St Charles Newsletter

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well.

Today I accompanied the children from our choir and orchestra as they gave a Christmas performance for the Sisters of Carmel in the Convent next door. This is an annual event and the Sisters were thrilled by the selection of carols and classical pieces of music the children provided for them. As a thank you, the Sisters gave the children some lovely prayer cards. We are extremely proud of the children and I would like to thank Miss Crealey, Mrs Sebuyira and Mr Kirby for the amazing work they do with the children.

We are also proud of the Children who made their First Confession on Monday in preparation for their First Holy Communion in May. The programme will continue in January.

Finally, thank you for your support with our Save the Children Christmas Jumper Appeal. We raised an amazing £116.50.

Thank you for your continuing support,

Tony Lynch
Head of School

This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday and marks the third week of Advent. It’s a time to stop and reflect on the return of God through his Son, Jesus Christ, but with Joy, not fear. This is why the candle is pink rather than purple. We will continue the season of Advent next week with the following events;

• KS1 and EYFS children attending Mass at St Pius X on Wednesday at 10am. You are most welcome to join us.

• Year 4 will be invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation from Fr Peter on Monday morning.

• On Monday LKS2 will perform their Christmas show for parents/carers in the School Hall at 6pm.

• The school will gather at St Pius X on Tuesday at 10am for our annual Christmas Carol Concert. Please join us if you are able.

• On Friday we will gather together for our Advent Wreath Service.

Gospel: John the Baptist (ii) (Luke 3:10-18)

Using the Wednesday Word link below, read this Sunday’s Gospel

You will have an opportunity to discuss them again next week in School during the Gospel/Well done Assembly.

https://www.paperturn-view.com/uk/wednesday-word/messenger?pid=MTA101634&v=5.5

KS1

• Why did John tell the people to do?
• What did John tell the tax collectors to do?
• Who was John talking about when he said someone is coming who is better than me?

KS2

• What were John’s three messages to the people?
• Why do you think people though John was the Christ?
• What messages might John have for us today?

During the half term, Year Two explored the significance of Baptism and why this first sacrament holds such importance. To enhance their understanding, they visited Father Peter at the church, where they learned more about the meaning of Baptism, the key words spoken during the ceremony, and the importance of the symbols.

Our whole school attendance is currently at 94.1%

We are working towards achieving 96% attendance this academic year. Please help us to achieve this by ensuring that your child attends school each day and by not booking any holiday during term time. Please be aware that holiday leave in term time cannot be authorised.

In line with the Department for Education guidelines, where pupils miss school without a good reason (including a holiday), the Local Authority and schools can intervene, and you may be issued a fine.

There is strong correlation between good attendance and good progress. So together, let’s give our children the best possible chance of reaching their potential.

We are fortunate to be running a Family Numeracy course at St Charles in the Spring Term. It is a FREE course for those who have a child in year 2 and will run over 6 weeks for an hour a week at school.

You will learn

● How to help your child with fun family maths activities

● How much you already know about maths

● How to feel more confident about your maths

If you have a year 2 child, please check your inbox for the email sent today giving further details. We’d love to be able to run this course at school for you, but need enough people to sign up to make it viable.

Will you join us? Closing date to sign up is Wednesday 18th December.

Next term we are excited to be offering in KS2:

📸 Photography Club 📸

Guided by our team of professionals, students will capture and edit photographs using specialised photography equipment by themselves, in pairs and in groups. Students often come away with greater creative confidence, improved team work (especially communication) and leadership skills.

Students will develop technical skills including composition, framing and perspective and most importantly, will explore their creativity in our fun and playful lessons. Join us to dress up, role play, adventure into the playground and transform everyday objects into fantastical treasures! Some of the lessons we offer in the Photography Club include:

· Portrait 🙋

· Landscape 🖼️

· Food photography 🍿

· Black and white 🖤

· Selective colour 🌈

· Perspective 👁️

· Mirror 🪞

We understand how invested you are in your child’s development, so we have created a secure Google drive to allow you to be a part of the experience. Each week, the students’ work will be uploaded to Google drive. We encourage parents and teachers to contact us to discuss student’s progress, engagement and behaviour.

To learn more about the course and activities we do, please click the link to watch a short 1 minute video: Link to Video

Last week we had some very informative assemblies from The Breck Foundation. Yanika spoke to us all about staying safe online and how to recognise some of the risks we may face while chatting and gaming with friends online.

Year Two had a visit from Santa Claus this week! The children were excited to see him and share their Christmas wishes. To make the occasion even more special, Santa brought presents for everyone and listened to them sing a Christmas carol.

1D were very excited to see Santa this week.

We are all on the 'Nice List'!

This term 3H have had a number of outings. We recently visited the Wallace museum at The Wallace Collection where we learnt about powerful portraits, followed by a visit to the cinema. The children had a great time and look forward to more trips in spring!

DECEMBER

• 16th December- Year 3 and Year 4 Christmas Production for Parents- 6pm
• 16th December- Christmas Raffle
• 17th December- Carol Service in St Pius X
• 18th December- KS1 Advent Mass
• 20th December- Last day of school- School closes at 1.45pm

First Half Term

Staff Training –Mon. 2nd & Tues. 3rd September - School Closed

First Day of School – Wednesday 4th September

Last Day of School – Friday 25th October

Half Term – Monday 28th October– Friday 1st November

Second Half Term

First Day of School – Monday 4th November

Last Day of School – Friday 20th December - School Closes at 1.45pm

Christmas Holiday – Monday 23rd December – Friday 3rd January 2025

Spring Term - 2025

First Half Term

Staff Training – Monday 6th January – School Closed

First Day of School – Tuesday 7th January

Last Day of School – Friday 14th February

Half Term – Monday 17th – Friday 21st February

Second Half Term

First Day of School – Monday 24th February

Last Day of School – Friday 4th April - School Closes at 1.45pm

Easter Holiday – Monday 7th April – Monday 21st April

Summer Term – 2025

First Half Term

Staff Training – Tuesday 22nd April ­– School Closed

First Day of School – Wednesday 23rd April

Bank Holiday – Monday 5th May

Last Day of School – Friday 23rd May

Half Term – Monday 26th – Friday 30th May

Second Half Term

First Day of School – Monday 2nd June

Staff Training – Monday 30th June – School Closed

Last Day of School – Tuesday 22nd July - School Closes at 1.45pm

Email: info@st-charles.rbkc.sch.uk
Website: www.st-charles.rbkc.sch.uk
Location: St Charles Square, London W10 6EB, UK
Phone: 020 8969 5566