Newsletters

A reminder...

Please ensure your child's property is named. Each breaktime, we have a collection of coats and jumpers left outside with no names. Staff will try to match these up with the right child, but a clear name makes this much easier. This also applies to water bottles, lunch boxes and anything that your child brings in from home. Children do need coats (preferably with hoods) in school in this weather. We realise that a lot of children come into school in a warm car, but they are all outside at breaktimes and lunchtimes, so a coat in school is essential in this changeable, cold weather.

Christmas Dates

Please make sure you check the communication sent out this week in regard to all the Christmas events which are planned over the next few weeks.

Thank yous

A special thank you to Mr Kaufmann for kindly providing us with a beautiful Christmas tree for the entrance hall – it always brings great happiness and excitement to children and adults alike.

We would also like to thank Victoria Newey's mum for decorating the advent wreath for us. It is truly beautiful and will provide a wonderful setting for our advent candles which will be lit at our weekly collective worship assemblies for the rest of the term.

Christingle

Please let the office know if you would be able to provide oranges or sweets (or make a donation towards these) for the Christingle services. Any help would be gratefully received.

Christmas post

The post box will be up in school from the 9 December. If your child/ren would like to send Christmas cards through the school post please make sure they clearly write the name and class of the recipient on the envelope. 

Gardening news

Year 6 has been busy creating a camp using garden items and recycled wood.

The children made a pulley bird feeder by recycling garden items.  Well done to Year 5 for working so well together and persevering until IT WORKED! 

Our wild space is such a wonderful place for the children to use their imagination.

Collective Worship

This half term, clergy led worships on Mondays are based on Parables. So far, the children have learnt about the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Sheep and the Goats, the Unforgiving Servant and the Sower. The clergy have been linking the teachings to the school vision and pupils’ lives.

Other collective worships which take place throughout the week are following the London Diocesan Board of Schools cycle of Collective worship based around themes from the Bible readings in Church each week. Here are some suggested questions and prayers which you may wish to use with your children at home.

This week

Themes drawn from 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36
Start of Advent.

Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time to remember the first coming of Jesus, when he was born as a baby in Bethlehem and to look forward to his second coming when everyone will recognise him and all injustice, sadness and suffering will cease.

(Muslims also believe that Jesus will return before the Day of Judgement)

Questions:
What do you like about Christmas and are looking forwards to?
How could you make Christmas a time of peace and joy for others?
What changes would you like to see that would bring peace and justice to the world? How could you help bring about those changes?

Challenge:
Make a card or send a message to someone to let them know that you care about them.

Prayer:
Father God, may the world know your peace and joy. May my community know your peace and joy. May my family know your peace and joy. May I know your peace and joy in my life. Amen,

Next Week

Themes drawn from Malachi 3:1-4 and Luke 3:1-6
Being prepared for the coming of Jesus.

Questions:
Can you think of a time when you weren’t ready in time for something? How did it make you feel?
How are you preparing for Christmas? What do you need to do?
How do you think Christians ‘get ready’ for Jesus’ return?

Challenge:
Spend one minute each day this week being quiet and still.

Prayer:
Father God, help me to be patient. Amen
 

Some upcoming religious festivals and holy days

December 8 – Bodhi Day – this Buddhist holiday remembers the day that Gautama Buddha is believed to attain enlightenment.

December 25 – Christmas - Christians remember the birth of their Lord and Saviour.

December 26 – January 2* – Hanukkah – the Jewish ‘festival of light’ when Jews celebrate the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem.

Collective Worship Committee News

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for the Committee. During our whole school RE day they guided our Governors around the various activities that were taking place linked to our Values stories. Some of the members met with clergy to discuss their activities and feedback on Collective Worship, while others recorded two new episodes of our podcast, in which members of our Collective Worship Committee discuss the school values of Love and Forgiveness. These, along with previous episodes, will be available soon via the podcast page of our website and are well worth a listen.

Help for Hunger Hampers

In addition to the Crazy Hair Day, the staff team collected together food and gifts to make hampers for a local charity. Help for Hunger supports families in the local area that would otherwise go without at Christmas. The hampers were dropped off at St Monica’s Church hall on Tuesday, ready to be distributed to families in time for Christmas.

Thank you to everyone that supported the Crazy Hair Day and everyone that donated to the hampers.

Year 1 - Science

For our science learning on the senses, we investigated sweet and sour tastes and rated them on a scale.

We tried a range of things including pickled gherkins, orange, yoghurt and jam.

Year 1 - Puppet show and workshop

The children in year 1 enjoyed a fantastic puppet show by The Little Angels Theatre. They followed the story of the chef searching for missing ingredients to bake a cake. There were lots of surprises in the story and plenty of help from some interesting characters along the way.

The puppet show was followed by a workshop where the children were able to use their imaginations to make their own spoon puppet. Their puppets will be characters in their own stories that they are beginning to write in English.

Year 3 - Science - Light and Dark

As part of their Science topic, the children have been learning about light and shadows. In this particular lesson the children were experimenting with different types of materials and comparing how well they can be seen.

Year 5 - Westminster Abbey

Year 5 Visited Westminster Abbey to deepen their understanding of the significance of pilgrimage in various religious traditions. They explored the rich history of one of the UK's most iconic landmarks, participated in a workshop where they learnt more about the tradition of pilgrimage to the shrine of St Edward the Confessor and created their own Pilgrim badges. They also found out about the history of coronations in the Abbey which linked to our history unit about the changing power of the Monarchy – Why do we have a King and a Prime Minister? The children saw the coronation chair itself and replicas of the crown Jewels and the Magna Carta which we are learning about in class.