18th July 2025

Dear Parents,

The last newsletter of the school year - phew we made it!

I take my hat off to Mrs Moss and Year 2 class for going on a school trip to Woodhall Farm on the penultimate day of the year. More of that later.

Dates for Diaries

I’m sending out some key dates for the next half term only. When we return after the break, I will send out the whole year so parents can be as prepped as possible. The main dates I want parents to be mindful of is Parents' evening. Last year we trialled collecting the children at 2.30pm and providing a crèche until 3.20pm for those children whose parents were unable to pick up at that time. The feedback from parents was positive so we will be repeating these timings again. There will be more information on our return to school but I wanted to highlight the dates now so that working parents are fully aware.

Tombolas

Wow! What a staggering amount of donations we received for our bottle and teddy tombolas! Thank you so much for all your donations and also for all the money raised on the day! The money will be split between the Save the Children charity and updating our playground resources.  We have currently raised £169 for Save the Children and £158 at our Tombola stall. 

Year 2 Trip to Woodhall Estate

Year 2 had a brilliant day at Woodhall Estate. We started the day with a quiz where we found out a lot about different animals. Then we did a mini beast hunt which the children really enjoyed and found a lot of different animals, such as spiders, ladybirds and ants. In the afternoon, they put their team building skills to good use by working together to make a den. 

Goodbye...Year 6

We say goodbye to our Year 6 children and many of their parents today, some of which have been long standing. I want to draw parents’ attention to one family in particular and that is the Rhodes family. When the school started in 2012 as Harpenden Free school all those years ago, there were only 22 families attending one of which was the Rhodes family. As the years have gone by all the children and their families have moved on. Our first cohort of children are already at University or in the work place, but today the last of those families, the Rhodes family will be leaving too. This is a moment in time for them and us as a school.

To all our families and children leaving in Year 6 we wish you the very best for the next chapter in your lives.

FoHA Movie Nights

These were hugely popular and I thank FoHA for organising them and making the events such a success. I have included in this newsletter a breakdown of the money raised and the events that have raised them - please see the FoHA section of the newsletter below. With school budgets being tighter each year, FoHA is a vital part of our school ensuring that the children don’t miss out on events just because the school budget can’t stretch that far. FoHA stand and fall on parents' support and I am concerned that this doesn’t seem as forthcoming as it once was. The first FoHA meeting of the academic year is Tuesday 7th October at 7.00pm, at The George pub please do go along and see what it entails and see if you can help. You will be welcomed with open arms.

A special thank you to the Southdown Co-op for their generous donation of snacks and drinks, helping to create a fun and enjoyable experience for all during our Movie Nights.

Summer Library Challenge

On Monday the Summer Reading Challenge was launched in school by the Harpenden Librarians. If your child wants to take part just take them to the library where they can sign up and see if they can meet the challenge of 6 books in 6 weeks.  Please click here to find out further information. 

Violin and Ukulele Display

We were so lucky to have been joined by incredible violinists, Luca and Byron, as well as a combined choir and ukulele club this morning to serenade us on our way to the summer holidays! A huge thank you and congratulations to all involved!

Building work

There will be some building work happening in school over the holidays, focusing on the entrance area of the school. I am hoping that by the time we come back to school it will be finished and looking wonderful! Fingers crossed.

Goodbyes

Earlier in the week we had an assembly to say “goodbye and thank you” to our outgoing staff: Miss Fairweather, Mr King, Miss Alshamari and Miss Keir. Thank you for being part of the heritage of Harpenden Academy and all you have done for our children in the time you have been here. We wish you every success in your next chapter.

While not quite goodbye, Mrs Stanger will be starting her maternity leave in September. It is her aim to come back in that first week but we all know that babies have an agenda all of their own. We hope to see her in September before Baby Stanger makes an appearance.

Happy holidays and thank you

It has been a really strong year for Harpenden Academy in terms of academic results, over 80 different events over the year and of course our Ofsted inspection… but we are a little tired now! On behalf of my staff and I we wish you all a restful holiday. We all need a little bit of down time and whether that is sunning yourself on holiday or enjoying a staycation or just chilling at home we hope that you all have a terrific time. Many thanks.

SwiftKitchen - New School Dinner Ordering System - email sent out this week

From September we will be moving to a new system to order school meals called Swift Kitchen. We will begin with the ordering system on the first day back in September, and therefore you need to engage with their online ordering system beforehand, so that your child can have a school dinner on the first day back. Please note the office will no longer have access to order dinners on your behalf so ALL parents will need to ensure their login details are working.  

All parents/carers of children in the school will receive a welcome letter from Swiftkitchen that will include their unique “Swift Kitchen Key number” which you will require for the initial set up of your account.  These letters have gone out today in your child's bag. 

