Newsletter 11 - Summer Term
10th July 2025
Embedded Files
-Reminders-
Don't forget!
School reports (Records of Achievement) published next week
Year 6 production, Joseph, performs next week
Swimming lessons for Year 4 end of Wednesday 9th July
No after-school clubs next week
Looking ahead:
Friday 18th July - Celebration Afternoon - families are invited to come and view pupils work and speak to teachers from 3-4pm
Tuesday 22nd July - Year 6 Leavers' Service - St Andrew's Church at 9:15am
-Attendance-
What is our school attendance?
Year 3 = 96.9%
Year 4 = 97.3%
Year 5 = 97.2%
Year 6 = 95.2%
-Coming Up-
Coming up in the next 7 days:
Friday 11th July - Brazil Day (Year 4)
Friday 11th July - 6G Class Collective Worship (9:00-9:15am) - school hall
Monday 14th July - Records of Achievement (ROAs) published via the SIMS Parent App
Wednesday 16th July - Year 6 performances of Joseph begin
-This Week-
SASM receives the ARC Timpson Award for outstanding relational practice
The ARC Alex Timpson Awards recognise and celebrate best attachment and trauma aware practice in schools and settings. This is a national award to recognise those that have made a profound and lasting contribution to attachment and trauma aware practices.
We were thrilled to be nominated for the award by the Virtual School, who assessed SASM's attachment-aware practice. SASM won the award for the London and South East region, which was collected by Mrs Hamilton, who has helped to lead our attachment-aware practice this year. The award is a fantastic achievement that recognises how SASM builds excellent relationships with pupils, including those who have experienced trauma.
Award collected by Mrs Hamilton
SASMFest25.MOVSASMFest Success
Last Friday, the school came alive with music, laughter and sunshine as we held our annual SASMFest – and what an afternoon it was! From 1.30pm to 3.00pm, all our pupils enjoyed a fantastic festival experience packed with games, activities and entertainment.
Thanks to your generous donations via ParentMail, children enjoyed goodie bags, giving them access to delicious snacks, refreshing drinks and extra activities. It was a true celebration of summer and school spirit – all in non-uniform style!
A huge thank you goes to all the staff, volunteers and PTA members who made SASMFest25 possible. Your time, energy and enthusiasm created a truly memorable event for our pupils. As a result, the PTA raised over £3,000 - all of which goes directly to supporting educational visits and enrichment for pupils.
Joseph Rehearsals.MOVFinal rehearsals underways for Joseph!
Excitement is building as our talented Year 6 pupils enter the final stages of rehearsals for their end-of-year production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
With costumes being prepared, songs echoing through the hall, and lines being polished to perfection, it’s clear this will be a show to remember! The children have been working incredibly hard, showing teamwork, creativity, and confidence as they bring this vibrant musical to life.
We can’t wait to welcome families to the performances next week and celebrate the amazing talent and enthusiasm of our Year 6 stars. Watch this space – the coats are colourful, the music is catchy, and the cast is ready to shine!
MPs present pupils' nominated charity: Growbaby Kingston
On Tuesday 8th July, our Advoacy Members of Parliament (MPs) pupils led collective worship to launch our summer term charity appeal in support of this year's pupil choice chartity Growbaby Kingston.
Our focus this half term is the Christian value of courage – and the MPs beautifully explained how even the smallest acts of kindness can take courage and make a real difference.
Growbaby Kingston is a local charity that provides free baby clothes, equipment and essentials—such as nappies, wipes, and food—to families in need. It was chosen by Angelo in Year 6, whose winning video from the autumn term highlighted the importance of supporting young children and families in our local community.
Now, our whole school is getting involved by bringing in donations during the week beginning 14th July. Each year group has been asked to collect specific items to help Growbaby.
Year 3 – baby wipes, nappies, or pull ups
Year 4 – baby food in jars, nappies, or pull ups
Year 5 – baby food pouches, nappies, or pull ups
Year 6 – feeding spoons and bowls, nappies, or pull ups
The MPs reminded us that these may seem like small things, but to families who are struggling, they can mean everything. They also reflected on how Jesus showed courage by helping others, and how we too can show courage by being generous and thinking of others.
The collective worship ended with a quiet moment of reflection and a prayer, encouraging us to imagine the joy our gifts might bring to a local child or parent.
As one of the pupils reminded us:
“Let’s remember: small gifts can show great courage.”
Let’s all do our part to support Growbaby Kingston this July and make a meaningful difference in our community.
