Stoke Mandeville Combined School

Our Summer Fayre is THIS SATURDAY from 12 to 3.30pm.

We're looking forward to seeing as many members of our school community there as possible. Please come along with all the family (and lots of pennies and notes!) to help support The Friends of SMCS. It is FREE ENTRY and there will be lots to keep everyone entertained.

Programme of Events:

12.30pm Pound Fit Display
1pm Signing Choir
1.30pm Maypole Dance (Year 2)
2pm Dance Club (showcasing their fantastic Honeycomb Festival performance!)
2.15pm Piano Recital (in the Hall)
2.30pm Spirit Irish Dancers

If you can spare any time at all to help with setting up, breaking down or during the Fayre itself with manning one of the stalls then please email [email protected] as soon as possible. These events cannot run without a fantastic team of volunteers made up of our parents and staff, so the more people we have to help, the more everyone will get a chance to enjoy the Fayre on the day!

A few final reminders ahead of our annual Summer Fayre this Saturday 8th June (12-3.30pm).

Please return decorated and filled tombola bags by Wednesday 5th June.

DON'T FORGET Bring a Bottle M***i on Friday 7th June 🍾

Calling all Chequers House parents! 🔵🔵🔵
Help your house to have the most profitable treat sale - please provide cakes/biscuits/cookies to be sold at the treat sale on Friday 17th May. Products can be shop bought or home made (please provide an ingredient list) but must be NUT FREE. Please bring donations to the office next Friday morning.
To make your sale a success we need some help setting up and running the stall 2.45-3.30pm - please let your Class Rep know if you can help 🙏

Can you help at our Summer Fayre? ☀️☀️☀️
If there is anything you can donate, whether it be seedlings/plants, soft toys, raffle prizes (or even your time!), then please get in touch with The Friends of SMCS by email to [email protected].

At the end of April, Parent and Governor Steve Griffiths will be taking on his most demanding physical challenge to raise money for The Friends of Stoke Mandeville Combined School. He will be running the Ridgeway National Trail, a distance of 87 miles (or 3.5 marathons) in just two days!

Please sponsor him if you feel able to do so: https://pay.collctiv.com/steves-ridgeway-challenge-99829

Come join The Friends of SMCS next Friday 26th April at 6pm for a FAMILY QUIZ NIGHT ❓❓❓

Adults £5
Children £2.50

Bring your own food and drink to enjoy with friends. There will be a tuck shop available selling sweets on the night.

To book your table (up to 8 people) please email [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you there!

On Thursday 25th April we have a Bag 2 School Collection booked for 9am! 🧥👚👖👞👠👜🧣👟

Bag2School is a company that specialises in the reuse and recycling of good quality second-hand clothing and The Friends of SMCS have arranged for them to collect donations from our school. All the bags will be weighed and we will be paid for the total weight collected.

Please use your own plastic bags (there is no limit) and remember to tie them at the top before leaving them on the Village Green in front of the school.

The following good quality items for re-use are being collected:
Men’s, ladies’ & children’s clothing
Paired shoes
Handbags, belts & accessories.
(No uniforms, workwear, pillows, duvets or pieces of fabric please)

Please feel free to share this post with other local friends and families as the more they weigh, the more they pay!

Miss Cooke and SMCS would like to start using the allotment again on Lower Road with the children. However we need to put a workforce together in order to get it to a useable state again before this can happen!

Are there any green-fingered parents out there that would be interested in volunteering to help with the first stage?? If we are unable to restore it to its former glory then we will unfortunately need to return it to the Parish Council which would be a great shame as it would really benefit the children.

If you are able to help then please contact Miss Cooke via the School Office ([email protected]).

Calling all Hughenden House parents! 🔴🔴🔴

Help your house to have the most profitable treat sale - please provide cakes/biscuits/cookies to be sold at the treat sale on Friday 19th April. Products can be shop bought or home made (please provide an ingredient list) but must be NUT FREE. Please bring donations to the office on Friday morning.

To make your sale a success we need some help setting up and running the stall 2.45-3.30pm - please let your Class Rep know if you can help 🙏

On Friday 9th February we have a Bag 2 School Collection booked for 9am! Bag2School is a company that specialises in the reuse and recycling of good quality second-hand clothing and The Friends of SMCS have arranged for them to collect donations from our school. All the bags will be weighed and we will be paid for the total weight collected.

