Headteacher's Message
Last week, I spent two days at a conference in Brighton. Although it was cold, I left feeling inspired and brimming with ideas.
I was particularly impressed by the first speaker, Dan Fitzpatrick, who has written a book called The AI Classroom. For someone like me, who began teaching with a chalkboard, a single school computer, and no photocopier, it was awe-inspiring to see the capabilities of AI. As a school, we’ll be exploring how we can safely and effectively use AI as a supportive tool for both teachers and children in the future.
Professor Zachary Walker led a session on leadership that encouraged me to refocus and reflect on our school’s vision, culture, and systems. It was a wonderful reminder of just how special, friendly, and inclusive our school truly is.
Another session highlighted the importance of play, not just in the early years but throughout childhood. It emphasized how crucial we, as adults, are in modeling play and engaging with children as active participants in their development (and no, this doesn’t mean on a PS5, Switch, or Xbox!).
The final speaker before I returned to school was the inspirational Baroness Floella Benjamin. I often use her book Coming to England with children to address important topics such as racism, xenophobia, and overcoming adversity. Her message was one of hope but also a poignant reminder of the vital role that adults, parents, carers, teachers, and the wider community, play in ensuring our children grow up in a safe, nurturing environment that cherishes childhood.
Christmas Dates at KG
I am really sorry to inform you that this year we will be unable to have our usual Christmas shows for parents and carers. Reception and Nursery will have small events for parents and carers which will be announced this week.
This is due to a reduced capacity this term in our Music department and the resources we do have being committed to maintaining Curriculum and Music Clubs.
However, we will be making the most of Christmas week with our Winter Fair and Christmas Jumper Days.
🌟Event dates:
- Own Clothes Day on Friday 6th December
- Official Christmas Jumper Day Thursday 12th December
- The Winter Fete on Friday 13th December
- KG Christmas Dinner and Christmas Jumper Day Wednesday 18th December
In addition classes will each have their own celebration during the last week of term. These dates will be announced shortly.
School Council
This year, our School Council has set three key priorities: fostering kindness and respect among everyone in our school, ensuring our play spaces are both safe and enjoyable, and improving our environment by creating more green spaces.
We were thrilled by the number of children who wanted to be part of the School Council, showing how much they care about making a difference. Over the coming months, we’ll work together to plan and implement initiatives to address these important areas. From organising kindness campaigns to brainstorming ideas for greener, more sustainable spaces, the School Council is already full of exciting plans.
It has been wonderful speaking with the children and hearing their thoughtful ideas for improving our school. Their enthusiasm and commitment remind us how much we can achieve when we work together as a community!
Lost Property
We can’t emphasise enough how important it is for parents and carers to clearly label children’s school jumpers, jackets, coats, bookbags, water bottles and lunch bags with their name.
This helps us to return any lost and found items quickly to their rightful owner/s.
Unnamed lost property will be displayed by the pod in the main playground from 8.30 am – 8.45 am and again at 3.15 pm – 3.30 pm on a regular basis. All unclaimed items will be sent to the local charity shop to benefit our wider school community.
Pre-loved school uniform is also available from Kids Support Tree – in addition to our official school uniform provider Wearabouts in Sydenham.
Stay and Share Success
What another fantastic week of sharing our learning with our families! We’re delighted with the success of all our Stay and Share and Stay and Play events this term. A big thank you to all the parents and carers who could join us. It was heartwarming to see families celebrating our students’ learning journeys. The children were bursting with pride to share their work, and have loved having you all here. Keep a look out for more events like this in the new term.
A special Hannukah Guest
Year 4’s exploration of Jewish festivals was truly enlightening! ✨ Maya and Leah’s mum visited Year 4 last week to share her family’s Hanukkah traditions. 
Year 4 learned about the beautiful hanukiah passed down from her great-grandmother, played the dreidel game (discovering the meaning of each Hebrew letter!), and even enjoyed some yummy doughnuts, a Hanukkah treat! A huge thank you to Maya and Leah’s mum, we’re so grateful for our wonderful parents who share their knowledge and experiences with us!
See more in Year 4’s post here.
Take One Artist Takeover!
Kelvin Grove has been transformed into a world of whimsical wonder! Nearly every year group has embarked on our “Take One Artist” journey, inspired by the incredible Sha’an d’Anthes. 🎨 From Nursery to Year 6, we’ve explored her unique illustration and watercolor techniques, and this week, our young artists began creating their own masterpieces! It’s been amazing to witness the creativity and talent blossoming throughout the school. ✨ Stay tuned to see all the finished artworks come together!
Support with eVisa's
The UK is developing an online only immigration system. Physical documents are being replaced with an online record of someone’s immigration status. This is known as an eVisa. Those affected will need to make this change by 31st December 2024, otherwise they will find it difficult to prove their immigration status.
The documents being replaced are:
biometric residence permits (BRP)
biometric residence cards (BRC)
wet ink stamps in passports
vignette stickers in passports
If you use any of the above documents, please apply for eVisa at www.gov.uk/evisa before 31st December 2024.
For more information visit: www.lewisham.gov.uk/evisa
Highlights from Class
Reception exploration and discovers
Reception had a busy week full of exploration and discovery! We experimented with painting on cling film (so cool!), identified “liquid” paint 🎨, and even became
Lilac’s Scientific Inquiry
Lilac class delved into the world of scientific inquiry this week! 🧪 We learned the importance of planning a fair test and conducted an experiment to
Year 3’s Sharing Assembly
Year 3 shone brightly at our Sharing Assembly! ✨ We proudly shared stories, poems, and all our hard work with our amazing parents and carers. Thank
Year 4 Investigates: Local vs. Imported Food 🌍
Year 4’s geography lesson got a delicious twist this week! 🌍 We interviewed Mick, our awesome school chef, to learn about where our food comes from.
Dreidels, Doughnuts, and Discoveries in Year 4! ✡️
Year 4’s exploration of Jewish festivals just got a whole lot brighter! ✨ Maya and Leah’s mum visited our classes to share her family’s Hanukkah traditions.
Lilac Lego Winners!
Lilac Class were thrilled to learn that we were winners in The Day’s Lego Build the Change competition! This competition invited children to think about how spaces could
Reception Gymnastics
Reception is defying gravity in PE! 🤸♂️ We’re learning to balance and roll in gymnastics, and having a blast while we move and groove. #ActiveKids #GymnasticsFun
Lovely Lanterns with ClubXtra
Club Xtra gave old materials a new life! ✨ We created beautiful lanterns using Posca Pens and recycled materials, proving that art can shine a light
Lavender Class
Lavender class traveled back in time to explore the Blitz! 🕰️ We worked together to create a massive timeline, putting historical events in order. #HistoryComesAlive #Teamwork
Mint Class Art Takeover
Mint Class is loving our “Take One Artist” project featuring the amazing Sha’an d’Anthes! Her whimsical style and character designs are inspiring us to create our
Letters sent home
Coral Class Year 1 – Toys and Puppets around the world Workshop
Apricot Class Year 1 – Toys and Puppets around the world Workshop
Amber Class Year 1 – Toys and Puppets around the world Workshop
Year 1 Stay and Share – Parents Celebration of Learning Event
Year 6 Stay and Share – Parents Celebration of Learning Event
Winter Festival at Kelvin Grove
Reception Newsletter 22-11-2024
Parent Workshop – SCERTS Model
Governors' and Friends News
the Governors
The KG Circle
We are two weeks away from the Winter Fete (Friday 13th December) and we are really excited for a special afternoon.
KG Winter Fete
We are in the process of confirming what stalls and activities will be in place and we can’t decide this until we know how many volunteers are available.
We’re looking for volunteers to assist with various activities, such as setting up, supervising stalls, serving food and beverages, and helping with clean-up. Volunteering is a great way to support our school, meet new people, and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Please sign up here: https://forms.gle/9WerFvWXqxb3Ra5z6 Your time and effort are greatly appreciated, and together we can make this winter fair the best one yet. We need your help to make it a success!
This Friday (6th December), there will be an Own Clothes Day to support the Winter Fete. Everyone is invited to wear their own clothes to school in exchange of donations for the following:
- Raffle Prizes (Adult and children)
- Teddy Bear Tombola Prizes (good condition soft toys, preferably washed)
- Jolly Jam Jars, fill a jam jar with wrapped sweets, toys stickers etc
- Empty Jam Jars or a packet of wrapped sweets, stickers or small toys
Please hand all items to the School Office and only hand in donations in a good condition that you would be happy to receive.
Raffle tickets and pre pay cards are available to purchase on SCOPAY and we will be selling in the playground from Friday 6th December at drop off. Loads of great prizes are available including £100 Supermarket Voucher, 2 x £50 supermarket vouchers and a pizza party at Mamma Dough.
We are two weeks away from the Winter Fete and we are really excited for a special afternoon.
Thinking of buying your Christmas Tree this week?
Why not head over to Angie at Sydenham Flowers on the High Street (next to Natwest). If you mention your child attends Kelvin Grove when purchasing your tree she will make a donation to the KG Circle.
Starting your Christmas Shopping
Please remember to use easyfundraising when you do your Christmas online shopping this year. Over 8,000 retailers will donate to Kelvin Grove Charitable Trust for FREE when you use easyfundraising to shop with them. This means you can raise donations for us when you buy anything from decorations and festive food shopping to gifts. These donations really help us and all you have to do is use easyfundraising when you’re ordering the things you’ll be buying anyway.
Get Involved
We are always open to hear from you and what you would like from the KG Circle. For a taste of what we get up to, have a look at our End of Year Report here
Feel free to get in touch if you want any more information, pta@kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk
Keep up to date with all news via our Facebook Page here.
The KG Circle
Community News
Children's Centre
On 1st October the management of Kelvin Grove & Eliot Bank will move to Lewisham Council management, as Lewisham are integrating the Children and Family Centres into Family Hubs.
The sessions will remain the same.
Please join our Facebook page: Eliot and Kelvin for the latest updates or join our WhatsApp Channel ‘Kelvin Grove and Eliot Bank Children and Family Centre.
Our timetable is also available here
For enquiries please call us on: 0208 613 0172
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Click the image to view the timetable.
Free Legal Advice Duncan Lewis via phone call 0208 613 0172 for appointment
All sessions held at TNG will be charged @ £2 per adult.
Low income families are free
We’re looking forward to seeing you all at our stall at the Winter Fair on Friday 13th December! Please come and visit us for our Annual Christmas Jumper Swap! We are currently in need of the following items: – PE kits – Christmas Jumpers – World Book Day Costumes
Please see the attached poster for more information on items that we can and can not accept. All donations can be left with the office. If you are in need of any school uniform, please fill out the form using the link here.
Simone Daniels will be in touch with you to confirm when the items are ready to collect.
Keep an eye on our noticeboard in the main playground for all the latest news, updates and ways to help.
Simone Daniels
#KST #GIVEBACK #TCT
Our gofundme page, with all donations going directly to the Kelvin Grove Community Centre is here.
Instagram: @kidsupportree
Twitter: @kidsupportree
Facebook: Kid’s Support Tree
Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today
Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today is a series of reminiscence sessions offered to people living with dementia and a supporter (a partner, son, daughter, sister or a friend, for instance).
From early memories such as schooldays, we then explore travel, working lives and setting up homes. We use music, role play, discussion and art to create a light-hearted atmosphere for sharing memories and bringing people closer together.
The sessions will be led by Caroline Baker and Annie Pownall from the European Reminiscence Network, both skilled and experienced facilitators. Each session will be supported by volunteers who have an understanding of dementia, group work and the art of reminiscence.
To become a participant or volunteer and find out more, please get in touch with Caroline at information.ryct.projects@gmail.com or phone 020 8852 9293
Every Wednesday 11.00 – 1.00pm at Venner Road Hall.
Where: Venner Road Hall
Venner Road Hall, Venner Road, Sydenham, SE26 5EQ
Community Carol SErvice
Everyone welcome for the Perry Rise Baptist Church Community Carols Service
Tuesday 3rd December 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Doors open 6:30pm.
Free refreshments afterwards.
Where: Perry Rise Baptist Church
Perry Rise, London SE23 2QL
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is coming to Sydenham!
A fun family Christmas show for all ages – featuring all the usual Spontaneous magic! From Friday 6th December – Sunday 15th December 2024
Show(s) at Friday 6.30pm | Saturday/Sunday 2.00pm and 3.30pm
Show lasts approximately 45 minutes, suitable for all ages
The enchanting story of The Nutcracker is brought to magical life by Spontaneous Productions for its 7th annual pantomime and the fourth to be performed in the beautiful setting of St Bart’s Church, Sydenham. Following last year’s sold out production Peter Pan, expect to be highly entertained, with amazing music and dance routines, fabulous costumes, audience participation and lots of Spontaneous-style surprises!
See the website for ticket information and more details.
Where: St Bartholomew’s Church
4 Westwood Hill, London SE26 6QR
Forest Hill Christmas Lights
Join us to get the festive season underway with carols and mince pies light up Forest Hill on Saturday 7th December 2024, from 4.30pm!
Sleeping Beauty in Catford
Packed with fun for all the family, and brought right up to date, Susie McKenna has crafted a spellbinding show with colourful characters, knockabout comedy, show-stopping routines and no shortage of magic and sparkle. The perfect Gothic fairytale with a soulful twist for Christmas 2024.
Wednesday 4th December to Tuesday 31st December.
Where: Broadway Theatre
Rushey Green, Catford, London, SE6 4RU
See the full list of performance times and dates, and book your tickets on their website here.
Family Craft Saturdays
Join Horniman Museum’s volunteer team on Saturday afternoons for family craft activities inspired by the Museum’s collections. Learn about some of the 350,000 objects in the Horniman’s collections, and discover more about music, nature, wildlife, and the world around us.
Get stuck into some crafts and have fun with Horniman’s wonderful volunteers at these free, drop-in sessions.
When: Saturdays
Time: 2.00pm- 4.00pm (last entry 3:30pm)
Tickets: Free
Perfect for children aged 3 and above. (Children must be accompanied by an adult).
🌟 December 🌟
Winter Decorations – 7th and 14th December
This winter we are making and decorating wintery ornaments for you to hang in your home.
Location: Education Centre – near the entrance
Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ
Family Events at Tate
Tate Draw
See your drawings come to life using our digital sketch pads at Tate!
You can draw online or take a seat at one of the desks at Tate Britain or Tate Modern, where you can see your finished drawing projected onto the wall.
When you’ve finished your drawing, you can save it to a phone, or order a T-shirt to wear your creation.
Share your art at #TateDraw
Days and Time: Open Monday to Sunday from 10.00am – 6.00pm
Location: Tate Britain Lower Floor, next to the Djanogly Café
Tate Modern The Starr Foyer, Natalie Bell Building, Level 1 and Blavatnik Building, Level 3
Price: Free
Tate Modern
Uniqlo Tate Playmake Studio, The Joy of Not Knowing 
Come and discover the unknown inspired by joyful artworks in Tate’s collection.
Let your imagination run wild with a variety of hands-on activities for the whole family, all using recycled materials sourced right from within our galleries. You’ll be encouraged to imagine and explore magical futures by creating props and costumes made from sensory, re-purposed materials. There’s something for everyone!
Perfect for artists of all ages, including our tiniest creators aged 5 and under.
Under 5s
On Wednesdays, we offer special activities just for them featuring themed storybooks, sensory exploration and more. Using everyday materials and objects we’ll explore new ways of seeing the world and create fresh, joyful perspectives.
Please note that you may be asked to queue at busy times.
See the webpage for more details.
Days and Time: Every weekend and Wednesdays from 31 August 2024 until 23 October 2024
Families with under 5s: Wednesday at 10.30am – 3.00pm (Last entry 45 minutes before event finishes.)
All the family: Saturday – Sunday at 10.30am – 6.00pm (Last entry 45 minutes before event finishes.)
Price: Free
Tate Britain
Play Studio
From 25 May 2024, POSE by Harold Offeh at the Play Studio
Dress-up, move and play with different ways of expressing yourself through performance, music and making in our creative learning space for children, young people and families.
Inspired by the ways artists portray themselves and others, Play Studio: POSE by Harold Offeh invites you to react to artwork at Tate Britain in your own way, while discovering something new about yourself in the process.
Make something together inspired by the stories you’ve encountered in the galleries, or relax with under 5s next to the sand trays, collections of objects and books.
Visit the Play Studio page for full details
Days and Time: Open every weekend and Fridays during term-time. Every day during school holidays from 10.00am – 5.00pm.
Location: Learning Gallery. Entry via Manton or Millbank Entrance
Price: Free
Story Space
Explore the growing Story Space book collection, celebrating books that centre children of colour, featuring books by black authors, indigenous authors and authors of colour from around the world. Story Space also includes books by authors and about characters who have protected characteristics such as disability, sexual orientation and religion/ belief.
Read to yourself, to someone else, with each other, out loud. Once you’ve discovered some new stories, tell your own story through our dress-up and drawing activities!
Visit the Story Space page for full details and news of Story Space Events
Days and Time: Open every weekend and Thursdays during term-time. Every day during school holidays from 10.00am – 5.00pm.
Location: Manton Studio. Entry via the Manton Entrance
Price: Free
Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