All that matters is kindness and the capacity to recognise the existence of people other than you.
Zadie Smith
It has been a busy half term in which children have shown great excitement and engagement in the range of learning opportunities in their classes! Thank you to families for ensuring that our Black History Month celebrations brought us together as a school community.
Click this link to find out what is happening in Camden for Black History Month.
We wish our families a wonderful half term break and look forward to welcoming you back on Monday 4th November from 8:40am.
Sporting News
This half term has seen the children compete in various cross school events. As ever our children have had the courage to give their very best and have consistently shown care and great sportsmanship for their opponents.
Cross Country (11.10.24)
A huge well done to our amazing cross-country team, on finishing in 6th place out of 22 Camden primary schools, a few weeks back. The children were all super supportive of one another throughout the whole event, showing great care, courage and cooperation. It was lovely to see them all celebrating each other’s efforts. We would like to congratulate Marie (Year 5) and Ariana (Year 6) girls on winning their races! We would also like to give a special mention to Vinnie (Year 3), Oscar (Year 4), Mimi & Zane (Year 5), Robert & Cali (Year 6) for finishing in the top 10 places within their races.
Boxing Festival (16.10.24)
Well done to our group of Year 6’s that took part in the first ever CSSA Boxing festival. The children learned footwork, how to block, punch techniques and movement patters. They also took part in four different competitive boxing games that tested their speed, agility and reaction skills. Great effort all round!
Tag Rugby (17.10.24)
Last week, our Year 5/6 children showcased their agility and strategic thinking in the CSSA tag rugby competition. Both the A and B teams played a total of four games. The A team managed to win all 4 of their matches resulting in them winning the A competition, whilst the B team won 3 out of 4 resulting in them coming runners-up in the B competition. A huge well done all of our children on their amazing success!
We would also like to give special mentions to Robert, Kimberly, Charlotte, Luke and Max for their exceptional contributions to the team’s success. Your dedication and skill truly made a difference.
Attendance and Punctuality
We finished the half term with a much better week of attendance: 96.7%. We hope that the mid term breaks enables everyone to come back fit, healthy and at school every day!
The attendance bears this week go to Year 1 with an excellent 100% and Year 5 with an equally strong 99%.
The early birds went to Reception and Y6. There was considerable lateness this week across the school. While we appreciate local disruption can lead to longer than planned journey’s to school, we ask that families plan ahead to ensure that all children arrive with enough time to settle into their day.
Christian Vision
Strong in our faith in God, let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, by encouraging one another.
Hebrews 10:23-25
In Junior Mass this week, we celebrated the dedication of Holy Trinity Church. Since 1850, it has been a landmark in the local area, a focus of worship and a beating heart of community. We read in the book of Exodus that when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God knew that as well as food and guidance, his people needed somewhere special to worship him and feel close to him. So he inspired Moses to instruct them to build a temple called a tabernacle. As they were constantly moving around, it couldn’t be a temple of stone or bricks; it had to be a special tent. The Israelites filled the tent with beautiful objects, the most precious being the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the ten commandments written on stone.
In this story we see the development of the idea that God is not tied to just one place; he can be with his people wherever they go. Having a special place and special objects helped the Israelites to feel close to God. The same is true for many of us today; although God is with us everywhere, and we can pray to him anywhere, we often go to special places (such as churches) and have special objects (like candles, statues and crosses) to feel close to him. We are thankful that Holy Trinity Church has provided this in so many people’s lives, and thankful that it contains so many beautiful objects that help us to focus on God. Even more important, though, is what St Laurence taught us: that the true treasures of the church are not any buildings or ornaments but its people. We give thanks for our church building and all it contains, but we must always remember that to follow Jesus, we should show love and care first and foremost for each other. As we come to the end of Black History Month, as we remember the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect, this is as important a message as ever.
