Please join us for our annual Harvest Festival at St. Mary’s Church on Thursday 16th October at 9.30am – all welcome.
If you would like to make a donation to the food bank, please send your child to school with something tinned or dried. No fresh items please. I will take them to the Church on Friday 10th October so that they can be displayed in St. Mary’s Church for their Harvest Festival on Sunday 12th and in preparation for ours on Thursday 16th September.
Open Morning – Friday 26th September 09.00am – 11.00am
Come and see the new Nursery and Reception area; our newly re-vamped school hall and of course all our hard-working school community in action. We’d love to see you all. We will have taster sessions from our new Lunch Company Dolce; The Branch will be here should you need signposting to services or support; Locality and Community Support Services (LCSS); our Mental Health Team worker Rhiannon will also be available to chat to as well. The Friends of St. Mary’s and The Book Fair will all be available so please do join us for a great morning.
If you are unable to attend the Opening Morning or know someone that would like to, please get in touch and arrange an appointment for an alternative time.
School Lunches
As I said last week, school lunches are a real hit. Get in touch if you would like your child to have one. Our new reception children think they are lovely and have amazing table manners! Please remember that every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to free school meals and that they have to be ordered through School Grid.
Early Birds and Night Owls
Night Owls has been a huge success this week and the children have enjoyed the games and outside fun that Miss Reynolds and Mr Buzzard have provided. If you need this provision, please speak to the office and they would be happy to add you to the list.
Well, after a lot of hard work the nursery and reception area is now completely finished and it looks amazing! The children have had so much fun using all of the new equipment and as the headteacher of St. Mary’s it has been so lovely to see.
Open Morning Friday 26th September 09.00am – 11.00am
Come and see the new nursery and reception area; our newly re-vamped school hall and of course all our hard-working school community in action. We’d love to see you all. We will have taster sessions from our new Lunch Company Dolce; The Branch will be here should you need signposting to services or support; Locality and Community Support Services (LCSS); The Friends of St. Mary’s and The Book Fair will all be available so please do join us.
Chastleton Teas – Sunday 21st September at Chastleton Church in aid of St. Mary’s Primary
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered but we could do with a little more help. If you could bake a cake and/or could volunteer an hour of your time, we would really appreciate it. All cakes should be brought to the school office by the end of the school day on Friday 19th September in preparation for Sunday 21st. Please contact Sonia King if you could bake a cake or spare an hour of your time on the Sunday.
School Lunches
The feedback about school lunches couldn’t have been better. The variety of food on offer and the new recipes are a definite hit. We have noticed that a lot of children who would normally be entitled to a school lunch are still not taking advantage of this delicious offer. If you are having difficulties setting up an account, please contact the school office and remember if you are unsure whether your child is entitled to a free school meal in KS2, we can always check for you.
Also, some parents are forgetting to pre-order their child’s school meal so unfortunately will not always be given an option at the counter. To avoid any unecessary upset, please order your child’s meal in advance. Meals can be ordered a term in advance. Many parents find ordering on a Sunday evening with their child also a good option so they know what they are eating for that week.
Early Birds and Night Owls
After-school clubs are full. However, you still have the opportunity to place your child in Night Owls, which runs from 3-5pm. Please see the separate email on ParentMail for step by step instructions.
Early Birds and Night Owls – change of drop off and collection
Our wrap around care is now in full swing. Early Birds and Night owls will now run in The Orchard. Please drop your child off and collect your child from the victorian building entrance, labelled The Orchard. Press the Intercom system and someone will come to the door.
Well, we’ve had a fabulous three days back! A big welcome is extended to all the new families and children we have in reception and nursery. We would also like to welcome all the new families that joined us throughout the school too.
School projects over the summer
The school has been refreshed and lots of people have worked extremely hard over the summer holidays to get the school looking so good. Our new nursery and reception class is coming along brilliantly and we are at the last stages of our journey. Thank you so much to Adam Smith and all of his team who worked long days and at the weekend to produce such a fabulous space. Adam was able to move other commitments around to ensure that our space would be ready for the children and we can’t thank him enough. The hall has received a total revamp. After 38 years, we felt it deserved something better. The new floor and re-paint has transformed the area. It’s been a great hit with the children.
We’ve also had a beautiful mural painted on the side of the Victorian building by Ross Heywood, who was funded by Cotswolds Arts. It shows our values tree and a lovely wise old peering out of the oak tree. We were so impressed with what he had created that we asked him to do some more work in our office area and it is looking really lovely already. I can’t wait to see the area when it is finished.
