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Newsletter 3 - 15th May 2026

Key Dates

Monday 18th - Wednesday 20th May
Year 6 School Journey to PGL Liddington

Year 2 Great Fire of London Workshop

Year 3 Child in Rome Workshop

Tuesday 19th May
Year 5 Hinduism Workshop

Thursday 21st May
Elm class parent assembly at 9:00 am

Parent Council meeting at 9:00 am

Eco-Refill shop at 3:00 pm

Friday 22nd May
Home Learning Showcase for Years 1 - 6

Year 5 visit to Hampton Court Palace

Saturday 23rd May
Eco School Community Litterpick

Monday 25th - Friday 29th May
HALF-TERM BREAK

Monday 1st June
Children return to school

Tuesday 2nd June
Class photographs

Wednesday 3rd June
Class photographs

Thursday 4th June
Heather class parent assembly at 9:00 am

Friday 5th June
PSA Year 4 Cake Sale

Monday 8th June
Year 2 African Drumming Workshop

Thursday 11th June
Sunflower class parent assembly at 9:00 am

Friday 12th June
PSA Dads' Breakfast at 8:00 am

Nursery Sports Day at 9:00 am

PSA Year 6 Cake Sale

Monday 15th June
Year 3 visit to Sealife Brighton

Tuesday 16th June
Year 3 Country Dancing Festival

Kingston Primary Singing Festival

Thursday 18th June
Cornflower class parent assembly at 9:00 am

Friday 19th June
Sports Day for Reception to Year 6

Click here for term dates for the current and 2026/2027 school years, including INSET days.

Key dates for families for the spring and summer terms are published here. Some of these dates are provisional, and all dates are subject to change — please refer to this newsletter and communications via ParentPay for the latest information.

Reminders

Year Group Weekly News
Don't forget to check your child's Google Classroom for your year group's weekly update and any important reminders for next week.

Home Learning
Home Learning Grids for this half-term are posted on the Google Classroom. Work should be completed in time for the Home Learning Showcase on Friday 22nd May (Thursday 21st May for Year 5).

Illness
If your child is unwell and will be absent from school, please inform us by 8:30 am on each day of absence. You can email the school office at office@fernhillprimary.org or call 020 8247 0300. If the office is busy, you may be put through to the answerphone. Please do leave a message, telling us the nature of your child's illness and the symptoms they have.

School Lunches & Snacks

Please remember to order your child's school lunch by 8:00 am on the day required. Click here to view this term's full menu. If your child brings a packed lunch, please ensure it is healthy (no sweets or chocolate) and strictly nut-free. Please may we also remind you that morning breaktime snacks should be fruit and/or vegetables only. This applies to all year groups. Children in Reception to Year 2 are provided with a fruit or vegetable snack through the National Fruit for Schools Scheme but you are of course welcome to provide this from home.

A HUGE well done to all the children in Year 6 who took their SATs this week. We are very proud of their hard work and effort and hope they enjoy a well-deserved and relaxing weekend before heading off to PGL Liddlington on Monday. We are really looking forward to hearing all about this exciting adventure when they return on Wednesday!

Spark! Competition

The Spark! Pupil Competition is now open! Children have been invited to create their own unique response to their favourite Spark! shortlisted book using a media of their choice. The categories are: written, artwork and multimedia. If your child would like to take part, please remind them to hand their entry to Mrs Rouillard by 9:00 am on Tuesday 9th June. Make sure that they put their name and class on their entry! The best entries in each year group will be sent on to the main inter-school competition.

Walk to School Week

Next week, we’ll be taking part in Walk to School Week, encouraging the children to walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or Park and Stride to school every day of the week. Each day in the classroom, the children will discuss the benefits of active travel: mental health and wellbeing, road safety, physical health, sustainability, and community and inclusivity. They will track their progress together and children who walk, or travel actively to school that day will be given a sticker to celebrate. Please encourage your child to take part in the 'mission move' challenge!

Reading for Pleasure

This year is the National Year of Reading and we are delighted to be one of 25 schools across the country who have been accepted into the UKLA/OU Quality Mark programme, which recognises and rewards schools that have developed, embedded and enriched their Reading for Pleasure (RfP) culture and ethos.

As part of our evidence-gathering and to continue to strengthen our offer in the wider community, we would really appreciate it if you could fill in this a short survey to help us understand the extent to which we are engaging parents with 'Reading for Pleasure' at Fern Hill. Thank you very much for your support.

