St. Paul’s Newsletter
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St. Paul’s Newsletter
January 2017
Hampton Court Way, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0LP Telephone: 0208 398 6791
Web site:www.stpauls-thamesditton.surrey.sch.uk e.mail:[email protected]
Dear Parents – Mrs. M. F. Johnson
INSIDE THIS
NEWSLETTER
Happy New Year. On behalf of all the staff I would like to thank you for your thoughtful
Christmas gifts, your kindness is often mentioned in the staffroom. It is lovely to hear how
your appreciative words written in Christmas cards make the staff feel so valued. I hope
you had a peaceful holiday and welcome you all back for the new school term.
1 Dear Parents
2 Headteacher’s Awards
Easy Fundraising
Educational Visits
3
Information from
Subject Leaders
4 News from the Office
5 SPPA
6 Parent to Parent
Dates for your Diary
Every year I praise the staff for the way they enabled your children to shine during the end
of year productions. Many parents emailed me to share their joy, one kind parent wrote:
‘Thank you so much for providing us with such a wonderful nativity this morning at St
Pauls. We were blown away by the confidence of the children and the beautiful acting,
singing and speaking! We train our public speaking winners from a very early age!
I feel we can safely share the staff cake sale was a roaring success, with queues
reminiscent of a Harrods’s sale. I believe this one event raised more than £350 pounds, so
congratulations to all the staff for their marvellous tasty creations and to the ever
supportive parents who keenly purchased every last one!
I have been asked to share the school Twitter address as several parents missed this
detail in a previous newsletter @stpauls. Information is forwarded sparingly so you are not
inundated with more social media than is helpful.
A Parentmail will shortly be sent regarding a new initiative created by our Parents’ Forum.
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On Thursday 26 January at 7pm there will be an opportunity to meet as a year group with
your classteachers.
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Headteacher’s Awards
Congratulations to the following children who received the Award last half term :
Field ClothesMrs. A. Rawsthorne
Children in Years 3-6 are
invited to bring in field
clothes from January
onwards. Field clothes such
as a tracksuit top and
bottom must be big enough
to be worn over the St
Paul's uniform and scruffy
trainers must also be
supplied. All items must be
clearly named and kept in a
named carrier bag
St Bernadette
St Matthew
St Luke
St Elizabeth
St Francis
St Mary
St John
St Peter
St Joseph
St Bernard
St Anne
St Thomas
St Anthony
St Margaret
Daniel Malloy
Iona Merson
Oliver Dawidowski
Erik Juan
Oscar Gambietz
Charlotte AzurdiaLatter
Roman Blair
Niamh Lines
Amy Carney
Emma Cleeve
Charles Aird
Aleksander Mejsner
Ava Aird
Malachy Doyle
Freddy Swing
Marnie Lane
Bella Hawkey
Allen Nahab
Florence Nunan
Stephen Donnelly
Ewan McLatchie
Milo Uawithya
JJ Collier
Violet Matcher
Niamh Yarnell
Cara Knight
Katie DeGregorio
Jasmine Heffernan
Edward Fraser
Michael Donnelly
Arabella Johnson
Gia Lines
Alice Grimes
James Morrissey
Maria Baker
William Asbury
Harrison Kwei
Jasper Loten
Beau Villasante
Tom Miller
Oscar Lee
Dayna Thordsen
Easy fundraising –Mr. T. Cooper, Parent Governor
Happy 2017 and welcome ladies, gents and the undecided to the New Year update
for www.easyfundraising.org.uk
The website allows you to make donations to our PTA (SPPA) while just going
about your usual day to day online shopping. Registration is quick and easy and
then just one extra click registers you for donations when shopping. Most major
retailers are listed. Please do not forget to Gift Aid it as well. Easy Fundraising can
also be used via the App on all mobile devices. There really is almost nothing that
you cannot get through Easy Fundraising.
There is still no sign on the EF website of the Top 10 schools list but we have been
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doing well and I can say that our total raised is now £6320.75 (on 8 December)
with 169 supporters. No new supporters this month, however and so please do sign
up, and encourage friends, family, colleagues, passers by etc. to join.
By the time you read this, the January Sales will be in full swing (swings from
Smyths toys 1.5%) and so please ensure all presents are bought via EF. You may
well, already, be thinking about Valentine’s day gifts. This year, I shall mostly be
sending each member of Bananarama a garden gnome from Gardens and Homes
Direct, earning a 3% donation.
