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16th October 2026 Newsletter – Harvest donations, Prayer Space and more

A few notes from Mr Applegate

Year 3 had a great trip to Buster Farm today, and their manners were impeccable. Well done Year 3!
Thank you for your support of our FOSM Disco this evening. We hope your child really enjoys it.
Parking – please can I reiterate to drivers to be respectful of local residents and roads. We’ve had 3 complaints this week. Thank you.

Have a great weekend, Charles

Reminders:

The car park is closed today from 4:30pm.
School photos should be ordered before Sunday 18th for free delivery to school – see below for details.
Harvest Worship is this Monday 19th Oct – please bring in a donation for Basingstoke Foodbank. Shopping list below!
Parents evenings begin next week:
- Parrots: Tuesday and Wednesday next week
- Rest of the school: Wednesday 21/10 and then Wednesday 4/11
Important reminder: Friday 23rd October is NOT an INSET day.
‘Flu vaccinations will take place on Friday 23rd. If your child is absent, you will be contacted by the School Nursing Team and invited to attend a community clinic to have the vaccination.
With half-term coming up, could you cover a farm slot? Book here.

This week’s homework and learning

Agents of Change

Helpful Information

Year Group Key Information Slides and Videos
Autumn Term - what is my child learning?
Year 1 - Sensational Senses - Autumn 1.pdf

Year 2 - Beauty on my Doorstep - Autumn 1.pdf

Year 3 - Dig and Discover - Autumn 1.pdf

Year 4 - Anglo Saxons - Autumn 1.pdf

Year 5 - Supersonic Space - Autumn 1.pdf

Year 6 - Ola Brazil - Autumn 1.pdf

Year R - It's good to be me - Autumn 1.pdf
Autumn 1 PE Days

PE Uniform details can be found here. Remember, football shirts, hoodies, or general day-to-day clothing are not acceptable as PE kit.

Year R – Monday, Tuesday (indoor)

Year 1 – Thursday (outdoor)

Year 2 – Tuesday (outdoor), Thursday (indoor)

Year 3 – Monday (outdoor), Friday (indoor)

Year 4 – Wednesday (indoor), Friday (outdoor)

Year 5 – Tuesday (outdoor), Thursday (outdoor)

Year 6 – Wednesday (outdoor)
Autumn 1 Forest School/Outdoor Learning Days
Forest School/Outdoor Learning starts W/B 21st September.

For the first 2 weeks the children will have Outdoor PE until Outdoor Learning sessions start.

What do children need to wear? See here.

Year 1:

1BM Mondays

1B Tuesdays

1D Fridays

Year 6:

6P Mondays

6DS Tuesdays

6E Thursdays

Bridge & Orchard:

Thursdays
Autumn After School Clubs
Clubs Finish Time: 4:10pm

Please see your confirmation email and Arbor App to confirm which clubs your child has been registered for. If there is a charge, you must pay in order for the registration process to complete.

School Access:  COLLECTION IS VIA KS1 GATE – orange star in the photo below 👇🏻

Exceptions:

Forest School – finishes at 5pm and collection is at Dandelions Gate.

Dance Live – see emails from Mrs Boyle for details and contact her here for enquiries – dancelive@stmarksce.org.uk

Young Voices – contact the team here for enquiries – youngvoices@stmarksce.org.uk
Arbor
Wraparound Care: Lions and Breakfast Club
Childcare Tax-Free Payments -further information
For parents who have been making payments for wraparound care (Breakfast Club & Lions) using the Government scheme or a similar company scheme we would like to help you to understand the process a little more now that we are getting to grips with it as well.

You pay in money to your scheme choosing St Mark’s C of E Primary School as the childcare provider (on the Government site, search by our postcode – RG22 4US).

The scheme will send the money to Hampshire County Council.

We receive the money onto our banking system.

We manually add the money onto your Arbor account.

Your Arbor balance adjusts accordingly.

As you can see, the process is much longer than before. As long as you tell us in advance that you want to pay in this way (tell us here) we can set up Arbor to accept your bookings for Lions regardless. The negative balance on Arbor will remain until such time as we have received and actioned the funds. This will be happening on a regular basis from next week.

If you use both Wraparound provisions, please email us to tell us how much you want us to credit your Breakfast Club account and how much to credit your Lions account. That would be very helpful.
How to contact your child's teacher

For matters requiring same day/urgent responses (e.g. pick up arrangements) we would prefer a telephone call please: 01256 346111 as year group emails can be missed and may not be looked at in the evenings or during the day.

