Dear Parents and Carers

As we reach the end of our first half term of the academic year, it’s hard to believe how quickly the weeks have flown by! The term has been packed full of learning, enrichment, and memorable experiences for our pupils.

This week in particular has been an active one. Our Reception children have loved their Bikeability Balance sessions, Class 4 have been out on their river study trip, and Class 6 have been enjoying their residential adventure at Caythorpe in Lincolnshire.  It is wonderful to see our pupils learning and exploring beyond the classroom. It was a pleasure to accompany Class 6 who all challenged themselves and stepped out 'of their comfort zones', encouraging one another along the way.

I am also delighted to share that the Governing Body has appointed a new Deputy Headteacher. Mrs Marshall will be joining us in January, and will be based in Class 5. We very much look forward to welcoming her to our school community.

As we head into the break, many families take the opportunity for a bit of a ‘sort out’ at home. If you do, please remember that school would be very grateful for donations of:

• Chapter books (in good condition)
• Sets of books
• Board games (with all components

Our Friends of School Association (FOSAS) will also be preparing for the Christmas Fair, so any suitable items for their stalls would be greatly appreciated.  In addition, if you happen to have an unused electronic keyboard tucked away in your loft or cupboard, we would love to give it a new home here in school to support our music provision.

As the holidays approach, we know many children will be spending more time on electronic devices. We cannot stress enough the importance of setting up parental controls and filters to help keep children safe online. Please do take some time to review your child’s online activity and privacy settings.

Looking ahead, as the weather turns colder, we ask that all children return after the break with a warm coat for outdoor play and learning.

We’re also very pleased to share that our caretaker, Adele, will be returning during the half-term break – we’ve really missed her and are delighted to have her back!

Bag2School – Bags and Shoes – Half Term Clear Out

FOSAS have a new fundraising initiative which is old bags!  FOSAS has organised a clothes & shoe collection with Bag2School in order to raise funds for St Anne’s School.

Bag2School is the UK’s leading textile recycler and fundraiser working with schools and since its inception in 1999 it has now paid out over £48 million.

As well as raising vitally needed funds for FOSAS, it also helps the environment by helping to divert unwanted textiles away from landfill. A recent DEFRA report has shown that textile collection schemes are helping to reduce the volume of textiles discarded as municipal solid waste. However, it is a fact that as a nation we still send 350,000 tonnes of textiles to landfill every year.

By getting involved in our Bag2School collection, you have an opportunity to sort through your cupboards and wardrobes and put donations of unwanted textiles in the bag provided – this can include adults’ and children’s clothes, shoes (tied together please), hats, belts, handbags and soft toys, (please refer to https://bag2school.com for full details). In addition to raising much needed funds it will also raise awareness amongst the children of the benefits of recycling and reuse.

If you fill the donation bag and still have more, please can you use any other bag to donate your items, and don’t forget to ask grandparents, friends and neighbours to have a sort out as well!

Bag2School will be collecting from St Anne’s School on 9th December. Please bring your bag (or bags!) to the school office ON THE DAY and help us have a really good collection.

Arbor App

Keep a check on your Arbor App messages – these should float up as a push notification at the top of your phone.    

📲 This week, we’ve added music payments for those children receiving lessons and class trips will be going onto Arbor today for Classes 1, 2, 3, 6. We would appreciate you making payments promptly, but please do talk to us about payment plans if you are struggling with the contribution.

Be sure to check your Arbor messages.

Additionally, we want to remind all parents that we have sent multiple reminders regarding consents and permissions. If you have not withdrawn your consent for your child on Abor, we will assume that you have provided an ‘opt in’ consent.  Please ensure you have reviewed these on your Arbor app.

Without your consent, we’re unable to include children in some wonderful moments, such as the nativity, sporting events, or simply celebrating daily school life together. Whilst we respect the choices some parents may make in not giving permission, it is vital that we have your consent whenever possible to allow us to share these joyful experiences in-line with GDPR rulings.

FOSAS News

The FOSAS AGM will be on Tuesday 10th November at 7.30pm at the Shireoaks Inn.
The positions available will be Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer – if you are interested in standing please let us know. It is a requirement that the positions are advertised on an annual basis. Of course, existing post holders can be nominated to stand again.

Fusion Energy Café

Check out the Fusion Energy Café over the holidays. There are lots of activities going on.  https://fusionenergycafe.org/events/#

News from the Classes

Class Reception

We can’t believe Class Reception has already completed their first half-term in school, and what a fantastic start it has been!  We are so proud of how well the children have settled in, grown in confidence, and embraced their new routines. This week, the children have been learning all about the signs of autumn. They have been using their senses and observational skills to explore and talk about a range of autumnal objects. They read the story ‘Leaf Man’ and enjoyed listening to the different sounds they can hear outside during this season.  Class Reception also took part in two exciting balance bike sessions.  They had great fun playing games and learning how to move and balance safely.  It’s been a wonderful start to the year, and we’re looking forward to an exciting second half of the autumn term.

