2024 – St Mark's CofE Primary School

6 days ago

25 October 2024 – Newsletter – Parent Survey, Girls Football, Prayer Space and more

Headlines

Please can you complete our parent survey here. One per child. Thanks! We really value your feedback. Closes Wednesday 30th October
Can you do a farm slot over half-term? Fun and free! Book here.
We will be holding a sibling photo session on 18th November. On this day, we will also arrange to take the photos of any children who were absent for the September photo session.
PE days have changed for some year groups. Please see below for details.
A reminder that whilst ewatches are allowed, they should not be connected to bluetooth or wifi, and must not have camera facilities.

Have a great half-term, Charles

Homework

W/B 4th November

Click Here

St Mark’s Photo Reel

Well done Y5 & Y6 Girls Football – you played so well against Oakley Juniors, especially for your first match! Huge thanks to Miss Seaborne for coaching and organising!

Thanks to your donations, we’ve been able to send some of our uniform to Mud House Children’s Foundation in Tanzania. Find out more here.

Reeva celebrated the annual festival of Navaratri at the Basingstoke Hindu Society. She won a prize in a competition for the Best Dressed attendee. Congratulations Reeva!

Odd Socks Day and Anti-Bullying Week - Tues 12th Nov

During the week beginning Monday 11th November, we will be celebrating Anti-Bullying Week at St Mark’s! The theme this year is ‘Choose Respect’. On Tuesday 12th November, we will celebrate Odd Socks Day.

WHAT IS ODD SOCKS DAY?

Odd Socks Day is a key part of Anti-Bullying Week! To celebrate that we are all unique, we ask that children wear odd socks to school on Tuesday 12th November. Last year over 13,000 schools took part in Odd Socks Day and again this year, we are joining them!

WHY IS ODD SOCKS DAY IMPORTANT?

The day sends an important message to pupils that they should be allowed to be themselves, free from bullying and helps us celebrate Anti-Bullying Week in a fun and positive way. We will be completing fun activities during the day and the rest of the week, which will help us celebrate both our differences and our unity within our St Mark’s community.

WHAT DO WE NEED FROM YOU?

*Please just make sure your child wears odd socks to school on Tuesday 12th November!*

Breakfast Club

Did you know we offer a daily breakfast club with 3 different start times?

The sessions are as follows:

Sessions with our supervised drop-off system in the school car park:

7.30am with breakfast -£5.00 per day
8.00am with breakfast – £2.75 per day

Sessions where you will need to park off-site and walk in:

8.20am without breakfast – £1 per day

What breakfast do you provide? We offer a selection of cereals, toast with spreads, fruit and fruit juice.

What is the drop-off system? A member of staff will help your child out of the car and guide them to the ramp which leads directly to the hall.

Can we choose not to have breakfast? Yes you can, but the cost remains the same.

What if I arrive at 7:50am? The cost is still £5.oo.

Do you provide any 1-1 support? No, unfortunately we are unable to do this at breakfast club.

Prayer Space

Thank you to our wonderful Christian Voice Ambassadors who have shared our Prayer Space brilliantly this week, supporting their classes and other year groups in exploring the space.

Also, many thanks to Rev Nicola, Rev Kim, Jeannette Welton and volunteers from our local churches in The Parish of Basingstoke Down, for their help with supporting and running the Prayer Space this week. They have helped to make it a special experience for all of the children.

Having a half term clear out?

Look after our animals

A free and fun family activity

Click here

⭐ Star Learners ⭐

⭐ Star Readers ⭐

⭐ Quietest Classes⭐

5E Parrots 4C

⭐ Attendance Updates ⭐

Our target over the year is 97%. Last year’s attendance was 95.8% – above national levels, but we’d like it to be much higher.

Our current attendance percentage is 97% !!!

😊 😊 😊 WOW! We have had such a fantastic half term for attendance!

Weekly Attendance by Class

What's the impact on missing school?

