28th April 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
Many of you will have noticed a new face on the St George’s car park this week. Thank you all for welcoming Mr Smales-Creswell, who is stepping into the caretaker role temporarily as we recruit a permanent caretaker to the school staff. Mr Smales-Creswell is a retired Health & Safety Auditor who has a military background, and he is a great supporter of our school. In fact, his daughter is none other than our wonderful Year 2 teacher and Assistant Head, Mrs Carpenter. Look out for the family resemblance! We are delighted that he has joined our team and he is looking forward to meeting you all in the coming weeks. Don’t be afraid to pop over to have a chat with him and introduce yourselves as he is very friendly and always approachable.
We were so grateful this week to the parents who showed patience and understanding as we reminded them of some of our rules for the car park. The current system and its protocols were introduced by Mr Braund, after extensive risk assessments were undertaken for the particular needs of our school site. As a school, we are committed to carrying on with Mr Braund’s vision for the car park. We truly believe this system, when adhered to, can keep our school community safe while keeping things moving and avoiding unnecessary delays. As always, we are gratefully for your support.
Teacher’s Strike – Tuesday 2nd May Class 5 will be closed for the day.
If your child is a member of this classroom, please keep them at home on Tuesday, 2nd May.
All other classes are open.
Please send children from all other classes to school on the day.
Thank you once again for your continued understanding and support in this matter.
Family Mass – 14th May
A reminder that we will be having a ‘family Mass’ on Sunday 14th May at St George’s Church, at 9.15am. This will be a Marian themed Mass, and the choir will lead the hymns. Please do ask your child to let me know as soon as possible if they will be there and would like to participate.
Attendance Letters
As you know, it is a statutory requirement for all schools to monitor attendance. In line with our attendance policy, we will be sending out letters to families where the attendance percentages drop below a certain figure. As Headteacher and as a parent myself, I am fully aware that it may feel jarring to receive an attendance letter. We would like to reassure parents that we are committed to working with families to ensure that our pupils have the best attendance possible so they can make the most of their learning opportunities. We understand that children do get ill and there have been so many bugs around over the last few months.
Many absences are unavoidable, and we are aware of this. Our intentions in writing to you are to fulfil our duty by keeping you informed of your child’s current attendance figures, and Thank you for your support and understanding in this.
The King’s Coronation
The King’s coronation will take place on Saturday 6th May. To celebrate, we will hold a whole school picnic and have some activities on Friday, 5th May. Please send you child to school in red, white and/or blue Mufti.
If any parents are available to help to set up for the lunch and tidy away afterwards, we would be grateful if you could email the school office to let Mrs Gordge know that you can help. Thank you in advance for your support. We are also delighted to advise you that a Bouncy Castle has been booked for the day and I’m sure all the children will have lots of fun.
We will be asking parents to provide a packed lunch for their child for this event. Please do not order a hot meal for this day, and if you have already done so, this will be cancelled, and the cost refunded. If you wish to order a packed lunch from bishop Fox’s please let the school office know by Tuesday 2nd May.
SATS
If your child is in Year 2 or Year 6, you may be aware that May is the month of the KS1 and KS2 SATs tests. Year 6 SATs will take place from 9th – 12th May, and Year 2 SATs will be ongoing throughout the month of May. We are firm believers that children deserve to experience a rich and varied curriculum and therefore we do not narrow this down by ‘teaching to the test’. The children here at St George’s are very well-rounded and staff and parents alike know that there is more to our pupils than the score they receive on a test.
So, although teachers have been preparing the children for these assessments, no unnecessary pressure has been placed on them and we know our pupils will be measured in life on much more important things, such as the kindness and care they have shown for others.
Bank Holiday Weekend
We hope you enjoy the bank holiday this weekend. The children and staff here work so hard, and I can definitely confirm that they deserve a rest!
Best wishes,
Edwina McDonnell
Upcoming Dates:
Monday 1st May – Bank Holiday -SCHOOL CLOSED
Tuesday 2nd May – Class 5 closed due to teacher strike
Friday 5th May – Whole School Picnic for the King’s Coronation – MUFTI- RED/WHITE/BLUE
Monday 8th May – Bank Holiday – SCHOOL CLOSED
Tuesday 9th – Friday 12th May – KS2 SATS WEEK
Wednesday 10th May – KS1 and KS2 Marian Procession – 1.45pm / 2.30 pm
Sunday 14th May – Family Mass/School link Mass- 9.15am in Church
Thursday 18th May – Ascension Day Mass in Church – 9.30am. Parents welcome.
Thursday 29th June – St Peter and St Paul Mass in Church – 9.30 am. Parents welcome.
Wednesday 19th July – Year 6 Leaver’s Mass in Church – 9.30 am in Church. Parents welcome.
