Thought for the term from Reverend Robert Stainer 

“God, grant me to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Thus, a prayer widely known as ‘the serenity prayer’, probably first written by Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930s, now more commonly associated with organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous.

It is interesting to me that it was written in tumultuous times, politically. The last fortnight has seen probably the biggest change in global politics in my lifetime; old certainties are perishing on a near daily basis. This creates both a sense of unease but also powerlessness. In the face of these almighty power shifts, what is an individual supposed to do?

In this, the serenity prayer comes up with some answers. First, we need to be aware of the limitations of our own powers and responsibilities; it is not for the parents of Surbiton to find peace in the Middle East or in Ukraine; it is not in our power. What we can do, though, is change ourselves to be better human beings in our own sphere of activity.

And this fits very well with the season of Lent, and the spirit of Ash Wednesday; in the words of today’s liturgy: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return; turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.”

Lent is primarily an inward looking season; a time for self-examination and amendment of life. (In this, there are similarities with the Muslim season of Ramadan, which happens to overlap with Lent this year.) Perhaps when Easter comes, with us hopefully changed and renewed, we may find a time to be more proactive externally. And it may be clearer then how individuals can attempt to engage to make the wider world a better place. But for now the Church asks that what changes we need to make should be internal changes; changes in our hearts. 

Tag Rugby tournament

Well done to the Year 3 children who took part in the Kingston Borough Tag Rugby Festival last week. The team had a great time learning a new sport and worked very hard. They showed amazing team spirit and resilience. 

England Vs. Spain at Wembley

We were thrilled to be allocated a number of tickets for England versus Spain women's international at Wembley last week. There was a huge amount of interest from families and 25 pupils were randomly selected to attend with an adult. Here is Riley's (4H) experience:

Riley was super excited since the night before the match. He took the initiative to plan about the travel route, worked out his journey time to allow themselves to arrive at good time ahead of kick off and proposed the healthy snacks that he would like to take along! Being the loyal England team supporter, he put on his England shirt to watch the game with pride. It is definitely one of the unforgettable experiences for Riley - to watch the International level of football in the very well known Wembley stadium for the first time; to soak into the vibrant atmosphere with lots of cheering, flag waving & drumming from the supports; and to celebrate England team's victory with the home crowd together! Although it was an unusually late night for Riley, he fully enjoyed the night and returned home with a big triumph smile. 

Mini Market

We were delighted that Sophia McHardy, who previous attended SASM, has written about the event for This is Local London. The article includes thanks from the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education to SASM pupils with “gratitude for the effort, concern and care regularly shown by this community”, adding that the school is “making a real positive difference to the lives of others”.

You can full the full article here: https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/young-reporter/31785/ 

Tomorrow - World Book Day - Thursday 6th March

On Thursday 6th March, we will be celebrating World Book Day at SASM.  World Book Day celebrates the joy and value of books and reading. On this day, your child will be taking part in fun, reading-related activities and we are excited to have Nicky Smith Dale, author of the Betty Steady book series, joining us for a special author event. Your child also has the opportunity to dress up as a character from their favourite book.

Please send your child dressed as a character from a book on this day. If possible, please send your child in with the book to share with the class. There is no need to spend money on buying an outfit - homemade and creative works just as well! You can keep it simple with a character who wears everyday clothes or by focusing on a prop instead. There are some great ideas for dressing up here: https://www.worldbookday.com/dressing-up-ideas/  

As part of commitment to sustainability, we want to give life to old dressing up clothes! If you have any clean, old World Book Day costumes (or other suitable dressing up clothes) that you no longer need, please put them into a sealed bag stating the costume name and size on a label and give it to your child to bring into school before Friday 28th February. On Friday, during pick up, any available outfits can be taken from a table in the playground.

Assessment Week - next week for Years 3,4 and 5

Summative standardised assessments are conducted termly at SASM. These are low-stake assessments, delivered in classrooms, which help inform our next steps in teaching. In Years 3,4 and 5 this takes on the week commencing 10th March. Year 6 assessments take place during the following week (week commencing 17th March)

Parents and carers will be sent the outcomes of spring term assessments via the SIMS Parent App and can be discussed as part of spring parent consultation meetings. 

Kingsnympton / Kingston - Advert for all Kingston schools and parents

Join our FREE* Mindfulness Moments and Meditation course.
Bring some calm into your day, Learn simple breathing exercises and enjoy guided meditation

Thursdays from 11:00 to 12:00 term time only.

Starts 30 January for 9 weeks Together Thursdays at Parent Champions Cafe, Kingsnympton Youth and Community Centre, Kingston KT2 7RP

For further information and to enrol please use link.

These classes take place as part of Together Thursdays sessions.
Parents are welcome to also join FREE Tai Chi and Pilates sessions plus our parents coffee mornings.

All learners are welcome to stay after for our guest talks and community lunches.

*Free to learners earning below the London Living Wage (currently £27.007.50 )

Click here to view flyer

WANTED 

Donations of board games for our new 'Lunchtime board games Club'

Please check that there are no missing pieces and that the game is in good condition.

Advance notice: changes to school uniform from September 

Thank you to the parents and carers who responded to our uniform survey. We have been carefully considering how to ensure our school uniform creates a sense of belonging, prepares pupils for the expectations of secondary school whilst keeping branded items to a minimum. From September 2025, there will be the following changes to our school uniform:

• All pupils will be required to wear a shirt and school tie in the Autumn and Spring terms- this ensures consistency across all pupils and applies whether your child is wearing trousers, shorts, a skirt or a pinafore. It also represents the transition from the polo shirts of Infant School and prepares pupils for Year 7 and beyond, where they will be expected to wear a shirt, tie and blazer. In the Summer term only, polo shirts and summer dresses will be permitted. 

• Black trainers (without logos) will be permitted instead of smart black school shoes - we encourage our pupils to be active, from the Daily Mile to lunchtime activities. As a result, pupils will be able to attend from September with black trainers everyday; these must not display a logo. This also means that the same shoes can be used for PE and school uniform, making uniform for comfortable and affordable. 

Until September, our current uniform policy applies