St Mary's News
Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing;
together shining a light
Embedded Files
“Let your light shine before others.”
Matthew 5:16
Celebrating What Makes Us Shine
Celebrating What Makes Us Shine
We’ve had a brilliant start to the half term at St Mary’s! Last week, we were reflecting on the big question: “What makes me, me?” We've been celebrating the things we love to do, the talents we are proud of, and the special qualities that make each of us one of a kind.
This links perfectly with our value for the half term: Friendship. We’ve been thinking about how we can be great friends to one another, but also how we can be friends with our world. The children have come up with fantastic ideas, including:
🚶 Walking to school to help our planet
💧 Turning off taps and lights to save water and energy
🗑 Throwing rubbish away to keep our community clean
It’s been inspiring to see pupils buzzing with ideas about how small actions can make a big difference. At St Mary’s, friendship isn’t just about caring for each other, it’s also about shining our light to care for the world around us.
Key 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 3
Monday 15th September - 9:00 - 10:00 - Year 3 - Parent Welcome Meeting
Tuesday 16th September - 9:00 - 10:00 - Year 2 Parent Welcome Meeting
Wednesday 17th September - 9:00 - 10:00 - Year 4 Parent Welcome Meeting
Wednesday 17th September - 2:00 - 3:00 - Reception & Year 1 Reading Meeting (email sent out)
Thursday 18th September - 9:00 - 10:00 - Year 5 Parent Welcome Meeting
Friday 19th September - 9:00 - 10:00 - Year 6 Parent Welcome Meeting
Autumn Term...
Week 4
Tuesday 23rd September - 9:15 - 10:15 - Year 1 - Reading Workshop with children (email sent out)
Tuesday 23rd September - 14:00 - Reception parent meeting with Mrs Maxwell followed by Reception Praying-in celebration (email sent out)
Thursday 25th September - 15:30 - 17:15 - Movie Night (email sent out)
Thursday 25th September - no Oliver rehearsal
Friday 26th September - INSET day - no school for children
Week 5
Wednesday 1st October - 9:00 - 10:00 - Harvest Festival at St Mary's Church - Years 1 to 6. Drop off at the church
Week 6
Tuesday 7th October - Individual photographs
Friday 10th October - 2pm - Parent Rep meeting
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
Week 8
Tuesday 21st October - Reception, Years 1 & 2 Parent Consultations
Tuesday 21st October - Year 2 - Pirate Day in school
Wednesday 22nd October - Reception, Years 1 & 2 Parent Consultations
Wednesday 22nd October - 3:00 - 3:45 - Years 3 to 6 - Book Look
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
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
Week 12
Wednesday 26th November - Wreath Making Evening
Friday 28th November - afternoon - St Andrews House Celebration
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 - afternoon - Pantomime at Watersmeet - parents to pick up from there
Week 15
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 - 6pm to 7pm - 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 - Chritsmas 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
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Tuesday 3rd February - afternoon & evening - Year 4 & choir - Young Voices
Week 6 - Themed Week - Art week
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 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-Marathan 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 14th July - evening - Year 6 performance to parents
Thursday 15th 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 Great Habits
At St Mary’s we often remind ourselves, and our children, that what you focus on is what you will grow. Just like sowing seeds in a garden, the routines, habits, and expectations we plant each day shape who our children will become.
At school, we build clear, consistent routines to help children feel secure, ready to learn, and confident in what is expected of them. From lining up calmly, to showing respect to each other and themselves during lessons, to developing independence in organising their own learning - routines help children flourish.
The same is true at home. Expectations such as completing home learning, limiting time on computer games, sitting together for meals, enjoying a consistent bedtime routine with shared reading, and practising good manners online and to each other all make a real difference. These small but powerful daily habits build security and structure. Research shows that strong, predictable routines help children regulate emotions, succeed academically, and develop a greater sense of belonging.
But routines are not just about structures — they are about rights and responsibilities. If we want our children to grow into respectful adults who use their voice wisely, we must help them understand that every right comes with a responsibility.
When home and school work together, we give children the best chance to grow into lifelong learners who are both confident and responsible. It is not just what we say that counts, it is what we consistently do, and the expectations we set, that truly help our children shine.
What research tells us about routines and expectations:
Studies show that regular routines at home and school help children develop stronger self-regulation, social skills, and academic success.
