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 30/09/2019
Fri 27 Sep 2019Dear parent/carer,
Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Parent/Carer Survey 2019
Please don't forget to complete our survey for parents and carers! We want to make sure Hurst Drive Primary School stays successful and to do this we need your thoughts and opinions. Please click the link below to complete our survey - it will take you about 5 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child in the school, please select your eldest child's year group when prompted.
https://forms.gle/qrN6N25PyKD2ny4a7
Breakfast Club
Our Breakfast Club has never been so popular! We're pleased so many parents and carers want to use this service; however, we are currently oversubscribed with further families needing a place for their child. For that reason, after the October half term, starting Monday 4th November 2019, we are going to need to introduce a small charge to allow us to pay the wages of a third staff member so that more children may attend.
The charge will be £1 per session and childcare vouchers will be accepted as a form of payment. This charge will need to be paid in advance using School Gateway in the same way parents and carers pay for school meals (for children in Years 3-6) and wraparound care. Please note that if you do not pay the charge, your child will be removed from the register and you will not be able to access this service. We work hard to keep charges to a minimum so we hope all parents and carers will keep up with payments.
Please make sure your child has arrived at Breakfast Club before 8:20am as the register needs to be taken before the staff take the children outside. Thank you.
Facebook
If you use Facebook, please be sure to search 'Hurst Drive Primary School' and like and follow our page. Please also search for your child's class, for example, Apple Class, and send the teacher a friend request so you may see what your child is learning at school.
Please be aware that the teachers are not allowed to respond to private messages from parents/carers on Facebook; if you wish to discuss something with your child's teacher, you can speak to them at the end of the school day or make an appointment to meet them via the School Office.
Open Mornings for Reception 2020
If you know anyone with a child due to start primary school in September 2020, please let them know about our open mornings that will take place at 9:30am on 09/10/19, 20/11/19 and 11/12/19. To attend, a parent/carer must book a ticket by clicking here - this avoids too many adults turning up on one morning. If all three events are full, we will add another date in January 2020 ahead of the deadline for applying for a primary school place.
Lockdown Procedure
Please click here to read our school's Lockdown Procedure. We practise this procedure once a year, and this year we will practise it on Wednesday 16th October 2019. We know us practising this procedure worries some parents and carers as it makes you imagine the very worst thing happening at your child's primary school. However, please remember that us having a Lockdown Procedure and practising it once a year to check it works is the very thing that will keep your child safe in an emergency. We take your children's safety very importantly and we thank you for your support.
Years 1 & 2 Library Visits
Miss Holland (Chestnut Class Teacher) has organised trips to the local library for Years 1 and 2. Your child should already have a library card and they must bring it to school on the day their class visits the library. The dates for these trips are listed below:
03/10/2019 - Chestnut Class
10/10/2019 - Ash class
17/10/2019 - Beech Class
24/10/2019 - Walnut Class
If your child does not have a library card, you can join on-line by clicking here or you can walk to the library in Waltham Cross and ask the librarians there for help.
Shoe boxes or cereal boxes
Walnut & Beech Class in year two are doing a science experiment on Tuesday (1st October) and need some shoe boxes or cereal boxes. If you have any lying around the house please give them to your child to bring into class with them, it would be a great help!
SARACENS CHEER AND DANCE CLASSES
Saracens Cheer and Dance teach recreational and competitive cheer and dance to children aged 6+ years in North London and Hertfordshire. In cheer lessons children learn motions, jumps, stunts, tumbles, routines and much more. In dance lessons children learn dance techniques, skills, routines and much more. As well as learning cheer and dance skills, we develop students soft skills throughout their journey with us such as confidence, positive attitudes, teamwork, communication, physical and mental health. We create a safe and inclusive environment for our participants to explore their creativity and grow as a performer and an athlete. We have opportunities for our cheerleaders and dancers to perform at rugby stadiums, competitions and festivals too.
If you would like to sign up to one of our classes please email jessicahammond@saracens.net to join now!
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 £13.00 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.
Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
01992 624099
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Newsletter - w/c 23/09/2019
Fri 20 Sep 2019Dear parent/carer,
Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Parent/Carer Survey 2019
We want to make sure Hurst Drive Primary School stays successful and to do this we need your thoughts and opinions. Please click the link below to complete our survey - it will take you about 5 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child in the school, please select your eldest child's year group when prompted.
https://forms.gle/qrN6N25PyKD2ny4a7
School Clubs: After-School Clubs, Breakfast Club & Wraparound Care
We e-mailed our Wraparound Childcare Policy to parents/carers in the summer term, and it is placed on our school website for you to read, but please see below for some key points:
- Parents/carers can book (and pay) for clubs using the School Gateway app - if you are having difficulties using this app, please speak to Mrs Chamberlain, Mrs Pace or Mrs Read in the School Office and they will try to resolve any problems.
- If a child is registered to attend a club, but they are found not to be attending, we reserve the right to remove them to allow a child of a parent/carer eager to access the service to book their child's place. Of course, we would like to make all our services available to everyone but there has to be a limit to the number of children attending for health and safety reasons.
- At the end of each term (e.g. at the Christmas Holidays) all children will be removed from registers for clubs, giving all families an opportunity to book to access our services. We will remind parents/carers of this process nearer the time. We operate on a first come, first served basis so you must make sure you are able to use the School Gatewayy app to avoid disappointment.
- We now accept childcare vouchers to pay for Wraparound Care - please speak to Mrs Chamberlain in the School Office for further information. Thank you to our new parents and carers of children in Reception for enquiring about this so that we could further improve our offer.
If you would like to read the Wraparound Childcare Policy in full, it is attached to this e-mail. We thank you for your understanding and we hope you appreciate that we do try to make our before- and after-school childcare as affordable as possible and open to as many children as safely possible.
Collecting your child from an after-school club
When our school was built in the 1950s, it had far fewer children attending. Our school entrance area has never been extended and unfortunately the council won't give us money to make it any larger so occasionally it gets very busy in there, particularly at collection times for after-school clubs. For that reason, we are changing how you collect your child from an after-school club, starting next week.
If your child is in KS1, you should collect them from Beech Class which you access from the front playground. Please come in through the pedestrian gate and turn left onto the front playground.
If your child is in KS2, you should collect them from the front playground. Please come in through the pedestrian gate and turn left onto the front playground. The adult leading the club will bring the children down and dismiss them to their parent/carer (or send them to walk home alone if their parent/carer has given permission for them to do so).
We'll see if this improves collection. Thank you for your support.
School absence:
If your child is genuinely unwell, you can let the school know in one of the following ways:
1) Telephone 01992 624099; or,
2) E-mail admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk and state your child's full name and the reason for their absence from school.
If you have not notified the school of the reason for your child's absence by the end of the day, this will automatically be unauthorised which means you could be at risk of receiving a fixed penalty notice. The amount payable is £60 per parent if paid within 21 days or £120 per parent if paid after 21 days but within 28 days of receipt of the notice.
Educate Against Hate
As a parent, you need to be aware that individuals and groups with extremist views use the internet and social media to spread their beliefs. Children spend a lot of time online, and this has made them more susceptible to extremism, whether from Islamists or the far right.
You can keep your child safe online in the following ways:- Speak with your child about what they do online
- Ask them to show you some of their favourite sites
- Show an interest in who their friends are online
- Ask them how they decide who to be friends with
- Try and get them to friend you online too
- Agree the amount of time they spend online and the sites they visit
- Think about installing parental controls on their devices
- Raise the issue of inappropriate content. Have they seen any?
- Make sure they know how to report abuse online
If you’d prefer to speak with someone else before talking with your child:
- Raise the issue with your child’s teachers, a friend or a close family member.
- Organise a meeting with Mr Short who will be able to advise you on the best approach
- Your local police force can also provide advice and support.
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 £13.00 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.
Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
01992 624099
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Newsletter - w/c 16/09/2019
Mon 16 Sep 2019Dear parent/carer,
Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Parent/Carer Survey 2019
We want to make sure Hurst Drive Primary School stays successful and to do this we need your thoughts and opinions. Please click the link below to complete our survey - it will take you about 5 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child in the school, please select your eldest child's year group when prompted.
https://forms.gle/qrN6N25PyKD2ny4a7
After-school Clubs
All after-school clubs start next week.
Please note that if your child is on the register for an after-school club and they miss a session without explanation, your child's place will be given to a child on the waiting list. This ensures all clubs are full and as many children as possible have access to this provision.
All after-school clubs will end w/c 09/12/19 and we will re-advertise them so that parents/carers have a chance to book their child's place for the spring term (i.e. after the Christmas Holidays).
