29th September
Dear Parents
Our highlight this week was learning that Harpenden Trust have granted us £12,000 to renovate the Reception outdoor play area. This is fantastic news and we are thrilled. I would like to thank FoHA for submitting the bids and being crucial to the whole process. The work will be completed in the half term holiday which is perfect. We are excited to see the transformation of the Reception garden so please watch this space!
Year 6 visit to the Dickens and Foundling Museum
On Tuesday this week, our Year 6 historians explored the lives of rich Victorians at the Charles Dickens Museum in a Curating Charles Dickens workshop and tour. They also explored the history of the Foundling Hospital.
MacMillan Coffee and Cake day, Friday 29th September 2023
Staff Bake Off
Assembly time was a little competitive today! The members of staff went head to head on a brownie/blondie 'Bake Off.' The judges marked on appearance and taste. I was pleased not to be involved in this aspect of the day at all!
The overall winner was Mrs Bowyer with Mrs Caulfield and Mrs Cherry coming a close 2nd and 3rd! It was great fun to see the children whoop with excitement and laughter as the positions were announced.
Thank you to all who took the time to bake the brownies/blondies and they will be sold at the MacMillan cake sale this afternoon.
Cake Sale After School Today
Harpenden Academy has once again shown its support for the Macmillan Bake Sale. The school is currently filled with an assortment of cakes ready for our cake sale. The school would like to thank parents for their incredible generosity towards this worthy cause. As of now, the bake sale has raised a remarkable £263.00, with the donation site remaining open until Wednesday next week. The final total will be announced next week.
The school is encouraging a cashless system and parents can make their donation towards the cakes via this website link or by scanning the QR code on the poster below. Parents can donate before, during or after the sale.
It's wonderful to see a school community coming together to support such an important cause. The funds raised will go towards supporting those affected by cancer, and it's great to see such a generous response from the parents and school community.
Reception Phonics Parent Workshop
Thank you to all our parents who attended our Reception Parent Phonics workshop on Wednesday morning. It was great to see such a great turn out! If you were unable to attend the workshop then you will be able to access the presentations from the reading page of our website or by clicking below:
Cultural Experience Survey
We emailed parents on Tuesday to ask you to complete a cultural experience survey on behalf of your children.
We pride ourselves at Harpenden Academy on a rich array of out of school trips, workshops and experiences which are open to the children through out their time with us. However, I am sure that despite our best we might miss out key experiences. We would like to understand what the children attend outside of school hours so we can plug any gaps in our provision.
Please can parents complete this google survey so we can get a clear overview of the children's cultural experiences and hopefully we can offer a more rounded and bespoke offer of trips to our children.
Deadline: Friday, 6th October 2023.
Useful Feature on Class Dojo - Language Translation
I would like to alert parents to a feature on Class Dojo which translates all Class Dojo messages to your language of choice.
Here is how you change your profile settings:
- Click on your ‘Profile’ or your name in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Click on ‘Account Settings’.
- Click on ‘Language preference’ or the "Language and Region" tab on the left.
- Select your desired language.
- Click the blue "Save changes" button.
Then, you can click on the blue writing under the message that will be in the language you choose. This will translate the message into your preferred language.
Further instructions can be downloaded here
Parents' Evening Appts
Tuesday, 17th October 2023 and Thursday, 19th October 2023
We are delighted to invite you to our Autumn Term parents' evening. On Wednesday of this week the Edulink booking window for parent evening appts opened.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet your child's new class teacher/s and discuss how your child has settled into their new year group/school. This year, we have decided to host both parent evenings face-to-face in school, as we believe that this is the preferred method of communication for the majority of parents. This has the added benefit of teachers being able to share your child's work with you, which we believe will be invaluable in helping you to understand your child's progress. Please log on to Edulink and select 'parents' evening' and then the event (either 17th Oct or 19th Oct) to book your 10min appt.
Please contact the school office if you need any support in setting up your appt and they will be happy to help.
Reminder - Aspens - Choosing dinners
I would like to remind parents to select your child's school dinner choices for next week. We have noticed that there are often missing orders for children when the calendar moves to the next month on Aspens Select. Therefore, we kindly request that you take a moment to check and ensure that you order meals for your child for next week.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter. Your efforts to place meal orders on time greatly assist us in ensuring that all children receive their meals.
Aspens Order Updates on Select
Next Week - Thursday, 5th October, Burger Day
This Thursday, 5th October we have a special menu for the school as it is school census day and we encourage as many children as possible to have the school dinner option. The number of infant pupils eating a free dinner on census day will determine our school funding.
All parents will need to log on to the Aspens ordering website to order their child's school dinner for 5th October. Aspens have put on a special burger day and the options are a hamburger or veggie burger with potato wedges. We will still offer the jacket potato, pasta or sandwich option.
If your child usually has a packed lunch however would like to order a school dinner then please log on to Aspens with your child's unique school ID. If you are unable to locate this email then please contact the school office who will resend this to you.
