From the Head

From the Head of Pre-Prep

Dear Parents,

It has been a quiet week where staff and children have been steadily rehearsing for the Nativities, whilst calmly getting over their coughs, colds and temperatures. Thank you for keeping your unwell children at home until they are fit enough to return.

Next week is the beginning of the two weeks of Christmas fun!

Dates reminder:

Wednesday 3^rd December 9am- Kindergarten Nativity

Thursday 4^th December 9am- Reception Nativity

Thursday 4^th December 11am- Nursery Nativity

Tuesday 9^th December 9am- Year 1 Nativity

Wednesday 10^th December 9am- Year 2 Nativity

Coffee will be available before each performance in the Pre-Prep Dining Room. 

On Wednesday 10^th December, please send your child into school with a Christmas jumper rather than the school jumper or cardigan. This is not a charity day, just a day that has become a tradition at St Michael’s on the same day as our school Christmas lunch!

On Thursday 11^th December, we will be having Christmas parties in our year groups. Details from class teachers to follow next week.

Friday 12^th December is our last day at school with a pick-up time of 12.00. This will be the final half day at the end of a term. From the Lent Term at Easter, we shall be moving to a full day at the end of each term.

Overheard in Pre-Prep: 

Child 1: "Do you know what the best thing in life is?"

Child 2: "I know, love."

Child 3: "Friendship?"

Child 1: "No, Judo of course."

I hope you all have a good time at the Christmas Fair tomorrow.

Zerrin Leech

Pupil illness reminder

If your child is unwell before school, please do not send them in with medication that may wear off during the day.

• Any child with a temperature must remain at home until they have been symptom-free for a full 24 hours, without the use of paracetamol or Nurofen.
• Any child who has experienced vomiting or diarrhoea must stay at home until 48 hours after their last symptoms.

These measures are essential to protect the health of all students and staff, particularly those who are more vulnerable due to being immunocompromised.

Abby Carlton, School Nurse

St Michael's Family Wellbeing Reading for Pleasure Challenge

We are inviting St Michael’s families to challenge themselves to find as many times as possible during the Christmas holidays to read for pleasure for 10 minutes. Reading for pleasure has been shown to be hugely beneficial for wellbeing as well as attainment, and children can find it very inspiring to see the adults in their home picking up a book for fun! The challenge is optional but everyone is warmly encouraged to take part.  

You can record your progress on the challenge here or hard copies will be available in the Library for the rest of the term. 

Flora Citron, Librarian

St Michael's Winter Warmer Community Collection

Donate until 3rd December!

As part of our community outreach, we are inviting St Michael's families to donate winter warmers working in collaboration with Sevenoaks School to provide for those in need.

We've already had a really generous number of donations and anyone wishing to donate can do so until 3rd December. 

We are collecting new and pre-loved, good condition wellington boots and winter warmers: hats, scarves and coats of sizes suitable for children aged 4 to 12 years every day outside the Pre-School, Pre-Prep and Prep entrances. We would be grateful if all donations could be clean and without holes. 

St Michael's Hygiene Bank Collection

We are welcoming St Michael's families to donate to our annual Hygiene Bank collection which this year will be supporting the Salvation Army and Sevenoaks Hygiene Bank. We have been pleased to receive many donations so far and our collection continues until the end of term for anyone wishing to donate more. 

How to donate

Tubs have been placed on the various landings in Prep for children to place any items brought in by the end of term. The Hygiene Bank website is requesting ‘new, unused, personal care and household cleaning essentials - including deodorant, shower gel, shampoo, make-up, nappies, toilet roll, laundry detergent and surface cleaner. If you need them and use them, then it is likely someone else needs and uses them too.’

We are already off to a great start and it would be wonderful if we can have another bumper collection this year to donate to a worthy cause.

Thank you, 

Mrs Baisch, Head of Years 5 and 6

Christmas Holiday Programme

St Michael's Welly Walks- launching January 2026

Join us for a fun and friendly outdoor adventure around our beautiful school grounds! Guided by a member of staff, little explorers (and their carers) can splash, stomp and discover the wonders of nature on our woodland Welly Walks. 

What to expect:

• A gentle guided walk perfect for under 4s
• Fresh air, chatter and lots of exploring
• Natural pathways with some steep inclines
• Please note: The walk is not pram-friendly; babies can be carried in a papoose
• This is a dog-free event. 

Come along, get muddy, meet new friends, make memories and enjoy the great outdoors with us! 

The meeting point is at Novell’s Coffee Cart outside St Michael's Pre-Prep at 9am, Fridays during term time. First walk: Friday 16th January 2026 9-10am. 

You must register your interest to attend; please click here to sign-up. 

Camp Beaumont Black Friday Sale

Children's holiday activity programme provider Camp Beaumont will be returning to St Michael’s next Easter and Summer and are running a Black Friday sale from Friday 28th November to Monday 1st December. 

Sale prices range from £37.50 per day when you book for the entire week or £40.50 for individual days; 40% off the on-the-day price. Use code BLACKFRIDAY40 at the checkout to redeem these offers.

Unsure of your plans for Easter and Summer currently? Add Flex to your booking for £4/day to change your booking anytime, up until the last minute. You can also spread your payment over 3 instalments or delay the payment for 28 days when you select Klarna as a payment option. 

Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity; secure your place now by clicking here.

Kemsing Christmas Tree Festival 

Please come and support Kemsing Church's Christmas Tree Festival this year. From 30th November to 7th December, you can visit the Church to see 16 trees representing a number of local groups and societies. You will be given a warm welcome, a drink and snack - and you will have the opportunity to vote for your favourite Christmas Tree (yes, St Michael's has entered the competition, but please do vote as you wish!).

