies to heartwarming community events, there’s so much to see and celebrate!
Click on our social media links to catch up on all the fun, unforgettable moments, and proud achievements. Don’t miss out—follow us and be part of the joy that makes our school community shine!
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