The Thomas Coram CE School

How have you shown: Kindness, Resilience, Respect and Thankfulness this week?

Newsletter 9
Friday 6 November 2026

"And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28 16:20

Important Information for w/c 09/11/26

Sat 7 Nov - Berkhamsted Fireworks gates open from 5.30pm. Display at 7pm
Mon 9 - Fri 13 Nov - Y6 Assessment week
Wed 11 Nov - Remembrance Day
Fri 13 Nov - Pre loved Uniform sale from 3.20 in dining room
Sat 14 Nov - Community Planting Morning Lagley Meadow
Odd Socks Day for the start of Anti-bullying Week

Monday 16^th November
Christmas Lunch now bookable via Arbor!!
Flyers at bottom of newsletter - DENS sleepout, Ashlyns Craft Fair, Azure Christmas Camp, Ashridge House Illuminated, Community Planting Day Lagley Meadow Hall, BYT Treasure Island, Thomas Coram Choir

Oracy Homework

If you could make one law what would it be?

This Week

What a lovely first week back we have had back. It definitely feels more like autumn now and the weather has certainly changed, so please can I remind you all, that children should be coming in to school with a coat/ jacket please. May I also remind you about parking. I have had several emails regarding parking and people parking poorly this week, so please remember to think about where you have stopped in the turning circle and please be as quick as possible when dropping off or picking up. Now with winter approaching and darker evenings, can I also remind parents that it would be great if children could be collected in Year 5 and 6 rather than walking home alone after clubs, but I appreciate this may not always be possible. Therefore if children are walking, please ensure they know what they are doing and you trust they will be safe enough to walk home in the dark. A big thank you to a parent from Blue Square Contracts for a very generous donation to FOTC this week, thank you very much Joe! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Worship

On Monday, Father Stuart led worship and looked at the story of Jeremiah and the importance of noticing things around us and taking time to slow down. It was great to see that being put into place on Tuesday, with the children noticing the beautiful rainbow at the end of the day. Today we heard all about Gambia's learning - well done for a great first half term at TC.

Smartphone Free Working Group

Today, I met with the the smartphone free working party group for our first initial meeting on trying to encourage a smartphone free agenda to the school. Please see the links below as good first step when thinking about phones for your children. We will be in touch in a few weeks with further information.

First Phone Readiness | Common Sense Media

Parents' Ultimate Guide to First Phones | Common Sense Media

Field Use

As the weather has changed and our field becomes particularly muddy, we have said Year 6 and 4 can use the field for football games at lunch time, but they need to have a change of shoes and be in a named bag to be able to go on. We will then change this around for year 5 and 3 after Christmas.

Outdoor Equipment

We would like to offer a different range of activities for the children to do at lunchtimes. If you have any Lego or magnetic tiles at home that your children no longer use, we would greatly appreciate them. Please bring any donations to South Africa classroom.

Mrs Stevens Marathon

Next year I will be running two marathons! Below is my link and QR code for my fundraising page. On the Saturday I'll be running the marathon for Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity and then I'll be running again on the Sunday for fun(!!) If you can call back to back marathons fun!!!

https://2027tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/meg-stevens?utm_source=enthuse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=f-27LMOB-25&utm_content=LMpageURL#qrCode

Friends of Thomas Coram

Yesterday, we launched Junior Friends of TC to the children. We got a great response and have lots of energetic, engaged students wanting to get involved.

JFoTC raises money for the Charity but also gives the kids a sense of impact and purpose: it really is a cool thing to see. If you’d like to be one of the adults who helps us run JFoTC, please get in touch with Sara (07717 516069).

In other news….

The deadline for the whole school Movie Night is Monday 16^th November at 10am. We’ll be watching Disney’s ‘The Naughty Nine’ where kids on the naughty list plan a North Pole heist! The ticket price includes a drink, sweets and popcorn (and adults don’t need to be there!):

https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/ticketing/whole-school-movie-night

Not long before those cheeky Elves turn up…we’ve sold half of the Elf Prop Packs. If you haven’t got yours yet, here’s the link

https://buytickets.at/thefriendsofthomascoramschool1/2451798

For those who are smugly sorted with their order, we’ll be in touch soon re picking up your pack.

⭐️ Volunteer Superstars ⭐️

This week our superstars are the 60 children who are signed up to make items to sell at Artisan Market on 13^thDecember. We’re going to be designing tote bags, creating keyrings, whipping up bath bombs, all to sell at the FoTC stall.

We need volunteers to man the stall on the day, so if that’s you, please let us know.

And a final thank you to a very special family who made a whopping donation to the charity. You may have seen a new block of colour on the thermometer…all down to one parent whose company donated an enormous amount. You know who you are and we are incredibly grateful ❤️

Important Information

Christmas Lunch 16th December 2026

Our wonderful Christmas Lunch, taking place on Wednesday 16 December, is now bookable via Arbor.

Roast Turkey or Veggie Wellington, both served with all the trimmings and a selection of puddings.

It's a lovely event where all the school wear their Christmas Jumpers and eat together with festive music!

If your child would like a Christmas lunch, please book this by 9am on Wednesday 18 November. (in Arbor, under shop, you will have the option to book either a turkey or vege lunch).

All pupils (including FSM or those with special menus) will need to order a lunch in Arbor or bring a packed lunch on the day. The cost of a lunch remains the usual price of £3.55 or £0 for children in receipt of free school meals.

All dietary requirements / preferences that HCL are aware of will be catered for, if a lunch is ordered.

