Sarratt School Newsletter


Courage   Compassion   Creativity


Dear Families, 

It's been an upside down week with classrooms out of action and learning set up in the hall, but it has definitely been worth it! Our new windows and doors look wonderful - from both the inside and outside. Piece by piece our school building is improving; the entrance, the roof, the electrical wiring and now the windows! The school continues to apply for additional funding which, fingers crossed, will allow for additional improvements to the plumbing and Early Years unit. 


Unfortunately, the work continues to put a brief pause on Gold Book celebrations. There's still lots to update you on in this week's letter including Christmas events, community news and much more. 



Have a wonderful weekend!


Warmest regards,



Nicola O'Hare

Head of School


PS: Check out our new Instagram Account for Updates on the School and Individual Classes - more to come soon! https://www.instagram.com/sarrattprimary/ 




Spotted in Sarratt

Our windows are looking wonderful and LKS2 make the most of being in the hall with some shared art sessions! 

Year 5 Fun Run

A huge well done to all of the Year 5 children who took part in a fun run around Chorleywood Common on Thursday with local schools. The children all gave it their everything and did a marvellous job in representing the school. In true Sarratt spirt, the children cheered each other along as well as competitors from other schools - their sporting attitude was recognised and applauded by adults attending.  Well done Year 5 - you are a shining light for our core values!

Scroll through the carousel below to see some pictures of the event - including our 4 fabulous medal winners; Jemima, Maggie, Orla and Hattie. 

Dates

Fri 1st Dec

SPA Christmas Fair

Mon 11th Dec

2.15pm Lower School Nativity Performance 

Tue 12th Dec

9.15am Lower School Nativity Performance 

2.15pm KS2 Christmas Performance

Wed 13th Dec

Christmas Jumper and Lunch Day

9.15am KS2 Christmas Performance

Thu 14th Dec

9am Christmas Service 

PM School Panto Visit (Children return to school @4.30pm)

Fri 15th Dec

AM Children to visit Walking Nativity

1.30pm School Close

Save the Date!

SPA Christmas Fair 

Friday 1st December 2023 3.30pm

Sarratt C of E Primary

Thank you for all of your generous donations for the Christmas Fair - we have had a great response to requests for Jazzy Jars, Chocolates and bottles. 1 week to go until the festivities begin!

After School Club Christmas Party

Everybody is welcome to sign up for the after school club Christmas Party and celebrate the season with us! 

Our After School Club now allows for a certain number of Ad Hoc spaces everyday. Should you need emergency or one-off childcare, please give us a call to let us know the dates and we can check availability to confirm. 

Turn off engines to protect little lungs!

Please do not leave your engine idling at drop off and pick up times. Exhaust fumes can cause significant health risks to our children and community. 

Sarratt School Alumni 

It's always wonderful to hear about the achievements of our children when they leave us. This week we were thrilled to see that not one, but three of last year's Year 6 have been recognised for their achievements in KLS October Head Teacher Commendations! Well done Raiyah, Sophie and Theo - we are all very proud of you. Big squishy marshmallow claps from Sarratt School! 

Community News

Watford FC Trust 

We are looking for children aged 12 and below to get creative and enter a design that we can use as our 2023 Christmas E-card. The competition is free to enter, and children can submit their designs by using the template on the link below. 

This festive season, why not bring the family to Leavesden Country Park to join us for a truly magical experience as you take on the Christmas Challenge Trail! 

When: 21 November 2023 - 1 January 2024 

Where: Leavesden Country Park, WD5 0NX 

Knock on 10 Christmas door artworks spread across the North and South the of the park by scanning the QR codes as you walk. Completely free and designed for visitors of all ages to enjoy, the Christmas Challenge Trail is a unique way of celebrating the festive season outdoors. Wrap up warm and be transported into a winter fairy-tale as you meet the residents behind each door, with festive challenges for you to complete before you claim your prize! These include AR characters, selfie masks, puzzles, riddles, ebooks and more. 

How to play: The trail works by utilising contactless QR codes, without the need for players to download or sign up to anything. The trail consists of 10 story-points with embedded QR codes. 

To take part simply: Test the Augmented Reality on your Device: https://highstreetsafari.com/christmas Visit the 10 stops, in any order. By scanning their QR codes with your phone’s camera (or typing the URLs, printed under the QR codes, directly into your browser’s address bar) you’ll collect digital stamps. You’ll be presented with a fun challenge at each stop. You can then see the AR character or selfie scene. Once you’ve visited all of the stops you can take your prize badge selfie and download the free ebook. 

