Weekly Update from Mr Meehan

What a wonderful time our choir had in Wimbledon at the SingFest last Saturday! The children represented the school so well and were in good voice; my thanks to Mrs Bond and her team. Here’s what it looked like.

Our week then got off to a cracking start, having some boys from Coombe boys visiting us to take part in a singing workshop with our Year 5, which was a great sound on Monday morning! A big well done also to our Year 2 children who have been working hard during this week on their SATS tests, and they can be commended for all their efforts. It was a delight as well to see Eagle celebrating their learning so confidently in their class worship yesterday, including the exciting moment of reenacting an earthquake, epicentre Christ Church and a tectonic plate rap! Children also enjoyed our Outdoor Learning Day yesterday and certainly made the most of the sunshine. Today, our Reception and Year 1 children have also been enjoying drama workshops with a visiting theatre company, all getting involved with acting, singing and dressing up, stepping into the story of Peter Pan!

As you know, we have a lovely, active PTA, who work tirelessly on putting on wonderful fund raising events. For example, our recent Coronation picnic, today’s Break the Rules Day and our forthcoming summer fair in June. All of this helps with a variety of spending projects through the year which benefit all our children, which even just this year has included new books for the infants, sponsoring prizes for our writing competition, installation of new entrance hall reflection areas and a new gazebo area at the infants. We are now currently looking at projects such as a new outdoor ‘chill out’ area at the juniors and new playground markings for the infants, and a whole lot more.

We know that it is not always possible for all parents to have time to get involved in PTA events, even though they are keen to support the school’s future investments for our children at Christ Church. With this in mind, please see a link here to a new donation list which we will regularly share, seeking support in the form of any items you feel you could donate to our school. Have a look at the list and see if anything takes your fancy! We can celebrate some of these kind donations in future parent updates. Thank you so much for your support!

Thank you also to all parents and friends who joined us at our prayer meeting for the school this week, which happens at our link church, Christ Church; this is also very valuable support for our school which we very much appreciate.

Have a lovely weekend and let’s hope the sunshine continues!

Our School Updates for Parents

Lockdown Drill - Wednesday 24th May

We are having a low-key practice of our lockdown procedure to ensure that our staff and pupils are prepared in case of an emergency. We want to make sure that everyone knows what to do and where to go if a situation arises that requires a lockdown just as we do with a fire drill. 

A lockdown may be activated in response to any number of situations but some of the more typical might be a major fire or road accident in the vicinity or the close proximity of a dangerous animal, as was the case with a Birmingham Primary school in April. 

We will be explaining what is going to happen to the children in collective worship earlier in the week and will be holding the drill on Wednesday morning, 24th May. The lockdown will be signalled by the ringing of a bell, children will remain /return to their classrooms and carry on their regular activities until the end of the drill.  There will be no access to or from the building during the drill.

We understand that talking about lockdowns and safety procedures can be worrying for parents and pupils but we want to reassure you that our priority is always the safety of our pupils and staff. By practising, we can minimise any potential risks and ensure that our school remains a safe and secure environment for learning.

We appreciate your support in helping us to maintain a safe and secure learning environment for our pupils and staff. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Accessing the school

We continually look at how we keep everyone safe in school. As a result, as is common practice in many schools, visitors who are unfamiliar to members of staff will be asked to identify themselves using the intercom before being “buzzed in” school. 

Gate opening and closing times at Infant site

We now have new opening and closing times:

• Morning: 8:50 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• Afternoon: 3:10 p.m. to 3:25 p.m.

Please ensure that you arrive in enough time not to get locked in! Thank you for your support and cooperation, as we have been starting the operation of these new times over the last week.

Wider Community Updates

Music Lessons in School 

In addition to the music lessons offered by Kingston Music Service, Mr Marsh also teaches piano and clarinet lessons at the school. To enquire about his lessons please let the school office know that you would like your details to be passed on. Both KMS and Mr Marsh sometimes have a waiting list, so you are welcome to apply to both. 

