5th December 2025

Dear Parents 

The first week of December — how did that happen? It has been a week filled with pure joy at school. Over the weekend, the school was beautifully decorated by the elves, and it looks absolutely fabulous. A huge thank you to Dermot, our caretaker, who took the lead in creating all the wonderful decorations around the school — such talent! Thanks also to the teaching assistants who painted everything and to the teachers who stayed late on Friday night to put the decorations up.

As for the hall decorations, the teaching staff can take no credit — those wonderful displays were thanks to FoHA, who also came in on Friday night to ensure the children experienced the most magical, Christmassy feeling possible when they arrived at school on Monday. Thank you all so very much!

Term Dates 2026-2027

We have published our new term dates for 2026-2027 on our school website.  

Head Lice/Nits Reminder

It has come to our attention that we seem to have some unwanted visitors in school. Unfortunately, nits are about! Please take a moment to look at the NHS guidance on head lice/nits and start treatment if needed. 

A few helpful tips: try to avoid head-to-head contact, and if your child has long hair, tying it back can help prevent spreading. Regular hair checks are really important, and your child can come back to school once the first treatment has been given.

Thank you so much for your help with our little unwanted friends!

Clubs

We kindly ask that if your child is unable to attend a club, you notify the office in advance so we can inform the appropriate teacher or contractor. Additionally, if your child was mistakenly enrolled in a club through MCAS for the Spring term, please let the office know. This will allow us to remove your child from the registration list and offer the available spot to a child on the waiting list. Thank you for your cooperation.

Showing Kindness

Today, Ottie celebrated her 10th birthday! We just wanted to acknowledge Ottie's kindness in choosing to raise money for the local charity, TACO Cat Rescue in Luton, instead of receiving presents. Her generosity and compassion truly reflect the values we hold dear at Harpenden Academy.

Thanks to her efforts, she has already raised £115. Sixteen months ago, Ottie adopted Lillie when she was just 3 months old. The incredible work done by TACO Cat Rescue is truly inspiring. Their mission is to rehabilitate and rehome unwanted cats and kittens in Luton and the surrounding areas. All cats and kittens in their care are microchipped and sterilised before being adopted.

If anyone is interested in adopting a cat, please visit their website: tacocatsrescueluton.co.uk

Attached is a photo of Ottie with her rescue cat, Lillie.

Christmas

Rotary Club Christmas Carol Service

This week was filled with Christmas activities. On Wednesday, Mrs Moss and a selection of Year 5 and Year 6 children participated in the Rotary Club Christmas Carol Service. All primary schools in the area take part, with a large choir made up of children from each school. This year, one of our students, Phoebe Hambridge, was chosen to do a reading, which was a wonderful achievement for our school. It is the first time in all the years I have been Headteacher at HA that this has happened, so we are all very proud.

Christingle Service

On Thursday, we held our own KS2 Christingle service at the Methodist Church. This is a special event that we hold dear. It was wonderful to see both returning children and KS1 students attending as well. Thank you all for coming and joining us for this meaningful occasion.

Coming Up Soon

KEY NOTES:

Date	Event	Time
Wednesday, 10th December 2025	Reception & KS1 Nativity (adults only)	6.00pm
Thursday, 11th December 2025	Reception & KS1 Nativity	9.30am
Friday, 12th December 2025	Christmas Jumper Day
Wednesday, 17th December 2025	Whole School Trip to Odyssey Cinema (Children can wear Christmas Jumpers)	9.15am
Thursday, 18th December 2025	Christmas Lunch (Children can wear Christmas Jumpers)
Friday, 19th December 2025	Break for Christmas	12 noon

 

EYFS and KS1 Christmas Performance

This year's performance is titled 'Magical Christmas Journey' and the children will be performing it on the evening of Wednesday, 10th December at 6:00pm, and again on Thursday, 11th December at 9:30am.

Tickets have been on sale, and I’m sure it will be a truly special experience for all the children and their families. This event is a real “rite of passage” for the children in Ladybirds, as it marks how much they have grown and how they have become an integral part of our school community. Our new Reception teacher, Mrs Stephanie Lang, will be attending both performances, allowing parents of Ladybird children to meet her.

FOHA will be providing mulled wine and festive treats from 5:30 pm at the evening performance.

School Jumper Day, Friday 12^th December 2025

On Friday, 12th December, children are invited to come to school wearing their usual school uniform, but with a Christmas jumper instead of their regular cardigan or jumper.

We have some spare Christmas jumpers in school, and if you have any that your children have outgrown, please wash and donate them so we can provide a jumper to a child in need.

Children can also wear their Christmas jumpers to the cinema trip and on Christmas lunch day. This way, they can enjoy wearing them as much as possible before the big day.

Important Reminder: Trip and Popcorn Payment & Consent - Odyssey Cinema Trip, Wednesday, 17th December 2025

Please contact the school office if you have not yet made the payment for this trip or placed your child's popcorn order. Unfortunately, without parental consent and payment, we will be unable to take your child on the trip. Additionally, if we do not have a popcorn order for your child, they will not receive a cinema snack. Please note that the deadline for payments and orders has now passed.

We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate, so kindly confirm your child's attendance as soon as possible.

Your confirmation will also help us to finalise the cinema and coach/train arrangements.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Christmas lunch day for the children is Thursday, 18^th December 2025

LAST CHANCE TO PLACE YOUR ORDERS by Friday, 5th December 2025. 

On this day we like to encourage as many children as possible to take part in our Christmas lunch even if they typically have packed lunch. This is the only option of food on that day. SwiftKitchen has now added the Christmas dinner option on SwiftKitchen. 

If the children don't want to join in with Christmas lunch then please send them in with a packed lunch for the day.

If you need access to your login details for Swiftkitchen to book your school lunch then please contact the school office. 

 

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: 4-11 years.  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 

Santa Comes to Studham

Get ready for a magical festive experience in the heart of the woods! Join us for a cosy Christmas adventure the whole family will love.

Early bird offer: £10 off all tickets booked before 30 November 2025.

Event Highlights:

• Gather round the firepit with a warming hot chocolate
• Enjoy a marshmallow toasting experience under twinkling lights
• Follow the fairy-lit trail to discover Father Christmas in his woodland grotto
• Every child receives a special gift of their choice

Event Slots:
Choose your preferred time:
3–4pm | 4–5pm | 5–6pm | 6–7pm | 7–8pm
(Limited availability – early booking recommended!)

For more information & to book tickets, please visit https://www.foha.co.uk/fohashop/p/santa-comes-to-studham

Can you help with the FoHA website...

We’re looking for someone with a bit of website know-how to help us develop and improve the Friends of Harpenden Academy (FoHA) webpage. If you have experience with websites (even just a little!) and could spare some time to support us, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Gwendoline on 07929240131.

KS2 Xmas Movie Night

https://www.foha.co.uk/fohashop/p/xmas-movie-night-ks2

Grab Your Popcorn - It’s KS2 Xmas Movie Night!

Join us for a fun-filled evening with a family-friendly movie, snacks, and great company.

Monday 8th December (Key Stage 2)

Time: 3.20-5.15pm

Venue: School hall, Harpenden Academy

£3.50 per child including a drink and snack

Don’t miss this chance to relax, have fun, and enjoy a night at the movies - FoHA-style!

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

Happy Birthday to: Olive B (R), Rosie Y (Yr1), William Hughes (Yr2), Ottie F (Yr5)  

Please click here to view our Harpenden Academy vacancies

Please click here to view our Scholars' Education Trust vacancies