Newsletters

Issue 10

Issue 10

9th September 2022

{alt_tag}

{alt_tag}

Head Teacher's Welcome & News

Dear families

As of last night, the country is in national mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, but the school will stay open as usual. We have no official information about a bank holiday for her funeral so far. In school the children are taking in the important event with calmness, but with interest. For many children it is a reminder of other experiences of loss and grief. It is important to acknowledge what they have heard and feel. Let the class teacher know if there is anything that lingers.

A warm welcome to a new year at St Paul's Steiner School, I hope you have had a restful summer break. We have had some welcome rain after the long hot Summer and the Kindergarten garden and Green are looking lush and verdant for the children. On Monday we welcomed our Kindergarten children and Class students to St Paul's, families old and new.  It was a delight to see everyone excited and ready for learning. 

The Staff have enjoyed busy Inset days, planning for the upcoming year with a focus on safeguarding, SEN and wellbeing. We have worked hard to make the school as beautiful as possible. Alex has built a new Kitchen for the Staff and repainted and newly lazured some classrooms, so they look lovely for the children as they move throughout the school. 

We enjoyed a beautiful Rose ceremony, welcoming the new teacher Ms Goebel and her Class I children to the School.  In this special and memorable ceremony, they were each handed a rose by Class VIII.  They were all very excited and to be thought of by the older children. 

The Student Council presented their policies and plans to the Middle School this week and the children voted for their leaders.  Florence as the new chair of the Council, Mack is Deputy and Goni is the Secretary.

We have a new BSL teacher for Classes I-V, Ms Hussain.  The children love the expressive nature of learning this language and the respect and inclusivity it brings. We welcome back River, the Handwork teacher, Miss Garland’s assistant dog who kept the atmosphere calm and reassuring in Class I’s first handwork lesson this week. 

We are in the process of finalising more recruitments, which you will hear about shortly.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the first Parent Evenings.

Warm wishes

Ms Anna Retsler

Headteacher

{alt_tag}
{alt_tag}

Welcome to the St Paul's Steiner School Newsletter...

...where you will find useful and practical information, wellness oportunities, glimpses of daily life, community news as well as interesting and exciting things happening in the School. We will publish a new one every four weeks on Fridays. 

There is much to look forward to in the Autumn term. There is our Michelmas festival where we work, chop apples, make juice, eat a communal meal, sing, clean, collect food for charity and dust off the Summer and prepare for the months ahead with enthusiasm and a hard work ethic. We will celebrate the Jewish festivals of Rosh Hashana and Sukkot in School with the children, Black History Month begins and Diwali, the Hindu Festival of light is always enjoyed.  All festivals are reflective of the community of St Paul’s and the authentic experience of our families.  We are always open to suggestions of Festivals to celebrate.

There will be a Ceilidh this term, for all parents, organised by our Community Group who organises fundraising events.  It will be a wonderful chance for us to get to know one another, meet other parents from other Classes and fundraise for the School. The Community Group will introduce themselves at next week's Opening Festivals and welcome anyone to join.

Maisie

Follow us on Instagram  @stpaulssteinerschool

School Website

Waldorf Today

Useful Information

Contacts 

As always, if your child is absent or has medical/dental appointment, please email 

Pam Mattis: absence@stpaulssteinerschool.org. T

This email should also be used if you would like your child to join lunch club or after-school club.

The school office mailbox is accessed only by the Administration & HR Manager/DSL, Tamara Allen who will pass all communications to the relevant parties - schooloffice@stpaulssteinerschool.org.

Your class teacher remains your first point of contact if you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s experience at school, the curriculum, discipline, homework etc. The emails can be found below: 

Class I       Ms Goebel                    Classone@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class II      Miss Wickramaratne   Classtwo@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class III     Ms Miller                       Classthree@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class IV     Ms Cook                     Classfour@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class V      Mrs Freeman                Classfive@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class VI     Ms Tate                          Classsix@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class VII    Mr Reeves                     Classseven@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Class VIII  Mrs Steggell                   Classeight@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Apple Tree KG     Sarah Newby                 Appletree@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Chestnut Tree KG   Stephanie Gill            Chestnut@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Mulberry Bush KG – Julia Allan                 Mulberrybush@stpaulssteinerschool.org 

Rosebush KG – Elena Oliver Andres        Rosebush@stpaulssteinerschool.org

The SENCo Annina McCormick will assist you if your child has any SEN needs and can be contacted at senco@stpaulssteinerschool.org

The school finance team consisting of Ashad Auckburally and Oleg Gailans and can be reached by emailing finance@stpaulssteinerschool.org

For new Admissions, email the admissions team at 

Admissions@stpaulssteinerschool.org

At times, you may have questions for subject teachers, in these cases email schooloffice@stpaulssteinerschool.org and your email will be passed to the relevant person.

