Hurst Park Primary: Hurst Road, Molesey, West Molesey KT8 1QS

Email: hpoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk 

As we journey through another enriching week, I am filled with pride for the vibrant learning experiences and exciting events that have shaped our children's growth.  This week has been a wonderful blend of exploring future possibilities, celebrating the power of music, and nurturing our children's wellbeing.

Our Year 5 and 6 children embarked on a journey of discovery at the Careers Festival, opening their eyes to the diverse and inspiring world of work that awaits them.  It was truly rewarding to see their enthusiasm as they explored different professions and considered their own future aspirations.  Meanwhile, our Year 5 graced the stage at the 02 with their beautiful voices at the Young Voices performance, an event that showcased their talent and dedication.  A huge thank you to Mrs Cackett for leading this event!

This week also saw us embrace both Children's Mental Health Week and Storytelling Week.  We focused on equipping our children with the tools and understanding they need to nurture their mental wellbeing, emphasising the importance of self-care and emotional resilience.  The magic of storytelling also filled our classrooms, igniting imaginations and fostering a love of reading.  Finally, we celebrated NSPCC Number Day with a number-themed mufti today.  This was a fantastic opportunity to engage with mathematics in a creative way while supporting a very worthy cause.

Next week promises to be just as exciting!  We have a number of themed events planned, including Internet Safety Day, where we will be focusing on online safety and responsible digital citizenship.  Our Year 1 children are in for a treat with a visit from Safari Pete, who will be presenting an interactive and educational show about animals and their habitats.  We also look forward to welcoming families to the 5C Family Assembly.

 As always, thank you for your continued support in making Hurst Park such a special place for our children to learn and grow.

Warm Wishes,

Mrs Laher     

Internet Safety Day - Tuesday 11th February

Safari Pete Visit (Year 1) - Tuesday 11th February

5C Family Assembly - Thursday 13th February at 9am

PTA Year 2 Cake Sale - Friday 14th February

Break the Rules Day - Friday 14th February

HALF TERM - Monday 17th February - Friday 21st February

NSPCC Speak Out Stay Safe Visit (Year 2 & Year 5) - Monday 24th February

Virtual Book Fair - Tuesday 4th March to Monday 10th March 

Year 5 Residential Parents and Carers information meeting - Monday 3rd March 5.30pm in the School hall  

Weybridge Synagogue Trip (Year 3) - Tuesday 4th March

World Book Day - Thursday 6th March

3S Family Assembly - Tuesday 11th March at 9am

PTA Year 1 Cake Sale - Friday 14th March 

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

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

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

Red Nose Day - Friday 21st March check

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

Nursery Closed - Friday 4th April

End of Term - Friday 4th April at 1.30pm 

Being Healthy Learners

 As a healthy school, we only permit healthy snacks at break time.   This should be a piece of fruit or vegetable only.   We discourage the consumption of foods high in sugar and fat because of the detrimental effects that they can have on the child's ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards at school.  Children in Years R, 1 and 2 are provided with a free piece of fruit by the Government.  

Please remember we are a nut-free school. 

All chocolate, crisps and cereal bars are not permitted due to the high salt and sugar content and/ or possible inclusion of nuts.

Examples of Healthy Snacks

• Fresh fruit e.g. sliced apple or melon, plums, strawberries, kiwi, satsumas, chunks of pineapple, bananas, grapes (must be cut in half)

• Fresh vegetables e.g. carrots, sticks of cucumber, small tomatoes, pepper or celery sticks

• Dried fruit e.g. apricots, raisins, mango

Jewellery Policy

Please note children can only wear small stud earrings and no more than a single pair. No other jewellery is permitted including hoops. Earrings must be removed for all PE and swimming lessons. If your child is unable to remove their earrings, you will be asked to tape them, both for PE and Swimming.  

Parent and Carer Survey 

At Hurst Park Primary, we highly value your feedback and believe that a strong partnership between home and school is crucial for the success of our children.From the last survey, we introduced the Principal welcome at each of the Meet the teacher meets, a confidential email and sharing the survey later in the academic year. 

To help us better understand your perspectives and identify areas for improvement, we kindly request that you take a few minutes to complete our Parent & Carer Survey.

The deadline for completing the survey is Friday 14th February. 

We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. Your feedback is invaluable to us.

Winter Mini Challenge

The Reading Agency will run the Winter Mini Challenge from 1 December 2024 to 20 February 2025 and will once again be an extension of the Summer Reading Challenge 2024 theme, Marvellous Makers. Join the seven characters as they have winter fun, sparking a love of reading, even in the most reluctant of readers.

What is the Winter Mini Challenge?

The Winter Mini Challenge is a free online-only, digital challenge which encourages children to keep up their reading habits over the winter months including the Christmas holidays. Participants sign up from 1 December through The Reading Agency's free-to-access website featuring rewards for reading and reviewing books. To take part, children simply read three or more books of their own choice and add them to their Challenge website profile. Reaching their online reading goal will unlock a limited-edition virtual badge and a special Winter Mini Challenge certificate to print off and keep. There are also lots of videos, fun games and activities children can play when they join the online Challenge.

Prize for every child reaching their goal!

For the second year in a row, Surrey Libraries will be offering fabulous prizes to Winter Mini Challenge participants who:

• Complete the Challenge online

• Bring their certificate into the library (either digitally or printed)

• Are a member of Surrey Libraries (or sign up when they visit with their certificate)

Visit your Surrey Library to pick up a free Winter Mini Challenge bookmark! This includes a Quick Response (QR) code which can be scanned on a smartphone or tablet for instant access to the Winter Mini Challenge sign-up page. Pick up your books too to start reading, or if you prefer, you can also download eBook, eAudiobook and eComics, all reading counts!

Please note that the following Community Partnered Libraries are not taking part in promoting the Winter Mini Challenge in their branch and therefore will not offering the bookmark and a prize to children completing their goal:

• Bramley

• Byfleet

• New Haw

• Tattenhams

• Virginia Water

 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. In particular, this means that there will be a number of extra activities running during the February half-term holidays.

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.

Amazon Wishlist

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.  

Birthdays 

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.

Children's Mental Health Week 

The theme for 2025 is, Know Yourself, Grow Yourself, with the aim to equip and empower children and young people across the UK to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them. Children explored their emotions, strengths, and support networks through a range of activities throughout the week.  

In Year 1, the children thought about what superpower they would like and what they like about themselves.

In Year 2, we have discussed how we feel about people, situations and places. We have identified activities and people that make us feel happy and what we love such as our adults, our favourite lessons and activities that we do. We also spoke about things we find tricky and how we need to show resilience and talk to trusted adults about things that might make us feel sad or frustrated. 

For Children's Mental Health Week, Year 4 looked at mindfulness activities and what methods they could use to help calm down and reset when they needed to. They listened to a meditation and completed some mindful colouring. 

Outdoor Learning  

Year 2 had a fantastic time taking part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch. The children kept tally charts of the birds they spotted and saw a wonderful variety. The highlight of the day was spotting a majestic red kite soaring above! 

Storytelling Week 

Year 3 looked at some French story books and their translations and looked for cognates to help decipher French reading. We also read Little Red Riding Hood in French.

Well done to the Year 3 & Year 4 Girls Football Teams this afternoon in their friendly matches. They all showed great teamwork and determination. The Year 4 team scored some great goals and won all their games.  The Year 3 team played fantastically for their first ever games together!