Latest News
Messages/ Letters sent out to parents are all listed below.
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Free School Meals - Pupil Premium Fund
Tue 03 Oct 20232 October 2023
Dear Parents
Free School Meals – Pupil Premium Fund
As you will know, the children in our school receive a free school meal under the Government initiative, ‘Universal Infant School Meals’.
However, some children will also qualify for income related free school meals due to their parent’s personal circumstances. Whilst this does not affect your child’s current rights to a free meal, if you register for free school meals through Medway Council, the school will receive additional funding which is used to support the children’s education. In addition, you will receive vouchers throughout the school holidays to use at supermarkets of your choice.
We are therefore asking that if you feel you might be eligible, please apply on Medway Council’s website using the following link: https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200164/school_information/354/free_school_meals
If you would like support with this application, please pop into the school office and speak to Mrs Russell who will be more than happy to help you.
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Harvest Festival - Thursday 5th October 2023
Tue 03 Oct 2023Wednesday 27th September 2023
Dear Parents
We would like to invite you to our Harvest Festival service which will be held in the school hall at 9.00am on Thursday 5th October 2023We will not be going to St John’s Church as was our tradition, due to the building works still taking place there.
It will be a short service in the school hall led by Esther, St John’s Church verger, in which the children are invited to donate one of the items listed below from the Medway food bank shopping list.
The children will be singing songs and saying prayers to thank God for the food we have and to pray for those less fortunate than ourselves.
If you have younger children in buggies, please by all means bring the little ones into the hall but leave the buggies outside on site, making sure you take the little ones out of the hall if they are crying.
Please also note that we only have children’s benches and children’s chairs for the adults to sit on, so some of you may feel more comfortable standing at the back of the hall on this occasion for the estimated 15-20 minute duration.
The children should enter school at their normal time in their uniform on this day and they will be brought into the school hall to join their audience at the allocated time
We look forward to seeing you there and joining us in prayer.
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your child did not wear uniform today
Mon 18 Sep 2023Dear Parents
We noticed that your child did not come to school in their uniform today as requested in a letter last week.
Just a polite reminder……we would like you send them into school on Mondays in their school uniform and put their PE kit in a bag for them to change into.
All of the children who did change in school today into their PE kits– coped brilliantly - and we are so proud of them for showing this independence.
The reception year curriculum requires children to be able to dress and undress themselves. We know that given time, each of our children will be able to do this and most schools stipulate this as standard practice throughout the country.
If you are concerned about your child changing in front of others, send them to school with their shorts/ leggings on underneath their dress/trousers and a vest top underneath their school shirt. This way, all they need to do is take off the top layer of their uniform, put a PE T-shirt and plimsolls on and they are ready to go!
Obviously, we have not spoken to your child about this matter as it was your decision as parent to send them into school as you did, however, we would like your child to feel part of our school family; to do what everybody else does and change along with everybody else.
If you would like to speak to a member of staff to discuss your reasons for not sending your child in to get changed along with their peers, please speak to your child’s teacher or myself and we may be able to set your
mind at rest.
Working together in a home - school partnership we all want the best for each child.
Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.
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meet the teacher session dates
Tue 12 Sep 2023Tuesday 12th September 2023
Dear Parents
Now that the children have all settled in, I can welcome you, as their adults, back to another school year.Let me introduce myself. My name is Miss Strachan and I am the Executive Headteacher at both St Johns and All Saints. I am sure I have spoken with most of you already at the school gate in the morning or afternoon….but if not – just stop me for a chat. I promise I won’t bite!
I am really excited to be working with the children, staff and yourselves in this lovely little school and to watching all of our school family flourish and grow.
There are other staffing changes to inform you about at the start of this new school year and these will all be included in our termly St Johns newsletter which will be sent home to you soon.
This term it is a time of new beginings. We have new children in the school, new staff to work with them and of course an exciting new set of curriculum topics for the children to work through.
We are holding some meet the teacher sessions for parents to pop along to next week before they collect their children from school at the end of the day. During these sessions each class teacher will tell you about the learning that your child will take part in this year and you will have the chance to ask them any questions that you may have. (Please note this is not a time where you meet with the teacher 1:1. That will happen at parents evenings which are due to take place later in the year).
- Butterflies session will take place with Miss Jenner on Tuesday 19th Sept 2.45 - 3.10pm
- Owls session will take place with Mrs Brown on Thursday 21st Sept 2.45- 3.10pm
I also need to clarify with you what should happen on PE days when our pupils are in school. We want the children to bring in their PE kit and change into it in their classroom. This will teach them more independence and although it may initially take them a long time to do, like all things- the more they practise changing themselves the quicker they will get. (Please feel free to teach them how they should do this when they are changing at home. Make a game out of it and time them/race them just for fun).
Both classes have PE on a Monday and children can come home wearing their PE kit – but please remember to take their school uniform home with you at the end of the day otherwise they may be short of clothes to wear for Tuesday.
St Johns IS a little school with a very big heart, right in the middle of an urban town. That’s its charm. However we do still have a few spaces available to take us up to our maximum of 60 this school year. If you know of someone whose child needs a place – get them to give us a call.
Look out for our first newsletter soon and we look forward to working together so every child can achieve their potential.
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PE days are Mondays. Children should bring their PE kit to change into after lunch.
Mon 11 Sep 2023All the children will have PE on a Monday afternoon. Please make sure they wear their uniform to school on this day and bring their PE kit to change into. They will go home wearing their PE kit at the end of the day.
