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.

• Newsletter - w/c - 30/11/20

  Thu 26 Nov 2020

  Dear Parent/Carer,

   

  Please find below some important notices about school life:

   

  Return to School - Self-isolation

   

  We look forward to welcoming Year 1, Year 2, Apple Class, and the children from Pine Room, Birch Room and Breakfast Club back to school tomorrow on Friday 27 November 2020.  

   

  We also look forward to welcoming Year 3 back to school on Wednesday 2 December 2020.

   

  Thank you to those parents and carers who have worked hard with home learning; we know it is not always easy and we are grateful for your efforts to avoid your child falling behind with their learning.  

   

  May we remind you that if your child is showing the symptoms associated with COVID-19, they must remain off school and you must organise for them to have a test.  When you get the test results, be they positive or negative, you must forward them to admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk so we may continue to act swiftly in response to any positive test.

   

  It may be reassuring for parents and carers to keep their eye on this website which tracks the number of positive cases in Hertfordshire.  As you will see, the number of cases is falling.  

   

  Furthermore, it may be reassuring for parents and carers to know that we have had just 8 positive cases (and these do not form separate cases requiring separate letters to inform you as they include individuals going on to test positive during self-isolation after contact with an individual who themselves already tested positive) and to keep in mind that those are 8 individuals are out of 392 children and 65 staff; therefore, a small number of cases will still have a big effect on the running of our school as we have to follow the current guidance regarding self-isolation.     

   

  Facebook

   

  We are pleased that many of our parents and carers keep track of their child's class on Facebook, and we are pleased too that many of the parents/carers with children self-isolating have made sure their child/ren complete extra learning activities posted by their teacher/s.  

   

  We know some parents/carers use Facebook Messenger to contact their child's class teacher directly.  This is perfectly acceptable; however, parents/carers must keep the following in mind:

   

  1) A teacher only need respond to messages between 8:30am - 3:30pm, Monday-Friday, during term time.  

   

  2) A teacher does not organise the policies and procedures in school.  If you have a question or concern about school life, for example, relating to COVID-19, you should e-mail admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk FAO Mr Short (Headteacher) so he may direct your question or concern to an appropriate member of school staff.

   

  3) All communication from parents/carers, including in-person, telephone, e-mail and Facebook messenger, must be professional and polite, otherwise we will use our Managing Abusive Parents, Carers and Visitors Policy.  The Governors of Hurst Drive Primary School will not tolerate staff being treated unkindly.  We have already sent out three warning letters to parents/carers since 1 September 2020 for shouting and/or swearing at staff members in person or on the telephone.  If needs be, we have the power to ban a parent/carer from our school premises - we have done this in previous years so we would consider doing it again to keep our staff safe.  As always, thank you to the very many parents/carers who always treat school staff politely - it does not go unnoticed.

   

  Telephoning the School

   

  As a reminder, the School Office is currently closed to visitors.  We check the school voicemail at 8:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm.  Quite often we are having voicemails where a caller has not left a message, only to then find a voicemail in the afternoon saying they have called several times today and require an answer to a question.  If you need to leave a voicemail to share a message or to ask a question, please clearly state your name, your child's name, and provide a contact telephone number if you suspect we may not have your latest contact information on our system.  Of course, we will only return your call if your voicemail states or suggests a call back is required.   

   

  We still recommend a parent/carer e-mail any questions or messages to admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk as we can reply to these more efficiently.   

   

  Year 6 - Lancaster Model Survey

   

  Parents/carers of Year 6 children should note that the children will complete this survey in school on Monday 30 November 2020 and Tuesday 1 December 2020.  

   

  As we wrote previously, this is a survey where the children share their personal views about their physical and mental health, and, depending on how your child completes the survey, you may be contacted by someone working in the NHS in the coming weeks.  

   

  Christmas Jumper Day - Friday 11 December 2020

   

  This is advance notice that on Friday 11 December 2020, the children are invited to wear a Christmas-themed jumper to school as part of a non-school uniform day.  Parents/carers are invited to donate £1 (or whatever you can spare) to the charity Save the Children.

