Key Dates
Monday 30th September
Year 1 visit to Gatton Park (Foxglove & Lavender)
Year 2 visit to Kew Gardens
Tuesday 1st October
Year 1 visit to Gatton Park (Cornflower)
Author visit from Kate Wakeling
Thursday 3rd October
PSA meeting in school at 7:00 pm
Friday 4th October
PSA Macmillan Coffee Morning at 9:00 am in the Small Hall
PSA Macmillan cake sale after school
PSA second-hand uniform sale after school
Wednesday 9th October
Year 4 visit to Thames Explorer Trust (Chestnut)
Friday 11th October
PSA Year 4 cake sale after school
Friday 18th October
Home Learning Showcase for children in Years 1–6
Saturday 19th October
PSA Pumpkin Hunt for children in Nursery - Year 2
Tuesday 22nd October
Parents' Evening from 4:00 to 7:00 pm
Year 3 visit to Butser Ancient Farm
Wednesday 23rd October
Parents' Evening from 1:30 to 5:30 pm
SCHOOL CLOSES AT 1:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER
Thursday 24th & Friday 25th October
INSET DAYS - the children are not in school
Monday 28th October – Friday 1st November ~ HALF-TERM BREAK
Monday 4th November
Children return to school
Reminders
Parking and safety on site
Please may we remind you that the car park is for the use of Fern Hill and TKA staff only. Over the coming weeks, work to install fencing and electronic gates along the Richmond Road perimeter will begin. Please be mindful of the work and do not use the car park as a through route to school from the TKA side.
Year group weekly news
Year group weekly news is published every Friday afternoon on the Google Home Learning Classroom. Reception and Nursery will be sending their news through ParentPay for the next few weeks as they transition to the Classroom.
Key dates for this school year are published here. Some of these dates are provisional, and all dates are subject to change — please refer to this newsletter and communications via ParentPay for the latest information.
You can find out more about how we use Google Classroom on the website here. This year, we are not publishing the classroom codes, so to access the Classroom from home, please use your child's Google Account login details. You will not be able to use your own. Please contact the school office if you have any queries.
The schedule of class assemblies is confirmed, and you can find it here on the website. Entry and exit will be via the external doors to the Large Hall (through the black gates by school reception) and not through the school building. Assemblies will be recorded and uploaded the Google Classroom, for families to watch together at home.
Consent for Local Visits
Please remember to complete the consent form to give permission for your child to take part in local visits this academic year. If you have more than one child at Fern Hill, you should complete a separate consent form for each. This permission covers local visits only – visits within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames or those where the children will travel by foot to their destination, walking for a maximum duration of 45 minutes. Separate consent will still be required for visits that are not local, or for which we are asking for a voluntary monetary contribution, and we will ask you to complete a different visit-specific form.
Parent Trust Associate Vacancy
This week, you have received a letter inviting nominations for the role of Parent Trust Associate to join the school's local governing body, the Fern Hill Local Academy Committee. You can read the letter here. The role of Parent Trust Associates is to bring the perspective of parents to discussions and decision-making, but not to represent or speak on behalf of the parent body. The Trust is committed to inclusion and recognises that every governing board and its committees will benefit from having a balance and diversity of knowledge, background, gender, age, ethnicity, skills and experience.
If you would like to apply, please complete the nomination form linked in the letter by Monday 7th October. Your application should include a short personal statement outlining why you are interested in the role, the skills and any experience you are able to bring, and the commitment and contribution you feel you could make.
Cath Howe Author Visit
Our pupils always look forward to a visit from Cath Howe! This week, children in Years 1 and 2 discovered all kinds of fascinating facts about puffins, and we learned the words and the actions to the 'Call the Puffins' Promise song. All of Cath Howe's books are available in the school library. Huge thanks to the unflappable Cath for a wonderfully entertaining afternoon!
