Newsletter

Y6 Norfolk Lakes

The Y6 children have had fun week in Norfolk and have been pretty lucky with the weather. Over the week they have done a wonderful range of activities such as paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, caving, blind trail, Manor Olympics, axe throwing, fencing, low ropes tug of war and more. Many thanks go to the staff who gave up their own time to be with the children every day in order to provide this amazing experience and to care for the children. It is not something that schools have to do and it is a great deal of work and responsibility. Thanks to Miss Michael who organised and led the trip and also to Miss Sampson, Ms Ter Horst, Mr Llewellyn and Mr Reid who accompanied the children for the week.

National Numeracy Strategy Homework – Years 2-4

This year, Years 2, 3 & 4 will be taking part in the National Numeracy Strategy’s ‘Getting on with numbers’ Schools and Families Programme. The programme seeks to help pupils ‘feel more positive about maths, and have greater awareness of the value of numeracy outside the classroom’. Your child has been provided with their own scrapbook and will be sent home with an activity, as part of their maths homework, every other week. These activities (provided as part of the programme) are designed to be fun and engaging and are all linked to ‘real-world’ maths. They are designed to be done with an adult – you can engage as many of the family as you like. Example activities include; shape hunts, creating shopping lists based on a budget, designing symmetrical patterns or deciphering codes. Although seemingly less formal, all activities are linked to the National Curriculum and will be selected by the class teacher in line with what has been (or is being) taught in class. Your child’s teacher will send the scrap book home with the selected activity to be carried out that week. We ask that you please support your child in completing it and fill in the comment box, when provided, as necessary. Please note that, in line with our homework policy, the expectation is that children will have completed the activity so please talk to their class teacher if you have any concerns or encounter any difficulties. If you would like any further information on The National Numeracy Strategy and the Schools and Families programme then Mrs Mir will be delivering a workshop for parents on Tuesday 3rd November.

The link to their website is here. We hope that you find the new maths homework enjoyable

RE Meeting

There will be a meeting for parents about the new RE curriculum on Monday 5th October at 9am in the school hall. The meeting will be led by Ms Sampson (Assistant Head for Curriculum) and Ms Nichols (RE Lead). Please do come along if you would like to find out more or have questions.

ADHD Coffee Morning

As part of our ongoing engagement with parents and carers we have an ADHD Workshop on Thursday 8th October at 9am delivered by Lucy Baker who is the Lead Advisory Teacher for the Inclusion Advisory Team Specialist Inclusion Services to support SEND learners. Everyone is welcome.

Parents Using WhatsApp Groups Responsibly

Parent WhatsApp groups can be a wonderful way to share reminders, arrange playdates and support one another. To keep them positive and useful for everyone, we ask all parents to bear the following in mind. Think before you post. Messages in a group chat can be screenshot, forwarded and shared far beyond the people they were meant for – including to the school. If you wouldn’t be comfortable saying something in the playground with the person present or directly to the school then please don’t put it in writing on WhatsApp. Please do not post anything that could be defamatory.

Making false or damaging statements about the school, its staff, other parents or children can have serious consequences, both for the people affected and for the person who wrote the message. Defamation applies just as much to a private group chat as to social media or a public forum. Please be aware that I am often sent screenshots from year group whatsApp groups or am made aware of what is being said on them by parents who find what is said upsetting or unfair.

Protect our children. Please do not discuss individual pupils’ behaviour, learning needs, friendship difficulties, or any other personal matters in group chats. Children’s privacy matters, and comments made about them can be hurtful, inaccurate or unfair. Please also avoid sharing photographs of other people’s children without their parents’ permission. Be respectful about our staff. Our teachers and staff work hard and are committed to every child in their care. If you have a concern or complaint, please raise it directly with the class teacher or the school rather than in a group chat, so it can be dealt with fairly, promptly and confidentially.

Check before you share. Rumours can spread quickly and cause real upset. If you hear something concerning, please don’t pass it on. Speak to the school and we will happily clarify matters. Keep it kind. A friendly, inclusive tone helps everyone feel welcome, especially new families. Tirades of criticism and negativity are not helpful to anybody. Please consider muting the group if it becomes overwhelming, and remember that not everyone will see or respond to messages straight away. We are grateful for the supportive community our parents create, and we know that these groups work best when everyone uses them thoughtfully. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Our parent code of conduct makes clear that: In order to support a peaceful and safe school environment the school cannot tolerate parents, carers and visitors exhibiting the following: Defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments regarding the school or any of the pupils/parent/staff, at the school on Facebook, Twitter or other social sites including WhatsApp.

