Opening up on mental health
As many of you will know, this past week has been nationally noted as Mental Health Awareness Week. It is now commonly accepted amongst experts that half of all mental health conditions in adults are established before the age of fourteen. This is why the mental health and well-being of children and young people is now gaining an ever higher profile in the media and the health care sector. Mrs Pelling, our Child and Family Support Worker, sent our e-mails to families this week with information booklets on emotional well-being and positive steps to maintain good mental health. To complement this, pupils had an assembly on Friday which used some of the material that can be found in the following link
Families may want to make use of some of the content to become better informed on children’s emotional resilience and well-being strategies, and are always welcome to contact Mrs Pelling for further information and advice.
Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher
Testing times, put in perspective.
Please keep in your thoughts and prayers our pupils in Years 2 and 6 who have been working even harder than usual recently, as the children in each of these year groups are undertaking their SATs in May. The debates about the rights and wrongs of testing children in primary schools are endless and often frustrating, so instead let us focus on the pupils and their personal development. I know that the staff in both year groups have worked hard to help the children be as well prepared as possible for their transition to the next Key Stage in their education. Even without the tests, colleagues at St Peter’s give their all for each child, providing support, encouragement, challenge and inspiration for the pupils in their classes as they grow and flourish through the year groups. It is important to remember that whatever the results of a test, and however they are used to rate and rank a school, exam results do not change a school’s most precious commodity – the children themselves. Long before the papers are issued, we are all very proud of the effort, commitment and hard work that our pupils have put in this year, and we know that when the time comes for rest and relaxation these will be well deserved.
Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher
The Friends of St Peter’s – proud but not loud!
As I write this blog, I am enjoying the Key Stage 2 Silent Disco.
I am not in the disco.
It is in the hall next to my office.
But it is silent, which is why I am enjoying it so much!
This does, however, give me an opportunity to praise and promote the excellent work done by our amazing PTA The Friends of St Peter’s. Last Friday the children in Key Stage 1 and Early Years had a great time at their Greatest Showman themed fundraiser, joining in with plenty of songs from the show, and even a couple of numbers that appear on the Radio 2 playlist.
The Friends of St Peter’s will soon be gearing up for their major fundraiser and biggest event of the school year, the annual and very much enjoyed St Peter’s Fest on Friday 28 June from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. All families and friends of the school are warmly invited to the Wild West themed event, and the Dolly Parton tribute act will be joined by class group dance routines prepared by our sports coaches. There will be plenty of stalls and sideshows as well to entertain all ages from toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between. Ticket details will follow in due course, as will information about a pupil non-uniform day on Friday 21 June 2019 (our Countries of the World Carnival Day) where the donation for coming in own clothes is traditionally a bottle filled with any liquid (soft drink, shampoo, grown-up pop, etc).
The Friends of St Peter’s are always looking for volunteers to help with any task, small or large, and welcome any time that people can give up to help lay on events and raise money for the school. If you would like to find out more, please contact the Chair Mrs Charmaine Bennett via the school office, and she will gladly give you any information you need.
Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher