This week we welcomed Asa Singh from Bhangra Dance London – he taught the children traditional steps linked to historic north Indian festivals and ending by allowing children to demonstrate their newly learnt skills in a performance. It was great to see the children moving in new ways and a particular pleasure to see the Year 6 children guiding their Reception Class buddies with the moves.

On Tuesday Year 1 enjoyed a visit from Clare Oliphant from Farnham Museum – she transported them back in time through a series of workshops on what life was like in school for children in the 1950s as well as exploring some household items and toys from the same period. Perhaps this could spark a conversation with grandparents or great grandparents this weekend!

Next week it will be necessary for Year 4 to change their PE day from Friday to Thursday – please dress accordingly.

Dame Rachel De Souza is the Children’s Commissioner for England and as such has a statutory duty to protect and promote the views and interests of children. She is currently running a campaign called the Big Ambition which involves completing a survey. Please take a moment to complete the survey with or without your children to ensure that the children of Surrey are fairly represented in the findings so that their views can be shared with the most senior members of the country.

Next Friday we will be celebrating the Feast Day of our patron saint – Cuthbert Mayne. Parents are warmly invited to join us for Mass at 2pm before collecting your children from school. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

God bless,

Thomas Hall, Head of School

We are all born with unique gifts and talents; for some of us it might be immediately apparent what these are, while for others they might be cultivated over a lifetime. It is our job here at school to help the children to unearth these skills, not only to help them forge their own way in the world, but also to use them for the benefit of others. The children also heard about how various members of the parish community had volunteered their time and skills to run initiatives that will help to build a community within the parish.

Generous God, we give you thanks for the gifts and talents that you have given us. Help us to make the best use of them that we can and to serve you in all that we do. Amen.    

UKRAINIAN CHILDREN SHOEBOX APPEAL 2023

Many, many thanks for your continued generosity.

Over many years, Cranleigh residents have been very keen supporters of the shoebox campaigns, a keenness that reflects a well-known human fact that “There are two beneficiaries associated with every gift, namely the recipient and the donor’. Indeed, in the case of gift-filled shoeboxes for children, there is usually a further humanitarian benefit, namely that donors’ children can be directly involved in the gift-selection and packing actions and so, most likely, increase their appreciation of the existence of ‘less privileged children’.

It might be asked why Rotary has this year chosen Irpin in Ukraine (adjacent to Kyiv) as the principal beneficiary community for our campaign, which campaigns for many years were directed at a then quite impoverished Romania. However, over the past 18 months or so, Cranleigh has developed many direct family links with residents of that area of Ukraine. This quite recent situation was founded principally on the fact the residents of the Irpin area, and its neighbouring city Bucha, were subjected to intense military bombing and murders in early 2022, and the fact that there has been a Cranleigh-Irpin family link for several years

Eight local schools were able to participate this year and their total number of gift-filled shoeboxes amounted to 365, with a further 60 or so added by members of local churches or other bodies/individuals in the community. 

Again, many, many thanks to all participants.                                                              

Eight local schools which donated about 365 boxes:

Cranleigh C of E Primary; Park Mead Primary; Cranleigh Preparatory; Cranleigh School;

St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary; Glebelands County Secondary; Rikkyo; Duke of Kent.

Positive Parking

We continue to be very grateful to all our parents that park and stride/cycle/walk to school, and to those that park safely and respectfully around the neighbouring roads.

We are aware that some people continue to park on the yellow zig-zag lines outside the school and the church car park. Rule 243 of the Highway Code states that road users must not park near a school entrance; for the safety of all the children at St Cuthbert Mayne, we would ask that all members of our community adhere to this rule and do not park on the yellow zig-zag lines.

We must also ensure that we are polite and respectful to local residents at all times.

Please show your children, by your actions, that positive and respectful parking is a way to show that you care about other pedestrians, neighbours and road users. Be a good role model!

For helpful information about road safety please visit: https://www.think.gov.uk/

Classlist

Classlist is the most effective way of staying touch with other parents. Please click this link in order to sign up.

READY - RESPECTFUL - SAFE

This year children have been introduced to three important principles that we follow at St Cuthbert Mayne. Why not start to use the same language at home - we want all our children to be...

Mary’s Meals would like to invite you to collect all your foreign currency* no matter how old or obscure.  Clear out your drawers and have a look under the sofa.  Currently, the charity feeds over 2.4 million young children one good meal every day in their place of education – by giving Mary’s Meals your foreign coins and notes, you can help feed the next hungry child.

Mary’s Meals feeds in over 18 countries.  Because of our low costs, we can do this for as little as £19.15 per child per year!  *We will also take UK coins/notes that aren’t legal tender

Donations can be left in the Cranleigh Parish Office, which is outside the SCM green school gates - double white patio doors - on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday mornings.   With thanks from Tracy in the parish office.

Our calendar for the term can be found here. We are beginning to populate this - a slow process initially as we learn to navigate our new website!