Dear families,
We hope you had a wonderful weekend. On Friday, the entire Surrey Square staff joined colleagues from other schools in the Big Education Trust for a joint training day. It was an inspiring and productive event where we celebrated the achievements of our schools and explored the important themes of emotional intelligence and artificial intelligence, and their growing impact on education. This collaborative day provided valuable insights and ideas that we look forward to applying to our work at Surrey Square. See the NEWS section below to hear more about the day.
As we approach the festive season, we are excited to share our plans for this year’s Winterfest show. This is a wonderful time for us to come together as a community to celebrate the spirit of generosity, kindness, and togetherness. We want to emphasise that our celebrations will focus on the cultural and communal aspects of the season rather than religious observances. This ensures that all children and families, regardless of their beliefs, feel included and can participate in the joy of the festivities.
Activities such as Winterfest and making decorations will encourage creativity, fun, respect, and a sense of unity within our diverse school community. This year, the Winterfest show theme is Let the Colours of SSQ Shine! The children will soon begin learning songs for the show, which reflect secular themes of colour, light, and celebration. While some songs may reference Christmas, the focus will remain on inclusion and shared values.
At Surrey Square, we celebrate Christmas in the same way we celebrate other cultural events, such as Eid—by making decorations, sharing food and having fun! Through these events, we explore how values such as kindness and togetherness link across different cultural celebrations. The children will also continue to learn about the religious aspects of Christmas as part of their RE lessons.
We look forward to sharing these special moments with you and the children. Thank you in advance for supporting your child in learning the Winterfest songs! Please check the attached poster for details of the dates and times of the shows.
Have a great week ahead – stay warm!
Matt
I am available in school from Monday to Wednesday – do get in touch ([email protected]) if you have any questions in the meantime.
On Wednesday 11th December, we will be holding a Wellbeing Coffee Morning for parents and carers, 9-10am. As part of the morning, we will be hearing about a new Housing Advice and Support in Schools project that we’ll be starting in January. This will be weekly support from a Housing Case Worker based at school, for families experiencing housing difficulties, such as living in Temporary Accommodation.
Please note, if you have a Biometric Residence Permit Card, they are being phased out so it is necessary to apply for an eVisa by 31st December by registering with https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa Please let me know if you have any questions about this – we have a parent who may be able to support your with taking a digital photo.
The council are now responsible for issuing Free School Meals vouchers during school holidays, and we’re aware that several of our families didn’t receive them over half term. Please email Maxx on [email protected] if this applies to you.
If you have No Recourse to Public Funds and I don’t already know about it, please do let me know asap by emailing [email protected]
Southwark council are holding a Cost of Living Roadshow this Thursday in Rotherhithe, where they will have people there who can help with applying for benefits, looking at debt, dealing with high fuel costs etc. See my information page or the community notices below for more information.
If you replied to the survey I sent out in the summer term about the offer of freshly-cooked meals for our families to collect once a week, please look out for further information as we hope to have the meals available very soon.
One of our partner organisations, Pecan (based in Peckham) offers employment preparation support, CV writing and other programmes to help people get back into work. Please go to this website for more information https://www.pecan.org.uk/employment-support/
If you are interested in training courses, the Thomas Calton Centre in Peckham run a wide range, including academic subjects like maths, English and IT, but also practical courses like fashion, pottery mindfulness and textiles. Lots of the courses have already started, but there are some that begin this week. They will probably have a new range of courses starting in January as well, so keep an eye on their website https://www.southwark.gov.uk/education-and-training/adult-learning/southwark-adult-learning-service
Don’t forget the Citizens Day of Action on 5th December – all the information is in the ‘Community Notices’ section of the newsletter below.
Please keep an eye on my information page outlining advice from me about various issues that may concern you.
