Updates from Our School...

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our new and improved school newsletter! This updated version is mobile friendly and allows readers to translate into their home language easily. We hope you enjoy it...

Although it has been a short term, it has certainly been a busy one. Our pupils have enjoyed a range of trips and experiences, and many have proudly represented the school in tournaments and competitions. It is always wonderful to see the children embracing these opportunities and demonstrating such enthusiasm, teamwork and confidence. Make sure you are following our Instagram account (link at the end of this letter) so you can view these updates as they happen!

Our focus on attendance continues to be an important priority for the school. We are pleased to see improvements overall; however, our number of persistent absentees – pupils whose attendance falls below 90% – remains too high. Regular attendance is vital for children’s learning, confidence and wellbeing. We encourage families to ensure children attend school every day wherever possible. Minor ailments such as headaches or period pains can usually be cared for in school, and staff will always support children who are feeling a little under the weather.

One of the highlights of the term was World Book Day. Thank you to families for your support with the wonderful costumes and to those who joined us for the reading breakfast. It was a joyful celebration of reading and a lovely way to share books together as a school community.

As we journey through the season of Lent, our assemblies and class Masses have been helping pupils reflect on the themes of prayer, forgiveness and growing closer to God. It has been a special time for quiet reflection and for thinking about how we show kindness and compassion to others.

We are also looking forward to some lovely end-of-term events, including our retelling of the Easter story on Thursday 26th March and the ever-popular Easter Bonnet competition and parade on Friday 27th March. These are always joyful occasions and we look forward to celebrating them together.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the school.

Miss Nottage

We want to extend a warm welcome to Huma, our new Office Administrator who started with us this week. Huma has recently worked in a Catholic primary school in a neighbouring borough and we are very excited to welcome her to our school. As you can imagine, there are lots of new faces and routines to learn, and we have recently moved to a new computer system, so your patience is greatly appreciated as Huma settles in. Please be sure to say a warm hello and welcome when you are next in the office!

We have received notice from Tower Hamlets Council that there will be major road works taking place on and around Buxton Street and Underwood Road starting Monday 20th April for two weeks. The works are likely to cause large disruption to the area including road closures and temporary traffic lights.

Provisional plans are indicating:

· Temporary traffic lights at the junctions of Vallance Road/Underwood Road and Vallance Road/Selby Street

· Suspension of the bus stop opposite Buxton Street

· Suspension of parking along Buxton Street and parts of Underwood Road

· Closure of footpaths along Vallance Road/Buxton Street

· Extensive diversion of traffic around Underwood Road, Deal Street, Woodseer Street and Buxton Street

I ask that all families take public transport or walk wherever possible as driving is likely to be very difficult during this period and access to the school by car will be limited, possibly unavailable on some days. Please be sure to leave in plenty of time to account for these closures in the mornings and for afternoon pick-ups.

Please be assured that the headteachers of Thomas Buxton and Osmani school’s have expressed our concerns about this level of disruption and asked for the works to be rescheduled for the Easter holidays, however it is looking unlikely that this will happen.

In the meantime, we shall be saying a silent prayer to St Monica, the patron saint of patience!

Ties: A polite reminder that all children from Y1-Y6 should be wearing a school tie. If your child has lost their tie, a new one can be purchased from the school office (£3.75 for elastic, £4.50 for a full tie).

School Shoes: Children should not be wearing white or coloured trainers. Trainers are permitted only if they are all black with no white or coloured trimming.

Labels: Please label / write your child's name in their uniform so that if it is lost we can return the item to its owner.

We had a wonderful time celebrating World Book Day in school this year. The children looked fantastic in their costumes and it was lovely to see so many creative ideas inspired by favourite books and characters. Thank you to parents and carers for your support in helping the children prepare for the day, and a special thank you to those who joined us for our reading breakfast, which was a really special way to start the morning. Throughout the day, pupils enjoyed sharing stories, talking about the books they love and celebrating the joy of reading together. Events like these help to nurture a lifelong love of books, which is such an important part of children’s learning and imagination. We send a special thank you to Miss Phelan, our Engish Coordinator who organised the day!

Punctuality

We have noticed an increasing number of late pupils in recent weeks. If children are late they not only miss out on learning but potentially disrupt the learning of others. A reminder that the school gates open at 8:45am and day starts at 9:00am. Please ensure you arrive early enough for your child to be in their classroom for registration at 9:00am.

Our attendance for the year to date: 93%

This is a way off our target of 96%. Please support your child to attend every day - missing school, even just one day, puts your child behind and limits their success which none of us want!

Breakfast Club

Breakfast club opens at 8:00am every day, there is no need to pre-register. A daily charge of £3 applies, all food included.

We will be holding 'Parents' Evening' on Wednesday 22nd April with appointments available between 2:30pm - 5:50pm. Bookings will open on Monday 13th April.

There will also be an additional meeting for Year 6 Parents in the run up to SATs - date to be confirmed. Please note that Y6 SATs tests will take place between Monday 11th May - Thursday 14th May this year.

Please ensure that your Parent Pay balance is paid up to date. We have many parents who have outstanding payments for trips, breakfast club and after school childcare. If you are unsure how much you owe, please contact the school office. If you need help working the app, come in and speak with us - we are happy to help!

Our annual Easter Bonnet competition is upon us once again! Entries need to be in school by the end of Wednesday 25th March, ready for our secret panel of judges. Winners will be announced in assembly on Friday 27th March. There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prize from across the whole school. We can’t wait to see your wonderful creations!

A Lenten Reflection

During the season of Lent, we take time to pause, reflect and grow closer to God. Lent reminds us that small changes in our hearts and actions can help us become more loving, patient and forgiving people.

At school, the children have been thinking about how we can live Lent through prayer, kindness and forgiveness. We have been reflecting on how Jesus teaches us to care for others, to say sorry when we make mistakes and to always try again.

Lent is also a wonderful opportunity for families to share moments of prayer together at home. Even a short prayer at the end of the day can help children reflect on the good things they have done, the ways they have helped others, and the ways they can try to be even better tomorrow.

As we continue our Lenten journey together, we ask God to guide us so that we may grow in love, kindness and faith.

A Prayer for Lent

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of this Lenten season.
Help us to follow Jesus by being kind, patient and forgiving.
Teach us to help others, to say sorry when we make mistakes,
and to try each day to do what is right.

Bless our families and our school community.
Help us grow closer to you and to one another.

Amen.

Friday 20th March

Reception – Hearing and Sight Checks

Thursday 26th March

2pm – Whole School Easter Service in St Anne’s Church

Friday 27th March

9am – Whole School STAR awards and Easter Bonnet Parade / Prizes

1:30pm – School finishes for Easter Holidays (no clubs today)

Monday 30th March – Friday 10th April

Easter Holidays

Monday 13th April

Children return to school – start of Summer Term

Wednesday 22nd April

Parents Evening – booking opens Monday 13th April

Contact Us

📍 Underwood Road, Whitechapel, London, E1 5AW

📞 02072476327

📩 office@stannesgaprimary.com