This week was a whirlwind of activity, filled with both academic and sporting highlights. I am particularly pleased to be back and immersed in the school's busyness. We kicked off the week celebrating Nursery World Book Day on Monday, a delightful occasion that sparked imaginations. Later, we welcomed families to our Open mornings and afternoons, showcasing the wonderful learning and progress the children have made. (Please note - we would like to apologise for not emailing the Open Morning and Open Afternoon dates out.) 

The excitement continued as our Year 3 Boys Football team proudly participated in the LEO tournament, demonstrating their teamwork and skills. On the sporting front, our netball team displayed great determination in their Netball League match against Cranmere, while the Year 5 Girls Football team put on a fantastic display against West Ashtead. 

Next week we have virtual parent consultations, the Year 2 TAG rugby festival, the Year 5 and 6 gym competition, the Year 3 and 4 Badminton festival, Red Nose Day, and World Syndrome Day. 

Year 6 SATs Parents Meeting - Monday 17th March at 5.30pm

Parent/Teacher Consultations (virtual) - W/C Monday 17th March 

Elmbridge Museum Visit (Year 1) - Tuesday 18th March 

Uniform Sale - Wednesday 19th March at 3pm 

Year 5 Needlework Workshop 21st March at 9am

Year 6 Junior Citizen - Tuesday 25th March   

2T Family Assembly - Thursday 20th March at 9am

Red Nose Day - Friday 21st March

Science Museum Visit (Year 2) - Wednesday 26th March

PTA Year 4 Cake Sale - Friday 28th March

Year 5 Devon Residential Trip - Monday 31st March to Friday 4th April

Princess Alice Hospice Cake Sale - Friday 4th April 

Nursery Closed - Friday 4th April

End of Term - Friday 4th April at 1.30pm 

Hurst Park Primary Academy PTA has their very own dedicated microsite on PTA Events, which acts as a central hub for all things PTA. Here you will find details of events we are hosting, where to buy tickets, how to volunteer as a helper, how to contact the PTA, and much more. Once registered, users can opt to receive bespoke communications on activities we are running, so you always know what's going on.  For more information, please click here. 

World Down Syndrome Day - Friday 21st March 

Next Friday we join with communities worldwide to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! This special day, marked on the 21st day of the 3rd month, symbolises the unique triplication of the 21st chromosome, which causes Down syndrome.

World Down Syndrome Day is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and celebrate the incredible contributions and achievements of people with Down syndrome. It’s a day to promote inclusion, understanding, and respect for everyone. Just like sunflowers, every child is unique and blooms in their own beautiful way.

We are embracing this spirit of individuality and growth with a special, sunshine-filled competition!

Let Your Creativity Bloom: Sunflower Competition!

We’re inviting all our pupils to participate in a sunflower art competition. Sunflowers are a symbol of joy, strength, and uniqueness, and we want to see how creatively you can capture their beauty.

Here’s how to enter:

Create a Sunflower Masterpiece: Draw, paint, collage, or create a sunflower picture using any medium you like.

Clearly Label Your Entry: Write your name and class clearly on the back of your artwork.

Submit Your Artwork: Please hand in your entries to the school office by Monday March 24th.

Categories:

• Early Years

• Key Stage One

• Lower Key Stage Two

• Upper Key Stage Two

Our Head Pupils will have the task of choosing a winner from each category. The winning children will receive a book about sunflowers.

Red Nose Day - next Friday 

Academy Committee Member update 

We are pleased to announce the results of the recent Parent Academy Committee member election. We received three nominations, which is a testament to the strong support Hurst Park parents have for their children's education.

Following the ballot count, we are delighted to confirm that Andrew Grant has been re-elected as a Parent Academy Committee member for a four-year term.

On behalf of the Academy Committee, we would like to thank all candidates for their willingness to volunteer their services to the school and to all parents who took the time to vote. 

We need your help! 

We have been busy planning for our RHS Hampton Court Flower Show exhibit. If you are able to donate the following, we would really appreciate it: 

• Sphagnum Moss

• Wire

• Sparkling wine corks

Our school is buzzing with excitement for Earth Day 2025! We're celebrating our planet's 55th birthday and we want YOU to help us spread the word about protecting our environment.

Poster Competition

Grab your crayons, paints, or whatever you like to create with and design a poster showing how we can use our power to protect our planet. The theme is "Our Power, Our Planet" so think about using bright colors, catchy slogans, and powerful images to show how we can all make a difference. The winning poster will win a prize for their Eco Council and will be displayed in our school and even across the Trust!