Fi
NEWS – Footballer and Former Pupil Visits
It was great to welcome former pupil Nana Boateng to Surrey Square last week as an extension to our Aspiration Fortnight. Nana talked to Years 1-5 about the work needed to become a professional footballer, including the setbacks he has experienced along the way. It was great to hear how he hasn’t forgotten his time here at SSq and still remembers all of his teachers – some of whom are still here! Nana is a wonderful role model and has shown perseverance in abundance since being released by Millwall last year (a club he has played at since the age of 7). Although suffering some injury setbacks, he has firmly re-established himself as a Sutton United player and is now playing in the National League. Nana showed his brilliant, compassionate self, taking time to sign autographs and ensure he spent time with children and adults alike.
Thank you for giving up your time Nana and hope to see you soon!
NEWS – Visit Your Child in Class Success
We welcomed almost 100 parents and carers to our Visit Your Child in Class Morning last week. As well as Leila introducing our new parent/carer workshops, Matt and Quentin talked about our latest homework challenge plus Fi introduced herself and explained the many ways she can help families.
It was lovely to have so many parents/carers here and their feedback was hugely positive! There we lots of comments about how impressed they were at how the adults in class engage and motivate their children whilst showing such care and compassion. Look out for our next open morning and parent workshop.
NEWS – INTRODUCING: THE JLT
Hello, we are the new JLT 2024-2025.
We will be meeting every 2 weeks to talk about the school. We will be discussing any new ideas to make the school a better place for everyone. We look forward to sharing updates with you throughout the year.
NEWS – SSq Staff Commended at Big Education Conference
Last Friday, the staff of Surrey Square teamed up with the other schools from the Big Education (BE) trust for a thought-provoking and insightful day. We celebrated the achievements of our schools and explored the important themes of emotional intelligence and artificial intelligence, and their growing impact on education. During the event, some staff members were nominated for the BE Values awards. It was fantastic to celebrate with Jo Robinson, who won the 'BE Authentic' award for her hard work and kindness in The Hive. A well-deserved winner! It was also wonderful to see Sue Lia receive the inaugural ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award in anticipation of her retirement after 35 years of devoted service to the SSq community.
The conference ended with SSq alumna and current staff member Eniola who reminded all the staff members just exactly why we do what we do. It was a proud moment for all her former teachers and everyone who has worked with her and her wonderful family – there was not a dry eye in the house.
NEWS – SSq Exhibition in North Greenwich Opens NEXT WEEK!
We are all excited and looking forward to the launch of Socks: The Art Of Care And Repair at The Now Gallery in December.
This exciting exhibition will celebrate the everyday act of mending through darning. Central to the exhibition will be a vibrant, colourful installation of 488 socks, each stitched and darned by our own school community using industry ‘warehouse’ waste socks.
Children, staff and families of Ssq, learnt and practised their darning and stitching skills on socks, during a series of 26 workshops facilitated by one of our aspirational class names – artist Celia Pym – last year.
To book FREE tickets to see this wonderful exhibition at the Now Gallery in North Greenwich (near the 02 Arena) then click here. We also hope to arrange trips for all the children throughout the exhibition. The exhibition runs from December until March 2025.
NEWS – Inspirational Class Names
Each year our teachers think carefully about an inspiring person to name their class after. This year we have artists, activists, athletes, Paralympians, musicians, mathematicians and TV presenters. Next week we will find out why our Nursery Teachers have named their classes after Axel Scheffler and Ellie Simmonds. In the meantime, find out why our teachers have chosen their names this year by watching the playlist below.
Filled in the NEW PHOTO PERMISSION FORM YET?
Thank you to everyone who has already submitted this information via our online form.
We are looking to update our records for photo permissions. At SSq we use media in a variety of ways to promote our values, our practices and our excellence in and out of the classroom. This may include images of your child here at school or on trips therefore we would like the most up-to-date permissions from our families so please take your time to read this form and respond accordingly.
We will need one response for each of the children you have here at SSq.
We will also resend this out by Parentmail. If you have any questions then please email [email protected]
After School Club News
This term’s 430pm clubs finish on Thursday 19th Dec (the day before we break up for the holidays on Friday 20th Dec).
