Headteacher's Message
It was great to see so many of you at Parents’ Evening over this last week. It is so important that the partnership between home and school is strong and positive.
We are at mid point in the school year now and I often talk to you about the richness and diversity of our curriculum. Those of you who attended would have seen it in your child’s classroom, felt it as you walked around school, read it in your child’s books and learning.
The key skills of reading, writing and maths are underpinned by language. Indeed the ability to think and solve problems requires us to have a language base that supports that.
Talk plays a massive part in your child’s learning at school and at home. New topics will begin across the school next term. Find out what your child is learning about, ask questions about their science, design and technology, the sport they are learning and the book they are studying.
Have a great half term break and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday 20th February.
Parent Questionnaire
If you haven’t already, please complete the following parent questionnaire: https://bit.ly/3I7xvN6. The questionnaire is available until 28th February 2023 and is also on our website. Click on ‘Log in’, then ‘Online Forms‘ to view. Thank you all in advance.School Council
In School Council this week we talked about how our school environment could be improved. We are particularly keen in improving our playgrounds and spaces to encourage biodiversity around the school. We are going to think about what we like about our play spaces already, and what we would like there to be. If you have any ideas, let us know.
We also talked about the traffic and how we can encourage people to use their cars less, and travel in more active ways to school. We discussed that the traffic is worse at pick up and drop off times, and that this makes it dangerous for children to walk, which in turn means that more people drive.
Trees
Street Trees for Living require us to water our new trees regularly from March. If you are able to help please let us know. The majority of new trees die due to underwatering in the first 5 years. We will be thinking about naming our trees.
The Fourth Plinth
Once again we are taking part in in the Fourth Plinth School Awards. The competition requires school children in both Primary and Secondary across London to create their own artworks, inspired by the commissions for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square and the theme: London Life. Designs should be original and take inspiration from London; the people, the city, the monuments etc.
Children will need to include a title with their design and a short description about their piece. Works can be 2D or 3D. You can find a template below for children to use with their drawn submissions if they prefer. Fourth plinth template
Please return all submissions to the office or to Miss Gibbs directly by Friday 10th March 2023.
The KG Library Bear
Remember to submit your library bear entries by today. If you need a reminder of the competition you can read more here: Library Bear flyer. Mrs Campbell will be reviewing the entries over the half term and there will be a prize for each year group. Good Luck everyone.
World Book Day
World Book Day at Kelvin Grove is on Friday 3rd March this year.
Children will be invited to dress up if they want to. They can either dress up as a character from their favourite book, or they could bring in an accessory which is linked to their favourite book – for example bringing in a wand for the book ‘Room on the Broom’. Children could simply bring in their favourite book to talk about.
Children will take part in: paired reading; a book swap; ‘Get Caught Reading’ and World Book Day assemblies. To find out more, please read the letter below in the ‘letters sent home’ section.
EarthQuake Appeal
The children in the school have been shocked to see the news reports from Turkey and Syria, as they battle with one of the worst earthquakes the region has seen in years.
The children would like to help and our prefects will be collecting for the earthquake appeal before and after school today.
Please give generously. If you are not at school today, you can pledge your help here: https://donation.dec.org.uk/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal. We will be sending your donations to DEC and the government are match funding donations, pound for pound.
Free School Meals Protection
From the 1st April 2023, the government is changing the way it manages free school meal protection (FSM Protection), which may affect your child’s access to free school meals.
Any child currently receiving free school meals (Reception to Year 6) will remain entitled until the end of Year 6 (FSM Protection). However, current Year 6 pupils will lose this protection at the end of the summer term 2023 (20th July 2023) and will need to reapply for this benefit for their secondary school. This does not include Universal Free School Meals which is not means tested and ends when children transition from Year 2 to Year 3.
Any new successful free school meal applications made for children before 31st March 2023 will also have the FSM Protection, but those made after this date will not be protected, meaning parents and carers will need to reapply for this benefit each and every term.
For more information and details of how to apply you can read more HERE.