The E-Waste Race is on!

Fern Hill has signed up to the E-Waste Race, a school-based environmental competition designed to increase the collection and responsible recycling of small electrical and electronic waste (WEEE). It combines environmental education, community engagement, and circular economy awareness with a time-limited competition between schools.

If you have any small broken or unwanted electrical items at home, please drop them in our E-Waste recycling bin in the school main reception area. We are collecting small household electronics and appliances, electrical toys, cables and chargers, keyboards and computer accessories. Thank you to our Eco-Committee who will be sorting and logging everything you bring in.

The competition is running until 12th June and we want to collect as much as we can - the school that collects the most will win a prize worth up to £1,500!

Parent and Family Childcare Survey

Achieving for Children is asking families in the Kingston and Richmond boroughs to complete their Parents and Family Childcare Survey to help them understand your childcare needs and how they can develop the local childcare provision. The survey is linked here.

Author Visit

Our KS2 students were lucky enough to receive another author visit last week from Janeen Hayat, winner of this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Younger Readers.

Janeen told us all about the historical background behind her book, 'Evie and Maryam's Family Tree', and encouraged us to investigate the stories, secrets and sacred objects of our own families.

‘The visit was extremely intriguing and it made me go to my dad to ask him about our family secrets. I cannot believe what I found out and really want to read the book.’ Nadia, Year 5

‘I really liked the author visit because she talked about history I never knew about and lots of people said where their families were from.’ Aline, Year 4

‘I really enjoyed the author visit because it showed that everyone is interesting no matter where they are from and I think the book sounds really good as well.’ Sarah, Year 6

‘The visit was one of a kind and exciting. Before I wasn’t sure, but now I really want the book.’ Bonnie, Year 5

‘I liked how Janeen used her personal life in the book.’ Lauren, Year 5

Half-Term Creative Writing Activities with Mrs Rouillard

Mrs Rouillard will be running a Dragon Tales and Creative Writing Workshop for children aged 6 - 12 years old, based on her book 'Wings of the Wyld' at Tudor Drive and Kingston Library during the half-term break. Entry is free.

Tudor Drive Library, Thursday 28th May, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Kingston Library, Friday 29th May, 10:30 am - 11:30 am

Books of the Week

‘Solving Crimes is Not my Superpower’ by Nathanael Lessore & Simran Diamond Singh (Shortlisted for the Spark! Book Award)

An ancient treasure, found in the mystical caves of Magaluf by the explorer Valcro Strapp, has given everyone in the small town of Walsham magical powers. From long arms, to super strength, the ability to smell fear or to fart in rainbow colours, everyone has something. Everyone except Sara, who is hoping her powers will come in any day now. But when the school football trophy is stolen, Sara and her friends decide to investigate. Perhaps she might even discover her power along the way.

This laugh-out-loud superhero adventure is crammed with ridiculous powers and utter silliness, and the humour is only enhanced by Simran Diamond Singh's zany illustrations. A joy to read - I can't wait for Sara's next adventure.

‘The House With Chicken Legs Runs Away’ by Sophie Anderson

Marinka is worried about the House with Chicken Legs. Something is not right but she's sure a Guiding will sort it out, until this goes dreadfully wrong and they find themselves careening across the countryside to an unknown destination as their world literally falls apart around them. This story also introduces a very special new folklore element - the flying pestle and mortar!

'The House With Chicken Legs' was such a wonderfully gentle and joyful meditation on life and death, and 'The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away' is a wise and poignant continuation of Marinka's story. As she says, "(I) think how endings, no matter how difficult, always have beginnings nestled inside them." I think we're often nervous to confront death in children's fiction, but Sophie Anderson has provided a literary framework to think about loss in a way that is comforting and hopeful.

Team Points Update

The overall House winner this week is HAMPTON

KINGSTON

250

COOMBE

255

RICHMOND

326

HAMPTON

354

Attendance Update

Weekly Attendance Well done to Year 6 who had the highest year group attendance this week with 98.6%. Congratulations to Rowan class with 100% attendance!	Year	Attendance %	Star Year ★
	Reception	92.6%
	Year 1	93.2%
	Year 2	98.4%
	Year 3	96.1%
	Year 4	95.3%
	Year 5	94.2%
	Year 6	98.6%	★

PSA News & Events

Click here for Fern Hill PSA's latest newsletter.

Newsletter April 2026 1

Newsletter April 2026 2

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