Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s been great to see everyone back in school this week – the children, and staff too, should be congratulated on managing so admirably in this heat! Temperatures in school have been pretty uncomfortable (apart from in the lovely air-conditioned Year 2 classrooms, thanks to the generosity of FOPS fund raising last year!).

It’s been so encouraging to visit classes where children are excited to learn, focused and listening carefully, and being so respectful to one another, and to their new teachers. There’s been a real “zest for learning and love of life” on show; I know we all enjoy a holiday, but getting back into normal routines and finding out about new topics for learning is really satisfying for all of us! I hope you feel that your child has started to relax into their new classroom and is enjoying making new friends. Well done to all of you for getting them up and ready in time, for getting them dressed in smart school uniform, and for reassuring them when those “start of term” butterflies started flapping.

You will be very glad to hear that, thanks to a visit earlier in the week from the Diocese’s buildings officer, our school buildings at both sites were confirmed to be free of any RAAC. Whilst we felt confident that we had no concerns, it was reassuring to hear an expert’s opinion. What a difficult situation some schools find themselves in, but I’m so glad that at HTPD we have started the term so well!

Next week, we’re looking forward to all the new children in Reception coming in every day, and also to the start of our exciting day-trips, with Year 4 heading off to Butser Ancient Farm on Monday, Year 3 and Year 6 meeting their buddies on the Downs on Tuesday, and then Year 6 beginning their exciting topic on the rainforest with a trip to Wisley on Friday to learn about plant adaptation. Not to be outdone, Year 4 and Year 5 will also enjoy a trip to the Chantries on Friday so it will be very quiet that day at HT!

Do remember to come along to our Meet the Team events (HT next Thursday at 7pm for years 3-6 and PD on the following Tuesday 19th for years R-2). These events are so important for you to hear all that lies ahead for your child, how best you can support them at home, and ways for you to get involved in school too. We really do rely on your partnership – and it’s a great way to meet your child’s teacher too.

Just one quick note before I close, it’s really important that we keep the roads around school safe. We operate an informal one-way system at drop-off and pick-up, with traffic coming down Semaphore Road past Pewley from Pewley Hill at the top. Then to reach the juniors, we drive along Pewley Way and into Addison Road. It’s best to keep clear of Cline Road as it’s really impossible to turn around when it’s busy. Please do remember not to park in private roads or car-park spaces (including Pewley Bank and Addison Court), or across driveways and never on the zig-zags. With so many children walking or arriving by bike, we really must keep speeds below 20mph and be extremely careful not to block pavements or reduce visibility for pedestrians to safely cross roads. Please do try to park up some distance away and walk for the last bit – it’s a healthy, safer and more pleasant option. Thanks so much! I hope that you have a lovely sunny weekend, enjoying these last few days of the heatwave and we look forward to it starting to cool down next week, so that it feels more like a typical autumn term!

With love,

Clare

Thought of the week:

Whole School Notice

Nut-free school

Please remember that we are a nut-free school. This is to ensure that any children with nut allergies are safe when they’re in school; at the juniors, please remember that children should only bring healthy fruit or vegetable snacks for their morning break (no crisps, chocolate bars or anything with a wrapper to reduce litter and stay healthy) and please check that packed lunches don’t contain nuts of any kind.

At the infants children are provided with a healthy fruit/vegetable snack at break-time.

After School Clubs

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

Congratulations

We had some lovely news in August with the arrival of Catherine’s (one of our Year R teachers) baby Hettie.

We’re really looking forward to seeing them both.

Parenting Puzzle Workshop

The Parenting Puzzle Workshop will run for 10 weeks from Wednesday 20 September to Wednesday 29 November (excluding half term week - 25th October), 9.30 - 11.30am at the Trinity Centre near the High Street. The sessions are open to all HTPD parents and are led by our Home School Link Workers (Lucy and Bridgit). Please see the flyer below for more information and how to book (numbers are limited)