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HEADTEACHER'S UPDATE Autumn Term 2023

Dear Parents,

A very warm welcome to the new academic year at St Edward's Prep. I hope you have all had a lovely summer break, whether you have been away on holiday or relaxing at home.

We have had a busy seven weeks here and it was great to see so many of your children at Holiday Club. It was a packed programme of activities and we hope they all enjoyed making new friends and taking part in the different themes, crafts and games that our team put together. We have also been making some more site developments in preparation for the Autumn term which you can read more about below.

Last week we took a team of our teachers to China where we had the honour of running a conference at the Zhengzhou Preschool Education College. We lectured, ran workshops and held Q and A sessions for the university lecturers and their students which was an amazing experience and fantastic professional development for us all.

It cannot go without saying that the welcome and hospitality we received was also incredible and we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share our knowledge and experience. I was very proud of all of the team for their courage, flexibility and professionalism throughout the trip and that our school's expertise was recognised on an international level. We will let you know more in the coming weeks but wanted to share a little of the trip with you now.

Today's communication includes some important updates for you, as well as reminders and information that we hope will help you finish getting ready for the first day back on Wednesday 6 September.

Invitation: Welcome Back Coffee

I would like to invite you all to join us during drop off on Wednesday morning (8.15-8.40am) for a coffee in the sunshine and a chance to say hello to our school community and welcome new families. You can also meet the new members of our team and drop off your child at their class if you would like to.

Staffing Updates

I am pleased to share a reminder of the staffing updates for the new school year, at this exciting time of growth and development for the school. These were previously shared in our new strategy document last term.

  • Mrs Helen James is transitioning to teach Year 2 after a successful tenure in Reception.
  • Mrs Anna Williams joins us from Dulwich College Kindergarten to teach Reception, supported by Miss Monica Nyilas and Ms Sadiya Mahmood.
  • Mrs Brighid Humphreys joins us from St Joseph's College to teach Year 3 and support Miss Clark as she transitions back from maternity leave.
  • Mrs Diane Wilson will be dedicating more time to teaching Art as we enhance our offerings in this area of the school.

If you have any questions or would like to contact your child's class teacher, please use the email addresses below.

Site Developments

Our team have been working hard over the summer on a number of improvements and room changes ready for the new term.

  • In the main house we now have Year 5 where the school office was and Year 6 upstairs next to the library. These are great new spaces which have been transformed for learning and we are looking forward to having the children back to experience them next week.
  • Please note that the main school office is now on the left when you come in the main entrance. This is where you will find Mrs Russell and Mr Hogg.
  • As our Reception class is thriving we have enhanced our provision by creating an exciting new space above the Nursery in the STEAM room. I look forward to sharing more next week when this room is complete so you can see how we have worked to create the best possible environment for the children to start their school journey.
  • Year 2 have moved to the previous Year 6 classroom upstairs in Peach Block, providing a larger space for the children to learn in.
  • The Prep toilets have been completely refurbished and redecorated and will now become the Boys' Toilets and what were the Pre-Prep toilets have now become our Girls' Toilets. This has been done to provide suitable facilities as we expand our co-education provision up to Year 4.

Calendar, Overviews, Timetables and Homework

Curriculum Overviews, timetables and homework information will all be updated on the website and included in next Friday's update.

The website calendar will be up-to-date at the start of next week. Here are a few key dates for the start of term:

  • Wednesday 6 September - Start of term, Coffee on the Decking for parents, Years 5 & 6 first Games session (football)
  • Thursday 7 September - Years 3 & 4 first Games session (football)
  • Friday 8 September - No Celebration Assembly, Years 3 & 4 football fixture
  • Monday 11 September - School photography, Years 1 & 2 first Games session
  • Tuesday 12 September - Years 2 & 3 first Swimming session
  • Wednesday 13 September - Reception & Year 1 first Swimming session, Settling in Meetings for parents (4-4.30pm for Little Griffins & Reception, 4.30-5pm for Years 1 & 2)
  • Thursday 14 September - first Stay and Play session (9.15-10.30am)
  • Friday 15 September - first Celebration Assembly (all parents welcome) and FREDs Welcome Back BBQ (details and RSVP below)

School Day - Drop Off & Pick Up

Here is a reminder of the timings which remain the same for this year. The main entrance should only be used before 8.15am or if your child is late or being picked up early. See the After-School Clubs section for further pick up information.

  • 7.45am - Breakfast Club starts for Reception-Year 6
  • 7.45am - Nursery starts
  • 8.15am - Western Elms gate opens for all children
  • 8.40am - Registration
  • 8.50am - Children marked as late
  • 3.45pm - Nursery-Year 2 pick up
  • 3.55pm - Years 3-6 pick up

Uniform and Equipment

Uniform & Appearance: Please ensure children have the correct uniform and are looking smart for the first day back. The full list is on the website under Key Info. We also ask that they have no Grade 0 haircuts or shaved lines in their hair when they return for the Autumn term.

Equipment for Prep School: Children in Years 3 to 6 are expected to bring the following basic stationery items each day:

  • Year 3 - HB pencil, 15cm ruler, sharpener, rubber, set of colouring felt tip pens or pencils, glue stick, rounded scissors.
  • Year 4: As for Year 3 plus a Berol Handwriting pen or Friction pen.
  • Year 5 & 6: As for Year 4 plus a Maths Set.

After-School Provision and Clubs

All After-School Clubs will start on Monday 11 September. Day Boarding will be available next Wednesday to Friday - if you would like to book please contact Alison Russell (alison.russell@stedwardsprep.com). You can find the clubs timetable on the website here.

Pick up is from the Western Elms gate at 5pm for the end of the first session and 5.50pm for the end of the second session.

School Photos

On Monday 11 September we have the photographer in school for the morning to take individual pupil photos and a whole school photo. Please ensure your child is in smart uniform even if they have PE that day. Details of how to order will follow after the session.

Nursery-Year 2: Settling In Meetings

There will be meetings for parents of children in Nursery to Year 2 after school on Wednesday 13 September so that you can spend time with your child's class teacher and get to know how their first week in their new class has been, as well as address any questions you might have.

  • 4-4.30pm - Little Griffins and Reception
  • 4.30-5pm - Years 1 & 2

If your child is staying at school, please leave them in Day Boarding while you attend the meeting.

Join us for the FREDs Welcome Back BBQ

FREDs warmly invite everyone to a Welcome Back BBQ on Friday 15 September from 4-5.30pm. If you would like to come, please complete the pre-order form linked below so that we can reduce food waste. We look forward to seeing you there!

Pre-order for BBQ

Finally, I wanted to look back very briefly to the end of last term as I am delighted to say the collection at our Speech Day event raised £133.47 for local charity Reading Family Aid.

I hope you enjoy the last long weekend of the holiday and I am very much looking forward to seeing you all next Wednesday morning.

Best wishes,

Jonathan

Appreciate