Latest News
Messages/ Letters sent out to parents are all listed below.
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Early School Closure on Maundy Thursday
Mon 18 Mar 2024Monday 18th March 2024
Early School Closure on Maundy Thursday
Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing to inform you that, due to Maundy Thursday and the upcoming early Easter weekend, St John’s CE Infant School will be closing early on Thursday 28th March 2024. The aim is to enable families to travel safely and spend time together at the start of this year's Easter celebrations.
School will be finishing at 1pm on Thursday 28th March. It is important that all children are collected promptly at this time.
Lunchtime for all children will be from 12pm to 1pm. If your child receives a school dinner, the kitchen will be providing a cold option only, consisting of either a ham or cheese sandwich. Please can you inform us of their sandwich choice by Monday 25th March. For children who bring packed lunches from home, please provide their lunch as normal.
In order to make suitable arrangements for the early school closure, please inform the school in writing by Monday 25th March if your child will require alternative pick-up arrangements. We will do our best to accommodate any special circumstances that are brought to our attention.
Please note that the school will remain closed from the early closure on Thursday 28th March until we reopen on Monday 15th April 2024 at the usual starting time. We look forward to welcoming the children back to school after the Easter holiday.
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of our Easter Service on Tuesday 26th March at 9:00am in the school assembly hall, which you are welcome to attend.
We wish you a restful and enjoyable Easter holiday. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mrs N Milton
Co-Head of Schools
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KS1 SATs Tests – Year 2 Booster Classes
Wed 28 Feb 2024KS1 SATs Tests – Year 2 Booster Classes
Dear Parents/Carers
At the end of May your child will be sitting their end of Key Stage 1 SATs tests. Whilst these tests are no longer statutory, as a school, we have decided to administer the tests so that we can identify and support the children’s needs as they move into KS2.
As well as preparing children for this in class, we would like to offer ‘booster’ groups for any children in Year 2 in order to give them every opportunity to achieve their potential and also increase their confidence around tests. These sessions will be tailored to meet your child’s ability and needs and the children will be working in small groups. We will try and make these sessions as enjoyable as possible and therefore each will begin with a social time where the children will be provided with a drink and a snack. The session will run once a week until the middle of May.
To gauge parent interest in these sessions, please can you complete the proforma below and return to school by Monday 4th March. We will advise you when the sessions will be running once we have collated the information.
Yours sincerely
Mrs N Milton
Co-Head of Schools
Name of child______________________________________
Please tick your preference: -
I would prefer a breakfast session 8:10 – 8:40am
I would prefer an afterschool session 3:15 – 4:00pm
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Attend an after school club with your child
Fri 16 Feb 2024On alternate terms we run after school clubs for parents to attend with their children. They are great fun, designed to get the adults moving a bit more and designed for mums and dads to come along laugh and chat and spend quality time with their children. Ask in the school office for details if you fancy popping along.
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Come to our parents wellbeing swapshop club
Fri 16 Feb 2024Come along to one of these sessions after dropping the children off at school. You can chat through any worries that you as a parent may have, share advice with others and pick up some free school uniform at the same time. The tea, coffee and biscuits are free! These sessions take place on the first Wednesday of each month starting at 9.00
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World Book Day - Thursday 7th March 2024
Fri 09 Feb 2024World Book Day Celebrations
Dear Parent/Carer,
World Book Day takes place on Thursday 7th March and we hope you’ll join us to celebrate across the school. We are celebrating World Book Day this year in school because we support the charity's mission to change lives through a love of books and reading.
We will be celebrating this in school through a variety of different activities. Children will take part in ‘Drop Everything and Read’ and they will have books read to them by some familiar guest readers!
Dressing up or bringing books into school is a big part of World Book Day celebrations, and is something that children and families particularly enjoy. We are inviting children to dress up this World Book Day or bring in one of their favourite books to share with the class (please make sure this is clearly labelled) as it’s an exciting way for children to get book recommendations from each other. The book choice is key – even if it’s just a prop or a clue make sure your child is recommending something to read with their costume. We encourage you to use things you already have at home to make a creative costume
You can join us in building your child’s enthusiasm and love of reading over the next week by discussing with your child the books that they enjoy or even ones you enjoyed when you were younger.