Research highlights that home routines (like reading, mealtimes, or bedtime) help children feel secure and more ready to learn at school.
In classrooms, well-established routines reduce distractions, freeing children’s minds to focus on learning.
Children with predictable daily routines are better at managing their own behaviour and emotions.
When parents set clear expectations and work in partnership with school, children tend to achieve more, attend better, and develop stronger life skills.
Information
Information
Movie Night
We are very excited to invite the children to our Movie Night on Thursday 25th September, from 3:15–5:15pm.
This event is extra special as it is being organised by our two new Year 6 Charity Ambassadors, Amber and Tilly. This is a brand-new position of responsibility at St Mary’s, and we are delighted to see them take the lead in their first project.
Amber and Tilly carried out a survey across Years 1–6, and three films came out as the most popular choices:
The Lego Movie
The Greatest Showman
Paddington
All three films will be shown at our Movie Night, and children can choose which one they would like to watch.
Half of the money raised will go to the local charity Playskill, and the other half will go back into school for our different councils to decide how it should be spent.
Please sign up via School Gateway and indicate which film your child would like to attend. We hope you will support our two wonderful Charity Ambassadors in this exciting event.
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.
Festival of The Girl
Festival of The Girl, aimed at 7 - 11 year old girls and their families (including brothers), is taking place on Sat 18th and Sun 19th October in Islington, London. Children will have the opportunity to try different activities ranging from engineering to gaming, sports to aviation, experiments to activism, production to sustainability, politics to friendships, banking to farming and much more. With a SEND session and pay-what-you-can option they don't want any girl to miss out.
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 - from next week
Year 1 - Freddie
Year 2 - Angelos
Year 3 - Bella
Year 4 - Tilly
Year 5 - Sophie
Year 6 - Ella
Above and Beyond
A massive congratulations to the children below who achieved Above and Beyond!
Rosie, Harry, Jurialus, Alex, Stella, Kaia, Angelos, Ezra, Caleb, Savanna, Daisy, Maeve, Orla, Giana, Jacob, Sylvie, Ilan, Cianna, Florence, Lily B, Arthur, Tom, Max, Aviya, Matthew, Simran, Charlie, Marly, Illia, Anabelle, Minnie, Carter, Tom, Nancy, Ava, Poppy, Sasha, Paul John, Nicole, Willow, Victor, Amelie, Violet, Josh, Anna, Ella, Ava
All our wonderful Reception children for such a fabulous start to being part of St Mary's.
Headteacher Award
A massive well done to Florence (Year 4) and Alex (Year 2) for their huge effort to complete the various Summer Holiday Challenges.
🌟 Our Wonderful Reception Class 🌟
We are so proud of our Reception children who have completed their very first full week at St Mary’s! They have enjoyed getting to know their new adults, exploring the classroom, and beginning to learn some of the important routines and rules that help us all to shine together.
This week also brought an exciting milestone — staying for lunch! The children did brilliantly and showed such confidence as they settled into this part of school life.
It has been a joy to see how quickly they are beginning to feel at home, making friends, and showing curiosity in everything they do. What a fantastic start to their St Mary’s journey! ✨
Please watch the video below to see some of the wonderful activities they have been up to! 🎥
🌟 Amber’s Special Day at the BBC 🌟
We are so proud of Amber, who was invited to the BBC in Manchester on friday to thank her for the incredible fundraising support she has given them over the last six years! What an amazing recognition of her dedication and kindness.
Amber is also one of our fabulous new Charity Ambassadors at St Mary’s this year — a role she so rightly deserves. We can’t wait to see her continue to shine in this position as she inspires others through her generosity and determination.
Below is a little snippet of her special day!
🌟Celebrating Florence’s Skateboarding Success!🌟
We are delighted to share an amazing achievement from the summer holidays. Florence took part in the Croxley Skate Jam in August, entering the girls’ skateboarding competition. Each skater had two minutes to showcase their skills on the skatepark, and Florence impressed the judges by including a rock to fakie on a ramp she had previously found challenging.
Her courage and determination paid off as she won second place in the girls’ jam — and she was the youngest skateboarder competing that day!
We are so proud of Florence’s bravery in performing in front of a crowd, often alongside much older and more experienced skaters. It’s wonderful to see her passion and confidence growing, supported by such a welcoming skateboarding community.
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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