God loves a cheerful giver. Corinthians 9:7
A message from the head
All our Early Years children have now settled into their new class and are working hard, and are enjoying their experiences of school life.
As we are coming to the end of our first month of the school year, it is clear most of our children have got back into the routine of learning. It is expected that all learning in school, and homework is completed to the highest standards. All mainstream (Y1 – Y6) classes receive weekly homework to be completed, in addition to this, the children should be reading / being read to daily, and their reading diaries signed accordingly.
Children should be in school by 8:45am. This is to ensure all our children receive their statutory hours of school. Teachers set crucial daily early morning tasks to support the development of targeted maths, writing or reading skills. If your child is late, they miss 50 minutes of essential learning time.
I have noticed more children being kept off school without permission. As much as possible please avoid booking appointments for your child during the school day. Where this presents a challenge, do inform school, and consider picking your child up from school, and returned after the appointment. Every lesson, or part of a lesson missed has a negative impact on their learning.
This school year, as part of our worship, classes will be taking turns to lead on Collective Worship on specified Tuesdays with the class parents/carers invited to attend. Year 6 led Collective Worship this past Tuesday, and they did a fantastic job. Thank you to all the parents/carers who attended.
A reminder that St John’s is a 'nut free' school. Please do not bring nuts or nut products into school in lunchboxes or as snacks. Do check carefully the ingredients list on products – the slightest trace of nuts can be very dangerous for a number of our pupils.
Fruit or a vegetables are supplied free of charge as a mid-morning snack for all Early Years and Key Stage 1 children. Key Stage 2 may bring in a healthy snack (not processed).
Thank you to all who attended last week’s ‘Meet the Teacher’, and we look forward to seeing Y1 parents on Tuesday 4th October at 9:05am
We would like to wish Thea, Rupert, and Radek and their families all the best as they move out of Kingston to new schools.
Harvest Service 5th October at St John’s Church
at 9:30am (please note the change of time)
Harvest Service is a celebration of the food that is grown on the land. In Britain, harvest festivals are often celebrated in churches by bringing baskets of food to give thanks to God. People enjoy singing, praying, listening to stories and decorating the church. At St John’s we see the celebration of Harvest as a time to think of others and to give, where we can, to support our local community. We are asking all the children to bring one or more items to school from the list already sent out. You can bring your donations into school up until Tuesday 4th October morning, when donations will be taken to church.
On Monday, the School Council All Saints Parish Church in Kingston for a special service. This is held every year and it is to pray for our judiciary system. The Mayor of Kingston and many judges attended in full regalia.
The School Council enjoyed attending the service. Ellie (Yr 3) said: ‘I liked the fanfare of trumpets as we left the church. I also liked singing the hymns because they made me feel happy and calm’. Hamish (Yr 3) said: ‘I enjoyed listening to the Tiffin Boys’ choir, and I was impressed by the army marching off at the end of the service. I also liked listening to the Bible reading from one of the judges’. Esther (Yr2) said: ‘I liked singing the national anthem’. Kit and Fabiana (Yr 1) said ‘It was great’.
Forest School News
Forest School will be launching an after school club for KS2 children after Half Term. Sign up to our mailing list to be kept informed. Bookings will open next week.
Secondary school transfer for September 2023 entry
Online applications for places in Kingston Borough secondary schools are now open.
The closing date for applying for a year 7 place is 31 October 2022.
NB - As the application deadline falls during October half term we strongly recommend that you apply ahead of this so that we can help you with any queries or problems you may have.
Key dates:
• 31 October 2022 - Closing date for receipt of online and paper applications, including
supplementary forms where applicable
• 1 March 2023 – National Offer Day
• 15 March 2023 – Deadline for accepting or declining offer
For further details including dates for individual secondary school open events, please see the brochure, Admissions to Kingston Secondary Schools.
School Council's visit to All Saints
On Monday 26th September, the School Council representatives went to All Saints Parish Church in Kingston for a special service. This is held every year and it is to pray for our judges and magistrates. The Mayor of Kingston and many judges attended. You can read all about it here.
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: