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School News
Friday 13th December 2024
Christmas Reminders!
Christmas Jumpers - Children are welcome to wear Christmas jumpers at any point, however next Thursday will be our official Christmas Jumper Day and the day of our Christmas Lunch in school.
Carols around the Tree - Parents are welcome to join us for carols around the tree next Thursday morning at 9am in the school hall.
End of Term - School finishes at 1.30pm on Friday 20th December for Christmas. We reopen on Monday 6th January.
Christmas Fayre
A huge thank you to the PTA for organising such an amazing Christmas Fayre today, and to all of our families for supporting this!
The school was awash with families and members of the local community all coming together to support our school and to raise some funds for projects to develop the site further. Father Christmas was spreading cheer in his grotto, there was a lot of interest in the different raffle prizes and the Year 6 pupils ran the stall that they had designed and created fantastically well!
Thank you ALL for your support!
Year 6 Carol Singing
Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic morning of Carol Singing in Hemel Hempstead earlier today. Plenty of passers- by stopped to listen and everyone came back to school in festive spirits!
Football Report
On Tuesday Nash Mills took on South Hill, it was an extremely challenging match for the boys, who fell to a 4-1 defeat (their first loss this year). Despite the challenge, the team worked tirelessly and kept battling until the final whistle. Dylan scored with the last kick of the game.
On the subject of football, those of you who watched last weekend's Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham may have noticed one of our pupils on the pitch before the match as a mascot! Very exciting!
Staffing Update
We have two staff updates for next term to share with you. We are pleased to share that we have recruited a new SEND teaching assistant, who will be working with pupils initially in Key Stage 1 from January. We look forward to welcoming Miss Hattinghova into our school family!
We shall also be saying 'goodbye', temporarily, to Miss Pace, who has been with Year 4 as a trainee teacher this term. When training, teachers have to spend time in two different schools and therefore she will be leaving us. However, we will be seeing Miss Pace again for the summer term.
Attendance
Attendance
In this week's attendance league, Year 4 took the top spot with an impressive 98.7%, showcasing their dedication and teamwork. Not far behind, Year 2 put in a strong showing with 98.5%, closely followed by Year 5 at 98%, both demonstrating their commitment to maintaining high attendance. Year 3 and Year R were neck and neck, achieving 96% and 96.1% respectively, marking a consistent effort across the board. Year 6 held steady with a respectable 94%, while Year 1 and Nursery faced tougher competition this week, coming in at 93.6% and 93.3%.
As the school gears up for the final week of term, the challenge will be to see if Year 4 can continue their reign at the top or if another year group will rise to the occasion and claim the crown.
Term Dates 2025-2026 - Please click here to view the term dates for the 2025-26 academic year on our website; these have now been confirmed by the governing body. Please take an early look at these dates so that holidays for next year can be booked outside of term time to avoid disruption to your child(ren)'s learning. Thank you.
Times Tables Rockstars and Numbots!
Times Tables Rockstars and Numbots!
Our TTRS leader board this week shows studio speed, how fast children are answering questions. Our top 3 are answering questions in under a second which is phenomenal!
Our Numbots leader board reflects the children furthest along in the story mode. The further they get the closer they are to moving over to TTRS!
Well done to all of our leaders!!!
Mr Shane
Leader board this week
1st - Arthur (Y2)
2nd - Felix (Y2)
3rd - Bella (Y2)
Leader board this week
1st - Ivy (Y5)
2nd - Noah (Y6)
3rd - Edward (Y4)
Timetable changes for the Spring Term
Timetable changes for the Spring Term
Each term, there are adjustments made to class timetables to ensure that all pupils get a broad offer through the curriculum we offer. For the spring term, please see the information below:
Nursery - PE on a Tuesday
Reception - PE on a Wednesday, Forest School on a Thursday
Year 1 - PE on Mondays and Wednesdays
Year 2 - PE on Tuesdays and Fridays
Year 3 - Music on a Wednesday, PE on Mondays and Tuesdays*
Year 4 - Music on a Wednesday, PE on Tuesdays* and Fridays
Year 5 - PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Forest School on Thursdays
Year 6 - PE on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Forest School on Thursdays
*Please note that for Year 3 and 4 PE sessions on Tuesdays, pupils will be learning around Tag Rugby and will therefore be outside for sessions in most weathers. You may wish to send your child with a change of clothes in case they do get wet or muddy during these sessions. If they have football boots that they would like to wear on the field, they are able to do so.
