Headteacher's Message
I unfortunately had a complaint this week from a resident on Kirkdale about the fact that cars were parked across drives at the beginning and end of the school day. As a community school, we consider all the local residents, shops and businesses as part of our KG community, not just those families who have children here.
I went down to take a look for myself. I had to watch a number of families forced to go onto the road with pushchairs to get around the cars that had banked the kerb and were blocking the pavement. The most shocking thing I saw was the aggressive driving around the area where the lollipop person stands and most of our children cross. Cars were pulling over to drop off on the coned area, blocking the main road. There were speedy, screeching U turns, and three point turns with complete disregard for the other road users and those crossing the small cul-de-sac (Birchwood Close) on the opposite side of the road to school.
From what I have seen in the last few days, without change, the driving behaviours will lead to a serious accident very soon. I will be informing both the council and the police about my concerns. If you must drive to school please park a safe distance away and walk the last few minutes to and from school. Please never park across resident’s driveways, they have a right to access and leave their properties at all times. PLEASE.
Nethercott Farm
Last week, some of the Year 5 and 6 children enjoyed a fantastic week at Nethercott Farm in Devon. They spent the week caring for the animals, working on the farm and learning about what life is like for farmers. Each group also had a chance to try their hand at cooking and working in the Victorian-walled gardens. We all agreed that the meals, which the staff prepared for us, were impressive! The children were amazed that the eggs that they had collected were used in our pancakes and scrambled egg breakfasts.
The children made new friends and showed just how resilient they could be in unfamiliar situations. We should all be very proud.
Take a look at all our photos here: Nethercott Farm November 2022
School Council
This week we welcomed our new School Council representatives. To launch our meeting we talked about how children were selected and what classes discussed in their speeches. These fell into four key areas which we will work on throughout the year:
- Values
- School dinners
- Playtimes
- Outdoor environment, including playgrounds and Forest School.
The children talked about changes they would like to see in the playground and at playtimes. They were very vocal about their love of Forest School and ideas about how we could look at our school grounds and perhaps bring Forest School to us as part of our playtime.
“You get to express yourself creatively and make forts”
“It gets you closer to the environment and it helps strengthen bonds between people”
“We are in school all day with man-made materials and when we get outside, we get to be ourselves”
We covered a lot in our first meeting, we discussed what we would like to focus on for the year, and you can read the minutes here. SC minutes 17th November 2022
Help us in the Library
Have you got an hour or two to spare? Have you got enthusiasm and are brimming with new ideas?
Well, Kelvin Grove School’s Library could be the place for you! We need people who can help in a general capacity, organise competitions and raise the profile of the school library. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email: kcampbell@kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk
Congratulations
An-Yi Kelly in Ochre class is now the ‘Under Sevens British Taekwondo National Poomasae Champion of 2022’. Such an amazing achievement for a young girl. Well done An-Yi we are all so very proud of you. 
We are also really proud of Ephraim Owusu from Mint class who made an appearance in BBC advert for the World Cup in Qatar, see if you can spot him:
Reception Reading Session
Please come and read with the children every Thursday from 2.45pm – 3.05pm in the Orchid and Cerise classrooms.
Beginning on 24th November 2022
We would love you to
- listen to your child/another child read
- read a story to a small group of children
All parents are welcome. Please don’t worry if your English isn’t strong; you do not have to read. The children will read to you instead!
Please come to the R
eception gate at 2.45pm. Please don’t be late as we need to let you in then lock the gate again, to keep all of the children safe.
Lost Property
All lost property is stored in the ClubXtra cupboard. Alison Jupp, our Club Xtra Manager, will get the lost property out every couple of weeks for parents to look through and find anything they may have missing. Unnamed and uncollected items will be sent to the local charity shop. Alison will next display the lost property by the pod in the main playground on Friday 25th November from 3.00pm to 3.30pm.
INSET Day Change Reminder
Due to a change in teacher training, we are moving the INSET day from 17th April 2023 to 4th January 2023. This will mean that children will return to school on 5th January for the Spring term and on 17th April for the Summer term. We have updated the term dates on the website to reflect the change. Term Dates 2022-2023 Christmas Jumpers
We are currently looking for donations of Christmas jumpers. If you have any in good condition that you’d like to donate, please bring them to the office as we’d love to be able to find them a new home! And don’t forget, if you would like to order up-cycled school uniform, you can do so here: Up-cycled school uniform order form
SIMS Parent
Just a reminder to all parents and carers to register with SIMS Parent where you can access your child’s records and make any necessary changes as and when you need to; even if you don’t need to make changes, we would greatly appreciate it if you could please still double check the details we have on record for you child, and confirm that no changes need to be made.
Thank you to all those parents and carers that have already registered with SIMS Parent and have updated changes on their child’s records. If you need help, you can read the instructions here: INSTRUCTIONS or contact Neisha in the school office.
Class News
Mint Class News
This week has been a very busy week in Mint Class. In English, we have been studying an animation called ‘Light’ by The Light Team. This
Green Class News
In Green Class we have been watching an animation in English about a robot called Bob-E! This week we are learning the story off by heart
Bronze Class News
This week has been a very busy week in Bronze Class. In Maths, we are continuing to work on our understanding of long multiplication in the
Nursery News
We have been busy exploring some Autumnal celebrations. We have enjoyed learning all about the Hindu celebration of Diwali through stories and activities. The children have
Turquoise Class News
In English, we have begun to plan our own innovated version of ‘Cinnamon’. We are changing the setting and the animal that helps the main character
Magenta Class News
Both Magenta class groups have been enjoying learning about out story ‘We’re going on a Tiger hunt‘. We have learnt different actions through a sensory story.
