Dear Parents and Carers, 

On Monday, Year 1 rounded off their ‘Growing’ topic with a visit to the wonderful Wisley Gardens. The children were fascinated by giant rattling seed pods, soft and spiky leaves that left a lemon scent on their fingers, and they enjoyed planting their own nasturtium seeds to take home. They were even lucky enough to hug some giant redwood trees and explore the impressive Glasshouse while taking part in a colourful scavenger hunt. 

The Year 5 children rounded off their RE unit this half term with a visit to two local churches on Tuesday. They received a warm welcome at both Guildford Baptist Church and St Nicholas’ Parish Church, where they explored the differences between infant baptism and believers’ baptism, and deepened their understanding of what it means to belong to the wider Christian Church community. We are incredibly grateful to both churches for their generosity, enthusiasm and ongoing support of our school. 

It’s been a busy and varied week of sport! On Saturday, Holy Trinity was one of six schools taking part in the annual Wey Valley swimming gala at Spectrum. Our swimmers achieved some excellent results in both the individual events and the fun tandem woggle and ball races. We were delighted to come third overall, and Laura and JJ were incredibly proud of all who took part. Many thanks to the parents who supported the team poolside. 

On Wednesday, Kayleigh and Laura took three teams to the Guildford Girls’ Cricket Tournament. The girls showed fantastic commitment and learned a great deal throughout the day. We were especially proud that our Year 6 Holy Trinity team won the overall tournament, securing a place at the County Finals—an incredible achievement! Following the enthusiasm and impressive progress shown during our Thursday cricket club sessions, all girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 have been invited to Guildford Cricket Club for a special Holy Trinity trial session on 2 June. A ParentMail has been sent with full details; if you have any further questions, please contact Kayleigh. 

It was a very warm afternoon for the cross-country relays at Boxgrove yesterday, the first time this exciting event has taken place. Children from Years 4, 5 and 6 ran brilliantly, demonstrating great resilience, particularly in the heat. We are delighted with their success, with the boys finishing in third place and the girls achieving a fantastic second place. 

Today’s Fluffy Friday is going beautifully. As I write, nearly a third of the children are off-site, enjoying the sunshine and exploring the local area. We are incredibly fortunate to be located so close to such beautiful countryside, as well as within walking distance of a historically rich town centre. Perhaps your children might enjoy retracing their steps with you over the half-term break and sharing what they have learned along the way. 

Fluffy Friday continues to be a real highlight of school life. These special days offer children valuable opportunities to mix across age groups, try new experiences, and learn in different, memorable ways. They are often the days that children – and former pupils – remember most fondly. For this reason, we do strongly encourage attendance on these days, as children miss out on a significant part of the wider curriculum when they are absent. 

We have some staffing news to share. Laura Sutton will be leaving us just before the end of term to continue the fantastic work she already does across Guildford schools. She will now be leading the Guildford Primary Schools Sports Association, helping to ensure a rich and varied programme of sporting opportunities continues across the local district. This is a very exciting opportunity for Laura, and we are delighted that all local schools have committed to her vision and will be part of the association. Laura has worked tirelessly to develop inclusive and high-quality sporting provision at HTPD, and we are fully committed to building on this legacy. We are also very pleased that Laura will continue to visit the school with Bertha, our much-loved therapy dog. 

We are also pleased to share some further positive staffing news. Jo Matysiak has begun her Forest School training and will be taking over our outdoor learning provision in the Juniors from September. We place great value on our outdoor learning programme, and are delighted that this important part of our broad curriculum will continue to develop through the enthusiasm and dedication of our existing team. 

I hope you all enjoy a restful and happy half-term break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 1st June for a busy and exciting final half term, full of learning, fun, trips and special events. Our Year 6 pupils will soon be heading off to Shropshire for their residential visit, while Year 4 will be preparing for their night under canvas at High Ashurst. 

It is wonderful to see the calendar so full of rich and meaningful opportunities that truly bring our vision of “Learn to Live” to life—giving children the chance to explore, take risks, build relationships and grow in confidence beyond the classroom. These experiences take a great deal of preparation behind the scenes, often in staff’s own time, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our incredibly dedicated and hardworking team. They are at the heart of this vision, and it is their commitment that makes HTPD such a special place for our children to flourish. 

Have a wonderful break, 

Vicky