Categories	Learning days lost
Acceptable sickness & unforeseen absences.	98% = 4 days
	97% = 6 days
	96% = 8 days
Attendance below 95% is of concern to the school & you will be contacted automatically.10 days unauthorised absences for holidays over the year mean you will only achieve 95% attendance. Sickness & medical appointments, although usually unavoidable & authorised, will add further to your child’s absence record.	95% = 10 days
	94% = 12 days
	93% = 14 days
	92% = 16 days
Poor attendance Attendance below 90% is a serious concern. Your child has now missed nearly 4 weeks’ education. You may be referred to the Early Help team at the local authority.	91% = 18 days
	90% = 20 days
	89% = 21 days
	88% = 23 days
	87% = 25 days
	86% = 27 days
Very poor attendance	85% = 29 days
	84% = 31 days
	82% = 35 days
	80% = 39 days

Reminder of the new rules

School Dates, Lunches, and Clubs

View the full calendar here. Subscribe on either Chrome/ Android or Apple

Meals
**UPDATED PE Days**
PE Uniform details can be found here. Remember, football shirts, hoodies, or general day-to-day clothing are not acceptable as PE kit.

Year R
- Monday – Indoor PE
- Thursday – Indoor PE
Year 1
- Tuesday – Outdoor PE
- Thursday – Outdoor PE
Year 2
- Wednesday – Outdoor PE
- Friday – Indoor PE
Year 3
- All classes – Fridays – Outdoor PE
- 3SG – Tuesday – Indoor PE
- 3D – Wednesday – Indoor PE
- 3P – Thursday – Indoor PE
Year 4
- All classes – Monday – Outdoor PE
- 4SB – Wednesday – Indoor PE
- 4C – Thursday – Indoor PE
- 4PR – Friday – Indoor PE
Year 5
- Tuesdays – Outdoor PE
- Wednesdays – Indoor PE
Year 6
- Monday – Indoor PE
- Wednesdays – Outdoor PE

After School Clubs

When do clubs start? Clubs started last week. You will have received an email to confirm your place in club.

Day	Club	Pick up time	Pick up place
Monday	Forest School	4:45	2B
	Chess Club	4:00	6B
	KS2 Choir	4:15	Small Hall
	Board Games Club	4:00	1TM
	Lego Coding Club	4:10	6C
	KS2 Girls’ Football	4:10	3P
Tuesday	Art Club	4:10	2CL
	Art/Craft Club	4:10	4PR
	Calm Club Yrs 5&6	4:00	3SG
	Recorders Club	4:00	3D
	Dance Live	4:10	Small Hall
Wednesday	Cookery Club	4:10	Office
	Multi-Skills	4:10	Small Hall
	Calm Club Yrs 3&4	4:00	3SG
Thursday	Photography Club	4:10	5P
	Scratch Coding Club	4:00	5DS
Friday	Netball	4:10	Small Hall
	Year 1 & 2 Choir	4:00	1TM

Music Info
Full School Calendar
Information - breakfast and afterschool clubs, uniform etc
- Breakfast Club – just show up – details here.
- SCL after-school club – click here for full details.
- Uniform – click here for details, including Skoolkit ordering
- School bags – can be ordered here
- Absence – Please report absences via phone or email here by 9am. If you need to request a future absence, please use this form.
- Are you eligible for Free School Meals and further funding for the school? Check online here.
Foodbank Support

In worship this week…

Music of the Week

Music for the Royal Fireworks by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Music for the Royal Fireworks is a group of five pieces for orchestra composed by German George Frideric Handel in 1749. He was asked by King George II to write the music because the king wanted some music and fireworks to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (the end of a war). This piece of music is baroque.

Being a parent is tough!

Managing your child’s emotional outbursts: Setting boundaries and ways of dealing with tantrums

Read a helpful article from the BBC here.

Parental control guides

Community News

SCL Active - October Half Term_Staff Discount 24 - Crystal Sawyer (3)-0000

Red Riding Hood

The Parish of Basingstoke Down is delighted to offer you a family treat this festive season! We have invited Saltmine Theatre to bring their production of ‘Red Riding Hood’ to Hatch Warren Community Centre on Saturday 23rd November, 6-8pm. This modern-day twist on a classic fairy tale with a positive message about belonging is now open for booking. Do join us!

We are charging a small fee for tickets- £3 for individuals and £10 for a family of up to five. All of the money that we raise will be shared between the charities supported by St Mark’s School (in the case of St Mark’s it will go to the Mud House Foundation) and Kempshott Juniors (in the case of Kempshott Juniors it will go to the Lily Foundation). See you there!

Click here to buy your tickets!