Newsletter - w/c 11/05/2020
Dear Parent/Carer,
We hope our families and children continue to be safe and well at this time. As you'll know, our teachers and higher-level teaching assistants have been telephoning to speak with the children, checking their access to home learning and to remind them that school staff are still here and thinking of them, hoping to welcome them back to school soon. It has been wonderful to hear what they've been getting up to, everything from learning to tie their shoelaces to baking cakes alongside doing their reading and maths work.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation and it's expected we'll receive more news then about the current restrictions.
Until then, please see below for a few important notices regarding school life:
Free School Meals - Supermarket Vouchers / Packed Lunches for Collection
We are very aware that the system set up by the government to provide supermarket vouchers to families is proving problematic. We have sent e-mails and made telephone calls and yet our most recent order is not being fulfilled.
The Department for Education are advising us to make our own arrangements, so, like lots of the other local primary schools, we are going to return to offering packed lunches for collection from Monday, between 12:00-12:30pm, while we wait for the supermarket vouchers to be delivered.
If you would like to order a packed lunch for your child/ren, please e-mail admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk today, stating your child/ren's name/s and what they would like as their choice of sandwich filling: cheese, chicken or tuna.
Reading at Home
Miss Griffiths (Year 6 Teacher and Subject Leader for English) was pleased to hear from other teachers that children and their parents/carers are requesting more reading resources. Below is a list of free websites that families may access where children may listen to a story, practise reading aloud to an adult or read independently:
Home Learning
Thank you to those parents/carers who continue to juggle working at home, household chores and supporting their child with home learning - we know it's not easy.
Please note, if you would prefer to set work for your child yourself - for example, by purchasing workbooks from the supermarket or on-line - you are very welcome to do this and your child will let their teacher or higher-level teaching assistant know this when they telephone. Also, if it suits you better to have your child watch the teacher's video and complete the work in the afternoon that is perfectly acceptable - you can still post pictures of any work your child has completed for the teacher to see the next day.
We thank you for your continued hard work with the children's home learning.
Updating Contact Details
During school closure, we have found that many of the telephone and e-mail addresses we have for our families are no longer in use. Over the next few weeks, a member of the School Office will make contact with you to check the contact details we have for you and any other adults listed as having permission to collect your child from school are correct. If we cannot make contact with you, we will look to catch parents/carers in person when school reopens to get this information.
Please make sure that as the weeks, months and years go on that you inform us as and when you change home address, telephone number or e-mail address - it would be terrible if there were an emergency in school and we were unable to contact you about it.
Thank you.
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Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk
01992 624099