The Link Newsletter #57

Friday 3rd May

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am delighted to begin this edition of The Link newsletter by announcing that we have agreed a design for the new kitchen at St John's. I am also pleased to report that the proposal has been granted approval by Trustees which means that we can begin making alterations to The Barn and install the kitchen during the forthcoming summer holidays. An enormous amount of work has gone into trying to find a design solution that is both affordable and cost effective. We are now working closely with the architect and builders to finalise the timeframe for construction however it will begin in the first week of the summer holidays. The intention is for the kitchen to be in place and running in September 2024. Looking at the first draft of the timeline this does look achievable. Over the coming weeks we will be advertising for and recruiting additional staff to run the kitchen.

This will inevitably have some impact to the Summer holiday camp that many of the children attend as The Barn will be out of action throughout the holiday. However I am liaising with Caroline and Simon who lead the AllSports Kids camp regarding alternative provision. More details on this in the coming weeks.

Each half term, we focus on one of our six school values. This half term we are focussing on Honesty. Each value relates to a biblical reference and we made a connection between the stories told in the Bible and how this can be applied to daily life in school, at home and in the community. We have a Vision and Values page on our website for you to learn more.

The Head Prefects with support and input from Mrs Tinker, lead the Thought for the Week worship and come up with some lovely ways to help our children have a strong understanding of what it means to be Honest.

NEURODIVERSITY WEEK UNIFORM DESIGN COMPETITION

Before the Easter break, we launched a uniform design competition. This followed the talk by Victoria who spoke about her neurodiversity and how she channelled her energy into her clothing design company.

We received many entries and it took some time to review each and every entry carefully.

This week, we announced and awarded a prize to each of our two winners, Harper and Tamsin. Congratulations!

WEAR WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY DAY - FRIDAY 26TH APRIL

We had a fantastic response to the Wear What Makes You Happy fundraiser. Raising £563 for the Jenna Wilkins Foundation. Thank you so much for your generosity and support to this fantastic cause.

ANZAC REMEMBRANCE MEMORIAL SERVICE - THURSDAY 25TH APRIL

This annual memorial service to remember people from the Australia and New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC) who fought in World War II took place at the Lych Gate at St John's church on Thursday 25th April. 

Rupert in Dove class was asked to play the Last Post which he performed brilliantly to a gathering of local residents. After the service had finished, Rupert enjoyed eating an ANZAC biscuit which is similar to a flapjack. The ANZAC biscuit is thought to originate from the war and was reportedly made to provide sustenance to the soldiers fighting on the battlefields.

Hard work and practice certainly pays off. Well done Rupert!

SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS

TENNIS COMPETITION - FRIDAY 26TH APRIL

Our Tennis teams achieved 2nd and 3rd places at the recent mini tennis completion held on Friday 26th April. Well done to all the children who took part and also to Miss Ruddock and Mrs Aarons for accompanying them at Theydon Tennis Club.

FOOTBALL MATCH - ST JOHN'S VS HILLHOUSE - WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL

An impressive performance by St John's players led to a convincing win against Hillhouse CofE Primary School. The Head Teachers from both schools cheered on our respective teams and Miss Willcox and I acknowledged the fantastic sportsmanship that was on display too. It was delightful to see such strong parental support (as well as some ex St John's footballers too!)

ALL IN MULTI-SPORTS EVENT - FRIDAY 3RD MAY

Children in Year 2 had a wonderful afternoon competing in a range of events at Debden Park School. The children achieved 3rd place in the Panathlon event. Well done for showing great sportsmanship and support for one another. Thank you Mrs Aarons and Mrs Burrell for making sure the children could take part in this event.

SPORTS DAY - TUESDAY 18TH JUNE 9.30-11.30AM

Our Sports Day event is fast approaching. We have taken the decision to make this a single event for children in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. This event takes place on Tuesday 18th June. If the weather prevents this from taking place safely, we have scheduled Tuesday 25th June as our reserve day. Once again we will be welcoming our friends from High Beech to join us.

A great deal of planning by our Sports Leader, Miss Ruddock, is already underway for this event and, as in recent years, we will continue with the competitive and inclusive carousel of events where each child will collect points for their colour group or House. We have also listened to feedback from parents about how we can make the Sports Day even more competitive for our older children. Last year we ran 100m sprint finals (having completed the heats before the sports day). However the feedback from parents is that they would have liked to have watched the heats leading to the final race. We will invite all children (in Years 3-6) who wish to compete in a variety of running races to an afternoon event and parents are welcome to attend this too. The afternoon event will commence from 1.30pm. We will communicate nearer the time letting you know if your child wishes to take part in the afternoon event.

A picnic lunch for all children will help us to facilitate this exciting sporting occasion. If your child has a school lunch, we will provide a picnic lunch alternative on this day.

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) UPDATE

Two events are in the diary.

St John's Quiz Night on Thursday 9th May starting at 7.30pm.

Book your tickets here

Also, please ensure that you have the date for the Summer Fayre in your diaries, Friday 21st June from 3.30pm until 6pm. We will be looking for parent volunteers to support this event. Please email pta@stjohns.efspt.org

GET INTO TEACHING WITH THE WEST ESSEX SCITT

Are you interested in training to become a Primary School Teacher?

We have Initial Teacher Training vacancies to begin training at the beginning of September 2024. We are looking for people who have a degree, a passion for education and teaching and want to inspire young people to fulfil their potential.

We would be very interested to hear from you if you are thinking of becoming a teacher, or know someone who is. 

This is not a drop in event so please book your place now by emailing vsmullen@efspt.org

We welcome the opportunity to meet and talk to you about the exciting teacher training opportunities available. Susan Marbe, the West Essex SCITT Director can be contacted at smarbe@efspt.org or please call one of our team on 02085042934 option 6. We can also provide you with support and guidance on your DfE APPLY application form

For any further information on what becoming a teacher might involve more generally, you can visit http://www.westessexscitt.co.uk/ or https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

You can find and apply for our Initial Teacher Training courses via DfE FIND

...AND FINALLY...

We would like to wish children in Year 6 all the very best for Monday 13th May when they will be sitting the end of KS2 SATs tests. We know that children have worked incredibly hard over the last 7 years of their primary education and this is a test of everything they have mastered in that time. As in previous years, we have organised a SATs breakfast for children to enjoy at the start of each day. We are therefore inviting children to join us from 8.30am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. A letter with more details will be sent to families of children in Year 6 this week. Thank you to our Year 6 team who have spent the last weeks and months ensuring that the children are well equipped to be successful.

Good luck Year 6 with your final revision and preparation.