Week 3
The Week 3 BBQ drizzle veg pizza was not popular with the children so we have changed the pizza options to margherita or veggie supreme. If you have already ordered your child's lunch on 12th October the option has been reset so you will need to reorder this lunch.
We appreciate your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Weather
As the chilly weather sets in, it is important to ensure that children are properly equipped to face the cold. Coats and thick jackets are a must-have during this time, but they can be quite expensive to purchase. To avoid any mix-ups or lost items, please make sure to label your children's coats and jackets. This simple step can go a long way in preventing any confusion and stress for both parents and children.
We also want to extend a request to parents who may have coats or jackets that their children have outgrown. If you have any gently used items that could still provide warmth to another child, please consider donating them to the school. This will allow us to provide warm clothing to students who may not have access to such items otherwise. Your generosity can make a huge difference in keeping our students warm and comfortable during the colder months.
Thank you for your cooperation and kindness in ensuring that all children have access to proper clothing during the colder months.
Secondary Admissions
The applications for secondary/upper school places to start in September 2024 opened on Friday 1 September 2023 for children in Year 6. The school has sent out leaflets to Year 6 explaining how to apply for a secondary school place for children born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013.
All the information you need is available on the website www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions
A reminder that the closing date for applications is Tuesday 31 October 2023.
Deferred Summer Born
If your child was a deferred summer born child and is currently in Year 5 then you should make a Secondary Transfer application this year and contact the schools that you are interested in applying for to check that they will accept an application for your child next year, outside of their chronological year group. If agreed, your child's application can be withdrawn and they can re-apply next year. School admission arrangements available at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/schoolsdirectory will also outline the application requirements for children educated out of year group.
Join FoHA (our PTA) for the first meeting of the academic year!
Thursday 12th October - 8pm - Harpenden Academy (location dependent upon number of attendees)
For those of you who are new to Harpenden Academy, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a compulsory yearly meeting where we look at the accounts for FoHA, appoint members to key roles, report on what has happened over the past year and vote on any outstanding key issues. It is also a great opportunity to find out more about FoHA as a whole and most importantly to meet other parents/carers.
VACANT CORE COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
Chair/Co-Chair
Secretary
Though all core positions will need to be re-elected, the two listed above are vacant and will need to be filled during the AGM so if you want to find out more - come along to the meeting :-)
All parents and carers are invited to attend the meeting!
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO RSVP OR SHARE YOUR REGRETS
Happy birthday this week to: Albert, Justin, Leo, Aston, Rex and Max
Mayor's Christmas Card Competition
It's always exciting to see young talents being recognised and appreciated. Last year, Adam Cheng from Year 5 won the Mayor's Christmas Card Competition, and this year the anticipation is building up for another potential winner. As per the guidance on the poster, all participants are wished good luck, and it's hoped that everyone will take this opportunity to showcase their creativity and imagination.
The competition is open to all, and the deadline for submitting entries is Friday, 3rd November 2023. It's an excellent chance for the children to display their artistic skills and create something unique and beautiful.
So, if you're interested, take a look at the poster for further instructions and start working on the Christmas card design. Who knows, maybe we will have another Harpenden Academy winner of the Mayor's Christmas Card Competition!
Festival of Science
St Francis School are hosting their annual Festival of Science on the morning of Saturday 7th October, to which they are delighted to invite pupils of all ages from local schools, and their families. This event is a morning of hands-on Science activities for all the family. They'll be able to have fun with Biology, Chemistry & Physics in activities such as: make a brain hat; study your own thermal image; try the steady-hand game; watch our tropical butterflies emerge from their pupae; see our baby quail chicks; and much more. Families who wish to attend should please let us know by emailing
marketing@st-francis.herts.sch.uk.
The Harpenden Christmas Carnival Procession
The Harpenden Christmas Carnival Procession is a wonderful tradition for our Town and we are looking for new groups to join us this year. Schools, musicians, dancers, gymnasts, clubs, and other organisations are all welcome! It’s a great opportunity to have fun and promote your group.
If you are interested in taking part in the Carnival which takes place on 26th November 2023, please do get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
Girls' Football
I'm delighted to be able to open our doors to the PSA Girls Academy for any girls interested in playing football at your school. New and experienced players are welcome to our open session alongside our current players.
Our girls our sponsored by Tongue Tied Management, the agency that look after elite athletes, including the likes of England's Euro Winners Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson! We are booking in an opportunity for a player visit very soon!
Venue: Hemel Hempstead Town FC (ON 3G), Vauxhall Road, HP2 4HW
Date: Thursday 28th September & 5th October
Time: U8s - U11s (Year 3 - Year 6) 5pm - 6pm
U12s - U15s (Year 7 - Year 10) 6pm - 7pm
Please contact Joe Fitzgerald to register for the FREE TRIAL session.
