From the Head

From the Head of Pre-Prep

Dear Parents,

This four-day week has whizzed by! Thank you to those parents who join in the additional meetings which make our school such a vibrant place to be. In four days, we have had a P&F meeting, Pre-Prep Rep meetings, a Smartphone Free Childhood presentation led by St Michael's parents and a Stubbers Information Morning.

Next week on Monday and Tuesday, Nursery parents are welcome to join Kâren Stibbons in the Pre-Prep Dining Room to discuss the move up to Kindergarten in September. Please join us at 8.45am for refreshments. Please note, parents only need to attend one of these sessions.

Some year group Reps have asked that the Pre-Prep boys have a lighter summer uniform with lighter weight dark grey school shorts. I am happy for this to be worn in the warm weather.

Overheard in Pre-Prep: "If you eat too many bananas, you become a minion!"

Have a lovely weekend,

Zerrin Leech

RSAcademics parent survey

Please be aware that we are sending out a parent survey to the St Michael's community which we would really appreciate your response to. All answers will be anonymous and will be managed by RSAcademics, an independent and highly regarded company. Thank you, in advance for your help in this matter.

Pupil Ski Trip 2026

Only for the attention of parents of children currently in Years 4 to 7

Dear Parents, 

Following my email last week regarding trips next year, we have engaged with the constructive and positive feedback of the parents that contacted us and reviewed and decided to run the trip.

We will, therefore, be offering a Pupil Ski Trip for children in Years 5 to 8 (children currently in Years 4 to 7) in March next year (2026).

As this has been a decision made in the last 24 hours, we have been engaging with ski tour companies throughout the morning to get competitive quotes for the trip. 

These are the details that we know. Other details will be communicated as soon as possible. 

Trip dates – Saturday 28^th March to Saturday 4^th April 2026
Destination – French Alps (resort TBC)
Travel – Flight from Gatwick
Approx cost - £1,900

It must be pointed out at this stage that a firm decision from you will have to be made by Sunday 11th May 2025. After this point, we, as a school, will be liable for deposits to be paid. For the above price, we require a travelling group size of 30 children. If we do not achieve this threshold, we will not run the trip, as numbers below this total cause a sharp increase in price, only increasing more as the numbers fall. 

We are also aware that some families with children that are eligible for the Pupil Ski Trip may have already committed to the Family Ski Trip that was opened for expressions of interest last night. Having discussed this with the organisers of that trip, the decision of which trip you want to send your children on will rest with you. However, if your child(ren) wishes to move to the Pupil Ski Trip and you would still like to go on the Family Ski Trip, without your children, this would be fine. Please email FST@stmichaels.kent.sch.uk to let them know your intentions. The organisers will also need to have a decision by Sunday 11th May 2025 in relation to this. If they have not heard from you, they will take your decision as remaining as initially indicated. 

Thank you,

Fraser Wiseman, Deputy Head (Pastoral)

St Michael's Orchestra Day 2025

Last Friday we were thrilled to host musicians from three local primary schools to join forces with pupils from St Michael's orchestra and team of Peripatetic Music Teachers in our Orchestra Day.

The day was lots of fun and represented the very best of St Michael's in terms of the warm welcome extended to our visitors, the collaborative work on learning new pieces together and the teamwork and sense of achievement.

We were joined by musicians and teachers from schools including Otford Primary, Sevenoaks Primary and St Thomas' Catholic Primary and the pupils quickly set to work in their instrumental groups, learning the parts and making new friends.  

Mr Bennett did a superb job in arranging three fun and exciting pieces for the children to learn in a single day and they sounded incredible by the afternoon concert performance. Throughout the course of the day, orchestral sounds were heard in both the Pre-Prep and Prep school buildings, attracting the attention of many curious passers-by.

After a morning of sectional rehearsals in various groups, the full orchestra came together after lunch to polish their work and deliver an impressive sounding performance for visiting parents, who enjoyed a concert complete with coffee and cake in the Pre-Prep Hall. We were so impressed with results and extend huge thanks to our visitors for their enthusiastic participation as well as St Michael's brilliant orchestra and music teachers for their hard work and effort throughout the day. Finally, a big thank you to Mr Bennett for his musical direction of the entire event.

Mr Baird, Director of Music

Pupil Ski Trip 2025 highlights

During the recent Easter break, 30 excited pupils from St Michael's Years 5 to 8, accompanied by four dedicated teachers, set off on an unforgettable ski adventure to the beautiful French resort of Les Deux Alpes.

With blue skies gracing most of the week and breathtaking views from the slopes, the trip offered the perfect setting for both fun and learning. The group was lucky to be guided by four outstanding instructors from the ESF Ski School - David, Davy, Julien and Marc - whose patience and encouragement helped the children develop their skiing skills in leaps and bounds.

Although the snow conditions proved challenging for beginners early on, especially with the harder snow underfoot, the pupils showed remarkable resilience and determination. Their efforts paid off and by the end of the week, every single child was proudly skiing from the top of the mountain — an incredible achievement!

Beyond the skiing, the trip was filled with laughter, teamwork and lasting memories. The pupils represented the school brilliantly, showing great enthusiasm, respect and a real spirit of adventure.

A huge thank you goes to the staff who made the trip possible and to our wonderful instructors at Les Deux Alpes. We can’t wait to hit the slopes again next year!

