Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School Parent Portal

26th April, 2024

Dear Parents / Carers

Please read on to find out more about what has been happening at Cardinal Newman this week and to see what is coming up in the future!

Have a lovely weekend.

Catherine Burnham

Executive Headteacher

Governors’ Fund classroom iPad appeal

Technology in schools has become a staple used in everyday teaching and learning activities. It is important that children develop their technological literacy and become comfortable using a variety of instructional materials, tools and programs for their own learning that will help prepare them for secondary school and life beyond.

We are blessed to have a dedicated ICT suite of desktop computers for the teaching of ICT as a curriculum subject but the school would benefit greatly from the opportunity to enhance its technology provision in classrooms to help develop the children’s skills in cross-curricular situations through other subjects.

Our next focus is to support the school in purchasing 30 new 10^th generation iPads (together with anti-shock cases for protection). This will enable a whole class to work, communicate and collaborate through digital means on a 1:1 basis and will be something available for all year groups to use.

As you will appreciate, keeping up with the latest technology is a costly process and is not something that schools are able to do easily in the current climate of funding squeezes and significant cost pressures. We would be extremely grateful for any donations you feel able to give towards this worthwhile project, which you can make easily online here. Thank you for your support.

Mobile phone use onsite

Please can we kindly remind you mobile phones should not be used onsite for safeguarding reasons. Thank you for your co-operation.

Opal Play

Freedom Friday was a huge success last week (you may have noticed the amount of chalk on the KS2 playground) and we are increasing the days we offer OPAL at lunchtime. The children thoroughly enjoy being able to move between playgrounds and the field and play with all the different activities on offer.

Dressing-up is proving popular with all ages and it would be great to have some more items of clothing, hats and handbags. Small world donations are always greatly received and please let us know if you have a bubble machine you no longer use. Looking ahead, we would like to build a mud kitchen, so think of us if you are renovating your kitchen and could donate a sink, pots, pans and utensils. Contact the Office if you can help in anyway.

Finally, please make sure your child has a waterproof coat in school as we intend to be outside in all weathers.

Vacancies

We currently have a vacancy for the following:

KS2 Teacher

Please click here for more information and for the job advert on eTeach, click here.

26 Apr 2024

OPAL play - Freedom Friday

For more photos click here.

26 Apr 2024

Opal Class - Forest School

Opal enjoyed the first forest school session of the term by focusing on how plastic enters the Oceans. We found litter using litter pickers on site and discovered how long it takes or not takes to decompose. Then we created our own rivers and saw how plastic floats down stream before collecting...

26 Apr 2024

Eco News

This week, we spoke to our classes and reminded them to send broken or used up school stationery to the yellow eco bin in the year 2 corridor. Once filled up we will send it to Elmbridge Eco Hub for proper recycling rather than ending up in landfill! Finally, a big thank you to a k...

26 Apr 2024

Year 1 - Godstone Farm

On Wednesday 17th April, Year 1 went to Godstone Farm as the starting activity in our science topic – Learning about animals. We saw and learned about different animals. Some were reptiles, some were mammals and some were birds. All of the children enjoyed their trip, especia...

Brooklands Museum - School Membership card

Please note the card is now booked up until the Summer holidays but if you would like to go on a waiting list, please contact the office. If you have booked the card and are no longer able to make that date, please let the office know.

For more information about the museum, please visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com

National Online Safety: Wake Up Wednesday Guides for Parents

We would like to make you aware of our ‘online safety’ advice, guidance and support page called ‘Wake Up Wednesday - what parents / carers need to know’.

Wake Up Wednesday, created by The National College, aims to inform parents and carers on topics such as social media platforms, gaming, and IPad security. They include top tips, important reminders and reality checks on a wide range of online safety topics. They are a great resource to keep up to date with the issues children may encounter.

We will post relevant articles of interest that should help you and your child. Previous articles will be archived on a section of the 'computing' area of our website.

We thank you for your ongoing support in assuring the safety of our pupils online.

Please click here for What Parents need to know about Encouraging Open Conversation at home.

Eco Committee

This week, we spoke to our classes and reminded them to send broken or used up school stationary to the yellow eco bin in the year 2 corridor. Once filled up we will send it to Elmbridge Eco Hub for proper recycling rather than ending up in landfill!

Finally, a big thank you to a kind parent for our wooden eco committee badges, the children were thrilled to receive them and are wearing them proudly.

Teach Southeast

Train to teach with outstanding ITT provider Xavier Teach Southeast.

Take a moment to flick through XTSE's prospectus here or watch some of our 'success stories' here.

Follow XTSE on social media to find out about more events, or just pick up the phone today to the Xavier Teach SouthEast team on 01932 578 682 or email j.crome@xaviercet.org.uk

Parents Association Notes

To contact the PA, please email: PA@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk

Thank you for your support with this today.

Summer Clubs April 2024

External Run Clubs Summer Term 2024

Please see details of external clubs here.

Teacher led Clubs Summer Term 2024

Please see details of teacher led clubs here.

After Crafts - Please find flyer here.

