St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary School

St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic
Primary School
Five Oaks Close, St John’s, Woking, Surrey GU21 8TU
Telephone: 01483 480441
2014-2015, issue 9
7 November 2014
Website: www.sthugh-of-lincoln.surrey.sch.uk
Twitter: @StHughSchool
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to school
after the half-term holiday.
As usual during the school
holidays school was a
busy place. Apart from
members of staff who
were in and out I must
thank Mr and Mrs Rushton and Mrs Balls who
came in to do some gardening, including our sensory garden and our
planting boxes. They look
so much better—thank
you so much! We had a
number of workmen in
working very hard during
the half-term week and
continuing this week, taking out the toilet block
used by children in Years
1-4 and replacing it with
brand new facilities. It is
looking like such a big
improvement. I am expecting that all the work
will be finished and ready
for use next week. The
washroom workmen will
be back during the February half-term and just after to replace the facilities
in the cloakrooms used by
Years 5 and 6—this will
really transform these
areas. This is a capital
project—a grant from the
Department for Education, through the diocese,
covers 90% of the cost
with the governors,
through the governors’
maintenance fund to
which parents are asked
to contribute annually,
being responsible for the
remaining 10% of the
cost.
Today is a day I always
look forward to—the first
class assembly of the year.
Year 6 have the responsibility of leading the first
class assembly. They have
had a busy week, having
enjoyed a great trip to
Milestones Museum, Basingstoke, on Tuesday.
Thank you to Mrs Grace,
Mrs Power and Mr
O’Donovan, our Chair of
Governors, for accompanying the children.
We had two football
matches on Tuesday afternoon, played in pouring rain at Pirbright Village. Although it was
very wet the pitch conditions were fine to play.
Our Year 5 boys tried their
very hardest against
strong opposition. Callum and George both
scored good goals, but
Pirbright scored a number
of times more to emerge
winners. Our girls also
played very well. Caitlin
scored a brilliant goal,
running with the ball from
inside her own half before
shooting high into the
net. Pirbright, recently
crowned district champions, showed a lot of good
play too and scored four
goals of their own to win
4-1. Our girls should be
proud of how they played
though—they had as
many good chances as
their opponents, but just
could not quite finish
them off!
Friday 14 November and
Friday 21 November will
be ‘mufti days’ in exchange for items that will
help the school to raise
money at the forthcoming
Christmas Fayre (on 29
November). On 14 November we would be
grateful for wrapping paper, packs of Christmas
cards or similar, that can
be used on the Christmas
goods tombola at the
Fayre. On 21 November
we would be grateful for
bottles for the bottle tombola.
The week 17-21 November is anti-bullying week.
While wearing ‘mufti’ on
21 November we would
like all children to wear
something green—the
colour of Kelso.
On the subject of the
Christmas Fayre we will
have some kind parents
on behalf of the Friends
working with children in
school next Thursday and
Friday to make some
Christmas crafts.
Enjoy the weekend!
God bless,
Mr George
This issue
includes:
Dear Parents
1
Forthcoming
dates
2
Crossing patrol
3
School develop- 4
ment plan
At St Hugh of Lincoln
School we are fully
committed to safeguarding. Mr George
and Mrs Ashby the
school’s Child Protection Liaison Officers:
any concerns regarding safeguarding
should be raised with
either of them.
Remember
that Mass is
celebrated
in the hall at
8.30am
each
Wednesday
of termtime.
Football
It was a little too wet for photographs at Tuesday’s football matches but here is our boys’ team from the
district 7-a-side tournament played at Woking Park before half-term. Thank you to Mrs Patter for the
photograph!
Dates:
7 November—Year 6 class assembly
10 November (week beginning) - Year 6 Bikeability Group 1
14 November—Mufti day (Christmas cards / wrapping paper please for the bazaar)
17 November—St Hugh of Lincoln feast day Mass (9.05am)
17 November (week beginning) - Year 6 Bikeability Group 2
17-21 November—Anti-bullying week
19 November—Year 6 to SJB to watch drama production
19 November—Parents Forum (2.15pm)
20 November—Open Morning for 2015 admission
21 November—Mission Together Advent collection boxes sent home
21 November—Mufti day (Bottles please for the bazaar tombola)
21 November—Year 6 football match v Sythwood (away) - note change of year
22 November—Friends Disco
24 November (week beginning) - Year 6 Bikeability Group 3
27 November—Netball match v Brookwood
29 November—Christmas Bazaar (Church hall)
10 December—Key Stage 2 Advent Reflection (Church) (evening)
11 & 16 December—Pantomime at New Victoria Theatre (Friends event)
St John’s Knaphill Children’s Centre news
On Tuesday 11th November Sarah Crabb from Surrey Family Information Service will be at the Centre
from 9.00 until 12.30 to give advice and information about the schools admission process. She will advise on both Primary and Secondary so if you have any questions - please drop in – no appointments are
needed. We are trying to find ways of ensuring everyone knows what is available from the centre and are
putting events on our Facebook page – St John’s Knaphill Children’s Centre. If you could have a look
there, and share this with friends – it will help to spread information about the Centre. For more information see our website www.stjohnsknaphillchildrenscentre.co.uk or call the centre on 01483 476450 –