Mrs Shield, Head of Religious Studies 

A beautiful Musical Soirée 

On Thursday 13th November, we were delighted to welcome parents and friends to a candlelit musical soirée in our beautiful school Chapel. The evening provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the talent and dedication of our pupils who performed an impressive programme of instrumental and vocal solos.

The soirée comprised of elegant piano pieces, upbeat drumming, captivating vocal solos as well as beautiful woodwind and string performances. There was a breadth of musical talent showcased during the event. We would like to give thanks to the entire team of instrumental and vocal teachers for their support and guidance in preparing the children for performances such as these.

We are immensely proud of all the pupils who took part and grateful to the families who joined us for the occasion. 

Gordon Baird, Director of Music

St Michael's Aces A Hockey team qualify for regionals

A few weeks ago, the Aces A team travelled to King’s Canterbury School to compete in the Kent County Hockey Tournament.

In their opening game against St Edmund’s School, the girls made a slow start but soon found their rhythm, securing a 1-0 victory. Their second match was against Ashford School where they produced some excellent hockey to claim a confident 2-0 win.

The final group game was a decisive one- a clash against rivals King’s Canterbury who had beaten them in the previous Finals. The girls started strongly, scoring two well-worked goals through composed team play and clinical finishes. King’s pulled one back through one of their standout players but the Aces held firm to win 2-1 and finish top of their group.

This result set up a Semi-Final against Radnor House School, runners-up from the other group. The girls came out firing, racing to an early two-goal lead. Although Radnor managed to pull one back, the Aces dominated the rest of the match and booked their place in the Final- once again facing King’s Canterbury who had eased through their own Semi-Final.

Unfortunately, the long, wet day began to take its toll. Despite a determined effort, the girls ran out of steam and were defeated 3-1, earning a well-deserved silver medal. Their performance, however, secured qualification for the South East Regional Tournament which is a fantastic achievement.

It was an exceptionally wet and testing day but the girls showed tremendous determination, teamwork and resilience throughout. They should be incredibly proud of their efforts. Well done, Aces!

Team:

Ellie S, Elodie B, Sophia E, Saskia E, Amy H, Beatrice B, Ella D, Theia H and Ayla A

Joel Thomas, Head of Boys' Games

Year 8 attend Debating Competition at Sevenoaks School

On Thursday 28th November, a team of Year 8 pupils were invited to take part in a Debating Competition at Sevenoaks School. Five other schools took part and topics ranged from the risks of social media to deciding whether to explore space or the ocean.

The format was more formal than we are used to but the children adapted quickly and put forward some strong arguments. They were positive ambassadors for the school, and we all noted how many former Old Michaelians came to see us to say hello and make us feel welcome.

Dan Orpin, Year 4 Teacher

St Michael's raise over £200 for the Royal British Legion

Over the period of remembrance, poppies could be purchased at both the Pre-Prep and Prep Receptions, to pay our respects and raise money for the Royal British Legion. We are delighted to announce that we raised £234.60. Thank you to everyone who donated to this important cause! 

Cut Your Carbon Challenge launched for pupils

As part of the Eco-Schools Award, we are encouraging pupils to take on 6 challenges aimed at reducing carbon emissions before the end of term which has been launched to Prep pupils during Form Times this week. Pupils who want to take part can collect a challenge sheet from the Eco Board in Prep. To complete a challenge, they must provide proof (photo or video) and send it to Miss Lambert. 

Please click here to view more information about the campaign and each of the 6 challenges. 

A breaktime litter pick!

Children from all year groups have joined our Litter Picking Club this term, helping to keep St Michael’s grounds clean and safe for wildlife. This eco project is part of our ongoing journey towards earning the Green Flag again this year. From crisp packets to mouth guards, pupils were surprised by how much litter we collected. The Litter Picking Club will continue through the rest of the academic year. 

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 during term time!

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. 

P & F Christmas Raffle

P&F Christmas Fair 

Film Night- book now!

P&F May Ball- Tickets now available!

Coffee Cart Opening Hours

Players of the Match - week commencing 24th November 2025

Blake and Miss Binns' Taekwondo Triumph!

On Saturday, Blake in Year 5 represented his Taekwondo club at their annual championships. Competitors could enter up to three disciplines: Patterns, Sparring and Special Technique (flying high kicks). Blake gave an outstanding performance, securing two gold medals in his age category for Sparring and Special Technique.

Our very own Admissions Officer, Miss Binns, also took part in the competition. She competed in all three elements; Patterns, Sparring and Special Technique (board breaking). After a thrilling head-to-head in the board-breaking round, Miss Binns triumphed with gold medals in all three disciplines, an incredible achievement!

Congratulations to both Blake and Miss Binns for their dedication and success! They are both looking forward to grading together in the new year.

Erin's dance success!

Congratulations to Erin who won the lower school award for Tap at Dance Act's end of year awards evening. Earlier this year, Erin was invited to join the performance team and has since performed in Sevenoaks, Sadlers Wells, Exeter and Crawley. Well done Erin, we are so proud of you!

Madame La Croix and Madame Poracchia's Spanish achievement! 

Our teachers, just like our pupils, never stop learning!

Madame Lacroix and Madame Poracchia passed a Spanish exam at the Instituto Cervantes back in September to better support our Years 7 and 8 pupils when they do their taster weeks in other languages at the end of the school year.

Well done both of you!

Christmas Netball Camp

Otford Methodist Church Toast Club

Follow us on social media!

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