Newsletter 10.6.2022

Dear Parents and Carers,


Welcome back to the final half of the summer term; I can't believe the year has flown by so quickly and we are now thinking about transition and getting the children ready for next year. This half term is set to be an extremely busy one with lots of exciting plans organised to enrich the children's learning and happy memories. Speaking of memories, it was lovely to see so many of you in school last half term for our jubilee picnic (please see the selection of phots below). The weather was certainly on our side and this along with all of you made this an excellent event. We wanted to ensure that the children also had another memory of the Queen's Jubilee; Pat Wilson our Chair of Governors who retired last term, has very kindly bought a keepsake for each child in the form of a jubilee bookmark. We had hoped to issue these to the children along with a jubilee book that The Department for Education (DfE) are providing for each primary aged child but unfortunately these have not yet arrived and will be due any time before July, therefore we will give the children their gift from Mrs Wilson on Monday and I will tell the children in our Monday morning assembly. I'd like to personally thank Mrs Wilson for this generous gift to all of the children, we hope that they will use the bookmark when they read and have fond memories of their jubilee celebrations. We hope to repeat our summer picnic event next year (without the jubilee) and have an annual parents and carers summer picnic. We would welcome any other ideas you have to support this event next year!


I am so proud of the children in Year 1 who have been carrying out their phonics screening check this week. Mrs Hartley has carried out this check with the children which assesses their ability to decode and read real words and nonsense words. I cannot tell you how proud we are of the children's phonics progress. As you already know, the last two years has impacted significantly on our children's face to face learning and we have all been working tirelessly to close the gap in their knowledge and skills. If your child has taken this check then you will receive the outcome on their annual report at the end of the year. Next week the Year 4s will start their Multiplication Times Table Check which will be taking place in a window over the next two weeks. Good luck to all of the Year 4s taking this check. Don't forget to log in on TT Rock Stars over the weekend to get in some final practice of some of the trickier times table facts.


I hope you have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

See you on Monday


Mrs Romina Lang

Headteacher


Jubilee Crowns

Congratulations to the winners of our Jubilee Crown competition :

EYFS : Winner: Anya Kryza.

Runners up : Oliver Harris & Timothy Miczalowski


KS1 : Winner: Arlo King

Runners up: Elizabeth Bowles & Neri Hughes


LKS2 : Winner: Stanley Wynn

Runners up: Finn Dumpleton & Onyin Unaegbu


UKS2 : Winner: Jacqueline Longley

Runners up: Reuben Kennedy, Barney Velykovits

Step Into The NHS Competition


The children in UKS2 recently entered the Step Into The NHS Competition - this was to produce a piece of artwork to say thank you to the NHS. Congratulations to Bethany Swan who was shortlisted into the top ten entries in the East of England.

Sustainability


Our Key Stage Two Eco Reps had an extremely exciting opportunity this morning. They attended a sustainability presentation, hosted by Putteridge High School, focusing on the packaging, catering and drinks systems across schools in the Chiltern Learning Trust. It was a great opportunity to learn about Vegware, an eco-friendly new packaging partner with the Trust, and their entire range of plant-based food packaging. We also learned about the waste collection and disposal systems in our local area. A particular highlight was the free samples of food and drink, with one of our children even winning a (sustainably made) t-shirt for asking a question about the disposal of drinks machines!

Children's Commissioner

We were delighted to be given the opportunity to meet the Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza at an event held at Ardley Hill Academy. The purpose of the visit was to share "what families mean to you" as part of her Family Review. The children who attended were excellent ambassadors of the school and spoke about "love", "fun", "thoughtfulness" and "caring" when talking about their families.

Golden Ticket Winners Summer 1

The following children have consistently demonstrated good behaviour choices during the first half of the Summer term:


EYFS : Wren, Alexa, Charlotte

KS1 : Alicja, Laila, Luke

LKS2 : Isabelle, Amelia, Ellie

UKS2 : Maria, Freya, Emma

Thank You Jemma

We were delighted that Jemma was able to perform for our Jubilee celebration. Jemma is our resident piano teacher at school and also performs at live events (weddings, parties etc). Her details are as follows :

Website : www. jemmagrahammusic.co.uk

Email : jemmagrahammusic@yahoo.com

Reception Sandpit

Thank you to one of our parents, Mr Harryman, who has kindly renovated the sandpit in the Early Years playground. Mr Harryman, along with his elder son, Michael, run a small business, The Harpenden Handyman, 07444 760787, http://theharpendenhandyman.co.uk should you have any such needs or requirements.