We will be sending out the sign up form for Spring Term’s 430pm clubs during the week beginning 9th Dec.
Remember to sign up quick as some clubs fill up fast!
Any questions about 430pm clubs, please email Maxx [email protected]
Music Lessons Update
Please ask your child to check the daily timetables that come around to classes each day.
Do email Maxx ([email protected]) or Chris ([email protected]) if you have any question or queries.
Attendance Last Week – well done Wiltshire Class!
Well done to Year 6 Wiltshire Class who had 97.5 % 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 [email protected] or phone 0207 7033049 (option 1)
This Week’s Menu and Update!
Thank you to all the parents that responded to the lunch survey before the Summer, apologies we haven't let you know sooner about the steps we have taken to improve the dining experience. The current menu is under review and we are looking at making sure this reflects our community, we will be collecting daily feedback from the children and tweaking the menu in terms of their responses. We will update in a couple of weeks on what further steps we have taken to improve this service. If you have any questions or comments please come to the office and speak to Kelly or email [email protected]
Please ensure that you never send your child in with any foods that may contain nuts. Click here for more details.
Key Dates: 2024-25
Please see our updated Key Dates Summary – please note that EYFS Winterfest (Nursery and Reception Classes will now be on Monday 16th December at 10.30am and 2.30pm
Time Out for Parents – The Teenage Years:
This course consists of six sessions designed to help parents stay connected with their teenagers through understanding their world and developing good communication skills. We look at a variety of subjects including handling conflict, parenting styles and supporting our teenagers with their emotional needs.The workshops are informative and fun and there are lots of opportunities to chat with other parents experiencing similar joys and challenges! We learn from each other. Parents that attend, receive a certificate and workbook.
When– Thursday mornings 9.30am- 11.30am from 14th November- 12th December
Where– Tigers Clubhouse- next to 1st Place SE50RN
Contact [email protected] with name and mobile number for more details or to register.
King's College London and South London Citizens have created two groups aimed at empowering parents to guide their children’s academic journey effectively and campaign for their access to university and other educational opportunities:
South London Parent Power: Open to all parents, providing comprehensive resources and tools to help foster their children’s educational development and college admissions journey.
Empoderando Familias: Tailored to assist Hispanic parents with resources and strategies that align with their unique needs in supporting their children’s academic success.
South London Citizens are arranging a day of events to celebrate another year of campaigning. Please see the flyer below and do let Fi know if you intend to attend ([email protected])
Below are the flyers that Fi mentioned earlier from IRMO (Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation). Scroll for your language of choice!
Southwark Food Action Alliance Food Map
Southwark Food Action Alliance have launched their new food map which you can access using this link. This map shows food banks and pantries, community fridges, community meals and more. They have also produced a leaflet that is split into four sections: Places to go for free food, Places to go for low-cost food, Places to go for meals, cafes and takeaways, and Foodbanks where you need a referral or voucher from an agency. You can view and download the leaflet here.
Footballers in Years 3,4 and 5 wanted!
As you may or may not be aware, Southwark Jaguars launched their first ever girls football team in August 2023. Since that first sunny day they have grown from strength to strength and currently have 60 girls registered across our U9’s, U10’s, U11’s & U12’s teams. We can guarantee that most of you will have at least one girl at our school that is a Southwark Jaguar. With that in mind they are keen to offer the opportunity of playing competitive weekend football to more girls. Unlike most football teams they do not offer trials. If you are girl and want to play, then this is the club for you. Please note they are looking for girls that are currently in year three, four and five.
Parents/carers will need to follow the link below or scan the QR CODE on the attached flyer to register their interest.
Southwark Jaguars Register of Interest – The PE & School Sports Network (lpessn.org.uk)
The SEND Saturday Sports Club returns!
This amazing opportunity reopens again on Saturday 21st September! Please see the below info or find our more from the LPESSN website.
