Dear Parents & Carers, 

Thank you for all the generous donations to Littlehampton Foodbank for our Harvest Festival this year. We have sent five full tables worth of food items to the charity. This is an amazing show of generosity and community spirit. Well done to our Year 5 and Year 6 basketball teams, who finished in joint 4th place in their basketball tournament earlier this week at The Angmering School. 

We are approaching that time of the year when winter germs start to do the rounds. It can be difficult to know whether to send your child into school when they are feeling a bit poorly. I have attached a useful guide from the NHS that is to support parents with their decision making - Is my child too ill for school?

Next week:

- We look forward to welcoming prospective families to our Reception Stay and Play sessions, which start this Saturday 10th October 10-11:30 or Wednesday 14th October 3:15-4:30pm. We also hold tours of the school each Friday morning through the Autumn term. Do share this with anyone you know who has a child due to start Reception in September 2027 and might be interested in joining the St Margaret's family!

- Information about the flu vaccination and how to complete the online consent form will be sent out tomorrow. 

- Our Parent Evening booking system on MCAS is now open for you to book a slot on either the 20th or 22nd October with your child's class teacher. Any problems with booking, please get in touch with the School Office.

- Thank you for your continued support of our Shine Project for Operation Christmas Child. Next week, the donations are for Toys: small toys, games, balls, plastic animals, yo-yos, cars, frisbees, skipping ropes, puppets. Please also bring in any empty shoeboxes too! Spread the word far and wide so we can send as many shoeboxes as possible! The yellow box will be in the playground!

- Lighthouse Club, our Christian Union, run by St Margaret's Church, has now been extended for children from Year 2 to Year 5. Please see the attached flyer and sign up through the usual route on MCAS.

- We are taking part in the NSPCC Kindness Challenge 2026 - a month long initiative to promote empathy, teamwork and help children to understand their role in positive change. Classes will be learning about this in their year group assembly times and taking part in activities to celebrate and encourage kindness across the school community. Do share with us any acts of kindness your children show at home too, which we can celebrate with them. 

- Please return your ballot paper for our election of a new Parent Governor to the School Office. This came home with your child earlier this week.

Important information & updates: 

- We encourage children and families to cycle or scoot to school as a healthy and active way to travel. To help keep everyone safe, please ensure that your child wears a suitable helmet if travelling to school by bike or scooter. For safety reasons, children must dismount from their bike or scooter at the school gates. Our playground and entrance areas can become very busy at the start and end of the school day, and dismounting helps to prevent accidents and keep all members of our school community safe.

- For information on how to keep your child safe online, or information on how to report harmful content online, please follow this link to our website for more information - Staying safe online.

- Traffic reminder -  you must not park on the zigzags, across driveways, junctions or other dangerous places. Please also be extra careful crossing Arundel Road, even if a car has stopped to let you go, as some people are trying to overtake waiting cars and driving on the wrong side of the road. 

- We have attached the letter regarding Forest school sessions, as a reminder to parents as to which dates your child is attending.

- We understand that with the rising cost of living, some families may be experiencing financial pressures. If you are finding it difficult to provide evening meals, please be assured that support is available. If you would like to discuss this confidentially, please contact the School Office and ask to speak with Mrs Darby. We are here to help and support. Please also be aware the eligibility for Free School Meals has changed this academic year and if you think this might be applicable to your household, please follow this link to find out more: Apply for Free School Meals – West Sussex County Council .

- Please join us on 22^nd October 9.30-11am for our next parent/carer workshop on: Healthy eating, sleep routines and dental hygiene. This session highlights the importance of good nutrition, consistent sleep routines, and dental hygiene. Using a highly visual approach, the workshop introduces each of these three key areas, and provides time for parents/carers to ask questions and share their experiences. Screen time will also be discussed.
Enjoy a tea or coffee and a biscuit while connecting with other parents/carers. Please contact the School Office to reserve your space. 

- Please see the attached "Dates for your Diary" which has new dates inserted and highlighted in red.  Please read this carefully so you do not miss any important events. 

Attachments:- Activ8 For Kids WAC Club Flyer, Dates for your diary, After school clubs (Internal and External), Operation Christmas Child letter, Lighthouse Club flyer,  NHS guidance sheet - Is my child too ill for school?, St Margaret's Church Light Party advert.

With best wishes, 

Mr Lumley 
Headteacher