Dear Parents and Carers,
On Monday we welcomed colleagues from St. Peter’s Secondary School in Guildford to our school, as part of a Xavier wide project focusing on transition. The staff from St. Peter’s spent time observing in Year 6 and meeting with school staff to discuss topics such as curriculum, behaviour, SEN and online safety topics. We look forward to developing our relationship with our secondary colleagues, in order to support our children to have a smooth transition from primary to secondary.
A big thank you from the teachers to you all for the support you give to The Friends events – because of your generosity, every class now has a new visualiser! These are a great tool for teachers to model learning, show examples etc. for the whole class. The teachers were very excited when they arrived!
Our attendance was 97.1% on Wednesday and 97.8% on Thursday! It was great to see us reach the higher 90s. Can we beat this next week?
We had more visitors from St. Peter’s on Thursday for our prayer Day! It was so special to be able to welcome back several of last year’s Year 6 in their Chaplaincy roles to lead prayer workshops, along with Riya the Chaplain at St. Peter’s and Lucy Hall the Xavier Chaplain. The children worked in groups with children from across the year groups and had a mini pilgrimage around our school to take part in four different workshops. There were eight workshops in total. They were learning to sign the Our Father in Makaton, making snow globes to use as a tool to calm before prayer, exploring our senses for prayer, learning Makaton for the song Way Maker, making prayer beads, exploring the story of the Good Samaritan and then creating it in drawing, Lego or salt dough, exploring the wonder of nature and prayer labyrinths. It was a wonderful experience and in the words of a child in year 6 “It was the best day at school ever!”
A letter went out to all parents yesterday regarding parent governor vacancies. If this is something that you are interested in, please do contact Neil Lewin (our Chair of Governors) via email nlewin@stcuthbert-mayne.surrey.sch.uk by 6th February.
Do follow us on Instagram if you haven’t already https://www.instagram.com/saint_cuthbert_mayne/
God Bless,
Mrs. Amy O’Donovan
Headteacher
Collective Worship
This week’s Gospel followed on from Jesus baptism by John the Baptist. In the reading from John’s Gospel, John the Baptist names Jesus as the ”Lamb of God” and the ”Son of God”. Through his words, John made it clear to all who heard him exactly who Jesus was. He was the messiah; the one the prophets had predicted would come. John was confident and spoke out when others may have been fearful. Are we brave like John, ready to speak up and give brave messages? Sunday was also Peace Sunday – how can we bring peace into the world?
Swimming
Year 2 are swimming every Thursday this term. We are still looking for volunteers to help with this up until Easter. If you are able to help, please contact the school office. Thank you in advance.
Online Safety
Roblox is hugely popular with children, offering millions of user-created games and social experiences. This #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how the platform differs from traditional video games, and why its scale, self-rating system and automated moderation can expose young users to inappropriate content or unsafe interactions.
Aimed at parents and educators, the guide explores concerns including online communication, in-game spending and compulsive play. It also shares practical advice on parental controls, limiting chat and encouraging open conversations, helping adults support children to enjoy Roblox more safely and responsibly.
The Children's Commissioner has put together a fantastic guide for parents and carers. At around 26 pages it goes into a lot of depth including:
Download the guide here: Children's Commissioner - What I wish my parents and carers knew guide
There is also an activity pack for children here.
Lateness
We all have the odd occasion where our car may break down, or we get stuck in traffic caused by roadworks that popped up overnight that may cause us to be late. However, this should not be a daily occurrence – arriving on time is important and ensures that children have the best start to their day!
Being on time for school each day has a big impact on children’s success and wellbeing. When pupils arrive promptly, they begin the day calmly and confidently, with enough time to settle in, organise their belongings, and connect socially with their peers.
The first part of the school day often includes important instructions, introductions to new learning, and explanations of the day’s expectations. Missing this time can make it harder for children to follow lessons and feel fully prepared.
Punctuality also helps children develop positive habits such as responsibility, time-management, and reliability—skills that support their learning now and will benefit them in later life. Additionally, arriving on time reduces classroom interruptions and ensures that all pupils can begin learning together without distractions.
Arriving on time means that your child is in and through the gate by 8.50am at which time the gates close. Please ensure that you arrive in time to exit the gate when it closes at 8.50am. If you arrive after 8.50am you will need to take your child around to the office and sign them in.
Did you know being 15 minutes late every day is the same as missing two weeks of school!
See our minutes lost calculator below to find out how much school you miss each year if you are late every day:
