Mr Applegate – St Mark's CofE Primary School https://www.stmarksprimary.net Living life in all its fullness! Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:56:00 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://www.stmarksprimary.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-1-32x32.png Mr Applegate – St Mark's CofE Primary School https://www.stmarksprimary.net 32 32 2nd October 2026 Newsletter – Parents’ Evening, Disco and more https://www.stmarksprimary.net/2026/10/02/2nd-october-2026-newsletter-parents-evening-disco-and-more/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:23:05 +0000 https://www.stmarksprimary.net/?p=75512

A few notes from Mr Applegate

  • Thank you to those who joined us at the OPAL play morning. We’ll be running another one towards the summer.
  • This week, I’ve been sharing with other local head teachers about how proud I am of our pupils. They work hard, have great attitudes, and have kind hearts. We don’t always get everything right, but we remember our values of love and forgiveness, and as Boris the Robot tells us, “Don’t Hold Onto What’s Wrong.”
  • Our PSHE and RSE policy has been revised following government updates. Your can read more about it here. Please let us know if you have any questions by 16th October.

Have a great weekend, Charles

Reminders:

  • FOSM Disco – booking required by 9th Oct online here. Disco is on 16th Oct.
  • For those on Forest School: As it has been hot weather, some children have brought cooler clothes to change into; these must still be school uniform.
  • With half-term coming up, could you cover a farm slot? Book here.

This week’s homework and learning

Agents of Change 

Helpful Information

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.

Thank You for Joining Us at Our OPAL Play Morning

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our OPAL parent visit on Wednesday. It was a real success, and it was wonderful to see so many parents experiencing playtime alongside their children.
We received lots of positive comments throughout the morning, and it was fantastic to see children so engaged, creative and happy in their play. Your support and enthusiasm help make OPAL such a valuable part of school life.
We were also delighted that Julie (our OPAL lead) was able to join us and see OPAL in action. She was extremely impressed with the opportunities available to our children and the positive impact that play is having across the school.
Thank you once again for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming more families to future OPAL events.

School Disco

It’s our first FOSM School Disco of the year on Friday 16th October. 

The Year R and KS1 disco will be 5-5.45pm and the KS2 disco will be 6-6.45pm.  Information about how to order your tickets in advance will be sent to you soon. Tickets will not be available to buy on the door – book here in advance before 9pm on Friday 9th October.

Applying for a place at Secondary School

Please see here for information regarding applications for secondary school. 

Harvest Worship

On 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.

This week in worship…

Music of the Week

⭐Weekly Achievements and Attendance ⭐

⭐St Mark’s Shout Outs ⭐

Community News

Spotlight2

School Calendar Dates

View the full calendar here. Subscribe on either Chrome/ Android or Apple

 
]]> 25th September 2026 Newsletter – School Elections, Parents’ Evening, Census Day, Disco and more https://www.stmarksprimary.net/2026/09/25/25th-september-2026-newsletter-school-elections-parents-evening-census-day-disco-and-more/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:11:45 +0000 https://www.stmarksprimary.net/?p=75368

A few notes from Mr Applegate

  • It was so great to see our children experiencing ‘democracy in action’ this morning with our school elections. They treated it very seriously and responsibly. Well done to everyone who applied, and to those who gained the most votes. The hard work starts now!

  • Our children also voted on our new “Four ways to flourish” sentences – see the graphic backpack above. These are the children’s words, and explain what each area means to us.

  • We look forward to seeing parents of Year 1 -6 at our OPAL parents experience morning on Wednesday 30th. See below.

  • Remember, only those in Year 6 can have backpacks. For those in Years R-5 it is drawstring bags (personalised options available here). 

  • Year R, 1 & 2 pupils – please have a school dinner on Thursday please (it’s Friday’s menu). See below.

  • We still need some help on the farm please – your child will love it, and it’s free! Book here.

Have a great weekend, Charles.

This week’s homework and learning

Agents of Change 

Helpful Information

  • Autumn Term - what is my child learning?

     

Autumn Parents’ Evening – book yours on Monday

The Parents’ Booking website will open on Monday 28th September at 6pm for you to arrange your appointments.

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.

Years 1 – 6: Opal Experience Morning – Wednesday 30th September 8:45-10:15am

Tickets are still available from Arbor in the School Shop.  No tickets will be sent to you and you won’t receive a confirmation email.  To check you have one: on the Arbor website: go to Payments>Invoices. On the Arbor App it is slightly different: click on the three lines bottom left, scroll down to Payments>Invoices. Check your emails for further information. 

Census Day – Thursday 1st October 

Our Year R and KS1 dinner numbers on Census Day dictate part of the funding the school is given next year.  If you have a child in Years R to 2 we would be very grateful if you would encourage them to have a school dinner please. It can make a difference of ££££ to our school.

Thursday and Friday’s menu will swap next week to encourage as many school dinners as possible: 

Fish Fingers with ketchup or Quorn Nuggets with ketchup 

Served with chips, sweetcorn and baked beans 

School Disco

It’s our first FOSM School Disco of the year on Friday 16th October. 

The Year R and KS1 disco will be 5-5.45pm and the KS2 disco will be 6-6.45pm.  Information about how to order your tickets in advance will be sent to you soon. Tickets will not be available to buy on the door.

School Orchestra

Orchestra will resume on Thursday 22nd October.  More information will follow via email.

Applying for a place at Secondary School

Please see here for information regarding applications for secondary school. 

Harvest Worship

On Monday 19th October we will be celebrating Harvest Festival in our Worship.  On this day, we would like to collect food donations on this day. We will send more details of what you can donate nearer the time.

This week in worship…

Music of the Week

⭐Weekly Attendance ⭐

⭐St Mark’s Shout Outs ⭐

Well done Avery – an incredible painting!

Community News

Spotlight2

School Calendar Dates

View the full calendar here. Subscribe on either Chrome/ Android or Apple

 
]]> 18th September 2026 Newsletter – School Elections Deadline, Photographs on Monday, FOSM dates and more https://www.stmarksprimary.net/2026/09/18/18th-september-2026-newsletter-school-elections-deadline-photographs-on-monday-fosm-dates-and-more/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:05:09 +0000 https://www.stmarksprimary.net/?p=75103

A few notes from Mr Applegate

  • Our Key Information Sessions took place this week for each year group – you can view the slides and recordings here.
  • School elections are next Friday, with deadline for applying on Wednesday! Has your child applied yet?! More details here.
  • We’re in need of some Farm Bookings – your child will love it, and it’s free! Book here.
  • On Monday, we start our 8:43am bell to signify 2 minutes before gate closes. Don’t get caught out!
  • FOSM AGM – feel free to join us on Monday at 7:30pm at school. Find out about FOSM, and see how you can be involved!
  • School Photos – this coming Monday (21st Sept).  See below for arrangements.

Have a great weekend, Charles.

What is my child learning this term?

 

This week’s homework and learning

Agents of Change 

Helpful Information

  • 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

Forest School/Outdoor Learning Clothing

Your child will need to come to school wearing their Forest School clothing on their Forest School day. If the correct kit is not worn, then your child may not be able to participate in that session.

Forest School clothing must include:

  • Sturdy shoes/trainers, or wellies (depending on the weather).
  • Waterproof coat
  • Long trousers and long-sleeved top
  • Long socks (thick long socks in winter)
  • Sunhat and sunscreen if needed
  • Hat, scarf, gloves in winter

Please also provide a spare set of clothes (including pants and socks) and a small towel in a separate plastic bag.

This Monday – Individual Photographs

Photographs of every individual child will be taken on the morning of Monday 21st September.

Children must wear their white OR navy polo shirts and green St Mark’s jumpers or cardigans.  

What about children who have PE or Forest School/Outdoor Learning?

Photos are head and shoulders only, please send your child in wearing PE kit or Forest School attire on their lower halves.

The children will come home with a code for you to preview and order the photo. The website for ordering from Cardwell and Simons is here.

Applying for a place at Secondary School

Please see here for information regarding applications for secondary school.

Save the Date:  Wednesday 30th September 8:45-10:15am 

We will be holding an OPAL Experience Morning, where you will have a chance to learn more about OPAL, understand why play is so important for children’s development, and most importantly, join your child in their playtime adventures!  There will be further events held later in the year so please don’t worry if you can’t make this date.  More information to follow on Monday via email.

This week in worship…

  

Music of the Week

⭐Weekly Achievement and Attendance ⭐

⭐St Mark’s Shout Outs ⭐

Over the summer, Amelia C from 5M has taken part in 42 performances as Child of Vulgaria in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang staged by the Watermill Theatre in Newbury. She’s loved every minute on stage sharing her love and enthusiasm for theatre, and backstage nurturing friendships with other young performers. Wow Amelia!  What an amazing achievement! 