   

  The Friends of Hurst Drive are currently in talks with Mrs Bye (Family Support Worker) and Mrs Lloyd (Safeguarding Coordinator) to run our annual Christmas Sale on this date too so the children may buy Christmas-themed gifts for friends and family.  We will share more details about this in next week's e-mailed newsletter.  

   

   

  Kind regards,

   

   

  The School Office Team

  Hurst Drive Primary School

  admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk    

  01992 624099

• Newsletter - w/c - 23/11/20

  Thu 19 Nov 2020

   

  Dear Parent/Carer,

   

  Please see below for some important notices about school life:

   

  Remote Education and Self-isolation

   

  Thank you to those parents and carers working hard with their child/ren at home - you are making sure the children do not fall behind with their learning and for that we are very grateful.

   

  Whilst the teachers are well, they will be posting daily activities on your child's class Facebook page.  We warmly invite parents and carers to post comments, including photographs or videos of your child and their work, as it can really help brighten up a teacher's day when he or she is having to self-isolate.  Otherwise, you may click here to find worksheets aimed at your child's year group.  

   

  Please also ensure you answer any telephone calls from a private number (i.e. number withheld) as it may be your child's class teacher or a teaching assistant telephoning to see how your child is getting on and to answer any questions you may have.  

   

  Please see below for a reminder about when your child's class (or group in the case of the Breakfast Club children) may return to school if they are well enough to do so:

   

  Willow Class - Friday 20 November 2020

   

  Beech Class - Friday 27 November 2020

  Walnut Class - Friday 27 November 2020

  Birch Class - Friday 27 November 2020

  Pine Class - Friday 27 November 2020

   

  Ash Class - Monday 30 November 2020

  Chestnut Class - Monday 30 November 2020

  Apple Class - Monday 30 November 2020

  Selected Breakfast Club Children - Monday 30 November 2020

   

  Once again, thank you to the parents/carers for supporting us by following the guidance we are being given by the local authority and in turn the government.  We know self-isolation can be worrying and stressful so we appreciate your ongoing support and we hope to soon have all the children back in school as normal. 

   

  To be clear, if your child is meant to be self-isolating, they cannot leave your home, this includes going to the shops and collecting brothers/sisters from school and nursery.  

   

  If you need help transporting your child/ren to and from school, because you have a child or children self-isolating, we may be able to help.  Please e-mail admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk and request a telephone call from Mrs Lloyd (Safeguarding Coordinator) or Mrs Bye (Family Support Worker).

   

  Coronavirus - Changes in School

   

  ​We invited a Senior Infection and Prevention Control Nurse into school on Tuesday 17 November 2020 so he could inspect our building and the systems in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to also have him suggest ways we may further improve.  He was very complimentary about lots of what we have in place already, including our enhanced cleaning schedule, our arrangements for children's lunchtime that allows them access to hot meals, the playground zones for break and lunchtime, the setup of our classrooms and so on.  

   

  He has suggested we try some new actions, and these are detailed below to start on Monday 23 November 2020:

  • Change the sign on our outdoor hand sanitiser station to remind adults to sanitise their hands to keep children and adults safe;
  • Invite parents/carers to wear face coverings as added protection for themselves whilst on site;
  • Remind parents and carers to keep 2 metres apart (i.e. no chatting on the playground or outside school);
  • Kitchen staff to wear masks while serving food to children and staff; and,
  • Trial a one-way system that still ensures vehicle and pedestrian separation.

   

  Our school is not well designed for a one-way system as you will have figured out yourselves.  However, we would like to trial the following next week.  When parents/carers enter the site, if they are dropping off to classrooms (this affects Year 1 parents/carers only as children in Years 3-6 walk themselves to class and Reception and Year 2 are accessed from the large front playground) they must walk all the way around the building and come back into our car park (which we will cordon off to avoid any accidents) before exiting out the main gate.  If they are picking up, they must do this in reverse, entering through the main gate and walking towards the car park and around the building to collect their child from their external classroom door.  In this way, we are limiting the number of children being in the car park - something the nurse highly recommends.  

   

  We know many of our parents/carers understand that school staff are working as hard as they can to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we appreciate your understanding at what continues to be a difficult time for us all.  

