Upcoming Diary Dates

This week	Event	Details
Monday 24th June	Meet and Greet for Parents with next year’s Willow Class Teacher, Emily Cook 8:30am-9:15am	Current Reception and Year 1 Parents met with Emily Cook yesterday morning to find out more about teaching for next year’s Willow Class, including an example phonics lesson and a Q&A session hosted by SLT.
Friday 28th June	Open Day 11:30am-1pm	Our last Open Day of this academic year. Please share with friends who may be interested in securing a last-minute place for September 2024: Open Day
Next week	Event	Details
Friday 5th July	Parent Workshop on Light-touch assessment and how these are used at TLAS 8:30am-9:15am	An opportunity to take a look at resources and talk though how we assess at different stages and for different areas of need at The London Acorn School with Zoe Everett and Sarah Thorne. A booking form will be sent shortly.
Friday 5th July	Junior School Concert – Parents Invited 12:30pm -1pm	Come and listen to Willow and Birch singing and Oak and Chestnut playing their flutes for this end of year concert. A lovely way to say farewell.
Friday 5th July	Oak and Chestnut Leavers Lunch with Parents 1pm -1:30pm	Parents of Oak and Chestnut students are welcome to attend Oak and Chestnut’s Leavers Lunch to celebrate their time at The London Acorn School.

Welcome from our Headteacher

This week always marks the turn of the tide at Morden Cottage. We are past the height of the summer, and thoughts now turn to preparations for the academic year ahead.

To move onwards we must pause to celebrate our achievements this year. Reports for your lovely children are receiving their final checks and will be with you next week. We will celebrate the end of a fantastic year on two wonderful events, one for Juniors and one for Kindergarten Year One Leaders, then finish with a cup of tea.

On Friday 5^th July join us at 12.30 for the Junior Concert, where we will all have the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to Junior children and staff, including myself and Zoe, who will not be joining for the ongoing journey in September. This will be followed by a special “Ancient Greek” themed lunch and poetry themed celebration for the achievements of our older children in Oak and Chestnut who are graduating on to a range of destinations, including of course, Hall School Wimbledon.

On Tuesday 9^th July we celebrate the Kindergarten Year One Leaders who are now moving into full time classroom education in Willow with Emily Cook. Their graduation ceremony is at 2.30 for these children, their family and friends. This older group will receive the kindergarten milestone story during this very special event that always touches the heart.

Finally, on Wednesday 10^th of July we will celebrate the last moment of the year with a community picnic tea in the back garden from 2pm which is open to all families and extended family and is completely optional (we all leave busy lives). Our Leaver’s Arch will take place at 3.15, when every student and staff member will be invited to walk out through the front door of Morden Cottage for the final official time this academic year.

I will meet with Rachel Bochenski, our incoming Head the following day for our final handover meeting, one of many and she will welcome everyone back to school on Wednesday 4^th September.

Best wishes for a lovely week,

Sarah

Best wishes for a great week,

Sarah

Announcements, Reminders and Important Information

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE:

https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/join-in

Goals are set by the child and can be extended if they reach their goal. The reading level is decided by the child, therefore each individual is reading at their own level. Application and tracking can be online or it can be engaging with volunteering teens at local libraries. When children enter a book which they have finished, there are opportunities for children to explore the language required to review a plot or describe their favourite character.

SPORTS DAY GALLERY:

Last Friday was a special day to come together and play! Thank you to Coach Jody for organising another fun Sports Day with parents and children. Next year, we look forward to some parent only events, too!

Take a look at some photos from Sports Day in our gallery at the end of this newsletter.

30 HOURS FREE CHILDCARE:

We are pleased to announce that we are now able to offer eligible parents 30 hours of funded childcare alongside the 15 hours we already operate for children under 5. Please follow the attached link to check your eligibility.

How to apply for 30 hours free childcare and find out if you’re eligible – The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

ATTENDANCE REMINDER:

HOT WEATHER PROTECTION

Finally, we are starting to enjoy some sunny weather! On hot, sunny days, please provide your child with a sunhat and water bottle, as normal. Suncream may be applied before school but will not be administered by staff during school hours. Please come prepared.

Kindergarten News

Summer has finally arrived. Increasing light and heat of summer echoes the fire element of the universe. The most extraordinary quality of fire is its ability to transform substances. On Tuesday, we took on a new challenge to celebrate midsummer. In the garden, a symbolic fire was set up and children, and teachers, were encouraged to jump over it. In the first round, some were already keen to have another go; some chose to walk around it. In the second and third rounds, everyone just flew over it! Similar spirit was shown during Friday’s Sports Day challenges. Flaming sun shared with us its might, which made us strong and bold. At the end of the obstacle course, families took home plenty of fun and children’s growing confidence.

Towards the end of the week, we introduced a new summer circle with songs about water activities such as washing clothes and rolling a boat. We may not have been doing so much washing in Kinde, but many little helpers watered flowers and tomato plants at the back garden. During play time, children were inspired by our circle time and nature table, boat themed play has become more popular. Oh! We love Summer!

Junior School News

Willow Class:

If Willow Class students have started asking to pay for the shopping or checking you’ve got the right change, it’s because we are learning about money, which is one of the most fascinating and practical concepts in Maths. Children have opened up their own shops to practise trading. Over the Summer Holidays, if you’re going abroad or staying at home, talk to your child about the currency in that country and allow your child responsibility for how they spend some pocket money to carry on this understanding of money.

Next Monday will be our final spelling test if all children remember to bring their spelling record books in. Please encourage your child to take responsibility for their school belongings to foster this habit.

Birch Class:

In Science, Birch Class students have been learning about chemical reactions inside volcanoes. If your child asks for Coca-Cola and Mementos over the Summer Holidays, it may be in aid of Science!

Chestnut and Oak Class:

A really busy week last week for Oak and Chestnut as they completed all final assessments and worked hard to complete their woodwork projects. On Wednesday, a group attended transition day at Hall School Wimbledon, while a further group got on with applying their new sailing knowledge on the water at Wimbledon Park lake.