Learning Superheroes - Resilient Roo Summer 1

EYFS


Maddison

Maddison is a thoughtful, kind and very helpful member of the class. Although it has been a particularly hard year for her and her family, this has not stopped her displaying a positive attitude to her learning and behaviour at school. She tries so hard in all aspects of her learning and play; most recently showing great enthusiasm and participation in phonics! We are so proud of you Maddison!


Zackariya

Zackariya comes into school each day with happiness and positivity which we love to see! Though learning and adjusting to the rules and routines of school has sometimes been quite challenging for Zack, he has shown continued resilience throughout the year by building super relationships with the adults in the nursery and with his friends too and trying hard to learn from different experiences. We love that Zackariya sees each new day as a new learning, exploring and having fun opportunity! Well done Zack!


Sirous

Sirous always comes into school with a huge smile on his face! He willingly helps others and has been trying hard throughout the term to focus on his handwriting and include spaces between the words that he writes. Sirous works so hard in his phonics sessions and always perseveres to recall the phonemes taught and read the words using ‘Fred talk’. He thoroughly enjoys sharing what he has learnt and we all enjoy listening to what you have to say. Well done Sirous!


Benjamin

I am so proud of how resilient Benjamin has been this half term, he has been working so hard; he found it a little tricky when making and playing with new friends. He has been answering the register beautifully to his adults and friends, and even being brave enough to have a turn at being the mini teacher and helping me take the register too! Benjamin was able to show everyone how resi;ent he has grown through own class assembly, where he memorised and spoke so clearly, all of his lines. Well done Benjamin!


Annabelle

It has been a pleasure to see Annabelle flourish this half term, she has always been a kind and thoughtful young lady but it has been wonderful to see her put this into practice in more of a leadership role among her friends. Annabelle is one of the first to ask if anyone needs a helping hand; whether it be with their work, overcoming a challenge or needing someone to play with. She has also been working hard to be an independent learner, encouraging her friends to be too. Annabelle, you are so caring with such a wonderful passion to see others succeed, you have made us so proud!


KS1


Alfie

Alfie is one of the most resilient boys I know! He comes into school every single day with the biggest smile on his face and ready for the day ahead. However Alfie doesn’t find all aspects of school life easy and does need some help to complete activities and he does everything with determination and resilience; never giving up and always trying his best. Alfie has made so much progress with his independence whilst being in Year 1 and with such a great attitude he is now able to do so much more. We are all so proud of you Alfie.


Oliver

Oliver has been trying so hard throughout this half term to impress the adults with his learning. Oliver has shown so much more resilience with his writing and where he used to say ‘I can’t do it’ and ‘I don’t know what to write’ he now says ‘ can you help me?’ or just does what he needs to do without any help. Oliver has demonstrated independence, resilience and determination all half term and with a really positive attitude.


Liam

Liam has been trying really hard this half term to impress us all with his effort and understanding in his learning. He has tried extra hard with his writing and also becoming more of an independent learner in all areas of his learning. Liam is challenging himself more in maths and building a great set of skills which will serve him well as he continues to apply himself this year. Your hard work has paid off, Liam- well done.


Felicia

Felicia has shown great resilience this half term. She has shown growing confidence in herself and perseverance when things are tricky both inside and outside of the classroom. She has tried hard in her foundation subjects learning, participating amazingly in class discussions and being willing to try new activities with her peers. Keep up the good work, Felicia. We’re so proud of you.


Hugo

Over the year, I have watched Hugo persevere through all of his learning tasks with such determination even when it has been a real challenge for him and especially at the beginning of the year. He embodies resiliency in our classroom and as such has come a long way and been a lovely role model for his peers at the same time. Well done Hugo; keep it up!


Emily

I feel so incredibly proud of Emily this year with all the challenges that she has faced. She has come into school everyday with a smile on her face and never stopped trying her best even when it has been difficult for her to do so. She continues to impress me everyday and especially in maths when I can see her having to work so hard to achieve her learning goal but never giving up. Her resilience is a testament to both herself and her family. Well done Emily; keep going!


