‘Day 50’ was our last Daily Maths Challenge as we begin to slow down for the Summer Holidays. Thank you to all the eager Mathematicians who have solved some, or even all of the challenges! The Daily Maths Challenges will stay archived on our website over the holidays in case you didn’t get the chance to solve them all.
For those of you who would like some alternative problem solving and Maths activities, try one of the following websites:
It is with a sense of relief that we have made it to the end of term, after a period of 4 months that we will never forget. Every aspect of our life has been challenged, but we have finally made it to the summer holidays.
We had an emotional send-off for our Y6 children on Friday. We have loved having them for 7 years, and know they are ready for the next part of their journey. Keep smiling, work hard, and according to Freddy, keep eating beans!
Whilst we still don’t have our full freedoms just yet, I do hope you are able to have a proper break over the summer. On behalf of the staff and governros, thank you for all that you give to St Mark’s.
Best wishes, Mr Applegate
PS -we are aware that times are still tough for so many. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need help.
Thank you’s!
Parents: For many of you, it’s been the hardest 4 months on record. Whether it’s been managing work, teaching at home, dealing with ill-health, or everything combined, you have made it through in one piece. Your support of our school and the sacrifices you’ve made to enable school to function for key workers has been so appreciated. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you.
Children: We’re all very proud of you. You didn’t ask for lockdown to happen, and it’s been tricky at times. But you have got through this season! You’ve worked hard on Google Classrooms, and hopefully enjoyed our Feel Good Fridays too. Have a good break over the summer, and thank you for working so hard.
Mrs Ford and Mrs Alsey: As our two deputy head teachers, you have worked so hard since March 23rd in enabling children and adults to be safe, and to ensure our entire community has been supported in this crisis. Hours and hours and hours of work has been put in, and on behalf of our school community, we say thank you. As head teacher, it is a privilege to serve our community with you.
Thank you’s (continued)!
Mr Blake and Mrs Barbour: our outstanding site team, alongside our cleaning team. Your role has been more important than ever in keeping us safe, and your attitude and effort has always been top-notch.
Our home learning team: whilst being at the computer 24×7 hasn’t always been fun, you’ve put your heart and soul into making our children’s home learning engaging, creative and consistent. I know our parents are very grateful, too. Thank you.
Our in-school team: day in, day out – you reduced the anxiety about being in school, and worked hard to enable our children to learn, feel safe, and enjoy this strange time.
Our governors: we’ve met around 8 times online since lock down – some routine business but also extra-ordianary meetings to ensure our school is safe. Thank you for all that you give in supporting our school.
September Plans – watch our easy video
Important!!! We have a new page to keep you updated about September. Click here!
Action required for Breakfast Club
Click to read about breakfast club and look for the request a place button. By Friday 24th July!Note – This is different to the recent questionnaire.
SCL After School Club will be running as per normal at St Mark’s from September! Bookings will open soon on the SCL site – see here for more information.
An alternative ASC is Hatch Warren ASC – see here for more information. HWASC collect from St Mark’s after school, and then take the children to the community centre. You would then collect your child from the community centre.
Plastic toys needed for September
If you are having a clear-out this summer of your children’s toys, then we would love to use them in school for our continuous provision in Year 1. Any toys being donated would need to be plastic, with no fabric, so they can be cleaned easily. We would love toys such as:
lego (large or small), stickle-bricks, or k-nex for our construction areas;
small world toys such as little people, playmobil, figures and animals;
plastic role-play items such as toy pots, pans, plates etc and plastic food;
large plastic outdoor cars.
Please leave any donations outside the main front door. Thanks! Year 1 Team
Milk and Fruit from September
As things stand, the government’s free milk and fruit schemes are not in operation. Therefore, please ensure that your child brings a fruit or veg snack to school, for a mid-morning snack.
School Uniform for September – updates
It’s important to read the updates on this page, which include changes for uniform for September.
Google classrooms – accounts will be turned off over the summer
From Friday 24th July until Sept 1st, Google Classrooms and the Google account will be turned off. Please remember your password for when it restarts! We’re turning it off so that children and adults can have a break from it.
Is your child shielding?
It would really help us to know if your child is shielding, so we can plan for September. Please email the office if so.
Dinner menu week Beginning 20th July
Key events during the last week
Mon 20th – Weds 22nd July – we’ll be setting Google Classroom activities as normal for Years R-5, but they will have a fun twist!
We finish on Wednesday at 12-12:30pm for all children, including key-worker children.
Need Summer Holiday Club Care?
Whilst we are fully closed over the summer, there are two local options:
SCL Club Energy, at Hatch Warren Community Centre. Click here to find out more and to book.
