Newsletter - w/c 21/09/20
Dear Parent/Carer,
Please find below some important notices about school life:
Reading at Home
All research shows that reading to your child as a baby/toddler, reading with your child when they're young, and encouraging them to read as they grow older, is the best way for a parent/carer to support their child's education. Reading teaches your child words, phrases, ideas, and information that helps them learn how to express themselves when speaking and when writing which are important skills for the workplace.
- We need children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to read for 10 minutes each day at home.
- We need children in Year 3 and Year 4 to read for 15 minutes each day at home.
- We need children in Year 5 and Year 6 to read for 20 minutes each day at home.
To show your child is reading at home, they each have a reading record. Please click here to find out what you can write in their reading record. It can even be as simple as a smiley face and your signature!
In Years 4-6, children change their reading book when they finish reading it (or if they decide they no longer enjoy reading it as we like to give them the same choice we as adults have when we're reading).
For children in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3, we change your children's reading books weekly. Please return your child's book bag with their reading records and books to school on a Wednesday. On Friday, your child will take home their book bag with two reading books: one Read Write Inc. phonics book and one colour-banded story or information book.
Also, the local libraries in Waltham Cross and Cheshunt are open for families to visit. Please click here to find their opening times. We hope to resume our own visits to the local library in the spring term.
European Day of Languages / National Cooking Day - Friday 25 September 2020
Next week, each class will be learning words and phrases from a particular country and on Friday, they will be preparing a dish from that country to enjoy in class. On Friday 25 September 2020, your child may come to school dressed in non-school uniform but we would ask you to try and dress them in the colours on the flag of the European country they are learning about. Please see below for a list:
- Willow Class - The Netherlands = red, white and blue
- Sycamore Class - Belarus = red and green
- Ash Class - Sweden = yellow and blue
- Chestnut Class - Cyprus = green, yellow and white
- Beech Class - Belgium = red, black and yellow
- Walnut Class - Germany = red, black and yellow
- Oak Class - Turkey = red and white
- Pear Class - Norway = red, white and blue
- Cherry Class - Estonia = blue, black and white
- Hawthorn Class - Greece = blue and white
- Cedar Class - Portugal = red, green, yellow, blue and white
- Mulberry Class - Denmark = red and white
- Apple Class - Italy = red, green and white
- Elm Class - France = red, white and blue
- Birch/Pine - Spain = red and yellow
On Friday, ask them what words/phrases they know from the country they studied, and ask them about the dish they prepared. If you really want to impress your child's class teacher, look into eating or preparing food from that country over the weekend and tag them in a Facebook post!
School Dinners
In the week commencing Monday 28 September 2020, we will be reintroducing hot meals at lunchtime for the children. We have organised for extra tables and chairs so we may use our Main Hall alongside our Dining Hall and this should hopefully mean we can feed all the children during our two lunch hours without having to rush any children while still having time to clean tables and chairs between sittings. We will be sending more information next week regarding the menu and reminders about paying for meals upfront.
Christmas Productions
Unfortunately, due to the curriculum restrictions in place for music, we won't be able to organise a Reception Christmas Concert or the Key Stage 1 Nativity Production this year. We know this will be disappointing news for parents and carers. These dates will be removed from the website calendar.
Coffee Morning - Wednesdays
Thank you to the parents/carers who came to our coffee morning on Wednesday - it was such a success that it nearly lasted till lunchtime!
Mrs Bye (Family Support Worker) will be hosting this each week on the front playground under the canopy. It includes free tea/coffee, cakes, pastries, biscuits, and, if you need to bring along any toddlers or babies, we will have juice and biscuits available for them too. It's so important for parents/carers to have that time to talk to each other, and to talk to our members of staff about school so we may learn what you like (and what you would suggest we change) about school so we can keep working well together for your children. Hopefully, some of you will be able to make it next week too!
Kind regards,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk
01992 624099