6 September 2024 – Newsletter including FOSM AGM, Information sessions, free money for the school, and elections!

Please click here. 

• Action required – Have you complete the permissions form for this year? If not, please fill it in here. We need 100% return. One per child.
• School Bags – a reminder that school bags MUST be draw string bags, not back packs. Only year 6 children can have back packs, and this is due to space. More details and ordering of special St Mark’s schools bags are here.
• “Key Information Sessions” – Find out all about your child’s year ahead! A seperate 45 minute session for each year group held in the main hall, apart from Year R which is online. See the school calendar below for your child’s date/time.
• Breakfast Club – just show up – details here.

• School dinners have increased in price from £2.80 to £3 from September, as previously shared. We return on Week 1 – usual menu here.

• School Car Park – very, very, very limited. We’re starting from scratch again, so if permission was given previously, it’s been removed. Please avoid! If you feel you need one of the few places for drop-offs/pickups, please complete this form. We’ll likely say no, so please don’t be disappointed.
• Join our FOSM AGM on Monday 9th Sept, 7:45pm, main hall. We’d love to have your input!
• Have your financial circumstances changed? You could be elligible for school support. Check here.
• Have your contact details changed? New mobile number? Change in family circumstances? New allergies or medical information? Please let us know via the school office email here.

Key questions you may have!

• When does PE begin? PE begins W/B 9th Sept unless otherwise stated in the PE Days section below.
• What about Forest School? Year 2 and year 6 have Forest School in Autumn 1. We’ll email out more details to you. The PE days section below has more information too.
• When do private music lessons begin? If you are signed-up for lessons, you’ll receive an email soon with specific details.
• When do clubs start? You’ll be informed of Autumn term club allocations during the week of 9th September, with clubs starting week beginning 16th September.
• What about contacting teachers? Each year group has an email address to contact teachers at, in the format of yearX@stmarksce.org.uk . A gentle reminder this is not checked during the day, won’t always get an immediate response on the same day, and definitely not at weekends! For anything general or urgent, please use the adminoffice@st-markscofe.hants.sch.uk email address.
• What about the new attendance rules from the government and increased fines? We’ll be reviewing these as a governing body in September, and will inform you fully soon. Please note these are national guidelines set by the government.

New rules have been released. Children with poor attendance are likely to face fines by Hampshire County Council. Further, unauthorised absences – such as holidays – will also face fines when they meet the threshold.

Fines issued to each parent have gone up from £60 to £80 per child which will be doubled if it happens again within three years. Those with a third fine in a three-year period now face prosecution.

What’s the threshold? 10 sessions in 100 sessions, which equates to 5 days in 50 days. These don’t have to be consecutive. E.g. 1 unauthorised day every week for 5 weeks is treated the same.

The school doesn’t benefit financially, has to do all the paperwork without being reimbursed, but has to follow Hampshire rules.