7th March, 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Thank you for your amazing support for our Book Week over the last few days!   Our children have thoroughly enjoyed thinking about their favourite books and completing lots of activities and challenges relating to them.  I hope that this will have inspired them to find new book characters or new authors to explore. 

Blue Class had their Mission Week and led a beautiful assembly this morning reminding us of the events of the week, including Ash Wednesday. As we start Lent, we are encouraged to consider the experiences of others around the world. This served perfectly as a reflection for the children as they took part in the Lenten Walk for Cafod.

What a busy week! Have a lovely weekend.

Gerry Flower

Catholic Life

Family Prayer Session

Please join us for our Family Prayer Session, which takes place every Friday morning from 8:15-8:30am in the school chapel. The aim is for families to gather and pray, the session is led by parents and all are welcome - please bring your children.

Follow the Mark 10 Mission here

https://www.themark10mission.co.uk/the-mark-10-mission

 

Jubilee Year 2025

A Prayer of Hope

Holy Spirit, our inspiration, in this Jubilee Year, you remind us of our call to grow in faith and love. Help us to hear you in scripture, to see Jesus in others, and to be united as God’s global family.

Guide us on our journey as pilgrims of hope.

 

Ash Wednesday 

We marked the start of Lent this Wednesday with our Ash Wednesday Liturgies.  Our Year 6 Prayer Council, after some formation,  had the special ministry of distributing ashes to our school community.  We reflected and prayed for our Lenten journey of fasting, prayer and sharing. The children have all made Lenten promises for the 40 days of preparation before the great celebration of Easter. 

"When I gave the ashes to the KS1 I felt joy that I could give service to God and help people have a fresh start this Lent." George

"I felt really one with God doing the ashes. I felt special." Erin

"When I gave the ashes to KS2 and parents, I felt I was closer to God by serving him." Mia

    

 

Simple Lunch

Our simple lunch was a great success, with fantastic engagement from everyone across the school.  The children were able to make a connection with our Catholic Social Teaching principles of Solidarity and Option for the poor.  

              

 

Prayer Stations

During lunchtime of Ash Wednesday the Prayer Council organised and ran interactive prayer activities for everyone to engage with.  These were very well received by the school community and there was lots of enthusiasm!  The theme of the activities was Pilgrims of Hope and the children prayed for hope in all sorts of situations. One example was photographs of doors, reflecting and praying for those who might live or work behind the doors.   There was also the opportunity for silent prayer in the school chapel. 

"I felt calm and peaceful because it was nice and quiet and it was a time of reflection." Emily

"I felt like I was really helping others to come closer to God." Isla

"I did the stations of the cross and I felt happy because I got to share the Word with other people in school." Marlowe

"I felt proud." Victoria.

        

      

 

The Big Lent Walk

Today the children took part in the Big Lent Walk. Thank you for all your generous donations - we will update you on the final collection amount! Watch the video below to find out a bit more about how your donations are making a difference to families overcoming injustice and poverty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56z8yruC6M

 

Lourdes Pilgrimage Fundraiser

News/notes

 

Tissue box donations

We would welcome any donations of boxes of tissues. Please can you drop them into the Office. Thank you

 

Girls' hair accessories 

Please can we remind you that only minimal hair accessories in school colours are permitted for girls.

 

Morning Snack

Just a reminder that only fruits and vegetables are allowed for the children's morning snack. 

 

 

Mr Simpson's Brighton Marathon

This year I will be running the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 6th April for Alzheimer's Society. I will be running in memory of my amazing Gran who suffered with dementia the last few years of her life and for all people who suffer with dementia and their families. I would love to exceed my target and would greatly appreciate anything you can donate. Thank you. Mr Simpson

https://www.justgiving.com/page/ross-simpson-1716901734036?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

 

FB Fit Classes (Footbellas)

 

Parking

Please can we once again remind you to be mindful of your parking when collecting and dropping your children to school. 

Parking is available in the Coronation Rec car park which is just a short walk away from school. Alternatively, you can park for free at Hersham station car park on Walton Park with a permit which you can obtain by emailing the school office your car registration plate.

