St Mary's Newsletter

“Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12)

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the Spring Term and we hope you all had a restful and happy Christmas break. On behalf of all the staff, we would like to thank you for your kind cards and gifts.

We’ve started straight back into things with two class trips and two sporting events already, with activity clubs underway and lots of exciting things planned. The Year 1 children enjoyed their visit to London Zoo and the animals gave them plenty to learn about for their habitats topic. Year 6 had a more sombre trip to the Imperial War Museum to support their topic of World War II. We also had a visit from Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet, who enjoyed being shown around the school by our head girl and boy (see photos below).

Please keep an eye on communications sent out from the school. We try to make sure all communication is relevant and important so please take a note of dates, times and details of things that are relevant to your children.

Half Term Early Closure

You received a letter last week letting you know that we will be closing early on the last day of this half term (13th February) with Rectory Gardens closing at 1.45pm and Church Lane closing at 2.00pm. This is to get ready for some building work that will be starting over the half term holiday, in preparation for the merger of the two sites. We will be sending through more details about how this will look nearer the time but please get in touch if you have any questions.

Ofsted New Inspection Framework

Are you interested in finding out a bit more about how Ofsted will be looking at schools, under the new framework? If so, this video is short and gives good information about how the new system will work Ofsted New Framework

You can also read a letter from Jane Edwards, Director of Schools and Learning at Haringey, explaining what this means Letter to Haringey Parents New Ofsted Framework

SEND Strategy Consultation (Haringey)

If you are the parent/carer of an SEND child then Haringey Council are interested in hearing from you as they refresh their SEND strategy. See these links – SEND Consultation Poster & SEND Strategy Consultation Jan 26 and scan the QR code in the poster below to feed your views into the consultation (which closes on 30th January 2026)

What I Wish My Parents Knew – a guide for parents on managing children’s digital lives by Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner

Through speaking with a variety of educational professionals, and more importantly, children, Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, has produced a guide to help parents and carers navigate through the huge challenges children face as they negotiate a digital world. Some of the outcomes are very surprising, with teenagers almost unanimously saying they would not give their own children a mobile phone. There are lots of resources, strategies and much information so take some time to have a look through. What I Wish My Parents Knew

Best wishes,

St Mary’s CE Primary School

Important Dates – please make a note

Tuesday 13th January – Y1 to London Zoo
Wednesday 14th January – Y6 to Imperial War Museum
Wednesday 4th February – Cake Sale @ RG – please bake, bring and buy
Thursday 5th February – Cake Sale @ CL – please bake, bring and buy
Friday 13th February – school closing early – St Mary’s Early Closing 13 02 26
Wednesday 25th February – Y4 to Natural History Museum
Friday 27th February – Disco @ CL 6-7.30pm – more details to follow
Wednesday 4th March – Y3 to British Museum
Friday 6th March – World Book Day
Monday 9th March to Friday 13th March – Book Fairs at both sites – more details to follow
Thursday 12th March – Y3 Class Assembly
Wednesday 18th March – Disco @ RG 6-7.30pm – more details to follow
Thursday 19th March – Y1 Class Assembly
Thursday 19th March – Reception Eye Tests – click here to see opt-out letter Parent Eye Test Screening Request Letter Opt-Out Mar 26
Saturday 21st March – Easter Event in CL playground and churchyard – time tbc
Thursday 26th March – Y2 Class Assembly
Saturday 13th June – Summer Fair @ CL 12-4pm – many more details to follow!

For Your Information

Activity Clubs Spring 2026 – please see here for full details After School Activity Clubs Spring 2026
There are still spaces in several of the clubs – please see the list above to book up for the Spring Term
LOST PROPERTY – we have lots and lots of lost property at Rectory Gardens – please come and have a look and reclaim lost things – maybe consider these stick-on labels (or similar) which are reasonably priced STICK-ON LABELS
Are you the parent/carer of an SEND child? Haringey Council are interested in hearing from parents/carers as they refresh their SEND strategy. See these links – SEND Consultation Poster & SEND Strategy Consultation Jan 26 and scan the QR code to feed into the consultation (which closes on 30th January 2026)
Reminder: Rectory Gardens is a School Street. This means no driving on the road between 8am–9am and 2.45–3.30pm. Let’s keep our children safe, the air clean and prevent you from getting a penalty notice!
Our Toddler & Parent Group on Monday mornings is becoming very popular – if you’d like your under 3 to attend (or know of someone) email lchristou@stmarysn8.co.uk to book a place

Reminders

Please remember to call or email if your child is going to be off school – don’t wait for us to call you!
We are on Instagram – follow us to see our wonderful school @stmarysschooln8 and tell your family to follow us too!
Reminder about unauthorised absences and holidays during term time As you will know from previous correspondence, St Mary’s will be following the Government guidance with regards to fining families when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons. Children should only be out of school for reasons that have been authorised.
We are strictly a nut-free school – please remember this for packed lunches and party treats
We are a latex-free school – this includes balloons, latex gloves, rubber bands etc

Contact Details

Are your contact details up-to-date?

If you have changed your address, telephone or email address please let us know as soon as possible. Have your personal circumstances changed? Again, please let us know. If you don’t get emails or texts from us then we may need to update your details.

