Hartley Primary Academy Newsletter
December 2023
Principal's Welcome
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have had a great term here at HPA, finishing off with some great performances by our talented children and a brilliant panto, funded by our PTA - thank you!
The term has been a busy one for recruitment and I am delighted that we are ending the term with news about our new Principal, Stuart Mitchell, who will start after Easter - it is lovely to know that I will be leaving the school in safe hands! We have also appointed Kelly Mitchell (current Nursery Manager) as a new Class Teacher - she will continue to lead Nursery but in the role of Class Teacher will have greater responsibilities and be part of the teaching team here at HPA. We also have Charlotte Breach (current Bank Staff) joining the Nursery permanently, as Nursery Assistant. Finally, we will have Alicia Moloney stepping into the role of Class Teacher for Willow Class after Christmas, as Sophie Smith moves out of class to become Vice Principal while Victoria Hayes is on maternity leave. Lots of change but very few new people to the school - we have been fortunate to offer promotions and new opportunities, enabling the retention of our excellent staff. We are currently advertising for an Office Manager and some additional lunchtime supervisors - if you know anyone who may be interested please point them in the direction of our website to look at the vacancies listed.
My newsletter will be a little shorter than usual this term because Mrs Smith and her newspaper team have created our first 'Hartley Herald', which is jam-packed with information about everything that has been happening at HPA over the last two terms. Please click on the 'Hartley Herald' link or open the attached document.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our Hartley families a very Merry Christmas/winter break and a Happy New Year. Please have a safe and happy two-week break and we will see you all back on Tuesday 2nd January.
Best wishes,
Nicole Galinis
Principal
Dates for the Diary
(please note these are subject to change but we will inform you as soon as possible if this is necessary)
Tuesday 2nd January - Start of Term 3
Friday 5th January - Year 4 swimming sessions start
w/b 8th January - Clubs start
Thursday 11th January - Year 6 trip to the RAF Museum
Monday 15th January - Young Voices at The O2
w/b 29th January - Last week for clubs
w/b 5th February - Academic Review Week
Thursday 8th February - Last day of term 3
Friday 9th February - Staff development day
PTA news
We are very lucky to have a fabulous PTA who work tirelessly to raise money for our school, holding events such as the Christmas fair, movie nights, discos, summer fair and so much more! The Christmas fair made nearly £1,200 net profit - there are still a few items to account for but it is really good to get over the thousand pound mark!
The raffle alone made £486 so thank you all for your hamper donations!
For the financial year 2023 this is what PTA gave to school:
KS1 and School Council donations £85.41
Various books for all years £557.41
Easter Eggs given to all children £607.50
Animalphonics subscription £745.00
Animalphonics book (separate from subscription) £96.99
Panto Bus £800.00
Plastic Storage boxes for Nursery £119.98
Ovens for Reception years £255.98
Coaches - School RE trips £960.00
Total = £4,228.27
For the current financial year the PTA have already paid £2,028 for:
KS1 and School Council donations (182.92 Smartie Challenge £50 School Council Christmas stall)
Panto Bus - £995
Ukulele lessons - part paid £288 (total is £750)
Animalphonics subscription £745
£1,500 has also been committed for outdoor learning week which will be happening in Term 6.
Thank you PTA!!
Children in Need, Elf Day and The Royal British Legion
Thank you for helping our children to raise a huge amount for charity this term! We raised £444.98 for Children in Need, £346.39 for The Altzheimer's Society and £241.57 for the Royal British Legion.
Attendance Term 2
Please have a look at our attendance policy to make sure you are aware of our procedures regarding lateness and unauthorised absences.
We have a number of classes who have done really well with their attendance, as you can see below:
Well done to Ash class for achieving a fantastic 98% attendance this term!
Well done as well to Ash and Chestnut classes for achieving over 95% attendance every week this term - wow!
(data based on attendance up until and including Friday 8th December)
As part of the New Ash Green Hub, Jackie West, our Community Warden, has invited a Project Officer from the Financial Hardship Team at KCC, the meeting in February to provide support for families in our community.
On the morning of the event attendees will have the opportunity to meet and speak with invited guests from agencies in a position to support those in attendance.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 6th February between 10am and 12pm, at New Ash Green Village Hall. Everyone is welcome!
Severe weather arrangements
Although there is currently no imminent forecast of snow, it would seem timely to remind parents of the procedures in the case of severe weather. Please be reminded that the main means of communication are via the website (www.hartleyprimary.org.uk) and text messages to parents.
Please monitor our website for updates. In the event of heavy snow which requires us to close the school we will also alert Kent County Council. Updates on the status of our school and others can found on Kent Schools Closures www.kentclosures.co.uk. BBC Radio Kent, Heart FM and KMFM will use this information to broadcast school closures over the radio.
Parents can also register for alerts by email for free via www.kentclosures.co.uk - as soon as we notify the KCC website of our closure, parents will be updated almost instantaneously.
Every effort will be made to keep the school to be open - the factors that will lead to the decision to close the school are:
If the site is unsafe due to ice and/or snow;
If a reasonable temperature cannot be maintained in the building;
If water is not available and the toilet system is not working satisfactorily;
If staff cannot reach school and not enough staff are available to supervise the children.
We may ask all children to come into school with a packed lunch in the event that the Cucina team are not able to get in.
If school is open and the weather deteriorates during the school day we will text you and update our website to request you to come and collect your child. You must contact the school if an adult other than yourself is going to collect. An email will suffice (office@hartleyprimary.org.uk) - I encourage you to use this method to prevent our phone lines from jamming.
School trips
Please have a look at some of the photos from the Year 4, 5 and 6 trips and the Year R walk to the post office this term - details are all in the Hartley Herald!
Sporting achievements
Our Hartley pupils have been very successful in the sporting world this term - please have a look through the photos of some of our competitors! Details are again in the Hartley Herald.
Free School Meals
If your child is under 19 and in full-time education, you may be able to get free school meals for them if you receive certain benefits. The quickest and easiest way to check whether your child is eligible for free school meals and to apply is via the KCC website:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/free-school-meals
If your child is already registered for free school meals, you do not need to reapply. If you’re not sure whether your child is already registered, please call the school and we can check our records, or you can contact KCC on 03000 416464.
Check out our Facebook Page!
If you haven't already, please like and follow our Facebook page Hartley Primary Academy for updates and information about our school.
Follow us on Twitter @HartleyAcademy
Look out for school information and updates, as well as recruitment opportunities! Please encourage friends and family to follow us too!
