Letters

Parent Update | 22nd September 2023

Posted on by Hayley Sharp
A girl smiling while looking into the distance on the playground
22
Sep

Dear Parents,

I am pleased to announce that the new gym equipment (funded by FoHPS PTA) will be ready to use from Monday! The children can’t wait to start working out and having fun!

Having the extra equipment and space will help to keep children active and happy at playtimes and lunchtimes.

Thank you so much to Kerry from FoHPS who took the lead on the project. It looks great!

A photo of the outdoor exercise equipment situated on the academy grounds at Horsmonden Primary Academy.

Harvest Boxes

It’s that time of year again when we start to think about our Harvest celebrations and how we can support our community.

As in previous years and in keeping with tradition, we are asking children to create small harvest boxes (shoe box size) filled with a few food items that will be distributed around the elderly residents of the village. There is no expectation for parents to donate huge quantities of food and for children to design large, elaborate boxes. We are all feeling the pinch due to the cost of living crisis so whatever you can afford will be appreciated.

The boxes should be brought into the school hall (not classrooms) no earlier than Wednesday 11th October. They will then be sorted ready for distribution and will be allocated to classes based on numbers rather than who made them.

The boxes will be delivered on the afternoon of Thursday 12th October or Friday 13th October (class dependent). If you are able to support your child’s class with this, please liaise directly with your child’s class teacher for more details.

FoHPS (PTA) Movie Night

Please be advised that the date for Movie Night has changed to Friday 13th October, 3:20pm – 5:00pm.

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program

For those of you that are new to school, I thought it would be helpful to recap on how we teach the National Curriculum at Horsmonden. The curriculum is mapped out for each year group and is framed by the Primary Years Programme (PYP).

The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, as well as transdisciplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry.

One of the reasons we chose to use this particular framework to deliver the National Curriculum is not only because it is a world renowned programme of education but also because of the focus it places on inquiry based learning. Teachers can now teach the National Curriculum subject specific skills and knowledge through their lines of inquiry in the classroom. Each term there are three lines of inquiry that progress to deepen childrens’ understanding of the skills and concepts within. They also encourage children to ‘think big’ about global issues and life beyond Horsmonden.

The benefits of teaching in this way:

  • Allow integrated development of cognitive skills
  • Enable us to develop a curriculum appropriate to meet childrens’ learning needs
  • Develops autonomous and critical learners
  • Content can be chosen by teachers but is developed within a concept-driven curriculum to bring coherence across subjects
  • Assessment drives learning and teaching positively.

Using the PYP Framework supports our shared thinking to ensure we achieve our mission statement to ‘encourage lifelong learning and develop inquiring, knowledgeable, caring individuals that understand the world around them while demonstrating respect.’

Uniform

Please be reminded that children should be wearing full school uniform and that polo shirts and trainers are not permitted. White shirts should have a stiff collar and be worn with a school tie. Please see the link to our website for more details.

MCAS

From now on parent updates, flyers, school letters etc shared between school and parents will be done using the MCAS app and not email. Letters/updates will appear in the ‘messages’ section of the app. To ensure that nothing is missed, please activate MCAS notifications. MCAS will automatically generate emails for the few parents who are not yet using the MCAS app so everyone will be kept up to date.

Attendance

At Horsmonden, we have high expectations of behaviour, learning and attendance. Children should be in school every day unless they are too ill to attend. Requests for absence during term time cannot not be authorised and may result in a Penalty Notice being issued by KCC.

We will be resuming our termly 100% attendance and punctuality certificates this year and I look forward to issuing the first round of certificates at the end of this term.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to find me at the gate in the morning or afternoon, or alternatively, make an appointment via the school office.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the last of the weather.

Kind Regards,

Hayley Sharp
Principal

2023-24 Diary Dates

Term 1

  • Friday 22nd September, 2:15pm – Parent Partnership Afternoon
  • Monday 2nd October – Innovation Week, more details to follow
  • Wednesday 4th October – Wonder Dome, Mobile Planetarium
  • Friday 13th October – FoHPS Movie Night
  • Tuesday 17th October – Open Morning, drop-in between 9:30am and 11:30am
  • Friday 20th October, 9am – Year 5 Class Assembly
  • Friday 20th October – End of Term 1

Term 2

  • Monday 6th November – Start of Term 2
  • Wednesday 8th November – Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
  • Thursday 9th November – Open Morning, drop-in between 9:30am and 11:30am
  • Thursday 9th November – Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
  • Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th November – Year 5 Residential to Carroty Wood
  • Tuesday 21st November – Trust Swimming Gala for selected Year 5/Year 6 children
  • Thursday 23rd November – Art Exhibition
  • Thursday 7th December – Flu Vaccinations, Year R to Year 6
  • Friday 8th December – Christmas Coffee Morning, drop-in between 8:45am and 10am
  • Tuesday 12th December, 2pm – EYFS Nativity
  • Thursday 14th December, 2pm & 5pm – KS1 Nativity (Year 1 and Year 2)
  • Friday 15th December – End of Term 2

Term 3

  • Tuesday 2nd January – INSET Day for Staff
  • Wednesday 3rd January – Start of Term 3 for children
  • Friday 9th February, 9am – Year 4 Class Assembly
  • Friday 9th February – End of Term 3 for children

Term 4

  • Monday 19th February – Start of Term 4
  • Thursday 7th March – World Book Day, children are welcome to dress up as book characters
  • Friday 8th March – Fabulous Females Afternoon, drop in between 2:00pm-3:00pm
  • Monday 11th March – Class Photos
  • Tuesday 26th March – Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
  • Wednesday 27th March – Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
  • Thursday 28th March – End of Term 4

Term 5

  • Monday 15th April – Start of Term 5 for children
  • Monday 6th May – Bank Holiday, school closed
  • Monday 13th May – Year 6 SATs week
  • Friday 24th May – End of Term 5

Term 6

  • Monday 3rd June – Start of Term 6
  • Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th June – Year 6 Bikeability
  • Friday 14th June – Marvellous Males Afternoon, drop-in between 2:00pm and 3:00pm
  • Monday 17th to Friday 21st June – Year 6 Residential to PGL Windmill Hill
  • Wednesday 10th July – LAT Cricket Festival, selected KS2 children
  • Thursday 11th July – FoHPS Summer Disco, 3:30pm – 5:00pm
  • Wednesday 17th July – Year 6 Production, 2pm and 5:30pm
  • Friday 19th July, 2pm – Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly
  • Friday 19th July – End of Term 6