Visit by local MP Sarah Olney
This afternoon we were lucky enough to be visited by Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney.  As part of her outreach work, she is keen to see what is going on in her local schools and meet with children and staff.  She was able to see the school in action and spent some time with the KS2 School Council to answer their questions about her role, democracy and her current agenda.

Consideration to our neighbours
There are many positive reasons to live near a primary school - joyful noises of children playing, easy access to education, big open spaces.  However, there are also some pitfalls - mainly linked at King’s Oak to the disruption caused by additional traffic and congestion at drop-off and pick-up times.  Now that we have had regular traffic patrols ensuring the safety of the pavements and the crossing at the front of the school, the problem has shifted further afield to more residential streets.  I have heard from distressed neighbours of parents parking in and across their driveways, blocking access and causing upset with poor language and conduct.  Please can I urge everyone who needs to drive to school to park with respect for residents, other road users and pedestrians.  Even better, please make use of the Aldi / Matalan car-park which is a short stroll away from school.  Thank you.

Children’s Mental Health Week
Next week is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme is 'Let's Connect'. During this week, the children will be encouraged to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways. Through engaging in activities in class and assemblies, they will learn how making connections can support their mental health and general wellbeing. There are also lots of ideas you could try at home like cooking, watching a film, playing a game, going to the park or even doing the family shop together! More information can be found by following this link: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/families/

The Mayor of London's cost of living bus is coming to Kingston
January is a challenging time for many, with people often suffering from financial stress. This half-term, the Mayor of London's cost of living bus will be parked in the Hook Centre car park on 16 February from 10am - 4pm for Kingston residents to drop-in. The bus will serve as an in-person advice centre and offer debt, money and welfare advice, as well as other forms of cost of living support available across Kingston. Expert advisors from Debt Free Advice https://debtfreeadvice.com/bus will be on-hand to give free and confidential advice on debt, benefits and other money worries.
For more information please visit the Mayor of London's website. https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/communities-and-social-justice/help-cost-living/find-support-your-local-council-and-advice-centre
For general cost of living support, visit www.kingston.gov.uk/costoflivingsupport  

Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day 2023 will take place on the 7th of February, with celebrations and learning based around the theme - ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’.

Led by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the celebration sees thousands of organisations get involved to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. By taking part in this event, we are celebrating our children and young people’s voices by putting them at the heart of the day and encouraging them to shape the online safety support that they receive.

That is why we are asking parents, carers and the wider community to take time to listen to children and young people and make positive change together. Over the next week, we would recommend conversations at home about how we talk and respond to online issues.  Here are some websites that have parent guides to help with these conversations and further support with children and young people being online.
Safer internet Day 2023

https://www.kidscape.org.uk/programmes/digital-safety-training-for-parents-and-carers/

https://www.kidscape.org.uk/advice/advice-for-parents-and-carers/cyberbullying-and-digital-safety/

https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/6-10/#guides
 

Thank you for all the support this week, only one week to go until the half-term break! Have a lovely weekend.

Ian Hutchings

Headteacher