Postcards of Kindness

For golden time in Key Stage one we have set up clubs for the children to take part in.  Each club offers something enriching for the children to do during this last part of the school day.  One of these clubs is Postcards of Kindness.  

Originally an initiative set up by Age UK in 2019, Postcards of Kindness encourages people to send postcards to residents of care homes around the UK, the purpose of which is to encourage conversation between the residents and hopefully bring them some joy in the process.  

Ms Williams held the first club on Friday 22nd September.  She asked the children to draw a picture of their perfect garden.  The children created these wonderful masterpieces and then were given the option to vote on sending them to a care home locally or further afield.  The children voted on one further away so Ms Williams sent them to a care home in Lockerbie, Scotland.  None of the pictures sent contain any details of the children but there is a letter included in each envelope to say where the post is coming from as occasionally care homes do reply.

We look forward to hopefully receiving some responses so the children know that their pictures have brought smiles to the faces of older people. 

School Superzone Updates
We are excited to tell you about what’s been happening in our RBK School Superzone - and what’s to come! If this is the first time you’re hearing about the Superzone - it’s a specially funded scheme aimed at creating a healthier environment for children and families at King's Oak. 

A Big Thank You!
Before we go any further, we want to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in our Superzone Survey back in June. The engagement of our school community is key to the success of the healthy lifestyle initiatives we are launching, so we invite each and every one of you to get involved where you can.

What’s happened?

• 6 local restaurants have signed up to the Healthy Catering Commitment (HCC)
• Several local retailers are now compliant with the High Fat Sugar Salt foods (HFSS) legislation
• A local bat walk around Kingston Road recreation ground was delivered on the 20th September

What’s to come?

• Learn to ride safely - more bikeability sessions to be offered free at your school!
• More BriteBox too! Years 3, 4 and 5 will all have the chance to join in the foodie fun this year so make sure you sign up!
• Work has started at the Milaap Centre to create a beautiful growing space for the pupils at King's Oak. This should be completed in the next few months.

But that’s not all!
There are a bunch of other activities going on in your local area this term:

• The local School Health team is offering a free 8-week online programme called “HENRY”  which helps the whole family to make positive changes for a healthier family lifestyle.
• Get active as a family with free 30-minute fitness sessions every Saturday 9:30am at Fairfield Recreation Ground KT1 2UR, hosted by Our Parks. All abilities welcome.
• The TEN Project offers free game-based tennis sessions for children aged 4-10. No matter your skill level, come down with the whole family and join the fun. 

There is a lot of support also on Better Health: Healthier families, an invaluable NHS resource that helps your family make healthier choices and stay active. 

Remember, you can also explore Connected Kingston - your go-to resource for discovering local activities and groups. It’s a great way to try something new and meet new people! We’ve put together a collection of local opportunities, including some free and low-cost options that can support children and young people to have fun and stay active.

Keep an eye out for future updates in upcoming newsletters! 
 

St Mary's Ukraine Supplementary School

St Mary’s Ukraine Supplementary School now operates two satellite sites in Richmond at SRSA and Kingston at Christchurch New Malden on Sundays, funded by the boroughs. They are open for 5 to 11s and are actively recruiting for 11 to 16 year olds this term. 

Please email Oksana for the Kingston site and Nadya for the Richmond site. 

Flu Immunisations

Please remember to remind your child that on Thursday next week is the nasal flu immunisations in school.  The simple and pain free spray up the nose should not be a worry but you might like to talk to your child about what to expect.  Staff and the NHS team will be on hand to support the children through this process.

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and look forward to seeing you next week.
 

 

 

Ian Hutchings

Headteacher