Chastleton Teas – Sunday 21st September at Chastleton Church in aid of St. Mary’s Primary
The Friends of St. Mary’s are asking for help. If you could bake a cake and/or could volunteer an hour of your time, we would really appreciate it. All cakes should be brought to the school office by the end of the school day on Friday 19th September in preparation for Sunday 21st. Please contact Sonia King if you could bake a cake or spare an hour of your time on the Sunday.
School Lunches
Thank you to all those parents who have signed up to the School Grid. The kitchen staff have worked very hard with a new system and menus and have made some delicious food this week. The feedback has been great. Crunchy baked potatoes and fluffy insides was one comment. The beef pie could easily have been served up in any pub in town. If your child is not signed up, especially if they are entitled to free school meals, please contact the school office or the SchoolGrid for further support. We wouldn’t want your child to miss out.
School Clubs
Thank you to every one who has signed their child up for a school club. There are lots to choose from. There are still some places left, so please complete the google form as soon as possible. Book Club and KS2 Art Club are now full. You will receive a confimation email if your child has been allocated a place today and payment details will be added to your Parentmail account next week.
Early Birds (previously Rise and Shine) runs from 08.00am – 08.25am for £2. Your child can be dropped off in a safe environment and enjoy games or just a quiet space before the start of school.
Night Owls (new to school) runs from 3.00pm – 5.00pm every week, Monday to Friday during term-time. Please contact the school office to be added to the list for Parentmail.
3.00pm – 4.00pm £2
4.00pm – 5.00pm £4
Your child will take part in a variety fo fun activities with Miss Reynolds and Mr Buzzard. Please provide a small snack if your child is staying until 5.00pm. Once it is added to your Parentmail account you can book this up until the night before.
Music lessons
We are very lucky to be able to offer extra musical activities in school time. If your child is interested in any of these then please do jo me or email the school office.
Piano with Mrs Freeman at a cost of £12.85 for a 20 minute lesson
Guitar – The lessons are held in small groups (between 3- 4 children) and cost £9.00 per lesson. If you would like to register your interest, please could you email: info@guitarclubs.co.uk.
Irock – this enables children to become part of a band. No experience needed and all instruments provided for children to use in their session. There is a monthly charge for this but it works out at about £11 a lesson
Diary Dates
In next week’s newsletter, you will receive a list of diary dates for the whole year.
Have a lovely weekend in preparation for a full week next week.
As we said goodbye to the Y6 who were transitioning to CNS today, the rest of the school spent time with their new teachers. Everyone is looking forward to what next year will bring.
St. Mary’s Unplugged
Thank you to everyone for their contributions. If anyone has anything further to collect, please make sure it is at school by Monday 7th July. The children are very proud of what they achieved!
Dolce Dinners in September
I am pleased to announce that our new school lunches will be provided by a firm called Dolce. You will be required to pre-order your meals online (more information to follow) whether you are entitled to free school meals or you pay for lunches. School lunches have been £2.10 for many years and currently the school has been subsisidising these meals by paying 82p per meal, per child, per day. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, this does not make financial sense. If you receive free school meals, your child will continue to do so but this does mean that if you pay for your child’s school lunch we will now need to increase this. The cost for a delicious school meal will now cost £2.95. Dolce cook with fresh ingredients and your child will get a choice of four options online – a meat, a vegetarian, a baked potato with choice of fillings or a sandwich bag. Many of our free school meal children were choosing to bring in a packed lunch but with this new company, your child will be able to have great choice. Before the end of term you will receive further information about this so I hope you’ll ditch the homemade packed lunch and choose one of the many delicious meals on offer.
Guitar Lessons
We are hoping to begin guitar lessons starting in September 2025. The lessons will be available for the children from Years 3-6. The lessons are held in small groups (between 3- 4 children) and cost £9.00 per lesson. If your child would be interested in this, please contact the school office or Dojo Mrs English.
Super Assemblies from Y2 and Y3
Y2 taught us all about Space and Y3 talked about all their Egyptian learning – fascinating stuff!
We were visited by our local MP today to discuss our plans for the new nursery. Mr. Woodcock was very impressed with our school and development ideas. If you know anyone coming to the area or considering a school for their child we would be more than happy to show them around St. Mary’s.
School Photos
We thought we’d try something different today so class photos were taken outside, on the school field. We have such beautiful school grounds. I’m sure they will look lovely when they are produced.
Piano Lessons
Piano lessons are now available with a music teacher during school hours or lunch breaks, with rotating times each week so children do not miss the same class regularly. A fun and flexible way to build confidence and learn piano-perfect for beginners. Lessons are 20 minutes long and cost £12.50.
