Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of a busy half-term filled with curriculum events, sports fixtures, and class assemblies, we want to thank you for your continued support.
Important Reminder: Tomorrow is an INSET day, and we look forward to welcoming the children back on Monday, 24th February.
'Sharing our Learning' is on the first Friday after half term-Friday 28th February between 2.30-3.30pm, followed by parent consultation appointments the week after. A reminder you can come into school and look at your children's books. They are also all available now at parents evening, should you not be able to make this event.
PSA Ball Success
It was fantastic to see such enthusiasm at last Friday's sold-out PSA Ball. Not only was it an enjoyable evening, but it also raised a significant amount of money. We're excited to announce that £15,000 was raised, much of which will be directed towards the playground project.
We revealed at the event that part of these funds will be spent this Easter, ensuring the children can enjoy outdoor gym equipment during the summer term. The equipment will be installed between the blue gates and the astroturf with the grass left to grow underneath the mats. We are awaiting the final amounts from the cycle event and children’s bounce fundraiser to finalise our plans. You can view the proposed designs and gym equipment in the attached presentation.
School Events
- Year 4: The children had a fantastic Japan Day, making sushi, experiencing Japanese drumming, and exploring Japanese art.
- Year 5: On Monday, Year 5 enjoyed their Anglo Saxon Day.
- Year 6: This week, Year 6 is participating in Bikeability, with each child receiving a half session 4 days a week to enhance their bike handling skills and road safety awareness.
Fire Alarm Procedures
In the unlikely event that the fire alarm goes off at the end of the day, and you have not yet collected your child, please follow these procedures:
- Leave your child with the class teacher and proceed to the muster points.
- Muster Points:
- Orchard side (blue gates) – near the brown gates of Christchurch Road.
- Other side of the school (Reception, Years 3/4, Robins/Owls) – in front of the cage and Reception area.
- Please note: You cannot move from one side of the school to the other during an evacuation, as this would require walking between buildings.
- If you're on the Orchard side, and you have your child, you may leave the site.
Children's mental health week
Sheen Mount Wellbeing Ambassadors-Henry, Elliot, Aria, Charlie and Bera
Last week was children's mental health week. This year's theme is 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself'. We all made posters based on Riley's personality islands in 'Inside Out' and spent about 10 mins each day when possible making them as good as we could. Also, for homework, we made posters where we used plants as an equivalent to our feelings. We split our page into two, one part being the roots the plant/tree representing the roots of our personality, one part the growth of the plant representing our ambitions. Our job as wellbeing ambassadors includes visiting the year 1,2,3 and 4 children to play with them and entertain them.
Healthy Eating - ‘Eat the Rainbow’
As part of Children’s Mental Health Week, Years 4 to 6 participated in a workshop on healthy eating, titled 'Eat the Rainbow'. The children enjoyed creating and eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. We were fortunate to have a nutritionist from our catering company, Accent, deliver this workshop free of charge. Years 1 to 3 will experience this event in the summer term.
Science Ambassadors
The science ambassadors have been working hard throughout the year to raise the profile of science across the whole school. Responsibilities they have had so far include organising and distributing the class science bags; giving a science presentation in phase assemblies; helping to judge the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize; and collecting woodlice for Mrs Adams to use in a training session for other teachers! When asked to tell us in their own words why science is important to them, this is what they wrote:
Here’s why some of them think science is so important:
- Henry: I enjoy science because there are so many things to learn about and lots of those things are quite complicated. My favourite things to learn about in science are dinosaurs, space, elements and atomic history. A book I would recommend on elements is called ‘The Element In The Room’.
- Flo: Firstly, I love science and being a science ambassador. I enjoy science because I like finding out more about the universe. As a science ambassador, I really enjoyed doing the assembly because I like showing people what science is. In the future I would like to be an engineer because I would like to make a change in the world. If you like science and also like watching TV, I would recommend a program called ‘Brainchild’ on Netflix.
- Cecilia: I find science fascinating; my favourite topic is biology as I find it interesting to learn about the incredible world around me. Already, the science ambassadors at Sheen Mount have done an experiment to show Key Stage 1 and 2!!! As a science ambassador, I am dedicated to bringing science to life in our school. All the science ambassadors are looking forward to helping younger children with science. Hopefully in the future I will pursue my dream of becoming a marine biologist.
- Charlotte: I enjoy science because you can always find out more about it and scientists are always discovering new things. My favourite parts of science to learn about are climate and the universe. I like being a science ambassador because I can help younger children understand science more. I think science is important because it helps people understand why our universe was created, and why and how certain things happen.
