Dear families,
Welcome back! We hope you had a lovely week last week.
Yesterday, we waved off the Year 6 pupils who are going to PGL for the week. There was a lot of excitement as they came through the gates with their suitcases yesterday morning! They will be showcasing all of our core values throughout – showing enjoyment during the activities, certainly persevering on the climbing wall and giant swing(!) and having lots of opportunities to work together showing the powerful value of community. We are certain that they will have a memorable week!
A couple of important events next week – Next Tuesday 4th March is our Community Evening/Iftar which starts at 5pm and on Thursday 6th March it’s World Book Day. Please see below for more details about both of these events.
Thank you to everyone who filled in our survey about this newsletter. We have listened to the feedback and hopefully this is reflected in this and future editions. Thanks for your support and feedback!
Have a great week!
Matt
I am available in school from Monday to Wednesday – do get in touch (fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk) if you have any questions in the meantime.
Please keep an eye on my information page outlining advice from me about various issues that may concern you plus many opportunities that are available to you and your family here in Southwark.
We will be running a coffee morning TOMORROW – Wednesday 26th February – at 9am in the pavilion which will include hearing from an organisation that supports people to find ways to reduce their energy bills – see this website and the flyer below for more information.
We will also hear from 1st Place Family Hub about all the wonderful activities, events and workshops they run and Vanessa, who is Associate Organiser for Southwark & Peckham Citizens. Please come along if you are interested!
As part of the Old Kent Road Family Zone, we are running a day retreat for parents, called OKR ThinkSpace, THIS Friday 28th February, approximately 10am – 3pm. It will be held locally at a space in Elephant Park. Please email me (fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk) or Tiff if you want to book a place!
Upcoming Events:
Community Evening Returns!
Join us NEXT TUESDAY and let’s celebrate our wonderful community together! Please come along – we are very lucky to have Mother Ellen, Iman Kazeem and Fi (among other special guests) to share about fasting Ramadan, Lent and the School of Sanctuary. We will have a chance to share breaking the fast 'Iftar' with our community, share some pancakes and more in the Pavilion after. We will have the two reception rooms available for prayer for those who require it. If you wish to contribute food to the evening, please make sure you list all the ingredients and remember we are a nut-free school. Looking forward to seeing you there!
World Book Day is just around the corner, and we are so excited to celebrate the joy of reading with the children on Thursday, 6th March! We have planned a fun-filled day of author visits, competitions, and exciting activities designed to help children engage with different authors, story types, and the magic of books.
Dress-Up Reminder
As part of the celebration, we invite all children to dress up as their favorite book character—a tradition we love to see every year! Whether they choose to be the BFG, The Hungry Caterpillar, Matilda, Katniss Everdeen, or another beloved character, we encourage creativity and imagination. Where possible, we kindly ask families to use items from home to create costumes rather than purchasing new ones.
What to Expect next Thursday
- Stay and Read – in class 8.45-9.15am – families will have the opportunity to join their children in class to read to or with them.
- Inspiring Author Visits – Children will have the chance to connect with authors and learn about storytelling firsthand.
- Exciting Competitions – Fun challenges will encourage children to explore books in new ways.
- Creative Activities – A range of book-themed tasks to engage and inspire young readers.
World Book Day is always a special event, and we can’t wait to see the children immersed in stories, dressed as their favorite characters, and enjoying a day dedicated to books!
Thank you for your support in making this event a success. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Trips and Experiences
Year 1 and 2 were lucky enough to have Jeevan from Southwark Heritage come in and teach about the history of Walworth. She then took the classes on a tour of some historical sites in Burgess Park.
Year 1 went to see their work on display at the NOW Gallery in Greenwich. The children were excited to see the socks they sewed and also have another go at sewing a sock. They loved Celia's display!
You can still visit this wonderful exhibition for free until the end of March by clicking this link.
Year 6 visited the local Imperial War Museum before half term to consolidate their learning about World War II. The children undertook an exciting and well-formatted quiz that took them around the world-class exhibitions.
Ramadan
Ramadan is here; we know this is a special time for Muslims in our community. Although it is not obligatory for children to fast at this time, we know that some children do fast and would like to support them! Children fasting may opt out of PE and would need to bring an emergency snack just in case fasting gets too much for them. We do encourage children to drink water throughout the day.
Please read our Ramadan Policy here!
Year 5/6 Permission Slip will be given out by class teachers on request. We only encourage part of the day fasting for younger children, for a permission slip please request one at the office. Please be clear when your child will be attempting fasting.
Parents with children at PGL, please contact Megan directly at mhuntley@ssq.org.uk. Please note – children will be doing a lot of exercise and activities on the trip.
Click here to see a copy of the form.
Also included here is an option to opt out of singing assembly as a few children expressed a wish to do so last year.
All our best wishes and persevering wishes to anyone fasting!!
SSQ TEAM
Year 5 Community Project
Year 5 have been working with UCL students to investigate air pollution in the local area.
After doing some scientific studies, we have discovered that the main roads around the school are are heavily polluted.
As a year group, we think it will really benefit the children’s health if they avoid these roads and walk along side streets.
The children have written letters explaining all this and trying to persuade you all to find safer routes to school. Look out for these letters. They have used their writing skills from literacy to hopefully persuade you to make a change!
At the end of term they will carry out a survey to see who has taken safer routes to school.
During the month of February (to join in with the national celebrations of LGBTQ history), we will be sharing and celebrating some inspirational contemporary and historical LGBTQ figures.
This week we shine a light on Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo is an award-winning British actress and singer. Born in Stockwell to Nigerian immigrant parents. Her Production, Edith’s Daughter, is a tribute to her mother, Edith. Cynthia graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2010, and was appointed its Vice-president in 2024. After making her West End debut in the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Cynthia took the role of Celi in The Colour Purple to Broadway. Most recently, she appeared as Elphaba in the movie Wicked Part I. Cynthia is a Roman Catholic, idnetifies as Queer and Bisexual. Her partner is actress-producer Lena Waithe, and she has a class named after her at SSQ!
Key Dates for the rest of the year
Please see our updated Key Dates summary for the rest of 2025
Look out for all the OKRFZ dates including an extra one in May!
Attendance before half term – well done Yee Class!
Well done to Year 3 Yee Class who had 99.6% attendance last week!
Well done folks and keep it up!
Please contact us daily if your child is off ill or for another reason.
Email attendance@ssq.org.uk or phone 0207 7033049 (option 1)
NEXT WEEK’S MENU!
Latest Community News
By simply shopping at a local Tesco and voting using their blue token system you can make a difference at SSq and help Edible Rotherhithe who provide so many amazing opportunities for our young gardeners. They have the chance to get more funding to help teach pupils how to prepare a healthy salad using ingredients grown in our outdoor polytunnel. You can vote until the end of March in these stores: Old Kent Road, The Cut, London Bridge High St, Blackfriars Circus, Tabard Square Tower Bridge Rd, Borough Rd, Gt Suffolk St, Tooley Street or Borough New Kt Rd.
Southwark Council want to hear the experiences of women and girls in Southwark, to understand how safe you feel living, working and travelling in our borough. Click here to take their short survey.
