Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School Parent Portal

7th February, 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This week, we had a special focus on Children's Mental Health Week, a vital reminder of the importance of nurturing not just the academic growth of our children, but also their emotional and spiritual well-being.

The Travelling Book Fair has been a big success this week, with many children eagerly exploring new books, discussing their favourite stories and discovering new authors. Thank you for all your support with this - we have been able to raise funds that will go towards enriching our classroom reading resources.

Parent Consultations will be taking place on Tuesday and Thursday next week; if you haven't already done so, please book an appointment via Scopay to meet with your child's class teacher.

Have a lovely weekend,

Gerry Flower

Catholic Life

Family Prayer Session

Please join us for our Family Prayer Session, which takes place every Friday morning from 8:15-8:30am in the school chapel. The aim is for families to gather and pray, the session is led by parents and all are welcome - please bring your children.

Follow the Mark 10 Mission here

https://www.themark10mission.co.uk/the-mark-10-mission

Feast of The Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas)

The dark mornings and evenings are still with us as we celebrate Candlemas, the feast of The Presentation of the Lord, on 2nd February. This feast day marks the official end of the Christmas season in the Catholic Church and reminds us again that Jesus is the light who came into the world to save us.

The Celebration of the Word for the first week of February celebrates the Presentation of the Lord, when Jesus was taken to the Temple as a baby to be presented to God - a religious tradition and duty for all Jews.

The Gospel story of this event reminds us how Simeon and Anna reflect on the amazing day when they saw Jesus and through eyes of faith and recognised Him as the promised Saviour. Children will come to know that they too can see Jesus with eyes of faith as the Light of the World - the light that leads us to joy, peace and truth.

With your child, you might like to…

Light a candle in a darkened room or turn on a lamp or torch and ask your child to describe how light changes the look and feel of their surroundings. Talk about the title for Jesus - the ‘Light of the World’ and explain that Jesus guides us with His loving light.
Talk about ways they can shine Jesus’ loving light in the world through their words and actions.

Jubilee Year 2025

A Prayer of Hope

Jesus, our light, In this Jubilee Year, you remind us of our call to love our neighbours and to set free those who suffer. Help us to treat everyone with dignity; to be fair, forgiving and kind.

Guide us on our journey as pilgrims of hope.

These Year 3 children were so inspired by the launch of the Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope, that they made badges and glasses to share the message with others! Well done children!

Lourdes Pilgrimage Fundraiser

News/notes

Class Teacher Vacancy

We are looking for a class teacher to join our friendly team from September. For more information, please click here.

No Teacher-Led Clubs next week

Just a reminder that there will be no teacher-led clubs before and after school next week, including Homework Club due to Parent Consultation evenings.

PA Sponsored Read

For more information and the sponsorship form, please click here.

Mr Simpson's Brighton Marathon

This year I will be running the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 6^th April for Alzheimer's Society. I will be running in memory of my amazing Gran who suffered with dementia the last few years of her life and for all people who suffer with dementia and their families. I would love to exceed my target and would greatly appreciate anything you can donate. Thank you. Mr Simpson

https://www.justgiving.com/page/ross-simpson-1716901734036?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

St Patrick's Night

The annual Walton and Hersham Irish Society St Patrick’s Night will take place on Saturday the 15th of March at All Saints Church Hall in Hersham. This is a family friendly event with profits raised going to local charities. Come along and enjoy the craic! Always a great night with a live band, licensed bar, Irish shop, kids disco, face painting, Photo Booth, raffle, pizza truck and much more.

Tickets have sold out but you are able to join the waiting list by clicking the link below.

Ticket prices are adult £10 and children £2.50

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thehershamwaltonstpaddysfamilyshindig/1545561

Looking forward to seeing you there!

If anyone would like to get involved on the night with helping out please contact Kieran Brennan on 07470491967.

Chertsey Museum Half Term Activities

Parking

Please can we once again remind you to be mindful of your parking when collecting and dropping your children to school.

Parking is available in the Coronation Rec car park which is just a short walk away from school. Alternatively, you can park for free at Hersham station car park on Walton Park with a permit which you can obtain by emailing the school office your car registration plate.

Please also note that parents dropping their children off for Breakfast Club or any morning clubs are not allowed to park in the school car park.

07 Feb 2025

VR Headsets

Year 2, Year 6 and our Digital Leaders enjoyed using VR headsets to support their learning in Geography and Computing. We thank ACS Cobham for lending their headsets to us! For more photos, please click here.

Message from the Governors

Dear all,

We wanted to update you on how we next plan to use the money from your donations to the Governors’ Fund to help our school.

We have agreed to fund the purchase of five new interactive whiteboards, which will replace existing models in KS1 and KS2 classrooms that are unfortunately reaching the end of their natural life.

