Friday 18 September 2026

Dear All,

We have had another wonderful week at school, filled with fantastic learning, and lots of energy. The new routine for arriving at school in PE kits on the correct days has been going really well. Thank you all for your support in helping make this work.

As part of our commitment to keeping our school community safe, we held a fire drill this week to ensure our children know exactly what to do in an emergency. We are really proud of how the pupils responded; they exited the buildings quickly, quietly, and safely and it was a brilliant practical lesson in learning how to keep safe together.

We have been talking to the children about the importance of excellent attendance and punctuality to help maximise the impact of learning. Staff have been discussing specific targets for each class to help consider helpful and achievable goals. Well done to each class who met their targets this week! Please remember that school gates open at 8.30am and close promptly at 8.45am. Thank you for your support in helping your child arrive in good time and ready to learn.

We have some wonderful news to share - Luca in Year Six has been selected to represent the Dacorum District Schools U11 Football Team for the 2026–2027 season. We are all very proud of Luca, having earned his place after three rounds of trials involving over a hundred other children. As a school community we have been reflecting a great deal on our core value of Aspiration - this is a wonderful example of aspiring to great things. Good luck Luca, we are rooting for you! Please see the community opportunity section below where you can see pictures of Luca in his kit and find out how you can support the team, should you wish to.

Mr Hunt will be cleaning our cycle shelter on Monday. It will be harder to store bikes and scooters that day so you may wish to leave them behind. Those who do ride to school on Monday, you will be able to leave bikes and scooters in the area near the main gate instead of the shelter. We will direct you to the correct space.

We are currently preparing to launch a second-hand uniform exchange to support our families and to help increase recycling and sustainability. If you have any school jumpers or cardigans that are no longer needed but are still in good condition, please donate them via the school office.

Thank you for your continued support in making our school such a positive place to learn. We hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Mr. Robinson

Headteacher

Upcoming dates

Thursday 24 September

6.00pm - Headteacher update presentation to parents/carers

Friday 25 September

9am- Headteacher update presentation to parents/carers

11.30am - Rabbits parent/carers Invite to join their children for lunch

Monday 28 September

European Day of Languages

Wednesday 30 September

2.30pm - Phonics talk to parents carers in YR/KS1

Thursday 1 October

9.15am - YR/Y6 buddy assembly for Hedgehogs (YR parents invited)

Friday 2 October

9.15am - YR/Y6 buddy assembly for Rabbits (YR parents invited)

11.30am - Hedgehogs parent/carers invited to join their children for lunch

Monday 5 October

Black History Month

Friday 9 October

9.15am - Y5 Harvest Festival performance to parents/carers

Monday 12 October

Rec CLIC 2.40-3.10

Tuesday 13 October

Y3/Y4 CLIC 9am-9.45am

Wednesday 14 October

Y1/Y2 CLIC 2.40-3.10

Attendance

At Danes Educational Trust, we believe that regular attendance is vital to support high-quality teaching and learning. Learners cannot reach their full potential unless they attend school consistently.

Reception | Hedgehogs

Weekly attendance: 91.2%

Attendance YTD: 90.8%

Reception | Rabbits

Weekly attendance: 91%

Attendance YTD: 91.2%

Year 1 | Deers

Weekly attendance: 98.1%

Attendance YTD: 92.9%

Year 1 | Foxes

Weekly attendance: 98.5%

Attendance YTD: 96.3%

Year 2 | Owls

Weekly attendance: 92.7%

Attendance YTD: 94.4%

Year 2 | Puffins

Weekly attendance: 95.9%

Attendance YTD: 94.1%

Year 3 | Ducks

Weekly attendance: 92.7%

Attendance YTD: 92.1%

Year 3 | Swans

Weekly attendance: 98.9%

Attendance YTD: 97.8%

Year 4 | Kingfishers

Weekly attendance: 98.5%

Attendance YTD: 97.8%

Year 4 | Woodpeckers

Weekly attendance: 97.4%

Attendance YTD: 94.%

Year 5 | Otters

Weekly attendance: 97.6%

Attendance YTD: 96.9%

Year 5 | Pine Marten

Weekly attendance: 89.6%

Attendance YTD: 89.4%

Year 6 | Eagles

Weekly attendance: 95.5%

Attendance YTD: 94%

Year 6 | Wildcats

Weekly attendance: 93.9%

Attendance YTD: 94%

Awards and celebrations

We are so proud of these students for earning the Values Award, being recognized as Star Learner, and becoming the Timetable Champion! Your hard work, positive mindset, and commitment to learning shine through in all that you do. Keep it up ! You’re setting a fantastic example for others, and we’re excited to see all the amazing things you’ll achieve next!