Please also note that parents dropping their children off for Breakfast Club or any morning clubs are not allowed to park in the school car park.

 

       

07 Mar 2025
Blue Class Mission Week
Blue Class have had a busy week this week learning about the work of CAFOD for their Mission Week. Having learnt about CAFOD's work supporting farmers experiencing a drought in Kenya, they got to work making posters and sharing their knowledge with all year groups. They shared their understandin...
Read more
06 Mar 2025
Science Fair
Thank you to all the children who participated in our Science Fair this year. The staff were very impressed with the quality of the entries and how the children were able to talk about the science behind their projects. Congratulations to our winners and runners-up (from Year 3 to 6) who will be att...
Read more
04 Mar 2025
Violet Class Science
This week Violet Class have been thinking about the effects of exercise on the heart. We went outside to  measure our heartbeat after performing some simple exercises. 
Read more

Message from the Governors

Dear all,

We wanted to update you on how we next plan to use the money from your donations to the Governors’ Fund to help our school.

We have agreed to fund the purchase of five new interactive whiteboards, which will replace existing models in KS1 and KS2 classrooms that are unfortunately reaching the end of their natural life.

Technological obsolescence is an inevitability and replacement can be a significant expense.  As with the iPads, this is something that the Governors’ Fund can help the school cover.  

With advancements in ICT, interactive whiteboards are considered integral educational tools that enhance learning and support teaching.  Keeping them up to date enables teachers to take advantage of new media and teach innovatively.

If you don’t already give to the Governors’ Fund, may we ask that you consider it for 2025? You can donate to the Governors’ Fund here. Thank you for your generosity and for being such an important part of the Cardinal Newman community. 

The Cardinal Newman School Governors

Parents Association Notes

To contact the PA, please email: PA@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk  

 

Y4 Cake Sale - Friday 7th March

Thank you for your support with this today.

Movie Night - Friday 21st March

 

Spring Disco - 25th April

 

PA Parents' Summer Party - July 12th

 

Reception starters 2025

Please click here for more information on school applications if you have a child starting Reception in 2025.

Secondary school starters 2025

Please click here for more information on school applications if you have a child starting Year 7 in 2025.

Mobile phone use onsite

Please can we kindly remind you mobile phones should not be used onsite for safeguarding reasons. Thank you for your co-operation.

Brooklands Museum - School Membership card

If you would like to book the Brooklands Museum card for a weekend, please contact the office.

For more information about the museum, please visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com 

National Online Safety: Wake Up Wednesday Guides for Parents 

We would like to make you aware of our ‘online safety’ advice, guidance and support page called ‘Wake Up Wednesday - what parents / carers need to know’.

Wake Up Wednesday, created by The National College, aims to inform parents and carers on topics such as social media platforms, gaming, and IPad security. They include top tips, important reminders and reality checks on a wide range of online safety topics. They are a great resource to keep up to date with the issues children may encounter. 

We will post relevant articles of interest that should help you and your child here on our website.

We thank you for your ongoing support in assuring the safety of our pupils online.  

Vacancies

Teach Southeast Teacher Training

TRAIN TO TEACH WITH OUTSTANDING ITT PROVIDER XAVIER TEACH SOUTHEAST 


We always welcome people who want to discuss routes into teaching – we might be biased but we believe there is no better job than teaching young people and shaping the next generation! We would encourage anyone thinking of teaching to get in touch so that they can come to visit and find out more. 

We are proud to be a partner school of Xavier Teach SouthEast, a SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) provider working in and around our local area. Xavier Teach SouthEast provides all trainees with high quality training, in both primary and secondary settings, to enable them to develop into competent and confident professionals.

Trainees are well prepared through first-rate complementary placements which ensure that they gain substantial practical experience, developing their evaluative and practical teaching skills effectively. In-school expert mentors and external subject trainers have consistently high expectations and work collaboratively to ensure training is coherent and highly relevant to the needs of trainees.

Xavier Teach SouthEast have had two consecutive Outstanding judgements and are highly regarded in the local area; we love working with them and hope you will too.

