From the Head
It’s been a wonderfully positive start to the Summer Term here at St Olave’s. The children have returned full of energy, smiles and a real readiness to learn. Walking through classrooms this week, it’s been clear that everyone has settled straight back into the rhythm of school life, with purposeful learning, curiosity and joyful focus on display from the very first morning.
We began the term with an inspiring INSET day for staff, led by Andy from Urban Strides. The training, titled Resilience Reaps Rewards, was energetic, uplifting and packed with practical strategies. It gave us all the chance to reflect on how we can help children feel confident in the face of challenge – how to support them in developing the mindset to persevere, take risks and grow through setbacks. As educators, we know how vital resilience is in all areas of life, and we’re committed to embedding this more deeply in our work with the children. Resilience isn’t about pushing through no matter what; it’s about knowing that mistakes are part of learning, that effort matters, and that facing a challenge is often the very thing that helps us move forward.
We know that you, as parents, play a huge part in nurturing these qualities too. The partnership between home and school is so important, and we’re looking forward to continuing to work closely with you this term to help our children become confident, capable and resilient learners – and people.
There’s already been so much to celebrate this week. On Wednesday, we marked St George’s Day with activities and discussions all about British Values – an important part of our curriculum and our ethos. From exploring fairness and tolerance to celebrating the courage to stand up for what’s right, the children approached the day with maturity and thoughtfulness. Yesterday, we took part in ‘Zero Energy Day’, working in more sustainable ways around the school. As always, the children rose to the occasion and adapted brilliantly, showing creativity, flexibility and a real sense of purpose.
There’s lots to look forward to this term, and we’re excited to continue this strong start. Thank you, as ever, for your ongoing support – it really does make all the difference. Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you all next week.
Kind regards, Miss Holloway
The week ahead...
Lunch Menu
Safeguarding Team
This week at St Olave's
Zero Energy Day
As part of their work to gain Eco Schools Reaccreditation, our MPs recently carried out an environment review of the school and found that there was some improvement to be made in the area of energy which encouraged them to think about energy usage at school.
The MPs challenged the staff to teach on Thursday without using any electronics - no computers or ipads, no class whiteboards and no printing or photocopying! It applied to all lessons and clubs. In a world where we are becoming increasingly reliant on the use of energy on a daily basis, the MPs wanted to try to move away from this to show that it is possible to work without the use of electronic devices and to lower the school’s energy usage for that day.
The teachers rose to the challenge and Zero Energy Day was a huge success, with everybody enjoying a range of different activities. Obviously, as no electronic devices were permitted, there's no photos to share but we're sure the children will be able to tell you all about what they got up to!
CSI Workshop
Year 6 kicked off the week with a Police Crime Scene Workshop, led by an ex-Detective – a real highlight! The children were immersed in the world of forensic science and the legal system. They learned how to collect DNA swabs and lift fingerprints, just like real investigators. The afternoon saw them become detectives themselves, piecing together evidence to solve a mock murder. It was thrilling to see their teamwork and problem-solving skills in action!
Sporting Round Up
Summer term is here! This week Year 3 had their gymnastic plus session, and what a brilliant session it was. We had forward rolls, travelling along beams, rotations on the bars, trampolining, and jumps into the soft pits. The children were fantastic and made great progress across the session. Well done Year 3!
Nursery
It has been a real pleasure to welcome the children back to school for the Summer Term. They have come back full of energy and positivity and they were clearly delighted to be back with their friends and enjoying playing both inside and out.
In class we have been inspired to make blossom pictures using a variety of techniques and materials. The children are growing in skill and confidence and have produced some really beautiful pieces of artwork. Our visit to the allotment to see the blossom on our fruit trees was a real treat.
Zero Energy Day on Thursday was very interesting for the children and it provoked lots of discussion about what uses energy in our classroom and where it comes from. The children learnt about plugs and sockets and spotted them in the classroom and we talked about how to keep safe by not putting anything in a socket and keeping it switched off.
