Parents’ Evenings

Our Parents’ Evenings will take place next Monday 14^th and Wednesday 16^th September. These meetings will provide an opportunity for you to meet with your child’s new class teacher - to discuss their targets and planned support for this term. There will also be time to ask any questions that you may have (following on from the Parents’ Information Meetings that were held this week).

Early Bird Maths and Yr6 Kent Group

Both of these groups will start next Monday 14^th September - at 8.30am.

Parents will have received a letter if their child has been selected to join the revised groups for this term. All pupils who attend the maths group will be given a log-in card to use when accessing RM Easimaths (they will be asked to stick this card into the front of their Reading Record Book - so it doesn’t get lost). Pupils are able to access the website resources at home by logging in to the following website:

https://www.rmeasimaths.com/

Year 5 Swimming

Year 5 pupils will start their swimming lessons next Wednesday 16^th September.

The children require the following swimwear:

Boys – swimming shorts/trunks no longer than 1 inch above the knee

Girls – a one piece swimming costume

We have been asked by the Langley Leisure Centre instructors to remind parents that swimming hats must be worn by both boys and girls and pupils who forget their hat will not be permitted to enter the water. Children need to bring a towel and they may wear goggles if they wish. Every child is expected to attend, as swimming is a part of the PE National Curriculum. If your child is unable to participate in a lesson for any reason, a written explanation should be sent into school (via your child’s book bag).

Earrings in School

Pupils with pierced ears are able to wear a pair of plain stud earrings to school. In the interests of safety please ensure that earrings are not worn, to school, on the days that your child has PE or swimming. All pupils will be asked to remove any earrings before taking part in any sports based lessons. If your child is unable to remove their earrings (for any reason) – please cover them with surgical tape before they come to school.

Chelsea Football Club

The Chelsea Football (after school) clubs will start next week from 3.30 until 4.30pm:

Monday 14^th September: Key Stage 1 Club

Tuesday 15^th September: Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6)

Tubs4Tablets

Our school has just signed up to join this exciting initiative from Flora – in partnership with Tesco. You can help us claim free Samsung Galaxy tablets by collecting Flora Tubs4Tablets tokens inside Flora Original, Butter and Light 500g promotional tubs (available at participating Tesco stores from September 2015). Just 50 tokens will get our school one brand new tablet that can be used by pupils to support and extend their learning across the curriculum. Please send any tokens into school - via your child’s book bag.

For more information visit:

www.flora.com/tubs4tablets

Reading and Writing

The best activity to improve writing is reading. Reading exposes students to a wide range of vocabulary and will help develop their spelling of sight words. Through reading, pupils see a variety of authors’ techniques that they can use in their own writing. Allow your child to see you read as well: books, magazines, newspapers etc. 

It is for these reasons that we ask that all pupils read at home, every night, and that parents sign their Reading Record Book on a daily basis. Thanks for your support in advance.

Reading Record Books – Upper Early Years

Please can UEYs parents sign their child’s Reading Record Book five times during the week (for it to be changed every Friday). This information is different to that given at the Parents’ Meeting held this week. Sorry for any confusion caused. Miss Copper

Please Label Your Child’s Uniform

Please ensure that all school uniform (including PE kit) is clearly labelled with your child’s name. It makes it very difficult locating lost items when they are not labelled. Thank you.

Thank you – Cowley Road Tyres

A big thank you to Cowley Road Tyres for donating lots of tyres to our school this week (they were even kind enough to drop them off at school)! The tyres will be painted and used to create areas in our Early Years setting for playing and gardening.

Brunel University – Active Research

Next Friday we will be visited by Brunel lecturers and students who will be carrying out a research project into extending more able pupils through problem solving and investigations. The findings of this research will be uploaded to the Brunel (and our own website) and used to inform future outstanding teaching practice. Our school has close links with Brunel University and we look forward to further planned projects this academic year.

Approaching Pupils During Break Times

We politely ask that parents/other adults do not call children over to the fence when they are out playing in the Infant and Early Years playgrounds. Some of our staff don’t know all of our family members and due to health and safety reasons we ask that pupils do not approach/talk to adults walking past our school. Thank you for your support in advance.

Diary Dates – Autumn Term 2015

Please see below for the main events taking place this term. For further dates (including Term Dates) please visit our school website:

http://www.st-marys.hillingdon.sch.uk/

Date	Time	Event
Monday 14th September	8.30am	Year 6 Kent Group and Early Bird Maths Group start
	3.35pm – 6pm	Parents’ Evening
	3.30 – 4.30pm	Key Stage 1 Chelsea Football Club starts
Tuesday 15th September	3.30 – 4.30pm	Key Stage 2 Chelsea Football Club starts
Wednesday 16th September	1.15 – 3.30pm	Year 5 Swimming Lessons start
	3.35pm – 6pm	Parents’ Evening
Friday 18th September	All day	Brunel University Research Visit: Problem Solving in Maths
Tuesday 22nd September	All day	Author visit, workshops and book signing: Pippa Goodhart
Wednesday 7th October	9.30 – 10.30am	Years 1 and 6 Mass (Church)
Friday 16th October	All day	School Photographer Visit: Individual Photographs
Monday 19th October	All day	Start of One World Week
Tuesday 20th October	All day	Hinduism Workshops
Wednesday 21st October	Morning	Passport Morning
Thursday 22nd October	All day	Small Earth Games
Friday 23rd October	All day	SCHOOL CLOSED: TEACHER INSET DAY
Monday 26th to Friday 30th October		School Closed: Half Term Holiday
Monday 2nd November	8.40am	All pupils back to school
	10am	Groundwork Trust Assembly
Tuesday 3rd November	All day	Years 4 and 5 Victorian Brick Making Workshops
Wednesday 4th November	9.30 – 10.30am	Years 2 and 5 Mass (Church)
Wednesday 11th November	9.30 – 10.30am	Years 3 and 4 Mass (Church)
Monday 16th November	All day	Start of Friendship and E-Safety Week
Monday 23rd November	3.30 – 4.30pm	Last Week of Chelsea Football Clubs
Wednesday 25th November		Year 5 – Last Swimming Lesson
Monday 30th November	All day	Test Week (all pupils)
Wednesday 2nd December		Year 6 Carol Concert – Westminster Cathedral
Tuesday 8th December	5.30 – 6.30pm	Pavilion’s Carol Concert
Wednesday 9th December	2 – 3pm and 6 – 7pm	Early Years and Key Stage 1 Christmas Productions
Friday 11th December	8.30am	Last Kent and Early Bird Maths Group takes place
Wednesday 16th December	2 – 3pm and 6 – 7pm	Key Stage 2 Christmas Productions (Years 3 to 5)
Thursday 17th December	9.30 – 11.30am 6 – 7pm	Mother Goose Pantomime (Whole School) Year 6 Carol Service (Church)
Friday 18th December	9.15 – 10.30am	End of Term Mass
	1.30pm	School finishes for Christmas
Monday 4th January	8.30am	All pupils return to school