• 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...

Reception Class

A warm welcome to our new Reception class — we are thrilled to have you join the St Mary's family! We are so proud of how you’ve managed your first days. We’re excited to get to know each of you better and to share in this wonderful adventure.

"You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." — A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

We can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’ll achieve as you grow with us!

Doodle Learning - Summer Challenge

A big congratulations to all the children below for their fantastic effort over the summer, earning Doodle Learning certificates in Maths and English! Your commitment and hard work have truly shone—well done!

Dillon, Mariam, Paul John, Ben, Zainub, Emaan, Henning, Sebastian, and Saskia

Lots of other children also worked hard on Doodle Learning over the summer but didn’t quite reach the required number of stars to earn a certificate and badge.

A huge well done to all the children who participated in the Summer Reading Challenge! We handed out several certificates on Friday, and we’ll be giving out a few more next week. If your child has earned a certificate, please send it into school — we’d love to celebrate their fantastic efforts! Keep up the great reading!

Exciting Summer Transformations at School!

On Thursday, the children explored the various improvements made around the school during the summer holidays. One of the biggest changes is that Jack in the Box and the library have swapped places. Be sure to check out the video showing our brand-new nursery area! The other side of the nursery now serves as a KS2 intervention room in the morning and a Music/Art room in the afternoon.

We’ve also enhanced the Year 1 outdoor space, opening up the old nursery garden so our Year 1 children now enjoy a wide variety of outdoor learning opportunities. Our new library and Hub have already made a significant impact on the children. While there are still some developments in progress, all children can access the library starting this week. The children were full of awe and wonder when they explored this space on Thursday!

In the coming weeks, the library will be open during lunchtimes for different year groups, and parents will have the chance to visit the library with their children after school until 3:45. JD Club will also be based in this area from 4:15 onwards. We’re also excited about "The Hub," which is a fantastic new area in the center of the school for various interventions. 

Additionally, all of the fences have been freshly painted, creating a uniform look across different areas. A new gate has been added to the Secret Garden, providing access to the front grassed area for lessons and a quiet zone during KS2 lunchtimes.

So much has been done over the summer, and we would like to give a massive thank you to JJ and his team and Marcus O'Neil and his team as well as everyone involved in making these changes happen! We love their work; it has made such an impact on the school community!  Please contact the school office if you would like their details for work on your property.

We would like to invite any parents attending the 'Meet the Teacher' sessions in Week 4 to stay afterwards for a tour to have a look around for yourselves.

Amber's Show Jumping Success!

Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner Workshops 

October-December 2024

Workshops are open to all young people & parents/carers of children and young people who attend a school or are registered to a GP in Hertfordshire. A referral is not needed to access a workshop. All workshops are currently being delivered online via Microsoft Teams. For more information about what each workshop covers and to book a place onto a workshop, visit the Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner Eventbrite page:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/hct-childrens-wellbeing-practitioners-33494371787

Year Six - Secondary Transfer 2025

• Attendance at school is the foundation of a child's future success and happiness. Over the coming weeks, we will be focusing on a letter from the alphabet in each newsletter to highlight the importance of regular attendance, along with helpful advice for parents and carers. In this newsletter, we are reviewing the A to Z of Attendance so far, emphasizing how each aspect contributes to your child’s overall well-being and progress in school.

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A is for Appointments - Medical (and other) appointments should be made for non-school days wherever possible. If not, try to arrange them for the afternoon and ensure your child attends school in the morning as this reduces the number of lessons your child misses and also helps keep their attendance healthy. If you get an appointment at an awkward time, it is always worth asking for it to be moved as often cancellations or other appointments are available at the end of the school day. 

B is for Being Present - Each day at school offers valuable learning experiences. By being present, your child can benefit from a structured curriculum, diverse subjects, and various extracurricular activities that contribute to their overall development. By being present in class helps them stay on track with lessons, and educational milestones. By being present ensures that your child is ready and prepared to absorb new knowledge. 

C is for Consistency - Consistent and regular attendance ensures that children benefit from continuous learning, build a strong academic foundation, and actively contribute to the classroom community. It fosters a collective educational journey, allowing for uninterrupted progress and shared experiences. Furthermore, consistent attendance minimises disruptions, as children missing learning need support to catch up, which can impact the flow of lessons and others' learning. Therefore, consistency in school attendance not only benefits the individual learner but also significantly enhances the collective experience of the classroom, ensuring a cohesive and supportive learning environment for all. 