Reception
Welcome back to the SUMMER term! We hope you have all had a lovely Easter break and feel rested. Thank you for all the posts on Tapestry - the children have absolutely loved telling their friends all about their adventures and showing them the pictures. One of our friends brought in lots of fantastic objects that he found on a nature walk. We had great fun creating at the Creation Station.
Although it has been a short week, we have an amazing time both inside and outside the classroom. We have focused our days on settling in, remembering routines and thinking about how to be the best version of ourselves. The children have shown empathy and respect through communication and play. On Wednesday afternoon, we were lucky enough to watch a show by Merryweather Theatre who performed ‘The Blue Knot’. This workshop was themed around Sea Shanty music and the story was based on selfless acts and thinking of others.
On Thursday, we had a Zero Energy Day where we shut off all screens and whiteboards and we focused on verbal communication and connecting with the outdoors. We took this opportunity to go on a walk to the park. We looked at our natural surroundings and had lots of fun playing outside.
Have an amazing weekend. We look forward to seeing you for another fun-filled week.
Year 1
Welcome back! The children have had a wonderful start to the Summer Term and have settled back into the Year 1 routines perfectly. On the children's return to school, they have taken part in wellbeing days focusing on friendship and self reflection. We have discussed the different emotions we feel as human beings and how they may be expressed. We also thought about what it means to be fair and how this may not always be reflected by everyone being treated in exactly the same way. The children were really sensible and thoughtful with their ideas. We are very lucky to have such kind and empathetic children in Year 1.
In maths, the children have begun their topic learning about fractions. This week we have started to recognise half of an object or amount. Next week we will begin to recognise quarters and apply the skills they have learnt.
On Friday, the children created wonderful pieces of artwork themed around ‘Earth Day’. We were so impressed they will be entered into a special competition set by the Independent Schools Association.
We hope you have a wonderful and peaceful weekend. Please remember to put sunscreen on and remember hats next week, as it looks like summer will be arriving!
Year 2
A whirlwind few days to kick off the summer term! With a couple of wellbeing days, including ‘Zero Energy Day’ on Thursday we reached Friday with a great mindset, ready to learn. We started by exploring tolerance and how this links to kindness, the children demonstrated great maturity in discussing various scenarios where unkind behaviour was being displayed and generating ideas for how these should have been dealt with. We loved turning the computers and whiteboards off for a day of learning on Thursday - we reconnected with the outside world and created art inspired by nature.
A more ‘normal’ regime returned by Friday - we did some BIG writing in English, explored temperature in maths and considered that not everything we see online is true.
Some of the children had their first speech and drama lesson Thursday and LOVED it! We think there might be budding stars in our midst!
Have a great weekend - remember that swimming starts on Tuesday!
Year 3
Wow! Summer term already? How did that happen? We are back with a bang in Year 3 and ready and raring to go. We started Wednesday with our usual carousel lesson and games session, but still had time to ponder on some wellbeing activities. We thought about the reasons why we are good friends and learned some great new vocabulary. Ask your child what words they chose to add to their list of why they are a good friend! We also thought about what rules we have within the community to assist us in being good citizens and the consequences of not having rules…
On Thursday morning, we enjoyed ‘Zero Energy Day’ by switching off the lights and our devices and reminding ourselves of the importance of reducing our energy consumption. We circled back to the idea of friendship and made some loom band friendship bracelets as a symbol of our appreciation for each other!
Later that day, we were in for a real treat! It was finally our turn to visit Sutcliffe park for our gymnastics session. We flipped, bounced, twirled, balanced and spun around all afternoon! We had an amazing time and had the opportunity to put so many skills to the test. We hope to be able to visit again in the future!
We are looking forward to getting stuck in with some new summer term topics next week as we start the build up towards Year 4!
Year 4
It was so lovely to welcome back the children to school on Wednesday for their final term in Year 4! We have spent the week focusing on our emotional wellbeing through activities relating to individual liberty, how to get along better with friends, and exploring art through the use of nature. The children came up with some fantastic suggestions for how we can get along better with other people, for example showing respect to each other, compromising in different situations and how our choices can have consequences. We also realised how important it is to be able to tell our friends if we do not like how they are treating us or speaking to us.
