News - 19th December 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

As the crisp winter air settles around St Marys, I find myself penning my final newsletter as headteacher. It's a bittersweet moment, filled with reflection and gratitude. Despite the length of this term, time has seemed to fly by, leaving us with a treasure trove of memories and accomplishments to cherish.

The festive season has brought a flurry of activity to our halls, and I'm delighted to share some of the highlights that have warmed our hearts and showcased the talents of our remarkable pupils. Last week, our Reception Class and Key Stage 1 pupils dazzled us with their production of "The Fleece Force" - a nativity play that truly captured the spirit of Christmas. The singing and acting from our youngest members were nothing short of spectacular, their enthusiasm and dedication shining brightly on stage. It was a joy to witness, and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the pupils involved and express my deep appreciation to the staff who worked tirelessly to bring this magical performance to life.

In celebration of our pupils' achievements, we recently held our REACH award assembly. It was a moment of immense pride as we recognised the outstanding accomplishments of pupils from Reception to Year 6; Astrid, Violet, Max, William, Heloise, Ciara, and Juliette. Your hard work, determination, and positive attitudes have not gone unnoticed, and you should feel incredibly proud of your achievements.

The festive cheer continued this week as our pupils gathered in their house groups for Christmas lunch celebrations. The air was filled with laughter and the clinking of cutlery as they enjoyed a delicious feast. I must commend Mrs Bishop, Mrs Wilson and Mrs Balchin for their creative flair in making this annual tradition so special.

As I prepare to bid farewell, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we've shared. Leading St Mary's has been an honour and a privilege that I will always treasure. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our fantastic pupils, who never cease to amaze me with their curiosity, creativity, and kindness. To my wonderful colleagues, your dedication and passion for education have been an inspiration, and I know that the school will continue to thrive under your care.

To our parents and wider school community, I extend my deepest thanks for your unwavering support and kindness over the years. Your partnership has been invaluable in creating the warm, nurturing environment that defines St Mary's. I feel truly blessed to have been a part of this brilliant school, and our fantastic community has played an enormous role in making my tenure so rewarding.

As I look to the future, I am filled with optimism for St Mary's. While I will miss the daily interactions and the joy of watching our pupils grow and flourish, I look forward to hearing about the school's continued successes and achievements in the years to come.

As we approach the festive season, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your nearest and dearest.

With my heartfelt gratitude and very best wishes always,

Mrs Buckley
Headteacher

A MESSAGE FROM MRS EVANS
As we approach the end of term, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas, and I hope you have the chance to rest and enjoy time with your loved ones. I look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Tuesday 7th January, and I am excited to begin working with you all as Acting Head Teacher of St Mary’s in the New Year.

As part of our INSET day on 6th January 2025, we will be working with the Head of Safeguarding, Inclusion and Wellbeing at The Good Shepherd Trust, Liz Tedbury, to consider role models. We would be really grateful if you could take 2 minutes to complete a very quick survey about role models to aid our discussions.

There are just two simple questions: who was your role model growing up, and who is your child’s role model? You can access the survey via this link: https://forms.office.com/e/2507XUsKSL

Many thanks, and Merry Christmas!

Mrs Evans

STARTING SCHOOL:
Starting School – Reception:
If your child was born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 you will need to apply for a school place. You can apply between 31 October 2023 and 15 January 2024.

If you live in Surrey, you can find out all you need to know about school admissions and apply online at surreycc.gov.uk/admissions or you can call on 0300 200 1004.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
The new after school club timetable has now been sent.
Bookings will go live for these clubs on Monday 6th January at 6pm until Wednesday 8th January at 6pm.
After School Clubs will commence on Monday 13th January (please note external club dates may be different).

SCOPAY

Please ensure that Scopay is updated before returning to school in January for lunch choices for the start of term.
Please review Scopay for any outstanding balances for trips, breakfast club or school lunches.
If you are having any issues with making payments, please do get in touch.

LOST PROPERTY:
The bucket will be put outside, in the playground so please check for any missing items. Anything not claimed by the end of term will be donated. If you can ensure all items of clothing, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc are named for September this will help alleviate many unclaimed items!

MEDICINES
Please can you collect any medicine, pills, epipens, etc from the school office before the end of term if they are required for the Christmas Period.

SCHOOL FUND
On a termly basis, we ask for a small contribution per family in order to support some of the extended opportunities that we provide. This may be used for additional resources for specific resources i.e. Art or a piece of equipment to be used by pupils on the school site.

In today’s economic climate, I am aware that parents are concerned about requests for financial support from schools. However, the reality of the situation is that, like all schools, in our latest budget we have had to make significant savings, which reflect reduction in our funding allocation from central government. It is only through continued careful management of resources that we have been able to afford to do this and protect the core curriculum resources.

With this in mind, your on-going support for the school fund would help us to continue to support these additional resources. For the academic year 2024 – 2025, we would like to ask each family to contribute £25 per term; however, anything you can contribute would be gratefully received.

ATTENDANCE
We want to remind you that there are new Department for Education regulations in place regarding children’s absences. These took effect from 19th August 2024 which affect penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence from school.

More details can be found:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance

https://www.stmaryschidd.org/key-information/parent-information/school-attendance/

Week Commencing 9th December 2024

Reception – 98.5%
Year 1 – 96.4%
Year 2 – 95%
Year 3 – 89.2%
Year 4 – 94%
Year 5 – 91.3%
Year 6 – 87.5%

Attendance certificates will be sent home on Thursday 19th January.

ST. MARY’S SCHOOL VISION

Wisdom

Wisdom is a core Christian value in our school because we believe through wisdom good choices are made, that it encourages us to learn from our mistakes and encourages us to live our lives wisely for the benefit of all. "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’’ John 8:32

Hope

Hope is a core Christian value in our school because hope gives us energy and supports us through difficult times. "Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time.’’ Romans 12:12 To act with hope is to aspire to greater things, to promote positivity and courageous advocacy.

Respect

Respect is a core Christian value in our school because we believe that all life is precious within the image of God and deserves to be valued. "Do to others as you would have them do unto you." Luke 6:31 Our Christian value of respect means living up to the image of God with our school, our community and ourselves.

Community

Community is a core Christian value in our school because we know that together we are stronger and can achieve more. "Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else.’’ Romans 12:16

Everyone in our school, local and global community are needed and valued.