From the Head

From the Head of Pre-Prep

Dear Parents,

We have had a busy week of rehearsals, staying in the shade and keeping up with the curriculum. I have managed to see the Year 1 and Year 2 children swimming recently and I am impressed with their progress. It was also good to hear the Year 1 children talking to Mr Davies about water safety whilst they are on holiday. Some reminders about what to do in the pool or sea to stay safe would be good for you to reinforce too.

Pre-Prep had a wonderful aroma of strawberries on Tuesday afternoon when the Year 1 children returned from strawberry picking at Stonepitts Farm. A little rain in the morning cooled the temperature down but didn’t deter the picking.

By the time you read this the children will all know their new teachers for next year. Staff have already given the next teacher a comprehensive handover about each child so please don’t worry that a teacher will not know your child. Move-Up Morning will be next Tuesday. If your child is going into Year 1 or Year 2, please let them walk down the bridge to the garden as usual. Any parents walking down will be the parents of Reception children. The event is only for the morning so all children will end up in their usual classroom after lunch so please don’t change any pick-up arrangements.

You are welcome to join us on Tuesday evening to Meet the Teacher. Reception parents will have a talk from Reception at 6pm, Year 1 at 6.30pm and Year 2 at 7pm. The P & F have kindly said they will meet everyone in the Pre-Prep Dining Room before their talk for a glass of Pimms so if you arrive early or you are going to two different talks, please pop in for a drink. This is a 'no children' event.

Reception children will be out on Thursday at Lingfield Wildlife Centre so please send children in suitably dressed for the trip. I know Reception teachers will be sending you details of this next week.

Prep Sports Day is next Friday. The car park in the afternoon will be busy. We take the Pre-Prep children to see some of the events, but you are welcome to watch at pick-up. The Coffee Cart will be open.

Overheard in Pre-Prep: "Did your cat lay kittens?"

Have a lovely weekend,

Zerrin Leech

During the last week of this term we will be welcoming the following individual to St Michael's:

Joe Hickmott - Grounds and Maintenance Assistant

Messages from the School Nurse

Head Lice

There have been repeated cases of head lice reported across several year groups. Please check you child’s hair (and any siblings) for head lice and treat accordingly. Please also ensure long hair is tied up during the school day. 

If you spot Head Lice in your child’s hair please check everyone in your household and treat those affected on the same day. You will need to re-treat in a week’s time to get rid of any newly hatched lice. 

Please view the NHS website for more information about head lice/ nits

If your child is due to swim and you have used a medicated shampoo to treat head lice, please check the instructions to check if chlorinated water can affect the efficiency of the treatment.

Warm Weather Precautions

To ensure your child is adequately prepared for the warm weather, please apply sun cream generously before they arrive at school. Pupils may bring their own sun cream for reapplication throughout the day. Additionally, please provide them with a sun hat and a water bottle. Your support with this is greatly appreciated to ensure your children feel well throughout the school day.

Mrs Carlton, School Nurse

Countdown to Prep Sports Day!

The countdown is on to Prep Sports Day on Friday 4th July!

Ahead of the event, click here to view the programme. 

Waves of fun in the Isle of Wight!

Our residential to the Isle of Wight was definitely a trip to remember! We left school at 10.30am on Monday and arrived in sunny Portsmouth at 12.30pm where we went shopping for two hours. We then hopped on the Jenny M boat that took us straight to the UKSA in the Isle of Wight, arriving at 3:30pm.

We enjoyed a full English breakfast every morning before setting off on our activities. Our first activity was jumping off the pontoon. The water was very cold but luckily, we had our wetsuits, buoyancy aids and helmets to keep us warm. We played water games which were lots of fun including building our own rafts and crossing a rope followed by pushing each other off! 

During the trip we also tried wind-surfing where we learnt how to stand up and ride the wind, as well as dinghy sailing with the aim of not capsizing the boat; keel-boating, the best of all the activities, and canoeing down the river which led to Newport. We also did paddle boarding in pairs.

We will definitely miss the staff at UKSA as they were so kind and welcoming.

Thank you to Mrs Shield, Mr Scott, Mrs Andrade and Mr Pears for making it such a fun and enjoyable trip. 

Words by Olly, Florence and Joe, Year 8 

U9 Ellis Andrews Cricket Tournament

Last Thursday we welcomed four schools to participate in our annual 5 over tournament and to celebrate the life of Ellis Andrews. As someone who loved cricket, Ellis undoubtedly had a hand in ensuring the sunshine made for some exciting cricket.

All of the participants enjoyed themselves and were fully committed to expressing their cricketing skills in the matches. Although the matches were short, they were action packed and St Michael's players performed with the same determination and spirit they have shown all season long.

The players balanced aggressive boundary hitting with more measured running between the wickets to become the tournament’s top scorers. They backed this up with an impressive bowling and fielding performance. Consequently, they gave themselves a good chance of winning the tournament and would have done so had it not been for the loss of a wicket in the final over against the eventual winners. Congratulations to Somerhill!

We look forward to next year’s edition of the Ellis Andrews Tournament.

Mr Godoy, Games Teacher

Discovering Ancient Egypt!

Year 3 were transported back to Ancient Egypt last Friday as we welcomed the fantastic History Off the Page workshop company to St Michael's. Children, staff and parent volunteers all looked the part in full costumes which helped to immerse the pupils in their learning.

During the morning the children visited an Egyptian market place where they made Egyptian artefacts ranging from scarab beetles to parchment paper. In the afternoon, the children took part in a royal festival complete with a feast.

A huge thank you to our parent volunteers who made this event possible.

An amazing day of learning had by all!

Mrs Perkins, Head of Year 3

Year 2 Maths Challenge

Last Friday the much-loved Maths Countdown Competition made its exciting debut in Pre-Prep with the very first Year 2 event. The turnout was fantastic, with a buzzing atmosphere and plenty of eager young mathematicians ready to showcase their number skills.

It was brilliant to see such enthusiasm and determination from our Year 2 pupils as they tackled the challenges with confidence and creativity. A big thank you to our helpful Year 7 pupils who did a brilliant job supporting the event by keeping score.

There were some impressive performances across a series of challenging rounds, with margins incredibly tight—highlighted by a five-way tie for third place.

The results are as follows:

1st Place: Ivy R (47 Points)

2nd Place: George P (43 Points)

3rd Place: Ivan K, Reuben S, Rupert D, Martha S and Owen J (all on 42 Points)

We look forward to seeing this new tradition grow in the years to come!

Mr Fuller, Maths Teacher

A sweet trip to Stonepitts!

Year 1 were full of excitement on Tuesday morning as they took a trip to Stonepitts Farm. Following an interesting talk about the life cycle of a strawberry, the children were given some top tips on how to pick the tastiest fruit. The children behaved beautifully and returned to school excited to take their strawberries home to their families. 

Mrs Grove, Year 1 Teacher

Online Science Quiz Finals

In February St Michael's Science Quiz Team thought that they had reached the end of the road in this year's competition, but they had in fact managed to secure a place in the Online Finals which were held earlier this week. Unfortunately, Theia H was unable to take part due to the Music Tour, however Peter S ably stepped in and team training commenced in April.

Anatomy, Zoology and everything in between was quizzed (and yes..... we got the dinosaur identification correct!). After a shaky start, the team settled down and rose from mid-table to finish in 5^th place out of 30 schools. A superb demonstration of collaboration and resilience. Congratulations to Lottie E, Thomas G, Isaac O and Peter S for all they have achieved.

Many thanks to Mrs Citron for letting us use the Library, a fitting venue, and to Mr Smith for getting the sound to work!

Mrs J Clarke, Science Teacher

Hindu assembly

Year 5 pupils Krisha and Aadhya delivered an outstanding assembly to their peers this week all about Hindu traditions and festivals including the Holi Festival of Colour. Year 5 pupil Ayla also did a fantastic job of supporting Krisha and Aadhya in their presentation. 

Piano and Recorder Assembly

On Tuesday, Mrs Mumford, Peripatetic Music Teacher, and her Pre-Prep recorder and piano musicians treated Pre-Prep and some parents to a Piano and Recorder Assembly. They performed a variety of pieces and were all brilliant. All of the children played beautifully and enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their learning, which for some of the Year 1 children was their first performance. Well done everyone!

The children involved were:

YEAR 1: Theo A, Jasper D,  Florence E, Michael S, Emma U and Harry W

YEAR 2: Gabriella A, James C,  Noah M, Alexandra O and Martha S

YEAR 2 Recorders: Gabriella A, Jessica C, Poppy F, Grace F, Alexandra O, Sophia P, Martha S, Erin S and Nikita V

Mrs Mumford, Peripatetic Music Teacher

St Michael's No Idle Car Policy

The Eco Committee would like to remind parents that we have a No Idle Policy for cars on St Michael's grounds. We have noticed parents keeping their cars running for long periods of time for air conditioning when waiting to collect their children which is resulting in a strong smell of fumes in the pick-up areas. This is damaging to our environment. Please support our Eco efforts by turning your car off whilst stationary. 

Recycled dog toys

Well done to Sofia who has been making dog toys out of tights (including St Michael's tights) as a way to reuse materials. This is linked to the reducing litter section of the Green Flag award.

Big Litter Pick

St Michael's Eco Club invites members of the St Michael's community to take part in our Big Litter Pick this year. Don't forget, you can borrow litter pickers from the Pre-Prep and Prep Offices!

Please visit our Learning Development Parent Guides page for a collection of valuable resources for parents, focusing on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Here you'll find a variety of courses and information designed to support you and your child. Whether you're looking for educational materials, support groups or expert advice, these resources aim to provide the guidance and assistance that you need. We will update the resources each week so please keep checking this page. 

