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Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope your children had a good half term and are rested and ready to return. Before half term you should have received a progress and attendance document. These will be discussed with you when you attend Parent Consultations in the week beginning 23rd March.
On Thursday next week (5th March) it is World Book Day. We will not be dressing up for World Book Day this year. Instead, children are invited to dress up as a book character for our Reading Café on Friday. Costumes are completely optional and any child not wishing to dress up should come to school in school uniform.
All children will receive their World Book Day book tokens in school. A digital version is also available below.
If any parents, grandparents or family members would like to come in and share a story with a class or a small group of children, we would love to welcome you. Please contact Mrs Lilley (jlilley@thorngrove.herts.sch.uk) or your child’s class teacher to arrange a suitable time. This invitation is open any day, not just World Book Day - because enjoying stories and celebrating reading is something we value all year round.
The football team played Richard Whittington on the Thursday before we finished for half term and unfortunately lost 3-1 in a very close game. It was their first game back after the winter break. This week they play Windhill21.
Ramadan began on Wednesday 18th February and will end on Thursday 19th March. The month of Ramadan usually lasts between 29 and 30 days, depending on the cycle of the Moon. Happy Ramadan to our families who are celebrating. May this holy month bring them peace and blessings.
Lent also began on Wednesday 18th February. Lent is a 40 day period of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter and ends on Holy Saturday, just before Easter Sunday. During the Lenten season, Christians engage in various traditional rituals and practices as a way of preparing spiritually for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
We look forward to seeing some of you for our open classes this week.
Dates for your diaries.
Wednesday 25th February: Reception @ 14:30; Year 3 @ 09:15
Thursday 26th February: Year 1 @14:30; Year 4 @ 09:30; Year 5 @14:30
Friday 27th February: Nursery @ 11:30; Year 2 @ 09:15; Year 6 @ 09:30
Class attendances the week before half term (highest to lowest):
Year 2 - 96.2%
Year 3 - 95.2%
Reception - 94.6%
Year 4 - 94.5%
Year 1 - 93.9%
Year 5 - 93.4%
Year 6 - 92.6%
The HFL Education Online Safety Newsletters for spring 2026 and Internet Safety Day articles are now available. The Parents and Carers edition include guidance, useful links, and key updates on online safety across all phases, with a focus on current trends, challenges, and developments. We hope you find them helpful and informative.
PARENTS_NEWSLETTER_SPRING_2026.01.pdf
The DfE launched a new website on 16th February 2026 to support families and encourage regular conversations about what they’re seeing online, asking simple questions, like “who shared this” and “why?”. Based on parents’ main concerns and needs, it provides:
• tips for parents’ conversations with their children
• actions to support each stage of their child’s life
• parental controls information
The NSPCC have released a brand-new online safety guide for parents of children under 5 years old. The guide contains useful information about common risks this age group face, some guidance around screen time limits and lots of practical tips for families
A parent's guide to online safety for children under five | NSPCC
Golden Certificates
Rec Freddie
Yr1 Amelie & Jordan
Yr2 James & Andrew
Yr3 David & Pip
Yr4 Wilfie & Ella
Yr5 Nia & Isabelle
Yr6 Logan & Tony
Headteacher Darcie, Maja, Samanta & Solange (Year 6)
Future Diary Dates
February 2026
Mon 23rd Open Class Week
March 2026
Thurs 5th World Book Day
Fri 6th Reading Cafe @ 8.30am (dress up as a book character).
Mon 23rd Parent Consultation Week
Fri 27th Celebration assembly @ 9.30am
Fri 27th Term ends school closes @ 13.30hrs
Summer Term
Monday 13th April to Thursday 23rd July 2026
April 2026
Children’s first day back Monday 13th April 2026
For further dates please refer to the website
World Book Day Digital Book Tokens
World Book Day Digital Book Tokens
World Book Day digital book tokens can be used to buy one of our £1/€1.50 World Book Day books, or to get £1/€1.50 off a full-price book.
Each digital token is single use per transaction, but schools can share the same token with all parents and carers. The same PDF and barcode can be used for every child within the school.
Digital tokens can be shown on a phone or tablet to a participating bookseller.
Musician of the Month
Musician of the Month
Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948 – 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music and is considered by The New York Times to be the greatest qawwali singer of his generation. He was known for his vocal abilities and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. Khan is widely credited with introducing qawwali music to international audiences. He was also a master in Hindustani classical music.
Origin: Faisalabad, Pakistan
Listen to his music here
Key Stage 2 pupils will once again be taking part in the Poetry By Heart competition this year. This national event celebrates the joy of learning and performing poetry, helping children build confidence, memory skills and a love of language. Pupils can enter in one of two categories:
Classic Category (Solo Performers). Children choose two poems from the Poetry By Heart website: one poem published before 1914 and one poem published in or after 1914. Performances are judged on Voice, Understanding, Performance and Accuracy, with an emphasis on clear, thoughtful recitation rather than acting.
Freestyle Category (Solo, Pair or Group). This fun, creative option allows children to perform one poem of their choice using any combination of voice, movement, music, costume or staging. The only rule is that the poem must be spoken aloud from memory. Freestyle celebrates imagination, teamwork and expressive performance.
If you would like to help your child choose their poems, more details about poem choices can be found here.
The Department for Education has teamed up with the National Literacy Trust to launch a National Year of Reading in 2026 to revitalise reading engagement across the UK. Please see Recommended Reads for standout picks.
Information about reading at Thorn Grove can be found on our website at Reading | Thorn Grove Primary School
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