I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.
Queen Elizabeth II
As the nation mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts are with the Royal Family.
We began our day with whole-school collective worship in Holy Trinity Church led by Fr Graeme. Teachers also provided opportunities for children to understand this sad yet historic moment and Mr McIntyre rang Holy Trinity church bell at 12pm, as was happening in churches all around the country.
Welcome back to the new school year!
It was such a joy to see the children spring back into school on Monday! They have had a great first week and are settling into their new classes and routines. We look forward to welcoming our first group of Reception children on Monday.
We are inviting parents of Y1-Y6 to a ‘Meet the Teacher’ session on:
Tuesday 15th Sept – 3.15-3.30pm or Wednesday Sept 16th – 8.30-8.45am.
We will dismiss the children at 3.30pm as usual on Tuesday and will oversee the children on Wednesday from 8.30am in the playground.
Please look on class pages on our website for information about timetables and topics for this term.
Clubs and individual music lessons begin next Monday with recorder for Y3 and class bands beginning the week after (19th September).
Reading at home
Studies show that reading for pleasure makes a significant difference to children’s educational performance. Children who read for enjoyment every day develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.
Reading for pleasure is also more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background. We believe that teaching children to read is fundamental and aim to empower children with this skill as young as possible in order for them to use reading to learn.
We ask parents to support their children in reading daily at home; please see the attached guidance.
Polio vaccine
As parents will be aware, some traces of polio were found in a water sewage site in North London that serves eight boroughs – including Camden. There haven’t been any confirmed cases of polio yet, and the NHS has said that the risk to people is low. However, the sewage samples do suggest that polio may be circulating in the community. We know that this might raise concerns, but we can help to protect children and the wider community by making sure every child is up to date with their polio vaccinations. The vaccine is safe, effective and free, and it will help to protect your child and others across Camden and London from polio. We urge families to ensure that if they have a child aged between 1-9 years old, they are vaccinated as soon as possible. If you want to find out more about polio and the vaccine, you can visit nhs.uk/polio; nhs.uk/vaccinations or speak to your GP.
Autumn 1 Christian Value – Koinonia
In Christian teaching, Koinonia describes how Christians come together as a family. The origin is in the Greek word koinonos, which means partner, sharer, and companion. In short, it is a shared community that involves deep, close-knit participation among its people. This is something that the community of our school is particularly good at but is something we can strive to develop further. We all are needed and valued and each person is important to the whole. We must always work together to ensure that everyone feels included and valued.
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Matthew 22:39
Attendance and Punctuality
As we start our new academic year, we want to remind parents and carers of the absolute necessity of good school attendance in order for children to reach their potential. This must begin in Reception if children are to have strong foundations to build on.
I am delighted that we got off to a good start with 96.6% attendance and minimal lates – please keep up the good work!
Class Assemblies
Friday assemblies take place in the church hall, 2.55pm-3.25pm.
| Friday 16th September | Awards Assembly |
| Friday 23rd September | Y5 |
| Friday 30th September | Y1 |
| Friday 7th October | Y4 |
| Friday 14th October | Y2 |
| Friday 21st October | Black History |
| 24th October – 28th October | Half term |
| Friday 4th November | Y3 |
| Friday 11th November | Y6 – Remembrance Day |
| Friday 18th November | Reception |
| Friday 25th November | Awards Assembly |
| Friday 2nd December | No assembly – rehearsals |
| Friday 9th December | Awards Assembly |
Free Counselling Service for Parents
We highly recommend the free counselling service for parents through Camden. You can find out more and register your interest via this leaflet.
Camden Music Service
From Y1 onwards, you can sign your child up to learn an instrument in school. For more information and to download the Camden Music Service application form, please click here.
Community Events/Activities
Term dates for 2022 – 2023
| First day of autumn term | Monday 5th September |
| Half term | Monday 24th – Friday 28th October |
| Last day of autumn term | Friday 16th December |
| First day of spring term | Wednesday 4th January 2022 |
| Half term | Monday 13th – Friday 17th February |
| Last day of spring term | Friday 31st March |
| First day of summer term | Monday 17th April |
| Half term | Monday 29th May – Friday 2nd June |
| Last day of summer term | Friday 21st July |
