Newsletter - w/c 23/09/2019
Dear 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
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------