Friday 27 February 2015


As I sit here typing this, the phrase ‘That was the week that was’ comes to mind because this week has absolutely flown by but it has been a very busy week in school. We have started our ski trips and we have been holding the auditions for ‘Talent Night’ and it has made the half term break just seem like a distant memory but I hope you all had a pleasant break.

The ski trips have been very popular with most children so far. The actual ‘Snow Centre’ is amazing and when you are inside it you do feel like you in an actual ski resort and not Hemel Hempsted. It certainly fulfils the brief of giving the children an outdoor and adventurous activity and allowing the children to experience something we could not provide at school. For some children it was a totally new experience and although a couple of children did find being in the cold  challenging it means they will be better prepared to cope with it the next time they have to face it.

Although spring is on its way we ae still experiencing winter weather and with it all the bugs and viruses that go with it. My secretaries have informed me that we have received a few phone calls from parents informing them that as their children have had colds they will not be able to do outdoor PE. PE is a core part of the curriculum and if a child is able to attend school they should be able to take part in the whole curriculum and that includes PE. Obviously if there are medical reasons for a child being unable to take part we will respect them e.g a broken limb or if we receive guidance from a medical professional.

As I stated earlier we have been holding the auditions for ‘Talent Night ‘this week. They are nearly all compete and I will be sending letters to all those who are taking part early next week. I always let the families of children in the show purchase tickets first but after that we open them to the whole school. More details about the tickets will come out next week but remember to keep the 12th March free in your diary. We only hold these shows once every two years and they are always great nights.

Have a great weekend and I will see you all next week.

Friday 13 February 2015


I cannot believe that half term is upon us - where has the time gone? When we return it will nearly be March and soon after that it will be Easter. I must be getting old as all the seasons are starting to blur into one.

It has been quite a busy week in school. We had our ‘Open Afternoon’ on Wednesday and last night a lot of children attended the PTA ‘Valentine’s Disco’. I could only attend the KS2 disco as I had to go to a meeting but all those that attended appeared to have a good time. I would like to thank all the PTA and my staff for the effort they put into the disco which helped make it such a success. Our next planned event is going to be a ‘Talent Night ‘which we intend to hold on March 12th. This is the day before ‘Comic Relief’ so it is our intention to donate half the money raised from the ‘Talent Night’ to them as it is such a worthy cause. We will also be selling the red noses after half term but more details will follow about this after we return from the break.

We also had a ‘Parent Council’ meeting this week. Although we would have liked more people to attend there were some very good points discussed and even though some people were unable to be there they e-mailed their suggestions to the meeting so they could be heard. We will be sending a letter out soon to inform all parents about what was discussed. There will be another meeting next term and we will let you know the date and time of this as soon as it has been decided.

I know people will think that I discuss this issue a lot, but there have been complaints about the parking again. Apparently it was really bad during our ‘Open Afternoon’ when some parents were even blocking people’s driveways,  which is illegal. I have even heard about a parent who actually parked on someone’s drive while they collected their child from school –that is just unbelievable. I am advising people to ring the police to make a complaint. The thing that worries me the most is that a child will get injured or even worse because of these irresponsible parking.

All that is left for me to do is to wish you all have a great half –term. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday, 23rd February.

Friday 6 February 2015


We have certainly noticed that it was winter this week – it does seem such a shame that the snow never seems to arrive in time for Christmas. I am still amazed at the amount of disruption a couple of centimetres of snow can cause. I know we have not had to close the school (thank goodness) but I did have staff arrive late because they had been sat in traffic jams due to problems caused by the snow! At least the school has managed to operate better than the roadways.

Apart from the snow it has been quite a quiet week in school. The weather did not stop the girls playing their football match against Brookmans Park which I mentioned in last week’s blog. I am glad to report that they won so their unbeaten record remains intact. I would like to congratulate the girls on their excellent performance and also thank Miss Kenwell and Mr Mills for all their hard work in coaching them. Let us hope they can maintain their great record until the end of the season. 

Mrs Robinson has asked me to remind all those parents who received a questionnaire at our curriculum and assessment evening if they could return them to the school office as soon as possible. They should not take too much of your time to complete and she needs as many copies as possible returned to her to help her complete her research.

Next week is certainly not a quiet week in school. On Monday we have ‘Sharing Assembly’ and if your child is taking part you will already have received the letter to inform you. Then on Wednesday we have the Parent Council meeting at 2.00pm and this is followed by ‘Open Afternoon’ which runs from 3.00pm – 4.30pm. This is your opportunity to look at your child’s books and see all the wonderful things they have learnt. Do remember though that all their learning is not found in their books.   As I also mentioned in my newsletter this is not like a parent consultation and teachers will not be available to give individual progress reports on children.

On Thursday we then have the ‘Valentine’s Discos’ which are always popular events with the children. Remember the KS1 disco starts at 5.00pm and the KS2 one at 6.15pm.  Finally, on Friday, we break up for the first half term of the year. I do not know where the time has gone - it will be Easter before we realise it.

Enjoy your weekend – let us hope that it does not get too cold so everyone is able to get out and about.