Forest School sessions will also be outdoors in the majority of weathers. Again, please consider appropriate clothing for these, including wellies!
Clubs - Spring Term 2025
Clubs - Spring Term 2025
Please click here to view a copy of the letter sent to all parents and carers earlier this week outlining next term's clubs offering. Bookings will go live on Arbor at 7pm on Monday, 16th December.
Do you know someone who could help to make the journey to school safer?
Do you know someone who could help to make the journey to school safer?
A few years ago, we asked Hertfordshire County Council to provide a school crossing patrol to help make the road outside of our school safer in the mornings. They are unable to do this for various reasons, however they would support a voluntary team taking on this role.
If you know of anyone who might be interested in doing this, for a short time at the start and/or end of each day, please ask them to get in touch. If enough people were interested, it could also be done on a rota basis. Please do pass this on if you can think of someone!
Reducing Food Waste
Reducing Food Waste
Family Action is running weekly Food On Our Doorstep (FOOD) Clubs to provide local people with good-quality food at a low cost, while also reducing food waste. It costs just £1 a year to become a member.
Once you’ve joined, you can purchase a box of tasty food items every Saturday (10am-2pm) worth approx. £25 for just £4 from the Bury Mill Family Support Centre, Bury Rd, HP1 1HW.
For more information, get in touch: foodclubsherts@family-action.org.uk
Upcoming Dates
Upcoming Dates
16th December - Grandparent Afternoon (School Hall - 1.45-3.00pm)
17th December - KS1 Nativity (9am) and EYFS Nativity (11.15am)
18th December - EYFS Nativity (9am) and KS1 Nativity (2.30pm)
19th December - Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children
19th December - Carols around the Tree (9am) all invited
19th December - Christmas Dinner in school
20th December - Christmas Church Service
20th December - School closes at 1.30pm for Christmas
Good Shepherd Booking
Good Shepherd Booking
Good Shepherd Club—to book spaces at Breakfast or After School Club, please visit
http://www.goodshepherdclubs.co.uk/
Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium
Did you know that your child may be able to receive additional support in school in addition to free school meals, if you qualify for certain benefits?
If you receive any of the following, your child may well be eligible for the Pupil Premium. This provides them with free school meals throughout their time at school, but also a range of additional things in school to help with their learning and engagement. If your child might be eligible, please visit the following site (https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/ufs/HCWH.eb?ebd=0&ebz=1_1717745705707) or speak to the school office who will be happy to help.
Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don't get more than £16,190 a year)
Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).
The application process only takes a few minutes and we are more than happy to provide support if it is needed.
Clothing Bank
Clothing Bank
Thank you for your donations towards our clothing bank, which was filled within two weeks! It has now been emptied so if you know of anyone with clothes to donate, please encourage them to come and drop bags off!
The school carpark is open between 7am and 6pm on weekdays. Members of the local community are more than welcome to use it too so please spread the word!
Final Thought
Final Thought
Mother Alice came to see us this week as part of our build-up to Christmas. She talked about the different things we have to wait for and how waiting can be hard for most of us!
However, waiting can also be a time for preparation. At this time of year, many of us are preparing for Christmas; through the buying and wrapping of presents or beginning to shop for food over the holidays. But remember too, that it is a time to stop and think about all the good we have in our lives. We have so much to be grateful for and so much to love; even during those times where things can feel a little dark.
What are you most looking forward to over the next few weeks?
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