Dear Parents and Carers 

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend; the short week has flown by! 

In school this week, we have discussed VE Day. It’s fantastic to see this important day marked on the High Street and through local celebrations so communities can honour the many sacrifices that secured the freedoms we enjoy today. Year 3 marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day, by walking through the High Street to view the flags which had been raised for the occasion. They noticed that the Abbott's Hospital, Guildhall and Castle had all risen a flag that morning. The children sat within the castle grounds to share diary entries written by children who were living in the local area during the week of VE 80 years ago. Many members of the public enjoyed seeing the children holding their own flags and were very interested in what the children had been learning in their WWII history lessons.

This week we turn to the infants for our sporting news. On Thursday, Year 2 took part in a friendly cross-country race with local infant schools at Boxgrove. The children all ran really well and enjoyed their first event. HTPD takes a real lead in the organisation of sporting fixtures across the Guildford area; we are working hard behind the scenes to promote more infant involvement from other local schools.  

Today, we say farewell to Bev Reed, School Business Manager who begins her ‘mini retirement’ with an extended trip to South Africa. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Bev for her 17 years of hard work and dedication to the school; she’s seen the school through many changes and challenges, including the pandemic and RAAC; we wish her all the best for the future. 

Next week is a busy week! Year 6 will be working through their SATS papers before they enjoy a well-deserved day out at Horseshoe Lake and the Year 5’s set off on the first of this year's residential trips to Brenscombe Farm in Dorset. The children will have a fantastic 3-night adventure away from home and at the moment it looks like the weather will be perfect too. We know that these opportunities for children to grow in independence really support our school’s ethos of “learning to live”. It’s amazing how much the camaraderie and togetherness builds for an even better time in school when they return. They come back more mature and with greater self-belief, ready to “embrace the future with hope and confidence.”   

Best wishes

Vicky

Thought of the Week: Follow the light. How do you know which way to go in life? What footprints do you want to leave behind?