Ballet - For more information, please click here

Chess Club - Please book via Scopay.

Code camp - Please see flyer here

Engineering club - Please find flyer here

Footbellas Girls Football Club - Please find flyer here.

French Club - Please find flyer here

Irish Dancing - Please email lgsoid@hotmail.co.uk

iRock - Please find flyer here

Judo class - Please contact Diane Capon on 07960 699 077 or email diane.capon@sky.com

Mini Dance Performers - Please click here for more information

MTech - an extracurricular music technology and creative composition course for children aged 7-13. For the flyer click here.

Spanish club - Please find flyer here

Tae Kwon Do - For Year 2-6. Please find flyer here.

Ukulele club - Please book via Scopay. Dates this term are

April 24th
May 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd
June 26th
July 3rd, 10th

Please click here for more information.

Planet Soccer - Please click here for more information.

Homework Club (Y3-Y6)

Homework club runs from 3.15 pm - 4.15 pm Monday - Friday, cost is £5 (free if your child attends Whizz Kids after-school club). Please book and pay for via Scopay.

Music lessons - during school hours, music lessons can be arranged through Surrey Arts. Please contact them directly by telephone on 01483 519303, by email at surreyarts@surreycc.gov.uk or visit the Surrey Arts web page for more information. You can subscribe to the Surrey Arts newsletter here.

Lost Property

Please collect lost items from the lost property box in the KS1 playground. Please label everything clearly so it can be returned to the owner. Please note it can take some time for items to reach the lost property box depending on where they were lost.

Items not claimed from the lost property box will be disposed of periodically as it quickly builds up. Thank you.

Communicating with your child's teacher

Messages for teachers can be put in your child's reading/homework diary/bookbag, eg. pick up arrangements, homework issues, lost property, requesting a meeting with the teacher or anything else you would like the teacher to know.

For KS2 children, please remind your child to tell the teacher that the message is in there.

Absences should still be communicated via the office. (see below)

Pick-up notes

Please note that if someone other than a parent/carer is picking your child up, you need to let the teacher or the office know. Please put pick-up notes in your child's reading/ homework diary or bookbag.

For KS2 children, please remind your child to tell the teacher that the message is in there.

Children will not be released with someone else unless we have been notified of it.

If you do need to let the office know about a last minute pick-up change, please do so before 2 pm if possible.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Y6 Independent Walkers

If your child is in Y6 and you would like to let us know they will be walking home from school independently, please email the office.

Y6 Mobile Phones

If Y6 children wish to bring their mobile phone to school, they just need to drop the phone at the school office before school and collect it after school. Phones should be switched off please and not switched back on until children are off site.

No need to complete any form or email the office.

How to report your child being absent or sick

Please notify the school office every day your child is absent from school before 9 am so we can adjust dinner figures and complete the registers. Please either ring the school office on 01932 222536 and leave a voicemail or email absence@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk. If you email us about an absence, you will not receive an acknowledgement reply due to the large volume of emails we receive in relation to this daily.

If your child has a stomach bug, they should not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode of illness.

Absence Request

If you require a school absence for your child for some reason, please email the school office with the details.

Wellbeing

Crisis Helpline

Children and Young People's Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service

Sleep and why it matters

Please click here for information on Sleep and why it matters. More videos can be found on the Childrens Health Surrey website here

National Sleep Helpline: We are here to help

At any given time up to 40% of adults and 50% of children (this rises to 80% with a SEND diagnosis) have difficulties with their sleep. Yet in a recent survey, almost 60% of adults felt there was a lack of support for sleep issues. Sleep problems can leave people feeling isolated and lonely.

Our free helpline is run by trained sleep advisors, many of whom are specialists in working with SEND. We can talk to young people directly, or parents (we can also talk to adults, including older people, about their sleep issues).

The helpline is open 5 times a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings 7-9pm, and Monday, Wednesday mornings 9-11am. The number is 03303 530 541.

You can read more here: https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/national-sleep-helpline/

Support groups and workshops for parents and carers

123 Magic Parenting course

No one has ever said parenting was easy. Living with children can be one of life’s most enjoyable experiences, but it can also be unbelievably frustrating. 123 Magic is a simple, precise and effective way of managing the behaviour of children. It’s not magic but works like magic! Please click flyer here for more information.

Parent Wellbeing Service, Barnardo's Referral Form

Please see information flyer here and referral form here for support from Barnardo's Parent Wellbeing Service.

eSafety and Safeguarding

Reminder: Keeping children safe online and in the real world

At Cardinal Newman School we are always reminding the children how they can keep themselves safe whether in the real world or in the virtual world. Class teachers regularly use the Zones of Regulation to assess how the children in their classes are feeling. Children are encouraged to share their worries using the ‘What I want my teacher to know boxes’ which are in each Key Stage 2 classrooms and the Worry Monsters which can be found in the Keys Stage 1 Classrooms.

Information to support parents can be found on the school website here.

Please continue to report any safeguarding concerns to Mr Flower (Designated Safeguarding Lead) or Mrs Burnham (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead).