Dear Parents/ Guardians,

As we approach the long weekend, we welcome back from Hooke Court (Dorset) the Year 4 children who have had their first experience of a school residential trip. 

A big thank you to all the staff that accompanied the trip and made it possible, giving so generously of their time. 

There have been quite a few visitors to school this week who have all complemented the school on among other things the excellent behaviour of the children- well done children we are very proud of you.

Wishing you all a lovely long 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

News/notes

Please support our Buy a Brick Campaign  

Further to our letter at the end of last term about building 2 new group rooms, we are now inviting you to be part of a fundraising initiative that enables you to leave a personal, lasting mark on the school, whilst helping to raise the final £20,000 needed for the project.

Buy a Brick – How You Can Help

To help fund this project, we are launching a Buy a Brick scheme. For a donation of £60 or more, your family name — or a short personal message — will be permanently engraved on a brick displayed in the school. This will be a lasting reminder of the role our families played in creating something special for current and future pupils.

Any contribution is gratefully received, and every donation brings us one step closer to completing the project. We have set a target of raising £10,000 from this.

How to Take Part

1. Complete the short form to tell us the name or message you would like engraved on your brick: https://forms.office.com/e/aw37mVh2Yt?origin=lprLink
2. Please ensure that you also make your donation using the following link:
   https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/30225

To ensure your name is included, please complete both the donation and the brick details form.

Please note the changes in reporting your child's absence 

How to report your child being absent or sick

Unplanned absences related to illness

We encourage all parents to consider the NHS guidance when determining whether their child is too unwell to attend school: NHS Guidance

If your child is off school for an unplanned absence, you will need to report this each day before 8:50am where physically possible, via the Arbor app. Please ensure that you have provided details of the illness.

To report an absence on Arbor:

1. Log onto the Parent Portal in Arbor
2. Select Attendance under Quick Actions
3. If you are using a mobile device press the three lines at the bottom left of the screen
4. Select Log Absence
5. Complete the absence time (only for that day) and the reason for absence
6. Press Log Absence

More detailed guidance can be found here: Report a daily absence

If your child has a stomach bug, they should not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode of illness. School will still need to be notified for each day your child is off, even during the 48 hour window.

Medical Appointments

100% attendance at school is one of the best ways of ensuring your child’s future success so we ask you to arrange medical/dental appointments outside the school day where possible.

If an appointment during school hours is unavoidable, please email absence@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk in advance with appointment confirmation (e.g., screenshot or letter), along with collection and return times.

Planned Absences
Holidays during term time are not authorised and may result in a penalty notice, please see our Attendance Policy for further information regarding penalty notices.
If you need to request a planned absence for an exceptional circumstance, please fill out the form available on our school website here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/qzZC7t6e5p?origin=lprLink

Please be advised that we will not be able to authorise absences on either side of school holidays, Inset Days/School closure days without appropriate, supporting medical evidence.

Brooklands Card - free entry

If you would like to book the Brooklands Museum card for a weekend, please contact the office. The card covers entry to the Museum for up to 2 adults and 3 children. 

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

Parking

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.

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.