Friday 09 January 2026

It has been so wonderful to have everyone back in school after the holiday. I hope you all had a wonderful break and, once again, Happy New Year to you all!

On Monday, the team met for meetings and training, and we got very excited about our Aspirations for Jupiter Primary School. It was wonderful to welcome the children back on Tuesday. After the excitement of returning to school with snow on the ground, the children have settled in very well and we have started to explore our new values theme of Aspirations together in assemblies and classes. We are so excited to hear of the hopes and dreams that your children have and I am sure you will be interested to ask them too.

The weather has been really poor recently and this is forecast to continue. Please ensure that your children have suitable clothing and footwear for the season. Please also ensure that all items are named so we can try to return items that are lost.

Please take special care when walking around the site during the icy weather. My Murray does a tremendous job keeping paths clear but do watch out for hidden patches of black ice on roadways. It is particularly important that people do not cut across the car park - this is dangerous and pedestrians should please stick to the pavement.

Taking on feedback and observations from dismissal on the MUGA this week, we have made the decision to trial moving the year 3 and 4 classes to the hall for dismissal starting on Monday. This should help to reduce the ‘traffic’ on the playground.

A reminder that I have scheduled some “Meet the Headteacher” events next week. These are simply an opportunity for a hello and a short, informal chat over a cuppa. If you have not had an opportunity to meet me yet or just fancy popping along to say hi, it would be great to see you there. These sessions are as follows:

14 January - 9am

15 January - 6pm

16 January - 2.15pm

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Mr. Robinson

Headteacher

Upcoming dates

Monday 12 January

Spring clubs start

2pm Parent Forum meeting

Wednesday 14 January

9am - Meet the Headteacher session

Thursday 15 January

6pm- Meet the Headteacher session

Friday 16 January

2.15pm- Meet the Headteacher session

Tuesday 20 January

Learner Voice Council Trip

Thursday 22 January

Year 1 Multi-sports event

Monday 26 January

Y5 Bikeability starts

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: 80.2%

Attendance YTD: 87.9%

Reception | Rabbits

Weekly attendance: 93.7%

Attendance YTD: 93.7%

Year 1 | Deers

Weekly attendance: 93.4%

Attendance YTD: 94.3%

Year 1 | Foxes

Weekly attendance: 96.4%

Attendance YTD: 95.3%

Year 2 | Owls

Weekly attendance: 92.3%

Attendance YTD: 92.4%

Year 2 | Puffins

Weekly attendance: 90%

Attendance YTD: 96.2%

Year 3 | Ducks

Weekly attendance: 93.6%

Attendance YTD: 95.2%

Year 3 | Swans

Weekly attendance: 92.6%

Attendance YTD: 92.3%

Year 4 | Kingfishers

Weekly attendance: 92.1%

Attendance YTD: 95.1%

Year 4 | Woodpeckers

Weekly attendance: 87.2%

Attendance YTD: 90.6%

Year 5 | Otters

Weekly attendance: 94.9%

Attendance YTD: 94%

Year 5 | Pine Marten

Weekly attendance: 93.8%

Attendance YTD: 92.8%

Year 6 | Eagles

Weekly attendance: 95.2%

Attendance YTD: 96.4%

Year 6 | Wildcats

Weekly attendance: 92.4%

Attendance YTD: 95.4%

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: Bella

Star Learner: Martin

Reception | Rabbits

Values awards: Ashkan

Star Learner: Isley

Year 1 | Deer

Values awards: Logan

Star Learner: Tamzin

Year 1 | Foxes

Values awards: Noah

Star Learner: Alexa

Year 2 | Puffins

Values awards: Eva

Star Learner: Daniel

Year 2 | Owls

Values awards: Ezra

Star Learner: Amelia

Year 3 | Ducks

Values awards: Anaya

Star Learner: Kiani

Timetables champions: Alexis

Year 3 | Swans

Values awards: Benjamin

Star Learner: Daniel

Timetables champions: Daniel

Year 4 | Woodpeckers

Values awards: Oakleigh

Star Learner: Sophie T

Timetables champions: Alex

Year 4 | Kingfishers

Values awards: Anaya

Star Learner: Amelia D

Timetables champions: Rosie

Year 5 | Pine Martens

Values awards: Freddie

Star Learner: Nana

Timetables champions: Ebony

Otters

Values awards: Eliza

Star Learner: Hannah and Darya

Timetables champions: Scarlett

Year 6 | Wildcats

Values awards: Emma

Star Learner: Kareem

Timetables champions: Andrei

Year 6 | Eagles

Values awards: Max

Star Learner: Jackson

Timetables champions: Jackson

House points

A positive start to this term, we even had a few gold tokens! Jupiter are the winners this week! with Venus very close behind. Keep up the good work!