Please use your own plastic bags (there is no limit) and remember to tie them at the top before leaving them on the Village Green in front of the school.

The following good quality items for re-use are being collected:
Men’s, ladies’ & children’s clothing
Paired shoes
Handbags, belts & accessories.
(No uniforms, workwear, pillows, duvets or pieces of fabric please)

Please feel free to share this post with other local friends and families as the more they weigh, the more they pay!

Next Friday 26th January we have our first Treat Friday of 2024! The Friends of SMCS will be selling bags of pick & mix sweets for £1 each. This is first come first served and once they're gone...they're gone!

If your child is due to attend ASC on Friday afternoon and would like a bag of sweets please send them into school with £1 and they will be taken to the stall at the start of their afterschool session.

If purchasing please can parents ensure the contents are suitable for their child as some items have been prepared in factories where nut items are produced.

There's an excited buzz in the air as tonight we have our Christmas Disco! 🪩🎄💃🕺🪩

Reception and Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) – 6-7pm (doors open 5.50pm)
Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) – 7.15-8.30pm (doors open 7.10pm)

Entry is £5 which includes a bag of sweets, face paint or tattoo and drinks. There is no need to bring any additional money as everything is included in the entry fee.

Please remember that if your child is absent from school today then they unfortunately cannot attend the disco.

Don't forget that tomorrow is 'Bottle M***i Day'. Children may come to school in their own clothes in exchange for bringing a bottle in to school which will become part of our Bottle Tombola at the Christmas Market tomorrow after school (3-5.15pm). Please note that all donations should be in date and sealed (no cleaning products please).

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the Christmas Market!

On Friday 1st December the Friends of SMCS are holding our outdoor Christmas Market. There will be market stalls, tombolas, the hamper raffle, games, a performance from the signing choir and more! The outside stalls will open at 3pm, and the children's games will open at 3.20pm as the children come out of school. The games will be run using a wristband system, similar to the Summer Fayre. A wristband will cost £2 and will allow the wearer to play 6 games. We do hope that lots of you will stay to join in the fun!

4.15pm Signing Choir Performance
4.45pm Hamper Raffle Draw
5.15pm Carols on the Village Green and Official Light Switch On

As well as stalls, games and more inside, we will be welcoming Wellssmoke House and The Bull's Best Cellar from The Bull Stoke Mandeville who will be in charge of providing food and drinks throughout the evening.

This Friday, The Friends of SMCS will be holding a doughnut and cookie sale on the playground after school. All treats will be 50p each.

If your child attends ASC on a Friday and would like a cookie or doughnut, then please send them into school with 50p so that they can be taken to the stall by an ASC playworker at the start of the session.

Today we are raising money for BBC Children in Need!

Thank you to everyone who has dressed in spots and stripes today and donated money for this fantastic cause. If you would still like the opportunity to contribute then we have set up a JustGiving link for donating online:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/stoke-mandeville-combined-school-1700059148931?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fstoke-mandeville-combined-school-1700059148931&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Any amount, big or small, will make a significant impact on the lives of children who are in need. We appreciate your ongoing support in helping us instil a sense of compassion and community in our students. By participating in Children in Need, we teach our children the importance of empathy and making a positive impact on the lives of others.

Odd Socks Day marks the start of Anti-Bullying Week. In 2023, it will take place this Monday 13th November.

What is Odd Socks Day?

Most importantly, Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun! It’s an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique! There is no pressure to wear the latest fashion or to buy expensive costumes. All your child has to do to take part is wear odd socks to school...it couldn’t be simpler!

Don't forget that tomorrow afternoon The Friends of SMCS are holding a Second Hand Uniform Sale in the Hall during Parents Evening 💙

A little earlier than normal, we bring you 'Longest Sweet M***i Day'. Children will be invited to come into school in full m***i on Thursday 19th October.

🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬🍫🍬

In exchange we ask that the children bring in long sweets and chocolates (no nuts). These will then be laid out around the school in house group lines and the houses will be awarded house points for the length of their lines (100 points for the house with the longest line).

