Parent Update - Horsmonden Primary Academy

Dear Parents/Carers,

Happy Shrove Tuesday! From talking to some of the children in school today, it is clear they are hoping pancakes will be on the dinner menu at home this evening!

Ukraine

I am sure you are all deeply saddened by the situation in Ukraine at the moment and will join me in wishing the Ukrainian families in our community our love and best wishes at such a worrying time. If you would like to offer practical support, we would welcome donations of sleeping bags, first aid supplies, infant formula milk, lactose free formula, baby food, nappies (all sizes), warm socks, blankets, torches, batteries, sanitary pads, new pants, fleeces (khaki colour), ibuprofen and paracetamol. Please give any items you can spare to your child’s class teacher or the school office. They will then be collected and sent straight to the people who need them in Ukraine via one of our families.

Summer Fair

For those of you new to the school or Horsmonden village, our Summer Fair always formed part of the Horsmonden Summer Festival in June. This year the Festival is taking place to coincide with the Queen’s Jubilee meaning our Summer Fair will be on Saturday 4th June on the Green.

This date falls at the end of our Summer Half Term Holiday and we understand that some of you may be away, as will some of the staff, including myself. However, our generous parent committee, FoHPS, are keen and dedicated to making it a success again this year, even if numbers may be slightly depleted. I am reassured to know that FoHPS have already started planning and I have attached a newsletter from Katy Arscott (interim Chair) with more information about how you can get involved. They have a meeting coming up and it would be great to see some new faces there.

Clubs

Further to my update last week, I can confirm that the new round of clubs will start next week and will run until the end of this term. The clubs will be open to the groups listed below and will be available to book on Parent Pay from 4pm today.

If your child already attends a club, a new booking will still need to be made when the clubs go live on Parent Pay from 4pm today.

In order to manage the clubs safely, I am asking parents to book a block in advance. Once a booking has been made, attendance is expected for the duration of the course. Numbers will be capped to ensure we maintain the correct ratios so booking early is essential to avoid disappointment. The window for booking clubs is between 4pm today and 4pm on Friday. Any booking received after 4pm on Friday will not be honoured.

Monday

7th, 14th, 21st and 28th March (4 weeks £12.00)

Coding Club with Mr Alabi – KS2
Mindfulness Colouring with Mrs Kerr – All Children

Tuesday

8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th March (4 weeks £12.00)

Cricket Club (now outdoors) with Mrs Sharp – KS2
Cooking Club with Mrs Turvey – KS2

Wednesday

9th, 16th, 30th March (3 weeks £9.00)

Netball Club with Mrs Maynard – KS2
Choir with Miss McCulloch and Mrs Huby – All Children
Art Club with Mrs Bellingham (parent) – KS1
Dance Club with Miss Jones and Miss Card – KS2 (not KS1)

Premier Education continues to run football clubs on Thursdays and Fridays. More information and details on how to book can be found here.

World Book Day

We will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 3rd March and children are welcome to dress up for the day as a book character if they wish. As always, I am sure that World Book Day will be a great fun filled day for those that wish to take part.

FoHPS Disco

Further to the diary dates already shared with you, I am writing to confirm that the FoHPS ‘Valentine’s Disco’ has been rescheduled once more for Wednesday 23rd March, 3:20pm-5:00pm. There will be no clubs on this day apart from After School Club.

‘Fabulous Females’ Afternoon

On Monday 28th March from 1:45pm your child will be able to invite a ‘Fabulous Female’ (close female relative or friend) into school to share their learning for the afternoon. The event will be similar to the Parent Partnership Afternoon in term 2. ‘Fabulous Females’ can arrive anytime between 1:45pm and 3:00pm and drop in and out of classes to see multiple children within the family.

Attendance

I would like to draw your attention to our Attendance Policy. As mentioned previously, attendance in school is mandatory, as set out by the Department for Education, and absence from school is only authorised in the case of illness or extreme exceptional circumstances. Leave of absence for holidays will not be authorised and can result in a Penalty Notice being requested from the Local Authority. Please also note that Penalty Notices can also be requested when unauthorised absence reaches 5 school days or more for any reason other than illness. Children have missed out on so much education over the last two years so it is more important than ever to ensure they are in school as much as possible.

As always, if there is anything you wish to discuss, you can arrange a meeting with your child’s class teacher, send an email, or catch me at the gate. I am out there mostly every day, along with Mr Alabi.

Kind Regards,

Hayley Sharp
Principal

2021-22 Diary Dates

Term 4

Thursday 3rd March – World Book Day (Children can come dressed up as book characters if they wish to)
Monday 14th March – Class Photos (Profiles Photography)
Friday 18th March – Red Nose Day (Children can come dressed in red for a donation of £1 on ParentPay)
Wednesday 23rd March – FoHPS Rescheduled Valentine’s Disco
Monday 28th March, 1:45pm – Open Afternoon for Mums/Nans/Aunts to celebrate Mother’s Day
Tuesday 29th March – Parent Consultations (3:30pm – 5:30pm)
Wednesday 30th March – Parent Consultations (3:30pm – 5:30pm)
Thursday 31st March – FoHPS Easter Egg Hunt
Friday 1st April – End of Term 4