This academic year we have been focusing on further developing the children's vocabulary so that they have a wider range of words to choose from. Part of this learning has been to make sure that we explain the meaning of words which will improve their understanding of what they read and hopefully encourage them to use a richer variety of vocabulary in their written work.

As a school staff, we have joined in with this and are launching a 'Word of the Week' for adults, and we thought that you, as parents and carers, would like to join in. Each week for the next half-term, we will be posting the word of the week here. The idea is that we look for opportunities to use these words and others our day-to-day conversations.

You can find this week's word below:

Parent helpers for Outdoor Learning

During July, in Outdoor Learning, the children will harvesting vegetables and cooking on the firepit. We require 2 parent helpers for each year group to support this. This will be for the whole morning. If you are available to help on the below days, please let us know via the link below. 

Year 2 - Tuesday 14th July (Harvesting vegetables and cooking cinnamon bites on the firepit)

Year 1 - Thursday 16th July (Harvesting vegetables and cooking fruit kebabs on the firepit)

Reception - Wednesday 8th July (Harvesting Potatoes)

                      Wednesday 15th July (Potato Crisp cooking on the firepit) 

Kenya Morning 

Date: Thursday 11th June

We are excited to be holding a special Kenya Morning in school, where the children will have the opportunity to learn about the country. Through a range of engaging activities, they will explore Kenyan wildlife, language and culture, deepening their understanding of life beyond the UK.

A key focus of the morning will be our link with Bright Future Academy in Oyugis. We will be learning about the children who attend our partner school and thinking about both the similarities and differences in our experiences.  We are also delighted to welcome Pauline Prince from Amani UK, the charity that supports our link school, who will be joining us to lead a whole-school worship.

Calling all creatives!

We would love your help to make our 2026 Creative Week inspiring, exciting and fun. 

We would like to show the children different types of art whether that be painting, drawing, printing, sculpting or more! 

If you are creative and would like to run a workshop for an afternoon, please email the school office. 

The dates are 14th-17th July, 1-3pm.

We will assign you a Year Group for the afternoon where you will run 2 workshops (1 for each class). 

Thank you!

Pentecost Service

• Date: Thursday 18th June, 9.15am-9.45am

The day of Pentecost marks fifty days since Easter Day and brings the Easter season to an end. It is a major feast of the Church’s year when Christians recall how God’s Holy Spirit was given to the disciples after Jesus’ ascension, empowering them to begin the work of making disciples of all nations.

On Thursday 18th June, 9.15am-9.45am, we would like to invite families to join us in watching the service. Due to the size of the hall, we can only invite 1 parent/carer per family, and have a maximum of 100 tickets.

If you would like to join us, please book your ticket below.

2026 Parent Survey

• Deadline: Sunday 7th June

Please could as many parents as possible complete the parent survey that was sent out before half-term. It should take no more than 5 minutes and your views are very important to us! The deadline has been extended to Sunday 7th June.

Marlow Regatta 2026

Please see below for those children joining us to sing at the regatta this year, and here as information for those wanting to come along and spectate.

Thank you to those who will be joining the Combined Primary Schools choir event which forms part of the Sunday Festival Day at the Marlow Regatta 2026.

We hope the sun will be shining and that the children will have a lot of fun singing in Higginson Park with the amazing Sheila Wilson of Redhead Music.

Marlow Infant School children can wear their own clothes, but we ask that they wear their school jumper or cardigan for the performance.

Here are some details about the day for your information:

· Date: Sunday 14th June

· Time to assemble in the park – 11.45pm

· Choir performance to commence at 12.00pm

· Meeting point to the left of the stage as you look at it

· Look for Cathy Stewart and the team who will be wearing Regatta tabards/Hi-vis jackets and Mrs Reynolds who will be coordinating the children from Marlow Infants.

· It is an open event, so photography is unrestricted.

· After the performance, children will be released individually by Mrs Reynolds to a known relative/ carer for safety. Parents, please be patient in this process to ensure the safety of children.

The Sunday Festival Day has many other family events throughout the day to appeal to children and adults alike. We hope you will stay after the performance to enjoy these events:

Fun Dog show (free entry); Categories: Best treat catcher, Best young handler and Judges Pick

Amateur cake competition (free entry):This includes a children-only Cupcake section at 2pm – so your child might like to enter this free competition! Categories : Best tasting Cake, Best decorated cake and Best original cupcake design

There is ALSO a Round Table bar, free entertainment, dragon boat racing on the river, trade and craft stalls and ‘Have a go art and craft’ for children.

We are all looking forward to an amazing family fun day in Marlow!

Act of Service

This half-term, our school value in focus is Service. Children will be learning that service is about thinking of and helping others without expecting a reward.

Both Year 2 classes will be walking to May Balfour Gardens to perform their Act of Service. Dragonfly class will be going on Wednesday 1st July and Grasshopper class will be visiting on Thursday 2nd July.

We will be leaving school around 9am, walking to May Balfour Gardens, litter picking, planting bulbs and washing the sundial for the community to benefit from. We plan to return to school before 12.00pm. If your child has a litter picker and would like to bring it in, that would be much appreciated.