Book of the Week
‘Moon Juice’ by Kate Wakeling
Meet Skig, who’s meant to be a warrior (but is really more of a worrier). Meet a giddy comet, skidding across the sky with her tail on fire. Put a marvellous new machine in your pocket, and maybe you’ll be able to fix all your life’s problems. ‘Moon Juice’ is full of curious characters and strange situations. Kate Wakeling’s poems are magical, musical and full of wonder at the weirdness of the world.
Kate Wakeling will be visiting Fern Hill on Tuesday next week to celebrate National Poetry Day. If you would like to purchase a personalised signed copy of one of her books, then please log in to ParentPay where you will find payment items for all three of her books offered at a discounted rate. Orders must be placed by Sunday 29th September. If you miss the deadline, there will be a small number of books available to purchase after school on the day.
Team Points
The overall winner this week is Kingston
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Kingston
344
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Coombe
257
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Richmond
255
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Hampton
334
Fern Hill PSA News & Events
Heartfelt thanks from the PSA
We are delighted to announce that our first-ever Circus event last weekend was a tremendous success! A big thank you to Raquel and Alesja for making this event a reality and a memorable experience for everyone. Your hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm were truly the heart of this event.
A big thank you also to everyone that volunteered - we couldn't have done it without you. From setting up the vibrant circus tent to ensuring the activities between shows ran smoothly, your efforts were so appreciated. The smiles of the children and their families were a testament to the fantastic job you all did. Thank you once again for your incredible support and for making our Circus event a grand success!
Cauliflower Cards - final deadline is Monday 30th
The final deadline for returning your child's artwork and making payment online is Monday 30th September. Please hand your artwork to your class teacher or to the school office.
Pre-loved School Uniform Sale - Friday 4th October
We will be holding a second-hand uniform sale after school on Friday 4th October. If you have any Fern Hill branded items that the children have outgrown over the summer, as well as any Halloween costumes, we would love to have them. We will be collecting your donations on Thursday and Friday next week.
Macmillan Coffee Morning - Friday 4th October
Please join us on Friday 4th October after dropping off for our lovely annual Coffee Morning to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Research. Coffee and cake will be served from 9:00–10:30 am in the Large Hall. There will be a silent auction for whole cakes and a prize for the best decorated cupcake.
We would really appreciate donations of bought and homemade cakes and bakes as well as volunteers to help on the day. Leftover cake donations will be available at the after-school cake sale for those who can’t make it in the morning.
Fern Hill Runners at the Kingston 10K - Sunday 6th October
Fern Hill Runners will be running their sweaty socks off to raise money for Fern Hill PSA on Sunday 6th October at 9:15 am. Please come along to show your support - the route runs through Kingston town centre and along the river, and it's a whole TEN kilometres!
Many of us have never run that far before, so we will definitely need a cheer! We are made up of parents, ex-parents and teachers and places are still available on the run, so if you think you could do it (or not, and want to give it a go anyway) why not join us?
Help us to raise money for the school by sharing this link.
The school would like to use the funds raised to provide new playground activities and games for the children at playtimes. If you can spare just £1 for each of your children at Fern Hill, it will make our efforts all worthwhile on Sunday 6th.
Children, come and cheer on your teachers - Mrs Lawn, Miss Copeland, Mrs O'Reilly and Mrs Woods!
Thank you and see you at the finish line!
Volunteers needed for the Fireworks Night -Wednesday 6th November
Fern Hill's fabulous Fireworks Night will be taking place on Wednesday 6th November. We all know how popular this event is, and to make it the success it always is, we need volunteers. If you are available to help, please join the event WhatsApp group. Remember that all volunteers get priority access to up to 4 tickets for the event... Information on Fireworks Night and how you can buy your tickets will be shared soon, so watch this space!
Save the date! EYFS and KS1 Pumpkin Hunt - Saturday 19th October
We will be holding a pumpkin hunt in the KS1 playground on Saturday 19th October for our children in Nursery - Year 2. The event will include a treasure hunt with prizes, cafe and other activities. More details coming soon...
Inspiration 