"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...And be thankful" Colossians 3:15
As we continue to explore our Christian value 'Thankfulness' I share this poem with you
Thankfulness
Thankfulness is...
Thinking of good things
Happy memories
All creation praising God
Not taking anything for granted
Keeping focused on the positive
Feeling blessed
Understanding the sacrifices people make for us
Living joyfully
Not complaining
Expressing gratitude to God
Saying thank you to those who help us
Showing gratefulness by our deeds
A message from the Head
What a brilliant week we had last week! We got our Ofsted Inspection notice call on Tuesday morning, and the inspection took place on Wednesday and Thursday. St John’s last Ofsted inspection was in March 2018, so we were expecting our visitor, and were well prepared. Over the past five years we know we have continued to offer a great education to all our pupils passing through school.
Feedback from our feeder high schools, and from the selective schools where some of our pupils have transitioned to, remain highly positive and complimentary. Well done to all my staff, and children for showcasing St John’s in our best authentic form!
As always, our children showed good confidence whilst speaking to our visitor. Thank you to all who managed to respond to the Ofsted Parent questionnaire sent out. Our report should be out within 30 days.
Our School council represented St John’s at the annual Crown Court Service at All Saint Church in Kingston.
PC Simon Briggs came into school to talk to the year groups, and listen to our younger children read. What a wonderful way to forge community relationships with our local police.
Well done and thank you to Newton Y5 who led collective worship on Tuesday. They were fantastic!
Rock Steady visit St John's
We were delighted to have Rock Steady come to our school today for a morning of fun filled musical activities. The morning started with a wonderful interactive assembly for the whole school, this was then proceeded by Key Stage work shops.
Information about Rock Steady and how they teach 'Rock' to groups of children, will soon be going home to you. Please can parents and carers who are interested in their children attending Rock Steady notify Miss Barter by email via the school office or directly as soon as possible. At present, the probable time would be on a Monday morning before school, 8.30 am - 9.00 am. If many children are interested, we will have to pull names out of a hat. Please note, Key Stage 2 children will take priority.
Crown Court Service
Monday 25th September, the School Council representatives from Years 3 - 6 attended a special service at All Saints Parish Church in Kingston. This service is held every year and it is to pray for those involved in the administration of our Justice System within the UK and, in particular, our local Crown Court Judges and Magistrates. The Mayor & Deputy Mayor attended in Full Civic State (Robe, Chain and Mace) and Judges from Kingston Crown Court also were in attendance in Judicial attire.
Willow and Teddy (Year 6) said: ‘We really enjoyed going. We got to ask questions and the Crown Court Judge answered these. We wanted to know how do you become a judge, how does the jury work and are there different types of courts? The ceremony was very interesting and it was lovely to hear the Tiffin Boys’ Choir sing.’
Year 5 Collective Worship
On Tuesday, Year 5 conducted the Collective Worship in Assembly. The assembly was focussing on our value of Thankfulness, in particular, Thanking God for the talents and gifts he has given us. Year 5 acted out one of Jesus’ stories - The Parable of the Talents to illustrate that God expects us to use what we’ve been given and to be thankful for it. The pupils in Year 5 did a tremendous job despite nerves! Well done!
PC Briggs visits St John's
PC Briggs visited Years 1, 2 and 5 and spoke about his role as a Community Officer. The children were very inquisitive and asked many important questions.
When do you use the police dogs? Jude Y1
At what age can you arrest people? Honeybrook Y2
Why is it so important to be in the police? Nneka Y2
How many different jobs are there in the police? Mattheo Y1
How do you catch the bad guys? Louis Y1
How do you train the dogs? Daisy Y2
PC Briggs discussed with Year 5 issues such as walking home safely, unwanted targeting on the streets and what they should do if an individual asks for their device. Year 5 found the talk very helpful and asked very thought-provoking questions!