Class One

This week, Class 1 took part in a Godly Play session with Claire from Church. She focussed on the Parable of the Lost Son. The children listened to the story, and answered wondering questions, such as 'I wonder what your favourite part is...' and 'I wonder what it means to say sorry and to forgive...'. The children reflected on the story in class, exploring ways to represent the story, and thinking about why we say sorry and why it is important to be forgiving. Claire was very impressed with their listening skills and inspiring thoughts during the session. 

Class Two

In Class 2 this week, children have been finding out about ‘Mary Seacole’, another Victorian nurse, who helped during the Crimean War. She has been a special person for us to learn about, during Black History Month as she had to overcome so many challenges in order to help others. Children have produced mini-biographies in English trying really hard to use all their skills. In maths, children have been learning how to add one and take one away from numbers to 100. They have needed to use their number bond knowledge to help with this. In history the children have been consolidating their learning with understanding what significant changes happened for the people of Britain because of Queen Victoria’s actions. In handwriting lessons, they’ve been focusing on number formation and high frequency words and continuing on their pre-cursive writing journey.

Class Three

Class 3 have had a busy final week of the half term, finishing off their learning and reflecting upon the learning that has happened. In English, Class 3 finished and edited their newspaper reports focusing on how they could further improve their writing. In maths, Class 3 have started their learning on the column method of addition and subtraction. It was a little tricky at first ensuring that all of the columns were lined up and that the method was being following in the correct way, but after lots of practice it is starting to become an effective method for the class. In science, Class 3 finished off their unit on nutrition by planning their one healthy balanced plate for a meal of the day. They needed to think carefully about which food they were going to include and the nutritional reasons for that choice.

Class Four

In art, Class 4 have continued their unit of learning as illustrators.  They have explored a variety of different pencils to create a range of tones, textures and line weight.  They have learnt that harder pencils (H-range) create light, crisp lines for initial sketches while, while softer pencils (B-range) make darker, richer marks for shading and blending.  They studied autumn leaves and added surface details to their drawings

Class Five

Class 5 have had an exciting few weeks of learning!

In RE they shared thoughtful ideas about how faith and values can guide the way people live and, treat others.  In English, they have been stepping into the shoes of Katherine Johnson, the amazing NASA mathematician, writing memoirs as if they were her. The children have loved imagining what it was like to help make space travel possible! In Maths, they have been working with numbers over four digits, using inverse operations and solving tricky multi-step problems.  Their Science lessons have been out of this world!  The children have been investigating moon craters and exploring what happens when objects collide with different surfaces. It’s been a busy, hands-on, and fascinating time in Class 5!

Class Six

What an incredible week for Class 6! The children had their residential to PGL Caythorpe Monday to Wednesday; they had the opportunity to experience lots of adventurous activities. Various activities from canoeing, trapeze, climbing and disc golf were on offer. All the children showed great perseverance and bravery to complete the activities and push themselves to do something out of their comfort-zone. Seeing their progress, determination and encouragement for each other was a pleasure to see. During whole group sessions and dining hall, all the children were outstanding in terms of behaviour and manners. All the staff on the residential could not be prouder of their progress on the trip. Lots of amazing memories made.

Congratulations to our Stars of the Week this week

Class Reception – Christian & Theodora

Class One – Beau & Grace

Class Two – Alex O & Rebecca

Class Three – Aza & Lola

Class Four – Maks & Eliza

Class Five – Hugo

Class Six – All of Class 6

Tidy Classroom Award:

Out of School Achievements:

Jacob P (6) Man of the Match and Parents Player of the Match

Daniel (3) Chief Scout Bronze Award

Eleanor (1) 5x Guide Badges

Laurel (4) Swimming 800m

Malee (1) Swimming 5m

Florence JH (2) SJR Under 7 5:1 win

Class 6 Residential Certificates – whole class

Reading Challenge

Class 3 Jasper, Lucas, Joshua, Lola, Emma

Class 6: Georgiano, James, Veda, Emmanuel, Alfred

Gymnastics Core Explore 1

Class 1: Belle, Yasmine, Ollie, Harry, Milo, Wilf and Penny

Well done everyone.

Church Services

Sunday StA@10 Together Service 10:00 am with Claire

StA@6 with Rev Dave

Don’t forget Wednesdays at 3.20pm St Anne’s Connect – a service for all the family in the school hall. Sandwiches, crisps and a sweet treat for everyone, with juice and hot drinks. We then join for a 30-minute service of worship and fun together.

2025-2026 Attendance

Class	Attendance
R	91.76%
1	95.4%
2	86.51%
3	92.8%
4	87.68%
5	97.13%
6	96.3%
ALL:        92.72%

Prayers for the week from – Lailah & Abigail

Dear God,

Please make us generous that we have food and drinks and think about people and places with not a lot of money.

Amen

Dear God

Lord help us to be generous and help us to not only share our things but also our kindness, so we may be the best ‘we’ that we can be.

Amen

Finally, we wish our School Cook, Mrs Dunnicliff, a very special “Big Birthday” this week – we hope she has a fabulous day celebrating!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We wish you all a restful and enjoyable half-term break, and we look forward to welcoming the children back refreshed and ready for another busy, exciting half term ahead.

Mrs Middleton & the St Anne’s Team

Diary Dates