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19th September 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week, the weather has definitely shifted to an autumnal feel, resulting in many coats arriving at school without names.

We have diligently swooped around the building and playground all week returning abandoned items of clothing but only if it has a name on it. Please label/ relabel clothing items, lunch boxes, water bottles so we have a fighting chance of returning these items to their owners. Some of the coats / jumpers are brand new and with school uniform being so expensive it’s important that we can get the items back to the correct children.

Fellowship Afloat Year 5 school Residential trip

Next week year 5 Dahl class will be heading off to their residential school trip. I will be accompanying them and other members of staff too. While I am away, please address all issues to Mrs Curnow via the school office.

We are hoping for a brilliant week and fingers crossed that there are blue skies and very little rain!

EYFS Phonics Workshop, Monday 29^th September, 9.00-10.00am

Mrs Withers and Mrs Watson will be holding a meeting for parents of our new Reception cohort to introduce our approach to phonics and how you can support your child with reading at home. This is a valuable opportunity to understand how we teach early reading and how you can help lay the foundations for your child’s reading journey. We warmly encourage all parents and carers to attend.

KS1 and KS2 Reading Workshop

This was sadly cancelled as only 3 parents had signed up for this event. We have sent out the PowerPoint to parents. Reading is a huge part of our life here at Harpenden Academy and over the next few weeks we will be putting on a variety of workshops/ events for parents to fully understand our approach and how parents can support with reading at home.

Assess Plan Do Review Meetings, Monday 29^th September

These meetings are via invitation only and Mrs Moss has already sent out these letters to individual parents. If you have not received one, then do not worry.

Parents' Evening, 14^th & 16^th October

The Parents' Evening letter was sent out this week. The letter is quite detailed as it explains how to go about booking appointments and when the booking system goes live. Can I remind parents that on parent’s evening we finish school at 2.30pm with the choice of options regarding childcare between 2.30-3.20pm. If you need to sign up to childcare between 2.30pm-3.20pm then please complete this e-form by 3rd October 2025.

Parent EDI group

Mrs Withers is hosting a meeting for anyone interested in supporting our work on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI), and belonging. The meeting will take place on Thursday 16th October at 2:00pm. If you would like to attend, please contact the school office to let them know.

Board Games Club

Last week Miss Copas started Board Games club and it has proven to be popular.

Before we go and buy any extra games we were wondering if there were some board games parents were looking to get rid of….on preparation for some new ones which might be arriving in approx 100 days! If so, we will happily take them off your hands – as long as they have all of the parts to play of course. The main area of shortage is games for Years 1-3 but all will be gratefully received

Please note that an email went out this week to say that the club is cancelled on Thursday, 25th September as Miss Copas will be on the Year 5 residential.

Cricket Super Star

Last week we received some great news regarding one of our pupils in Year 5. He was awarded 'Bowler of the Year' by Harpenden Cricket club. We are really pleased that one of our boys has been given this accolade and we hope that he can be an inspiration to others that they too can achieve great things. Well done from us all.

Parking and Lateness

We kindly ask that you prioritise the safety of all children during drop-off and pick-up times by refraining from driving up and parking on Vaughan Road. Please do not park along the corner of Victoria Road and Vaughan Road to drop off your child, as this blocks the view for pedestrians and creates a very dangerous situation. In addition, parents are parking on the curb on Victoria Road - the funeral parlour side - which is obstructing all traffic and is not a suitable place to drop your child!

We have once again received complaints from local residents and our own parents regarding these parking issues.

All parents can collect a permit from the school office, which allows you to park safely in the Bowers Way car park for up to 30 minutes during drop-off and pick-up times, and then walk your child to the school entrance. Please make use of the pedestrian crossings where available and avoid parking outside the school premises.

Our school day begins between 8:30am and 8:45am, with registration at 8:45am. We ask that you do not arrive late and park immediately outside the school. Late arrivals disrupt the class and teachers and significantly effects the learning experience for all. We are implementing a strict policy on punctuality to ensure a smooth start to the day for everyone. Your cooperation and respect for teachers, the children and the safety protocols are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Flu Vaccinations

An email went to ALL parents regarding the flu vaccinations. The school nurse team will be visiting us on the morning of 7th October 2025. Please do not ignore the flu letter as ALL parents need to either give consent or decline via the NHS flu vaccination link.

The NHS school nurse team will contact you on the day if you have not responded so to avoid any confusion please can ALL parents complete this admin task.

Protecting your child against flu leaflet primary school

Reminder: Deadline today

Annual Authorised Pick Up Consent: Deadline: Friday, 19th September 2025

Annual Authorised Pick Up Form

To ensure pupils are only picked up by authorised adults please could you provide a list of nominated people who have permission to pick up your child. We need names of additional authorised adults other than those with parental responsibilities. If one of these people arrives to pick up your child no further checks will be made.

This e-form supersedes any information you have given to the school previously and this form will be completed annually to ensure we have up-to-date information to guarantee the safeguarding of the children.

If your pick up arrangements change over the year then please notify the office by email.

If you have an adhoc pick up arrangement then please notify the office by email and also post it on Class Dojo to the class teacher as early as possible.

Traffic Lights Workshop

Copy of SET Notice

FoHA Fireworks

Fireworks Night - Sunday 2nd November

Harpenden Rugby Football Club’s spectacular Fireworks Night is back on *Sunday 2nd November* – bigger and better than ever! Expect dazzling fireworks, a fun fairground, delicious food & drinks, plus a shuttle service from town.

Early Bird discount available until midday 31st October

Even better – if you buy your tickets through our unique link https://buytickets.at/hrfc/1843837/r/academy, 25% of every ticket goes straight back to FoHA, helping to enrich our children’s experience at Harpenden Academy.

Please share this far and wide – with friends, family, your street WhatsApp, and any parent groups you’re part of. The more tickets sold through our link, the more money we raise for our children!

Friends of Harpenden Academy – Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 7th October, 7pm at The George, Harpenden
The evening will begin with the AGM, followed by informal drinks.

Why come along?

Hear what we’ve achieved over the past year
Join the discussion about events and fundraising for the year ahead
Vote on key issues and help shape our PTA’s future
Elect (or stand for!) committee positions – all posts are open

Get involved – big or small!
There’s a role for everyone, whatever your schedule:

Committee roles: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Sub-Treasurer, Secretary, Sub-Secretary, Event Managers
Flexible support: Website & digital help, Communications, One-off events, Uniform shop

We need YOU!
No experience needed – just enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved.
Not sure what’s involved? We’re happy to have an informal chat first – no strings attached.

To put your name forward, email Gwendoline at friendsofharpendenacademy@gmail.com before the AGM.

Last year was a fantastic year for FOHA - together we raised vital funds that enriched our children's school experiences both in and out of the classroom. From exciting events to a visit from a Gladiator, it was all thanks to the energy and support of our amazing parent community.

Take a look below to see what we achieved - and imagine what more we can do this year with your help!

FoHA

We’re excited to launch our Autumn/Winter events, with lots to look forward to in the run-up to Christmas. Tickets will be released over the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye on the school newsletter for details.

A reminder that our AGM takes place at The George, Harpenden, on Tuesday 7th October at 7pm—everyone is welcome to come along. We will share some more detailed information about the AGM next week.

FoHA events can only happen with the support of our amazing parent volunteers. If you’re able to lend a hand, whether it’s unloading Christmas trees, creating flyers to advertise our events or supporting at other events, we’d love to hear from you! You can get in touch via emailing, friendsofharpendenacademy@gmail.com

For more information visit www.foha.co.uk

FOHA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FoHA Autumn Winter 2025 Events