For more information please call them on 01932 578 682

Or visit the website to view their prospectus or sign up to a SCITT open morning  www.teachsoutheast.co.uk

 

Xavier Catholic Education Trust Vacancies

 

To find out more about vacancies within the Xavier Catholic Education Trust, please click here

Spring Clubs and Camps 

Planet Soccer INSET Day Camp

Multi Sports Day on Friday 14th March.

Drop off 8:30 - 9:30

Pick up 3:30 - 4:30

£30 for the day

Click the following link to book for INSET Day Camp 

https://bookwhen.com/planetsoccercamps60

Plant Soccer Easter Camp

There is a discount code EASTER15 that can be used that can be used for our Easter camp we're running. We're running a Multi Sports Camp from Monday 7th April - Thursday 10th April.

Click the following link to book for Easter Camp 

https://bookwhen.com/planetsoccercamps60

External Run Clubs Spring Term 2025

Please see details of external clubs here.

Teacher led Clubs Spring Term 2025

Please see details of teacher led clubs here.

After Crafts - Please find flyer here

Engineering club - Please find flyer here

Footbellas Girls Football Club - Please find flyer here.

French Club - Please find flyer here

Ballet - For more information, please click here

Chess Club - Please book via Scopay from September 2024

Gaelic Football Club - Please click here for more information. Now finished until summer term 2025.

Irish Dancing - Please email lgsoid@hotmail.co.uk

iRock  - Please find flyer here

Judo class - Please contact Diane Capon on 07960 699 077 or email diane.capon@sky.com

Mini Dance Performers - Please click here for more information

MTech - an extracurricular music technology and creative composition course for children aged 7-13. For the flyer click here.

Spanish club - Please find flyer here

Ukulele club - Please book via Scopay. Dates this term are 6th November - 4th December. Please click here for more information. 

Planet Soccer - Please click here for more information. 

Homework Club (Y3-Y6)

Homework club runs from 3.15 pm - 4.15 pm Monday - Friday, cost is £5 (free if your child attends Whizz Kids after-school club). Please book and pay for via Scopay.

Music lessons - during school hours, music lessons can be arranged through Surrey Arts. Please contact them directly by telephone on 01483 519303, by email at surreyarts@surreycc.gov.uk or visit the Surrey Arts web page for more information. You can subscribe to the Surrey Arts newsletter here.

Lost Property

Please collect lost items from the lost property box in the KS1 playground.  Please label everything clearly so it can be returned to the owner. Please note it can take some time for items to reach the lost property box depending on where they were lost. 

Items not claimed from the lost property box will be disposed of periodically as it quickly builds up. Thank you.

Communicating with your child's teacher 

Messages for teachers can be put in your child's reading/homework diary/bookbag, eg. pick up arrangements, homework issues, lost property, requesting a meeting with the teacher or anything else you would like the teacher to know.

For KS2 children, please remind your child to tell the teacher that the message is in there.

Absences should still be communicated via the office. (see below)

Pick-up notes 

Please note that if someone other than a parent/carer is picking your child up, you need to let the teacher or the office know. Please put pick-up notes in your child's reading/ homework diary or bookbag. 

For KS2 children, please remind your child to tell the teacher that the message is in there.

Children will not be released with someone else unless we have been notified of it. 

If you do need to let the office know about a last minute pick-up change,  please do so before 2 pm if possible.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Y6 Independent Walkers

If your child is in Y6 and you would like to let us know they will be walking home from school independently, please email the office.

Y6 Mobile Phones

If Y6 children wish to bring their mobile phone to school, they just need to drop the phone at the school office before school and collect it after school.  Phones should be switched off please and not switched back on until children are off site. 

No need to complete any form or email the office. 

How to report your child being absent or sick

Please notify the school office every day your child is absent from school before 9 am so we can adjust dinner figures and complete the registers. Please either ring the school office on 01932 222536 and leave a voicemail or email absence@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk. If you email us about an absence, you will not receive an acknowledgement reply due to the large volume of emails we receive in relation to this daily.  

If your child has a stomach bug, they should not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode of illness.

Absence Request

If you require a school absence for your child for some reason, please email the school office with the details. 

Wellbeing

Surrey Adult Learning

 

NHS Parent Portal

At the start of the new academic year, we would like to remind you of the NHS school and parent resources available on inourplace to ease moving up transitions.

