27th September 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
This Week in School
Mrs Earp and I took a group of Key Stage 2 children to Mass on Thursday lunchtime, and we were greatly impressed by the children and their wonderful behaviour. They gave up their time voluntarily, putting their faith ahead of having time to play with their friends. This was very much in keeping with the message of the day’s Gospel, which Fr Rajesh explained in his Homily. The children took the time out of their day to seek Christ and His message, and it was really heartening to see this in action. It was echoed by several members of the parish community, who commented on how impressed they were by the children. Mrs Earp and I look forward to taking the members of our ‘Church Club’ to Mass again next Thursday, and would welcome other Key Stage 2 children to join us if they so wish.
Mrs Buck Retires
We wrote to you earlier in the week to inform you that our dear Mrs Buck is retiring. She has brought love, laughter, joy and enthusiasm to our staff and pupils for 23 years and we couldn’t be more thankful for her generous and impactful contribution to our school community.
We are holding a special celebration event to mark Mrs Buck’s last day and we warmly invite you to join us. During the event, staff and pupils will have the opportunity to express their gratitude to Mrs Buck.
The celebration will take place in the main school Hall at 2pm on Thursday, 3rd October and it will be approximately 45mins to an hour in duration. Afterwards, parents will have an opportunity to stay behind to chat with the guest of honour and to express their thanks, should they wish to.
We hope you can join us in celebrating Mrs Buck – the legend that is Bucky – a true St George’s girl.
Swimming Pool Re-Opens
We are pleased to inform you that the refurbishment works have been completed at the swimming pool and it will be re-opening as of Monday, 30th September. Please can we remind parents that children must wear their school uniform on swimming days. PE kit is only to be worn on PE days. Thank you for your assistance with this.
Here is the Swimming timetable for those who are unaware:
Tuesdays: KS1 - Year 1 and Year 2
Wednesdays: KS2 – Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6
Seahorses Group will swim next week (week beginning 30th September). It will alternate between Seahorses and Stingrays thereafter, as listed on the school website calendar. If you are unsure which group your child is in, please speak to Mr Chidgey, the Class teacher, or a member of the office staff.
Booking in for Breakfast Club and After School Club
Please can I give a polite reminder from the office staff that parents need to book their children in to Breakfast Club and After School Club in advance using Scopay. This is so we can ensure that staffing levels are correct. It also reduces workload for our office staff by ensuring they do not have to write invoices by hand or ‘chase’ payment. We appreciate your support with this.
School Uniform and Dressing for the Weather
We would like to take the opportunity to remind all families of our uniform expectations at St George’s. Uniform is an important part of our school’s identity. It reinforces who we are as a community and helps students to feel pride in their school. It also helps to prepare them for secondary school where they will be expected to adhere strictly to the dress code.
We have attached a copy of our school uniform policy to assist you with understanding our expectations.
We kindly ask that you ensure your child is dressed appropriately in their school uniform every day. In particular, please can you ensure that you child wears plain black/navy school shoes (NO boots or brightly coloured trainers). If you have any difficulty in acquiring any uniform items, please let us know and we will try to assist you if we can. We appreciate your support with this.
We also ask that children come to school every day with a coat, even if you drive to school in the car. The weather has turned colder now and as recently explained, the children often play outdoors in light rain showers. It is essential children are appropriately dressed for the weather. If you need support in providing a coat, please see our office staff, who will try to assist with this.
We hope you have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes,
Edwina McDonnell
Headteacher
Upcoming Dates:
Monday 30th September – Year 3 Trip to Charmouth
Thursday 3rd October – EYFS Parents Phonics Meeting - see letter from teacher
Friday 11th October – Tempest Photography, School Photo’s
Monday 21st October – Parents’ Evening 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
Tuesday 22nd October – Parents’ Evening 3.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Thursday 24th October – KS1 Harvest Festival Service in School – 9.30am
Friday 25th October – KS2 Harvest Festival Service in School, 9:30a.m.
Saturday 26th October – Sunday 3rd November: SCHOOL CLOSED (Half-Term)
Monday 4th November – SCHOOL OPEN (Flu Vaccination Day)
