From the Head

Dear Parents,

I would like to start by thanking you for your patience, support and understanding during what has been a disruptive week for the St Michael’s community and our local area during the water outage. When we are faced with a problem like this, which is out of our control as a school, it can be very frustrating and a lot of adaptation is required from all members of the school community and especially you, as parents. I apologise for the complications caused by this week’s closure and appreciate the complex logistical arrangements you have been required to make. Thank you. 

Aside from the water outage, there have continued to be highlights and moments of triumph across St Michael’s this week. This began with the fantastic news that our U11 girls have qualified for the IAPS National Football Finals taking place next month following their success at the Qualifying Tournament last Friday. We are excited for this talented team whose weeks’ of early morning training have paid off immensely. 

The spirit of football continued into Monday as we hosted our annual Community Football Tournament with visiting primary schools. Thank you to Mr Godoy and the Sports Department for organising this successful event which we were delighted to see girls and boys competing together in for the first time in the event’s history. 

Additionally, a number of outings have inspired the children’s learning including Year 1’s trip to Knole House and a day at Godstone Farm for Reception. The children returned to school full of exciting stories to tell of their days filled with discovery. 

We have ended the week with our Open Morning which a record number of prospective families attended. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the event and your children were impeccable role models for the school, demonstrating what makes St Michael’s so special.

Best wishes,

Nik Pears

From the Head of Pre-Prep

Dear Parents,

This week has been a test of our resilience with another burst pipe in Otford. Closing the school is something we do not do lightly but with a lack of water to wash hands or cook food and no flushing toilets we get to the position where it is no longer hygienically safe to continue with school. Year 1 however, chose the right day to be out on a trip and had a lovely time at Knole House where they had water and Reception enjoyed their first school trip to Godstone Farm on Thursday.

While on the subject of trips, next week Year 2 will go to the Horniman Museum on Thursday 17^th. The coach will be on site early so as not to hold the traffic up and will leave once the traffic has cleared.

Year 1 will be taking part in a drumming workshop at Prep school on Thursday afternoon. I know Mr Baird has been keen to get this drumming group in for a while and luckily we have managed to take a day where they have had a cancellation. 

On Friday we will be collecting for the RNLI Charity. Children are welcome to adorn their school uniform with red or yellow to show their support.

Year 2 will be demonstrating their Football skills in a Tournament starting at 1.30pm on the Astro/pitches. Parents are welcome to come and watch. There will be a match tea afterwards for the children. Tea and coffee for parents will be served in the Dining Room. Please enter via the Dining Room door and sign in. As this will be the start of half term, your younger children can be brought to the Dining Room for collection.

On Friday 18^th October we will be breaking up for half term at the end of the day. Activities and the Hive will run as usual on this day.

Overheard in Pre-Prep:

Child 1: "I’ve got a pink comb."

Child 2: "Does it hold ice-cream?"

Have a lovely weekend.

Zerrin Leech

Fireworks Display tickets 

Thank you to the families who have purchased tickets for our Fireworks Display and for indicating your parking requirements.  

Additional tickets will be on sale from 8pm on Monday 14^th October via TicketSource.

St Michael's 738.9kg food bank donation

Following our Harvest Festival collection for the Trussell Trust last week, we are delighted to announce that the St Michael's community has contributed 738.9kg worth of food and toiletry donations to the food bank. Thank you so much for your generosity towards this collection which will be gratefully received by many local families this winter.

Commenting on the generous contribution, the Trussell Trust said: "We are overwhelmed by the quantity of donations from St Michael's, it is incredible. Please thank the St Michael's community for us, it is so appreciated."

St Michael's football team qualify for National Tournament

On Friday 4th October, St Michael’s sent a team of nine U11 girls to compete in the IAPS U11 Girls' Qualifying Tournament at Bede’s Senior School. This is the second year we’ve entered the Girls’ IAPS Football Tournament and despite the event falling outside of our usual football season, the PE Department was thrilled with the number of girls eager to join the team. The girls have been arriving at school early to practise their skills, preparing hard for the tournament. A big thank you to all of the girls who attended the morning sessions for their maturity and support when the final squad was selected.

The St Michael’s girls began strong, winning their first game 1-0 against Aberdour School, with Anna W scoring. They then drew 0-0 with Bede’s School in a game they were very unlucky not to win. Next, they faced the traditionally strong football school, Royal Russell. Our girls played some beautiful football, clearly growing into the competition and won in style 2-0, with Anna W scoring both goals and creating several good goal-scoring opportunities.

The next match was against the unbeaten Hoe Bridge School. This was a cracking game with both teams passing the ball well and chances at both ends. Tremendous defensive duties by Iris L and a great reflex save from Sophia E in goal kept us in the game. Sadly, our girls lost 0-1 in a match that could have gone either way. This meant our girls had to win their final game against Cranleigh School to qualify for the National Finals.