Jupiter

Points this week: 42

Total points this term: 42

Saturn

Points this week: 38

Total points this term: 38

Venus

Points this week: 41

Total points this term: 41

Mercury

Points this week: 33

Total points this term: 33

Learning this week

This week in Reception

This week in Reception we have enjoyed making our own Gingerbread people as part of our Talk for Writing ‘hook’. It was amazing to see them come to life overnight! The children have tried hard to use their knowledge of ‘one more’ to aid with their counting skills and we have used the Numberblocks to help us to see this like a staircase.

If you are experiencing any issues with Tapestry, or have any questions, please come to speak with Mr Brown. If anyone would like to update or check their photo permissions, please speak with the School Office team.

This week in Year 1

This week in Year One we have been thrilled with the enthusiasm of the children on their first week back. In English we have focused on writing clear sentences using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops as well as adding in key details. We began our new art topic on paper sculpture and the children had to make their own cylinder art. It was particularly tricky to roll and stick the paper together, but the children persevered well. In Geography we have started looking at maps and the points on a compass explaining where things in our classroom were in relation to compass points.

This week in Year 2

This week in Year Two we have been so impressed with how quickly the children have adjusted to being back at school and how hard they have worked - well done Year 2! We have been working on using our senses to describe in English after a sensory walk around our very icy field! We have also started our new spelling scheme. Online spelling logins will be sent home next week for practice at home too. In maths we have been consolidating our addition and subtraction to 20 skills using tens frames to help us. Finally we have been practising using instructions to program robots, which we will try out on our beebots next week!

This week in Year 3

This week in Year Three we have been looking at expanded noun phrases and description in English. We have been practicing our hand writing and spelling focusing on how well we form our letters. In maths we have been looking at multiplication and division. In Science this half term we are focusing on forces and had a look at friction, we did an experiment to see how quickly a toy car moves down different surfaces.

This week in Year 4

This week in Year Four we have been looking at settings and atmospheres in English and creating our own. We have also been looking at homophones in Spelling. In Science, we began our new topic of Sound, looking at how sounds are made.

Our Maths this week has been multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000.

We also had our first swimming lesson of the year this week which was a massive success, well done year four!

This week in Year 5

This week in Year Five we have begun to explore our new text ‘Beowulf fights the monster in Literacy. The children created their own heroes, thinking about what characteristics make someone a hero. In Maths we have been developing our multiplication skills, while in Science we started our new topic by finding out about the planets in our solar system. Everyone has worked hard and made a great start to the term.

This week in Year 6

This week in year 6 we revisited multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, and 1,000.In literacy, we’ve recapped over nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs. The children then applied these skills to write creative setting descriptions.

In Science this week, we began by discussing the vital role of the circulatory system, specifically focusing on the transport job of blood.

We learned that blood has an important role that carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell in our body while taking waste products away. We had great discussions about the 8 different blood types.

Well done on your first week back, Year 6.

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! If you feel this is something you would like to support with please join us for our annual general meeting on the 29th September at 6pm send or alternatively please send an email to friendsofjupiterpta@gmail.com

Please find the Facebook link here

PTA Events and website link

School News

Extreme Reading Competition

The LVC are a collection of children from Year 4 to Year 6. They will be working with Mrs Waters this year promoting some reading initiatives. There first is a whole school competition! They would like children to send photos of themselves reading in an extreme or unusual place. We will ask that you either print the photos and they hand them to Mrs Waters or email them in to Mrs Waters. We ask that the photos are sent in by Friday 30 January and winners will be announced before half term.The entries will be displayed in our whole school library and there will be prizes for the most creative entries - good luck!

Winter Water Safety Advice for Schools – Important Information Ahead of Predicted Snowy Weather

With the predicted snowy and freezing weather conditions over the coming days, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue are sharing important winter water safety guidance. During periods of snow and ice, unfortunately there is an increased risk of accidents around frozen ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and canals. While these areas may appear solid, ice can be extremely thin and unpredictable. Children and young people are especially vulnerable due to natural curiosity and the temptation to explore frozen surfaces.

To help you promote safe behaviour during this colder spell, we have attached a ‘ Dangers of Frozen Water, fact sheet

Helping your child with their anger

Dacorum Family Services are holding the following workshop for parents: "Helping your child with their anger."

This really helpful workshop will be held online via MS Teams and in person at Hobbs Hill Wood Primary on Wednesday 21st January 10.00-11.30 am.

Please find flyer attached for more information

The great January Jolly

To offer some extra support and continue promoting our shared value of Joy, we are organising a free shopping event to help brighten the start of the year for those who need it. This event is an opportunity to pick up items you and your family may need.

For more information please see flyer attached