Technological obsolescence is an inevitability and replacement can be a significant expense. As with the iPads, this is something that the Governors’ Fund can help the school cover.

With advancements in ICT, interactive whiteboards are considered integral educational tools that enhance learning and support teaching. Keeping them up to date enables teachers to take advantage of new media and teach innovatively.

If you don’t already give to the Governors’ Fund, may we ask that you consider it for 2025? You can donate to the Governors’ Fund here. Thank you for your generosity and for being such an important part of the Cardinal Newman community.

The Cardinal Newman School Governors

Parents Association Notes

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

Quiz night 7th Feb

Y3 Cake Sale - Friday 7th February

Thank you for your support with this today.

Reception starters 2025

Please click here for more information on school applications if you have a child starting Reception in 2025.

Secondary school starters 2025

Please click here for more information on school applications if you have a child starting Year 7 in 2025.

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.

Brooklands Museum - School Membership card

If you would like to book the Brooklands Museum card for a weekend, please contact the office.

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 here on our website.

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

Vacancies

Class Teacher Vacancy

We are looking for a class teacher to join our friendly team from September. For more information, please click here .

Teach Southeast Teacher Training

TRAIN TO TEACH WITH OUTSTANDING ITT PROVIDER XAVIER TEACH SOUTHEAST

We always welcome people who want to discuss routes into teaching – we might be biased but we believe there is no better job than teaching young people and shaping the next generation! We would encourage anyone thinking of teaching to get in touch so that they can come to visit and find out more.

We are proud to be a partner school of Xavier Teach SouthEast, a SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) provider working in and around our local area. Xavier Teach SouthEast provides all trainees with high quality training, in both primary and secondary settings, to enable them to develop into competent and confident professionals.

Trainees are well prepared through first-rate complementary placements which ensure that they gain substantial practical experience, developing their evaluative and practical teaching skills effectively. In-school expert mentors and external subject trainers have consistently high expectations and work collaboratively to ensure training is coherent and highly relevant to the needs of trainees.

Xavier Teach SouthEast have had two consecutive Outstanding judgements and are highly regarded in the local area; we love working with them and hope you will too.

For more information please call them on 01932 578 682

Or visit the website to view their prospectus or sign up to a SCITT open morning www.teachsoutheast.co.uk

Xavier Catholic Education Trust Vacancies

To find out more about vacancies within the Xavier Catholic Education Trust, please click here

Spring Clubs January 2025

Half Term Planet Soccer Camp (Y1-Y6)

Here is a link to our February Half Term Multi Sports Camp.

It is running from Monday 17th February to Thursday 20th February.

There are discounts for booking 4 days and sibling discount when booking 4 days.

Drop Off 8:30 - 9:30

Pick Up 15:30 - 16:30

https://bookwhen.com/planetsoccercamps60

It is running from Monday 17th February to Thursday 20th February.

External Run Clubs Spring Term 2025

Please see details of external clubs here.

Teacher led Clubs Spring Term 2025

Please see details of teacher led clubs here.

After Crafts - Please find flyer here

Engineering club - Please find flyer here

Footbellas Girls Football Club - Please find flyer here.

French Club - Please find flyer here

Ballet - For more information, please click here

Chess Club - Please book via Scopay from September 2024

Gaelic Football Club - Please click here for more information. Now finished until summer term 2025.

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

Ukulele club - Please book via Scopay. Dates this term are 6th November - 4th December. 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

Surrey Adult Learning

NHS Parent Portal

At the start of the new academic year, we would like to remind you of the NHS school and parent resources available on inourplace to ease moving up transitions.

Click here for:

easy-to-follow video resources for parents to help support emotional wellbeing during school transitions

online learning and resources with tailored material for supporting children with additional needs and considerations

signposts for practical support and ideas to ensure smooth transitions, including information on mobile phone use and technology

extensive additional e-learning content for parents on childhood development and emotional health from 0-19+

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

Parent Wellbeing Service, Barnardo's Referral Form

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

Parish News

St Erconwald's Mass times

Weekday masses
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday - 9.30am, Tuesday - 7pm (Adoration & Reconciliation at 6:30pm)
Thursday No Mass

Weekend masses
Saturday
Italian mass 4.45pm (except during August)
Vigil Saturday - 6pm
Sunday
Family mass - 9.15am
Traditional mass - 11.15am
On the first Sunday of the month, we have our Polish Mass at 1pm

For updates, please check St Erconwald's website here.

St Barnabas and All Saints Mass times

All Saints, Hersham
5:30pm Saturday, Vigil Mass
9:00am Sunday, Mass

St Barnabas, Molesey
11:00am Sunday, Solemn Mass
6:00pm Sunday, Mass

For updates, please check St Barnabas' website here.

Advent Booklet for St Erconwalds

Please click here for the St Erconwalds Advent & Christmas events timetable.

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).