Following the devastating event of Thursday at The Study, I know that our school community has been affected. The family and friends of all those that have been impacted by this tragedy are in our thoughts and prayers. If you or your family require any support in relation to this please contact us and we can put you in touch with the relevant support agency.
At school this week has been so busy with lots of events having taken place.
Firstly well done to the children who took their ABRSM Music Exams on Monday. Mrs Minster reported that everyone was so sensible and calm throughout.
On Tuesday the Reception children spent the day at Bocketts Farm and once again, in true St Michael's tradition their behaviour was exemplary and they had such fun, returning with wonderful memories of the day.
A Year 6 Science activity took place for both KS1 and KS2 on the field this week - more on this further down this web update..
Yesterday was Reception Sports Day, starting with a picnic on the field followed by a wide range of stimulating sporting activities for the children, again a fun filled time.
Also yesterday, Year 2 showcased their 'Let's Rock' skills to their parents in the Hall with Year 1 doing theirs next week.
And as I write, lucky Year 1 are enjoying a lovely day at Dean City Farm! We look forward to hearing all about it when they return.
Next Week (the penultimate week!):
You will receive your child's Summer School Report in their book bags on Monday afternoon along with the attendance print off.
There is also a School Journey meeting for Year 5 families on Monday morning at 08:45 which we hope all of the year 5 group parents will attend.
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings Nursery have a special Sports/Beach Day celebration to ensure all the children have a turn at their mini sports event.
We are all so looking forward to welcoming our new Reception children to their taster sessions this week too.
Year 6 have their dress rehearsal to the whole school on Tuesday afternoon and then their special 'Shakespeare Rocks' production which will be presented to their families on Thursday 13th at 6:30pm. This is guaranteed to be a highly entertaining event and the children and staff have all worked so hard to make it so. A review will be in next week's web update.
On Wednesday morning Year 4 will be welcomed to the local mosque once again and we are always so grateful for this special partnership. This will be followed by a picnic in St George's Park.
Wednesday afternoon there will be a Celebration of Learning for all parents and on Monday you will receive a parentmail outlining the details of this lovely end of year initiative for our St Michael's families to come in and tour the school to see what has been happening and for your children to be the tour guides.
On Thursday morning there is a special assembly led by Water Swim Safe Summer which I am sure you agree is a great message to be sharing with the children before they embark on their summer holidays.
Year 1 will be showcasing their Let's Rock skills to their parents on Thursday afternoon too.
Finally, on Friday we have Move Up morning, when all children will spend the day getting to know their new teachers for next term and it is also a chance for any new pupils to have a taster session before their join us in September.
Friday afternoon we are having an activity afternoon and each Phase will be doing different things. Please keep an eye out for a message from the Phase Leaders outlining what your child's Phase will be doing.
Best wishes for the weekend ahead
AMG, Headteacher
Attendance:
Our target for the year is: 97%
Our attendance for the year to date is: 96.8%
This week our attendance was: 97.5%
Well done to the 6B the only class with 100% attendance this week.
This week there are 7 pupils who have had 10% or more absence in this school year to date, falling under the Government's 94% attendance guidance.
Punctuality:
We have been asked by our Governors to monitor punctuality at St Michael's on a monthly basis from now on.
This week there were 7 late marks recorded which related to pupils
Punctuality is a life skill and we ask ALL families to ensure their children are in on time. Being late for school impacts and disrupts the whole class and shows discourtesy to the teaching staff.
Thank you for your support in ensuring your child is 'in line, on time, every time'.
Our PTA:
Thank you to those that came to the meeting on Tuesday – as we approach the end of the school year it was lovely to look back and appreciate all that we have done and look forward to the next!
Thank you also AMG for updating us on the plans the school has for the Wellbeing support.
I hope you all managed to get some cakes at the last cake sale of the year- Well Done Reception.
We are still looking for a co- chair for the PTA. This is for two years to work with the other Co-Chair, the class reps and the committee – all of which are in place and ready to go! It really is an enjoyable and rewarding role that enables the various aspects to come together. The time commitment is not as much as you may think with plenty of scope to do things how it suits you.
By coming forward you will enable the work of the PTA to continue ensuring the delivery of the events that our children love so much, building our community and of course raising funds for the school. There is so much support when doing the role so please don’t be shy and get in touch if interested pta@stmichaels.wandsworth.sch.uk or PM Sheila, Cora or your class rep. PLEASE do consider coming forward. If you know another parent who you think may be willing and able please do encourage them to consider it too.
Looking forward to hearing from someone regarding the role….
Cora and Sheila
PTA Co-chairs
Facebook:@StMikesCoE
Twitter:@StMikesCoE
Don't forget to look out for updates on school life throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter so you don't miss out.
Facegroup Group for Parents:
This is a closed group for St Michael's parents to share their swaps and buys and sells:
You can put in a request to join the group via this link:
On Monday, we had 19 children sit ABRSM exams. I am pleased to report that all the children have passed, with 9 children achieving distinction.
Well done to all the children, and many thanks to the parents for all their support and encouragement.
TRACEY MINSTER
Celebration of Learning:
Wednesday 12th July: 3:30-6pm
This will be a drop in event where children will be able to show their parents their work and also introduce them to their new classroom and class teacher. It will be a time of celebration as well as an opportunity to tour the whole school.
Lunch Arrangements for September 2023:
We have a new supplier, Harrison Caterers, supplier our school lunches from September, when all children from Reception to Year 6 will be eligible for a free school lunch for the coming academic year.
If your child is changing from packed lunch to school lunch, or vice versa, please email the office so that the caterers can buy in the correct amount of food for the first week of the new school year.
The kitchen ladies will need to know by Friday 14th July at the latest please.
Once your child has chosen one or the other they need to stick with this arrangement for at least a full half term please.
Here is the link to their introductory flyer: LINK
Here is the link to the new menu on the website: LINK
Here is the link to the allergy form (all allergies need to be notified via this form please as Harrison's need their own paperwork completed): LINK
Year 4 Litter Collection!
On Tuesday, Mrs Jopp was "dismayed to discover that the school's Sensory Garden, usually a haven of natural beauty and tranquillity, had been littered with plastic bags"!
She decided to phone Mrs Lee in 4L because she knows the children in Year 4 are very eco-aware and have recently been learning about the issue of plastic pollution. The children and their teachers stopped what they were doing in their English lesson immediately to come down to have a look for themselves. They agreed that it was a dreadful mess and many expressed their annoyance and disappointment when asked their opinion about the situation. Some of them kindly helped to clear it all up.
What a coincidence that this incident just so happens to be in the same week that the Year 4 children are going to be writing a newspaper report on this very topic - so we decided we should write about this unusual incident.
....Watch this space... ;)
RACHEL LEE
Reception Visit to Bocketts Farm:
This week, Reception went on a trip to Bocketts Farm. The children had a wonderful time and were so well behaved, done Reception!
When we arrived we went on a bumpy tractor ride around the beautiful fields, sightseeing lots of animals. We saw cows, sheep, alpacas, pigs and lambs.
After, we got to handle some very small rabbits ad guineas pigs, learning about how to pet them safely and carefully.
We were all very excited about lunch after seeing all the animals. Once we had finished, we were ready to cheer on the pigs in the afternoon pig race. We had an orange flag and cheered loudly for the orange team.
It was a very enjoyable (and tiring) day!
CHLOE FRYER
Year 6 Science Project:
This week, KS1 and KS2 participated in four Science activities that were run by five Year 6 students. Pupils could choose to answer fun scientific questions relating to pattern seeking, fair testing and observing over time.
They investigated how many water droplets a coin would hold, checked their reaction speed by catching a falling ruler and observed chromatography in action using felt tip pens and special paper.
The big finale was testing which soft drink would create the biggest fountain of fizz when a Mentos was dropped into it!
A huge shout out to our Science Ambassadors Lawrence and Rory, EcoWarrior Sophia A and helpers Freddie Hughes and Sophia VS (all from 6S) for their fantastic delivery of the activities.
GREER SMITH
Autumm Term Clubs:
The letter is going out next week for the Autumn Term Clubs and bookings will GO LIVE at 9am on Saturday 15th July.
Call Out For Year 6 Props
Year 6 is busy preparing props and costumes for their production.
If any of the following could be lent or donated byMonday 10th July, we would be so grateful.
- long white half-body aprons
- black cloaks/capes (eg for a witch or magician)
- long-sleeved white button-up shirts
- long black trousers (suitable for 10-11 year old)
- Tudor-style bonnets and hats
- any unwanted pairs of high heels
Many thanks
Miss Bostock and Ms Smith
Sports and PE News:
Years 1 - 6 Sports Day:
Sports day on Friday was great and we hope you appreciate the efforts we have made to make sports day inclusive and competitive at the same time. There was some very close competition in the medal events and the children were very graceful in both victory and defeat, which I am sure you agree is a skill we all need to learn.
The House Cup was awarded to Granville who won the most points on the day and have been our most successful house this year. Viewfield, Melrose and Seymore captains next year will have to really rally their houses next year to take the cup.
Thank you to all the support from staff and parents last week.
Mr Rochford
PE Lead
"Sports week was really fun because we did lots of sports we don’t usually do. Sports day was really fun and everyone was very supportive of each other."
Year 6 Girl
“This term I have really enjoyed sports day because it was fun. My favourite activity at sports day was the obstacle course.”
Year 1 Boy
“I really enjoyed the 60m race at sports even though I didn’t win, I enjoyed taking part. ”
Year 2 Boy
AFC Wimbledon Foundation are running a Girls-only Holiday Camp in the Summer for 3 weeks. We would like to invite your students to attend! The holiday camp will give the girls an opportunity to make friends, have fun and play football!
Week 1 - 24th - 27th July
Week 2 - 31st July - 3rd August
Week 5 - 21st - 24th August
Details:
Time: 10am - 3pm
Location: The Aspire Centre, Burr Road Entrance, SW18 4SS
Free entry fundraiser for adults with severe brain injuries.
The organisers would also love to get the children involved so follow the link to create your own bunting design template, which they will then display at the fete for everyone to see!
Enable, in partnership with Wandsworth Council, have teamed up with Battersea Summer Scheme and Smart Hospitality to deliver a week of free activities and entertainment for eligible families . The programme, in Evolution London, Battersea Park, is designed for ages 5-16 years and will include a great range of fun activities with something for everyone, as well as a free packed lunch.
[PLEASE NOTE CHILDREN UNDER 11 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A GUARDIAN OVER 18 YEARS OLD & GUARDIANS MUST ALSO BOOK TICKETS.]
As all parents know, they are able to make an appointment with the class teacher and/or SENCO to discuss concerns they have about their child's learning and development.
In addition to this The Inclusion Team would like to offer parents quick, drop-in opportunities where they can ask Mrs Harris (Deputy Headteacher, SENCo and Mental Health Lead) questions they have about their child.
At the moment these sessions will be run on a first come first served basis, so there may be a queue. Please come and wait in the School Office.
Kind regards
The Inclusion Team
Reflection and Prayer:
Parent Prayer Group:
Meeting in school straight after drop off from 8.30/40 to about 9:15am
Friday 14th July
Come through the front office and the Oasis room is through to KS1 on the left hand side.
Prayer Box:
We now have a new prayer box at the front desk of the office for any of your prayer requests.
Please feel free to come and post them into the box in advance of the Parent Prayer Group meetings.
Next Week's Gospel Value Is:
Hope:
Touch me, O Lord, and fill me with your light and your hope. Amen.
Dear God, please give me strength when I am weak, love when I feel forsaken, courage when I am afraid, wisdom when I feel foolish, comfort when I am alone, hope when I feel rejected, and peace when I am in turmoil.
Psalm 62:5-6
For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
.... and finally....
.......The "sinkhole surgery" proved to be quite a large operation in the playground earlier this week...