Dear Parents and Carers,

As always, there’s been plenty going on in school this week. Lots of children have loved taking part in the Sportshall activities at Guildford Spectrum – with all of Year 1, a super Year 4 team and a winning Year 6 squad representing the school splendidly! Year 6 also had a wonderful day out, visiting the Natural History Museum in London. Following on from my science lessons with them this term, teaching them about evolution and the impact of Charles Darwin on scientific thinking, the children were glad to experience this amazing place…and come face to face with his giant statue towering over the staircase. It’s such an inspiring building and it really brings their learning alive.

School trips, whilst sometimes seeming like a lot of effort for teachers to organise and a big cost to families, really consolidate learning and enrich our curriculum. When we talk to children about what they remember from previous topics, it’s often the days out that are the highlights. I hope you share our belief that they’re worth every penny. Please do consider contributing to our school fund on Parentpay so that we can make sure they continue; thanks to generosity from parents and staff, we can afford to include everyone even if their circumstances mean they can’t afford to contribute themselves. It’s part of looking after our whole school community and “imagining the journey in another’s footsteps.”

I’ve really enjoyed meeting all our Pewley parents this week at the parents’ evening appointments. It’s been good to show everyone the temporary classrooms, and lovely to hear your positive feedback after all the efforts to get them set up. The Diocese have this week presented to the DfE a costed estimate of works and we’re hopeful that we’ll soon be able to get started on fixing the ceilings at Pewley. The next step is to be given approval for funding from the DfE for this process and I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any progress.

Another highlight this week was World Book Day. At HTPD, we focus on enjoying books rather than dressing up. This is so much more positive for some children (and parents!) who find costumes rather stressful! The book swap was brilliant – I hope your child came home with a good new read! And some children from Y5 and Y6 visited EYFS and Y1 to share stories together. It was a lovely time when we were all very glad to be on the same site.

Wishing you a great weekend, hopefully full of reading new books together!

With much love,

Clare

Promise of the week: “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation!” 2 Corinthians 5 v17. Nicodemus is face to face with Jesus – what’s your potential for change?

Whole School

Red Nose Day

Next Friday 15 March we will be marking Red Nose Day in school by doing 'Something Funny for Money' with the aim of fundraising for this marvellous charity. As many of you will know, Comic Relief supports incredible organisations that are making a difference for people across the UK and around the world. The school council has overwhelmingly voted in favour of having a pyjama day in school! The suggested donation to take part is £1, but if you are able to be more generous, please do so and help us hit our fundraising target of £500. Donations can be made in cash on the day or via Parentpay. The children will also take part in a range of games and quizzes on the day and are welcome to wear a red nose if they have one. Please do ensure the children have suitable footwear and warm enough layers so that they can still enjoy their break times outside. We look forward to a fun-filled day!

After-School Clubs

If your child attends after-school clubs, do check the notices below by clicking on the junior or infant section.