Dear Families,
In assembly this week, we focused on Ramadan and Eid, learning about why this time is important for many Muslim families. We also explored how these themes are similar to other religious festivals such as Lent and Christmas – particularly in the focus on reflection, generosity and thinking about others. We discussed how fasting during Ramadan helps develop faith, self-control, gratitude and generosity, and how taking on a challenge can help us grow and learn more about ourselves. We also talked about how Eid marks the end of Ramadan and is a time of celebration, community and giving. These themes link closely to our SSQ values of community, compassion and respect, and it was lovely to reflect on how we share in each other’s celebrations at SSQ .
We know that Eid al-Fitr will take place at the end of this week, and we would like to wish all of our Muslim families Eid Mubarak when the day arrives. We hope you have a joyful time celebrating with your families.
Next Wednesday 25th March we will be marking Eid together in school. Children are invited to wear their special clothes – this could be Eid clothes, cultural dress, a party outfit, or simply something that makes them feel good. In the spirit of charity, and understanding those less fortunate than ourselves, we are asking for a suggested donation of £1 (give what you can), which will go to the Save the Children Fund.
A reminder that Friday 20th is Comic Relief. This is a national charity day that raises money to support people facing poverty and hardship in the UK and around the world. To mark the occasion, children (and staff!) can come to school wearing something red or something funny, and we are asking for a voluntary donation of £1. This is a great opportunity for us to come together and show our values of community and compassion in action.
We are very excited for Night at the Museum next Tuesday — one of the highlights of the SSQ year. For those families who are new to the school, this is a whole-school exhibition where the building is transformed into a museum for one evening. Children showcase their history learning through high-quality, creative outcomes, sharing their work with a real audience and bringing their learning to life .
Families are invited to attend any time between 5:00pm and 6:30pm — there is no need to arrive exactly at 5:00pm. Exhibitions will be set up in different spaces across the school, and you will receive a map to help guide you around. We encourage everyone to visit all of the exhibitions to fully experience the breadth of learning across the school.
Our Year 2 exhibition will take the form of a café in the pavilion — “Flames Café” — where refreshments will be available, so do make sure to stop by!
A few important reminders:
- If your child attends a 4:30pm club, they will still need to be collected and leave the premises before returning at 5:00pm
- All children must be accompanied by an adult at the event
We are also encouraging a strong focus on our values of respect and community during the exhibition. Our Cabinet members will be acting as “Guardians of the Galleries”, alongside staff, giving out respect tokens to children who are engaging thoughtfully with the work on display. Please do support us by modelling and encouraging this with your children throughout the evening.
It’s hard to believe that next week is the final week of term. As it is the end of a full term, school will finish at 1:45pm on Friday 27th March for all children.
We look forward to seeing many of you next week.
Matt
A quick safety reminder regarding morning drop-offs at SSq:
- Nursery & Reception: Please walk your child to the Nursery door or Reception steps to hand them over directly to staff.
- Years 1–4: Please ensure you have physically seen your child enter the school gate before leaving.
- Reception – Y4 children who attends breakfast club: arrive between 8:00 and 8:30. Please ensure you have physically seen your child enter the school gate before leaving.
- Years 5- 6: are allowed to come to school alone so it is not necessary that you physically see your child enter the school gate before leaving (though of course you can if you want to)
We at Southwark & Peckham Citizens are holding a local election Assembly in Peckham on Wednesday 22nd April, 5-7pm. We will be inviting some of the local politicians along, to answer questions about how they would support the community if they are elected as councillors in the May elections. If you would like to contribute to this, by either letting us know what local issues are most important to you, or by coming along on the night, please let me know fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk
Burgess Sports have a great array of activities this Easter Holiday – check them out below.
Please keep an eye on this information page outlining information from me about various other issues that I can help with.
FI
NEWS
Last Friday, a group of children from the Hive took part in the I Am Festival at Tate Modern run by A New Direction. The theme of the festival was journeys and we had the opportunity to visit an amazing sensory space to start with where there were lots of interesting objects to explore and interactive experiences. Next we took part in an art workshop which resulted in us flying our birds through the turbine hall and then we joined other schools to participate in a movement piece involving huge balloons, parachutes, suitcases and lots of silver foil. It was great experience dancing with other schools and we had a very fun and creative day! Thanks to Hannah and all the adults for making this trip happen.
Well done to all our Core Value champions from last week!
Let’s see who has been showing the Core Values on the playground!
Attendance from last week!
Well done to Woolf Class AM who had 98 % attendance last week. Keep it up folks!
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)
MENU @SSq
Check out what’s on the menu – this week is week 1 !
Key Dates for the rest of the academic year
Look out for our Night At The Museum – NEW DATE – Tuesday 24th March.
These are subject to change and we will endeavour to inform you of this as soon as possible.
Southwark Independent Voice hosting a coffee morning with Southwark Information Advise Service to help parent carers understand the SEND Reforms and how to participate in this consultation.
Check out all the ongoing Community Notices here.
