Dear Parents and Carers, 

Our first week back after last week’s half term holiday has been excellent! There’s been plenty of purposeful activity across the whole school. We’re really living out our values, with children demonstrating such a tangible “zest for learning and love of life.” I’ve had several opportunities to notice this during the week, both in school and out of school.  

On Wednesday, the children in our Junior Eco Team had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Albury Estate and learn all about life on an estate, and how the countryside is managed sustainably. The children met some incredible owls, very well-trained gun dogs, tickled some trout from the fish farm and even got their hands on some of our native snakes and toads! All day long, they showed a huge ‘zest for learning’, asking intelligent questions of the exhibitors. They were a real credit to the school.   

Today, Year 3 had an exciting, albeit rather damp, day out learning about our local history during World War II. They started off at Stoke Park where they heard about a famous crash involving two Mustang planes, before heading off to see key shelters used, along with hearing about the experiences of local residents who had to use them. They even had a good look at the original Holy Trinity School and the shelters they used back then too! Thank you for helping your children prepare for the day, including dressing them up!  Ask them what the dragon’s teeth are at London Road Station!  

Our assembly series retelling the story “Pilgrim’s Progress” has reached the chapter when Christian, the pilgrim, reaches a wayside cross at the end of a long road. As he wearily gazes at the cross, he realises the burden that he’s been carrying, has suddenly rolled away. He feels an inexplicable deep joy and has renewed energy to travel onwards, feeling free. My hope is that children at HTPD experience this freedom and joyful energy. We talked about what forgiveness feels like and also celebrated what gives each of us joy! Part of Friday’s assembly each week is our “Hats off” moment when children’s achievements beyond the classroom are celebrated. It’s part of how we remind each other that “everyone is treasured and loved as a unique child of God”. Do send Tom (tome@htpd.surrey.sch.uk) examples of any recent achievements, be they sporting, musical, creative or kind! 

I’m excited to start the preparations for September and can now announce our teaching teams for the new academic year ahead. I’m delighted to say that all our teachers are staying at HTPD for the next academic year; however, you will spot a few reshuffles. The whole team are excited about a fresh and invigorated new start: 

We will also continue to have SLT and a number of part time staff working across the school. We will now begin the important task of choosing a new teacher for each child. Please allow us to consider the best fit for each individual, taking into account the huge number of important factors in ensuring a smooth transition in September. If you do have serious concerns, any comments should be directed to me rather than to your child’s current teacher. Thank you for your understanding in giving us the opportunity to consider the whole picture rather than making decisions from a single perspective. 

Finally, I have received a phone call this week from our local councillor. Unfortunately, she has received repeated complaints from a number of local residents about parent parking at drop off, but particularly pick up. One of the things local residents find incredibly frustrating is that some parents are arriving incredibly early for pick up, sometimes almost an hour early and parking in local resident permit spaces. We appreciate there is no simple solution to this; however, Governors and I will be meeting with the Councillor and a few local residents to discuss solutions. If you have any ideas, I’m very open to suggestions! In the meantime, please be courteous of the local residents and do not park unnecessarily early or across driveways. This includes when picking up from after school clubs too. 

FUN RUN IS CANCELLED! Regrettably, we have been advised by an independent health and safety adviser that tomorrow's Fun Run should not take place due to the weather warnings. We are unable to liaise with the Council this late in the day regarding when we might be able to re-schedule the event; however, we will be in contact later next week when a decision has been made. Sorry for the disappointment!

Have a great weekend - stay dry!

Vicky 

Thought of the Week: Enjoy a fresh start. What makes you joyful? 

Whole School

Vacancy - we are looking for a new Clubs+/PUPs manager. Tilly has done an excellent job looking after our extended school provision and we'll miss her when she moves on to pastures new.  This role may suit someone who would really like to work with children and wants to make a difference to our wider school community, supporting families and continuing the tradition of making our after-school care the best it can be.  If you know someone outside of our school network who may relish this role, please contact Danielle DanielleB@htpd.surrey.sch.uk to explore further. She would love to hear from you!