Year R – yearr@stmarksce.org.uk Year R parents should no longer use the NewYearR email address as this is no longer monitored.

Year 1 – year1@stmarksce.org.uk

Year 2- year2@stmarksce.org.uk

Year 3 – year3@stmarksce.org.uk

Year 4 – year4@stmarksce.org.uk

Year 5 – year5@stmarksce.org.uk

Year 6 – year6@stmarksce.org.uk
Foodbank Friday

Many local supermarkets host a permanent donation point where people can leave the donations they purchase during their visit but we would also like to set up a station in school where children can feel that they are making a difference to help others.

We are encouraging children to occasionally bring in an item of food, which they can put in a box in our School Office.

We will update the list each week or you may prefer to download the Bank the Food App. This will update it weekly on the items we’re running low on. It’s a great app and you only need to download it and select Basingstoke Foodbank as preferred. You can also activate notifications which means you’ll get a reminder when you visit the supermarket, so you never forget to donate. It lets you know the items they most need.
Illness - should I keep my child off school?

Prayer Space 2026: Living Water

As part of our school vision of “Living Life in All Its Fullness”, this year’s Prayer Space will explore the theme Living Water, inspired by Jesus’ words in John 4. Through a range of creative and reflective activities, children will have opportunities to reflect on themselves, others and the wider world. They will be encouraged to consider how they can Value Everyone, Develop Character, become Passionate Learners and act as Agents of Change in their daily lives. The Prayer Space offers a calm and welcoming environment where children can pause, reflect and pray.

Each class will visit the Prayer Space for a dedicated 30-minute session, and every year group will also have the opportunity to visit during one lunchtime session across the week.

Parents and carers are warmly invited to visit the Prayer Space during Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 21st October. We hope you will take a few moments to experience this special space and see some of the activities that the children will be enjoying throughout the week.

We look forward to sharing this meaningful experience with our whole school community.

Prayer Space 2026: Living Water

Harvest Worship

This coming Monday (19th October) we will be celebrating Harvest Festival in our Worship. On this day, we would like to collect donations for Basingstoke Foodbank on this day. See below for details.

Autumn Parents’ Evening – we’re nearly fully booked!

Please book your appointments soon as the slots are filling up quickly.

Parents’ Evening Dates:

Wednesday 21st October Appointments from 3:40pm–6:50pm

Wednesday 4th November Appointments from 3:40pm–6:50pm

Please go to https://www.parents-booking.co.uk/stmarks using the email address we hold on our records.

Parrots Class have different appointment dates – please see your email/calendar for details.

School Disco

The school car park will be closed to all users on Friday 16th between 4:30pm and 7pm. This includes those who usually have permission to use the car park during the school day and parents collecting children from Lions. The closure is necessary due to the school discos taking place and parents and children will be walking through and queuing in the car park area. To ensure everyone’s safety, no vehicles will be permitted to enter the space.

Traffic Control Warning for Danebury School

Next week, Thames Water may be carrying out works on Danebury Road opposite the school to repair the collasped drain. Temporary traffic controls will be in place while these works are undertaken. We kindly ask parents and visitors to make alternative parking arrangements to avoid using the parking spaces by the bus stop, as access may be restricted and traffic delays are likely. Thank you for your cooperation.

Applying for a place at Secondary School

Please see here for information regarding applications for secondary school. The national notification date for on-time applicants is 1 March 2027.

Odd Socks Day and Anti-Bullying Week

During the week beginning Monday 16th November, we will be celebrating Anti-Bullying Week at St Mark’s! The theme this year is ‘Break the Silence’. On Monday 16th November, we will celebrate Odd Socks Day.

WHAT IS ODD SOCKS DAY?

Odd Socks Day is a key part of Anti-Bullying Week! To celebrate that we are all unique, we ask that children wear odd socks to school on Monday 10th November. Last year over 13,000 schools took part in Odd Socks Day and again this year, we are joining them!

WHY IS ODD SOCKS DAY IMPORTANT?

The day sends an important message to pupils that they should be allowed to be themselves, free from bullying and helps us celebrate Anti-Bullying Week in a fun and positive way. We will be completing fun activities during the day and the rest of the week, which will help us celebrate both our differences and our unity within our St Mark’s community.

WHAT DO WE NEED FROM YOU?

*Please just make sure your child wears odd socks to school on Monday 16th November!*