The Bonjour Club
This term, we have been learning french cafe food and drink vocabulary, creating our own menus 'en francais', and this week we enjoyed living the experience in 'Cafe SASM' asking for our food in French.
Qu'est-ce que vous voudrez a manger?
Je voudrais un pain au chocolat, si vous plait.
In the news this week
Scientist in Australia have discovered that human beings lived in high mountains caves nearly 20,000 years ago. They found tools, burnt wood, and other artefacts deep inside the caves of Australia’s Blue Mountains, showing that people once cooked and lived there. The discovery is one of the earliest records of people living within this mountain range. The caves were likely a safe and useful place to shelter during cold winters in the mountains.
Things to talk at home…
Why do you think people chose to live in mountain caves? Share your response with someone at home. Do you think it’s important to learn about the homes of people from the past?
Considering where you live, what are the things you need to live a comfortable life in your home? Have things changed overtime?
📚 Join the Summer Reading Challenge 2025! ☀️
Calling all young bookworms! This summer, your child can take part in the Summer Reading Challenge - a fun and exciting way to keep up their reading skills during the holidays.
It’s FREE and FUN!
Help your child dive into a summer of stories - sign up today and see where their reading journey takes them!
📖 What is it?
The Summer Reading Challenge is a free nationwide initiative that encourages children to read six books over the summer. It’s open to all ages and reading levels, with rewards, games, and activities along the way!
📍 Where?
Children can take part online at https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ or by visiting their local library.
🎉 Why join?
§ Boost reading confidence and enjoyment
§ Earn rewards and certificates
§ Explore new books and stories
Absence Requests
If you would like to make a request for absence, please contact the attendance team using attendance@sasm.rbsch.org. Requests must be completed on our absence request form, which can be found here: https://www.sasm.kingston.sch.uk/parents-carers/attendance-and-absence
Over the past 2 weeks, our Year 6 pupils have taken part in a thoughtful and empowering self-esteem workshop led by the Mental Health Support Team (MHST).
The session focused on helping pupils understand what self-esteem is, why it matters, and how we can build a more positive view of ourselves—especially during times of change, like the transition to secondary schoo
Through engaging activities and group discussions, the children explored how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected. They learned to recognise unhelpful self-talk and practiced ways to replace it with more encouraging and realistic thoughts.
We’re grateful to the MHST team for delivering such a valuable session. It’s just one of the many ways we’re supporting our Year 6 pupils as they prepare to move on with confidence and self-belief.
Next week : Records of Achievement and Celebration Afternoon
Parents and carers will be sent their child's Record of Achievement, which is sent in the last full week of term (w/c 14th July) via the SIMS Parent App. You will have received an invitation to join the SIMS Parent App via the email addresses you have provided when registering with the school. More information about the summer assessment results will be included within the report. If your child is in Year 6, you will receive their SATs test results in their Record of Achievement.
Celebration Afternoon on Friday 18th July (3:00-4:00pm) provides an informal opportunity to discuss your child’s record of achievement further with your child’s class teacher.
GARDEN CLUB - Plant Sale
Everything £1! All the money will be used to buy plants, seeds and tools for SASM's Spiritual Garden.
Poster Design by: SASM Pupils
plantPoster1.pdfplantPoster3.pdfplantPoster2.pdfOpportunity to take part in the GameFit intervention study at Kingston University BreadLab
Opportunity to take part in the GameFit intervention study at Kingston University BreadLab
Kingston University BreadLab are excited to invite families to join their new GameFit Intervention Study!
We are inviting children aged 7–11 with traits of ADHD to take part in our GameFit intervention study at Kingston University. Participation includes 6 weeks of fun exercise sessions through video games, along with behavioural, brain activity, and fitness assessments before and after the program.
This intervention study is a follow-up to our successful ActiGamer project in 2024, in which children played different exercise-focused videogames that boosted their heart rates and kept them engaged. The games were highly rated by both kids and parents, and over 90% of families who took part liked the idea of using exercise-focused videogames to support children with traits of ADHD.
This summer, we’re building on that success with this 6-week intervention study, using co-selected exercise-focused video games that target focus, self-control, and physical activity.
Help us advance research into lifestyle-based support for neurodivergent children.
Co-work with scientists on a fun exercise experience.
Families will receive £40 as a thank-you.
If you’d like to learn more or sign up, please contact Lauren Dacorro at breadlabkingston@gmail.com or complete this short form
Final Dates for this Academic Year
Final Dates for this Academic Year
Friday 18th July
Just a reminder of the amazing products we sell at fantastic prices! Come and find us on the playground outside the hall before and after school on the dates shown.