Many parents have asked how they can say thanks to their teachers and staff at St Mark’s, at the end of the school year. We don’t expect anything! Unfortunately we’re not taking physical gifts because of Covid-19. If you’d like to give something, please give a donation to our new staff room kitchen fund, which includes the need for kitchen items. All staff would benefit. We’re grateful for any gift, small or big. Click here to give a gift. If you’d like to email a message of thanks, instead of a card, please do email the year group emails. This means a lot! Thank you.
Thank you Miss Goddard
You may have noticed a new feature we introduced- a daily maths challenge. Miss Goddard has produced 50 of these, and we’ve loved being challenged by her questions. We hope you have too! Thank you! Find them here.
Anyone seen a lion around? Marwell is missing one.
Apparently he was amazing at playing rounders, and had brown shoes on.
Email and Contact Details
If you don’t receive the school newsletter and year group emails via email, you can Sign up here!
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have been instructed to make an amendment to our 2021 Admissions policy.
Under criteria 6 (i) of the over-subscription criteria, an additional clause giving clarification relating to the definition of a regular church attendee has been added which relates to the period that churches have been closed.
The amendment has been approved by the Governing Body, and a request submitted to the appropriate authorities for agreement. The full amended policy is available on the school website here.
It’s our final full week, and there are still events to look forward to, including:
Google Meets for new classes! See the timetable below
Monday 13th July – collect your belongings from school. See timetable below.
Wednesday 15th July – Our final goodbye worship for Year 6 children. On Youtube. Link available on website on Tuesday.
Feel Good Friday – 17th July – Transition activities in the new -2020 classroom.
Year 6 have various fun activities this week, too!
SEPTEMBER: We’re putting in place plans for September – do take time to read the section below, with important implications and updates for you.
REPORTS: We trust you have enjoyed reading the reports and finding out your child’s new class. It’s a very different type of report to normal. We haven’t written about where your child is at in terms of end of year expectations (e.g. on-track, above etc). This is because it is really difficult to know accurately and with any meaning. We’ll be working hard to fill in gaps from September.
LAST DAY: For Years R-5, school finishes on Wednesday 22nd July at 12pm-12:30pm. This will be for all children, including key-worker children. There will not be an after school club on this day. Any Year 6 children will finish on Friday 17th July at 12pm-12:30pm due to secondary transition the following week.
Finally, thank you for your kind words and generosity – whatever the size – as you say thank you to the staff in different ways. We really appreciate it.
Have a good week, Mr Applegate
A farewell note to our Year 6 pupils
It’s been a funny year to say the least. You’ve missed out on so many exciting events that all Year 6 children look forward to, and we are all very sad about this. It’s hard for you to end your time with us having not had an official graduation or leaving party, too. We all wish it could have been different.
However, remember that you have been a real credit to our school, and to yourselves, over the past 7 years. You have made us laugh and brought much joy to St Mark’s. Your attitude towards learning has been so good.
We are so proud of who you have become, and want you to take all that you’ve learned into your next phase of life at secondary school. Continue to remember your manners, to work hard, to make good impressions, to be kind, to look out for those in need, to bring a smile and a listening ear, and of course to “grow and learn together in God’s love.”
We will miss you hugely! We will be in touch with details of a graduation/leaving party when it is safe to do so. You’ll be so grown up then, towering over us, but remember: we’ll always be your primary school, and you’ll always be our Year 6 who made us proud throughout your time with us – especially during Covid-19.
We hope you enjoy the events this week, the hoodie, the year book, the DVD, and the final worship together.
Mr Applegate & the all the staff at St Mark’s
What’s September going to look like because of Covid-19? A few insights…
We’ll be putting these guidelines in place for September. Please remember that there may be additional changes as new guidelines are released or clarified by the DfE.
We’ll be open to all children. Yay! (Children must come to school unless there are exceptional reasons not to).
We’ll operate as class bubbles – ie we will avoid one class mixing with another. This includes at break and lunch.
Your child won’t need a back pack or bag – please don’t send them in with one. We’ll give them a small and durable book bag. Bags require cleaning, take up valuable space, and are a hazard.
Children will wear normal school uniform, except on their PE days when they wear PE kit to school.
Children will have their own pencil case, which we will provide. Again, please don’t send one in.
All they need to bring in is their lunch (unless school dinners), drink, simple book bag (which we are giving them) and coat.
We’ll be cashless and paperless. Please make sure you can use SCOPay/Tucasi (the online payment system).
We are minimising the movement of staff around the school.
PE kit will be worn to school on days that the children have PE. This way we don’t have to change at school – another hazard. We’ll let you know the days for PE.
Books can be brought home from school, although a quarantine process will be in place.