Perform Drama

We were very pleased to receive a visit from Perform at the Infants today. The children in Reception and Year 1 had a wonderful time exploring the theme of Peter Pan and using drama, dance and singing to help develop their confidence, concentration and social skills. To complement the workshop, there is a free educational app for iPhones and iPads based around the theme of Peter Pan. It contains fun games, creative tasks and videos of the themed songs and dances. Click here to download it free or here to find out more about the Peter Pan theme.

Perform run regular weekly classes in the local area and they are offering a special introductory discount to all parents of Christ Church New Malden School if they come along for a free trial session before Friday 9th June. Should this be of interest to you, please see the attached documents which include information about their weekly classes, their forthcoming holiday courses and their forthcoming children's theatre festival, Perform in the Park, which is happening from 22nd July - 28th August in Coram's Fields, Bloomsbury. 

Corpus Christi Parents' Football Tournament - Saturday, 20th May

Corpus Christi are hosting their annual Parents' Football Tournament this Saturday, 20th May from 12.30pm and they'd love to have more teams enter! Full details on the attached poster. Do contact them at corpuschristipta@yahoo.co.uk if you have any questions. 

‘Chimps are Family’ FREE sculpture trail - Half term in Kingston

Touch, hug or take a selfie with each of the ten life-like chimp sculptures, at locations across the town, and get a glimpse into the life of a chimp and the many behaviours we share with our ape cousins.  Pick up a free Chimp Trail map from local businesses or download it from: kingstonuponthames.info. Plus, scan the QR code on each sculpture to reveal each chimp’s backstory, the importance of conservation and how you can support the WWF’s work.

This public art exhibition is a partnership between internationally-renowned artists Gillie and Marc and Kingston First, the town's Business Improvement District representing and supporting local businesses. For details of other events and activities in Kingston, visit: kingstonuponthames.info

Key School Dates

• Monday 22nd - Friday 26th May - Chums Week
• Monday 22nd May - Y3 Visit to Central Gurdwara
• Wednesday 24th May - Gazelle Class French Breakfast @ 9:00am
• Thursday 25th May - Antelope Class French Breakfast @ 9:00am
• Thursday 25th May - Junior Skateboarding Workshop
• Friday 26th May - Junior Skateboarding Workshop
• Friday 26th May - Y1 Trip to Painshill Park
• Monday 29th May - Friday 2nd June - Half Term
• Thursday 8th June - Turtle Class Worship @ 2:45pm
• Saturday 10th June - PTA Summer Fair
• Monday 12th - Friday 16th June - Y6 Trip to Westbrook, Isle of Wight
• Monday 12th - Wednesday 14th June - Infant Book Fair
• Wednesday 21st June - Y5 & Y6 Choir - KMS Primary Singing Festival @ Rose Theatre
• Thursday 22nd June - Y6 Trip to Kew Gardens
• Friday 23rd June - INSET Day (School closed to pupils)
• Monday 26th - Friday 30th June - Wellbeing Week
• Tuesday 27th June - Junior Concert @ 7:00pm
• Wednesday 28th June - Year 3 - Hogsmill River Walks
• Thursday 29th June - Seahorse Class Worship @ 2:45pm
• Friday 30th June - Infant Sports Day
• Tuesday 4th July - Country Dancing Festival at Kingsmeadow
• Wednesday 5th July - Y6 Visit New School Day
• Thursday 6th July - Y6 Trip to Polka Theatre
• Friday 7th July - Junior Sports Day
• Monday 10th - Friday 14th July - Chums Week
• Tuesday 11th July - Nursery & Reception - Teddy Bears Picnic Show
• Wednesday 12th July - Y6 Trip to Houses of Parliament
• Friday 14th July - Y6 Trip to Houses of Parliament
• Friday 21st July - Term finishes at 1:15pm (infants) and 1:30pm (juniors)