Click here for:

  • easy-to-follow video resources for parents to help support emotional wellbeing during school transitions
  • online learning and resources with tailored material for supporting children with additional needs and considerations
  • signposts for practical support and ideas to ensure smooth transitions, including information on mobile phone use and technology
  • extensive additional e-learning content for parents on childhood development and emotional health from 0-19+ 

Crisis Helpline

Children and Young People's Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service

Sleep and why it matters

Please click here for information on Sleep and why it matters. More videos can be found on the Childrens Health Surrey website here

National Sleep Helpline: We are here to help

At any given time up to 40% of adults and 50% of children (this rises to 80% with a SEND diagnosis) have difficulties with their sleep. Yet in a recent survey, almost 60% of adults felt there was a lack of support for sleep issues. Sleep problems can leave people feeling isolated and lonely. 

Our free helpline is run by trained sleep advisors, many of whom are specialists in working with SEND. We can talk to young people directly, or parents (we can also talk to adults, including older people, about their sleep issues). 

The helpline is open 5 times a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings 7-9pm, and Monday, Wednesday mornings 9-11am. The number is 03303 530 541. 

You can read more here: https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/national-sleep-helpline/

Support groups and workshops for parents and carers

Parent Wellbeing Service, Barnardo's Referral Form

Please see information flyer here and referral form here for support from Barnardo's Parent Wellbeing Service. 

Parish News

St Erconwald's Mass times

Weekday masses
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday - 9.30am, Tuesday - 7pm (Adoration & Reconciliation at 6:30pm)
Thursday No Mass

Weekend masses
Saturday
Italian mass 4.45pm (except during August)
Vigil Saturday - 6pm
Sunday
Family mass - 9.15am
Traditional mass - 11.15am
On the first Sunday of the month, we have our Polish Mass at 1pm

For updates, please check St Erconwald's website here.

 

The Parenting Course at St Erconwalds

 

Sign up here: https://sterconwalds.churchsuite.com/events/caxgnykq

St Barnabas and All Saints Mass times

All Saints, Hersham
5:30pm Saturday, Vigil Mass
9:00am Sunday, Mass

St Barnabas, Molesey
11:00am Sunday, Solemn Mass
6:00pm Sunday, Mass

For updates, please check St Barnabas' website here.

eSafety and Safeguarding

Reminder: Keeping children safe online and in the real world

At Cardinal Newman School we are always reminding the children how they can keep themselves safe whether in the real world or in the virtual world. Class teachers regularly use the Zones of Regulation to assess how the children in their classes are feeling. Children are encouraged to share their worries using the ‘What I want my teacher to know boxes’ which are in each Key Stage 2 classrooms and the Worry Monsters which can be found in the Keys Stage 1 Classrooms.

Information to support parents can be found on the school website here.

Please continue to report any safeguarding concerns to Mr Flower (Designated Safeguarding Lead) or Mrs Burnham (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead).

Reception and Y6 Class photos
All Day
11
March
Dorking Halls Y4 Primary Festival
3:00pm – 8:00pm
11
March
Football Competition at Royal Holloway
All Day
13
March
Inset day (school closed for children)
All Day
14
March
Ruby Class Mission Week
All Day
17
March
Sapphire Class Forest School
All Day
20
March
Bag2School Collection
8:00am – 9:00am
20
March
PA movie night times TBC
All Day
21
March
Ruby Class Assembly
8:50am – 9:20am
21
March
Sapphire Class Mass
2:30pm – 3:10pm
21
March
PA cake sale Y5
3:00pm – 3:30pm
21
March
Violet Class Mission Week
2:30pm – 3:10pm
24
March
Y6 Netball Rally
2:30pm – 3:10pm
25
March
Hooke Court trip Y4
All Day
From 26 Mar until 28 Mar
26
March
Amethyst Class Forest School
All Day
27
March

To see the full Calendar of Events, click here.

School Day: 8.40 am - 3.15 pm     Office opening hours: 8.00 am  - 4.00 pm Monday - Friday

Arch Road, Hersham, KT12 4QT    T: 01932 222536   E: office@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk