Weekly Update from Mr Meehan

This time of year is so busy with so many lovely events, that seem to roll one in to the other! We have also been blessed with some good weather, including for this morning’s infant sports day. My thanks to Mrs Edmondson for organising this morning of lots of sporting fun.

Congratulations also to Seahorse class, who performed their class worship yesterday, and did it very confidently! I know other year groups have been out and about this week, with Year 3 doing their Hogsmill Walk and Year 6 attending a transition event at New Malden Baptist Church.

A massive highlight of the week was the junior music concert, and my thanks to Mrs Bond and Mrs Robinson for making this happen. As Sam, one of our comperes for the evening, said, it was a ‘phenomenal evening’. The performers sang and played their hearts out and did it smiling as well. You can see pictures of some of these activities and more in our June Newsletter.

I set our Year 5s a challenge in recent weeks to come up with new names for Year 6 classes from September, to be called animals like the rest of the school - ones that had a good Year 6 ‘feel’ about them. Congratulations to June in Antelope class who came up with the winning suggestion - Leopard and Lynx will be the new names!

Myself and Mr Burkinshaw met our class reps this week too, and was a good opportunity to receive feedback on all sorts of themes; one thing we discussed was on-going improvements to the school sites, and I am pleased to let you know that, thanks to the wonderful funding of our PTA, we will be having new playground markings painted on our infant playground next Friday, which will bring a very fresh feel to the place.

Talking of the work of our PTA, don’t forget it’s raffle time! Next Friday at 12:30pm I will be drawing the PTA Summer Raffle at the Juniors, to reveal the 36 lucky winners of an impressive selection of prizes. This will mark the PTA's final major fundraising effort of the year and all proceeds will directly benefit the PTA budget for projects that will enhance the experience of our children. You can buy tickets here: https://christ-church-new-malden-pta.square.site/. I would like to join the PTA in thanking you for your ongoing support throughout the year - we deeply appreciate your contributions.

There is a final opportunity to come in and see your child’s learning from the year in our last Learning Look this year, next Thursday 6th July, 4.30 - 5.30pm. We will then be sending you staff news on Friday, outlining all our classes and teachers for next year, ahead of our meet the new teacher events in the last two weeks of term (please see more details below). From next week, we will also be welcoming Mrs Hedman back to our staff team. Mrs Hedman taught Fox class in the Autumn and will be returning as a permanent member of our team in September.

Have a lovely weekend! 

Our School Updates for Parents

Arbor - New Communication Tool Next week you will receive an email from Arbor, our new communication tool, inviting you to register. From September, this will replace ParentMail, but we will be using it this term to send out end of year reports and results of statutory assessments. Please register for Arbor as soon as you receive the invitation email. 

Meet the Teacher - Dates and Times Here are the dates in July for the ‘Meet the new Teachers’ meetings coming up. All of these meetings are at 3.45pm in the relevant classrooms and will be about 30 minutes long.

• Mon 10th - Year 2
• Tues 11th - Year 1
• Wed 12th - Year 3
• Thurs 13th - Year 4
• Mon 17th - Year 5
• Tues 18th - Year 6

Junior Sports Day - Friday 7th July

Please see below an outline of times for the junior sports day, which will be held on the school playing field. Parents are invited to come and watch:

• Years 3 and 4: 9.15 a.m. - approximately 10.20 a.m. (Please note that children in Tiger class can still attend for the duration of their Sports Day (until 10.20am), so that the children do not miss out on this event, even though their class is closed during the strike).
• Years 5 and 6: 10.45 a.m. - approximately 11.50 a.m.

During this event and between sessions, our PTA will be selling some cold drinks. Children should come in their PE kit for the day, in their house coloured t-shirt, and bring a water bottle and sun hat.

Free parent workshop: Supporting children with sleep

The Mental Health Support Team (MHST) from Achieving for Children will be running a sleep workshop open to all parents of infant and junior children, on Tuesday 11th July, 2pm at the Junior site.  It will end in time for infant parents to be able to pick up at the usual time. The workshop will cover information and strategies on the importance of sleep; supporting children with healthy sleep habits and managing common sleep difficulties. There is no need to register and you can just turn up on the day, however to give us an indication of numbers, we would be grateful if you could fill in the form sent via ParentMail if you intend to attend.

Wider Community Updates

New Malden Town Centre Partnership - Children’s Fun Day - 2nd July

We have received the attached poster regarding a children's fun day at Jubilee Square, Cocks Crescent on Sunday 2nd July. Don't miss the captivating puppet show called "Buzz" by Smoking Apples Theatre part of The Fuse Festival. Indulge in delicious treats from food stalls and get creative at the craft activity stalls run by Food of Us and Creative Youth. PLUS - have fun taking part in the fancy dress competition. No age limits. Prizes for the most whacky, most beautiful, best duo, best group, most creative (no theme- anything goes!) RBK Deputy Mayor is the Judge at 12 o'clock.

Summer Tech Camps

Looking for something different to keep your child’s inquisitive mind active this summer? Next Thing Education are excited to announce that we will be running STEM Camp on 24th July- 11th August at Christ Church New Malden Junior School, KT3 3HN and 14^th August – 1^st September at Kings Oak School, KT3 3RZ from 9 am to 4 pm each day (Early drop off from 8 am now available).  Each week they have a new exciting theme with new activities click here to see a few.

• Week 1 - Robotics, VR and Tech Fun 
• Week 2 - Minecraft Coding and Lego Engineering 
• Week 3 -Videography, Photography and Crafts 

Their camps are for ages 5-12.  Spaces are limited, they have a special offer where you can book a full 5 day week and only pay for 4 for a limited time only. Don’t miss out and book today, simply visit: https://www.nextthing.education/summer-camps/

St John’s Fun Day - Saturday 8th July

Please see the attached flyer for details of this free event.

Key School Dates 

• Tuesday 4th July - Y5 Rhythm of the Word Concert @ Rose Theatre
• Tuesday 4th July - Y4 Country Dancing Festival at Kingsmeadow
• Wednesday 5th July - Y6 Visit New School Day
• Wednesday 5th July - Y4 Celebration Evening @ 3:30pm - 7:30pm
• Thursday 6th July - Y6 Trip to Polka Theatre
• Thursday 6th July - Learning Look 4.30 - 5.30pm
• 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 - Kipling Trip to Houses of Parliament
• Wednesday 12th July - Y6 Production @ 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Friday 14th July - Potter Trip to Houses of Parliament
• Thursday 13th July - Y6 Production @ 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Monday 17th July - Y2 Production @ 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday 18th July - Y2 Production @ 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday 19th July - Y6 Leavers’ Celebration @ 6:00 p.m.
• Friday 21st July - Term finishes at 1:15pm (infants) and 1:30pm (juniors)