Children will be bringing home a £1 book token, which entitles you to one free World Book Day book at participating retailers. To find out more visit www.worldbookday.com.
You can check out the World Book Day Family Hub for more things to do at home. https://www.worldbookday.com/families/
We’re very much looking forward to celebrating World Book Day, which could not happen without the support of parents and carers – thank you.
We look forward to a fantastic World Book Day!
Yours sincerely,
Miss L. Daly
Literacy Lead
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Chinese New Year
Mon 05 Feb 2024Dear Parents/ Carers
On Friday 9th February, we will be holding a cultural carnival day in school to celebrate Chinese New Year. 2024 is the year of the dragon. To celebrate this, we would like to invite the children to come into school dressed in red or gold (the colours which are considered to bring luck and success in Chinese culture) or dressed as a dragon (perhaps wear clothes which have a dragon motif).
During the day, the children will be learning all about Chinese New Year, taking part in a wide range of activities. Some of these activities may include Chinese dragon dancing, making dragon masks and Chinese lanterns, making fortune cookies and writing using Chinese characters.
At the end of the day, the work which the children have created, will be on display in the assembly hall and we would like to invite parents into school (from 3:20 – 3:45pm) to have a look at some of the fabulous work which we know the children will produce. We ask parents to collect their children as normal then, once all children have been collected, parents can enter school via the school gate, proceed to our gallery in the assembly hall and, after viewing the children’s wonderful work, depart school and exit via the school gate.
Thank you in advance for all your support.
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Number Day - Friday 2nd February 2024
Tue 30 Jan 202417th January 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are delighted to be supporting the NSPCC by taking part in Number Day on Friday 2nd February 2024.
Everything the NSPCC does protects children today and prevents about tomorrow. The NSPCC need our support more than ever. By raising money, we can help to fund their vital services such as Childline – the helpline that’s always there for children and young people whatever their problem or concern. On average, a child contacts Childline every 45 seconds.
Making maths meaningful
Number Day is a great way to make maths fun and bring about a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude towards it. We are having a fun day of maths activities and we will be taking part in ‘Dress up for Digits’. Pupils (and staff) are asked to wear an item of clothing with a number on it (football shirt, cap, T-shirt or even a onesie! Or get even more creative by dressing up as your TTRS avatar. To help raise money for the NSPCC, we are asking for donations of £1 and we’d love everyone in the school to take part in this special event.
We’re looking forward to all the fun of Number Day on Friday 2nd February and we really appreciate your support. All the money we raise at our school will make an enormous difference to children today and help change the lives of children tomorrow.
Thank you
Mrs Nicola Milton
Maths Leader
Co-Head of Schools
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Christmas Events - 2023
Tue 28 Nov 2023Dear Parents/Carers,
On Wednesday 6th December, all children in school will taking part in a Christingle Service in our Assembly Hall. This year, we would like to invite parents to join us in the celebration.
On the day, children and parents should arrive at 8:40am and come into school together. After the children have been registered, parents will make the Christingles with their child. All resources will be provided for the children. At 9:15am, parents will go into the hall where they can have a cup of tea and wait for the children to come in for the Christingle service. The children will come into the hall at 9:45am when the service will begin and the children will tell the Christingle story. The service should finish by 10:15am when parents will leave school.
Further dates for your diary: -
Christingle service – Wednesday 6th December (see timings above)
Christmas Jumper day – Friday 8th December
Christmas Fair – Friday 8th December (3:15pm – 4:15pm)
Christmas dinner for children – Wednesday 13th December
Christmas carol service – Thursday 14th December (9:00am – 9:30am)
Thank you for all your support this year and we look forward to seeing you at all of our upcoming Christmas events.
Best wishes
Mrs Milton & Mrs Forghani
Co-Heads of Schools
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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.