Last weekend, Stevie and Maxie participated in a local community litter picking event. They dedicated an hour and a half of their morning to help pick up litter around Beggarwood park. 

Last year, Stevie was elected as an Eco Warrior for the Eco Committee at St Mark’s and has thoroughly enjoyed it. During our walk to school this past week, she saw a poster for the event and jumped at the opportunity to support our local community and help make our public spaces cleaner and safer for everyone. She believed it was her duty as a previous Eco Warrior to help!

Well done Stevie and Maxie!  This is so lovely to hear and we are all very proud of you.

Community News

Spotlight2

School Calendar Dates

View the full calendar here. Subscribe on either Chrome/ Android or Apple

 
]]> 11th September 2026 Newsletter – Key Info Sessions this week, School Elections, FOSM AGM and more https://www.stmarksprimary.net/2026/09/11/11th-september-2026-newsletter-key-info-sessions-this-week-school-elections-fosm-agm-and-more/ Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:40:09 +0000 https://www.stmarksprimary.net/?p=74869

A few notes from Mr Applegate

  • I’ve been so proud walking around our school, seeing our children working hard, playing well and being kind. And we can’t wait for all of our Year R children to start fulltime on Monday!
  • Our school elections start soon – look out for a separate email.
  • Do you have a child starting in Year R in Sept 27, or know someone who does? Then join us on our Year R Tours – book here.
  • We are still waiting on Permission Forms from more than 100 families. Please complete this form. It’s to let us know who is collecting your child each day and if the Year 5 and 6 children can walk home.
  • Clubs begin next week – you will have received an email with the dates, times, and pick up locations.  If  you have made your payment, you will be able to access this information at any time via Arbor.  Please ensure grandparents know where the KS1 gate is – there’s a map in yellow section below.

Have a great weekend, Charles.

Uniform reminders – thanks!

  • No head shavings or designs shaved in
  • Wellies are a must for wet days on the field
  • No shoes with chains or charms

FOSM AGM – Monday 21st September

Come and join our FOSM PTA Annual General Meeting – Monday 21st September 7:30pm at school. Find out what we do, and consider joining the team!

Year Group Key Information Sessions & Links

These are brief online sessions for parents to give a chance to meet the teachers, hear an overview of the year group, and get key information like homework, reading, forest school and more. Videos will be sent out after the meetings for people who are unable to attend.

  • Tuesday 15th September – Y4 @ 5pm (Link) & Y5 @ 5:45pm (Link)
  • Wednesday 16th September – Y3 @ 5pm (Link) & Y1 @ 5:45pm (Link)
  • Thursday 17th September – Y2 @ 5pm (Link) & Y6 @ 5:45pm (Link)

Contacting Class Teachers

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 

 

This week’s homework and learning

Agents of Change 

Google Logins were emailed out last week.

Helpful Information

  • Autumn After School Clubs

    NB: it is not possible to pay for these clubs with Childcare Schemes or Government Tax-Free Childcare Accounts.

    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.  

    Finish Time: 4:10pm

    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
  • Wraparound Care: Lions and Breakfast Club

    Please read the information here to learn about Lions and Breakfast Club.

Childcare Tax-Free Payments Update

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. 

⭐Weekly Achievement and Attendance ⭐

Individual Photographs

Photographs of every individual child will be taken on the morning of Monday 21st September.

UPDATE: Children must wear their white OR navy polo shirts and green St Mark’s jumpers or cardigans.  

What about children who have PE or Forest School/Outdoor Learning?

Photos are head and shoulders only, please send your child in wearing PE kit or Forest School attire on their lower halves.

The children will come home with a code for you to preview and order the photo. The website for ordering from Cardwell and Simons is here.

Car Parking Complaints

As the new school term began, we instantaneously received multiple emails from residents of Highwood Ridge, Lapin Lane, and Wood Close.

Please park considerately in these roads if you have to park there at all.  

You are allowed to use the car park at Hatch Warren Community Centre.  

There are roads without single or double lines where you could park and then walk from.

Please avoid parking over driveways or where there are single yellow restrictions before and after school. 

We have also noticed parents parking on the left on the lead up to the school entrance barrier.  This is not a drop off space.  Please do not use it as one.

FOSM Colour Run – NOW POSTPONED. New date coming soon.

Calendar Dates

Remember, our school calendar is here.

School Dates, Lunches, and Clubs

View the full calendar here. Subscribe on either Chrome/ Android or Apple

 

Community News

Spotlight1

NHS Courses and Videos for Parents

Witherslack Group Parent Support Webinars

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