- Jaime: I enjoy science as a subject because of the experiments and chemical reactions. As a pupil, I am in Ms Hay’s STEM Club where we do real life science projects - like a cardboard city! We also promoted science across the school years via assemblies and after half-term we will be reading science stories to KS1.
- Xander: I enjoy science because there is always something new to discover. For example, with life we don't exactly know how it began. Also, I like the interesting reactions when you mix up different chemicals together and what reacts to what.
Phase Assemblies
For our Harvest and other phase group performances, we’ve decided to split them into two sessions for each year group (phase) moving forward. This change is necessary for fire safety and will also make the experience more enjoyable for parents. A reminder, the Easter singing for Years 1 & 2 will now take place on Tuesday, 1st April and will be an outdoor performance.
Filming and Sharing of Assemblies
We plan to film assemblies and concerts in the hall and share them on Google Classroom. Due to fire safety concerns, we won’t be able to film when two year groups are performing at once.
Please remember that, for safety and privacy reasons, we ask parents not to share any videos or photos from assemblies or concerts. Parents may take class or year group photos at the end of the event, but these should not be shared online. We have a duty to respect the privacy of families who have not given consent and there could be substantial security or safeguarding reasons why permission is not given.
Rashes and Health Reminder
A rash could be one of the first signs of many childhood illnesses, such as chickenpox or measles. The rash or ‘spots’ may cover the entire body or may only appear in one area. If your child has an unexplained rash, please seek medical advice. Do not send a child to school with an unexplained rash that may be infectious, until you have consulted your doctor or they are better
Sports News
Y5/6 teams- We hosted our first formal football fixtures last week on the astroturf against East Sheen. Although we lost both matches, it was great to see the astroturf in use in such competitive games.
The girls' team had a victory and the boys’ team drew during an away match at Kings.
The Year 3/4 girls’ team performed admirably in a recent tournament, making it through the group stage before losing in a penalty shoot out.
RISE swimming gala
On Wednesday 5th February, a group of children from Years 4, 5 and 6 took part in the RISE Swimming Gala at Pools in the Park in Richmond. Everyone demonstrated resilience and confidence in the water; even more impressive was the support they showed the other swimmers taking part. With 9 swimmers in total, we returned to school with an impressive 17 medals!
Our Year 4-6 swimming team competed in their Gala at Pools on the Park
today. Thank you to Swimway and Filipe for their support and the 7am coaching sessions out of their own time. Here are the team with their new tshirts on.
The team came away with 6 medals including two first places and 4 rosettes.
Chess: Our chess teams participated in the Zonal stage of the National Primary School Chess Competition, with two teams qualifying for the semi-finals!
Residential Trips
Please find the attached letter regarding changes to the residential trips for Year 5 & 6 from next year.
World Book Day from our English Lead, Miss Breckon
World Book Day 2025
We are celebrating World Book Day 2025 on 6th March. This year, we’re inviting everyone to Read Your Way, to give children the opportunity to discover reading on their own terms, celebrating the reading that your child chooses to do in their free time without judgement.
We would like to celebrate the day in school by encouraging children to either dress up as a character from their favourite book, or to bring in an object from a favourite book. For example, a wand like Harry Potter's, or a toy frog from a non-fiction book all about frogs. We would like children to bring in the book that inspires their outfit or object to share with their class. We would like to stress that creative items are far more desirable than buying an outfit online.
Throughout the day, we will have lots of exciting activities to enjoy together in school, including teachers swapping classes to share a favourite book or poem, buddy reading where children can share their favourite book children in another year group and a World Book Day assembly with a parade! Dressing up is an effective way to encourage children (particularly reluctant readers) to engage with reading. It can help children express what they enjoy reading and exchange reading recommendations. If you would like some inspiration, the World Book Day website has a lot of creative ideas - https://www.worldbookday.com/families/.
Voluntary Contributions for School Trips
We are obliged to use the words 'voluntary contributions' when we ask for money for school visits/trips. However, the reality is that if enough parents do not pay for the event, it will have to be cancelled. The office will send reminders about payments and we have never had to cancel a trip. However, I wanted to make you aware of the terminology and repercussions.
PSA Golf Day
We’re excited to announce a new fundraising event – a charity golf day on 17th May at Richmond Park Golf Club, organized by Duncan Matthews (parent of children in Reception and Year 3). The event will be relaxed and great value. If you're interested, email Duncan at sheenmountgolf@gmail.com for more details.
PSA Fundraising Update
Please see the attached report from the PSA outlining the fundraising efforts this term.
Thank you to everyone who makes these events happen.
Contact Information
If you need to get in touch, you can reach me directly at headteacher@sheenmount.richmond.sch.uk or speak to me at the school gate during pick-up and drop-off times.
Wishing you all a wonderful half-term break!
Tom Holmes - Headteacher
