Latest News
For latest news, please check our Newsletter page. We also share regular updates through our main Facebook page and class Facebook pages. Please follow us on Facebook and request to join the private Facebook Page for your class to stay up to date.
On this page you will find our archived newsletters from previous years.
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Newsletter - w/c 29/04/19
Fri 26 Apr 2019Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Missing Items of Clothing
If a child in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 has brought home a blue girls' jacket with silver faux fur trim around the hood, please bring it into the school office so it may be returned to its owner in Year 1.
We share the same frustrations as parents and carers when an item of clothing goes missing. Please talk to your child/ren about the importance of looking after their personal property; for example, putting their school jumper in their bag if they remove it during a lesson.
Of course, the adults in school do regularly return labelled clothing to children when they find it but sadly some items of clothing will still go missing.
Attendance and Punctuality
Hawthorn Class in Year 4 had 100% attendance and punctuality this week which we are very pleased about - thank you to those children and their families for being in school every day and on time.
All the research shows that children who maintain attendance of 96% or above are much happier, confident pupils who are more likely to do well in school. This is why the Hertfordshire Attendance Team put a lot of pressure on us as a school to address low attendance.
Parents and carers, please also be aware that the Late Collection of a Child Policy has come into force. If you have been late to collect your child at the end of the school day, you will receive a letter in the post about this. The school day finishes at 3:15pm and it's expected that parents/carers make arrangements to ensure their child is collected on time. If ever you are having any personal or workplace issues that mean you may be frequently late to collect your child, you should inform the school so we may support you (e.g. offering a place in our after-school wraparound care).
Book Fair
The Book Fair will continue to be in school next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If you’d like to treat your child or someone else’s child to some brand-new books, come to the Dining Hall after school. The Book Fair will be open until 4:30pm and it is 3 for 2 on all books!
After-school Clubs
There are still some places at our after-school clubs, including football, netball, board games and more. For bookings, we are using the same system we use for booking appointments at Parents and Carers' Evening. Please click the link below to access the system, using the same information you provided to the school (e.g. the e-mail address for you we have on record) to log in. If you have any issues, please speak to one of the administrative assistants in the school office.
https://hurstdrive.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/
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Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
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After-school Clubs
Thu 04 Apr 2019We are introducing an on-line booking system for after-school clubs.
If you click here, you can access the link to see the available clubs and book a space for your child.
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Newsletter - w/c 01/04/19
Mon 01 Apr 2019Dear parent/carer,
Please find attached the weekly e-mail newsletter containing important information.
Winning House Trip
Well done to Green House who received the most points over this term and as a result they have won a trip to Cineworld to watch Sherlock Gnomes on Monday 1st April. Could all children in Green House please arrive promptly on Monday morning as they will be leaving for the coach once they have been registered in their classes.
Hurst Drive Heroes' Assembly – Thursday 4th April
Each class teacher will select one boy and one girl from their class who always follow the school rules - these children are our Hurst Drive Heroes. If your child is selected, you will receive an invitation to this assembly to see them awarded a certificate and a medal.
Easter Raffle Tickets
The draw will take place on Friday 5th April in an assembly for the children and we’ll post a picture of the lucky winners who will take their prize/s home that day to enjoy over the Easter holidays! Thank you for the Easter Eggs we have received so far, if your child has not yet donated an egg please could you send them in with one by Tuesday 2nd April.
Good Luck!
End of Term for Easter - Friday 5th April
Our last day of Term for the Easter holiday is Friday 5th April and school will finish at 1:45pm . Our first day back to school is Tuesday 23rd April School will start at 8:45am.
We hope you have a great Easter Break!
Healthy Break-Time Snack
The government provide free fruit and vegetables for children in Reception, Years 1 and 2 on a daily basis.
In Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, we allow children to bring in some fruit, vegetables and/or a cereal bar as a mid-morning snack. Children are not allowed to eat crisps, cookies or chocolate bars at break time. Please know that any child seen with a snack which is not fruit, vegetables or a cereal bar will be told to return it to their packed lunch box or schoolbag. Some of the most popular choices for a healthy snack in our school include:
- Red pepper sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Sliced cucumber
- Red or green apple
- An orange cut into quarters
- Berries (e.g. strawberries, blueberries etc.)
We thank you for supporting your child to make healthy choices.
Dinner Money
Just a quick reminder that dinner money needs to be paid in advance on a Monday. Our preferred method of payment is on School Gateway. If you are unable to pay on the School Gateway, please come into the office with the correct money in an envelope. The weekly cost of school dinners is £12.50 for five meals.
If you receive a dinner debt letter please make sure this is cleared straight away to avoid your child having to bring in a packed lunch until the debt is cleared. Unpaid dinner debts could result in the cost of the school dinner charge being increased in the future. Which would be unfair for those parents/carers who always pay on time.
After the Easter half term the office will have a limited supply of envelopes. Please make sure you bring in an envelope with the correct money, your child’s name, class, how much it’s containing and what this is for i.e. Dinner/Trip money.
End of day collection times
Please note the school day finishes at 3:15 pm. Can we please remind you that your children need to be collected at this time. Can we also please remind you to contact the office during the school day if you have a friend or family member collecting your child who is not on your contact list.
Late Collection Policy
After the Easter Holidays, we'll be introducing our 'Late Collection of a Child Policy' to address the issue of children being collected late. If you'd like to read the 'Late Collection of a Child Policy' in full, it is attached to this e-mail.
Starting on Tuesday 23rd April 2019, any child brought to the dining hall will be registered as late on our log and the child's parent/carer will receive a letter informing them of the late collection. We will update this log daily and if it appears that a parent/carer may be being neglectful in ensuring their child is collected on time, we will make a referral to Children's Services.
If a child has not been collected after an hour, and we've not been able to contact the child's parent/carer or any of their emergency contacts, we will ask the police to do a welfare check on the family home to check the parent/carer is safe and we will also make arrangements with Children's Services for the child to be collected from our school.
It is so important that parents/carers keep contact details up to date, including mobile telephone numbers for themselves and their child's emergency contacts. Too often we call numbers that have been disconnected which is frustrating for us and means the child is left waiting, worrying about who is going to collect them.
Please be aware that we have cost-effective wraparound care from 3:15-6:00pm every weekday which you are welcome to use if you cannot collect your child at 3:15pm. It is £8 per session if you have one child and £10 per session if you have two or more children. Please telephone the school office to speak to Mrs Chamberlain to find out more information.
As always, thank you to those parents and carers who always collect their children on time. It allows those children to feel safe and secure and it allows school staff to complete the many other tasks they need to get done which cannot be completed during school hours.
Thank you.
After-school Clubs
There will be new after-school clubs starting after the Easter Half term. Details of these will follow shortly.
Thank you.
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Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team