Year 3 were excited to have PC Briggs in as a volunteer reader! He enjoyed listening to the children read as well as answering lots of questions!
Don't forget to book next half term's After School Forest School Club
This Half Term sold out and places are selling fast for next terms club, please book via the Forest Schooling UK website here
Class Weekly Attendance for W/C 18 September
Y1 98.3%
Y2 97.9%
Y3 99.7%
Y4 99.3%
Y5 95.5%
Y6 87.6%
Class Weekly Attendance for W/C 11 September
Y1 95.7%
Y2 96.7%
Y3 94.0%
Y4 98.3%
Y5 96.0%
Y6 97.0%
Punctuality
The school gates open at 8:40am and close at 8:50am. We expect all children to be ready to start their early morning learning promptly at 8:45am.
We want to teach our children that punctuality is an extremely important and respectful life skill.
When the gates close at 8:50am, your child's lateness will be recorded. This will be monitored by the Local Authority's Educational Welfare Officer ("EWO").
Early morning work, between 8:45 and 9:00am is vital for your chlid's progress.
Please do not allow your child to cycle on Portland Road on the way to and from school as there is still traffic travelling down the road at this time of the morning
Forgotten items reminder
If your child has forgotten any items they need for school on a day, eg: lunch, water bottle, PE kit, wellies for forest school, etc... please leave them clearly labelled with your child's name and class in the plastic box outside the office and a member of staff will pass them over to your child before lunchtime.
Keeping children safe (Safeguarding)
Please find here an excellent Safeguarding Handbook for primary schools by the Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Team. Safeguarding—In Safe hands
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Continues to operate 24 hours a day including bank holidays & weekends. 0808 2000 247
Please remember if you have any concerns or questions regarding Safeguarding out of school hours follow the link.
Do not forget
No pets allowed on the school premises
No smoking or vaping on the school premises
Use of mobile is not permitted on the school premises
PSA
Classlist: 139 of you are already signed up - thank you! It is a great way to communicate with your school community. If you haven't signed up already please click the link below
3 ways to help St John's School
Please visit the Easy Fund Raising App to easily raise money for the School. Simply visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk, and select St John's School as your chosen charity.
We have raised £1267.38 so far and have 88 supporters! Every purchase made through easyfundraising means a donation to our PSA.
St John's Book List - Donate a book to celebrate birthdays, support our library, or buy class books. Please click below to go to our Amazon page
Stamptastic is the fastest way to name your kids' belongings. Use code KT1 2SG or click on the button below to earn donations for the PSA
You can keep up to date with all PSA events and read their latest newsletter on their page on the school website here.
Chelsea FC Foundation Kingston Girls Skills Centre at Nonsuch
Chelsea FC are starting their first 3 week block of training for girls of the 2023/24 season at Nonsuch High School. It is a great opportunity for players of all abilities to develop their skills, keep fit and make new friends in a safe environment.
Players will get the opportunity to experience technical sessions led by the CFC Foundation coaches along with many fun and exciting challenges.
Details are as follows:
Age Groups: U7-U15 (School Year 2-10)
Venue: Nonsuch High School, Ewell Road, Cheam SM3 8AB
Day and Times: Thursdays | 18:30-19:30
Surface: Astro
What to Bring: Football Astro trainers, SHIN PADS, raincoat and plenty to drink
Course Code: PDP-NHS-KT-3
Please click the button below for more information
Free Half Term Basketball Camp
Healthy Lifestyle Offers
Junior Park Run (2km)
Please click links below for information on Bushy Park and Surbiton Runs
Kingston Street Tag
Reception Admissions for September 2024
Shoebox Appeal
This year's Shoebox Appeal is underway. A copy of the flyer below will be sent home in book bags this week. If you would like to take part please could all donated shoeboxes be handed in by half term.
Dates for your Diary
All dates appear on our school calendar on the school website. This includes school holiday dates, inset days, clubs, swimming and parent's evenings. You can find the calendar here:
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