If your child would be interested in this, please leave a message at the office for Mrs English.
iRock Thursday 10 July at 9.30am
We are inviting parents and carers of those children that have just started their iRock sessions to come along to a small concert, where the children would like to show you what they have been learning. If any other parents were thinking of signing their child up for next year, please join us too.
Multiplication and Maths End of Term Reward
Do you want your child to enjoy ice-cream and a bouncy castle treat for learning their multiplication tables? An afternoon of fun is on offer at St. Mary’s.
By the end of next term, your child will receive this reward if they:
Reception – know doubles to 10 (1+1, 2+2, 3+3 etc)
Y1 – can count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Y2 – can multiply by 2, 5 and 10
Y3 – know their 2,3,4,5,8 x tables in under 6 seconds
Y4, Y5 and Y6 – know ALL of their tables to 12 x 12 in under 6 seconds.
If your child has already received a certificate, their name will already be on the treat list. If you are concerned that your child has SEN but you have been trying hard at home regularly, this will also be recognised by the class teacher as they will have had the data for TTRockstars across the year.
St Mary’s Unplugged – 24 hours
A child told me the other day that he had so many sponsors. I responded with a very well done. The child told me that his parents and family didn’t think he could survive without technology for 24 hours. He said to me, ‘I can do anything I tell myself, even giving up my Xbox!’
So, who else is taking up the challenge? It doesn’t have to be a lot of money but the fact you complete the challenge is so important.
Athletics achievements
Our athletics team were fantastic on Wednesday. They all competed in the 75m sprint, 300m run, long jump and howler throw.
We unfortunately didn’t win overall but we had some amazing performances, notably from Annabel, Ellie, Alfie Lee and Ethan for coming first in their long jump event! Every child in our team managed to come 1st, 2nd or 3rd in at least one event!
Mr Buzzard and Mrs Eaglestone were very proud. Thank you for representing St Mary’s so brilliantly!
Attendance
Thank you to all those parents who supported us this week in bringing their child to school on time. Even with all of the mayhem at the beginning of the week, the lates this week has reduced significantly. If you received a letter last week, we will be monitoring this on a weekly basis.
Class with overall best attendance
EYFS – 99.05%
Overall school attendance
95.14%
Unauthorised attendance
2.62%
Staff changes
Miss Gardner will be leaving us at the end of the summer term to fulfil her dream of being able to walk to work. I would like to thank Miss Gardner for her lovely whole school events at the Church and her fabulous face painting on VE day. We wish her all the best with her new adventure.
With Miss Gardner leaving us, we will be recruiting for a new class teacher. Please find more information on the DFE and OCC jobs website.
We are also recruiting 3 teaching assistants. We are able to offer two permanent and one temporary contract. If you or anyone you know is interested in this position, please contact me for an informal chat. You would be joining a happy, motivated team who work hard to give the children of St Mary’s the best every day.
Once the recruitment of all staff has been made, classes and their teaching assistants will be announced.
School Lunches
Thank you to those parents and carers who completed the school lunch questionnaire last week. We listened very carefully to your responses. The process of school and packed lunches have not changed for a number of years. The school has also been subsidising those families who pay for their meals for many years too. However, this has had a detrimental effect on the choice of meals on offer. I stated in a previous letter that we will be increasing our charges from September. We have just been informed that our current provider will now make this change after half term. However, we feel this is too short notice and will continue to subsidise this increase as well.
From September, we will be looking at a different company, who will provide us with a range of choices that you will be able to pre-book. The increased choice, quality and ease of booking will come at an increased cost and we will unfortunately be unable to subsidise this.
We will keep you informed about all of this next term and thank you for your continued support.
Parent Workshops at St Mary’s – creche available
Please join us for a CAMHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST) Parent Workshop – Introducing ‘The Brief Incredible Years: Empowering parents to manage and understand their child’s behaviour. Part 1 & 2.
Save the date: Part 1: Tuesday 17 June 2025 from 3.00pm – 4:30pm Part 2: Tuesday 1 July 2025 from 3.00pm – 4:30pm
The workshop ‘Brief Incredible Years’ is based on the book ‘The Incredible Years’ by Caroline WebsterStratton. This program focuses on positive parenting strategies that support emotional and social development in children. The book is available for purchase (though not required for the workshop), or through Audible and some schools may lend copies. This is a parent-only workshop.
Please let the office know if you would like to attend so that we organise staff to look after your children.