Pupil School Meal Patterns
Once again we would like to remind parents and carers that if you plan to change your child’s meal pattern for next half term, you need to complete and submit a ‘change pupil meal choice’ form. All our school forms can be found on the website by clicking on ‘Online Forms‘.
Lost Property
All lost property is stored in the Club Xtra 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 10th February from 3.00pm to 3.30pm.
Class News
Gold Class News
This Term Gold has been learning about deforestation and the impact that humans have on this. We have learnt how this affects biodiversity, the food chain
Nursery News
We have had a great term at Nursery, enjoying a variety of Traditional Tales. We have explored the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’, building our own
Magenta Class News
Magenta have had a fantastic term learning through our topic ‘Superheroes’. We read ‘Supertato’, who is a brave and courageous potato who helps his vegetable friends
Brass Class News
Brass Class have been very busy learners this term! Our topic ‘Disease and Development’ has been filled with facts, history sessions, science investigations and fantastic art! We have
Saffron Class News
Saffron Class has had an awesome half term. Our topic has been ‘The Great Fire of London’ and we’ve really enjoyed our fiction and non-fiction books
Cerise Class News
This half term in Cerise class our topic is ‘We Are Superheroes!’ and it’s coming to an end. After finding out about different superheroes we focused on
Mint Class News
This week in Mint class, the children have been busy learning their 8x tables. They’ve designed their own flash cards and have been using these to
Lavender Class News
Over the course of Autumn 2, Lavender Class were learning about World War 2 and the impact it had on people in the local area, particularly
Azure Class News
In Azure class we have been thoroughly enjoying our English topic ‘Horrible Histories’. Our end goal is to write an informative article in the style of
Letters sent home
Reception Newsletter – 10 02 2023
World Book Day
Changes to Free School Meal Protection
Cerise Class – Forest School, Group A
Orchid Class – Forest School, Group A
Orchid Class – Forest School, Group B
Cerise Class – Forest School, Group B
Children’s Mental Health Week 2023
Year 6 – Mr History Workshop
Reception Newsletter 03 03 2023
Class teacher changes 03 02 2023
Governors' News
the Governors
We are always seeking ways to create closer links between school and home. After your parents’ evening appointment you should have been asked to complete a feedback questionnaire (either paper or digital). The results will help shape future parent meetings, and give KG an understanding of what needs to be developed. Please fill in the feedback form if you haven’t already.
We also hope many of you were able to attend the Friends of KG AGM / coffee morning. There are lots of ways to be involved in school, so please do seek out a member of FoKG or speak to your class representative if you want to know more.
We hope that everyone has a fabulous half term break, and that we can finally stop wearing hats, gloves and scarves when we return!
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
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 & 13.00-15.00 £3.50 membership fee per week
Mini Chefs at Eliot Bank CFC on Thursdays 13.00-14.30
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
All sessions held at TNG will be charged £2 per adult/Low income families are free
Children’s Centre Timetable Spring 2023
Please join our Facebook page: Eliot and Kelvin for the latest updates.
Kid’s Support Tree and KG Upcycled Uniform Shop are run by Simone Daniels in conjunction with the staff at the children’s centre. It aims to raise funds for the children’s centre to support low income families. Simone believes that during these hard times we all need to help and support one another more than ever.
KST will launch on 24th February and all children are invited to wear green to school for a 50p donation. After school from 3pm, children can win Easter eggs and also grab a cookie.
Instagram: @kidsupportree
Twitter: @kidsupportree
Facebook: Kid’s Support Tree
Beckenham Place Park - BMX and Skatepark
The Skate Park and BMX track are on the eastern side by the Old Bromley Road entrance – see map. They are free and open during daylight hours. BMX sessions with a qualified coach take place 12pm-2pm on the first and third Sundays of each month. All welcome.
The first session is free: funded by Access Sport, and there is a suggested donation of £2 per session thereafter.
The skate park features a mural painted by local street artist Aero Arts and young people from Lewisham in summer 2019. The project was part of the London National Park City Festival
Geocaching - Beckenham Place Park
Did you know that there are 16 geocaches hidden in Beckenham Place Park waiting for you to discover them?
What is a geocache?
A geocache is like hidden treasure which you try to find. It has been put there by a local geocache enthusiast. The activity of going to find a geocache is called geocaching.
How does geocaching work?
You use a free app to search for geocaches in your area, then head out to find them. It is a good way to explore a new area or to explore an area you are familiar with in a new way.
The geocache itself will be some sort of container which might contain a log book and possibly items that you can swap or add to. The idea is to keep a record of the geocaches you find.
There is a short video about geocaching here.
What do I need to do to get started?
All you need is to download the free Geocache App from the Apple Store or Google Play, or visit the website. Once you have registered, you can search for geocaches, including the ones in Beckenham Place Park.
The Sonic Mind
Journey through music by moving your fingers around this interactive pewter brain sculpture.Listen to music and stories, as each touch brings these original compositions to life.
The unique pieces of music and spoken word have been created by young people from south east London. The sensory work captures their stories, experiences, hopes and ambitions.
TICKETS: Free, drop in LOCATION: Music Gallery – lower ground floor off Gallery Square
PERFECT FOR EVERYONE
Horniman Museum and Gardens
London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ, 020 8699 1872, enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
Migration Museum
Migration Museum, Migration Museum, Lewisham Shopping Centre, SE13 7HB
Friday 17 February 2023
11am–3pm
Free – no booking
Join us during half term for a day of fun activities for the whole family. Discover the incredible migration stories of the Migration Museum and explore your own personal connections to migration, with a range of free activities for all ages.
Including:
- Cross-stitch workshop led by Amanda
- A treasure hunt coordinated by Very Puzzled’s Patrick Adom
No booking needed – drop in anytime from 11am–3pm to join in the fun!
Global Camps - February Half Term
If you are looking for childcare over the half term holiday, then look no further. Global Camps will be running at Kelvin Grove School from 13th to 17th February.
A Global Experience…
At Global Camps we pride ourselves on our innovative programme, which offers a rounded mixture of foreign language learning, sports and outdoor and creative education, to keep kids active and engaged during the school holidays. Children feel safe, fulfilled and make lasting friends and memories. That’s why children come back to us again and again!
Bank of Things Lewisham
Bank of Things Lewisham aims to support all young people living in Lewisham. We provide school supplies and toiletries completely free of charge for young people aged 11 to 25 who live, study or work in the Borough.
We are open Monday and Wednesday from 3:00pm to 5:30pm at Unit 19 in Lewisham Shopping Centre. Young people can self-refer and do not need to prove they are in need.
We are keen to reach out to ensure we are reaching those young people that need it the most. If there are young people in your school community who are struggling to afford the basics, please do let them know about us. We are keen to develop relationships with schools, if there’s an opportunity for us to visit and host a pop-up Bank of Things during a lunch time or an event please do get in touch. We are happy to provide content for newsletters and other comms.
In addition, we are always looking for reliable volunteers to help run the operation. If there are young people in your school looking for volunteering opportunities, please do let them know about us.
You can find out more here www.bankofthingslewisham.org
Get in touch:
info@bankofthingslewisham.org
hannah@lewishamlocal.com
Cherish Day Nursery
Cherish Day Nursery has a well-established staff team offering high quality childcare within a caring, safe and stimulating environment. We wholeheartedly understand that every child is unique and deserves the best possible start to life. Would you like to join our staff team?
Perhaps you are looking to return back to childcare or for a change in career? Or you may be a young adult wanting to be supported as you transition into working life?
We at Cherish Day Nursery are keen to hear from you if you are thinking of taking on an apprenticeship, be trained and supported by us! If you are interested, we would welcome you to contact us on the below details for a chat.
Email: info@cherishdaynursery.com www.cherishdaynursery.com
Address: 2 Jews Walk, Sydenham, London SE26 6PL Phone: 020 8676 0478