Spotify

“With around 60,000 songs added to its online library every day, Spotify is a vast treasure trove of audio dating from some 19th Century recordings through to giants of the download age like The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran. Factor podcasts, audiobooks and videos into the mix and the Swedish-based streaming platform quite literally offers something for everyone. 

Not everything in Spotify’s depths is universally suitable, however. The sheer mass of music and content on the platform mean that, naturally, not all of it is intended for younger listeners. With an audio chat service available and media reports of predatory activity, this guide highlights other aspects of Spotify which trusted adults ought to be in the loop about.” 

Words by Carly Page, Technology Journalist

This week has been full of creativity and fun! We kicked things off by diving into a messy but exciting papier-mâché group art creation. The children have loved using the glue and paper to shape and mould our design.

In addition to our artistic adventures, we’ve also enjoyed practising our hula hoop skills in the garden.

For more information about the Hive or Breakfast Club or to book in your child, please contact Nicky Smith at WrapAroundCare@stmichaels.kent.sch.uk.

Camp Beaumont returns to St Michael's this summer!

We are excited that children's activity provider Camp Beaumont will be running sessions at St Michael's again this summer from Monday 14th July to Friday 15th August 2025. 

The perfect solution to keeping the kids entertained during the school holidays, Camp Beaumont's summer camps are packed with a wide range of exciting activities to provide children with a safe, fun environment to play and make friends. 

Every day is a new adventure with multi-activity days that kids of all ages can get involved with. Whether your kids are into sports, arts, reading or love to take part in competitions and team activities, Camp Beaumont has it all.

The camps are led by a qualified, enthusiastic team that are passionate about ensuring kids have an unforgettable time during their school breaks.

They offer a great selection of activities for ages 3-11. Their Playtime day camps in Kent are for 3-4 year olds, with fun and age-specific activities that little ones will love taking part in. For 5-7 year olds, their Magic summer camps in Kent that are filled with exciting things to do and take part in, from sports and team activities to quiet time and learning opportunities. And for kids aged 8-11, their Active half-term camps in Kent are the perfect option.

Camp Beaumont is an ideal place for your little ones to learn a new skill, try a new hobby or simply make new friends. For parents in need of a flexible and affordable childcare solution during the school holidays, or for kids who want to have fun during the school break, their camps in Kent are available throughout the year for kids in the local area to enjoy.

Use code STMICHAELS25 at the checkout to receive 10% off!

Secure your child's place here.

A Message from The School Shop

The School Shop will be open throughout the summer for your back to school needs. We strongly recommend that all new parents or existing parents with lots of items to buy during the summer period book an appointment to come to the shop. If you have more than one child that requires uniform fitting, please book consecutive appointments for each child. We would advise early booking to ensure you get a convenient time for yourself as the appointments are subject to availability.   

To book an appointment please click here or visit our website and click on the 'opening times and info button'. 

Until the end of term we will be open at our usual term time opening hours: 

8:00am - 9:15am: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 

Should you need any further help, please do not hesitate to email us at stmichaels@sturdyclothing.co.uk or call Lou on 07713 632284 and we will do our best to help. 

Déjà Vu will be open on the following days during the summer holidays from 10am to 12pm. 

Friday 22nd August

Thursday 28th August

Monday 1st September

Please check the website nearer the time for any changes.

If you have any questions or need a private appointment due to being a new family or having multiple children please contact Melissa Samworth at melbrand@yahoo.co.uk.

Donations are always welcome and appreciated, however please do not leave them outside of the shop if it is closed. If you cannot drop your donations off during our opening hours, please email Melissa Samworth for other arrangements.

Donations reminder

Whilst we are extremely grateful for all of your donations to Déjà Vu, especially as you leave the school or sort through your children's old uniform, please could you ensure it is cleaned before it is donated. We do not have laundering facilities on site. Please could you check that it is clean, without holes or stains, and in a condition that we can sell it in. Many thanks.

Sevenoaks Football Academy trials

Otford Allotment Association

Perform classes

Shoreham Village Players auditions

Hot Off the Press

House Point Certificates

Dover: Ralph C

Leeds: Oliver F

Rochester: Noah M

Windsor: Poppy F; Tancred B; Lincoln L and Thomas D

Times Tables Certificates

Bronze Times Tables Certificate: Phoebe D and Grace F

Players of the Match - week commencing 23rd June

Lincoln receives high praise at Sevenoaks Arts Festival

Congratulations to Lincoln who delivered a confident performance at the Sevenoaks Three Arts Festival 2025 on Saturday 21st June. Showcasing his musical talent, Lincoln claimed first place in the Grade 1 Strings Category with his violin rendition of the traditional Yiddish piece Tumbalaliaka.

Adjudicator Fiona McLean-Buechel praised Lincoln's performance, noting his "strong sound" and "good range of dynamics.". She further commended how "the music flowed well" throughout his performance.

Staff Sports Camps

Join Mr Shea at his summer football camps:

Follow us on social media!

Make sure you are following St Michael’s social media channels for important updates and content throughout the year.