Newsletter - w/c 03/02/2020
Dear parent/carer,
Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Years 3-6 Home Time
Thank you parents and carers for trialling the change to collecting children in Years 3-6 from their classrooms this week. Please keep in mind the following points:
- We will return to opening the main gate from 3:10pm. We have practised and it doesn't take longer than 5 minutes to walk from the opened gate to Mulberry Class which is the furthest classroom.
- Children can be collected from their classroom between 3:15-3:30pm. This allows parent/carers to collect siblings from other classrooms without having to rush or panic.
- At 3:30pm, teachers will bring those children yet to be collected to the Dining Hall for late collection. In other words, you are not late to collect your child if you fetch them at 3:20pm, for example.
- No parent/carer should be knocking on doors/windows before 3:15pm - our school day finishes at 3:15pm. Please leave the children to concentrate on any messages being shared by their teacher.
- No parent/carer should be entering classrooms without permission from the class teacher.
- On rainy days, please bring an umbrella to avoid getting wet.
- If you would like your child to leave their classroom and meet you on the front playground, you must give written permission to the School Office. For example, "I [Parent Full Name] give permission for [Child/ren's name/s] to leave their classroom. [Parent/Carer Signature] [Date]" and this can be written on a piece of paper or via e-mail to admin@hurstdrive.herts.ch.uk. Please note, if you give written permission for your child to leave the classroom, you are taking responsibility for their safety and well-being from the moment they exit their classroom.
Bikes and Scooters
Now that more children are bringing their bikes and scooters to school (which is a fantastic way for them to keep healthy and have fun) we need to ask all parents/carers to support us in keeping the playground a safe and happy place. At the busy times before and after-school please ensure if your child is using their bike/scooter that they are either walking alongside their bike/scooter until they are away from any crowds of people or are riding it slowly and making sure that they are looking out for others around them. Thank you in advance for your role in making sure we all remain safe.
Please note that on Monday 3rd February the children in Years 3 - 6 should not bring their bikes/scooters to school as the part of the KS2 playground that they usually use to ride them on at play time and lunch time will be out of bounds for the day. From Tuesday, all KS2 children are welcome to bring their bikes/scooters into school again.
Friends of Hurst Drive's Valentines Disco
The Friends of Hurst Drive have organised a Valentines Disco on Thursday 13th February 2020.
The disco for Years 1-3 will be in the hall from 3:15-4:30pm.
The disco for Years 4-6 will be in the hall from 4:45-6:00pm.
Tickets cost £5. Please make sure you've purchased a ticket from the School Office by Monday 10th February 2020 at the very latest. This allows the Friends of Hurst Drive to purchase the right amount of food and drink for the children.
Children in Reception will get to have a disco but this will happen during the school day so there is no need to buy a ticket.
National Hardship Programme
Greggs run a programme for families with financial difficulties.
They offer three grants: one grant for a family to receive a free fridge, fridge freezer, cooker or washing machine and two grants for families to buy school uniform up to a value of £50.
We are only allowed to put forward one grant for a family to receive a free white good and two grants for two different families to receive the uniform grant.
If you are interested in this, and believe you qualify as a disadvantaged family, please speak to Mr Short, Miss Bracken or a member of staff you trust.
Visit from a Storyteller for Reception & Year 1
On Tuesday 4th February 2020, children in Reception and Year 1 will have a visit from the puppeteer and storyteller Bronia Evers as part of National Storytelling Week.
Class Photos - Thursday 6th February 2020
Next Thursday is Class Photo Day. Please make sure your child comes to school looking very presentable and in full school uniform with a beaming smile on their face!
Attendance Competition
On Friday 14th February we will be taking 14 lucky children on a trip to 360 Play at Stevenage to celebrate their win! More details will follow in next week's newsletter.
After-School Clubs
We have had some spaces become available on the clubs below. Please book your child’s place on the SchoolGateway app or through our website.
Year 3 & 4 Times Table Rockstars – Miss O’Keeffe – Monday – 3:15 to 4:15pm
Year 5 & 6 Board Games Club – Mrs Page – Monday – 3:15 to 4:15pm
KS1 & KS2 Homework Club – Mrs Bye – Monday – 3:15 to 4:15pm
KS1 Book Club – Mrs Holliday – Wednesday – 3:15 to 4:15pm
Reception Story Club – Mrs Maldar – Wednesday – 3:15 to 4:15pm
Weekly Attendance
The whole school attendance for the week beginning 20th January is 96.8%
KS2:
Elm 98.8%
Oak 98.7%
Hawthorn 97.9%
Pear 97.1%
Mulberry 96.9%
Cedar 95.4%
Apple 95.1%
Cherry 93.4%
Birch 88.9%
EYFS/KS1:
Chestnut 100%
Walnut 98.9%
Beech 98.5%
Sycamore 96.3%
Willow 95.2%
Ash 94.5%
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. There are two options you can either pay £2.60 for a single meal or a weekly cost of £13.00 for five meals. If you are unable to pay on the School Gateway, please come into the office with the correct money in an envelope.
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.
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Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
01992 624099