Newsletter

Summer Dresses

A reminder that our school summer dresses at Holly Park are green and white gingham – NOT red and white.

Friday 8th May – 100th Birthday celebration – David Attenborough

On Friday 8th May the country will be celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. At Holly Park, we would like the children from Reception to Year 6 to come to school that day dressed as an animal. This can be a mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian or fish. They can come as insects or arachnids. Any kind of real animal is acceptable. Children can have faces painted, wear masks or head dresses, they can come dressed head to foot as a creature. In school the children will be watching a clip of one of his films/documentaries. There will also be an assembly celebrating him.

Coffee Morning

We invite parents to come and join us for what promises to be a very interesting and helpful coffee morning. Dealing with children’s social and emotional wellbeing can be very challenging at times and can affect the whole household. Do come along to join Mrs Kelly, Mrs Puzey and a specialist from BICS (Barnet Integrated Clinical Services) for an informal presentation and chat, Questions are very welcome. Social, Emotional, Well-being and Mental Health Coffee Morning Thursday 21st May 9.00-10amin the hall Come and chat and meet a Higher-Level Therapist from BICS who will talk about support and will answer questions.

Resolving Concerns Together

At our school, we pride ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our families, and we believe that open, honest conversation is always the best first step when a concern arises. We are extremely pleased that each year we receive very few complaints. We would like to gently remind parents and carers that submitting a formal written complaint should not be the first port of call when an issue or issues needs to be addressed. Our complaints policy is clear that the first stage is to arrange an informal meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team, where concerns can be discussed face to face in a supportive and constructive environment. This approach gives us the very best chance of reaching a swift and satisfactory resolution for everyone involved. A formal written complaint, while sometimes necessary further down the line, can create unnecessary distance between families and the school, and does not reflect the warm, collaborative community we work so hard to nurture. It does not always produce the best result. We are always here to listen, and we would much rather sit down with you than exchange paperwork. Please be aware that, going forward, any formal written complaint received at Stage 2 will not be considered unless Stage 1 — the informal meeting — has first been completed. This is not a barrier to having your concerns heard; quite the opposite. It is our commitment to ensuring every family receives a personal, considered response before matters are escalated. Any concerns matter to us, and we want to work through them together.

Inclusion Newsletter

We have decided to send a termly Inclusion newsletter for parents (separate to our other newsletters and HPS Highlights) which gives some information about what Inclusion is, highlights things that are happening in school and also in the local authority. We hope that this will keep Inclusion on the agenda for parents and will some useful information. The aim is to send an Inclusion newsletter out each term. Our very first one has been emailed out yesterday.

Letting Our School Hall

Over the past couple of years we have been letting out our school hall at weekends for all kinds of events including parties. We also hire the hall out after 6pm on weekdays for clubs and groups e.g Karate. All lettings are booked through a company called ’Sharesy’ If you would be interested in having a birthday party in the school hall you can book this through the Sharesy website. Booking can include the main hall, the dining hall, the Astro ball area or the playgrounds. If you would be interested in hiring a part of the school for an event you can go to: https://www.sharesy.com/v/holly-park-primary-school

London Mini Marathon

Bronagh in Y6 took part in the London mini-marathon championship races last weekend. She was one of four u12 girls that qualified to represent the Borough of Barnet. Despite the really early start, she had lots of fun starting the race at Horse Guards Parade, passing Buckingham Palace, and finishing on The Mall at the traditional marathon finish. The Barnet u12 girls team came 3rd overall!

Recording of Conversations

I would like to remind all parents and carers that recording conversations with school staff — whether in person or over the phone — without their knowledge or consent is not acceptable and may be unlawful. Under UK data protection law and privacy legislation, individuals have a reasonable expectation that conversations will not be recorded covertly. Any recordings made in this way would also be in breach of our school’s policies. We ask that all members of our school community engage with staff in a spirit of mutual respect and openness

Facebook

We have a whole school Facebook page and Instagram. If you are on Facebook or Instagram- please follow the Holly Park Facebook page. Please share the Holly Park Facebook page with your friends and family on your Facebook page and especially share our page with any local Facebook groups you belong to. We need to raise the profile of the school in the local community – as we are quite tucked away on Bellevue Road and not on a main road. Your help and support is appreciated.

Safety Concern

There are a number of soft, often sparkly/glittery, gel filled balls on the market currently and we know that several children have these at home. If the ball splits or is cut open, the gel inside the toys can break through the outer skin and has been reported to cause severe skin irritation, redness, and in some cases, chemical burns. We have been made aware of an incident where one of these balls, has exploded and caused injury to the child concerned. Please could parents check any items of this type, speak to their children about safe use and closely monitor any play.

Attendance

Whole school attendance for the last week was 95% Well done to Year 6 Beech Class with the best attendance at 98%.

Dates

Monday 4th May May Bank Holiday
Tuesday 5th May Meeting for parents – the relational policy
Wednesday 6th May Y3 Willow to Railway Fields
Thursday 7th May Nursery colour day
Friday 8th May Y3 Hazel to Railway Fields
Monday 11th May Y6 National test week

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