These treats will then be used for one of the stalls at the Christmas Market (Friday 1st December) so we ask that they are all in date until the end of the year. You are welcome to provide as many sweets/chocolates as you would like - we know that secretly the parents are just as competitive as the children - but we ask that they are all kept as individual items and not taped together (it takes us a very long time to unstick them all).

Follow this link to see the incredible lines from last year! https://www.facebook.com/stokemandevillecombinedschool/videos/3447565182230638

We have scheduled three open events at Stoke Mandeville Combined School for children due to start Reception in 2024.

Thursday 19th October - 9.10-10am
Tuesday 31st October - 9.10-10am
Monday 6th November - 1.45-2.30pm

For further information you can go to our Open Events page and then book your place by going to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSefcEC3NdB5tOgQqacAyfOCANE4ZXtTdNJOQD8Lc6jNtGaVBw/viewform

Preschool children are also welcome to attend and do not need a place booking.

We are supporting with & ! Cycling to school has a real positive impact on the health and wellbeing of children. Choose this 25-29 September - with free resources & prizes to be won at bikeability.org.uk/cycletoschoolweek 🎁

The Friends of SMCS would like to invite you to join them for their AGM on Tuesday 26th September, 7.15pm, in school. Can you spare an hour of your time to hear about how they have raised funds during the year, and how these funds have been spent, as well as supporting them with the elections of their new committee? They need you, the members of the association, to be present at the AGM to ensure that the voting in of committee members is open and transparent. This is your opportunity to have a say on who will be representing you over this coming year. There is no obligation to become part of the committee yourself, but new members are always welcomed, so if you would like to be a committee member please contact them on: [email protected]

We really hope that you are able to join us and The Friends of SMCS - there will be cake!

Over the summer holidays our existing crossing was upgraded to a parallel or ‘Toucan’ crossing which allows both pedestrians and cyclists to cross the road safely together. The works were carried out by Buckinghamshire Highways and were funded with money from the HS2 Road Safety Fund.

Mrs Stewart has said “As a Silver Award Travel Plan School, this new crossing is a welcome addition to our school environment and will improve safety for pupils. It will further encourage our children and their parents to consider sustainable travel options such as walking, cycling or scooting instead of using the car.”

WELCOME BACK to the Autumn term at Stoke Mandeville Combined School! And a huge welcome to all of our new starters in Reception and other years.

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To celebrate the new school year, and this beautiful warm weather we are having, The Friends of SMCS will be holding an ice lolly sale this coming Friday 8th September on the playground after school. All frozen treats will be 50p each.

If your child attends ASC on a Friday and would like an ice lolly, then please send them into school with 50p so that they can be taken to the stall by an ASC playworker.

An update from the Friends

We thought we would update you with the plans for our exciting Treat Tuesday tomorrow (18th July).

During sports morning and afternoon there will be refreshments available for spectators. We will have tea, coffee, squash, cans of pop and biscuits (cash only).

After school we will be having an ice lolly sale - only 50p (cash only). Please see your class WhatsApp/page later on today for details of the lollies being sold and their ingredients.

We will also be putting all the lost property from the box out on display - please have a look to see if any of your child's items are there. No lost property will be kept after school finishes on Friday. Any logoed items will go into the second hand uniform sale, other items of clothing will be sent to charity and anything not suitable for donation will be thrown away.

Thank you as always for all your support this year.

The Friends of SMCS

Don't forget tomorrow is our SUMMER DISCO 🎉

Entry is £2.50, payable by cash on the door.

Tuck Shop 🍬🍭🍫
✨UV Glow Face Paint £1 ✨ (Permission needs to be given on entry)

We still need a couple of extra helpers at both discos - please email [email protected] if you can help 🙏

Today is TREAT FRIDAY! On sale this afternoon in the playground at collection time for just 50p each 🍪

Don't forget that tomorrow is our last 'Park Away Day' of the year! We will be using information gathered from our classes tomorrow about how every child travelled to school to try and earn back our 'Platinum Travel Plan' status. Please help us to try and get this all-important award to show how much we as a school support sustainable travel initiatives. For more information about our Walking School Bus please head to our website https://www.stokemandeville.bucks.sch.uk/our-school/travel-plan.