D is for Data - 

96%  is the expected minimum attendance for all children at St Mary's.

Below 95%  - We will send you a letter to explain that we are monitoring your child's attendance.

90%  and below is considered 'Persistent Absence'. We will send you a letter. We are expected to discuss your child's attendance with our Local Authority Attendance Officer.

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 9.00 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. 

F is for Feedback - Attendance Matters! In our commitment to supporting every aspect of our pupils' success, we extend our feedback beyond academic and pastoral areas to include attendance. How? By providing detailed attendance reports during parent consultations, issuing letters for children whose attendance falls below 95%, 90%, or 80%, as well as recognising improvements in attendance. Additionally, we celebrate those achieving 100% attendance each term with certificates, acknowledging their consistency.

G is for Guidance - There is a lot of guidance about attendance written by the government; it explains what they expect local authorities, schools, parents and others to do.

H is for Healthy Habit  -  Establishing solid morning routines and consistent bedtime rituals involves creating structured daily schedules that prioritise adequate sleep and preparedness for the school day.  

I is for Illness - The government expects your child to attend every day that the school is open, unless your child is too ill to attend or 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

J is for Journey to Success - This week emphasises the significance of each day in your child's educational journey, recognising that every moment counts towards achieving academic excellence and personal growth. 

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. 

L is for Learning - If your child is not in school, then they miss out on valuable lessons and experiences that are crucial for their academic and personal development. Regular attendance is key to ensuring they keep up with the curriculum, develop strong social skills, and build a foundation for lifelong learning. Let’s work together to make sure your child doesn’t miss out on these important opportunities. 

M is for Medical - This code is used to indicate that a student is absent due to a medical appointment or illness. Proper documentation may be required to verify the medical reason for the absence. We encourage you to organise any medical appointments after the afternoon registration, if possible, to minimise disruption to your child's learning. 

Reminder about Parking

This is a reminder that there is NO parking down Stockers Farm Road or Juniper Gate at drop off and pick up.  If we use this road fpor parking, we will have to pay for this use which would be over £2,000.  It is also incredibly dangerous and we all want to keep our children safe. 

Start of the day

Last term, Reception, Years 1 & 2 successfully trialed a 'soft start,' allowing parents to drop off their children between 8:35 and 8:45, with children going directly into their classrooms. We are pleased to continue this approach for the Autumn Term and extend it to Key Stage 2 as well.

Lost Property

We already have lost property in school.  There is a large lost property shelving unit at the front of the office - all lost property is sent down there at the end of each day - please come and take a look! Please make sure all uniform items are named so that we are able to return property to the rightful owner.

Sport Kit Reminder and Timetable

• As we settle into the new academic year, please take note of your child's PE days. On these days, children should come to school dressed in their Sports kit.

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• Uniform Requirements:

• PE Polo Shirt: St. Mary’s Yellow PE polo shirt

• Bottoms: Black shorts or black skort

• Top Layer: St. Mary’s Black zipped hoodie with the school emblem OR a plain black zipped top (If you already have a logo black hoodie, please continue to use it)

• Tracksuit: Black tracksuit bottoms (no skins or leggings)

• Footwear: Plain white or black trainers (velcro if your child is unable to tie laces)

• Socks: White ankle socks

A reminder that earnings, jewellery and watches need to be taken off for PE lessons for safety reasons. It would be really helpful if these items are not worn to school on a PE day as if items are lost then we cannot be held responsible.

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        • A reminder that uniform guidelines are being strictly enforced. Let's ensure all children are dressed 

appropriately everyday as this is an important life skill which will help children as they progress through 

their school life and out into the wider world. 

Timetabled Sports lessons:

Reception - Wednesday

Year One - Tuesday and Thursday

Year Two - Monday and Wednesday

Year Three - Monday and Friday

Year Four - Friday (Thursday swimming at Merchant Taylors - see letter from Mrs Palmer)

Year Five - Wednesday and Thursday

Year Six - Wednesday and Thursday

JD Club Updates

We have some exciting changes to JD Club this year. To start, the children will have the opportunity to rename the club during the first couple of weeks.

If you plan on using our wrap-around care, please make sure to read and sign the 'Code of Conduct', which can be accessed via the link below.

Enrichment Clubs

Matilda Production

Upgraded Breakfast Club

Social Media