Dear Parents

We are very excited to see that the new coffee shop refurbishment is moving ahead swiftly, and we can’t wait to see the new awning when it arrives so parents can shelter from the elements. The new equipment in the playground has enriched our breaktimes and we now have a brand-new lift installed that will be operational from next week.

On Tuesday, Miss Simmons launched the Jigsaw Programme in assembly and each class was assigned their own cuddly Jigsaw piece and a large cat called Paws; we will be sharing further details about this new scheme of work over the next few weeks. Exciting times!

At the end of the assembly, Miss Simmons announced that next week will be our annual Anti-Bullying Week and the theme is, ‘Celebrating Difference’. There will be anti-bullying activities taking place during the week, and on Friday the children will be able to wear odd socks to school. We will put a reminder about this on the blackboard in the courtyard. On Thursday morning, the Staff/Parent Choir gave their first performance in front to the school and the sound was truly uplifting. Thank you to Mr. Fairhead and all who took part.

To develop our communication even further, we will be introducing Class Dojo messaging from next Monday. Teachers will be able to answer brief homework questions and any questions about class admin, such as questions about what the children should wear to school on particular day.  As we do not want to distract the staff from their teaching, please use the facility sparingly and send any longer messages via the office as usual. Do note that class teachers will only be logging into the Dojo programme from 8am to 4.30pm on weekdays.  Once you have joined Class Dojo, you can also receive notifications when your child receives a House Point (called Dojo Points). We will trial this for half a term and review its effectiveness. I do hope that you find the messaging system helpful.

Messages about absence, lateness, clubs etc. must still be sent to Mrs. Clark. Please see the communication tree below that outlines who to contact whilst your child is at the Prep School. 

On Monday morning, we will be holding a short Assembly of Remembrance together with the Senior Girls School outside in the courtyard. Please make sure that your child has a warm school coat on and a woolly hat if it is cold. Please encourage your child to wear their poppy for the occasion.   

Our Open Day on Wednesday was very well-attended and our visitors all commented on how mature and confident our Year 6 pupils were. We were extremely proud of them as they fulfilled their duties as Tour Guides and six of them spoke brilliantly about why they love St James. Their speeches were delivered with clarity and great aplomb, and people were amazed that they had written the speeches themselves. Well done Year 6!

This weekend teams from all three schools will be attending the Independent Schools’ Show in Battersea. This gives us the chance to tell prospective families all about our wonderful school.

Have a lovely weekend

Best wishes

Mrs. Wyatt