Dear Parents,
A short but sweet half-term, and we look forward to our last week with the half term ending on Thursday 8th February at the usual pickup times of 3.20/3.30pm. Please note there is an INSET day on Friday 9th February.
We look forward to formally opening the astroturf tomorrow with the visit of Sir Mo Farah. Children will come to a whole school assembly and then a few children from each class will be attending the ribbon cutting and a few children from each class attending an activity with Sir Mo.
We do have initial plans for the woodland area and the plan was always to wait until the astroturf had been completed, so we could fully assess the area.
Platinum Day at school - Friday 1st March
The principal school day for celebrating the Platinum will be on the above date - 70 years ago to this exact date is when the school opened. Please see the attachments showing a newspaper cutting from the time and the first log in the school book.
We will be having a dress-up day for the children, so you can begin to plan this and get the costumes ready! Each year group will take one of the seven decades the school has been open. Children may dress as adults or children from that decade. There will be a range of other activities on the day.
We will ask for a donation for them to dress up and this will ensure each child gets a momento for the platinum. I have been discussing with the school council and we agreed a mug would be best with a specially designed emblem. There will also be a competition to have the same words on each mug. Simply, describe Sheen Mount in 70 letters!
Y6 - 1950s
Y5 - 1960s
Y4 - 1970s
Y3 - 1980s
Y2 - 1990s
Y1 - 2000s
R - 2010s
Three PSA dates - Platinum party, summer fair and quiz night
To confirm, the Summer Fair will be platinum themed this year on the already published date of Saturday 6th July.
There will be a Parents' Platinum Party on Friday 7th June in the evening. Save the date!
There is also a second quiz night on Friday 8th March.
Children's Mental health week w/c 5th February
We will be taking part in this next week, following the theme of 'My Voice Matters'. As well as class and assembly-based activities, there will be a talent show on Thursday 8th February for the children. With two acts from each class in KS2 taking part and KS1 watching.
Year 3 Sleepover and School residential trips
I emailed the Year 3 parents this week explaining that the Year 3 sleepover is now longer viable - this is because of a combination of several health and safety and safeguarding perspectives. The evening event will continue but not the sleepover.
I am also very conscious of the spiralling costs of the Year 6 PGL residential-it currently sits at £650. Having that trip alongside the four-night Year 5 trip to the Isle of Wight (costing £370) means there is a lot to pay across two years. We also need to look at value for money for these trips. We will consult with you as parents over these rising costs and whether the number of days and/or provision on one of these trips is reduced. We feel the Year 4 trip to Juniper Hall for two nights is good value and educational relevance at £250.
History ambassadors
This week is the turn of the History Ambassadors. Our History Ambassadors are: Dillon(6AD), Milo(6AD), Bailey(6AD), Camden(6S) and Fathan(6K).
They are working with our history leads: Mrs D’Urso and Miss Lister. These five students are keen historians who regularly read about and research historical topics and events in their own time.
Bailey (6AD): I love history because I can learn about the past. I am really interested in the Romans because they were very smart and I love learning about their military organisation.
Camden (6S): I like history because it is really interesting learning how ancient civilizations, for example the Egyptians, built huge stone structures, or learning about the events leading up to World War II.
Dillon (6AD): I wanted to be a history ambassador because I come from a long line of people who also research history and people who served in the armed forces. My favourite type of history to study is naval and aeronautical history.
Fathan (6K): In history, I like the Greeks and Tudors but I am particularly interested in Elizabethan England.
Milo (6AD): I’ve always loved history and the subject is my favourite by far. I love finding out about the Bronze Age because it is so fascinating how people then thought everything worked.
In the coming months, our school has been selected to help narrow down the longlist of the books put forward for the Young Quills Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Association. Our ambassadors will have the opportunity to read some of the long-listed books and be able to review them. They will also be promoting other books that we are sent amongst classes lower down the school and helping the younger children to write book reviews for them.
Science at Sheen Mount
We had over 60 parents and visitors attend the science morning last Thursday. These included the Associate Director of Education for AfC. They were treated to watching lessons of different age groups throughout the school, seeing workshops by our Y6 children and ending with a talk from Mrs Adams. Thank you to her for all our work in organising the day and the presentation slides have been sent to all parents.
Headteacher for the day
Last Friday we welcomed Mr Pestrak (formerly of 5D) to the school as headteacher for the day. He took the celebration assemblies, oversaw some learning walks, met governors and reviewed questions for the upcoming children's survey and wrote an email to the staff. 
Future opportunities will be available at Christmas and Summer staff raffles!
Sports Fixtures
Football league fixtures
Two double fixtures have taken place in the last week.
First, there was a 2-0 victory for the girls against Darell. The boys then followed this up by matching the same scoreline and winning 2-0.
Then yesterday both teams played again in the local derby against East Sheen. The girls fought incredibly hard and secured a 1-1 draw. The boys were then able to have their performance of the season and win 3-1. Well done to all involved. 
Tag Rugby
The mixed tag rugby team played all their league fixtures on Monday afternoon against three local schools. The team secured one victory and two loses. For some they were representing Sheen Mount for the first time.
Swimming Gala
The RISE inclusive swimming gala took place yesterday and congratulations to all our seven children who took part and came back with a multitude of medals.
Mr Brown's sports club and further holiday club options
A reminder the information for Mr Brown's multi-sports half term club were emailed this week on Arbor; he will be utilising the new astroturf for his sports club. Please take a look as there is still availability on all four days.
JAG is running as normal in the holidays with their programme.
Richmond Knights Basketball are running a club outside of school-the flyer is attached.
Richmond School Police Officers are running free youth sessions for Years 5 & 6-information is attached.
A reminder of some items from the previous newsletter.
Message from Mrs Sroka, Enrichment lead
We are organising a Careers Week from 17th to 21st June 2024 and would love your support. We would like parents to talk about their jobs and inspire our children to think about what they may want to do in the future. This may involve talking in assembly or visiting classes for them to ask questions. We will also be holding a careers fair in the school hall for pupils in Years 5 and 6, where they can talk to parents and members of the local community to hear what opportunities there are for them. Pupils will be able to learn about different professions and gain an understanding of what the jobs entail, the range of roles available and the skills that are needed to be successful.
If you are interested in participating in this event, or have any suggestions about how we can make it a success, please complete our Skills Share Google Form. Many thanks to the parents who have already done so. The form has now been updated to allow you to record your availability, so we would be grateful if you could return to the form and add this to your response.
Skills Share Form
Library-donation list
The below has been set up by our parent volunteers in the library. If anyone wishes to buy any for the library, they would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/XZM329G5YH9R?ref_=wl_share7
Have a good weekend
Tom Holmes - Headteacher
Maria O'Brien - Deputy Headteacher
