Dear Parents / Carers,

Here we are ploughing into the summer term and why, oh why did we say things like “Oh, I think it’s too hot…’ or “This heat is unbearable!” because what does it do? It rains! Well, the plants needed it…

It’s been a week of tweaks to our ‘dates for the diary’, so I include the revised dates with the new timings for the school play. Clare and Alastair will be in touch over the next week with more details regarding Sports Day. This year we have a change of venue for Year 2,3,4,5 and 6 and we will be heading over to the Linford Christie Stadium. Sadly, we have just been informed that spectators will not be allowed at either Shepherd’s Bush Cricket Ground or Linford Christie Stadium and we are in the process of organising the logistics of the children remaining in their bubbles and making our way to and from the venues.

Next week sees Year 6 taking the train up north and spending five days in York, Whitby, and Scarborough exploring the area, surfing, going ape, team building, escape rooming, beach schooling and, of course, looking for a glimpse of Dracula! This is going to be such an exciting trip, complete with fish and chips on the beach at Whitby, a rather posh meal out at a pizzeria and visiting one of the largest water parks in Europe! There’s nothing like a large water chute to bring out your competitive side and I bet can still beat Alastair down the chute!

Here are a list of key dates for the next half term but please be mindful that these dates could be subject to change or cancellation as per government guidelines – positive thoughts, positive thoughts are the order of the day.

21^st – 25^th June – Year 6 Residential trip to Whitby and York

28^th June – New Reception Parent Meeting at 5.30pm and 6.30pm

29^th June – New Reception children to visit at 9.30am

30^th June – Year 1 Transition Meeting for current Reception Parents at 5.30pm and 6.15pm

30^th June – Sports Day – Reception and Year 1 (Shepherd’s Bush Cricket Club)

1^st July – Sports Day – Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Linford Christie Stadium)

2^nd July – Nursery Sports Day – 2pm onwards in the large playground

14^th July – Year 6 Leavers BBQ

16^th July – FOSS Auction Evening

20^th, 21^st (morning and evening performance), and 22^nd July – Whole School Play – Bugsy Malone (evening performances at 6.30 pm – children back at school for 6pm to get ready and Wednesday’s morning performance at 9.30 am – Reception and Year 1s and 2 are at the beginning of the performance so are collected early)

19^th July – Church v School Cricket Match

23^rd July – Whole School Leavers Service

Red Card to Racism

Yesterday, Years 4 and 5 had a workshop with ‘Red Card to Racism’. Led by representatives of the charity, the children completed a series of exercises and discussions focussing on empathy, respect and equality. The main focus was that we are all part of the human race and should treat all people with dignity, regardless of race, culture, religion or nationality. These workshops continued the important conversations and learning we have been embedding through our Relationships and Health Education lessons and will further develop our children’s understanding of the world and the role they will play in it.

On Wednesday Year 6 were lucky enough to take part in a workshop run by Denis. This workshop spoke about the differences between people (e.g. height, skin colour, eye colour and interests) and how some differences can be used to put people down and make them feel like “less of a person”. We discussed how this can make people feel angry, upset and confused and that certain differences don’t devalue you. Finally, Denis pointed out that everyone has unique fingerprints and eyes and therefore no two people are the same. This ‘uniqueness’ and ‘differentness’ is something that needs to be celebrated and this is something the Year 6s do and will continue to do in their day-to-day lives. Sadly we know that discrimination can exist in society and it is something we have to fight against in order to create a better world. It was a very informative and helpful talk; thank you Denis!

Liquid Leisure

Year 5 had a fantastic time at Liquid Leisure in Windsor yesterday, where the sun was shining and the smiles were aplenty. As our Spain trip was cancelled, it was wonderful to give our Year 5s a tremendously well-earned treat! Donning their life jackets, some fetching helmets and wet suits, our pupils challenged themselves (and each other) with climbing, tumbling and jumping off the inflatables! A marvellous day was had by all.

Opera at Holland Park

The opera was another fantastic, enriching opportunity for the children, and something almost all of them had never experienced before. Year 5 were lucky enough to visit the Opera at Holland Park to see the Marriage of Figaro. In preparation, the Opera Outreach Team came to St. Stephen’s to carry out some fabulous and engaging drama and singing-based workshops. These were hugely enjoyable and helped the children understand the story of the opera. 5 Silverstein thoroughly enjoyed their debut Opera experience and 5 Milligan will be off on the same trip next week. A great day out again! ​

Have a great weekend – now where is my waterproof coat?

Kind regards,

Mr Schumm