2 1 S T D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 Christmas 2016 SPECIAL EDITION OF FRIDAY NEWS ST. MATTHEW S C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK! Christmas On behalf of the staff of St. Matthew s, we would like to take this opportunity in wishing you every blessing at Christmas and a Happy New Year What gets you most excited about Christmas? Is it the decorations and the lights? What about the office or work parties? Or is it seeing your children or grandchildren perform in the school Nativity play? Maybe for you it s Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings, and a glass of something special to drink. Or perhaps it s getting cards from old friends you haven t heard from since last year - or even longer ago. For some it could be the sheer relief of extra days off work, especially after all that rushing around in the lead up. Or is it the sound of carols or church bells, sending a wave of nostalgia and well-being through the cold air? It could be any of these things - or any combination of them. But for most children, and quite a few adults too, I expect that top of the list is surely Father Christmas coming down the chimney with his bag of presents. Yes, most of all Christmas means presents, eagerly unwrapped on Christmas morning. But there is one present that is bigger than any: the gift of love. No matter how many presents we may give and get, cards we may send or receive, dinners we may cook or eat, carols we sing or hear, nothing comes close to the gift of love. The cost of the presents, the size of the turkey, the number of cards around the fireplace, it is the gift of our love that matters more than any of these. At Christmas we celebrate the greatest love of all, the love which all other love comes from, the love of God for us. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of a baby - we celebrate God s gift to us of his son Jesus Christ. In the birth of Jesus, God comes down to earth for us. So often people think of God as far away, remote and uncaring - Christmas shows us that he isn t like that. He loves us, cares for us, and longs for us to receive that love, and share it with others. May we all learn to receive the love of God in Jesus this Christmas, and share it with the people around us, just as God has shared his love with us. Mr C. B. Cole Executive Headteacher Miss C. A. Richardson Head of School Mr. D. Davies Deputy Head of School Our Hopes for Christmas! Peace and goodwill to all! The children have had the opportunity to reflect on their own personal hopes and wishes for this festive season. They wrote some thoughtful prayers which have been used to decorate our beautiful Christmas tree in our school entrance. Hopefully you have had a chance to see it.
THE CHRISTMAS TREE NATIVITY! Key Stage One performed an upbeat version of the traditional Nativity Story. At the start of the show, a large collection of elves were hard at work placing interesting parcels under a Christmas tree. They seemed excited and soon scuttled away and laid in wait, watching to see what would happen. And so.. One snowy day, a group of friends discovered the magical Christmas tree laden with presents, brightly-wrapped, were all addressed to them! What could be inside?.. The children could not believe their eyes - they peered curiously at the pile of presents and soon realised that they were all for them. The first of the presents is unwrapped to find a book called the story of Christmas This was the first of many presents to be opened. As each present is unwrapped, it revealed the next part of the nativity story. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by a hungry donkey, some sleepy shepherds and three wise men who needed pointing in the right direction.and the final present brings a very special surprise. From a map showing Mary and Joseph the way to Bethlehem, and hay for the donkey s dinner the children began to explore the story of Christmas. As the present with a sign saying No vacancies was unwrapped, the inn keepers appeared and Mary and Joseph were then forced to stay in the stable as there was no room at the inns. More and more presents were opened to reveal each part of the story and provided the audience with a delightful retelling of the most important story of all time, and the true meaning of Christmas! Full of memorable songs and a generous helping of festive fun, this might just have been the most magical nativity ever. With a host of catchy songs and memorable characters Key Stage One told the traditional nativity like you ve never seen it before and amazed the audience with their version of The Christmas Tree Nativity! Overall Key Stage One performed brilliantly! The acting was great and everyone heard every word, the singing was loud and tuneful and the costumes were amazing. The children certainly were enthusiastic and enjoyed putting on this fabulous production of The Christmas Tree Nativity!
