Dear Parents,
We come to the end of the half-term, with a range of events happening right across the school in the last two weeks. From our Eco-ambassadors attending a school led conference, to Reception having an immersive story telling of Stick Man within forest school, to multiple sporting events. It has been action packed.
Last night, our weekly training session for the teachers consisted of outdoor learning, which connects to the forest school starting for Y1 and Y2 after half-term, with Reception to follow in the summer. We are privileged to have some extensive grounds and our focus is on maximising their use.
A reminder tomorrow (Friday 10th February) is an INSET day and we wish you an enjoyable half-term and look forward to seeing the children again on Monday 20th February.
Earthquake Appeal - reminder of email sent out.
For all schools, it is important to consider those who have been affected by the earthquake in Turkey/Syria earlier this week, however it is particularly relevant for us. You may not be aware but Turkish is our second most spoken language at the school and we have one of the highest amount of Turkish children out of all the Richmond primary schools.
It would therefore seem very pertinent to tell you there are ways to donate to help people affected by the devastating earthquake there this week.
Turkey Mozaik. https://turkeymozaik.org.uk/
Red cross- https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal
Unicef- https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/syria-turkiye-earthquake/
Forest, Field and Fun
A reminder some further information was sent out earlier today about our substantial fundraising project. We have already raised £1,000 - thank you!
We will bring you news of further fundraising events coming up, but for those who just wish to donate the link is below.
There is also a link on Twitter; please share this with the wider community or local businesses who may wish to donate. Thank you to various members of the PSA who have contributed their time so far.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/forestfieldfun
Events this week
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children have been enjoying a range of initiatives this week, both within their class and across the school. There was even a 'flash mob' moment today where all the school joined in the same dance moves as well as some freestyle.
Year 6 visit to Parliament
Below is an extract from Sarah Olney's (local MP) newsletter.
It was an excellent, high quality trip for our Y6s where they had access around parliament and the opportunity to take part in workshops.
Earlier this week pupils from Sheen Mount Primary School came to Westminster for a tour of Parliament. I had the opportunity to chat with them about the issues that concern them and answer their questions about being an MP. We discussed school-related issues, including the value of homework, whether the school day should start later, and whether 16 year olds should be able to vote. I always look forward to school visits and it was delightful to meet these young constituents.
From our Enrichment lead, Mrs Sroka
Last Monday a group of Year 2 and Year 4 children worked together in a Cooking with Confidence workshop, delivered by School Food Matters, to learn to use cooking equipment and follow a recipe. As part of the session, they also learned about healthy eating and sustainability. They made beetroot hummus using a hand blender and practised their knife skills to prepare a Waldorf salad. Everyone enjoyed tasting the food and Lexi’s favourite was the hummus. Leandra said, ‘I liked cutting up the vegetables and getting to taste everything.' Mrs Day also enjoyed the workshop and is looking forward to the children having more opportunities to apply these skills later on in the year.
From our Geography Lead, Miss Dodsworth
On Tuesday our Eco Champions had a fantastic day at the Tiffin Girls School Eco conference. The day involved a talk from our local MP sharing Eco concerns and initiatives that she would be taking to parliament and talks from some of Tiffin Girls about reusing plastic, the impact of fast fashion and how we can help reduce our impact on the environment. We were so impressed with the questions that the children had for the speakers and the creativity and enthusiasm they showed in the challenges. They even came second in the knowledge quiz!
Our Eco champions are very excited to share and implement their new ideas and initiatives to make our school and environment more eco-friendly.
Y3 to Kew Gardens
All of Y3 went to Kew Gardens last week. The first adventure was walking there and back, which was a great success. The children enjoyed a workshop in the Palm house as well as the extensive grounds and of course the children's garden.
Y4 Japan Day
Year 4 enjoyed a great experience within their Japanese day of an interactive drumming experience. They also enjoyed some Japanese art and a description of day in the life at school in Japan from one of their Japanese classmates.
Reception immersive 'Stick man' day
Each reception class enjoyed a workshop re-creating the story of 'Stick Man', followed by an opportunity to re-create a natural stick man. There was also the opportunity for a small group of Y1/2 children to enjoy the workshop at the end.
Y2 scooter training
All of Y2 enjoyed their scooter training last week provided by the borough's safety officer team. This is an annual event that this year group get to experience.
Sporting news
Our Swimming team competed in the borough event this week. Well done to a range of children from Years 4 to 6 who were selected and represented the school. As there are multiple heats, finalists are chosen on times - we await to hear final results.
Alexandra- Y4 'This week, some people from years 4, 5 and 6 went to a swimming gala at Pools in the Park. Out of six places, we came fifth. We got into the finals and gave it our best shot in the relays. Overall, it was VERY fun!'
The netball team have had two fixtures in the last few weeks, both resulting in narrow loses-some clear improvement on last year's fixtures. The amount of children attending the two morning netball clubs is substantial and it has been great to see the upsurge in interest.
Sportshall athletics
A group of Y6 children represented the school in running and field events a couple of weeks ago. They finished third overall and all enjoyed representing the school.
World book day-from our English subject lead, Miss Breckon
This year's World Book Day, Thursday 2nd March, is celebrating reading with the theme ‘You Are a Reader'. We would like to celebrate the day in school by encouraging children to either dress up as a character from their favourite book, or bring in an object from a book. For example, a wand like Harry Potter's. We would like children to keep the book that their chosen object is from a surprise, as we will be having some discussions throughout the day for classmates to guess which book the object is from.
Spending just 10 minutes a day reading and sharing stories with children can make a crucial difference to their future success and its fun for all involved. You can find some stories to share here: https://www.worldbookday.com/share-a-story-corner/? and some fun resources here: https://www.worldbookday.com/resources/
NOTE from Mr Holmes- Please try to avoid going out and buying expensive one off costumes. Something home-made, even if it isn't perfect is a lot better option for in terms of cost and for the environment.
INSET day
A reminder tomorrow is an INSET day, we look forward to seeing the children on Monday 20th February.
The final INSET day for the academic year is Monday 5th June.
Richmond Libraries event
Please see the link for events associated with Richmond library.
https://www2.richmond.gov.uk/richmondbookings/Details.aspx?Id=55016
Thanks from Vineyard Community Foodbank
They wrote to us this week expressing their gratitude for the food and money donations we gave around Christmas. They wanted to stress the impact our donations have had.
Parent forum
Please see the notes attached. Thank you to all those who attended, we will aim to have another event in the summer term.
Have a great half-term.
Tom Holmes - Headteacher
Maria O'Brien - Deputy Headteacher
