17th October 2025

Dear Parents 

Thank you to all the parents who came to parents' evening this week. It was lovely to see you all. The teachers will be sending out notes from the evening by the end of next week and these should appear on the MCAS app.

Year 1 children had a great experience this week with their Space Workshop on Wednesday. It was so lovely to see the excitement on their faces – we love awe and wonder in this school!

Next week it will be the turn of Reception who will be going on their very first school trip to the Pop Up Pumpkin Patch. Again, this is a terrific experience for them - watch this space for the photos!

Mrs Curnow

I am pleased to announce that we have appointed a replacement teacher for Mrs Curnow's teaching days in Year 6. Mrs Lloyd is an experienced Year 6 teacher of quite some years. She is familiar with the requirements of Year 6 and will be an asset to our teaching team. We are all very happy to have her working with us at Harpenden Academy.

Mrs Lloyd will start work after half term giving a week’s handover time with Mrs Curnow. As a matter of courtesy the Year 6 parents were informed earlier in the week.

Harvest Festival

We will be holding our Harvest Festival on Friday 24^th October which is always a lovely event. I have repeated the list of donations below again to make sure that we give Kings Pantry the items that are the most useful to the local families who they support. Our Festival Foyer has been decorated ready for Harvest, and we hope to see you all to bring our “City Harvest “home.

 

Halloween Disco and Scary Make Up / Hair

Just a quick reminder that the Halloween disco is on Thursday 23^rd October. The children can come to school in scary makeup / hair but in school uniform for the day and then can go home after school to change into their disco clothes. Please no face masks. 

Disco Timings:

Reception to Year 3: 5:00 – 5:50pm

Year 4 to Year 6: 6:00 – 7:00pm

Siblings are welcome to attend either session & preschool children attend free. 

tickets: £5 per child. Includes squash, popcorn, a Halloween craft gift, music, dancing, and entry into the fancy-dress competition with prizes to be won!

This event is proving very popular with over 120 tickets sold so far. We have a limited number of tickets still available to purchase on a first come, first served basis.

A reminder that children must be supervised by an adult throughout the disco. For more information and tickets, please visit Halloween Disco — Friends of Harpenden Academy

Year 1 Space Day 

Year 1 children were lucky to have a space workshop on Wednesday, where they enhanced their knowledge of the moon landing. They learned about the space race and even re-enacted it, getting hands-on with the history of space exploration. The workshop included a variety of activities, such as creating their own rocket fuel, which gave them a fun, practical way to engage with the topic. In addition, they explored the differences and similarities between the past and present, focusing on things like music, toys and school life. This comparison helped them understand how much times have changed since the era of the moon landing. The workshop provided an engaging and educational experience, allowing the children to connect with history while exploring space and science in a creative way.

October Half Term Camps at Harpenden Academy

"Harry Potter" themed October Half Term Workshop

Almost sold out on the Tuesday and Thursday, so book your place now to be part of the magic!

Fireworks Night - Sunday 2nd November 

Harpenden Rugby Football Club’s spectacular Fireworks Night is back – 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, buy your tickets through our unique link  https://buytickets.at/hrfc/1843837/r/academy & 25% of every ticket goes straight back to FoHA. 

Mayor's Christmas Card Design Competition

Please find a flyer for this year's Mayor's Christmas Card Design Competition.

The closing date is Friday 7 November 2025. 

As well as the chance for the winner to switch on the Christmas Lights at this year's Christmas Carnival and for their design to be used as the Mayor's Christmas Card, 

Historically we have done really well in this competition so I encourage you all to have a go - it would be lovely to see Harpenden Academy well represented again. 

Traffic Lights Workshop

Christmas Holiday Entertainment!

Monday 22nd & Tuesday 23rd December Christmas Crafty Party Workshop Days. 

Two days of festive Arts & Crafts projects plus Christmas Party Games & Activities. A fun-filled start to the Christmas holidays! Age: 5-11 years (Half days available for 4 year olds). Harpenden Academy, 8.45am-5pm. £37 per day. Booking open! 

A "K-Pop Demon Hunters” themed Workshop Special!

Saturday 3rd January - 'It’s Gonna Be Golden!’  We’re teaming up with Tiger Cheer to present a one-day Workshop Special inspired by the movie “K-Pop Demon Hunters!”  Get ready to ‘Takedown’ the morning learning a Dance & Pom routine to music from the movie soundtrack and create some of your own Choreography too!  The ‘Huntr/x’ fun will continue into the afternoon with K-Pop themed T-shirt Design & Printing and creating matching accessories. At the end of the day, you’ll get to take home your Golden Glitter Poms along with the T-shirt & Accessories you’ve made, so you can continue being a K-Pop Star! Age: 5-11 years. Harpenden Academy, 9.30am-3.30pm. £30 for the day. Booking open!

For all enquires and bookings please email admin@trafficlightarts.co.uk 

Wreath Making at Harpenden Academy 

We are excited to share the details of two separate wreath making workshops — a family-friendly Sunday afternoon on 30th November (including a drop the kids off option!) and a festive Friday evening just for adults on 5th December.

Family Wreath Making – Sunday 30th November, 3–5pm - with Traffic Light Arts

Adults can make a beautiful foliage wreath while Traffic Light Arts take the children off to make a crafty Christmas wreath in a supervised session. Come along as a family or drop the kids off and enjoy a couple of hours to yourself. 

Adults £30 | Children £12.50

Adults-Only Wreath Making – Friday 5th December, 7–9.30pm

Enjoy a relaxed evening of creativity, complete with a glass of fizz and festive nibbles, while making your own bespoke Christmas wreath.

£35 per ticket

Both workshops take place at Harpenden Academy. Spaces are limited and must be booked in advance.

For more information and tickets, please visit: www.foha.co.uk/fohashop/events

Traffic Light Art Christmas Holiday Entertainment

Monday 22nd & Tuesday 23rd December - Christmas Crafty Party Workshop Days. Two days of festive Arts & Crafts projects for Little Elves plus Christmas Party Games & Activities. A fun-filled start to the Christmas holidays! Age: 4-11 years. Harpenden Academy, 8.45am-5pm. £37 per day. Booking open! 

FOHA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Please see the calendar below for a reminder of upcoming events this term.

• Quiz & Chips 7 Feb 2026
• Harpenden Easter Egg Hunt 3 April 2026

Pre-loved Uniform

We’re looking for one or two parent volunteers to help keep our pre-loved uniform shop running smoothly. The role involves sorting and listing donated items, keeping stock up to date, and managing collections — just 30–40 minutes once a week (or every two weeks) before pick-up. It’s a small time commitment that makes a big impact. Last year the shop raised nearly £800 for FoHA!If you’re interested or would like more information, please contact Gwendoline on 07929240131.

Happy Birthday to: Roman C (Reception), Ario C (Yr2), Ellie M (Yr3), Faith S (Yr3), Lara B (Yr4), Yazhnila S (Yr5)

Please click here to view our Harpenden Academy vacancies

Please click here to view our Scholars' Education Trust vacancies