4 Chris, Dawn, Gemma and Kirsty.
School Crossing Patrol
We are advised that Surrey County Council had no response to a recent advertisement for the position of
Crossing Patrol Officer to support children at our school. Please draw the following to the attention of anyone
who you think may be interested:
Job title: School Crossing Patrol
Employer: Surrey County Council
Day-to-day management: St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary School Headteacher
Pay: Surrey County Council pay scale 1 (38 weeks spread over 52 weeks)
Job share a possibility: All permutations would be considered—eg. am/pm split; 3 day/2 day split
Uniform: Provided by Surrey County Council
Training: Provided by Surrey County Council
Further information: Sarah Akerman, Surrey County Council Community Engagement Officer (01483 517560)
Pupil Premium
I will be sending out a further letter about Pupil Premium shortly. Please read it carefully and please do speak with Mrs Griffin in the school office if you think the school
may be entitled to claim this grant for your child.
Knaphill service of remembrance
I will be accompanying a group of Year 6 children who will represent the school at the Knaphill
service of remembrance to be held at 10.45am on Tuesday 11 November, outside Knaphill library. We will have assembly in school earlier on Tuesday morning and all those in school will
observe a minute’s silence at 11.00am.
The Knaphill service of remembrance is a public event—any parents would be most welcome to
join.
Mrs Pamela Crosbie
For many years (more years than I have been at St Hugh’s) we have been very fortunate to have
enjoyed the talents and the friendship of Mrs Crosbie as our Surrey Arts piano and flute teacher. A large number of children over the years have benefitted from her calm, supportive manner
and her own great musical ability. Just a few weeks ago Mrs Crosbie summoned me with great
excitement to listen to one of her pupils, showing some amazing talent! Sadly for the school
Mrs Crosbie moved on at half term to a new adventure, working for the church to which she belongs. We will miss her at school and wish her every happiness in the future.
Parents need not worry—peripatetic music teaching at the school continues in an uninterrupted
fashion—a new teacher is already in place and enjoyed his first visit to our school this week.
A few years ago a pupil in my Year 5 class brought me a DVD to watch of her tumbling. I knew
she was a very talented and highly committed gymnast, but what was on the DVD was absolutely awe-inspiring—I could not believe that a little girl in my class could be so absolutely
amazingly talented. I showed the DVD to the whole school and the whole school was in absolute awe. I’m really thrilled to know that that former pupil, Megan Kealy, has recently been
crowned British Champion in Tumbling in her age group, and will on Sunday be flying out to
Daytona Beach, Florida, to represent Great Britain in the World Age-Group Championships for
Tumbling. Good luck Megan!!!
I enjoyed visiting Reception, Years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 on Wednesday morning to join in some Maths in each
class. I enjoyed teaching Year 6 on Wednesday afternoon, reflecting on the children’s learning about ordination in their Come and See work. I also enjoyed Reception Class’ ‘Show and Tell’!
Golden Assembly
We will celebrate a Golden Assembly on Wednesday next week. Children are welcome to bring
in any recently awarded certificates, badges, medals, trophies etc. so that the whole school can
celebrate achievements outside of school, as well as within it.
School Development Plan
Every school has a School Development Plan (SDP). The SDP helps us to reflect on our
achievements as a school, and to identify ways in which we would like to develop. Although
every school will have an SDP, schools are free to develop a plan in a format and structure of
their own.
Our SDP is structured in five parts:
Strategic Intent 1: All teaching will reflect high expectations for all within a stimulating and
challenging curriculum.
Strategic Intent 2: All children enjoy learning and achieve and attain to the best of their ability.
Strategic Intent 3: The well-being and development of the whole community is actively promoted.
Strategic Intent 4: The leadership and management of the school enables the school to meet its
objectives.
Strategic Intent 5: The school lives and celebrates its Catholic ethos.
I will write about some of the objectives and actions within each of the strategic intents over the
coming weeks.
Parent Governor
Thank you to Mr Stephen Hubbard, whose term of office as Parent Governor expires this
month. Mr Hubbard has been a member of the school’s Resources Committee throughout his
term of office and has in recent years co-ordinated parental contributions to the governors’
maintenance fund. I am very grateful to him for his service to the school throughout his time
as a governor.
All parents should have received a letter from me on Monday regarding arrangements for the
election of a new Parent Governor. If you have not seen this letter please do ask for a copy in
the school office.
Feast Day Mass
Monday 17 November is the feast of our patron, St Hugh of Lincoln. Fr Alexander will be celebrating a school Mass, in the hall, at 9.05am. Parents will be very welcome to join the children and staff on this special occasion.
Please ensure all children have a coat with them in school each day. Children are expected to
go outside when it is cold, and when there is light rain. Please can parents check coats, hats,
scarves etc. to see that they have the child’s name in/on them. Thank you.