For lunch, we’ll offer two hot options each day. Lunches will be eaten in the classrooms.
Frequent washing of hands will continue.
We’ll be socially distancing as much as possible, although at times it is very tricky.
Parents need to contact the school using phone and email, and not come into the school unless in emergencies.
Homework and spellings will be on Google Classrooms.
School Map/Entry for September
Just to give you a heads up of what we are having to put in place for September. We can have our usual arrangements for coming on site, and so will be operating a staggered drop-off and collection time, and a careful not-quite-one-way-but-almost system. Click for a larger map!
Where possible, please can one adult drop off a child to reduce numbers on site.
The car park will not be available for parents unless in exceptional circumstances. Please don’t be offended if your request is turned down.
What about Covid-19 symptoms? What happens?
These symptoms remain the same (a new continuous cough; a high temperature; a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell).
Key points:
Have a back-up plan in place if your child has to be collected immediately, or if the class, year or school has to close.
If you child displays any of the symptoms, they must not be in school, and must have a test done (details here).
Parents showing symptoms MUST NOT be on the school site and their children should be self-isolating for 14 days.
Any person developing symptoms during the school day MUST go home as quickly as possible.
The person (child or adult) with symptoms MUST stay at home for 7 days and arrange to have a test. Their household MUST stay at home for 14 days.
Parents or staff must tell the school what the result of the test is.
Anyone developing symptoms (and their household) should follow the ‘Stay at home’ advice.
All parents will be informed if there has been a positive case in school. Public Health England will also be informed.
If someone tests positive, the health protection team will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period they were infectious, and ensure they are asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Close contact means: a) Direct close contacts – face to face contact with an infected individual for any length of time, within 1m, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin to skin). b) Proximity contacts – extended contacts (within 1-2m for more than 15 minutes with an infected individual. c) Travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person.
If someone tests positive, the health team may recommend that a larger number of other pupils or staff self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – this may be the whole school or a year group.
Breakfast Club and After School Club?
We are still working on the details for this for September – it’s very complicated because of the mixing of bubbles! We’ll let you know more when we do.
Breakfast Club may require pre-booking, and places may be limited. A heads up! We’re still working on the details.
Saying Thank you
Many parents have asked how they can say thanks to their teachers and staff at St Mark’s, at the end of the school year. We don’t expect anything! Unfortunately we’re not taking physical gifts because of Covid-19. If you’d like to give something, please give a donation to our new staff room kitchen fund, which includes the need for kitchen items. All staff would benefit. We’re grateful for any gift, small or big. Click here to give a gift. If you’d like to email a message of thanks, instead of a card, please do email the year group emails. This means a lot! Thank you.
Got items at school to collect? Or library books to drop off?
If you have a PE kit to collect or any library books to return, could you please come to school on Monday 13th July at the following times, depending on your child’s surname:
A-F 3.20pm
G-M 3.40pm
N-Z 4pm
Please enter via the KS1 gate and wait outside your child’s classroom. Please exit via the KS2 gate, due to the one way system currently in place.
Google Meets – With New Classes
Links will be posted in the -2020 classroom near the start time.
Sports Day Success!
What a fantastic Virtual Sports Day we had on Friday. It was so lovely to see so many of the children participate and adapt to this different way of competing for their colour team. We were all so impressed with how many took part, and how many managed to beat the teachers. It was lovely to see some of the photos of you having a go at the different activities and challenging yourself to do something new and different. Well done to you all! Results are announced next week!
Feel Good Friday – 17th July – In the new -2020 Google Classrooms
Year 6 events this week – links will be emailed!
Year 6 Talent Show Monday 4pm
6S Class Quiz Wednesday 4pm
6P Class Quiz Wednesday 4pm
6C Class Quiz Wednesday 4pm
Year 6 Goodbye Friday 2pm
News from last week (repeated!)
Key dates and events over the coming weeks
Google Meets with new class teacher – 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th July, between 3-5pm. Exact times will be emailed out on 10th July, and sessions will be around 30 minutes.
Friday 17th July – Feel Good Friday will focus on transition activities, which will be set by the new teacher.
Mon 20th – Weds 22nd July – we’ll be setting Google Classroom activities as normal for Years R-5, but they will have a fun twist!
Need Summer Holiday Club Care?
Whilst we are fully closed over the summer, there are two local options:
SCL Club Energy, at Hatch Warren Community Centre. Click here to find out more and to book.
Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Facebook
It’s been a funny year to say the least. You’ve missed out on so many exciting events that all Year 6 children look forward to, and we are all very sad about this. It’s hard for you to end your time with us having not had an official graduation or leaving party, too. We all wish it could have been different.
