St William of York Catholic Primary School Parent Portal - St William of York Primary School Newsletter

Friday 5th June 2026

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This week's letter from Mrs Mayers...

Dear Parents and Carers

It has been unusually quiet in school this week with our Year 5 and Year 6 children away on their school journey to PGL Windmill Hill. The children had a truly spectacular time getting out of their comfort zones, building resilience, and pushing themselves across a range of activities, including archery, rock climbing, the zipwire, sensory trails, raft building, abseiling, and the trapeze. They wrapped up their adventurous days with classic evening campfires and plenty of delicious food. A massive 'Thank You' goes out to our amazing staff team: Miss Murphy, Mr Kane, Mr Morris, Mr Mayers and Ms Webster, who gave up their own personal time to support the children and help them create such precious, lifelong memories.

Meanwhile, back on site, we are thrilled to announce that our whole school art project in partnership with Bow Arts is now complete. Every single child in the school played a part in this project by rolling clay, making imprints, and painting individual tiles. These have now been put together to create a beautiful, creation-themed masterpiece, so please do check out the stunning new tiles at our main entrance next time you visit.

Looking ahead to next week, Thursday 11th June is International Day of Play. To celebrate, children are invited to wear their own clothes in return for a donation of a 'loose part' to enrich our playground play times. To find out what kinds of loose part donations we need, please have a look at the list here .

Next Friday 12th June is World Cup Football Day - children can come into school wearing football kits or national colours. Please bring a £1 donation to SWOYSA. SWOYSA will also be selling ice lollies after school.

Warm regards

Hayley Mayers (Headteacher)

Moments from our week

04 Jun 2026

Yr5 & Yr6 School Journey

An Unforgettable Adventure at PGL Windmill Hill!

01 Jun 2026

Whole School Art Project

Our stunning new, creation-themed installation at our main entrance, created by every child in the school, is now complete!

Our Rights Respecting School Article of the Week is...

Article 4 - Making Rights Real

We have been thinking about how we can make our right real. We have also been thinking a bit about how we can celebrate UN Day of Play next Thursday 11th June.

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And just like that, in the blink of an eye, our time at PGL Windmill Hill, Sussex has come to an end. A huge thank you to all the fantastic PGL staff for the enthusiasm, energy and care they showed our children throughout the week. We would also like to thank our own SWOY staff, who have supported the children every step of the way - from activities and mealtimes to bedtime routines and everything in between. Many of our staff have been on countless school journeys over the years, and while the exciting activities always create lasting memories, one thing remains true time and time again: what children treasure most is simply being together. Whether it's sharing laughs during free time, chatting late into the evening in their rooms, or making memories with old friends and new, these are often the moments that stay with them long after the trip has ended. Every year, we receive wonderful compliments from activity centre staff about the behaviour, manners and positive attitudes of our children, and this year has been no exception. We leave feeling incredibly proud of them all. Thank you for following along with our adventure. There are plenty more photos and videos to come over the next few days! #SWOY #Stwilliamofyork #catholicprimaryschool #SE23 #Lewisham #Foresthill #schooljourney

1 day ago

School Information / Reminders

Key Information for Next Week

Next week, on Thursday 11th June it is UN Day of Play. Children can come into school wearing their own clothes. In return, we are asking for donations of a 'loose part' for our playground. To see a full list of what 'loose parts' we are collecting, please see the list here.

Next Friday 12th June is World Cup Football Day - children can come into school wearing football kits or national colours. Please bring a £1 donation to SWOYSA, who will also be selling ice lollies after school.

Yr6 have swimming lessons for the next two weeks. Please remember swimming kit every day and make sure you have completed the form to say whether you can accompany the walk to Forest Hill Pools.

Gentle Reminders

Please make sure your child has a waterproof coat in school whilst the weather remains unpredictable.

As part of our OPAL approach, we do stay out to play in rain as much as possible.

Parents and Carers are Invited to Join Us

On: Sunday 14th June 2026

At: 10.30am

In: Church and then School

For: International Day Mass & Celebrations (please see details below)

News and Updates

On Sunday 14th June 2026 we will have our School and Parish International Day Celebration. We will start with mass in church at 10.30am and then we will join together in the school to share food from around the world.

SWOYSA will be selling drinks on the day and we ask that families and parishioners bring a dish from their heritage to share with everyone on the day. Please make sure you add a label to your dish so that allergens are clearly identified.

We look forward to celebrating our International Day with you.

Thank You

A massive 'Thank You' goes out to our amazing staff team: Miss Murphy, Mr Kane, Mr Morris, Mr Mayers and Ms Webster, who gave up their own personal time to support the children and help them create such precious, lifelong memories.