Important: You must use the SAME browser on the SAME device for character collection. You must have browser cookies enabled and not clear them during the trail. 

Visit threerivers.gov.uk for more info. 

Community Support in the Dacorum Area  


  

The latest ‘DSPL8 Parent/Carer Newsletter: Autumn Term’ & ‘Dacorum Parent/Carers courses and support' newsletters are available to download from our website via the following link: 

https://dacorumdspl.org.uk/online-resources-for-parents-and-carers/  

  

This fortnights newsletter includes: 

 

Dacorum Parent/Carer courses and support from various local providers: 

 

Please also follow our social media pages for the most recent updates:  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dspldacorum  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dspl_dacorum/ 

 

Kind Regards, 

DSPL 8 Team – Carole Hassell, Ruth Mason & Ashley Fabray 


Church News


 

 The Walking Nativity

 

Holy Cross Church & Sarratt Primary School

Invite you to

0ur walking Nativity on

Friday 15th December & Saturday 16th December

9.30am to 3.30pm

 

Discover the characters of the Nativity around the village…

Hear the fantastic singing of our children...

Be sure not to wake the baby Jesus when you find Him in His manger and collect your Christmas goodies!

 

This year we are welcoming donations as you collect your map from the Sarratt Community Store

to raise funds for The Hospice of St Francis.

 

If you feel you can give, then thank you.

If you are not in a place to give right now, then please collect your maps and follow that trail.

                                                                                                                                                                

 

 

Help 14th, 15th or 16th December – Walking Nativity

Could you spare an hour or so on any of the above dates. To help set up our walking nativity in Sarratt or man the ending place! Please contact us on either holycrossstpauls@outlook.com or 01923 264377 to find out more.

 


Important Reminders

Make sure your child comes to school with a water bottle each day. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are provided with a snack in the morning. Children in KS2 can bring a fruit or vegetable snack to school for playtime. 

If your child needs additional medication, please  fill in this form and drop it into the school office. 

https://sarratt.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MED-1-Form.pdf

Please ensure your child has an outdoor jacket everyday. We always aim to have the children outside as much as possible during playtime and lunchtime.

The climbing frames are out of bounds before and after school. 


Online Safety


Online Safety is an important part of keeping children safe from harm. 


We have security measures in place in school, which are constantly reviewed, to help safeguard pupils from any potential dangers. Online Safety is taught   to all pupils explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online.

 

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with you to ensure the e-safety message is consistent.  Your help is needed to talk to your children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.

 

Children are accessing a greater amount of content online, than we were ever exposed to in our childhood. Children can accidently or deliberately be exposed to   unwanted or unpleasant content or comments online and there are steps you can take at home to minimise this risk.


 The NSPCC provide guidance on how to protect children online for parents including setting controls, talking to your child and how to report concerns.

 

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

 

Please click on the link below for the latest information from Herts CC for parents supporting online safety.

Communication

We have always prided ourselves on being an open and approachable school and believe that good communication with our families is important to the success of our school.

Class Whatsapp groups are a valuable platform for parents to share information, particularly for those families who are new to the school and have limited opportunities to interact in the playground. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any area of school life or would like to share important information regarding your child, we would ask you to speak to the school directly. There are very clear channels available for doing this, outlined on the parent information pages of our website. We are always here to listen and will endeavour to address any issues quickly and effectively. 

Below is the link to the list of who to contact should you need any information about a specific area of school life. Should you wish to raise any questions or concerns directly regarding your child, the class teacher is always the first point of contact. If you have spoken to the class teacher but feel the issue is not resolved or should you require further information, then please make an appointment to see the Phase Leader – Mrs Whittaker for Reception and KS1 children and Mrs Serby for KS2 children.


Attendance 

DFE advice:

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advice remains clear that children can continue to attend as normal unless they are unwell and have a high temperature. Further information on when a child is too ill for school or nursery is available. There is no requirement to be absent from school on a precautionary basis. School staff should continue to maintain their high expectations for face-to-face attendance. 

Good attendance starts at primary school - children who have attendance of 97% or above achieve better outcomes in school and have the best opportunities in their adult life.  

 

If your child misses school regularly, this will affect friendships as well as academic outcomes. It can be hard for a child who misses lots of school to form and maintain relationships with their classmates.

 

Being on time is also vital. Arriving late at school can be very disruptive for your child, their teacher and the other children in the class.


Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!



Do you have a business you would like to promote to the school community?

 Put your advert here for £25 per term

Contact the school office for more details

admin@herts.sch.uk