   

  Nasal Flu Immunisation - Wednesday 16 December 2020

   

  It is very important that the children have this vaccine to protect them against flu which can lead to serious problems like bronchitis or pneumonia.  

   

  We will be e-mailing out forms for parents/carers and we will also be giving paper copies to your children to take home.

   

  You must return the completed form to school by Friday 4 December 2020 and you can do this by e-mailing completing forms to admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk, by giving the completed form to your child's class teacher at the end of the school day, or by placing the form in the blue parcel box outside the School Office.  

   

  Please note, if you already handed in the form, but your child was absent on Tuesday 17 November 2020, your child will have the vaccine on Wednesday 16 December 2020 - you do not need to complete the form again.  If you are unsure whether you handed in the completed form, you may e-mail admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk, giving your child's full name and an Office Administrator will investigate and get back to you.  

   

  2020 Parent/Carer Survey

   

  As you know, we use the survey to inform actions in school so we may continue to improve the school for the children and their parents and carers.  Please see below for information on two upcoming changes:

   

  Starting in the week commencing Monday 14 December 2020, and continuing each half term thereafter, parents/carers will receive an e-mail from their child's class teacher, detailing what subjects will be taught next half term and what your child will be learning in each of those subjects.  This is in response to some parents/carers stating they were unsure about what their child was learning in school.  Please remember, you can still view the curriculum on our website.   

   

  Also, the Senior Management Team have met, and we currently have a graphic design company creating a mock-up of a report card we may send out termly to parents/carers so they receive more regularly feedback on their child's learning.  In this way, a parent/carer would receive two report cards and an annual report, alongside the two parent/carer consultation evening appointments.  Hopefully we will be ready to send the first of these report cards in December 2020 or January 2021 and parents/carers will feel better informed about their child's learning.   

   

   

  Kind regards,

   

   

  The School Office Team

  Hurst Drive Primary School

  admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk    

  01992 624099

• Newsletter - w/c-16/11/20

  Thu 12 Nov 2020
  Dear Parent/Carer,

   

  Please see below for some important notices about school:

   

   

  Reception - Self-isolation

   

  As you will know, we had a positive case of COVID-19 in school last week and so the entire Reception year group and staff members are currently self-isolating.  

   

  Mr Short (Headteacher) sought advice from Public Health England and this informed the school's actions.    

   

  We know that parents and carers were worried when they heard this news; school staff felt worried too.  Please know that the school continues to run safely and smoothly with regular cleaning to help us stop the spread of the virus, and most importantly, most children are learning and happy to be in school in with their friends and teachers.  

   

  Thank you to all the parents and carers for the kindness shown over the past week, kindness in the way you have calmly supported the school by continuing to bring your children in, or, if you are a parent/carer of a child in Reception, kindness in the way you've helped us by supporting your child with their learning at home.    

   

  Please click here to read about how the school responds to coronavirus, including how your child is supported with their learning if their class or year group are told to self-isolate.

   

   

  Year 6 - Lancaster Model Survey

   

  On Tuesday 17 November 2020, the children in Year 6 will complete an on-line survey in the Computing Suite overseen by nurses working for the NHS.  This survey gives the NHS information about how children across England view exercise and their own well-being.  Please note, if in the coming weeks you are contacted by someone from the NHS, it will be in response to something your child recorded on the survey and the school is not told about these telephone calls.  This is nothing to worry about; after all, if you are contacted, it will be because the nurse is checking on your child's physical and mental health.  

   

   

  Flu Immunisation Programme

   

  Just a reminder that if you completed the forms for your child/ren to have the nasal flu vaccination, they will receive this in school on Tuesday 17 November 2020 and it will be administered by a nurse.

   

  Please click here to read more information about the flu immunisation programme in schools.  

   

  If your child is absent, we have booked another session for nasal flu vaccination on Wednesday 16 December 2020 so your child will be immunised then.  

   

   

  Geography Competition - A Message from Mrs McFadyen (Pear Class Teacher & Subject Leader for Geography & Spanish) 

   

  Being in another lockdown means it can be difficult to find things to do at the weekends.  To help you keep busy, I am setting a Geography competition.

