St Mary's Weekly
Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing;
together shining a light
(John 3:16)
Compassion
It has been an especially bustling week at school. The week commenced with a visit from our dedicated governors, who actively participated in an Early Reading session. During this session, they observed Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 engaged in phonics, guided reading, and interventions. Their presence and involvement greatly contributes to our ongoing commitment to the school's development.
In our collective worship this week, we have explored what Advent means. On Wednesday, Gary explained to the school that Advent means watching and waiting. He brought some of his bird watching equipment to show how people watch and wait, patiently and eagerly. In Advent, Christians wait, patiently and eagerly, preparing their hearts and minds to celebrate Jesus' birthday - a day to remember and celebrate God's compassion on all in Jesus' birth.
In the spirit of the festive season, our young artists have been busy crafting Christmas ornaments now adorning our school Christmas tree at the Christmas Festival hosted at St. Mary's Church. (See below for more details of the event.)
Our talented Reception and Key Stage One children are deep into rehearsals for their upcoming Nativity performances. The joy and anticipation are palpable as they prepare to bring the magic of Christmas to life on stage.
Key Dates
This week...
From Monday 4th December - Advent reflections
Each class will spend a few minutes each day reflecting on the meaning of Christmas. They will open their Advent calendar, light their Advent candle and ‘unwrap’ a Nativity character.
Monday 4th December - Year 2 trip to Maritime Museum
Monday 4th December - afternoon - Reception Nativity Dress Rehearsal (in school event)
Tuesday 5th December - 10am - Reception Nativity Performance
Parents will need to enter via the main front entrance. The performance should finish by approximately 10.40am. Each family has been allocated two tickets per performance. Tickets need to be booked online at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/CXIT.
Wednesday 6th December - Christmas Jumper Day
Children are encouraged to dress festively and wear their Christmas jumpers or other appropriate festive wear – Santa hats, Elf hats and antlers are also welcome! A collection will be taken for this term’s amazing charity - Save the Children.
Wednesday 6th December - Christmas Dinner
The children will be enjoying a traditional Christmas lunch / vegetarian Christmas lunch.
Wednesday 6th December - morning - KS1 Nativity Dress Rehearsal (in school event)
Thursday 7th December - 2:00pm - KS1 Nativity Performance
Parents will need to enter via the main front entrance. Each family has been allocated two tickets per performance. Tickets need to be booked online at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/CXJN.
Friday 8th December - 9:30am - KS1 Nativity Performance
Parents will need to enter via the main front entrance. Each family has been allocated two tickets per performance. Tickets need to be booked online at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/CXJN.
Friday 8th December - 3:10 - 4:00pm - Years 4 to 6 Disco. No JD
Please book online. Tickets cost £5 which include a donation to Save the Children, Drinks and a selection box.
Week 14...
Monday 11th December - Year 3 - rescheduled Ancient Egyptian Day
Tuesday 12th December - evening - All children from Years 3 to 6 performing at our Christmas service at St Mary's Church
Children will need to be at the Church Hall between 5.35pm and 5.45pm and the entrance is to the side of the main Church door. Members of staff will be ready to greet the children. Parents are then invited to take a seat in the Church to enjoy the service. The performance will finish by 7.00pm. No tickets are required to attend the service.
Wednesday 13th December - 2:00 - 4:30pm - Sleeping Beauty Panto at Watersmeet. No JD
Thank you FoSMs for the ice cream during the interval. Children will need to be collected from the theatre at approximately 4.30pm. There will be more details to follow regarding pick up arrangements. No JD Club.
Friday 15th December - afternoon - Class Christmas parties
Children can come to school wearing suitable party clothes (so that they can be safe and warm in an outdoor environment). Class reps will provide further details and information will also be on the class blog.
Final few days...
Monday 18th December
We will be learning about Christmas around the World with a special visitor planned for the afternoon.
Tuesday 19th December - 1:10pm - End of Term - No JD
On the last day of term children are invited to dress festively and the school day will end at 1.10pm.
Shining a light on...
House Points
This week
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 - Beau
Year 1 - Ava - Rose
Year 2 - Sadie
Year 3 - Nancy
Year 4 - Rudy
Year 5 - Nic
Year 6 - Antony
All the children that received certificates will be celebrating with Mrs Maxwell over a hot chocolate and marshmallows on Monday this week.
Above & Beyond
The children below will attend Above and Beyond on Monday with Mrs Maxwell
Orla, Giana, Aleyna, Ava, Mariam, Cian, Simran, Mary, Esmee, Ben, Tilly, Eliza, Kezia, Louie, Gianna, Emaan, William, Blake, Jack J
Poppy Appeal
Thank you to everyone that supported this charity through buying and wearing poppies.