Breakfast Club
As you know, we are one of the only schools in Hertfordshire and Greater London who offer their Breakfast Club free of charge - this is something we are very proud of and we try our best to maintain.
All 40 places for Breakfast Club this term have now been booked. If the demand grows further, Mr Short and the School Business Manager will put in place a daily charge to pay for a third member of staff to help supervise the children. For now, the Breakfast Club is free to those who have secured a place.
To help, if you require a Hertfordshire-based childminder you can click here to find one.
Jeans for Genes Day - Friday 20th September 2019
On Friday 20th September 2019, if your child brings in £1 for the charity Genetic Disorders UK, he/she may wear jeans instead of their school trousers or skirt. If you would like to learn more about this charity, please visit their website: https://www.jeansforgenesday.org/
Primary Science Quality Mark
Miss Bracken (Deputy Headteacher) has worked hard to improve our science teaching and learning at Hurst Drive Primary School and we were pleased to find out this week that we have been awarded the Primary Science Quality Mark. Thank you to Miss Bracken and the teachers for all their hard work to make science a strength of our school.
Goffs Churchgate Secondary School - A Visit from the Principal
On Friday 20th September 2019 at 9:00am, Mr Sparks - the principal of Goffs Churchgate - will be giving an informative talk in the main hall for parents/carers of children in Years 5/6 who want to learn more about Goffs Churchgate in Cheshunt as a possible secondary school for their children. We hope you can make it!
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 £13.00 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.
Food Allergies
If your child has a food allergy, you should click here to set up an account with Hertfordshire Catering Limited. This is particularly important if your child requires a specialist diet to keep them safe and healthy.
Guitar Lessons
Please find attached information about guitar lessons in school for children in Years 3-6.
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
If you have recently collected your child late from school, you will receive a letter about this. Please be aware that 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.
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.
After-school Clubs
The after-school clubs on offer this term are:
Monday
Years 3-6 Dance Club with Mrs Bye - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Years 3 & 4 Times Tables Rockstars Club with Mrs Page - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Wednesday
Years 3-6 Steel Pans with Wade Austin - 3:15 to 4:30pm (£5.00 per session)
Thursday
Years 1-2 Arts & Crafts Club with Mrs Holliday - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Years 1-2 Scootability with Miss O' Keeffe - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Friday
Years 3-6 Art & Crafts Club with Mrs Chanter - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
To book your child's place, you must use the School Gateway app.
If your child does not get a place this term, you will be able to try again in the spring term. If you need help using the School Gateway app, please speak to a member of staff in the School Office.
School Office.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk
01992 624099
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Newsletter - w/c 09/09/2019
Mon 09 Sep 2019Dear parent/carer,
Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Please do visit our school website www.hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk regularly to stay up to date with school life and if you haven't done so already, please like and follow us on Facebook. If you do use Facebook, you should also search for your child's class page - for example, search, Beech Class. You can send your child's teacher a friend request and follow what your child's learning in class that way as well!
School Behaviour Policy
Please click here to read our new School Behaviour Policy. If there are any educational words or phrases you do not understand, please do ask Mr Short (Headteacher) or Miss Bracken (Deputy Headteacher) when you see them on the gate. Similarly, if you have any suggestions about how it could be improved, please feel free to tell us in person or write to us by letter or e-mail.
We hope parents and carers feel confident that we support the children well with behaving in a pro-social way; however, we will also listen if you have concerns about your child or other children's behaviour because it is our aim to create a school where excellent behaviour is a minimum expectation for everyone.
Primary Geography Quality Mark
A thank you and congratulations to Mrs McFadyen (Pear Class Teacher) who achieved the Primary Geography Quality Mark for leading the development of geography at our school!
Parents and carers should know all of our teachers lead a subject in an effort to make sure our school curriculum is the best it can be and to get our children ready for their secondary school education. We are really proud of how we value every school subject and how we know our teachers plan for exciting lessons and school trips.
If you want to know more about our school curriculum, please click here.
School Uniform
Starting this term, like the children in Reception and KS1, all children in KS2 will wear a white polo shirt with their jumper or cardigan instead of a shirt and tie.
Moving forwards, we would like as many children as possible wearing full school uniform, including the school-branded jumper or cardigan and smart black shoes that are not trainers. As your child grows and you need to buy them a new jumper or cardigan, please aim to purchase a school-branded one, ensuring you write your child's name in permanent market on all labels on the item of clothing and give your child a firm talking to about keeping their personal property safe!