These prices are for 500ml refills but you can of course buy in larger quantities if you wish. Please bring your own bottles to refill and help reduce plastic waste.
Body wash and bubble bath - £2.70 Coconut, Pink Grapefruit and Aloe Vera or tea tree and mint.
Shampoo - £2.70 Pink Grapefruit
Handmade soap bars - £2.30 Aloe Vera, Dragon fruit or Coconut
Hand wash - £2.20 Sweet Clementine, Cucumber and Aloe Vera or Lime, Basil and Mandarin
Washing Up liquid - £1.50 Apple Orchard or Wild Rhubarb and Lemon
BRAND NEW PRODUCT!!! ECO SPONGE SCOURER - ONLY £2
We need donations of empty (cleaned) 500ml bottles, to use if a customer forgets to bring their own bottle!
Please save your old shower gel, shampoo, washing-up liquid and handwash containers and give them to our office team. Thank you! So far the ECO shop has saved 80 plastics bottles!
Time to Thrive
Time to Thrive
A weekly peer support group for parents and carers of children with additional needs aged 4 – 11 years old.
Tolworth Children’s Centre, School Lane, KT6 7SA
ADHD Teacher Training and Coffee Mornings for Primary & Secondary Schools
We would like to remind all schools of the training and services ADHD Embrace offering to the local communities in the borough of Kingston & Richmond.
We can offer to all schools the following provisions:
ADHD Teacher Training and Coffee Mornings for Primary & Secondary Schools
We would like to remind all schools of the training and services ADHD Embrace offering to the local communities in the borough of Kingston & Richmond.
We can offer to all schools the following provisions:
Teacher Training for teachers, teaching assistants or all staff, tailored to Primary or Secondary schools, providing an overview into the condition and talking about practical strategies to use in the classrooms.
Coffee Mornings (or Afternoon Teas) for parents and carers of children with or without a diagnosis of ADHD, to signpost the local support services available.
We are now taking bookings for the autumn term. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with us to book your training or to ask for more information: laura.e@adhdembrace.org
Your Healthcare – Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Social Media
Your Healthcare – Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Social Media
Your Healthcare’s Children’s Speech and Language Therapy team have relaunched their Facebook page and Instagram account to support families. You can find these links here on the local offer. Families can find practical advice, tips, resources, and information about the team as well as providing a platform for connection for families experiencing similar challenges.
Smartphone Free Pledge
SASM was featured in Surbiton Good Life last term, which covered how the school has been working with parents and carers to create our own smartphone pledge. We have a growing number of parents and carers who have signed the pledge to delay giving their child a smartphone. Knowing other parents are delaying helps alleviate the pressure to expose children to the risks of smart devices and social media.
This pledge is optional and anonymous but we will share the number of pupils whose parents have completed this pledge in our newsletter. You can take the pledge by clicking here. 114 SASM parents and carers have signed this so far.
-Repeat Notices-
Road safety on Maple Road
We would like to remind everyone of the importance of road safety on Maple Road, particularly during pick-up and drop-off times, following a near miss this morning involving a member of the public and their child.
To ensure everyone’s safety, please observe speed limits, do not park illegally, use the designated crossing. It is particularly important to refrain from stopping or parking on yellow lines and near junctions, as these areas are designed to protect pedestrians and maintain clear visibility. We also ask for patience and courtesy to make this busy time safer for everyone and ensure our school is a positive force in our local community.
Road safety for children
If your child walks to school on their own, it is important they know how to cross roads, including zebra crossings safely. Please click here for more information about Road Safety for children.
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.
Safer Schools App
Safer Schools App
Safer Schools App
We would encourage all parents/carers to download the Safer Schools app for free push notifications about online safety and helpful advice. You can download the app using the instructions here.
Worried about a child?
Worried about a child?
Do you have concerns about a child?
Adults - you can contact the Single Point of Access to request support, or to report a concern about a child or young person. Click here to make a referral. You can also call for advice. Opening hours: From 8.00am to 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8.00am to 5.00pm on Friday - call 020 8547 5008 (Out of hours, phone 020 8770 5000). If you think a child or young person is in immediate danger call 999. Referrals are not limited to safeguarding. The Single Point of Access acts as a signposting service to other services, including mental health. Matt Gates is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Children with SEND
Children with SEND
How to support children with SEND
Please follow this link for further information and support. For Kingston & Richmond the number is:0800 028 8000
Winter Care
Winter Care
Winter Care
With flu and norovirus cases on the rise, here are some simple steps to help keep your child healthy this winter.