St Mary's Christmas Card
Our children's artistic flair shone brightly as they crafted wonderful designs for this year's Christmas cards.
Join us in congratulating Zack from Year 2, whose fabulous design has been chosen as St. Mary's Christmas card this festive season.
Year 3
Recently, in Year Three, we have been learning about fables and morals in English. This week, we read ‘War and Peas’ by Michael Foreman, which is slightly different from the traditional fables we have studied, like ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’. Before reading the book, we explored the mannerism of the main characters in more detail to get a feel for what they are like. Whilst one pupil posed at the front of the classroom (without seeing any pictures) the rest of the class used their brilliant descriptions to help the pupil act like the character behind them.
Based on the setting of the book, we created collages of an imaginary land made out of the most scrumptious food ever! We included expanded noun phrases and conjunctions to describe the lands we designed. We finished off the week by writing and performing a King’s speech, trying to persuade the other animals to forgive him. We look forward to writing our own fables next week!
We took our learning outdoors in Maths, as we learnt how to use the column method to solve subtraction. We used our knowledge of place value to label the hundreds, tens and ones, and practised putting the greatest number on top and starting with taking away the ones. The class enjoyed using chalk to represent their methods on the playground.
Our young Scientists have been engaging in experiments, categorising a range of materials based on their magnetic properties.
Eco Council
We are thrilled to have actively participated in this year's Eco Forum, skillfully hosted by Mr. Jon Gray, Headteacher at York House. With sustainability taking on an increasingly vital role in primary schools, the Eco Forum serves as a platform to unite schools in fostering positive local, national, and international change.
The event featured engaging workshops, including 'Speak Up for Climate Justice' led by John McLaverty from Oxfam Education and Sophie Morbey from Oxfam GB; 'Food Waste' led by Elen Dolder from Three Rivers District Council; 'Energy' led by Sarah from Grand Union Community Energy; and 'Healthy Lifestyles' led by the Watford and Three Rivers Friends of the Earth Group.
It was an enriching experience, aligning with our commitment to environmental consciousness and collaboration for a sustainable future.
St Andrew's Celebration
St. Andrew's House enjoyed a special event on Friday, immersing the children in a journey to discover more about St. Andrew, the patron Saint of Scotland. The festivities included an engaging presentation on Scotland and an interactive quiz skillfully delivered by their enthusiastic house captains.
Adding to the cultural experience, the children were treated to the sounds of bagpipes and even had the opportunity to sample haggis, a favourite dish of Mrs. Bartram, along with some traditional Scottish shortbread. It was a wonderful occasion that not only helped our children understand about St Andrew but also offered a taste of Scottish traditions and flavours.
FoSMS Wreath Event
A heartfelt thank you to our amazing Friends of St Mary’s School and Lucy from Fern and Ruby Flowers for the wreath making workshop! 🌸
It was an evening filled with creativity, laughter, and festive spirit!
Years 1, 2 & 3 Disco
What an incredible event it was! The enthusiasm was contagious as children from Years 1, 2, and 3 dressed up in their finest for the disco. Our fantastic DJs, Mr. Torrano and Jaiden, created an exciting playlist that had the children dancing with joy. The disco featured lively dance competitions, freestyling sessions, and long conga line that weaved through the dancers, injecting an additional layer of joy into the festivities.
Years 1, 2 & 3 Disco.mp4
Christmas Market
A heartfelt thank you to FoSMS for organising another fabulous event this week! The Christmas Market buzzed with families, as they visited Santa's grotto, bought pressies from the Elf workshop and stalls and delighted in festive refreshments at our cafe. The joyous atmosphere created unforgettable moments for our school community.
Are one of these yours...? Come and collect your prize from the office.
Information
Christmas Jumper Day
🎄Get ready to jingle all the way! 🎄
On Wednesday, December 6th, we're turning our school into a festive wonderland with Christmas Jumper Day! Wear your favourite Christmas jumper and/or simply come in non-uniform to help us raise money for this term's charity, 'Save the Children.' If you can, please consider making a donation to support this incredibly worthy cause. Let's make a difference together!
Attendance
It's that time of the year again when there is a lot of illness around in the community. The government expects your child to attend every day that the school is open, unless:
your child is too ill to attend
you have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on a specific day due to exceptional circumstances
As a parent it is difficult to know when / when not to keep your child off school due to illness. Please have a read of the documents below to give you some guidance.
The Big Ambition
The Children’s Commissioner has launched The Big Ambition survey to understand what children want ahead of the next General Election. Please share this link with your children so they can have their say:
Community
Christmas Tree Festival at St Mary's Church
2 December – 3 January, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Have a look at our school Christmas tree for the Christmas Tree Festival at St Mary's Church.
Christmas at St Mary's Church
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.
