Churchtown Chatter
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Dear Parents and Carers,
Last weekend, I had the immense privilege of running in the London Marathon an unforgettable experience that I will treasure forever. Representing our wonderful school and contributing to the fundraising for the new Churchtown Playground made every mile even more meaningful.
From the moment I crossed the start line to the finish at The Mall, the atmosphere was electric. The streets were packed every single step of the 26.2 miles was lined with cheering crowds. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the sheer noise it was all incredible. A true celebration of community spirit and determination.
Wearing the name Mrs Payne on my T-shirt meant countless strangers shouted words of encouragement as I ran, which gave me a huge boost. I also want to say a huge thank you to all the staff and children who sent emails, messages, and little belief-boosters through the London Marathon app I will treasure these forever. Knowing you were behind me every step of the way made all the difference.
A massive thank you as well to the families who travelled all the way to London to cheer me on in person. Seeing people I recognised in the crowd gave me such a lift it was exactly the encouragement I needed to power through the final stretch, running past Buckingham Palace and down The Mall.
I’d also like to pay my thanks to everyone who took part in both the London Marathon and the Blackpool Festival of Running last weekend. Knowing I had people running with me and supporting this effort all around the country was incredibly encouraging. We were truly a team, with each of us supporting one another to get through the 26.2 miles. A very special recognition goes to Sergio, who completed the marathon in an incredible 4 hours and 5 minutes while carrying the Endeavour Trust Baton the whole way. This is an unbelievable achievement, we were with you all the way Sergio!
It was an absolute honour to wear the specially designed T-shirt created by our competition winner, Orlaith in Year 5. (I even had my nails painted to match!)
Looking back, I almost don’t recognise myself I was in a zone I’ve never experienced before. Everything else melted away and I was completely focused on the moment, one mile marker at a time. Even with the surprisingly warm temperatures, I somehow felt calm, cool, and composed
Thanks to the generosity of our school community and beyond, we’ve made fantastic progress with our fundraising efforts for the Churchtown Playground. The support around the marathon has been incredible, and I'm delighted to share that we’ve now raised a phenomenal £368,485 a huge step towards making the new playground a reality for our children.
Since returning after the Easter break, the children have shown outstanding commitment by bringing in their sponsorship forms and donations. So far, 110 individual children have taken part and collectively raised a staggering £7,073.10. This is an unbelievable amount, and it shows just how much this playground means to everyone. Your generosity and effort are truly building something special for the future of our school.
Thank you for being such a supportive and inspiring community. Together, we are making lasting memories and a lasting difference for all our children. Warm wishes, Mrs Payne.
We are proud to launch this year’s Summer Showcase Art Competition.
The theme this year is ‘Hope’, through a child’s lens.
Children can use any media to create their artwork, including photography, paint, pencil, charcoal etc. There will be a winner chosen from each year group from Nursery Buttercups through to Year 6.
Ideas for entries may include:
New life - ducks and ducklings, lambs, babies
Flowers/growing plants
Open doors
Sun rises
Children looking into the future
Butterflies/dove
Rainbows
Wishing wells
The closing date for entries is Friday 16th May. Please ensure you write your name and class on the back of your entry and hand it to your class teacher.
Happy creating!
How we are raising funds:
Help us build a new playground in memory of Alice & Bebe.
This new playground, which has been proposed by Alice’s parents as a way of honouring her memory, will serve as a joyful, healing space for all our pupils. It will be a place where they can do what children do best – play, explore and grow.
Please donate what you can to help us create a playground that will carry their memories for years to come. We aim to raise £250,000, but we don’t want to stop there! Any additional funds will be distributed to local charities who are helping those affected by this tragedy.
In memory of Alice and Bebe, a number of staff members and friends of Churchtown Primary School are taking part in the London Marathon and the Blackpool Festival of Running in April 2025. Alice’s father, Sergio is also running the London Marathon, alongside our Headteacher, Mrs Payne. In addition, members of staff from across the Endeavour Learning Trust, which Churchtown Primary School is a part of, are also running in memory of Alice and Bebe.
Please click on the following link to access our GoFundMe page for more information:
https://gofund.me/6c767af5
Huge congratulations to Mr Caunce, Mrs Payne, Sarah, Sergio and Filipe who completed the London Marathon by running 26.2 miles to raise money for the Churchtown Playground in memory of Alice and Bebe.
Everyone is extremely proud of your efforts and determination, as well as the resilience that you have demonstrated throughout your training journey to achieve the ultimate goal – well done!
Thank you also to the supporters who travelled to London to cheer them on along the route.
