Dear Parents and Guardians

Just a final note to say a HUGE thank you from me for all your support over the last 8 years!  It has been a joy and a privilege to lead this community and serve your children as headteacher at Cardinal Newman and then as executive headteacher within the Xavier Catholic Education Trust.   

A special thank you to all who have sent me individual letters, cards and gifts - you are so kind and I really appreciate you sharing your happy memories.  The Parent Association "rainbow flowers" are truly stunning and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the children's (and adults') notes in the wonderful book you gave me.    Thank you too to the Parent Prayer Group for the beautiful olive wood statue of the holy family - I will treasure it.

Cardinal Newman was a fantastic school when I joined it and I have done my best to leave it in an even better place.  I was blessed to be headteacher of a Cardinal Newman school when St John Henry Newman was canonised and enjoyed representing the school at the Vatican, along with pupils and parents from the school in 2019. I am delighted to have inaugurated the Chapel, where we now have the Blessed Sacrament reserved for private prayer and adoration.  More than all of this, I have been so blessed to work with your wonderful children, helping them to fulfil their potential, to know that they are each uniquely created and loved by God and that God has a special plan for each of them.  I will keep them and all of you in my prayers as I move on to my new role.

Thank you for everything and God bless

Catherine Burnham

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

As we reach the last day of term and come towards the end of another year, I would like to thank you for all your care, help, understanding and support during what has been a very positive and productive year at Cardinal Newman.

We are blessed with enthusiastic children, supportive parents, insightful governors and dedicated school staff who form such a special community, which enables great things to happen.

We have a great deal to celebrate this year!

Academic

We are not defined as a school by our academic results; however, the children have worked so hard this year and it is only right to celebrate their successes.

Phonics: Excellent phonics results in year 1, where 90% of our children reached the expected standard.

Y6 SATs

Our Year 6 results demonstrate years of building on solid foundations, which culminates in their final year.

‘The school has put in place a curriculum that is rich and ambitious for all pupils. This begins in Reception, where children get off to a strong start to their education. In English and mathematics, the school has meticulously planned pupils’ curriculum ‘pathways’ from early years through to Year 6. Along with high-quality teaching, this enables pupils to excel in these subjects.’

Ofsted March 2024

Broad and Balanced Curriculum

At open mornings, we are very keen to set out that our aim is for all our children to have the opportunity to excel in a range of different activities. Here are a few of the highlights from this year:

• Royal Academy Young Artist competition
• Year 4 classes performed in public in a combined choir at Dorking Halls
• Year 5 classes performed very confidently at Elmbridge Music Festival
• Year 6 Prayer Council attended Mass at Westminster Cathedral
• School Council visited The National Gallery, Houses of Parliament and Downing Street
• School Productions in all year groups, including Y6 Olivia, Y2 The Great Fire of London and Y4 Romans
• Year 5/6 Girls Football Team won the Royal Holloway tournament
• Year 5/6 Girls Football Team won the league
• Year 5/6 Girls Football Team won the league cup
• Year 5/6 Girls Football Team won the inaugural ‘Freddie Driessen Girls Football Tournament’
• Year 6 Boys Football Team were runners up in the League
• Year 2 Football Team competed at the St Georges tournament
• Panathlon Team came 3^rd in the local area competition
• KS2 children competed at District Sports
• Year 6 Girls won the District Cross Country
• Year 5/6 Quad Kids team were runners up in their competition
• Twenty Y6 children competed in the Primary Maths Challenge
• Whole School Science Fair for all year groups with winners participating in a Xavier Trust Science Fair at ACS in Cobham
• “Aim High” workshops for the local area were hosted at Cardinal Newman for children to fulfil their potential in Writing, Maths and Science
• Individual children and the school choir participated in the Xavier Musician of the Year which was hosted at Cardinal Newman

‘Pupils benefit from the many and varied extra-curricular activities and clubs on offer. Musical performances and other special events enable pupils to showcase their talents. Every pupil is encouraged to ‘shine’ in their own unique way’. Ofsted March 2024

Prayer and Liturgy

The prayer and liturgy of the school continued to blossom this year. Our children are continuing to lead aspects of collective worship and they participate beautifully with the singing of hymns. Every child has participated reverently in whole school Mass and their understanding continues to grow. Children in Year 3 upwards have had the opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration in our school chapel throughout the academic year. Our Year 6 Prayer Council have started and completed the Faith in Action award, the second time this award has been offered at Cardinal Newman.  

Saying Goodbye

It is at this time of the year that we prepare to say goodbye to Year 6 and we wish them all the very best for the future. I urge the children to remember their time at Cardinal Newman as Learners, Believers and Friends. To those families who are now leaving Cardinal Newman, please do stay in contact and let us know what the future brings.

As we say our goodbyes to Catherine Burnham and Emma Sharp, I would like to thank them for the huge contributions they have made in the educational provision and Catholic Life at Cardinal Newman school during their time here. We will keep them in our prayers as we wish them all the best with their new adventures.

We would also like to say a big thank you to our out-going chairs of the PA: Jen Rutzler, Emily Wilson, Hannah Mahood & Manuela De Castro for the amazing contribution towards all the PA fundraising over the year, as well as all the organisation this requires.

We are incredibly appreciative of all the support we receive from all our community, whether that be volunteering for trips, making financial contributions, sending appreciative emails of thanks, helping out with PA events, hearing readers…. Thank you for all you have done to support our school this year. We wish you a very happy summer holiday.

Best Wishes

Gerry Flower

News/notes

Fundraising for Whitelodge Centre

As part of our Jubilee Year celebrations, Cardinal Newman will be proudly supporting the Whitelodge Centre through a special fundraiser this September.

In addition, Mr Doe will be running the Berlin Marathon in support of Whitelodge—a charity that holds personal significance to him.

If you'd like to contribute to this cause, please follow the link below. Every donation—big or small—is truly appreciated and will go a long way in supporting the incredible work Whitelodge does.

Thank you for your support!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/euan-doe-berlin2025?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL 

Chertsey Museum Summer Holiday Activities

Reeds Weybridge Rugby Club

Parking

We have had a recent complaint about parents parking on Colne Drive. Please can you park considerately when collecting and dropping off your children.

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.

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.