On Thursday, we celebrated ‘Zero Energy Day’. We loved being able to spend time making friendship bracelets (which involved lots of perseverance), making posters about the day, and visiting the local park where we collected different materials to make some nature-based artwork. The children were very collaborative and creative with their ideas and it was lovely to see how proud they were of their work.
On Friday, our day returned to normal by reminding ourselves how to use apostrophes for possession in English, and in maths, we learned how to make a whole using tenths in decimal format. During the afternoon, we shared some of the children’s science home learning and then took our art work outside again by exploring the work from Magdalene Odundo.
Please remember it is our school trip to the Saatchi Gallery on Monday. The children will need a nut-free packed lunch and will need to wear school uniform. We hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Year 5
Welcome back! We hope that you all had a lovely and restful Easter break. It has been an excellent first week back for Year 5, with the children showing enthusiasm and a positive attitude as they ease into the summer term. With our focus this week being on emotional wellbeing and mental health, we have been super impressed with the discussions that the children have had about tolerance, respect and the importance of kindness. We also explored the concept of ‘superheroes’ by reflecting on the real-life heroes who inspire us, whether that be family members, celebrities, or sportspeople and discussed the positive attributes they possess, such as resilience, kindness, and courage, that we hope to embody in ourselves.
A highlight of the week was ‘Zero Energy Day’ where we all enjoyed an opportunity to ‘slow down’, reflect and detach from the world of electronics. The children thought about the simple beauty of nature around them, taking part in some nature-based artwork, using natural resources to create their pieces, and celebrating the Earth and all its wonders.
It’s been a great start to what’s sure to be an exciting term and we look forward to what’s ahead! Have a lovely weekend.
Year 6
We have had an action-packed and inspiring start to the summer term here in Year 6, and we could not be prouder of how quickly the children have settled back into school life after the Easter break.
Thursday brought a calming contrast as we embraced Zero Energy Day and Wellbeing Day. We took a mindful walk to The Tarn Sanctuary in Mottingham, where the children were encouraged to slow down, listen to the sounds of nature, and observe the birdlife. They especially enjoyed learning the names of the ducks and geese that make The Tarn their home. Inspired by the environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy, the children used natural materials to create their own beautiful artworks in nature – a peaceful and creative experience for all.
Today, we returned to the classroom for a full day of fun learning. In English, we launched our new topic: Greek Mythology! The children are already captivated by the mythical tales and characters. In Maths, they put their thinking caps on to solve a mystery using a wide range of skills – from finding missing angles and working with fractions, decimals, and percentages to applying the four operations and multiplying decimals. It was a brilliant way to put their knowledge to the test in a fun and challenging way.
We are so excited for the term ahead and all the learning adventures it holds. Thank you for your continued support – it’s going to be a great one!
Outdoor Learning
The children have come back to a very changed allotment. So much has started to grow in the holidays, the greenhouse is overflowing with new plants. The children have finished clearing our new area in the corner and sowed a lot of new seeds - sunflowers, beetroot, carrots to name but a few. This really is our busiest time of the year and the allotment looks and smells wonderful.
Music
Year 3 had a ‘jazzy’ start to the term on Wednesday. We discussed what we already know about Jazz music - the instruments, famous musicians, history, etc. We listened to ‘The Entertainer’ by Scott Joplin and learnt about his life. The children learnt about Ragtime and discussed how ‘syncopation’ can be used in Jazz music. Next week, Mrs Aldridge will be bringing in her saxophone to show the children how it works. We will find out about popular Jazz saxophonists, listen to their music and discuss what we hear too.
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a wonderful afternoon on their first day back at school. We were visited by Gennie and Greg from Merryweather Theatre who performed ‘The Blue Knot’. We listened to them play instruments such as the cajon, melodica, ukulele and recorder. We joined in with their sea shanty song and actions as we became part of the performance, helping the sailor make good choices. Over the weekend, you might like to listen to sea shanties together!
A reminder that instrumental lessons start next week. Please ensure your child has their instrument and books with them on the day of their lesson. Thank you.