Dear Parents and Carers,

What a joy it has been to see clear blue skies and feel some warmth in the sun this week – long may it continue!

We are delighted to share some exciting news about Pewley Meadows. The school’s section of the meadow, which runs behind the juniors, has now been fully fenced, and we’ve installed a new access point directly from the HT woods. This means the children can now reach the field safely without crossing the busy car park. Although the field cannot be cut until late summer due to ground‑nesting birds, we have been working across the school to create a progressive curriculum that helps pupils understand and appreciate this rare chalk grassland. It will also feature across subjects such as Science and Geography. We are very grateful to Jonathan Mitchell, the Friends of Pewley Meadows, and Surrey Wildlife Trust for their guidance and support as we prepare this very special learning environment.

It has been a wonderfully busy and varied week of visits and activities:

Reception enjoyed an exciting visit from the firefighters. Willow Class learned about the different situations the fire service responds to and what to do in an emergency, while Hazel Class explored the fire engine and even tried out the hose. Just as the classes swapped over, the crew received a real‑life call and had to leave quickly, so we look forward to welcoming them back soon to complete the visit.

Year 2 had a fantastic trip to the Natural History Museum, where their enthusiasm for their dinosaur topic truly came to life. Highlights included the famous dinosaur gallery, the enormous Blue Whale, and seeing Mary Anning’s discoveries after learning about her this term. The children behaved beautifully and represented the school so well.

All of Year 4 have now enjoyed an excellent, science‑packed class visit to RGS. In the labs, they learned how to set up Bunsen burners safely—earning their Bunsen burner licences—and used their new skills to heat ice and observe changes in state from solid to liquid to gas. They recorded temperatures and timings before comparing results. The session ended with a colourful demonstration, with Mr Shimmell burning different metal salts to see the flames change colour. The children truly felt like real scientists.

On Thursday morning, a team of Year 5 and 6 children took part in the Tormead Trivia Quiz Showdown. After ten rounds of challenges, our Year 5 team won Best Clay Mascot for their model of Disney’s Dumbo, and our Year 6 team were crowned overall champions—beating 22 other teams to lift the trophy. A brilliant achievement!

Tuesday evening was a highlight of our musical calendar: a 60‑strong HTPD choir performed to a sold‑out audience at GLive for the Surrey Arts Primary Schools Singing Festival. The children sang superbly across a range of styles, eras, and even languages. Their solo school piece, Soualle-Senwa De Dende, showcased not only their technical skill but also their confidence and joy.

This week also saw the final cross‑country fixture of the year. Under glorious sunshine, the children ran brilliantly, and we are thrilled that Holy Trinity has won the overall Cross‑Country Shield with a total of 305 points. Congratulations to all our runners and thank you to staff and parents for your support throughout the season.

We are also continuing our focus on inclusive and varied playtimes. We are pleased to share that our application to Tesco’s Groundwork Scheme has been successful – but now we need your votes! If you shop at any of the stores listed below, please ask for a blue token and vote for our school. A first, second, or third‑place finish will secure funding for improving our play provision.

Participating Tesco stores:

• Guildford Superstore, GU2 7UN
• Guildford Railton Road Express, GU2 9JX
• Milford Surrey Express, GU8 5HJ
• Guildford Bridge Express, GU1 4RY

Today it was wonderful to see the children dressed in red, pyjamas, or even red pyjamas for Red Nose Day. With so much happening in the world, it was lovely to share some fun and laughter. This year the charity has focused on helping people meet their basic needs: food, shelter, and safety. The children loved designing imaginative red noses—one winner from each class will now be entered for the national competition. Thank you for your generous donations. If you haven’t yet contributed, there is still time via ParentPay.

We hope the infants enjoy their PTA‑run ‘Bunny Hop’ Easter Party after school today. Next week is a busy final week of term with Pause Day, the Junior House Bake Off, Easter Church Services, and the much‑anticipated junior discos. Please remember that Friday 27 March is an early finish: 1:15pm at the infants and 1:30pm at the juniors.

At the end of term, we wish Sue Bradley a happy retirement and thank her for her long service and dedication at Pewley. I am sure you will join me in wishing her all the best for the future and a well-earned rest!

We hope you enjoy some much‑needed sunshine this weekend. And to those in our community celebrating Eid, Eid Mubarak—we hope you have a joyful time with family and friends.

Best wishes,

Vicky

Thought of the week: Grapes – Jesus, the real vine. Prayer and Kindness: do you believe in the power of prayer?