We are looking for 6 parent volunteers to join us on this trip for each class.

If you would like to accompany us:

Recycling items required!

We would like all Year 2 children to bring in some toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes to use in our RE lesson in a couple of weeks' time.

Introduction to Italian

Ms Browning, who is currently undertaking her teacher training in Reception, will be running a 4-week course starting Thursday 11th June, 12.15-12.45pm.

The club will take place for Year 2 children on Thursday lunchtimes. Spaces are limited. 

Please sign up using the link below, by Tuesday 9th June. We will be in contact on Wednesday 10th June, to confirm if your child has a place.

Footsteps Training Programme

We will be offering Year 2 children the chance to take part in the Footsteps Training Programme again this year. Last year, it was a huge success, and it helped the Year 2s become safer, more confident, independent pedestrians.

Mrs Higham and a couple of parent helpers will be taking the children out twice during the following afternoons:

• Monday 29^th June
• Tuesday 30^th June
• Monday 6th July
• Tuesday 7^th July

We would like all of the children to take part but we do need to have your permission for them to participate.

 

Science Enquiry 

The Year 1 children, as part of their scientific enquiry, will be investigating how to make the largest of bubbles. If we could please ask parents/carers to have a look at home, for the children to bring in any of the resources from the list below: 

• Plastic bottles – any size
• Sticks (can be up to a metre long, no longer)
• Rubber bands
• Any spare bubble wands,
• Pipe cleaners or wire coat hangers
• Any old T-shirts (these will be cut up)

Act of Service

This half-term, our school value in focus is Service. Children will be learning that service is about thinking of and helping others without expecting a reward.

The Year 1 children will be performing an act of service by singing to invited members of the church and local community in the school hall.

Their Act of Service will take place on Monday 29^th June between 1.30-3.00pm. To ensure that are guests are looked after, we will need 2–3 volunteers to help with setting up, serving tea & coffee and clearing away everything at the end of the performance.

If you are available to help, please contact the school office.

Reception Induction Feedback

We are in the process of planning and setting up our plans for the new academic year, and we would love to have your feedback about the first year for your child at Marlow Infants.

We have set up a form here, and we would like to encourage as many Reception parents and carers to complete this to help us shape our future plans.

Many thanks in advance for your feedback!

• Summer Fair and colour run: Saturday 20^th June

• Camp night!: Saturday 18^th July

When: Toy donations 8th - 12th June / Adult donations 15th June - 19th June

If you’re having a clear out or spring-clean over half-term, please spare a thought for the Summer Fair and PFA!

We will be gratefully accepting donations for our tombolas, including:

• Toys
• Toiletries
• Bottles
• Gifts
• Chocolates
• Sweets
• Games
• Other tombola goodies

Toy donations can be brought in during the week beginning 8th June.

We would appreciate adult tombola donations from 15th June.

As a thank you for supporting the Gift Tombola, children who bring in a donation will be able to enjoy a mufti day on 19th June!

Thank you for your continued support!

When: Saturday 20^th June 11.30am until 3.30pm

Join us on Saturday 20th June from 11.30am-3.30pm for Sandygate’s Summer Fair and Colour Run! 

Let the kids go wild with arts & crafts, face painting and endless fun on the bouncy castle, as well as traditional fair games, tombolas, dance performances and much more! With a well-stocked bar, tuck shop and BBQ, there is no better place to enjoy the sunshine!

The Summer Fair will close with an eruption of colour as the Colour Run returns! The Colour Run is more than just a fundraiser—it's an opportunity to bring children, families, and the wider community together in an energetic and inclusive environment. The children will run, walk, or jog along a course while being splashed with bursts of safe, non-toxic coloured powder at various stations. It promises to be a day full of laughter, fitness, and school spirit!

Colour Run sign up is LIVE on ParentPay! Make sure to book your places now!

When: Saturday 8^th June at Sandygate's Summer Fair 

Don’t forget to sign up your children for this year's Colour Run! We have had a great number of kids sign up already, so don’t miss out! 

Why not embrace the challenge further, and raise some sponsorship for their run?? All proceeds will go directly towards the school, and it makes it even more of an event!

Make sure to share the link below with friends and family:

https://superkind.org/campaign/marlow-c-of-e-infant-school-parents-friends-association-sandygate-colour-run-2026

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our School Garden Volunteer Day. We had a fantastic turn out with lots of big and little volunteers helping to give the school grounds a spruce up, with lots of fun thrown in!

Our wonderful volunteers painted the reception playground fence, de-cobwebbed, planted new plants in planters, sowed wild seeds in the wild area meadow, pruned shrubs and trees and much more! An amazing amount of hard graft to be proud of.

Thank you so much!

When: 18^th July from 4pm 

The ever-popular camp night is on its way! Sandygate's annual camp out is a night of pizzas, treats and great merriment – a big social event for the whole family!

Pack your tents and your sleeping bags to join us from 4pm on the school field for a night of fun and novelty!

Available on ParentPay NOW – there are a limited number of pitches available, so make sure not to miss them and book yours!

When booking please specify how many adults and children will be in your tent, and we kindly ask you only bring your own children.