Reception | Hedgehogs

Values awards: Mara

Star Learner: John Christopher

Reception | Rabbits

Values awards: Shaniya

Star Learner: Mason

Year 1 | Deers

Values awards: Matei

Star Learner: Ayden

Year 1 | Foxes

Values awards: Sarah

Star Learner: Senuna

Year 2 | Puffins

Values awards: Andie

Star Learner: Noah

Year 2 | Owls

Values awards: Freddie

Star Learner: Santiago

Year 3 | Ducks

Values awards: Josie-Mae

Star Learner: Thomas

Year 3 | Swans

Values awards: Otilia

Star Learner: Caleb

Year 4 | Woodpeckers

Values awards: Chloe M

Star Learner: Oakley

Year 4 | Kingfishers

Values awards:

Star Learner:

Year 5 | Pine Martens

Values awards: Enfys

Star Learner: Thomas

Otters

Values awards: Vienna

Star Learner: Anaya

Year 6 | Wildcats

Values awards: Ruby

Star Learner: Cara

Year 6 | Eagles

Values awards: Methuka

Star Learner: Maisie

House points

It was another great week of competition across all houses. Venus led the charge, picking up an impressive 47 points to extend their term total to 194. Mercury also had a strong week with 35 points (113 total). Meanwhile, Jupiter and Saturn matched each other perfectly, earning 34 points each. This keeps Saturn in second place overall with 145 points, followed by Jupiter with 130. Well done to everyone for their hard work this week!

Jupiter

Points this week: 34

Total points this term: 130

Saturn

Points this week: 34

Total points this term: 145

Venus

Points this week: 47

Total points this term: 194

Mercury

Points this week: 35

Total points this term: 113

Learning this week

This week in Reception

In Reception we’ve been clapping along to rhymes in music, exploring our five senses and celebrating different skin tones through colour mixing. In maths, we have been developing our matching skills with pictures and objects. In phonics we’ve been busy learning our first sounds m, a, s, d and t! Make sure you watch the videos with your child.

This week in Year 1

This week in Year One we have continued our work on the three little pigs, we have worked hard to sound out words carefully and are learning to use finger spaces consistently. In maths we looked at where numbers are found on a numberline and practiced counting forward and backwards. It was lovely to watch the children express themselves in art this week by creating different lines and patterns while listening to pieces of classical music. In RE we have looked at the creation story and tried to remember the order that things were created.

This week in Year 2

This week in Year Two the children have been consolidating their understanding of sentences. They have not only written lots of compound sentences using ‘and’ but have played Sentence Doctor fixing sentences that were missing words and punctuation. In Maths, the children have been challenged when working with numberlines. They have had to add the missing numbers to a variety of number lines, focusing on starting points. This week in Geography the children have been learning the continents. They have used this song to help them and then used atlas’ to label and colour the continents - well done Year 2!

This week in Year 3

This week in Year 3, we have been working hard across all areas of the curriculum! In Maths, the children partitioned numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones to build a strong foundation in place value, while in Literacy, we explored various punctuation marks and practiced using conjunctions to join our ideas. Our Geography lessons took us further into Europe to compare the distinct climates of different countries across the continent, and in Science, we investigated the human skeleton to discover how specific bones help us move and protect our vital organs. We hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

This week in Year 4

This week in Year Four we have displayed our artwork inspired by the books ‘The Dot’ with the artist Wassily Kandinsky through the style of scratch with colour underneath. We have been building on our Place Value in Mathematics, extending to ten thousands and partitioning these numbers. Guided Reading has started with a focus on the novel Bill’s New Frock by Anne Fine, which has given us the opportunity to explore vocabulary, predictions, and inferring skills. To introduce our Spanish language unit, we started off by learning and connecting with the country and culture last week - to learning some basic words and phrases.

This week in Year 5

This week in Year Five we produced a number of fantastic pieces of writing including our ‘cold write’ where we focused on building suspense. We have also continued to work through our place value and number skills in maths, focusing on comparing and ordering numbers and placing numbers on a numberline.

In our History lesson we looked at people’s perceptions of the vikings and discussed if all vikings were bloodthirsty warriors.

We also finalised our artwork in preparation for a Year Five display based on The Dot, creating some amazing optical illusions.

Well done on another great week, Year Five!

This week in Year 6

This week in Year Six the children have again been demonstrating great resilience as we completed our Maths assessment papers - we are super proud of your efforts and attitude. We were also impressed by the courage shown by the many children who wish to become head pupil - presenting your ideas to all of the Key stage 2 pupils is challenging and all the applicants did a great job - good luck!

In English this week we have been practising using a variety of techniques to extend our sentences with a focus on creating tension and suspense. Our Geography learning continued to develop our knowledge of the world’s frozen kingdoms with a focus on ‘the midnight sun’ and in Art we have been completing some eye-catching picture frames based on the book ‘The Dot’. A great week’s work Year 6 - well done.

Jupiter PTA

We are proud to have a dedicated and enthusiastic team of parent teacher association (PTA) at our school. The PTA plays a vital role in bringing together families , staff and the wider community to support and enhance the education experience of all our children. Through fundraising events, volunteer support, and community initiatives, the PTA helps provide valuable resources, enrich learning opportunities, and create a positive, inclusive environment for everyone. We welcome all parents and carers to get involved, whether by joining the committee, helping at events, or sharing ideas every contribution makes a difference!

PTA Events and website link

School News

Huge Congratulations to Luca!

The Dacorum District team receives no external funding and does not charge its players a subscription fee so children can represent their district without financial circumstances becoming a barrier. This means the team is very much in need of donations to cover essential costs including pitch hire, match officials, equipment and other expenses. If you, any company or organisations would like to support this endeavour, please contact Hugh Simmonds at dacorumunder11s@outlook.com for information

YR/KS1 Phonics talk

We would like to invite parents to a Phonics talk on Wednesday 30 September at 2.30. This will be an opportunity for us to explain how phonics works here at Jupiter. This is open to any parent of a child in Reception, Year 1 and Year. If you have previously attended the sessions then you may feel that this may not be beneficial to you.

Meet the teacher

We loved welcoming so many families to our Meet the Teacher evening, for anyone who couldn't make it or wants a recap, you can view our presentation slides here-

Here to Support Our School Families

At our school, safeguarding is about much more than safety in the classroom - it is about supporting our whole school community.

We know that family life can bring unexpected challenges, whether that’s dealing with behaviour concerns, financial stress, health worries or simple parenting advice. Please remember that our door is always open. You can speak to us in confidence and we can signpost you to helpful organisations, websites and community resources tailored to your needs.

When extra support is needed, we can also make referrals for dedicated family help through Dacorum Family Services to help your family thrive. Never hesitate to reach out to Mrs Waggeh (DSL) or your child’s teacher - we are here to help

Attendance - Every Day Counts!

It has been wonderful welcoming our children back to school! Settling back into daily routines, catching up with friends and building strong classroom habits early on makes a huge difference to how happy and confident pupils feel.

Every day in school matters. Missing just a day or two here and there adds up quickly, which can make it harder for children to keep up with their learning and feel settled in their social groups.

Unless your child is genuinely too unwell to attend, please ensure they are in school on time every day. We know it can sometimes be tricky to decide whether a minor illness should mean a day at home. As a general rule, children with mild symptoms like a slight cold, runny nose or minor cough can still come to school.

If you are unsure whether your child is well enough to attend, please check the official NHS Guidance: Is my child too ill for school?

We will always contact you should your child become too unwell to be in school during the day.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our children get off to the best possible start this term.

Online Safety - Generative AI

Generative AI has been making headlines recently, and children are naturally curious about all the creative things it can do. Simply put, generative AI is technology that learns from existing information to create brand-new text, images, artwork, or music from a quick request.

While these tools can be fun, they also bring new risks for young users. Staying informed about emerging online trends and understanding what children are experiencing digitally is key to keeping them safe - both at home and at school.

What parents need to know about generative AI safety