Dear parents and carers,
I hope you had an enjoyable half-term. Welcome to Autumn 2 which is always a busy time with teaching and learning and towards the end of the term, the build up to Christmas.
We had some work carried out over the half-term break. The surface in the main playground in front of the Year 3 classrooms has been tarmacked, and it will eventually have lines put on it. The PSA funded this through last year's fundraising.
We renewed our contract with Accent in July and as a result, they have provided us with some new branding for both kitchen serveries, and a fully repaired floor in the studio hall.
SCHOOL FUND REMINDER
A reminder of the school fund arrangements
Sharing our Learning/Parents Evening
A reminder that Sharing our Learning is from 2.30 to 3.30pm tomorrow (Friday 6th) with the last entry at 3.20pm. Please do not bring school siblings to other classes as then the classrooms will become over-crowded. You may leave with your children from 2.40pm, once you have finished looking at their work.
The first parents evening of the year is next week. The appointments are all in person now on either Tuesday or Thursday night (with 3M and 6AD taking on Monday instead of Thursday). Please ensure you have the right time and the right day and attend your pre-booked meetings. There is no need to sign in when you come into school.
Website resources
A reminder – there is a plethora of resources on the school website for you to use with your children and/or for your own information, particularly in English and maths.
All school subjects have a section under the curriculum tab at the top.
One recent area is how we assess the children's writing and the expectations for the end of year - we call these 'TAF's'- Teacher Assessment Framework.
https://www.sheenmount.richmond.sch.uk/page/?title=English&pid=67
School events
Harvest Assemblies and Donations
Many thanks to all the staff for their work in the harvest assemblies. Coordinating seven performances across a week is a busy schedule. Particular thanks go to Mrs Boa (who was involved in six of the performances), Mrs Adams, Mrs O'Brien and Mrs Wrigglesworth. Our substantial donation to the Richmond Vineyard foodbank was picked up today.
Y3 Trip to Legoland
In a new school trip, Y3 visited Legoland taking part in computing workshops. They also managed to enjoy one of the rides and see a show.
Reception Curriculum Morning
Our reception team held their annual curriculum morning for our reception parents before half-term. There was a session on reading/phonics, writing and maths. Thank you to the team and also the reception parents for their engagement.
Sport
Tag Rugby
The first borough all-day tournament took place before half-term. The team of 6 boys and 4 girls did fantastically well, winning 7 games in a row all by 1 try.
Unfortunately, they came unstuck in the semi-finals and lost by a try!
Well done to the team, and it was a pleasure to take them out for the day and be away from the office!
Netball
17 children (both boys and girls) represented the school at Netball before half-term in friendly matches against St Elizabeth's. Sheen Mount were victorious in both the matches and it is a great way to start the season.
Cross Country
Thirty-two children from Year 3 to Year 6 went to St Paul's on Tuesday morning to compete in races with other local state and independent schools. There were over 100 children in each race. Y3/Y4 ran 1600m and Y5/6 2200m. Well done to all the children involved, with many of them representing the school for the first time.
Forest School
Year 1 have begun their 4 weeks of forest school. Year 2 occurs in the spring term and Reception in the summer.
Ambassadors-News Editors and Mrs Sroka
We are News Editors and we would like to tell you about what we will be doing in our roles over the next year. Our News Editors are: Isla, Ethan, Percy, Emilia, Olivia, Maud and Georgia. We are working with Mrs Sroka and will help to organise and report on some exciting whole school events.
Forum Assemblies
Each week we take it in turns to find news stories and present them in Forum Assemblies. Here are some we would like to share with you.
Cuddly teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends will now be able to help you send letters. The Royal Mail has released a new set of stamps to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of A.A. Milne's book Winnie-the-Pooh. (Isla)
Scientists have discovered a new species of a prehistoric animal that swam in lakes and rivers around 165 million years ago. The furry, otter-like creature, called Megacauda Sungei, lived in what is now China, at a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. (Olivia)
A wonky winner has been crowned the UK’s tree of the year. Nicknamed the ‘Bendy Tree’ by locals, a 150-year-old wych elm in Northern Ireland earned the title of the UK’s tree of the year. (Percy)
Research shows there could be caves and lava tubes created by volcanic activity from billions of years ago hidden under the Moon's surface. The project will look further at the Marius Hills to see whether it could protect astronauts from things like radiation and extreme temperatures on the Moon's surface. (Ethan)
Cath Bowie, who is 78 years old ,has been named the “world’s oldest Fortnight streamer (female)” by Guiness World Records. Bowie first started playing the game in 2017 and she now has more than 2400 followers online. Her username online is ”grumpygran1948”. (Georgia)
UK Parliament 2026
The news editors are pleased to announce… UK Parliament Week! The way this will work will be simple. The excited editors will go from class to class listening to debates presented by pupils on various topics linked to their learning. We look forward to telling you more in the following weeks! (Emilia)
Gift Bags from Richmond Good Neighbours (RGN)
We are once again supporting this excellent local initiative. I will be talking about it with the children in assembly as its intention is to be child-led.
Some words from the charity:
Richmond Good Neighbours (RGN) is one of eight neighbourhood care groups in the borough, supporting around 130 local residents who live in central Richmond to remain independent in their own homes. Our volunteers provide the sort of help a good neighbour might offer, from shopping and friendly visits, to lifts to medical appointments, the hairdresser, or to local activities.
At Christmas, we make a special effort to reach residents who may be spending the festive season alone, without close family or friends nearby. We deliver Christmas gift bags filled with small treats and practical items to help brighten their day.
We would be grateful for donations of items such as jam, chutney, shortbread, chocolates, puzzle books, a 2027 calendar, hand cream, shower gel, and soap. Please note that we cannot accept perishable food items or products containing alcohol.
Handmade Christmas cards and festive messages from the children are always especially appreciated and bring great joy to our clients. These thoughtful gestures often mean as much as the gifts themselves and help older residents feel remembered and connected to their local community.
Please bring donations, ideally in Christmas gift bags by Friday 27th November. It is helpful to know if the gifts (if wrapped) are for a man or a woman or a unisex item.
Thank you as always for your support.
Sustainability-Information from Ms Lister - Sustainability Lead.
Sheen Mount have joined the 'Picker Pals' community. We have been given some great equipment to use and each weekend a child will be chosen to bring home the equipment and go on a litter-picking adventure! The Year 6 Sustainability Ambassadors will be organising this along with Ms Lister. Here is some more information:
- Picker Pals want to make the world better by picking up litter!
- A different child will be chosen to take the pack home each weekend, so they can go on a litter-picking adventure with members of their family.
- They can tell their classmates all about their adventure when they bring the pack back to school after the weekend.
- The Picker Pals love to hear about litter-picking adventures, so you can write a report and your family and teacher can share photos with them.
- The Picker Pals will organise lots of fun events during the year, like live meet-ups for lots of schools, where you can see all the other schools that are taking part on the whiteboard, from your classroom!
- There will also be exciting art and story-telling competitions with big prizes and Picker Pals TV, which is really fun!
PSA
We look forward to the annual PSA quiz on Friday 13th November. There will be a staff table and I look forward to presenting one of the rounds!
Have a good weekend.
If you wish to contact me directly, please do so at headteacher@sheenmount.richmond.sch.uk
Best wishes
Tom Holmes - Headteacher
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