Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go’. Joshua 1:19
A message from the Head
On behalf of staff at St John’s, thank you all for lovely Christmas cards and delightful gifts at the end of the term. I would like to especially thank our fabulous PSA for all their hard work over the term.
As we enter in to 2023, I can assure you that our expectations towards learning and our intentions to give our children the best learning opportunities will not diminish. Our main focus will be that we strengthen our children’s learning muscle memory - so that they can remember more. Knowledge organisers for each year group can be found on your child's class page under 'Our Curriculum' on our website menu.
Our Christian Value this half term is ‘Courage’. We will explore and model some of the concepts like: strength of will/will-power, bravery and fortitude in the face of hardship or danger, standing up for what is right against the odds etc. You may wish to explore this value at home with your child here. This value resonates for me, especially the opportunity we have and our conviction to engage with it.
We will continue to warmly welcome, with a smile, every child, every day and continue to create an environment where children enjoy coming to St John’s
Attendance
One of the most important ways in which you can support us and your children in 2023 (and beyond) is to ensure that your children attend school every day. Attendance in school is of paramount importance as any absence can have a profoundly negative impact on their learning as important aspects of a sequence of work can be missed. The following information is an extract taken from the Department for Education document:
"This (100% attendance) is essential for pupils to get the most out of their school experience, including their attainment, wellbeing, and wider life chances. The pupils with the highest attainment at the end of key stage 2 and key stage 4 have higher rates of attendance over the key stage compared to those with the lowest attainment."
We will be having a renewed focus on attendance in the new year and I would appreciate the support of all parents/carers. Our Attendance Policy is on our website and can be found here.
Please be aware children not in school for medical reasons the week of an end/start of term, must provide medical evidence to support the absence, otherwise this will be marked as an unauthorised absence.
School begins at 8:45am for YR – Y6. I expect all children to be in school ready for their Early Morning work provided by teachers, and for the class register. The school gates are open at 8:40am.
You can find the winners of the Attendance Award on our House Points & Attendance page
School Uniform
All children must wear the correct school uniform, school shoes, and PE kit. Long hair must be neatly tied back. This will reduce the risk of your child catching head lice. Please regularly comb/treat your child’s hair for lice to avoid the spread of this in school.
RNLI Visit
This week the RNLI visited St John’s to talk to the children about keeping safe near water. As we have recently heard in the news of tragic circumstances near bodies of water, we felt it was important to remind our children how to keep safe especially as we live near to the River Thames. Please ask your child about this.
Job Opportunities
St John's Governing Body are looking for a Clerk to the Governors this is a paid role and details can be found on our vacancies page here
St Matthews C of E Primary School & St John’s have agreed to advertise each others job vacancies. St Matthews currently has an opportunity for a 1:1 Teaching Assistant with experience of ASD and ADHD.
Supporting the Community Fridge
OUR MISSION To end food waste! Our aim is to make good food surplus available free of charge to reduce food waste. All are invited to come and collect food that would otherwise be dumped. OPENING HOURS We’re open Sunday to Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. We’re closed on Saturday. HOW IT WORKS We’d love you to come to see us and collect food. Bring a carrier bag with you (ideally a reusable bag) and one of our volunteers will welcome you to select some items that you would like. LOCATION Our Community Fridge is located at 115 Brighton Road, Surbiton, KT6 5PR at The Museum of Today. WHO ARE WE? Surbiton Community Fridge is a project run by the Migrant Advocacy Service, Angels of the Hood, New Era, and The Community Brain, supported by the Co-op Food Share initiative. We are a non-profit charity project that redistributes surplus food to the general community. We aim to reduce local food waste, relieve pressures on household food budgets, and raise public awareness around food waste. See a short video here
Book recommendations
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The Kindest Red By Ibtihaj Muhammad, S. K. Ali Out in hardback on 5th January. 5+/7+ A Story of Hijab and Friendship | Bertie and the Alien Chicken By Jenny Pearson 9+ A heart-warming, perceptive new adventure from one of our funniest writers | The Book That No One Wanted to Read By Richard Ayoade 9+ This is the story of the sadly neglected Book That No One Wanted To Read - can its destiny change when it finally meets the right reader? | 7+ When portals to parallel dimensions open up, the gang meet different versions of themselves - a whole universe of Bunnies! Evil Pig! Baby Bunny vs Monkey! The gang end up travelling to the very ends of existence . . . but will they make it back home to the Woods? | 3+ These children and animals are all very different to each other. Some are big, some are small. Some are gentle, some are rough. Everyone is playful, but who's the best at hiding? A brilliantly witty introduction to comparisons and opposites, illustrated by the winner of the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award. |
A Poem: Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte
If children live with criticism,
They learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility,
They learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule,
They learn to be shy.
If children live with shame,
They learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement,
They learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance,
They learn to be patient.
If children live with praise,
They learn to appreciate.
If children live with acceptance,
They learn to love.
If children live with approval,
They learn to like themselves.
If children live with honesty
They learn truthfulness.
If children live with security,
They learn to have faith in themselves and others.
If children live with friendliness,
They learn the world is a nice
place in which to live.
Keeping children safe (Safeguarding)
Please find here an excellent Safeguarding Hand-book 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.
PSA dates for your diary & Newsletter
You can keep up to date with all PSA events and read their latest newsletter on their page on the school website here.
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.
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: