Key Dates
Monday 7th - Friday 11th October
Year 6 Bikeability cycle training
Monday 7th & Tuesday 8th October
School photographer in school for individual & sibling photographs
Tuesday 8th October
Whole school Curriculum Evening, 7.00 - 8.30 pm
Thursday 10th October
Tapestry Workshop for Reception parents, 9.00 - 10.00 am in the Large Hall
School tour for prospective Reception parents, 9.30 - 11.00 am
Friday 11th October
PSA Dads' Breakfast, 7.45 - 8.45 am in the Large Hall
Parent Council Meeting, 9.00 - 10.00 am in the Small Hall
Year 4 Cake Sale at 3.00pm
Wednesday 16th October
Parent Consultations, 4.00 - 7.00 pm
Thursday 17th October
Volunteer Reader Introduction, 9.00 - 9.30 am in the Small Hall
Parent Consultations, 2.30 - 6.00 pm
SCHOOL CLOSES AT 2.00 PM
Friday 18th October
Year 4 visit Butser Farm
Volunteer Reader Introduction, 9.00 - 9.30 am in the Small Hall
Monday 21st October
Inclusion Coffee Morning, 9.00 - 10.00 am in the Small Hall
Tuesday 22nd October
School tour for prospective Reception parents, 9.30 - 11.00 am
Thursday 24th October
Year 6 Hawthorn class assembly at 9.00 am in the Large Hall
Year 3 Cake Sale at 3.00 pm
Friday 25th October
INSET day - children are not in school
Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November
HALF TERM HOLIDAY
Monday 4th November
INSET day - children are not in school
Tuesday 5th November
INSET day - children are not in school
Wednesday 6th November
CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOL
PSA Fireworks Night, 5.30 - 7.30 pm
Thursday 7th November
School tour for prospective Reception parents, 9.30 - 11.00 am
Friday 8th November
Zoolab visit for Nursery children
Key dates for the 2019/2020 academic year are posted on the website here
Reminders
Pupil Photographs
On Monday 7th October and Tuesday 8th October, the school photographer is coming into school to take photographs of the children, either individually or together with their sibling(s). The children should come into school wearing the correct school uniform, including a school jumper or cardigan and, if they are in Years 3-6, a school tie.
Parking at Fern Hill
Please may we remind you that there is no parking on the school site. Unless you have been contacted by the school office to collect your child because they are unwell, it is not possible to park on site to pick up or drop off your child at any time during the school day. Thank you for your understanding.
Bikeability
A reminder for the Year 6 children following the Bikeability programme next week: don’t forget your bike and helmet, you’ll need them every day! You can leave your bike in the one of the bike racks when you get to school but make sure you lock it and keep the key safe. You will be outside for the length of the course - please bring a warm and waterproof coat. If you are attending the course in the afternoon, you’ll need to be at the school office by 1.00 pm so grab an early lunch at 12.30 pm.
Flu Immunisations
Please ensure you have returned your child's Flu immunisation consent form to your class teacher by Friday 11th October. The form should be returned whether or not you consent to your child having the nasal spray. Thank you.
Tree Tops Collection
The number of children being collected late from their Tree Tops session has risen significantly. Please may we remind parents and carers that children attending the full or late afternoon session must be collected by 6.00 pm. If a child is collected after 6.00 pm, a late charge will be applied – details of this are available in the Tree Tops Home School Agreement. In an emergency, if you are going to be late, please let the Tree Tops team know by telephoning or texting 07939 573468. This number is operational from 2.30 - 6.00 pm.
Attachments
Year Group Newsletters
SEN Coffee Morning Invitation
Volunteer Readers Letter
Volunteer Readers Reply Form
Inclusion Coffee Morning
Please join us for our first Inclusion Coffee Morning on Monday 21st October at 9.00 - 10.00 am in the Small Hall. This session will be an introduction to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion at Fern Hill. To confirm your attendance, or if you have any questions, please email us at: inclusion@fernhill.rbksch.org
Fern Hill is recruiting!
We have vacancies for a Breakfast Club Assistant and Lunchtime Supervisor. If you are interested in applying, or know someone who might be, please see the eteach website for further information.
After School Club Notices
Hockey club is cancelled on Wednesday 23rd October. There will be a make up class on Wednesday 11th December.
Volunteer Readers
Can you spare 30 minutes a week to support our younger children with their reading? We are looking for parents and carers to volunteer as Readers in school. Please see the attached letter for more information.
Curriculum Evening
It’s not too late to reserve your place at this year’s Curriculum Evening which will be held at school on Tuesday 8th October from 6.45 – 8.30 pm. The event is designed to provide you with an in depth understanding of aspects of teaching and learning at Fern Hill. In the past, we have covered a wide range of subjects including growth mindset, e-safety, behaviour and home learning platforms. You can view the presentations from the last two Curriculum Evenings on the website here.
The evening will begin at 6.45 pm with refreshments in the Large Hall, followed by four workshops:
Maths Mastery Part 2
Fluency, reasoning and problem solving are key skills we are mastering in Maths at Fern Hill. This session will develop your understanding of how these skills are taught in school and, most importantly, how you can support your children to build on these at home. To follow up this session and see Maths Mastery in action, we’ll be running class drop-ins after the half term break.
Science Capital
The aim of our teaching approach at Fern Hill is to build the children’s ‘science capital’, developing their grasp of, and interest in, science and encourage a positive mindset towards STEM subjects. This session will explore science capital in school and demonstrate how you can develop your children’s science related knowledge, attitudes and experiences outside school.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing at Fern Hill encompasses both our children and our wider community and we aspire to create an environment in which all can thrive. In this session we will share how we support your children’s wellbeing. We will also explore how we inspire ‘pupil voice’ and the children’s understanding of their place in an ever-changing world through the Votes for Schools platform.
A Love of Reading
Ensuring fluency in reading is one of the most important prerequisites of ensuring academic success across all subjects. This session will give a brief overview of what becoming a fluent reader at primary school entails, why it is so crucial and most importantly, how you can support this at home.
To register for the Curriculum Evening, please click on the link below. The closing date for registration is Monday 7th October at 12.00 pm. Please note that this event is for parents and carers only, not children.
Parent Consultations
Parent consultations for all year groups from Nursery to Year 6 will be held on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October. This is an opportunity for you to meet with your child's class teacher to discuss your child’s progress and how they are settling into the new school year.
Consultations can be booked online at: https://fernhillprimary.parentseveningsystem.co.uk
Please note that the booking system will close next Wednesday 9th October at 12.00 pm.
You will be able to book a ten minute consultation with your child's class teacher during the following times:
Wednesday 16th October - 4.00 pm – 7.00 pm
Thursday 17th October - 2.30 pm – 6.00 pm
There is an extra consultation date available for Nursery children only, on Monday 14th October from 9.00 am – 1.30 pm.
Please note that school closes at 2.00 pm on Thursday 17th October.
After school clubs will run as usual but at the revised time of 2.00 - 3.00 pm. Tree Tops will be open from 2.00 - 6.00 pm.
Please be aware that there will be limited capacity in Tree Tops on this day and sessions must be booked in advance by Friday 11th October.
If your child attends a club on Thursdays and is already booked onto the Tree Tops late afternoon session at 4.30 pm, they will automatically be registered to attend from 3.00 pm when their club ends. There will be no charge for this extended session. The early half session will run from 2.00 - 4.30 pm.
Ahoy! It's National Poetry Day!
Yesterday was National Poetry Day, a UK-wide celebration of poetry which takes place every October. Each year there’s a different theme and this year, it’s ‘Truth’.
Fern Hill celebrated with ‘Poetry Pirates’. Our Deputy Headteachers, Quartermasters Stephenson and Crook, treated each class to an impromptu poetry recital during the day.
You can find out more about National Poetry Day here.
The new Children’s Poetry Archive website is a fantastic resource for 6 to 12 year olds. It’s accessible from tablets and phones and is full of clever functionality to make listening to poetry even more enjoyable including ‘eyes shut ears open’ which allows you to listen just to a poem being read out loud without any of the visual distractions of the website. A 'My Archive' function allows children to build their own playlists from where they can re-listen to their favourites or share their playlists with friends – a first in poetry listening!
TEAM POINTS ARE BACK!
The overall winner this week is Coombe - well done Coombe!
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Kingston
610
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Coombe
819
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Richmond
660
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Hampton
635
We are pleased that Pleiades, Masquerade and Mother Nature Science are back with us this coming October half term!
Pleiades are running a week long Halloween themed, multi sport camp from Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November and are also here from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm on the two INSET days, Monday 4th & Tuesday 5th November.
Fantastic workshops from Masquerade and Mother Nature Science are also available to book. Masquerade are running two different activities: a Wizard & Witches Training School for 4 - 6 year olds and a Harry Potter themed workshop for children aged 7 and over, both on Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st October, and Mother Nature Science are running their Spooky Science five day activity camp from Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November.
You can find more information about these activities, including how to book, on our website here.
PSA News & Events
Dads’ Breakfast – Friday 11th October – sold out!
Thank you so much to all those who have booked their tickets online for our Dads’ Breakfast – we have reached our full capacity and so this event is now sold out. If you have booked, your names will automatically be added to our guest list and there is no need to print your tickets. We look forward to welcoming you to the Dads’ Breakfast on Friday 11th October from 7.45 to 8.45am in the Main Hall.
We do need volunteers to help at the Dads’ Breakfast next week. If you are able to help, please email fernhillpsa@gmail.com Thank you.
Macmillan Coffee Morning
A huge thanks to all those who supported our Macmillan coffee morning last week by donating and buying the many delicious cakes on offer. Thanks to your generosity we raised £1,039! This is a fantastic amount and will go directly to support the vital work that Macmillan do.
Second hand uniform sales
Another thank-you to everyone who donated items for our recent second-hand uniform sales, as well as to those who bought items and gave up their time to run the stall. The three sales raised a fantastic £339.60.
PSA Welcome for New Parents
It was wonderful to see so many new parents at our Welcome Evening last night. Thank you to all those who came along and we hope you got a flavour of the many events that the PSA run throughout the school year.
Thank you for your support.
Fern Hill PSA
Weekly Attendance
Well done to Year 5 who have the best year group attendance for this week.
The Attendance Cup is awarded to both Yew and Chestnut classes, both with 99.7% attendance!
| Year | Attendance % | Star Year ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Reception | 94.7% | |
| Year 1 | 95.2% | |
| Year 2 | 95.7% | |
| Year 3 | 98.0% | |
| Year 4 | 98.0% | |
| Year 5 | 98.1% | ★ |
| Year 6 | 92.3% |
Inspiration 