Any concerns you may have about the school must be made through the appropriate channels by speaking to the class teacher, the Head teacher or the Chair of Governors, so they can be dealt with fairly, appropriately and effectively for all concerned. Please be aware that what is written on WhatsApp groups can be screenshot and shared beyond the group.

Allergy Awareness

You may have heard about Benedict’s Law, which came into force this September. It is named in memory of Benedict Blythe, who died after an allergic reaction at school in 2021, and it means every school in England now has clear legal duties to keep children with allergies safe. At Holly Park this means:

  • We have a whole-school allergy policy
  • Annual anaphylaxis training for all staff (not just first aiders),
  • Children with known allergies must have 2 epi-pens on site
  • Epi-pens are kept in separate named boxes in the medical room
  • Spare emergency adrenaline auto-injectors are on site in two locations
  • Auto injectors are taken on class trips and outings
  • Individual care plans are in place for pupils with a diagnosed allergy.
  • Lanyards for children with allergies are worn when they go in for lunch
  • Photographs of children and their known allergy are behind the lunchtime serving hatch for kitchen staff
  • Special allergy menus are created as appropriate for individual children

This week I have done an allergy awareness assembly for children in Year 3-6. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will have a talk time in class and Year 6 will do this on their return from the residential. We are also asking for your help. Please make sure we have up-to-date allergy information for your child, tell us straight away if anything changes, and follow our guidance on foods sent in for snacks, celebrations or class events. If you have any questions, please contact Miss Iglesias.

PTA Committee Step Down

I need to share with you all that the PTA Committee made up of Julie Adlington, Laura DeMonte and Bhavini Waghela have officially stepped down as PTA committee members. I would like to personally thank them for all of the work, time, effort and commitment that they have put into their roles. Between them they have helped to organise, plan and put on events such as fairs, uniform sales, discos, cake sales, ice lolly sales and more. In doing so, they have helped to raise thousands of pounds for the children of Holly Park School which has bought some wonderful things across the years that have made the school a better place for children to enjoy and which could not have been bought from the general school budget. Some of the things that they have helped raise money for include: Football goals, football netting, the story garden, the pirate ship, curriculum resources, wet play games, sports kits and much much more.

The PTA has donated to all of the Big Holly Park appeals for bigger playgrounds, IT infrastructure, the Library etc. The PTA also pays for special Year 6 events such as the national test breakfast, the Y6 disco and the Y6 leavers books. The PTA committee has enabled all of this to happen. Julie, Laura and Bhavini have done this tirelessly for many years. If you see them around school, please thank them for all they have done. I would like to thank them for all of their voluntary work. Spaces have now opened up for new committee members. I will shortly be seeking expressions of interest from parents in the school and asking anybody interested to come and see me. It is time for a rethink of how the PTA might be run moving forward. This term there will therefore be no winter fair.

Harvest Festival

Advance notice that we will be holding our Harvest assembly on Tuesday 13th October for Food Bank Aid. The theme for this term’s Food Bank Aid school collections is ‘Breakfast’, encouraging pupils to help everyone in our North London community to start their day with energy and focus. They are asking schools to concentrate on collecting oats, porridge, cereal and cereal bars.

Little City – Open session for toddlers

On Wednesday 21st October, we are being visited by Little City – a wonderful interactive role play set up with marvellous resources. Children can be builders, vets, post office workers, hair dressers, shop assistants, doctors and so much more. From 9am to 10.30am we are holding an open session during our Play Group time for any toddlers in the local community to come and play. Attendees do not have to belong to Holly Park. So if you have friends, family or neighbours with children under 5 years of age please let them know they are welcome. The cost for this special session is £10.

Change of Collection Arrangements

If you have a change of collection arrangements on a particular day e,g another family member is collecting – please ensure that these are communicated to the office as early in the day as possible preferably by telephone as emails can be easily overlooked or could go to junk. Thank you.

Attendance

Whole school attendance for last week was 96% Well done to Y5 Juniper Class with the best attendance at 100%.

Dates

  • Monday 5th October Meeting for all parents: RE Curriculum
  • Monday 5th October NSPCC workshops for Y6,5 and 2
  • Thursday 8th October Coffee Morning 9am
  • Monday 12th October Walk to school week
  • Tuesday 13th October Harvest Festival
  • Friday 16th October Y1 phonics meeting for parents at 9am
  • Friday 16th October Just One Tree Day
  • Monday 19th October Y6 National Assessment meeting for parents at 9am
  • Wednesday 21st October Meeting for Y4 parents about Cuffley camp 2027
  • Wednesday 21st October Y1 Little City workshops
  • Thursday 22nd October Y6 to Imperial War Museum
  • Friday 23rd October Be Bright Be Seen Day
  • HALF TERM

There is a facility to translate this newsletter and the whole school website at the bottom of the website home page.