Dear Parents
Welcome back to the new school year everyone!
It really was wonderful to see everyone back at school as well as welcoming some new faces to Horsmonden too.
One of the highlights for me so far has been seeing all the children in the hall for assembly! It has been such a long time since I’ve addressed the whole school together and the first time I’ve seen them all in their new uniforms. The children looked smart, fresh and ready for the new year ahead.
EYFS
Our new EYFS class have settled in brilliantly at Horsmonden – well done to the children and parents involved! There were a few tears from children and parents alike, but please rest assured that all is well in the classroom.
They have been having a fantastic time learning the routines of the school day and Miss Foord, Miss Jones and Mrs Lewis have been blown away by how well they have adjusted to school life. Pete the Cat, class mascot, has been rewarding the children with marbles for his treats jar for displaying our learner profile attributes. This week, the focus is on being ‘caring’ and some great examples have already been observed. Well done EYFS, a great start to your journey at Horsmonden!
Horsmonden Hero
Today marked the return of our weekly Horsmonden Hero awards.
The award is given out weekly to children who show one of our Learner Profile Attributes: caring, thinker, knowledgeable, inquirer, open-minded, reflective, balanced, communicator, principled or risk-taker.
Uniform
I understand that some of you have had difficulties with our uniform supplier, Brigade. By now, anyone who ordered before the 1st August deadline should have received their orders.
Brigade have faced significant Covid related disruption within their workforce as well as within their supply chains. They have also been affected by unprecedented transport issues which have also impacted on orders.
Today I received the following information about orders placed after 1st August:
- Orders placed between 2nd August and 13th August will be delivered from the week beginning 13th September
- Orders placed after 14th August Brigade estimate will be delivered from the week commencing 27th September
Brigade supply most of the academies within the Trust and have worked tirelessly to fulfill as many orders as possible.
Office
I am delighted to announce that I have appointed a new Office Administrator, Mrs Lucy Janes, who will start here on 1st October. Until then, Mrs Caroline Steadman will continue to cover the office. I am very grateful to her for giving up her spare time to help us out while we found a permanent Office Administrator.
Parent Pay
We are a cashless school and all payments for trips, meals, clubs etc should be paid for using our online payment system called Parent Pay. Accounts for new parents will be set up soon, but until then, please call the office if you wish to make a booking.
Policy
Our new Relationship, Health and Sex Education Policy is available to view.
If you have any comments to make, please do email them into the school office.
In order for me to share regular school updates/pictures with you quickly, I will continue to use the Horsmonden Primary Academy Facebook page.
In addition to this, I will be making more use of the News section of our website.
Please ensure that you have completed and returned the photo permission form as I am unable to use any images without your permission. A copy of the form can be found here: Parental Consent for Images
Dates
Please see our website for a reminder of the term dates for this academic year: https://horsmondenprimaryacademy.org.uk/term-dates/
At the moment, the only other dates in the diary are as follows:
- Wednesday 15th September – Year 5 start swimming lessons at Somerhill
- Thursday 11th November – Flu immunisation for all children, Year R to Year 6
As the diary fills up and teachers start planning trips, the list will be updated.
As always, if you have any comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance.
Kind regards
Hayley Sharp | Principal