Judith Kerr Primary Parent Portal

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Friday 31st January 2025

Dear Families,

I would like to begin today's newsletter by extending my most sincere thanks to Frederik Rissom who ends his tenure as an ACC member today. Fred has served as a parent governor since 2016 and his experience, wisdom, challenge and support on all things from architectural design, premises and project management, to sustainability, environmental efficiency and German, have left a true legacy at JKPS. Thank you, Frederik, I know you're still only around the corner, and you're still a JKPS dad, but your dedication to our school will be truly missed. We hope, however, that you'll still be keen to roll up with your double bass at future community events.

This week, we've had lots of celebrations and activities around Lunar New Year - see below - and there's lots more excitement to come next week. Throughout the week, we'll be talking to the children about Children's Mental Health, then on Friday we have NSPCC number day combined with Fasching. See Dress up for Digits! just below. In preparation for Children's Mental Health Week, do have a conversation with your child to think about what they can do to support themselves with their mental health. We came up with some great ideas in assembly this afternoon.

Schönes Wochenende!

Patrick

Key messages:

Dress up for Digits! Remember, next Friday is NSPCC Number Day and we are combining it with our annual Fasching Parade . Please do encourage your child to come to school dressed as a digit, or with a maths/ numbers theme. Please also bring in £1. All proceeds will go to the NSPCC.

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We have a number of unclaimed scooters that have been left on the school premises. If you recognise your scooter from the picture, please collect it next week.

If they are still left unclaimed at half-term, we will find a new home for them.

What's been happening around school...

This week the nursery children learnt the new sound 'n' with Ms Sarah. They also played a game called 'Spin the Sound'. They are making lots of progress with their phonics, and we are super proud of them all. Look at their amazing mark making too!

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This week in Early Years, we've been celebrating Lunar New Year. We've been painting Chinese characters, making New Year Lanterns and even eating noodles with soy sauce. We've learnt the key traditions surrounding the festival and have produced some work around our story of the week 'The Magic Paintbrush'.

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Thank you to the families who came in today to talk to the children about Lunar New Year.

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Stepping into Stories

Don't forget, Stepping into Stories is also running a range of fantastic public author events on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th February 2025. You can see the full programme HERE.

Safeguarding/ Well being

As part of our assembly this afternoon, in preparation for Children's Mental Health Week, we asked the children to think of these questions - they're a great start to help the children start to identify their emotions and think about how they can self-regulate:

What makes you feel sad or nervous?

What makes you feel joyful or happy?

What do I enjoy learning about?

What am I good at?

What makes me laugh?

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Attendance

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School attendance is mandatory for all students of compulsory school age. Whilst we understand that it isn't always possible to reach 100% attendance, we are fully committed to ensuring the highest levels of attendance to ensure we enable every student to meet their potential.

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Deutschecke

Andrea Schweizer, one of our fabulous German teachers, is planning to offer an online A1 beginner German course for adults after the half-term break over either 10 weeks or 16 weeks. She is running a survey to establish interest. Please click here to take part in the poll: German Beginner Lessons poll Andrea is also available for private lessons for both adults and children. Click here to email her.

Friends' Corner

Happy Friday everyone!

Don’t forget tonight!Friday 31st January, 7:30pm. We are delighted to welcome Dr Nicola Kalk from King’s College London to the JKPS lunch hall for a free informal expert talk for parents on her research into the impacts of smartphone usage in pupils. Reserve your place here.

Following on from a lovely pre-spring clear up, complete with hot chocolate and seed planting, our next gardening day will be Saturday 8 Feb 11am-3pm. Please feel very welcome to join us.

Pre-loved Uniform Sale. Thursday 13th February. 3:20-4:30pm. All trousers, skirts and pinafore are £1. If you need anything before then please get in touch with Claire Wren (07730-433-519).

We are finalising dates throughout the year at the moment, so keep an eye on the events calendar on the website and the white board at the gate. The big ones for now:

March 26th - Quiz Night

June 28th - Summer Picnic

September 20th - Oktoberfest

One final update on putting all that hard work into action - the sensory room project is progressing well. The plans have been finalised, and subject to revised quotes and final approval, the work is scheduled to take place in April and May.