   

  We are trying to get the silver Primary Geography Quality Mark meaning we need to be observing, collecting, recording, analysing and using/ creating maps.  I have some suggested fieldwork activities you may do with your child/ren.  I hope you find them fun and interesting! 

   

  If you do complete any of them, please take pictures of it being completed or pictures of the work and send them to admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk with the subject being 'Geography Competition' by Friday 11 December 2020.  I will select a winner and he/she will receive a special prize in the last week of term. 

   

  Here are the activities: 

  • Create a sketch map of the woods nears you.
  • Stand back-to-back with a partner. Person 1 - Describe what you can see from where you stand. Person 2 - Listen and record what you hear (you could present it as a Wordle).  Do 4 turns for a north, east, south and west perspective. 
  • Talking trees - Use speech bubbles to record as many facts, observations, thoughts about a tree as possible. 
  • Spin the bottle and head off on a journey - record your terrain at every step (e.g. in words, photographs or drawings) or create a journey stick. 

   

   

   

  Kind regards,

   

   

  The School Office Team

  Hurst Drive Primary School

  admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk    

  01992 624099  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Newsletter - w/c - 08/11/20

  Thu 05 Nov 2020
  Dear Parent/Carer,

   

  Please find below some important notices about school life:

   

  Rights Respecting Schools - Silver: Rights Aware 

   

  At a time like this, it's wonderful to have some positive news to share.  On Wednesday 4 November 2020, we were awarded the Silver: Rights Aware award as part of the Rights Respecting Schools programme - a programme that encourages schools to promote The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Mrs Geggus (Assistant Headteacher for KS2) and members of the School Council played a big part in achieving this award so a big well done to them!  We will let you know over the coming months what our next steps are to achieve the Gold Award and you will soon see a lovely banner outside of school! 

   

  Poppy-making Day - Friday 6 November 2020

   

  On Friday 6 November 2020, as part of our Remembrance Day celebrations, all the children in the school will spend the day designing a face covering in the theme of Remembrance (i.e. the poppy appeal).  They will either take these home on Friday or on Monday (depending on how quickly the fabric paint dries).

   

  We also have poppies, and poppy-related products in school for children (or parents/carers to purchase).  We will sell these after-school on the front playground on Monday.  Please ensure you are wearing a face covering and keeping a safe distance from one another.  The prices are below:

   

  Paper poppy = 50p

  Poppy badge = 50p

  Poppy reflector = 50p

  Poppy zip pull = 50p

  Poppy silicon wristband = £1

  Poppy snap band = £1.50  

   

  World Kindness Day / Children in Need - Friday 13 November 2020

   

  On Friday 13 November, we are celebrating World Kindness Day for which Mrs Geggus (Assistant Headteacher for KS2) has planned activities for the children to complete in class with their teacher.  It is also Children in Need so if children would like to wear non-school uniform they may.  If you can give a monetary contribution (e.g. 50p, £1) towards this national charitable event, we will gratefully receive it and send it off to them.  

   

  Photographs - Individual and Sibling

   

  We had organised for the photography company Kittle to visit school on 13 November 2020 to take individual and sibling portraits.  However, this has been postponed due to the National Lockdown.  We have rebooked it for Monday 19 April 2021 so please keep that date in your diary.  On this day, we will hopefully be able to facilitate sibling photographs, including babies and toddlers.  

   

  2020 Parent and Carer Survey Results

   

  Thank you again to the parents and carers who took the time to complete the survey.  We had around 20 more parents and carers complete it this year compared to last year and the percentages of positive responses to the statements increased which is fantastic.  You may click here to read the results, including the school response to parents and carers' suggestions.  

   

  School Grid

   

  Thank you to those parents/carers who are in the routine of booking their child's school meals on School Grid.  This week, we had around 20 children who had to have the default option (a jacket potato with cheese and/or beans with assorted salad) because their parents/carers had not booked them a meal.  We recommend you book your child's meals on a Sunday for the week ahead; however, if you wish to be very organised, you may book their meals weeks in advance.  Please spread the word to other parents and carers so their child/ren may have the school meal they want.    

   

   

  Kind regards,

   

   

  The School Office Team

  Hurst Drive Primary School

  admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk    

  01992 624099