If you have any school-branded jumpers or cardigans at home that your child has outgrown, please bring them to the office as we can then offer them up to other families.
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 £13.00 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.
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
If you have recently collected your child late from school, you will receive a letter about this. Please be aware that 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.
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.
After-school Clubs
The after-school clubs on offer this term are:
Monday
Years 3-6 Dance Club with Mrs Bye - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Years 3 & 4 Times Tables Rockstars Club with Mrs Page - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Wednesday
Years 3-6 Steel Pans with Wade Austin - 3:15 to 4:30pm (£5.00 per session)
Thursday
Years 1-2 Arts & Crafts Club with Mrs Holliday - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Years 1-2 Scootability with Miss O' Keeffe - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
Friday
Years 3-6 Art & Crafts Club with Mrs Chanter - 3:15 to 4:15pm (Free)
To book your child's place, you must use the School Gateway app. You can book from Monday 9th September 2019 at 6:00pm. All clubs will start the week commencing 16th September 2019.
If your child does not get a place this term, you will be able to try again in the spring term.
If you need help using the School Gateway app, please speak to a member of staff in the School Office.
Breakfast Club & After-school Wraparound Care
Our Breakfast Club remains free. However, we need to know which children are attending so parents/carers wishing to use this service must also book their child's place using the School Gateway app which will be open from Saturday 7th September 2019 at 9.00am. From Monday 9th September 2019, only children with places booked at Breakfast Club may attend. There are 40 places available.
For Wraparound Care, parents/carers must also book and pay for their child's session/s using the School Gateway app which will be open from Saturday 7th September 2019 at 9.00am. Each day, there are 20 places available. Please note, you will no longer be able to pay by cash; all payments must be made using the School Gateway app. This is to ensure the school receives the funds so it may continue to run Wraparound Care for working parents and carers. From Monday 9th September 2019, only children with places booked at Wraparound Care may attend.
If you need help using the School Gateway app, please speak to a member of staff in the School Office.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
01992 624099
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Newsletter - w/c 02/09/19
Sun 01 Sep 2019Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
New School Term Begins
We very much look forward to welcoming you and the children back to school on Thursday 5th September 2019 at 8:40am. Parents and carers of children moving up to Year 3 are welcome to walk with the children to their classroom door on Thursday and Friday but from Monday, your child must walk from the playground to their classroom door independently.
Attendance
Please click here to read about the importance of school attendance and what will happen if your child's attendance drops below the national average of 96%.
In short, if your child's attendance drops below 96% (which will happen quickly if they are absent from school next week) you will receive a formal warning letter telling you we will not authorise any absence without medical proof. If after that letter your child has 15 unauthorised absence sessions (which is the same as 7 and a half school days) you will receive an Appendix A letter and will likely receive a fine from the local authority shortly after that.
We know many parents and carers find this process unfair; however, all research shows that children who attend school regularly do better at school and in adulthood. We have our own school example of this where those Year 6 children with attendance above 96% outperformed those with attendance below 96% in this year's SATs. Of the 20 children with attendance below 96%, 55% of them passed their SATs, whereas for the 39 children with attendance above 96%, 77% of them passed the tests - a big difference!
Please make sure your child comes to school every day and on time - we want to make sure every child leaves Year 6 ready for their secondary school education.
It's a Knockout!
On the first day back to school, we have organised a fun competition between the four house teams. The children will take part in an inflatable obstacle course and the house team who complete the course in the shortest amount of time will be one step closer to winning the termly, all-expenses-paid school trip!
Please make sure your child has their PE kit on the first day back to school. It is a good idea for your child to bring their PE kit into school every Monday and bring it home for washing every Friday so that they always have it available in school.
School Uniform
Please make sure your child has the correct school uniform ready for their return to school - we want the children to dress the same so that they do not need to worry about appearances and can focus on their play and learning.
Please click here to see our school uniform and please make sure your child is wearing smart black shoes and not trainers! Your child is welcome to bring a pair of trainers to change into at break and lunchtime if you worry they might scuff their smart black shoes.
Summer Fair 2019
Thank you to the Friends of Hurst Drive, both the regular volunteers and those parents and carers who helped out on the day, for helping to raise over £800 for the school. The event was a great success and, most importantly, the children who attended had a fantastic time!
We hope the children enjoy the remaining days of the Summer Holiday and we will see you on Thursday 5th September 2019 at 8:40am.
Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
01992 624099
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