Newsletter – Holly Park Primary School

Newsletters are emailed out to parents and carers every week on a Friday. If you do not already receive you can read it here or have it emailed by contacting the office on: office@hollypark.barnetmail.net

To see the full colour version of this week’s newsletter including photographs please scroll further down this page. You will also find there a full list of previous newsletters.

This plain version of the newsletter will translate into different community languages using the Google translate button at the bottom of this page.

Here is this week’s newsletter:

World Book Day 2020

World Book day is on Thursday 5th March. This year our Holly Park theme is a book hat! The idea is to decorate a hat with items, words and pictures to represent a favourite book. We wanted to give you as much time as possible to start being creative.

We want each child to choose a book they like and choose a hat. Then decorate the hat with objects, words or pictures that represent the book. We hope that you will be as creative as you can and will enjoy working with your child on this project. It will be a good chance to talk about the book while you are doing it.

We wanted to give you as much time as possible to think about which book and what you might do.

The possibilities are endless. Have a good think over the next few weeks and half term and be as creative as you can. Have fun!

On World Book Day we will enjoy looking at all of the hats. We will select some of our favourites to make a display for the rest of the term.

Rights Respecting Schools

The Rights Respecting Champions have been talking about article 42 in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which says: You have the right to know your rights! Adults should know about these rights and help you learn about them too. So each week, we will highlight a different article. The first article is Article 28 – You have the right to a good quality education. You should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level you can. In addition to this, we will give you a quiz to do at home, one question each week and we will give you the answer the following week. The first question is: How old is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Termly Year Group Curriculum Newsletters For Parents

As per normal each term, the teachers send out a newsletter letting parents know what the topic for the term is and how this relates to each curriculum area in outline. These have been e-mailed out last week and can also be found on the year group pages of the website. We hope that parents will find them useful.

Chinese New Year Lunch

We will be holding a Chinese New Year Lunch on Thursday 30th January. The menu will be:

Chinese chicken in black bean sauce with white rice,
Vegetable stir fry,
Carrots and Pak choi.
Followed by: Carrot and sultana cake with vanilla custard.

If you would like your child to have this special lunch then please let Miss Hounslow in the school office know by the end of school on Monday 27th January.

Governor Vacancy

One of our parent governors is shortly coming to the end of their four year term of office. We will be looking for a new parent governor. We are particularly interested to have someone who has time to give to the role – which involves early morning meetings, some evening meetings, attending training in Barnet, being available during a school day once a month. Forms will be sent home soon. If you are interested then please see Mrs Pelham for an information pack to fully understand the role. If there is more than one parent interested, there will be a parent vote.

Diary Dates

Thursday 30th January Y2 SPAG Workshop for parents 9am
Friday 31st January PTA Meeting at 9am
Tuesday 4th February Willow Class assembly 9am
Tuesday 4th February Safer Internet Day
Friday 7th February Enabling Enterprise Challenge Day
Friday 7th February PTA Discos
Monday 10th February Infant Show Dress Rehearsal
Monday 10th February Y5&6 Bikeability Week begins
Tuesday 11th February Infant show 6.30pm
Wednesday 12th February Infant Show 2.30pm
Thursday 13th February Infant Show 6.30 pm
Friday 14th February Local Charity – London Air Ambulance
Friday 14th February PTA Valentine Table top sale
Friday 14th February End of Half term at 3.30pm

Music News

Instrumental Tuition: Our annual Instrumental Tuition Concert will be on Tuesday 3rd March at 6:30 pm. The tutors are currently deciding which children are ready to perform in public. We usually offer solo pieces to Year 6 children (if appropriate) and small group items to younger children. Our tutors decide on the selection of soloists. They will let parents know these details via the Barnet Education Arts Trust Practice Books. Our three ensembles will perform at the concert, too. Barnabas Choir (Wednesdays, 3:30 – 4:30 pm.)
We are preparing for the Royal Albert Hall concert on April 30th where our Year 6 Barnabas Choir will be taking part in the Barnet Education Arts Trust Grand Concert.
Also, Year 5&6 Barnabas Choir (CHAMBER CHOIR) will be performing at the Barnet Schools’ Music Festival in June. Here are the rehearsal dates for our choir. Year 6 BARNABAS CHOIR: 29th January (rehearsal for the Royal Albert Hall). CHAMBER CHOIR, remaining sessions: 26th February. 18th March. YEAR 3&4 BARNABAS CHOIR: 5th February. 11th March.
Infant Choir (Tuesday lunchtimes.) A letter has gone out, inviting Year 1 pupils to join the choir. Parents must observe the deadline for application: Monday 27th January. Remaining sessions: YEAR 2 INFANT CHOIR, 10th March. YEAR 1 INFANT CHOIR: 28th January. 25th February. 17th March.

Knife Crime, Drugs and Gang Violence – Prepare Not Scare! Parent Meeting

With gangs, drugs and violence a real issue in the local area and a general rise in knife crime nationally, I have been informed that there will be two workshops that Holly Park parents can attend along with other parents in our local group of primary schools. These will be run at St Paul’s Primary School on Thursday 26th March at 9am and repeated at 7pm the same day. The focus will be on what is happening in our local area and how parents can help support their children if they come across any of these issues. I would really recommend parents attending a session especially if your children are in Years 4, 5 or 6. Look out for more information in the next few weeks.

Class Reporters

In order to keep the class pages on our website more up to date, we have established a system of class reporters. Each weekend a different child from the class will be chosen to go home at the weekend and to write up about what the class have been learning that week. Last week was our first reporting. Your child may well be chosen to do the write up for their class. Go onto the class pages on the website in a few weeks and have a read.

Holly Park Online Community Noticeboard

We now have a Community Noticeboard on our school website under the ‘Contact’ heading. This is for parents and friends of the school to advertise their businesses/events. For example if you make birthday cakes, do nails, are a decorator etc. The following rules will apply: Items will be listed alphabetically to avoid any favouritism eg C for cake making, P for Piano lessons. There is a disclaimer at the top of the page saying that inclusion on the page does not mean the service is endorsed by the school in any way. The cost to advertise will be £10 per term paid to Mrs Hassan. We no longer distribute leaflets for companies advertising holiday clubs, tennis lessons etc as this is not very eco friendly. However the company can email the school office a leaflet and for £10 can advertise on this page.