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
(John, 13.34)
Class-Led Collective Worship
Our class-led collective worship will take place every Friday at 2.55pm in the church hall. Parents/carers are warmly invited to attend their child’s class-led collective worship; the dates for these are shown below.
| 28th October – 1st November | Half term |
| Friday 8th November | Y6 – Remembrance Day |
| Friday 15th November | Reception |
| Friday 22nd November | Y1 |
| Friday 29th November | Awards |
| Friday 6th December | Awards |
| Friday 13th December | Awards |
Our LabTech Sponsors
Please click here for a link to the Camden Market Events.
We are delighted to have a new partner onboard this year, LabTech. Through their Community Grants Programme, LabTech support a wide range of local initiatives to improve our neighbourhood and enhance Camden residents’ quality of life. LabTech’s funding helped to financially support the 2024 Shakespeare Project, Julius Caesar. LabTech is a local organisation in the heart of Camden Market; find out more about LabTech by clicking the link below.
Free Counselling Service for Parents
Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity with many years of experience working with UK schools to improve children’s wellbeing and behaviour. The charity also supports parents and families and has a wealth of practical tips and advice on many areas of parenting, all of which can be accessed online, including: dealing with changes and endings; building resilience; separation anxiety; de-escalation techniques; positive body image; friendship issues; perfectionism; sleep; gaming habits; and many more. Click on the link here to access and explore the support
We highly recommend the free counselling service for parents through Camden. You can find out more and register your interest via this leaflet.
New Emotional Wellbeing Website for Young People and Families
A new NHS website, packed with emotional wellbeing and mental health information and resources, has been launched to help young people and families, as well as professionals working with them, to navigate support options.
NCL Waiting Room was produced with the help and input of young people, families and professionals. It aims to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for information on specialist mental health services, community groups, emotional wellbeing and self-care resources.
It allows young people and their parents or carers to search for, filter and share resources based on their needs and preferences.
NCL Waiting Room will continue to grow and develop, so watch this space for more details. You can visit the website here and try out the Support Hub resource navigation feature here.
If you have any feedback on the website, you can do this on the relevant pages of the site, or email rtown@tavi-port.nhs.uk
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.
Other Community Initiatives
Mary’s Meals
As part of our commitment to showing care not just in our local community but around the world our parish has in the past supported the work of Mart’s Meals. This year the appeal is taking a different format and we hope that as many people as possible will try to help this vital work. Mary’s Meals would like to invite you to collect all your foreign currency (including UK coins/notes that aren’t legal tender) no matter how old or obscure. Clear out your drawers and have a look under the sofa. Currently the charity feeds over 2.4 million young children one good
meal every day in their place of education – by giving Mary’s Meals your foreign coins and notes you can help feed the next hungry child. Mary’s Meals feeds in over 18 countries. Because of our low costs we can do this for as little as £19.15 per child per year! We will collect up until the 24th November and there will be a collection box in school and in each of the churches, or anything you are able to give can be left in an envelope marked ‘Mary’s Meals’ for Fr Philip to collect. Thank you for your support. You can learn more about Mary’s Meals at: www.marysmeals.org.uk
Click here to join Catriona G on a Cyanotype walk by the canal:
Quad Kids
Camden Library Activities
We highly recommend these. Click here for the catalogue.
Term dates for 2024 – 2025
| First day of autumn term 1 | Wednesday 4th September |
| Half term | Monday 28th – Friday 1st November 2025 |
| First day of autumn term 2 | Monday 4th November |
| Last day of autumn term 2 | Friday 20th December |
| INSET DAY | Monday 6th January 2025 |
| First day of spring term 1 | Tuesday 7th January |
| Half term | Monday 17th – Friday 21st February |
| First day of spring term 2 | Monday 24th February |
| Last day of spring term 2 | Friday 4th April |
| First day of summer term 1 | Tuesday 22nd April |
| Half term | Monday 26th May – Friday 30th May 2025 |
| First day of summer term 2 | Monday 2nd June |
| Last day of summer term 2 | Friday 18th July |