SSq Newsletter: TLC Day, Lunar New Year, and More

Dear families,

I hope you are having a good week so far.

Last week we had a visit from the Children’s Commissioner for England – Dame Rachel de Souza. She works with the Government to champion the voices and needs of children in England. She came to Surrey Square to hear about the wonderful work that happens here and to speak to the children herself. She met with our Junior Leadership Team for over an hour and was “blown away by such compassionate, empowered brilliant children”. We’re really proud of our whole community and every single child at SSQ and it’s lovely to hear that visitors see that too.

Dame Rachel de Souza (centre) meets the JLT with Nicola and Liz

Tams class (Year 2) had a special visit too. Alice Tams (who their class is named after) came to visit them! There was so much excitement as the children got to meet her, ask her questions and find out more about her life and the journey she’s been on to get to where she is. As an artist, she even led an art workshop for them. It was definitely a memorable afternoon! See below for some images.

A huge thank you for attending your TLC appointments last week. It was lovely to hear such positive feedback about the meetings and we hope that you found them useful. Please make sure you take a look at the individual year group newsletters too to see what your children are learning about this term.

We’re always looking at ways to improve our communication with you so please let us know what you think about the current newsletter by filling out this very quick survey – your feedback is much appreciated.

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.

We will be running a coffee morning on Wednesday 26th February at 9am which will include hearing from an organisation that supports people to find ways to reduce their energy bills – see this website for more information. 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, on Friday 28th February, approximately 10am – 3pm. It will be held locally at a space in Elephant Park. Please email me if you want to book a place! fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk

If you have a child born between 1st September 2002 and 2nd January 2011, they may have money in a Child Trust Fund set up by the government that you don’t necessarily know about. Please check this website for more information. Feel free to share this with other friends who have children that age.

The council are now responsible for issuing Free School Meals vouchers during school holidays, and we’re aware that there have been problems for some of our families. Please email Maxx on mwalker@ssq.org.uk 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 fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk

Several of our parents have recently asked me about employment opportunities at school – these are always advertised on our website. 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 Please also go to this website for more information about local jobs.

If you are interested in training courses, the Thomas Calton Centre in Peckham runs 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. There is a new range of courses starting this month, so do check their website

There is a WhatsApp group set up specifically for mothers in Southwark and Lambeth who have experienced maternal wellbeing challenges. Please visit this link to join

Please keep an eye on my information page outlining advice from me about various issues that may concern you.

Fi

Help us co-create a vision of what time-out to think should look like for our community. Share your thoughts and join our very first cohort to explore what’s possible together. To sign up, please email Fi or tbarone@ssq.org.uk Limited places available.

Community Core Value Champions Spring Term 2025:

Well done to all the children who have showed the core value of community last week.

NEWS – Alice Tams visits Year 2

Last week, artist Alice Tams visited the class named after her to say hello to the children and teach an art lesson! The children loved having her in class and even performed their Identity poem as Alice Tams gets a mention in this too. Year 1-3 were lucky to hear her speak in an assembly – she also was so impressed by the Y1 – 3 behaviour. It was such a lovely afternoon – thank you to Fiona for making it happen.

NEWS – SSq celebrates Lunar New Year

Scheffler Class celebrated the new year of the snake by making spring rolls last week. The children worked hard to carefully follow instructions and a recipe from Lisa and the team. They enjoyed every bite once they were made! The whole school enjoyed a very special Lunar New Year lunch provided by Uldsen and his team. There was also a stall where children could write their New Year Wishes and have their photo taken in the photo booth. Thank you Megan for organising such a great event.

NEWS – Knockout trip for Year 3 and 4!

On the 24th, some of the children in Year 3 and Year 4 went on a school trip to the community boxing gym in Peckham. They had a fantastic time learning how to jab, throw a hook, and use gym equipment such as the treadmill and rowing machine.

A big thank you to the parents who generously volunteered their time to support the trip! For those interested, please see the link for other available classes.

https://www.londoncommunityboxing.co.uk/kids-classes

NEWS – Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week Launch

This week is Place2Be Children's mental health week. We will be looking at the theme ‘Know yourself, grow yourself’ next week as part of our own Golden Week. We would like to draw your attention to some events next week:

Tuesday 11th February: Wellbeing Coffee Morning – 9-10am

NEXT FRIDAY 14th February:

Dress to Express (children may wear own clothes to express who they are and their identity) PLUS SSq’s Got Talent (During Assembly Time)

We would also like to share this useful prompt sheet from P2B about supporting children with their mental health.

NEWS – Vote SSq at local Tesco stores!

Vote for Edible Rotherhithe when you shop locally at Tescos.

We are so lucky to have Christina and her team from Edible Rotherhithe who provide so many amazing opportunities for our young gardeners here at SSq. 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.

By simply shopping at a local Tesco and voting using their blue token system you can make a difference. You can vote until the end of March!

Here is where you can vote for SSq/Edible Rotherhithe: 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.

Help Edible Rotherhithe and SSq this Spring

NEWS – Year 5 enjoys PwC Pantomime

Year 5 had a magical trip under the sea as guests at the annual PwC pantomime at The Peacock Theatre in Holborn. The children really enjoyed the performance despite the tired eyes on Tuesday morning. We are grateful for Marcia, Steve and all the adults who gave up their own time to give the children this unforgettable experience.

NEWS – Have you done your art homework yet?

NEWS – February is LGBTQ+ History Month

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 Sharon D Clarke.

Sharon D Clarke (MBE) is three-time Olivier award winning actress and singer, best known for her work on Holby City and Doctor Who. She achieved chart success with FPI Project’s “Going back to my Roots” and in NOMAD with “(I Wanna Give You) Devotion” and “Just a Groove”. She can also be heard as Dulcibear in Wicked Part One. Sharon is married to writer and director Susie McKenna. In the 2017 New Year’s Honours List, Sharon was awarded an MBE for services to drama.

Key Dates for the rest of the year

Please see our updated Key Dates Summary for the rest of 2025

Music Lessons

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up for Spring Term music lessons.

Please email Maxx (mwalker@ssq.org.uk) or Chris (canderson@ssq.org.uk) if you have any question or queries.

Attendance Last Week – well done Yee Class!

Well done to Year 3 Yee Class who had 99.52% 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)

This Week’s Menu

If you have any questions or comments please come to the office and speak to Kelly or email office@ssq.org.uk

Please ensure that you never send your child in with any foods that may contain nuts. Click here for more details.

FREE CELIA PYM x SSq Exhibition

To book FREE tickets to see this wonderful exhibition at the Now Gallery in North Greenwich (near the 02 Arena) then click here.

Local Stay and Play Sessions

Free Book Club at Una Marson Library

We are extremely lucky to have the brand-new Una Marson Library around the corner. As well as being a fantastic library, they also have a wide range of clubs and events for children. Check out the upcoming events below:

Click here to sign up or ask staff in the library for a paper form. Limited places so sign up today!

Find the Una Marson Library at 62 Thurlow Street, SE17 2GN

FREE ENGLISH COURSE FOR PARENTS

Would you like to support your children with their school work and exams? Do you want to increase your confidence in English for your own life or work? Join Southbank UA and Lambeth College for classes dedicated to parents. Lessons will help you improve your reading, writing and communication skills. We will also guide you to further courses to support with numeracy and IT. This course is completely free, and you will have help and support from experienced teachers.

To sign up and for more information email: office@southbankua.org.uk Phone: 020 7277 3000

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 (fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk)

Below are flyers 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)