Coral Class News
It has been a fantastic start to the new term in Coral class. The children had a lovely experience at the Horniman Museum when we attended
Saffron Class News
Saffron class has started Autumn 2 term with enthusiasm – and lots of layers! Last week we wondered who a big rucksack belonged to, and so
Letters sent home
Reception Newsletter – 18 11 2022
Year 3 Curriculum – Autumn 2, 2022
Year 5 and Year 6 Christmas Performance
Year 6 Heart Dissection Workshop
Year 3 and Year 4 Christmas Performance
Year 1 and Year 2 Christmas Performance
Year 6 Curriculum – Autumn 2 2022
Reception Newsletter – 11 11 2022
Year 4 Curriculum – Autumn 2, 2022
Year 4 Home Learning – Autumn 2, 2022
Year 5 Home Learning – Autumn 2 2022
Mudchute Park and Farm Trip – Group A
Mudchute Park and Farm Trip – Group B
Governors' News
the Governors
Hi, from the Governors. We hope that everyone is well and looking forward to the various Christmas celebrations and activities coming up over the next few weeks. Please keep an eye on messages as there’s a lot to remember!
We are working hard to ensure that we have strong relationships within the school community – especially between school and our families. There are lots of approaches we take, and we are looking for ways to improve all the time. The class rep system forms part of this. All classes should have a rep and parents/carers are invited to be part of the WhatsApp group. If your class doesn’t have a rep and you would like to take on the role, please speak to Neisha Afflick in the office or Janine Green (Governor). If you’re not currently in your class WhatsApp group and would like to be, please speak to Neisha or Janine.
It’s great to see the School Council back up and running, with newly elected representatives from each class. We look forward to hearing more from the children and the ideas they come up with to improve our school.
This wouldn’t be a complete newsletter without a plea about parking. Please, if you are dropping children off at school in the car, can you ensure that you drive and park responsibly, and safely? Please be aware of our neighbours and the safety of our children, both at the back of school and on Kirkdale.
If you need to contact the governors, you can email us on: governors@kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk
Community News
Children's Centre
Babies & Crawlers at Eliot Bank CFC on Mondays 10.00-11.30
Snack& Chat at Eliot Bank CFC on Mondays 11.45-12.30
Latino Bambino Toddlers 9.30-10.15 & Latino Bambino Babies 10.15-11.00 at TNG on Tuesdays
Mum & Baby Yoga (6wks to crawling) Wednesdays 10.00-11.30 at Eliot Bank CFC 09.11.2022-14.12.22 call Adult Learning Lewisham 02083146959/0208314775 ref: WFJ1A16EB
Giant Messy Play at TNG on Wednesdays 10.00-11.30
Adventure Time (soft play) at TNG on Thursdays 10.00-11.30
Sydenham Community Supermarket at Kelvin Grove CFC on Thursdays 9.00-12.00 & 14.00-15.00 £3.50 membership fee per week – change in the opening times
Employment & Training Back to work advice and support at Kelvin Grove CFC on Thursdays 10.00-14.00 call 020 8613 0172 to book an appointment
Mini Chefs at Eliot Bank CFC on Thursdays 13.00-14.30 NEW!
L.I.F.E. Cooking Sessions for mums aged 16-35 at Eliot Bank CFC on Fridays 11.00 -13.15
Free Legal Advice Duncan Lewis via phone on Fridays 10.00-12.00
Children’s Centre Timetable Autumn 2022
Christmas Dates for your Diary 2022
Please join our Facebook page: Eliot and Kelvin for the latest updates.
Festive Football Christmas Camp
Our Christmas Camp is the perfect festive football fix to keep the children busy over another break from school.
Book now to secure a place – 21st and 22nd December 2022, 9.30am – 3.30pm
Boys and girls aged 4 – 12, £25 per day or £45 for two days (10% sibling discount)
Goals, Eltham SE9 5LY
Inspire – Nurture – Develop – Achieve
Ballers Sports Coaching
Ballers is a local sports coaching company that provides football and basketball coaching for primary aged children.
Read more on each of the following flyers if you think your child may be interested:
Ballers Basketball ages 6-8 and 9-10 at Sydenham School
Ballers Saturday Soccer School ages 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12 at Alexandra Road
Little Ballers Basketball ages 2-5 at Sydenham School
Little Ballers Football ages 2-5 at Sydenham School
Grace Church Sydenham
Join us at 10.30am every Sunday at Grace Church Sydenham
We are a local church family who meet each week to focus on Jesus and to listen to what God has to say in the Bible. We are a diverse group from different backgrounds and from all stages of life. Our meetings include songs, prayer, a talk from the Bible and time afterwards to chat together over tea, coffee and of course, cake. The service finishes at midday.
Got children? During the service we run ‘Ignite’ a Sunday school programme for children aged 0-12.
Got teenagers? On Sunday evenings we run ‘Toast’ a youth programme for teens aged 12-18.
Everyone is welcome, we would love to have you join us. Read more here.
Lightopia - Crystal Palace Park
The ultimate winter light festival is bigger and brighter than ever this Christmas! Bursting with exciting new installations, a mesmerising festive water show and some very special star guests!! The award-winning Lightopia Festival returns to Crystal Palace Park, bringing its incredible light show to London for the second year, and it’s bigger and brighter than ever this time!What is Lightopia?