Dear Parents and Carers

Happy New Year! Welcome back to school - we were beyond delighted to be allowed to welcome the children back this week and we are very happy to have them in school learning and having fun. Nevertheless, the week has brought its challenges, with staff absence due to Covid and other scenarios beyond our control - thank you for your patience while we have adapted our provision as best we can in challenging times!

Covid Guidance

You will have noted the new Covid guidance from the government and our latest school risk assessment is on the website here for your information. National guidance has changed to allow release from self-isolation if lateral flow tests are clear on Day 6 and Day 7. For Primary schools there are very few other changes – staff will continue to wear masks in corridors and to test twice weekly. Classes will continue to take preventative measures including increased hand washing and ventilation of classrooms. Families have been very supportive with asymptomatic testing and with a cautious approach to symptoms – thank you for your continued vigilance. It means we start this new term in a strong place to be able to support our children’s progress in learning and we look forward to a successful term!

Epiphany Mass

Today has been a particularly busy day in school, with the Feast of Epiphany Mass led by Year 5 children. Fr Ruslan celebrated Mass joyfully for the occasion and our Y4 and Y5 children had the opportunity to sing their Christmas Carol Service hymns as part of the Mass. Well done to all who read, served, sang and took part!

Y2/3 Productions

Following the postponement of the Christmas productions for Y2 and Y3 in December, we were so pleased to give them the opportunity to perform live to their parents this afternoon! Thank you to staff for making this possible in such a short time and thank you to parents for joining with us to enjoy your children’s performances! It was a very joyful way to end the first week of the new term!

Parent Association Tombolas

Thank you also to the Parent Association who have been working hard to make up the shortfall from the cancelled Christmas Fair. The raffles and Christmas Grotto before Christmas were highly successful and we are pleased to be able to facilitate the tombolas for after school today. Thank you for your continued support for the Parent Association – this term some of the money previously raised will go towards new reading books and we will continue to upgrade facilities for all our children.

Parent Association Committee

If your new year’s resolution includes a pledge to volunteer or to support the community, perhaps you would consider helping out with the PA Committee? There will be vacancies on the committee from September 2022 and it would be great to have volunteers come forward to shadow those roles, with a view to taking them on next academic year. If you would like to know more about these exciting opportunities, please do come and have a chat with me or with Sian Reeve or Lydia Brintrup from the current committee.

Whizz Kids Wraparound Care

A reminder that Whizz Kids will be expanding from April 2022 and we are accepting applications for our onsite Breakfast Club and for After-School Club for the Summer Term. For these new spaces, priority will be given to children booking 5+ sessions per week. Initial allocation of spaces will take place on Tuesday 11th January, so Monday is the last date for applications. Please contact Mrs O’Halloran direct with your application if you haven’t already done so! wraparoundcare@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk

 

Whizz Kids Playworker Opportunity

Due to the expansion of Whizz Kids, we are advertising for one further member of staff to work in after-school club from 3pm to 6pm daily. Children of Whizz Kids staff attend the club for free and applications are invited from parents or from the local community. This role is to work within an experienced and supportive team and full training will be given. Prior experience working with children is welcome. All appointments are subject to stringent safeguarding checks. Please contact the school office admin@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk for more information and an application form in the first instance.

 

Applications for School Places

Our final Open Morning for Reception applications for 2022 will be on Monday 10th January at 10:30am, prior to the closing date on Saturday 15th January 2022. Please note that Supplementary Information Forms (SIF) need to be handed into the school office on the Friday preceding that date (14th January). Every year we have one or two parents who miss the application date – please remind your friends and acquaintances to put their school applications in during this coming week!

There have been a number of families moving into and out of the local area recently – this seems to be a trend which is common to all London fringe counties. This has led to one or two opportunities for in-year applicants in some of our year groups. We have already seen an influx of in-year applications this month, but if you have friends who would be interested in joining our outstanding Catholic school community, do tell them to get in touch!

 

Able Writers Workshops

Next week, if you see children in different uniforms turning up at Cardinal Newman, don’t worry - you are not in the wrong place! We are hosting two Writing Workshops for “Able, Gifted and Talented” writers from the local area (including a good number from Year 5 in our own school!); these will be hosted in one half of the school hall, within individual school bubbles, and will not be around the rest of our school building at all.

We have hosted the AGT Workshops for the local area for the last four years and our children benefit from the opportunity to meet professional authors and be inspired by them. Later this year there will be AGT workshops for Maths and for Science in a similar way.

During Book Week next half-term, all of our children will have the opportunity to meet an author and to complete work based on their experience. Thank you to the Parent Association for funding the Book Week opportunities for all our children.

Coffee and Conversation – HT Q and A

On Wednesday 19th January, parents are invited to join me in school after drop off for Coffee and Conversation. Parents are very welcome to raise any general questions or ideas about school life and you are asked to send these to the school office by next Friday 14th January.

The school Homework Policy is due for review and parents are invited to share their experiences and ideas about what generally works well and what could be improved going forward.

Minutes of the meeting will be sent out afterwards. Parents who are unable to attend at that time are very welcome to send questions or comments for discussion.

 

All best wishes for the weekend

 

Catherine Burnham

Headteacher