Headteacher's Message -
Good Afternoon,
At the end of last week, we took the opportunity in our assemblies to reflect on VE Day, as well as think about the importance of peace, courage and community. It was a chance for the children to consider the past while looking to the future with hope. We all enjoyed the VE Day street party on Friday - my thanks to Miss Porter for organising the event and the catering team for the outdoor lunch. The crown biscuits were delicious!
Year 6 have finished their SATs! We are so proud of how well they all approached this week. The children all tried their best, enjoyed their breakfast and were a credit to themselves and the school. Well done to the team for preparing them so well. Remember Year 6, you will never have to tell anyone in a job interview how well you did in your Year 6 SAT tests (although we hope you are proud of how well you have done) and they only measure how good you are at Maths and English – they do not measure what amazing people you are growing in to! We hope they have had a lovely afternoon today, unwinding and having fun.
Finally, I would like to thank Surrey Garden Trust for their generous donation of £280.00 towards our gardening projects. It is much appreciated and will be most helpful in enriching the children's gardening experiences at school.
Have a great weekend, and we look forward to seeing everyone rested and ready for an exciting week ahead!
Mrs Ratcliff
REMINDERS -
gst menu spring summer 2025 ashley primary 002 .pdf
SICKNESS ABESENCE - Not every illness will require a child to stay away from school. During term time, your child should attend school regularly unless he or she is ill or the school has authorised their absence. If your child is too ill to come to school, you must let the school know before 8.30am on each day of absence. If you are unsure if you should keep your child home from school due to illness, please look at this useful website "Is my child too ill for school? Click here.
If you child will be absent due to illness. Please contact the school either by:
calling the office number: 01932 227695, selecting option 1 and leaving a message
Study Bugs App - Get the app or register now (https://studybugs.com/about/parents)
Please ensure that you state the nature of your child's illness (e.g. headache, vomiting, etc.) If you state that that they are under the weather or unwell, we will call you to clarify.
If your child will be absent for a prolonged period of time, the check-in and absence reporting frequency will be agreed by a member of Ashley's Senior Leadership Team and communicated via the School Administration Team.
All absence is recorded and monitored by the attendance team and a strict procedure is followed.
SCHOOL PICK UP - This is a kind reminder that you must collect your child/ren from the car park entrance of the school playground. Gates open at 3.25pm until 3.35pm. You must exit the playground via the green wooden gates. We have noticed many parents exciting from the car park after collecting their child/ren. Please do not exit from the car park!
NO SMOKING/VAPING - Please can we remind all parents that there is NO SMOKING or VAPING on the school premises, this includes playground and school car park
SUNCREAM- As the weather is hotting up and we have some warmer sunnier days, please can you ensure that your child/ren comes to school already with long lasting sun cream applied. School staff are not allowed to reapply sun cream during the day. You may send sun cream in with your child however they will need to be able to apply it themselves. Please also send your child/ren with a sun hat and water bottle. Thank you for your cooperation.
The Past Fortnight -
YR 5 -
This week, the pupils have begun an exploration of sculpture in our Art lessons by making very intricate and beautiful origami flowers. Next week, they will be learning more about the Australian-born Nigerian artist, Nnenna Okore, whose acclaimed work focuses on largely abstract sculptural forms. Her sculptures reflect the richly textured forms and colours found within the natural environment.
Mrs Kent
YR 3 -
This week the children have been learning about earthquakes and enjoyed creating an earthquake simulation in preparation for our Great Works.
-Miss Williams
YR 2 -
This week Year 2 have designed and made their vehicles in D&T after exploring wheels and axles in previous lessons.
-Mrs Van Der Schaff
RECEPTION -
This week, Reception have all visited Walton Library. They learnt about what you can do in a library, and how to behave. They completed a hunt around the library to see everything it has to offer. The children sat beautifully whilst they listened to the librarian read them a story and explain her role. Members of the public using the space at the time commented on how well behaved they were and what a joy it was to see them all engaged. Thank you for all our parent helpers who helped walk us to and from the library. Well done Reception!
-Miss Key
Bee Update-
Thanks to the dedication of Shaun and the Beekeeping Team, we now have three thriving hives, with a fourth swarm arriving on Monday, 19th May. A special shout-out to Griff in Year 5 for spotting swarm #2! In preparation for Year 2's upcoming bee topic after half term, we've begun revamping the apiary to create an even more welcoming environment for our buzzing friends.
How You Can Help
To further enhance our bees' happiness and support Year 2's learning, we're seeking donations of bee-friendly plants. Bees particularly love:
· Sunflowers – Their large, open blooms are a bee favorite.
· Lavender – A fragrant herb that attracts bees and butterflies.
· Comfrey – A hardy perennial with long-lasting flowers.
· Salvia – Tubular flowers that bees adore.
· Asters – Late bloomers that provide nectar into autumn.
· Cosmos – Easy-to-grow flowers with wide, open blooms.
· Goldenrod – A late-season nectar source for bees.
Any plants with open blooms that allow bees to collect nectar and pollen would be gratefully received.
How to DonateIf you have any of these plants or others suitable for bees, please consider donating them to our apiary. You can drop them off at the school office or you can give them directly to Mrs Scott in the playground at the start or end of the day. Thank you for your continued support in helping our bees thrive and enriching the childrens' learning experiences.
-Mrs Scott
Free Online Parenting Courses -
Surrey Family Learning offer really useful online sessions to enable parent to support their children at www.surreycc.gov.uk/ family learning.
Managing Behaviour Effectively for Parents & Carers -
No one has ever said parenting was easy. Living with children can be one of life’s most enjoyable experiences, but it can also be unbelievably frustrating. 123 Magic is a simple, precise and effective way of managing the behaviour of children. It’s not magic but works like magic!
The aims of the programme are:-
Job 1: Controlling Challenging Behaviour – Learn an amazingly simple technique to get children to STOP doing what you don’t want them to do (whining, arguing, tantrums, sibling rivalry etc.).
Job 2: Encouraging Good Behaviour – Learn several effective methods to get your children to START doing what you want them to do (picking up, eating, going to bed and staying there! chores etc.).
Job 3: Strengthening Your Relationship – Learn powerful techniques that reinforce the bond between you and your children and build good self esteem.
Will the programme work with children who have learning difficulties? It certainly can. The program has been used successfully with Autistic, Asperger's, ADHD and ODD children. In fact when parents have children with these difficulties, the clarity of the 123 Magic warnings is especially helpful for the visual and auditory understanding. The course will help children recognise their zones of regulation.
The course is a 4 week programme and details are as follows:-
Wednesday 18th June, 25th June, 2nd July & 9th July 2025 (4 weeks) 7pm – 9pm at Cardinal Newman School, Arch Road, Hersham KT12 4QT
If you would like to book onto the course please contact Michelle Talboys - Home School Link Worker on 07703 322066 or email at hslw@thames-ditton-infant.surrey.sch.uk
Roblox and Parental Controls - South West Grid for Learning
Roblox, the popular minecraft 'style' game has announced a new raft of parental controls. The website which ranks among the most popular games for children in the e-space, has previously been accused of possessing weak child protection tools. Their new raft of adaptations is important due to the game's position among school aged children. The new features have been adopted to allow parents to take control of their children's game time in a more comprehensive manner. Parents will now be able to block individuals who communicate with their children, as well as have more detailed oversight over their usage of the programme. Real-time awareness measures have been increased and these changes represent a big step forward in making popular multiplayer games more secure for underaged users. If interested, the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) has produced a comprehensive run down of these changes. Please follow the link below for more: Roblox Launches New Parental Controls | SWGfL