Class News

Nursery	Welcome to all our new families! The children are settling well into their new class and the older children have been very welcoming. We really enjoyed the snow and ice last week. We noticed how the ice had stuck leaves and spoons in it, and we had to smash the ice on the ground to break it up. We also realised how it started to melt when we held it in our warm hands. Then when the snow came we dashed outside to try and catch a snowflake. In PE, we have been using the large climbing equipment. The children have been very good at following instructions in order to keep everyone safe. We are looking at the story ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ this half term and we all got a chance to plant our own beans. We have a couple in a see-through bag so we can watch the roots start to grow and the shoot start to come up.
Reception	Welcome back, we hope you all had a lovely and restful Christmas holiday. Since returning, we have begun our new unit in literacy based on the story Juniper Jupiter. Everyone is excited to write about superheroes and we have loved running around with capes and masks on! In maths, we have now learned all about zero (who can also be a superhero!) and we enjoyed representing numbers to 5 in lots of different ways. Our new unit in RE is all about Jesus’ miracles and we have been thinking of the people who are special to us and why. Our PSHE topic is about overcoming challenges and thinking about what can happen if we keep on trying. We have even tried our hand at circus skills, some of us are very good at spinning plates! Using ICT and collaging, we have been exploring some winter art. Creating snowflakes on the interactive whiteboard and snowy landscapes on the art table. In phonics, we are now learning Level 2 sounds and even more tricky words. We can now write sentences whilst on the carpet using new sounds and all the sentence rules. Thank you all for your patience with the cancelled visit to Forest School on Thursday. Sadly, the weather was just too bad, even if with waterproofs on! We have been reassured that they will rearrange the session so the children won’t miss out and we will let you know when we do. Have a lovely weekend.
Year 1	This week in English, Year 1 have been continuing to focus on the story ‘Hermelin’ by Mini Grey. They have written a character description and also begun to plan and write their own retelling of the story. In maths, the children have been learning how to order and compare numbers to 20 and have also started to learn how to estimate on a number line to 20. In RE, the children have continued to learn about Hinduism, focussing on what the Aum is, and its meaning and who the Trimurti are. In geography this week, Year 1 were learning about the capital cities in the UK and were able to identify some key features of those countries. In ICT, the children began learning what an algorithm is and practised creating their own algorithms using musical colours. In PSHE, the children were learning about the human life cycle. We continue to practise phonics and reading, as well as now starting to practise real and alien words. Year 1 also enjoyed a trip to London Zoo this week where we saw lots of different animals and learnt about their habitats and what they like to eat.
Year 2	In English, we are taking inspiration from the beautifully illustrated story The Bog Baby. The children are learning how to write an exciting discovery story, using their imagination and rich vocabulary. In maths, we are learning about money, recognising the value of different coins and comparing amounts. In science, we are learning about living things and their habitats. As part of our topic work in history, we are exploring significant people who have made an impact on the world, such as Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole, Neil Armstrong, and others. In RE, we are exploring Bible stories that Jesus told, understanding the messages behind them and how they can help us to live our lives to our full potential.
Year 3	In maths, we have started our unit of Length and Perimeter by looking specifically at length. We have measured and drawn lines in centimetres and millimetres. We’ve also discussed suitable ways to measure and investigated questions that have connected learning to real-life scenarios. Building on our work with The Fox text in English, the pupils have now produced fantastic information leaflets. They used high-quality examples to understand structure and the effective use of technical language. The children confidently gathered ideas from provided texts and enhanced their work through independent online research, resulting in impressive, well-presented finished leaflets. As we have begun our new RE unit, we are starting to learn about the Lord’s Prayer. We have focussed on thinking about who helps us in our lives, the qualities they have, and the ways they care for and support us. Through discussion and reflection, pupils explored the importance of kindness, trust, and guidance.
Year 4	2026 has got off to a fantastic start in Year 4! In English, the children have been looking at Arthur and the Golden Rope, a wonderful mythical tale which has provided lots of interesting analysis and writing opportunities. We look forward to starting to plan our mythical story next week. In maths, we continue our learning on multiplication and division and applying our understanding of related facts to problem-solving questions. We have begun our learning all about natural disasters in geography, starting with looking at wildfires and floods in Europe. Our learning in science has moved on to animals’ habitats and in RE, we are looking at Jesus’ new commandment. Our art lessons and music lessons continue this half term which we always look forward to!
Year 5	We have just started a new book called The Promise by Nicola Davies. This book has really interesting pictures that are perfect for inference and creativity. We have begun by describing the setting using abstract nouns such as fear and loneliness. We began the book ‘Thief’ by Malorie Blackman and it already has us absolutely gripped! In maths, we have nearly finished our unit on fractions and are about to begin our work on multiplication and division.
Year 6	In the build-up to our trip to the Imperial War Museum on Tuesday this week, the children have been doing a lot of work around WW2. They have written letter in the style of an evacuee from London and considered what job they would chose to help the war effort if they were a woman in 1940’s Britain. Furthermore, we have continued our work on Goodnight Mr Tom during our reading lessons and planned our diary writing to go along with our English work based on Rose Blanche. In maths, we have completed our unit on fractions and will now move onto decimals to build on their knowledge. Both classes have constructed circuits to increase the brightness of a bulb in our science lessons while we have also begun our new RE study on Buddhism, looking at important Buddhist symbols and their meanings.