1. Teach good hygiene habits: Encourage children to wash their hands regularly and use a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes to stop the spread of germs.
2. Know when to keep your child at home: Children can still attend school with symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or slight cough, but should stay home if they have a high temperature, diarrhea and vomiting. Read NHS guidance to help you decide. Click here to read more.
-What's New? Community News-
Maple Infant School Summer Raffle 2025.pdfMaple Infants Summer Fair Raffle
Maple Infants Summer Fair Raffle
Please add your details to this form to register your interest for Rock Squad.
2025 Summer courses flyer - Hampton and Kingston.docxSummer holiday touch typing courses for 7 – 16s
*Full day care/ sports camp available.
Apply at www.typingscool.co.uk
Summer Hockey 2025 A4 (004).jpgAlexandra Recreation Ground All Stars Programme.pdf_Advert 2025 F (2).pdf
Additional Funding for low-income households
The Department of Work and Pensions has made additional funding available for low-income households in Kingston who meet the criteria and are struggling to afford food, fuel, utility bills and other essentials. The expectation is that the fund should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for other government cost-of-living support. For more details click here.
If your household has received help through any of the previous rounds of the Household Support Fund, we may not be able to issue any further funding.
However, we may be able to provide you with information about other support
available so please email: householdsupportfund@kingston.gov.uk
Activities and Opportunities
Skylarks is an independent charity that are expanding their outreach. We recommend parents and carers of pupils on the SEND register to sign up with the charity to stay up-to-date on a range of fun activities and opportunities. For more details and to register, please click here.
Together Thursdays
What are Together Thursdays sessions? These sessions deliver opportunities to socialise and gain new skills, self confidence and make friends.
All activities are free, all refreshments and lunch are free, community larder with free food supplies. Conversations, fun and social interactions are free. Visiting Together Thursdays is free.
Achieiving for Children, Kingsnympton Youth and Community Centre,
Kingsnympton Park, Kingston KT2 7RP
Thursdays, 10am to 2pm
Drop in Term time only.
Kingston Young Carers' Project
Who is a young carer? A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps to look after someone at home who needs extra support or care. This may be a sibling, parent/carer or other relative that lives at home with you.
We have a team dedicated to supporting the needs of young carers (aged 5-18), with a wealth of experience and expertise in issues which affect their lives. We provide:
information and advice, including 1-to-1 support
opportunities to meet other young carers
fun activities, outings and breaks away from home
regular drop ins
awareness raising of the needs of young carers, particularly in schools
advocacy and whole family support
quarterly newsletter
If you would like to know more information, please contact the School office and ask to speak to Mrs. Miller - School Community Worker.
Supporting Our Families
Supporting Our Families
We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That is why we are pleased to be able to offer our families support in partnership with Kingston Foodbank.
Kingston Foodbank provide three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in crisis. They are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
Foodbank clients bring their vouchers to a foodbank centre where they can be redeemed for three days of emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a warm drink or free hot meal, and are able to signpost people to other agencies that may able to them solve the longer-term problems.
Vouchers can be issued any day and at any time during the school week. These can be either printed or sent to you electronically via your mobile phone. This is a confidential service and vouchers are only allocated by Mrs Miller - School Community Worker.
Our nearest food collection points are listed below - please note the opening times.
Monday (6.00pm - 7.00pm)
Surbiton New Life Baptist Church
1 Balaclava Road
Surbiton
KT6 5PW
Tuesday and Friday (11.00am - 12.30pm)
Kingston Everyday Church
46 Union St, Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1RP
What is HENRY?
What is HENRY?
What is HENRY? HENRY is a UK charity working to give children a healthy, happy childhood so they thrive now and in the future. There are loads of useful ideas and resources for parents on the HENRY website.
Is the HENRY programme for me? The HENRY programme can help everyone with a primary-school aged child. Every parent who joins learns something new and useful. If you have at least one child of primary school age and can answer yes to any of the questions below then HENRY is for you...
Would you like to feel more confident as a parent?
Would you like support and ideas for helping your family be healthier?
Do you wish your child would eat a wider range of foods or more fruit and vegetables?
Would you like to reduce mealtime stress?
Would you like your children or family to be more active more often?
Are you interested in some ideas to get children away from screens?
Free School Meals
Free School Meals
If your child is eligible for free school meals but you prefer to provide them with packed lunches, it's still important to register. By doing so, the school receives additional funding called Pupil Premium which helps support your child in other ways.
Once you have registered for free school meals and we have received confirmation that you are eligible, your child will then be able to attend an enrichment club after school free of charge, as well as one session at our after school club. They will also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme, this is also known as FUEL (which stands for ‘Feed Ur Everyday Lives’) This programme offers free places at holiday clubs during the Easter, summer and Christmas breaks.
Children can enjoy 4 sessions during Easter, 16 sessions over the summer and 4 in winter, with lunch provided at the club. There are lots of clubs and activities to choose from across a range of dates, time and locations. Some activities include: cycling; film-making; yoga; technology and coding; skateboarding; art and crafts; cooking; indoor climbing; and lots of sports such as cricket, football, netball and rugby.
If you think you may be eligible and would like further information please contact the office and ask for Mrs Miller, our School Community Worker.
-School Reminders-
Healthy School Snacks
For our break time snack, we ensure pupils only have fresh fruit or a savoury snack which is full of goodness and will keep pupils full until lunch!
Whilst our team makes every effort to check and speak to pupils about snacks, our healthy approach places trust in parents and carers working with us to ensure this takes place.
Examples of permitted snacks include:
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Plain rice cakes
Plain breadsticks
Pure fruit, such as 'Yo-Yo Bears'
Plain crackers
Ryvita crackers
Bagels
Cream cheese
Marmite
Hummus
Babybels/Cheese triangles
Examples of snacks not permitted are:
Cereal bars
Cakes, biscuits or sweets
'Lunchbox' chocolate bars
Crisips
'Belvita' biscuits or 'Go Ahead' Bars
PE Kit and Timetable
PE TIMETABLE - SUMMER TERM 22nd April - 22nd July 2025
School PE kit to be worn only on PE days.
Red PE sweatshirt with the school logo
OR
Plain red PE sweatshirt with NO visible branding.
White t-shirt with the school logo
OR
Plain White t-shirt with NO visible branding.
Red Shorts
Plain black jogging/tracksuit bottoms with NO visible branding.
White or Grey Socks
Black Trainers. NO football studded shoes.
Pupil Premium Grants
All pupils at SASM are entitled to receive a free school lunch. To enable your child to access this, you must book your child's lunch via ParentPay.com.
If you were previously eligible for means tested free school meals or are in receipt of any of the following benefits...
income support
income-based job seeker's allowance
income-related employment and support allowance
the guarantee element of state pension credit
support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
child tax credit (but not working tax credit) and have an annual income of less than £16,190
working tax credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit
Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
...your child maybe eligible for a Pupil Premium Grant. This will gives your child access to:
This gives your child access to:
A free after school club every half term
A free 'stay and play' session in our Wrap Around Care each week
A free place at Breakfast Club every day
A discount on school residential visits
... and much more!
Please contact the school office if you have any issues with activating an account.
Changes to School Uniform
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.
Lost Property
Please remember to label your child’s uniform, lunch box and water bottle. All named lost property will be returned to your child by the next school day. Unlabelled property will be kept for one week only in the school office.
Please send a water bottle with your child...
Its important to ensure that our pupils stay hydrated throughout the day. Please remember to send your child to school with a water bottle. To avoid any mix-ups, kindly label the bottle with your child's name. Thank you.
Parking outside SASM
If you are driving to drop your children off or pick them up from school, please park considerately on the surrounding roads. Please don't park over driveways or over the zig zag lines. This helps keep everyone safe.
Whilst the school is not responsible for enforcing street parking, we have advised our local community to report all instances of poor parking or behaviour to the police.
Uniform donations warmly welcomed!
If your child has outgrown their school uniform over the summer break (including shoes, plimsolls or trainers) and they are still in good condition, please consider donating them to our uniform shop. You can drop off any unwanted school uniform or shoes at the office.
Thank you for your continued support and generosity.
No toys in school please!
No toys in school please!
We would like to remind parents and carers that pupils are not permitted to bring their own toys or collectables into school. Not only do toys provide a distraction from pupils' learning, there is a potential for personal items to be misplaced. Please be aware that any lost toys, collectible cards or other play items are beyond the responsibility of the school.
No jewellery in school please!
No jewellery in school please!
Children can wear watches to school but the wearing of jewellery and earrings of all types is not permitted on safety grounds. Any child wearing earrings to school will be asked to remove them. If they are unable to remove them they will be required to stay inside during break and lunch times and will not be able to participate in any PE or physical activities.
No smart watches in school please!
No smart watches in school please!
Fitness trackers without smart watch capability are permitted but St Andrew’s and St Mark’s accept no responsibility for the loss or damage of these items. Smart watches, including iWatches- are not permitted due to their messaging capabilities.
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