Dear Parents and Carers,

It was great to start the week with our Year 6 children enjoying a treat after the efforts of their SATS tests. They took part in a day of water-sport fun at Horseshoe Lake, canoeing, raft building and paddleboarding. It was so good to see them return to school with huge smiles on their faces; despite the rather long homeward bound delay, it sounded like it was a real treat! Thank you to the parents who had to adjust pick up plans and had a rather long wait at the end of the day.

Other year groups have also been out and about this week; Year 2 and Year 5 headed into Guildford town centre to conduct local geography study. We’ve recently invested in some super new atlases which contain maps of both the wider world, and the United Kingdom. We’re using these in class for all sorts of lessons. For our walks around town, the children have been using even more detailed, local maps and they’ve become very proficient at map-reading. Perhaps give them a chance to navigate next time you’re walking somewhere different. It’s so easy to rely on satnav, or Google maps to get from A to B without looking at where we’re going and map reading is such a great skill to practise.

There is great excitement in the Reception classes with the chicks emerging from their eggs just yesterday. These newly-hatched balls of fluff are captivating to watch – some children (and teachers!) can spend hours looking at them! Do ask your child to tell you all about it.

Meanwhile, all three Year 3 classes had a day at Henley Fort, imagining life on the home front during the Second World War. Dressing up and following orders gave them a real insight into the lives of the home guard. I think they quite enjoyed the fierce instructions and the shouted orders, but I’m glad we have a more encouraging and gentle approach on most normal days!

Three teachers have been much further afield this week. Helen Pronger, Danni Weston and Abigail Allen visited one of our partner schools in Tres Cantos, near to Madrid in Spain. This has been a long-awaited opportunity - since leaving the EU (and now no longer able to access European Erasmus funding for such professional development), and due to the pandemic, we’ve not been able to take part in international visits and it was exciting to re-kindle the links we’ve established over the years. Our teachers self-funded this visit – when we spend time learning about schools overseas, it always brings back to HTPD creativity, inspiration and novel ideas. It’s great to watch lessons, visit classrooms, notice details and share stories with staff who work in a completely different context. It’ll be exciting for all of us to hear about what’s been learnt and reflected upon while they’ve been away; it’s sure to help us continue to improve and enhance our own school environment, curriculum and wider opportunities. As a staff, just as we say to the children, we’re always keen to learn, and we look forward to a reciprocal visit from some Spanish teachers later in the term.

Next Friday is our final Fluffy Friday of this academic year. For the children, it’s one of the most important days; returning students from secondary school, and even adults who left HTPD long ago, tell us that Fluffy is what they remember most fondly. If you’re free, do come in and help out, and remember to contribute £1 so that we cover the extra costs of the day.

With love,

Clare

Thought of the week: It’s rubbish – pride. Do you admit your mistakes? Bible story: Paul’s conversion – the power of a new start.

WHOLE SCHOOL

Please remember to look each week at the infant and junior section below in case of important notices about clubs.

Dogs at drop off and pick up

Please do remember that dogs aren’t allowed onto our school sites. We’ve noticed a large increase in the number of dogs being brought along to drop off and pick up children, so please take extra care to keep your dogs under control. Make sure they don’t leave any mess, and aren’t spooked by being in close proximity to lots of children, and other dogs. Help your child to treat animals that they don’t know with caution, and be aware that there have been occasions when dogs are off leads and roaming free. Please be vigilant and help to safeguard children coming out of school.

Catering Assistant vacancy, Pewley Down

Harrison Catering Services is one of the UK’s leading independent catering companies, serving high-quality, freshly-cooked food to thousands of people in schools and workplaces every day. We are looking for a Catering Assistant to join the Pewley Down catering team. The position will assist with the preparation of our fresh food offer and with serving Students/Pupils, as well as set up and clear down.

The ideal candidate will be able to work as part of a team. Full training will be provided along with uniform. You will be rewarded with a competitive salary for working 20 hours per week, term time only. If you are interested and would like to apply for this role, please email your CV and covering letter to paul.thorne@harrisoncatering.co.uk