16th December 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the wonderful St George’s Community for their support. It has been wonderful to see so many parents attending our school events this term. We had our Christmas Carol Concert on Wednesday, and it was really heart-warming to see the talents of the children on display, from singing and piano playing, to guitar, ukulele and recorder playing. What a talented bunch the children are! So much goes into planning and preparing these events, and the staff and choir volunteers, along with our music teachers, put an enormous amount of effort into pulling it all together.
We also had our Christmas Mass, which was originally planned to take place in school, but took place in Church instead due to an unforeseen maintenance issue at school. I was so thankful to Fr Tom for being so accommodating about the last minute change of venue, and to Mrs Gavins, who somehow managed to print booklets for the children and parents who attended in record time just before school started on Thursday. I shouldn’t forget to mention the festive Christmas lunch we held for the children and staff this week, which was a real highlight. It was lovely to have some of our school governors joining in the fun and serving food to the children. We finished the week with a surprise visit from Father Christmas and his elf which was a very jolly and lively event, and a spectacular pantomime performed by the staff to the children. After such a busy term for staff and pupils alike, I think a little rest is in order. I do hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break with your families, enjoy some festive fun and make some memories with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!
A Message from Father Tom
Father Tom has been in touch to let us know about some maintenance work he is having done at the Church in the coming weeks, which will affect access to the school from the Church.
He has asked me to let you know about the planned asbestos removal. This will begin on 4 January and last for about 4 weeks. Unfortunately, the contractors will need to close part of the Church car park during the work for safety reasons, so those parents who normally use the Church car park to cut through to the school will not be able to do so.
Assistant Headteacher Appointments
Mr Lake has worked tirelessly as Assistant Head in our school for 8 years now. He has led so many initiatives to drive school improvement in that time, and he has really dedicated himself to the school and to the well-being and success of the pupils here. His impact is long lasting and to be celebrated. About a year ago, he took the decision to step down in order to focus on being in Class 3 full-time. This week, we held interviews for the role and we are delighted to announce that we have appointed two new Assistant Heads – Mrs McNamara (our wonderful SENCo) and Mrs Carpenter (our fantastic Year 2 teacher). The Governors were immensely impressed with both candidates and we look forward to working together to drive the future improvement of the school.
Year 1 Maternity Cover
We are delighted to announce that the wonderful Miss Roberts, who has been teaching this term in St George’s in Years 3, 4 and Reception Class, has been appointed to teach Year 1 while Mrs Crocker is on maternity leave. Miss Roberts is a fantastic teacher and she has previous experience teaching the Year 1 curriculum at St George’s. She will also be supported by the very experienced teaching assistants in Year 1, Mrs Ward and Miss Parker. We are so pleased that the children in Year 1 are in such capable hands in the coming terms.
Christmas Raffle
The draw for the Christmas raffle took place this morning and Mrs Bradshaw in the office has been busy contacting the lucky winners. Thank you so much to the St George’s community for your generosity in donating the raffle prizes and purchasing tickets. We raised a whopping £1060 and we couldn’t be happier with this achievement. A very big thank you to Orla and Oonagh’s mum for spending as many hours as she did putting the prize hampers together and making them look so appealing! There will be more information going out in January about the upcoming School Disco and Movie Night, organised by the PSG (Parent Support Group).
Santa’s Fundraising
Our special helper, Santa, has been very busy fundraising for our school. You may have seen him in town and at school on the weekends, charming the resident of Taunton into parting with some of their hard earned cash! We are delighted to report that he has raised a fantastic £163 and we are so grateful for his generosity of spirit in giving up his time to support St George’s. A big thank you from us all!
Reception Intake Applications
Time to start school? If you have a child born between 1st September 2018 and 31st August 2019, then now is the time to apply for a place at our school for admission from September 2023 onwards. You must complete an application form that is available from the school admissions team at County Hall, Somerset County Council. Please ensure you apply by the closing date of 15 January 2023. If your child is Catholic, you must also provide a copy of the baptism certificate to the school by this date.
Once again, Merry Christmas!
Best wishes,
Edwina McDonnell
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday 3rd January – SCHOOL CLOSED - INSET Day
Wednesday 4th January - SCHOOL OPEN (Spring Term 1)
Thursday 5th January - Start of Term Mass in Church, 9.30 am. Parents welcome. (Venue may change to school if asbestos works at Church necessitate this)
Friday 13th January - KS2 Disco / KS1 Movie Night – further information from the PSG soon
Friday 3rd February - KS1 Disco / KS2 Movie Night – further information from the PSG soon
Monday 6th February - Parents’ Evening 5.00 pm – 7.30 pm
Tuesday 7th February - Parents’ Evening 3.00 pm – 5.30 pm
Saturday 11th February - Monday 20th Feb – SCHOOL CLOSED (Half term)