The final game was tight and fraught with nerves. The St Michael’s girls gave their all, battling back from 0-1 down to level the score. However, after a clear handball missed by the referee, Cranleigh scored a good goal to win the game 2-1. St Michael’s girls gave everything and were exhausted at the end. The PE Department is very proud of them all and they should be proud of themselves too.

The girls managed to finish third overall which means they have qualified for the IAPS National Finals on Friday 8^th November at Amesbury School in Hindhead. This is a fantastic achievement, well done girls!

Team: Sophia E, Iris L, Grace P, Amelia Rose B, Elodie B, Mollie H, Anna W, Isabel E and Ella C

Mr Brightman, Director of Sport

Year 3 explore our natural World at Horton Kirby

Year 3 had a fabulous day out at the Horton Kirby Environmental Centre. This trip was to enrich the Science topic on Humans and other Animals. The hands-on activities organised really played into the children’s natural curiosity and love of nature. I wish I could capture the awe and wonder shown when they caught a baby newt or found a frog under a log; this was wonderful for us to see. A perfect day enjoying the Joy and Wonder of Learning!

Mrs Perkins, Head of Year 3

St Michael's Community Football Tournament

The recent U11 Community Football Tournament was a fantastic event, featuring eight teams competing in a day filled with excitement and sportsmanship. After a week of rainy weather, the sun finally came out, creating perfect conditions for our young athletes to shine.

The mixed-gender format encouraged teamwork and camaraderie, with boys and girls playing side by side. Players ranged from seasoned veterans to those experiencing their first tournament, making for an exciting mix of talent. Spectators were treated to some thrilling matches, full of impressive dribbling, teamwork and skill.

St Michael's put in a fantastic performance with standout goals from Nik and William. The team secured victories in the group stages with a 3-0 win over St Edmund's and a 2-0 win over Kemsing. A narrow 0-1 loss to Seal St Lawrence didn’t dampen their spirits, as they advanced to the Semi-Final of the cup. In a nail-biting finish, St Michael's was edged out by Seal Primary in the final moments of the game.

The tournament was a great success, celebrating young talent, teamwork and sportsmanship. Congratulations to Amherst School, the cup winners and to St Edmund's, who took home the plate. A big thank you to all the players, coaches and families for making the day so special—we can’t wait for next year’s event.

St Michael's team: Robert M, William P, Nik B, Ella C, Ruaridh O, Grace P, Lana C and Kayla F.

Mr Godoy, Games Coach

A safari to remember at Port Lympne Wildlife Park

On Friday 4^th October, Year 4 enjoyed a wonderful day out at Port Lympne Wildlife and Safari Park. The weather was kind to us and we were very fortunate with the amazing array of animals that we managed to see: from lions, to tigers, to rhinos, to spectacled bears – yes, the Andean bears that Paddington Bear was based on!

In the morning, we listened to a fascinating talk by the park’s expert keepers on gorillas, learning about their diet and teeth and the Aspinall Foundation’s efforts to support their conservation – to complement our Science curriculum in Year 4. This was also a great way to complete our study of the book Gorilla by Anthony Browne in English. After this, we explored the various animal enclosures, having fun completing our scavenger hunts, before finishing the day with an exciting safari truck tour.

Mrs Medd, Year 4 Teacher

House Design Technology Competition 2024

ABRSM exam certificates

From this term, for any ABRSM exams taken in school or video performance exams, we have increased our administration fee by £3. This is to cover the cost of ABRSM supplying a paper certificate (ABRSM have introduced a £3 charge per certificate ordered from September). We have decided that we would like to continue to celebrate the children’s exam successes by presenting certificates in assemblies which we would not be able to do with the new digital certificates included in the exam fee. If you have any questions regarding the forthcoming exams taking place at school on Thursday 5^th December, please email us: music@stmichaels.kent.sch.uk.

Percussion Group

Mr Ashwell leads our fun and energetic Pre-Prep Percussion Group. The children have been working on different rhythms, dynamics and technique.  

In the first weeks of this term, Percussion Group have started work on an African drumming piece which we will hopefully share later in the year. We’ve been learning to use the different sounds of the djembe drums, playing a variety of rhythms and working on playing together as an ensemble. Our next steps will be to join our different sections together and then to prepare the piece for our first performance as a group.

St Michael's Umbrellas

Please view the below poster for details of how to purchase St Michael's umbrellas.

St Michael's Travel Coffee Cups

Wine Tasting

P & F Christmas Fayre - calling all stall holders

Christmas Wreath Workshop

Request for Christmas Fair donations

Flying success for Florence at NSEA competition

Congratulations to Florence D in Year 8 who performed brilliantly at the NSEA competition at Hadlow College last weekend. It was a busy show with lots of local schools competing in each class. Florence and Buddie jumped clear in the 50cm (optimal time) gaining 5th place and she also rode a super clear round in the 70cm class (timed section) on Jack gaining another 5th place!
 

Congratulations Florence, Buddie and Jack and thank you for representing St Michael's so amazingly - keep up the amazing work!

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