If you have questions regarding the curriculum as a whole, email the College of Teachers Chair, Ethan Reeves at college@stpaulssteinerschool.org

If you have any safeguarding or child protection concerns, contact the safeguarding team consisting of Tamara Allen (DSL), Simone Freeman (DDSL) and Elena Oliver Andres (DDSL) and can be reached by emailing 

safeguarding@stpaulssteinerschool.org

If your concern has not been resolved after contacting the relevant individuals and emails, you can contact the Headteacher Anna Retsler at

 are@stpaulssteinerschool.org

 

Extended Care Provision

We have extended the School day to offer After School Care Club from 3.30pm -5.30pm. 

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for Class children.

Monday to Thursday for Kindergarten children.

Lunch Club/Orchard Group is running as normal, Kindergarten to Class 3 (where applicable), Monday to Friday 1.15pm-3.30pm. 

Please email absence@stpaulssteinerschool.com to book a place. 

Further after school clubs will be communicated shortly.  We will offer- 

British Sign Language for Middle School on Wednesdays.

German for Lower School children on Wednesdays, and Middle School children on Tuesdays.

Mobile Free School

Please be reminded that we are a mobile free School, so please refrain from taking pictures or using your phones whilst on site.  This is especially important when picking your child up, to ensure we are present and attentive to them.  No photos should be taken at Festivals or events in School where children are present.  We have our own official staff who take photos, thank you for your cooperation.

Allergies-NO NUTS PLEASE

We are a nut, and sesame free school, so it is imperative that your child’s packed lunch and their morning snack does not include these items or ingredients. This includes hummus, fruit and nut bars and any other processed food which contains nuts or sesame seeds. This is necessary to keep everyone safe. 


{alt_tag}

Term Dates

KG Opening Festival 7:30 – 9:00 pm
7:30pm – 9:00pm
13
September
School Opening Festival Class I - VIII 7:30 – 9:00 pm (Parents only)
7:30pm – 9:00pm
14
September
Michaelmas (9:00 am – Play on the Green)
9:00am – 9:30am
29
September
Forum – BSL, SEND, and Neurodiversity - 6:00 – 7:00 pm (Parents only)
6:00pm – 7:00pm
05
October
Ceilidh – (PM – Time TBC)
All Day
15
October
Sun Children Parents’ Evening - 7:30 – 9:00 pm
7:30pm – 9:00pm
19
October
HALF TERM - NO SCHOOL
All Day
From 24 Oct until 28 Oct
24
October
Term re-commences
All Day
31
October

Parents Evenings

The Kindergarten Opening Festival on 13th September will start in the Nave at 7.30pm with all parents and Teachers then you will move into your child's Classroom for a group parent's evening.

The Class Opening Festival on 14th September will start at 7.30pm in the Nave with all parents and teachers then move into your child's classroom/s for a group parents evening.

Your teachers will be in touch about parent surgeries and meetings later in the term.

{alt_tag}

Wellness

Junior Park Run

Junior park run

Join a free, fun weekly 2K event for 4-14 year olds, every Sunday 9am at Highbury Fields and Caledonian Park.

Some children want to run, others walk, skip, hop or jump; some go fast, some don't finish, which is all fine! The most important thing is that children have fun and leave with a smile. And if you like to, you can run too. 

Although it is free, please register your child before their first time and make sure your child brings the scannable copy of the barcode with them every time.

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/

{alt_tag}

Create a mural in Cally Park 

Inspired by local people’s stories of coming to Islington as part of Windrush, come along to Caledonian Park and help paint a mural in the new amphitheatre. The free sessions take place every Thursday in September 2–4pm and will be led by a professional artist.

Community

Hello!  My name is Aza Birdsall-Craycroft. 

I graduated in June of 2022 from the Rudolf Steiner School in New York. I am in London through December, taking a year off before I attend Oberlin College. I am staying in Stoke Newington. I’m a proficient cellist and am very interested in music.  I am looking for jobs, and I have lots of experience in Babysitting and Pick-ups and have loads of references. You can reach me at

07985 947554, or azabc123@me.com


Nanny wanted

A Queen’s Park family (with a 6 year old girl in Class I at St Paul's Steiner School and a 1 year old at the Parent and Child group) who are very fond of the Waldorf framework, are looking for a full time or part time, live in or live out, Waldorf trained Nanny.

Competitive pay and contract available for the right candidate.

Starting as soon as possible. If of interest, kindly contact Dominik 

dom@nagly.eu


 
Experienced Steiner Waldorf nanny available!
 
My name is Frances Macgregor.  I am a nanny who has worked for lots of families at St Paul's over the years. 
 
I have the level 4 and 5 Steiner Waldorf kindergarten training and have been a nanny for over 10 years. I have a particular interest in babies and under 3s. I am looking for 2 full days (Tuesdays/Wednesdays) of work so a family with younger siblings or parent and child family would be ideal. I have great references from around the school and elsewhere. If you are interested I would love to hear from you, my number is 07847 577273 or you can email me on
 
frances_childcare@hotmail.com
 
Looking for a room to rent for 1 month only.
I am looking for a room to rent from 14th Oct-14th Nov while there are renovations at my flat due to previous flood damage.
If you have a room available I would love to hear from you, please contact me on
 
07847577273
 

ST PAUL'S PARENTS CHOIR

We welcome new members to the choir this term!

Taught by ear, no previous experience necessary - open to all!