Blackpool Festival of Running 2025 (5k & 10k)
We would also like to congratulate Mrs Finney (5k), Mrs Coysh (5k), Mrs Doyle (10k), Mrs Partington (5k), Mrs Bowen (5k), Mrs Bowers (10k) and Mrs Davies (10k) for competing in the Blackpool Festival of Running, also raising money for the Churchtown Playground. We are extremely proud of you all. Thank you to all of the Churchtown staff and families who travelled to Blackpool to support our runners.
Class photographs for all school aged children
Adam from myfoto will be in school next Friday 9th May to take class photographs of all year groups from Reception through to Year 6.
Children MUST attend school in their summer uniform, bringing their jumpers/cardigans with them. If your child has PE on a Friday, please bring this into school in a separate bag. If you do not wish for your child to be included in the photograph, please complete the slip that has been sent home this week.
ATTENDANCE
This week’s attendance champions are:
Year 5 Alder for 100% punctuality!
The year group with the highest attendance this week is:
Year 4!
The Grand Pride of Sefton Awards
Last Friday, some of our staff members attended the Pride of Sefton Awards and felt truly honoured to be in the presence of some of Sefton’s most incredible people. Whilst it was an emotional evening, it was also a chance to recognise the hard work of so many people in our community.
One of our wonderful teachers, Mrs Coysh, was nominated for ‘Community Impact’ for the invaluable work she does supporting so many children in our school. Headteacher, Mrs Payne, was also nominated for ‘Community Impact’ for her inspiring Leadership of our school. It is with great pleasure that we announce that Mrs Payne won this very well-deserved award.
Finally, it is with great pride that we announce that we were awarded ‘School of the Year’. This is testament to the hard work of every single member of our school community, to ensure we provide each child in our care the opportunity to thrive, feel empowered and ultimately, for them to feel happy and confident learners!
Whilst this is an honour, we must give special recognition to the other nominees in this category and to the other schools who have worked tirelessly, especially over the last year. We were blown away with everything you have done and continue to do and are so thankful to be surrounded by such an amazing network of schools for support and guidance.
Thank you all once again for your ongoing support!
Date
Monday 5th May 2025
Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th May 2025
Friday 9th May 2025
Monday 12th to Thursday 15th May
Monday 12th May 2025
Tuesday 13th May 2025
Thursday 15th May 2025
Monday 19th to Wednesday 21st May 2025
Wednesday 21st May 2025
Thursday 22nd May 2025
Thursday 22nd May 2025
Friday 23rd May 2025
Friday 23rd May 2025
Friday 23rd May 2025
Monday 2nd June 2025
Wednesday 18th June 2025
Friday 20th June 2025
Saturday 21st June 2025
Monday 23rd June 2025
Friday 4th July 2025
Thursday 17th July 2025
Friday 18th July 2025
• Text in red is a new addition to the calendar
Event
Early May Bank Holiday – School closed
Y3 & Y4 Bikeability: Learn to Ride Sessions
Myfoto class photographs for all year groups
Y6 SATs Week
Y4 Educational Trip to The Beatles Story, Liverpool
Y4 Maple
Y4 Willow
Y4 Educational Trip to The Beatles Story, Liverpool
Y4 Birch
Y4 Pine
Nursery Educational Trip to Martin Mere
Reception Health Screening Checks
Y4 Birch & Pine Class Performance – 2.15pm
Y4 Willow & Maple Class Performance – 2.15pm
Churchtown Summer Showcase – a celebration of the arts
Y6 End of Year Celebration Trip
P.T.A. Mufti Day
Break-up for May half-term holiday (normal times)
Back to School – Rise and shine, school starts at ten to nine!
New to Nursery & Reception Parents’ Evening
Visitor from the Islamic Faith – Year 1, Year 2 & Year 3
Green Sefton Beach Clean Up! at 10am - more details to follow
Y2 Educational Trip to Blackpool Zoo
Y6 Leavers’ Performance at The Atkinson
Y6 Leavers’ Assembly at St. Cuthbert’s Church 9.30am
Y6 Leavers’ festival on the yard
Break-up for Summer holidays – 1.30pm
Nursery Snowdrops (open 51 weeks of the year) – closure dates (2025)
CLOSED – Monday 5th May 2025 (Early May Bank Holiday)
CLOSED – Monday 26th May 2025 (Spring Bank Holiday)
CLOSED – Monday 25th August 2025 (Summer Bank Holiday)
Butterflies Holiday Club…………. will be open to Churchtown Primary School Children on the following dates:
CLOSED – Monday 5th May 2025 (Early May Bank Holiday)
CLOSED – Monday 26th May 2025 (Spring Bank Holiday)
Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th May 2025 – Half-Term Holiday
Monday 21st July 2025 – INSET Day
Tuesday 22nd July 2025 – INSET Day
Wednesday 23rd July to Friday 29th August 2025 – Summer Holidays
CLOSED – Monday 25th August 2025 (Summer Bank Holiday)