Book Fair

We will be hosting a book fair in the library from the 16^th to 20^th November. This is a fantastic fund-raiser for the school library, last year we made over a £1000 to spend on new books which is a massive boost for us. We all love the library here at Thomas Coram and we like to keep the shelves full of books that encourage the children to read more widely!

The book fair is a great opportunity for the children to practice shopping and purchasing things for themselves. Each class will have slot to come and have a look around and I will also be open during lunchtime for each year group. Children that would like to bring in money are asked to have it in a named envelope which can be handed to the class teacher to be looked after. There will be a wide variety of books and a range of stationary as well which is very popular! I will be open after school if you would prefer to come in with your child and purchases can be paid for by card via a QR code on your mobile phone.

The children are always very excited about the book fair and enjoy having a browse amongst the shelves but please remember you don’t have to purchase anything. I do always remind them they can borrow the library books for free!

Book Fair opening times

Day	Morning	Lunchtime	After School
Monday	-	-	3.20-4pm for all
Tuesday	Year6	Year 3	3.30-4pm for all
Wednesday	Year 5	Year 4	3.20-4pm for all
Thursday	Year3	Year 5	3.20-4pm for all
Friday	Year 4	Year 6	3.20-4pm for all

AUTHOR VISIT FROM EMMA CARROLL – SIGNED BOOK OFFER

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that acclaimed, bestselling author Emma Carroll will be visiting our school on Wednesday 18 November for an extraordinary, high-energy author event!

Known as the "Queen of Historical Fiction," Emma is coming to share her spectacular new gothic adventure: Dracula & Daughters: School for Slayers.

About the Book: Dracula & Daughters: School for Slayers

Set in a delightfully dark and twisty world, this thrilling tale follows a trio of sisters sent off to a boarding school with a difference. But they don't hate vampires—they heal them! Packed with mystery, bravery, and clever twists, it's a gripping story about sisterhood, secrets, and standing up for what's right.

During her live presentation, Emma will take pupils behind the scenes of her storytelling, share her secret recipe for building suspenseful worlds, and spark a passion for reading and creative writing across the school.

As you can imagine, this will be a wonderfully interactive event.

She will be signing books for the children at the event.

IMPORTANT – Parents, you can order a signed copy from Our Bookshop- click links below...
https://www.ourbookshoptring.co.uk/product/dracula-daughters-school-for-slayers/
The signed books will be given to your child on the day.
This will be very exciting for all the children.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM BEN AT OUR BOOKSHOP - Please include your child's name and class so the books can be labelled up for the event. Postage is not required; we will deliver all the books on the day.

Community Information

Girlguiding Berkhamsted District are holding a family Christmas Market on Saturday 21 November, 10am-12pm at Berkhamsted Town Hall. There will be fun games, tombolas, cakes, refreshments and much more! Free entry, cash only. Please come along and support local Rainbows, Brownies, Guides & Rangers.

🌙 DENS Sleepout 2026

Date: Friday 20th November 7.30pm
Venue: The Dock, Station Road, Kings Langley, WD4 8LZ

Register: Adults (18+): £10, Children (8-17): £5

Book your place now: www.dens.org.uk/event/sleepout
If you can’t join us – please consider still ‘Sleeping Out’ and Host Your Own Sleepout and still, make a huge impact - www.dens.org.uk/event/your-sleepout

Ashlyns Christmas Craft Fair & Children’s Craft Event Sunday 15th November

Join us at Ashlyns School for our annual Christmas Craft Fair! This festive community event is a wonderful, informal opportunity for future primary students and their families to look around the inside of the main Ashlyns School building . Every penny raised by the Ashlyns School Association (over £40k last year!) funds sparkle to the classroom, 'wow' experiences and fantastic equipment and resources that will benefit our future incoming local primary students.

60+ Stalls: Handcrafted gifts, decorations, jewellery, artwork, and more.

Festive Café: Serving hot food, drinks, and homemade cakes.

Children's Creative Classroom: A fun Christmas eco-craft workshop for children, run by a local crafting business, Growing Bright. Just £3 per child—no pre-booking required, just turn up.

Weekly Attendance W/C 2/11/2026

Year 3 : 92.2%
Year 4: 95.6%
Year 5: 95.9%
Year 6: 96.5%
Whole school: 95.2%

Values in Action

Madagascar - Oliver - For his fantastic contributions, engagement and enthusiasm in our first Stone Age History lesson.

Gambia - Whole Class - For demonstrating resilience and confidence in learning their lines for our class assembly.

South Africa - Charlotte - For starting this half term with resilience and confidence, especially in maths.

Norway - Isla - For her resilience in English and continually looking to improve her writing.

Croatia - Clay - For showing resilience in Science even when it is tricky. He used impressive critical thinking skills to work out which instrument was the odd one out and gave a clear explanation why.

Finland - Leo - For showing resilience and a positive attitude towards his learning and producing some fantastic writing.

China - Amber - For her kindness and thankfulness - particularly during Arts and craft activities

Borneo - Elodie - For showing all of our Thomas Coram values and being a role model to her peers. We are so thankful to have you in our class.

India - All of India - For Thankfulness for their amazing behaviour during our WOW day.

Brazil - Louis - For helping others in lessons and showing kindness and respect.

Mexico - Prim - For demonstrating resilience and confidence in participating in class discussions.

Peru - Lucy - For showing wonderful kindness and respect to her younger peers as a sports leader make lunch times a really enjoyable experience for her peers.

A full calendar is available here

Flyers

This week at St Peter's

Details of services at St Peter's can be found here.

To read the latest news from St Peter's click here.