Every Thursday during term time.

Address: 6 St Paul's Place, N1 2QD - just around the corner from school.

Arrive: 8.45am after drop off.

Singing 9am-10am

£7.50 per session / pay what you can

Coffee and chat afterwards if you are able to stay! There may be cake.

We sing a mix of rounds, part songs, folk songs, songs from around the world, and things to tie in with the changing seasons and the school festival year. We will be sharing what we have learnt together at school events such as the Advent Fair.

Meet new parents, make bonds and experience the joy of singing and singing together with others.

First session this Thursday 8th September 8.45am.

For more info or to be added to the choir chat group message Clementine on

07583523827.


{alt_tag}

Creative storytelling workshop

...using shoe box theatre, shadows, cut-out silhouettes, box art and marionettes

 For years Tina and Sevim (St Paul's parents and teachers) have been visualising and dreaming about this puppetry and storytelling workshop for children and we are so thrilled to announce that it is finally happening.

 We are offering a creative storytelling workshop for this coming academic year 2022-23 for ages 8 to 14.

Each half term we will create a finished project, six in total over the year. We will work with stories from around the world as well as fairy tales. Some projects will be in the form of an artwork to be taken home and some will be a collaborative effort.

Project 1: Shoe box theatre (6 weeks, 13th September – 18th October)

In the first half term every child will be supported in creating a shoe box theatre. An ordinary shoe box will be transformed, decorated and turned into a miniature theatre. Characters as well as the necessary backdrops will be drawn, which can be slid “onto the stage” on long sticks through slots in the side or back of the box.

Project 2 and 3: Shadow scenes (6 weeks, 1st November – 6th of December and 6 weeks, 3rd January – 7th February)

The following 2 wintery half terms will be the collaborative shadow projects. Each half term we will divide up the story into scenes and compile a storyboard. Then we will stage these individual scenes, make the relevant props and use the children as actors. The large photos in the email illustrate this project. Together we will create the scenes in the form of shadows in front of a backlit big white screen. Each finished still picture will be photographed and the story compiled in a small booklet with every child receiving a copy at the end of the year.

Project 4: Cut out silhouettes (6 weeks, 21st February – 28th March)

The children will be cutting out of paper the shapes and characters they need to illustrate this story. They will experiment with the effect of light and shadow and the various definitions they create. This project will also be photographed as a series of still scenes behind a screen within a larger box and included in the book at the end of the year.

Project 5: Creating a box art scene (5 weeks, 25th April – 23rd of May)

The story will be broken up into individual scenes and each child will create one scene using a box and various materials and techniques. This can take the shape of many layers of cut out paper lit from behind or be a three dimensional artwork.

       

Project 6: Marionettes (5 weeks, 6th of June – 4th of July)

The children will learn how to make marionette puppets, help to create the backgrounds and props for their chosen story and perform the puppet show together. Each child will be taking home the marionette they have made.

This kind of imaginative workshop is open to many levels of artistic abilities and will give plenty of opportunities for the children to learn and experiment with composition, prop making, creative problem solving, collaboration, storyboard drawing and acting whilst having fun with their friends.

This workshop will take place at Tina’s home at 31 Osbaldeston Road, London N16 7DJ and run every Tuesday afternoon during term time. It will be for a maximum of 10 children (including Tina’s 2 children). Children will be picked up from St Paul’s Steiner School at 3:30pm. Some children can ride their bikes to the workshop with Tina, the others will go on the short bus ride with Sevim. We will provide a healthy snack of fruits and crackers upon arrival. The creative session will be an hour and a half, finishing at 5:45 at which point children will need to be picked up.

Location:

31 Osbaldeston Road, London N16 7DJ

When:

Tuesdays, term time only

Duration:

3:30pm – 5:45pm (2 hours and 15 min)

Cost:

Each session is £25 including the snack and all art materials.

Breakdown of the year:

Autumn term: 12 weeks

6 weeks: 13th September – 18th October

6 weeks, 1st November – 6th of December

 

     £300

Spring term: 12 weeks

6 weeks, 3rd January – 7th February

6 weeks, 21st February – 28th March

 

     £300

Summer term: 10 weeks

5 weeks, 25th April – 23rd of May

5 weeks, 6th of June – 4th of July

 

     £250

To secure a place please email tina_maas@hotmail.com.

We require a £100 deposit.

We require termly payments but a yearlong commitment as each session builds on the next for this very unique and creative workshop.

Payments for each term are due on the first session of that term and the fee for the summer term will be less as it takes into account the deposit paid.

Sevim Metin and Tina Maas both have a background in film making and photography and share a love for storytelling, puppetry and creative forms of expression. We are both DBS checked, trained in Steiner pedagogy and hold valid paediatric first aid certificates. Between us we have extensive experience in teaching workshops, working with children as well as doing arts and craft projects and we are very much looking forward to engage with your children in this creative storytelling adventure.


If you would like to post something in the School Newsletter, please contact Maisie at mke@stpaulssteinerschool.org.  We can publish suitable community notices, childcare offers and requests and information about events, so please get in touch.

Notices cost £5 from within the Community and £10 for external.