Get Creative and Enter!

All entries should be given to your teacher or the Sustainability Lead by March 31st. Let's show how much we care about our planet!

Power Hour

On Earth Day, we'll also have a special "Power Hour" where we'll switch off all unnecessary lights and electronics for one hour to save energy. Every little bit helps!

Remember, it's Our Planet and it's Our Power to protect it!

 Play and Leisure Activities for Children with Additional Needs and Disabilities

We are excited to let you know that Surrey County Council has been awarded £500,000 of grant funding to providers to enable a range of new, inclusive, community-based activities for children with additional needs and disabilities across the county. This funding has gone to a mix of different organisations, such as sports clubs, leisure centres, charities and activity providers, to support them to provide inclusive opportunities that better meet the needs of a wider range of children. These new pilot projects will be delivering activities after school, at weekends and during the holidays through to the end of March 2025. 

You can find information about the different projects Surrey are supporting through grant-funding at Pilot mainstream play and leisure activities for children with Additional Needs | Surrey Local Offer. Please note that Surrey will be updating this information regularly, as the details of further opportunities are confirmed. These pilot projects will complement the existing Short Breaks Play and Leisure services funded by Surrey County Council. You can find out more about these schemes and where they are in the county on their Short Breaks webpage.

We have updated the Amazon Wishlist with books that we would like to have in each class for storytime. You may view the list of items by following this link. Once purchased, these items will be delivered directly to school and opened with the children – what a great treat! 

If you would like to purchase a Wishlist present and gift a book to the school, please follow the link, add to your basket and buy. Please deliver directly to the school using the school address Hurst Park Primary School, 438 Hurst Road, West Molesey, KT8 1QS indicating year group.   

Thank you so much for all your support and generosity.  

Hurst Park Primary Academy is looking for volunteers to enhance children's learning. Volunteers are highly valued and appreciated by children and staff. In the past, volunteers have helped children with reading and maintaining the Library. Volunteers must complete a comprehensive induction programme, including a DBS check, and adhere to our Safeguarding procedures. Volunteering hours are flexible.  If you are interested in making a difference, please complete the Volunteer Registration form  to apply. Please note that volunteers will not be placed in their child's class.

Kyle C 1P,  Willow 3L and Izzy 6B

This week's sign is rainbow. 

British Science Week 

Year One children have continued their learning about animals by thinking about humans this week. They had great fun identifying the different parts of our body and used our outside spaces to draw and label life sized diagrams using chalk.

Outdoor Learning 

Year 4 have been showing fantastic responsibility at Forest School by taking part in plogging—jogging while picking up litter! They’ve been actively reducing waste around the school while staying fit. Great job making a positive impact on our environment!

Year 1 Design and Technology

3S Family Assembly

Our hearts are bursting with pride this morning as we watched 3S family assembly! From frozen landscapes to artistic masterpieces, ancient empires to magnetic forces, you've embraced learning with such enthusiasm.  Well done!

Maths A.I.M High 

Our budding mathematicians from Years 5 and 6 recently took part in an inspiring A.I.M High maths day, joining forces with students from other local schools. Eight of our students were selected to participate in a series of exciting and challenging maths activities, designed to stretch their thinking and introduce them to new concepts. 

The day was all about collaboration, with our students working together to solve problems and share their ideas. It was wonderful to see them so engaged and supporting each other. 

 They tackled each challenge with enthusiasm and excellent behaviour, demonstrating fantastic teamwork and a real passion for learning. Many of them commented on how much they enjoyed the day, even surprising themselves with how much fun maths could be. It was a truly fantastic opportunity, and we're incredibly proud of how our students represented the school.

Year 6 Editors

Year 6 had a fantastic time learning how to become super-skilled Editing Experts! Mrs. Alikhan led a brilliant, informative, and really fun session, showing our budding writers all the tricks of the trade.

They learned how to spot mistakes, make their writing clearer, and really make their stories shine. It was a wonderful collaborative session, with everyone working together and sharing ideas.

The best part is, our new Editing Experts are now ready to help their classmates! When we next work on our writing, they will share their amazing knowledge and support everyone to "uplevel" their work, making it even better.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Alikhan for this excellent session. We can't wait to see all the fantastic writing that will come from our new Editing Experts!

Sports Crew 

Our brilliant Year 6 sports crew led fantastic active games, building teamwork & confidence during playtimes for Year 2 this term encouraging active playtime.

Year 2 Girls and Boys Football

Year 3 Football Match