Thanks and have a great year to everyone on board and let us please keep trying
to get more supporters. This is the key thing to our success.
Educational Visits
Reception trip to Chertsey Museum – Miss. J. Nuttall and Mrs.
A. DeJesus
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On Monday 28th November and Tuesday 29 November, the Reception children
went on their first school trip to Chertsey Museum. They thoroughly enjoyed
participating within different groups where they had the opportunity to enhance their
learning about various indoor and outdoor toys, clothes and household items from
the past. Activities included sorting, investigating how different toys worked, and
dressing up (which was voted the best part of the trip!). We even made Victorian
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thaumatropes, the 19 Century’s answer to the optical illusion! We now look
forward to our next adventure, finding mini-beasts at Alice Holt next term!
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Year 1 trip to the Polka Theatre – Miss. R. Neilson and Mrs. E.
Walsh
Year 1 travelled to Wimbledon to watch 'Babe, the sheep pig” at the end of term to
support our work in English. We were impressed with the scenery and the acting.
We especially loved being able to join in the performance by reminding Babe about
the secret password! The happy ending has been remembered back in the
classroom when we wrote our own versions of the story.
Thank you to all the parent helpers who generously gave up their time to make this
trip possible.
Guildford Victorian museum- Year 6
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On Monday 28 and Tuesday the 29 November, year 6 went to the Guildford
museum to experience a school day in the life of a Victorian child. We got to take
part in lots of different lessons such as calligraphy writing with ink pots and pens,
sewing for the girls and technical drawing for the boys. The teachers, Miss Emily
and Mrs Smith were very strict. They showed us some of the punishments used in
schools for Victorian children such as: finger braces for fidgety fingers; a backboard
for bad posture and a cane for misbehaving! All children were expected to use
Victorian language, such as ma’am and scholars, when addressing adults or being
addressed by teachers. Unlike the tables and chairs we have in classrooms today,
we sat on wooden benches and had to have our hands behind our backs at all
times while sitting. Later in the day we got to play with the Victorian toys, there was
a lovely Georgian doll house, cups and balls, a wooden pinball board, hoopla and
marbles. The morning was exhausting and after playing with the toys we continued
our studies with a lesson on the tawny owl, reciting and memorising a poem about
the owl, as well as making observational drawings. This was followed by a reading
and spelling session, where we read about behaviour expectations in and out of
school. After all the activities we went up the hill to Guildford castle to finally enjoy
our packed lunches. We had brought up the Victorian toys and played with them
once we’d had our lunch. Once we had finished eating, we completed the
mannequin challenge in front of the castle with the Victorian toys; it was great fun to
see everyone frozen in time as Victorian children! Our day concluded with a visit to
Guildford Museum, where we got given a booklet filled with questions to answer
about Victorian artefacts. The museum was very interactive and we even got to go
on the post bike they would have had in the Victorian times. It was a lovely trip out
and everyone enjoyed it, including Miss Emily and Mrs Smith, who said it was a
pleasure to teach us!
Written by Charlotte Bremner (6A) and Louis Cooper (6M)
Year 2 visit to local surroundings- Mrs. H. Townsend and Miss. L.
Simpson
To complete our topic on the local area, Year 2 walked around the local area to
observe their immediate surroundings. The focus of the visit was for the children to
note which safety features have been placed around St. Paul’s school to help keep
them safe. The walk also highlighted the dangers around our school such as cars
driving too fast and cars parking on the pavement. Having learnt about tally charts
in previous weeks, Year 2 carried out a traffic survey and recorded the number of
different vehicles that passed by.
Information from Subject Leaders
Literacy – Mrs. O. DeMorais
We are absolutely delighted to announce that two children in our school were
shortlisted for a recent competition that St Paul’s children had the option of
entering. We are even more thrilled to say that those two children came in the top
20, having been chosen out of thousands of entries across the world!!!
Huge congratulations to Annabelle Evans in St Mary’s class for being a runner-up
in the Roald Dahl Day Sweet Invention Competition! Her original idea of
the ‘Polly Wolly Lolly Pop’, a multi-coloured lollipop which tastes of lemon,
St. Paul’s Newsletter
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strawberry and bubblegum, wowed the judges and she was awarded a certificate
and Roald Dahl dictionary for her wonderful design. In the Junior category, we are
incredibly proud of Max Lerchester from St Bernard’s for his sweetie design. He
has also been presented with a certificate!
As you can see from their pictures, they are incredibly pleased with themselves,
and rightfully so. As a school, we are incredibly proud of their achievements – very
well done!
I.C.T- Mrs. E. Walsh
Please join me for the Online Safety session for parents that has been arranged for
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7-8:30 pm on Wednesday 18 January. Steve Clarke from Babcock will be running
the session and it promises to be very informative. This event is essential for all
parents including our youngest children.
Mexicolore – Mrs. O. DeMorais and Mrs. J. Vassall
On Monday morning, a man named Ian, and his granddaughter, Jo, came in to
teach us all about the Mayans and the Aztecs. Called 'Mexicolore', the morning was
great fun! Our favourite part of the day by far was when we played an ancient ball
game as an entire year group. Every single one of us had a role, from chanting, to
playing a variety of musical instruments and wearing costumes. This was an
incredibly successful workshop and we had a fantastic time!
By Megan Downer and Rhiannon Roberts
News from the Office – Mrs. L. Smith
Pupil Absence for
Sickness
-Mrs. N. Parr
If your child is unwell and will
not be in school, please
remember to telephone the
school office and leave a
message on the office
answerphone before 9.00am
on the first day of
illness. This should then be
followed up with an email to
[email protected]
on the day that your child
returns to school to explain
the absence. Thank You.
Tissues
-Mrs. L. Pryor
We would be very grateful for
any donations of boxes of
tissues for the children.
These will help us control the
spread of infections within
the school.
Thank you
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Reception Application Deadline – Mrs. N. Newbould
We would like to remind parents with pre-school siblings that the closing date for
Reception applications for September 2017 entry is 15 January 2017. In addition to
completing our 2017-18 Supplementary Form (available to download from the
school website) you must also apply online through Surrey County Council
(www.surreycc.gov.uk/admissions). You can also request a paper application form
or seek impartial help in completing an application via the Surrey Schools &
Childcare Service (0300 200 1004). Applications received after the closing date
without good reason will be treated as late and will not be considered until all on
time applications have been processed. Applying on time will give your child the
best chance of getting your preferred school.
Consultation on Admission Arrangements for
2018/2019 St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, Thames
Ditton- Mrs. L. Smith
In accordance with statutory requirements, please find attached the Admission
Policy & Procedures that our Governing Body proposes to publish for admission
during the 2018/2019 academic year together with our updated Supplementary
Information Form. http://www.stpauls-thamesditton.surrey.sch.uk/admissions
The consultation period ends on 30 January 2017.
Please send any comments on the policy to
[email protected].
School Nurse Service – Mrs. N. Newbould
Our pupils are supported by a school nursing service provided by Central Surrey
Health, which is contracted by the NHS. The school nurses work as part of a wider
0-19 years Children and Families Service. These teams are committed to
supporting the health, development and wellbeing of all those aged between 0-19
years.
The 0-19 Team is comprised of specialist practitioner school nurses and health
visitors, staff nurses, nursery nurses and clinical health assistants.
Therapist such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and
physiotherapists may also see children with specific needs.
The school nursing team provide:
 Health Screening
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
School Meals –Mrs. N.
Parr
If you will be making a
change to your child’s meal
arrangements after half
term, please remember to
give notice to the school
office in writing or by email
to [email protected]
prior to the break of the half
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term i.e. Friday 10
February 2017.
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Health Education as part of the school curriculum: for example, healthy life
style choices
 Advice, support and referral to specialist services such as Speech and
Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
 School staff training on a range of medical issues e.g. use of Adrenaline Auto
Injectors for children with allergies and asthma management
 Additional services for children and families with specific needs.
The school nursing team is also available to provide support to parents and carers
on a range of health issues that may be concerning them, and where appropriate
signpost to appropriate services. Further information including contact details can
also be found on CSH Surrey’s website
Application for places at Our Lady of Lourdes Nursery
The deadline for applications for places for academic year starting September 2017
is 19th February 2017.
Our Lady's Nursery is based at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Thames
Ditton. This Ofsted registered nursery was rated outstanding at its last inspection.
The Nursery runs in term time only Monday to Friday 9.10am - 12.25pm for children
aged 30 months - 5 years. Application forms and further information are available to
download from our Website www.olnursery.org.uk . For any enquiries you may also
contact us by email [email protected] or telephone on 0208 398 7475 where
you can either speak to a member of staff or leave a voicemail.
SPPA
A very Happy New Year to everyone from SPPA! We have a fantastic programme
of events planned for 2017 so please add the following to your diaries:
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Friday 13 January – MUFTI day – perfect chance to pass on any unwanted
gifts
Children to wear their home clothes to school in return for a toy to be used at the
Toy Tombola at the Summer Fair. Toys should be new or nearly new and suitable
for primary school children. Any soft toys must have their safety tags intact (the
material tag sewn onto the toy showing the safety symbol).
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Monday 23 January, 8pm – SPPA Committee meeting in the school staff
room
All are welcome to come and meet the Committee and find out about the events we
have planned for this year.
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Friday 24 February - Quiz in the school hall
Give your brain a work out with friends over a few drinks and some fish & chips.
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Save the date comedy night
Friday 10 March 2017
SPPA presents The
Scummy Mummies
Modern Mums and Dads,
let's all laugh together at our
less than perfect (on
occasion?!) parenting
skills...from fish fingers to
farts!!
Not for the weak bladdered!
Friday 10 March – ***New Event ***Comedy Night (see below)
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Friday 17 March – second hand uniform sale
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Friday 19 May – Children’s Disco
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Saturday 10 June – Summer Ball
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Sunday 16 July – Summer Fair
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Sunday 30 July – RideLondon-Surrey 100 cycling event
New members are very welcome at any time of the year so please contact us if you
would like to join us mailto:[email protected]
RideLondon 2017
Thank you to everyone who applied for a RideLondon place to raise money for St.
Pauls School and congratulations to the 5 lucky people who won a place in the
ballot at the end of term. We will be starting a cycling club every first and third
Saturday morning (at 7am) from March for anyone who would like to get out on
their bike in the Surrey Hills as part of a group and or to help training for
RideLondon. Anyone is welcome! For more information, please email
[email protected] or [email protected]
St. Paul’s Newsletter
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SPPA Committee Leaders needed!
SPPA is a volunteer-run Committee that offers a packed programme of fundraising
events throughout the school year. Its objectives are to raise vital funds for the
school and strengthen the school community.
SPPA raise money through regular and annual fundraising events. The main
annual events include a Christmas Fair, Summer Fair, Quiz night and a Summer
Ball. Other events include second-hand school uniform sales, children’s disco, and
Friday cake sales.
SPPA are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to lead the Committee and coordinate the fundraising activities and events. No qualifications are needed –
just a willingness to get involved and basic organisational skills.
The Committee meets once a term and sets up smaller working groups to organise
individual events.
If you are interested in taking on this exciting opportunity and would like to find out
more please contact Julie O’Brien or Marie Miller via e mail: [email protected]
We look forward to hearing from you!
Parent to Parent
Get fit in 2017 - Come Join St. Pauls Ladies Fooiticise
Every Wednesday evening (7.45 - 8.45pm) at Esher High School Sports Hall.
No experience or fitness needed - just come along and have some fun whilst
exercising! For more info, please email [email protected] or
[email protected] – Elaine Malloy, mother of Daniel – St Bernadette
and Martha – St Francis
Parent to Parent
The last day for submission to
the November newsletter is
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Wednesday 11 January.
Please forward all wording as
a Word attachment to
[email protected]
Childminder
Dear Parents, I have recently become a registered childminder. I currently have
vacancy for two young children on full time care. I have two boys of my own, my
older son left St. Pauls this September, and my youngest has just started reception
in St. Bernadette class. If you wish to contact me, please email me on
[email protected]
Kind regards
Fabiola Gladding- Mother of Sebastian
Dates for your Diary
January
Tuesday 3rd
Monday 9th
Wednesday 11th
Thursday 12th
Friday 13th
Wednesday 18th
Wednesday 25th
Thursday 26th
Friday 27th
Monday 30th
Monday 31th
Spring Term
School re-opens for pupils
This term’s Lenten appeal charity is Missio
Baptism of the Lord
Clubs commence this week
Last day for submissions to the February
Newsletter
6.00pm- E.P.R Meeting for Year 5/6 parents in the
Hall
SPPA Mufti Day
Termly topic web to be given to parents
7.00pm E-Safety talk to parents
9.00am- Reception screening
10.30am- Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
Conversion of St Paul – All three priests (both Year
6 classes to organise)
7.00pm Year group question and answer sessions
9.00am- Parents’ forum meeting
Far & Wide Puppets (now known as Creation Myth
Puppet Company)
Far & Wide Puppets (now known as Creation Myth
Puppet Company)