I would encourage you to read the parent guide as it demonstrates the steps required to set up your SwiftKitchen account and how to place orders or to watch the video here.

If you have any problem logging in to the new system please do contact the school office.

Contractor Clubs and Teacher Clubs - Reminder following email communication this week

All clubs will start on the second week we return to school after Summer, on w/c Monday 8th September 2025 and finish on w/c 8th December 2025 (unless otherwise stated by club)

Contractor Clubs

Please contact the club provider to book your place, it will be on a first come first served basis.  The Club Provider is responsible for all communication and confirmation of external clubs. You can contact the club contractors to book your child on to their clubs with immediate effect.

Teacher Clubs 

All parents will be able to book their child on to teacher led clubs from Thursday, 4th September 2025 from 5.00pm. You will be able to login to your child's MCAS profile and select the club option from the menu. At 5.00pm you will be able to enrol your child onto their chosen club. If the club is full the system will add your child to the waiting list and the office will inform you if there are any cancellations. We will always do our best to try and accommodate your child’s choices and we will send you a reminder of the booking date in September. 

Please do not rely on these school clubs as childcare, it is dependent on teacher commitments and we may need to cancel them at short notice. 

Traffiic Light Creative and Performance Arts

NEW AUTUMN TERM OF CREATIVE ARTS CLUB

SUMMER HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS

Summer Holiday Workshops are here! Places are filling up so book now to secure your space. Please book directly with Traffic Light Arts. admin@trafficlightarts.co.uk

What a Year for FoHA!

It’s been a busy and exciting year for FoHA, filled with memorable moments and incredible community spirit. Together, we’ve raised an amazing £13,000 and hosted a series of fantastic events that brought joy to our children and families.

Some of the highlights include:

• Christmas Tree Deliveries – We sold over 200 trees, raising just over £3,000 for Harpenden Academy and £1,660 for other local schools and nurseries. A massive thank you to our van volunteers who delivered over 100 trees! Special thanks also to the tree collection crew, unloaders, drivers, and heavy lifters. It was a true team effort—thank you for your continued support!
• Quiz & Chips Night – Our first ever Quiz and Chips Night was a huge success, filled with laughter, good spirits, and a touch of healthy competition. It was wonderful to see so many families and staff come together for a fun evening that raised vital funds for enriching our children’s school experience.
• Easter Egg Hunt – Held on Good Friday, this event was a joyful celebration with over 600 tickets sold! Children enjoyed clue hunts, Easter eggs, face painting, crafts, a bouncy castle, and delicious treats. Huge thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen—your dedication was the heart of its success.
• Movie Nights – We wrapped up the year with two fun-filled Movie Nights this week, giving children a chance to relax and enjoy a cinema-style experience with friends. These events were a lovely way to celebrate the end of term and create lasting memories.

You can see more of our favourite moments and achievements in our FoHA Year in Review poster below, which also shows how the money raised has been spent - delivering enriching experiences for the children and helping to reduce the cost of school trips and activities for parents by an average of £45 per child. Your support has made a real difference to our school community.

A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing parent and teacher volunteers, the local businesses who generously supported our events, and the wider FoHA committee. Your time, energy, and enthusiasm have made this year truly special.

A very special thank you goes to Ellie, our wonderful Chair, who has led FoHA with dedication and heart over the past year. Ellie has recently welcomed her beautiful baby boy, Hugo, and will be stepping back from her role for now. We wish Ellie and her family all the very best during this exciting new chapter.

Looking Ahead: Get Involved!

As we look to the year ahead, we’re excited to expand our events offering with some fantastic new additions, including:

• Christmas Wreath Making
• Wine Tasting Night
• Charity Golf Day

These events are a great way to bring our community together while raising valuable funds for the school—and we’d love your help to make them happen!

Whether you are interested in event management, marketing, communications, sourcing raffle prizes, or helping with preloved uniform sales, there’s a role for everyone. No matter how much time you can give, your contribution will make a big difference. If you’d like to get involved or find out more, please reach out (friendsofharpendenacademy@gmail.com  - we are always happy to welcome new faces to the FoHA team.

You can also find more details about upcoming activities in our Summer Meet-Ups & Year Ahead flyer below. We can’t wait to see you at some of our events—all support helps, big or small!

Here’s to another great year ahead!

Happy Birthday to:- Louie C (Yr1), Iris Cousins (Yr3), Lara C (Yr3), Jun X (Yr4), Jerome F (Yr4), Misora F (Yr6)

Please click here to view our Harpenden Academy vacancies

Please click here to view our Scholars' Education Trust vacancies