Mr Wiseman, Deputy Head (Pastoral)

The 80th anniversary of VE Day

This week we have been remembering 80 years since Victory in Europe Day. During assembly Prep pupils learnt about the end of the Second World War in 1945 and how the Nation celebrated with parties, celebrations and thanksgiving services due to the relief and joy felt after six long years of war. Pupils saw photos and newsreels from the time and listened to the memories of those who had taken part in those celebrations. But, we also reflected that these celebrations were combined with sadness at the loss of so many and the suffering faced by so many more. 80 years on, we still have the opportunity to say “Thank You” for the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as a result of the sacrifices of the wartime generation. We hope that as families, you will get involved in some of the celebrations and commemorative events that are happening nationally and locally and that this anniversary brings communities together as VE Day did 80 years ago.

Meanwhile in Pre-Prep, the children have taken part in class discussions about the topic, with Pre-School enjoying colouring activities, making play dough cupcakes and decorating biscuits with the union flag colours.

Mrs Shield, Head of History 

Years 7 and 8 French Trip

Years 7 and 8 have had an amazing week on their French Trip - we can't wait to hear all about their adventures when they return today! More updates to follow next week. 

Year 2 set sail to Chatham Dockyard

A message from our Librarian

This week has seen the introduction of remote access for Prep pupils to our school Library management system, Reading Cloud Junior.

Once children have logged in, they will be able to:

• View the books they have checked out and see when they need to be returned

• Review books they have read and recommend them to their peers

• Browse the Library's collection to help choose new books

• Reserve books (with the requirement to collect them in person from the Library)

Children in Prep have been shown how to log in and use the site and have been given a username and password, which can be found in their Homework Diary. The login page can be accessed using the following link: Reading Cloud: Junior Classic.

We hope that allowing the children remote access to the system will help them keep better track of their loans and also give them the opportunity to browse all of the new and exciting books St Michael's Library has to offer!

Mrs Citron, Librarian

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. 

Discord

"Discord is a free app which allows users to communicate in real time via text, video or voice chat. Available on desktop and mobile devices, it was originally designed to help gamers cooperate – but has evolved into a more general networking platform for a range of online communities, discussing topics like TV series, music, Web3 and more. Discord is organised around closed groups, referred to as ‘servers’. To join a server, users must be invited or provided with a unique link. It’s a space for users to interact with friends, meet others with shared interests and collaborate in private online — but it’s also a place where young people can be exposed to risks if the right precautions aren’t taken. In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as cyberbullying, predators and inappropriate content.”

Words by Coral Cripps, Technology Writer

This week, the Breakfast Club and Hive were buzzing with excitement as children took on a thrilling cup stacking challenge. Armed with an elastic band and four strings, they collaborated brilliantly to stack cups one by one.

Meanwhile, over in the Mini-Hive, our youngest builders were hard at work stacking bricks to construct their very own houses.

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.

As you start to think about your children moving up a year or moving onto senior schools, please consider donating the uniform they used to the second hand uniform shop. St Michael's is unique in providing such a service (selling at half price or less of the new price) and it helps to have a range of items and sizes; this relies on your donations. 

Please remember that we still buy any good condition blazers sizes 5-12 for £35.

We will endeavour to open for a few days in the summer, details will be in the newsletter towards the end of term. 

We are open 5 days a week 8.15am to 9.15am.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Samworth via email on melbrand@yahoo.co.uk.

Special Menu Day

We have a special menu day coming up on Thursday 15^th May for Monopoly Day. Please click here to view the menu.

Smartphone Free Childhood Movement

Many thanks to those of you who attended the online or in person presentations regarding the Smartphone Free Childhood Movement. For those of you who couldn't attend we hope to send the slides around soon. Whether you attended or not, if you would like to join the growing community who are choosing to delay giving their child a smartphone, please sign the pact. It takes 30 seconds and the more of us who do, the quicker we'll change the social norm. If you wish, you can join the St Michael's Parents Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp group for updates.

Mrs Flora Scott and Mrs Yuliya Folland

St Michael’s parents

Easter Pet Competition winners

Congratulations to Abi and Dan L who have won the P & F Easer Pet Competition for their photograph of Jura the dog!

P & F Summer Fest 2025

Valence Festival of Motoring

Join the fun at this year's Otford Village Fete

The Otford Village Fete, run by The Otford Society, is one of the biggest in Kent. Held every year for over 80 years, this year's Fete will be taking place on Bank Holiday Monday 26th May 2025 11am - 4pm on the Otford Recreation Ground, TN14 5PR. You can find out more by clicking here.

St Michael's will also have a stand at this year's Fete: come and say hello as well as taking part in our competitions, activities and story time sessions. 

St Michael's Eco Club invite members of the St Michael's community to take part in our Big Litter Pick this year. 

House Point Certificates

Dover: Thea L; Olivia P and Arianna O

Leeds: Rudy F; Zac B; Mason S; Eliza C; Talia N and Sasha Z

Rochester: Margaux B; Maia B; Helena H and Arabella H

Windsor:  Tim V; Emma G; Adrian S and Rebecca A

Times Tables Certificates

Bronze Times Tables Certificate: Alex B

Silver Times Tables Certificate: Tancred B; Archie F; Teddy D and Hugo W

Gold Times Tables Certificate: Max Z

Swim England Awards - Learn to Swim

Level 2: Arthur R

Level 3: Tancred B

Players of the Match - week commencing 5th May

Arthur competes in Sevenoaks Rugby Tour

Follow us on social media!

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