The Wriggly Nativity! Foundation Stage celebrate the birth of Jesus There is always a very special atmosphere in the school hall when the children in Foundation Stage are to perform, and this year was no exception. The children of Nursery and Reception acted out this wonderful story with confidence and the singing was simply beautiful. This Christmas the children in Reception enjoyed telling everyone this interpretation of the Nativity story. The show opened with the chorus of Nursery and Reception singing Wriggly Nativity - an upbeat introduction that certainly gained the audience s attention. This was followed by Mary receiving the amazing news that a special baby was going to be born! Time quickly went by and Mary and Joseph travelled the long journey to Bethlehem. They travelled on a little grey donkey and, night after night, they plodded down the long, long roads all the way to Bethlehem. The rooms were all full, but the inn keeper was happy to help out and let Mary and Joseph stay in the stable. Through many catchy songs, the children acted out brilliantly this story. There certainly was a lot of wriggling, especially in time to the music! Well done to everyone involved! Thank you to all staff in Early Years, particularly those who spent time making / sewing costumes so that the children looked great! Thank you also goes to all the parents who helped the children learn their lines and the lyrics. The audience certainly had a real treat and there are many future actors in the making! Key Stage Two Carol Service! Key Stage Two led the community in a thoughtful Carol Service enabling all to think about the traditional Nativity Story. This traditional Carol service certainly spelt out the true meaning of Christmas. Key Stage Two children sung and led the audience in a variety of traditional carols and modern festive tunes, they also clearly presented the Christmas story through a series of readings read by Year Five. It was lovely to hear St Matthew s Church filled with the sound of the massed choir and the children reminded us all about the true meaning of Christmas. The audience enjoyed their involvement in the carols. The service was closed by Year Five leading us in prayers about wanting generosity and love for all this Christmas.
Nursery Crib Service What little treasures! The Nursery classes have been getting ready for Christmas and enjoyed their craft activities, but Christmas really began for the them when they visited St. Matthew s Church for their Crib service. The children tried to impress Reverend Richard as they helped him retell the Christmas story and place the Bible figures in the stable. The children demonstrated their knowledge of the events of the first Christmas and the importance of this very special time! They are certainly excited about this wonderful Christian festival! Delicious Christmas Dinner! Turkey and Tinsel! St. Matthew s certainly have tried to enjoy this festive season and this week has been no exception. With Christmas parties and Ice Skating last week, and then the whole school sat down to enjoy their Christmas dinner together on Tuesday 20th December. To the sound of the children singing along to Christmas music, the staff turned into waiters and waitresses and served the all the pupils with their delicious dinner. Christmas Hampers Showing compassion and kindness. As a way of supporting our local community this Christmas, the school community were very generous in donating items that could be made into hampers for local, less fortunate people. Many thanks to all those who donated items for this worthy cause. Operation Christmas Child St. Matthew s took part in Operation Christmas Child Appeal again this year. After the success of previous years, and having discussed where the shoe boxes of presents were to go, the pupils appreciated the importance of such gifts being created and sent to the many children that are less fortunate than themselves. Children worked individually and in small groups to create shoe box gifts for children in Africa. In total, over 150 shoe boxes were collected. We are sure the children in Africa will get a great deal of enjoyment from them.
Spreading the Christmas message in the Community At St Matthew s we enjoy being part of the larger community and we are always happy to help others at this important time of the year. St. Matthew s certainly have tried to spread the Christian message in the community this year in lots of different ways. The School Choir ventured through West Drayton to deliver festive cheer to different members of the community this Christmas. The talented group of children visited Franklin House and represented our school fantastically. On arrival at the home, the children were greeted by the lovely nurses. Also, everybody was in awe of the sparkling Christmas tree and the glittering decorations, which really prepared the choir for sharing the festive spirit. They then walked up the stairs to meet their conductor, Mrs Bennell, and saw the stage greeting us. Singing harmoniously, the children made everyone in the room smile. After the first song, the audience was clapping enthusiastically. One very happy resident stated No words could describe how wonderful that was Throughout their performance, the choir were thoughtfully and passionately delivering the messages of joy and cheer. The choir then spoke to the residents and wished all a Merry Christmas! Christmas Carol Singing Sharing the Christmas message! We are always so honoured to be invited to take part in the annual Pavilions Carol Concert so this year, twenty Key Stage Two children met after school to sing their hearts out! The children were joined by two other local primary schools and sang out the message of Christmas through traditional Christmas carols. The Christmas address was given by John Hardwick, who has, in previous years, visited the pupils at St Matthew s. The children, particularly the school choir, had been practising the songs and were keen to show parents and shoppers how well St Matthew s pupils sing! In addition, part of the school choir ventured to Drayton Hall Village Care home where the group of enthusiastic children passed on the Christmas spirit to a group of elderly people. They sang their hearts out up and down the corridors so that all, including those who were bed ridden could hear their delightful singing and share in the joy of this Christmas Time. The children really did St Matthew s proud and the elderly thoroughly enjoyed being entertained by the children. Carols on the High Street! Spreading a little festive cheer! One of our most popular Christmas events took place outside on Thursday, 15th December this year when the children and staff of St Matthew s braved cold to bring the message of Christmas out into the community. Parents and passers by were entertained with Christmas carols and songs which told the story of the first Christmas. Many thanks to all our parents who joined in with the carols. Money raised will be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital and Save the Children. Merry Christmas Everyone
Our End of Term Awards At the end of term, we always present lots of certificates and awards for a range of different achievements across the curriculum. These are in addition to our weekly merit and attendance awards. Here is our list of award recipients: Merit Awards RMM Kate Nowicka RKT Risha Goel 1NM Leo Murphy 1CM Rebecca Mabiza 2EO Micah Laryea 2NM Oscar Stanley 3ZK Salsabeel Sanders 3OK Talia Moraldo 4EG Diana Baranyi-Papps 4MN Sara Bentham-Rice 5CP Habibah Sanders 5RH Kingsolomon Abati 6ES Jack Clark 6LB Ben Bristol Writing Awards - for fantastic improvements in Writing: Foundation Stage Tina Antony Key Stage One Paige Dawanyi Key Stage Two Mina Matovic Gray Award Percy Award Rushda Zafar - for fantastic progress in Mathematics Mark Saju - superb progress during first term in RMM House Points - pupils with the most house points this term: RMM Kate Nowicka RKT Demi Akano 1NM Louie Wright 1CM Rebecca Mabiza 2EO Micah Laryea 2TH Kenzie Trindade 3ZK Destiny Atkins 3OK Fletcher Earley 4EG Jessica Coles 4MN Megan Davis 5CP Jamie Knight 5RH Kingsolomon Abati 6ES Faith Rausch-Allen 6LB Meilad Aimee The winning house for this term was St Francis - well done to all pupils in this house! 57 children who received their Bronze Attendance Awards for being in school every day this term. Well done to 2EO who had the best attendance last week with 100% and in second place was 4MN at 99.7% The overall termly winners with the best attendance was 4MN. - Well done to them. Other News Frays Academy Trust News Would you like to read about all of the Frays Academy Trust News, which includes news of St Matthew s? Please go to: http://www.fraysacademytrust.org/uploads/asset_file/3_97_frays-academy-trust-december-newsletter-1.pdf to read the third edition of the Frays Academy Trust News letter - see achievements of the four schools in the Trust. Celebrating Christmas Whilst remembering the true meaning of Christmas, the children have had the chance to enjoy many events such as: Christmas parties, Ice-skating, Christmas crafts and take part in the Secret Santa, which was organised by Parents United. With your support the children bought in excess of 1500 presents for their families and friends. In addition, Parents United organised the Christmas Raffle so that the rather large Teddy Bear would gain a home for Christmas. Reminder School restarts on Tuesday 3rd January 2017. Next term, help us to reach our school attendance target of at least 96.5% - we currently are at 96.2%. The higher the percentage, the better the chance that your child will reach their full potential. Let s try to all get to school on time too - lessons begin at 8.45 am! For important January dates, please go to our website: www.st-matthews.hillingdon.sch.uk
Achievement at St Matthew s We previously reported in our Friday news the amazing results that the children achieved in the Summer of 2016. This week, the Government released the latest School Performance Tables. These make very interesting reading. We are very proud that: Out of the 86 Primary schools registered in the London Borough of Hillingdon: St Matthew s was 2nd in the table for pupils achieving the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths St Matthew s was 3rd in the table for progress pupils made in Reading St Matthew s was 6th in the table for progress pupils made in Writing St Matthew s was 3rd in the table for progress pupils made in Mathematics Compared to all schools nationally across England: St Matthew s made it into the Telegraph s top 1000 schools as they came 335th out of 16306. This is an amazing achievement for the school and we are very proud of all the pupils. In addition: St Matthew s received a letter of congratulations from the Department of Education This is the first time one of our schools has received a letter of this kind well done to all at St Matthew s CE Primary School! For important January dates, please go to our website: www.st-matthews.hillingdon.sch.uk