LKS2


Daria

Daria has worked with interest throughout the year; always trying her best to complete tasks to the very best of her ability. It has been lovely to see Daria contributing much more to both small group and whole class discussions; you have wonderful ideas Daria and you have really helped the other children with their understanding of tasks too. Daria has also challenged herself in areas where she feels less confident too, such as when she recently challenged herself to achieve a higher score in the speed bounce competition.


Dylan

Dylan has worked extremely hard this term; always approaching each task with careful consideration. Dylan possesses excellent and imaginative ideas and it has been wonderful to see him believe in himself and his abilities. Previously, Dylan would worry a little if a task seemed tricky or if he was not sure of the answer straight away. Through continued effort and a positive mindset; Dylan has realised what he is capable of. Well done Dylan, we are very proud of you!


Oscar

Sometimes, things can worry us that make it hard to concentrate at school. This term, Oscar has been absolutely amazing in his ability to remain focused while his mummy has recovered from an operation. It has not been easy for Oscar, but he has shown true resilience and bravery. He has also gone above and beyond in our PE lessons, helping to coach some children on their tennis technique with such kindness. Well done Oscar, we are all so proud of you.


Sam

Sam has shown amazing resilience during our PE lessons and has made excellent progress in his tennis abilities. It was fantastic to hear about Sam’s participation in a sports tournament and even after a busy day of sports, he still put on a great performance on the dance floor at the celebration disco. Well done Sam, your beaming smiles when recounting your experience have been wonderful to see.


Alana

Alana has had such a great year so far. She has been working so hard and this is reflected in her positive attitude towards her work. She has tackled each activity that is set for her, both in and outside of the classroom, with a determination to do her best. It has made me very happy to see Alana so proud of the work that she has been completing and I am very proud of her too. Well done Alana!


Rocco

Rocco is such a wonderful boy who has so much enthusiasm and energy that he brings to our classroom. He has excelled in our PE lessons in school and the football that he does outside of school. I have been particularly impressed with how hard he has worked in our English lessons. He listens carefully in lessons, makes very valuable contributions to our class discussions and has great ideas to include in his learning. He does not always find writing his wonderful work down very easy but he perseveres and this has resulted in some excellent work. Well done Rocco; I am so very proud of you!


UKS2


Isadora

Isadora has really impressed me with her growth mindset in art this half term. Isadora started a little unsure of herself and was desperate to take her work home, saying she would never be able to recreate the patterns we had been drawing in lessons. This is when her true resilience kicked in! With a fire in her belly, Isadora went home to practise and came to school the very next morning with a huge grin on her face, thrilled with herself that she had managed to recreate the piece of art again and again. Isadora, this is a great example of how, with hard work and determination, you’re never too far from achieving your dreams.


Bethany

Bethany’s attitude towards her maths learning this half term has impressed all of the adults in the key stage. With a real desire to do her absolute best in her Year 6 SATS, Bethany has been inquisitive about how to get those extra few marks that will push her further towards her goal. Bethany has been quietly consistent and persistent in her efforts and her resilience has shone through. No matter your results, Bethany, remember that we are all super proud of you!


Isabella

Isabella has really impressed me this half-term with her positive attitude and resilience towards all areas of her learning. Despite some elements of learning being tricky for Isabella, she has tried her hardest to learn new things and to apply what she has learnt to her work. Her commitment to doing her best makes us feel very proud of her and it has been lovely to see her blossom when working in small groups, such as the Reading Fluency project, when she has been full of enthusiasm and engagement in all the sessions. Well done Isabella - keep believing in yourself just as we believe in you!


William

William has really grown in confidence as the year has progressed and I am really proud of him and the resilience he has shown over his year of learning in UKS2. He will now ask adults more readily if he is unsure of how to progress with his work and produce the best piece of learning he can - he now takes on the advice more positively. Despite not feeling 100% on the day of a recent football tournament, William was determined to not let the team down and made sure he turned up to the play and support his teammates. Well done William - keep being resilient in all your learning!


Darragh

Darragh has really impressed me this half term with the increase I have seen in his confidence. He has really started to push himself to be more vocal among his friendship group. One area I have really enjoyed seeing him participate in is the boxing sessions that Darragh has done this half term. Although he had reservations at first, Darragh came back from the first session with a huge smile and said he’d really liked the session; well done Darragh!


Lucy

Lucy has been working really hard this half term to manage her feelings and has tried a few things to help herself. She is now much more confident at asking to talk to an adult if she needs guidance or support and it is great to see her when she has had a fantastic week and is proud of herself. Keep this up Lucy!