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9th January 2026

Dear Parents

Welcome back to the first week of the Spring Term. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break and a Happy New Year. It looks like we may have avoided the snow this week, which some people will be delighted by - others less so.

Earlier in the week, I sent out a letter explaining our snow protocols. If you haven’t read it yet, please do. Similar information is also available on our website under Snow Days.

Mrs Withers

Mrs Withers leaves today to start her maternity leave with Baby Withers due shortly. We send her off with our very best wishes and love for the next chapter of her life. When her little bundle of joy arrives, we will make sure that parents are informed.

Miss Lang

Miss Lang is the new teacher for Reception while Mrs Withers is on maternity leave. She will be working Monday – Wednesday with Mrs Haines and Mrs Welch teaching Thursday and Friday.

Reception places for September 2026 - deadline 15th January

Next week the deadline for applying for school places for Reception 2026 closes. Parents who already have children at our school will need to apply for their children’s siblings - an automatic place is not given. If in doubt, please speak to the school office who will be able to advise you accordingly.

Lockdown Practice

Next week we will be holding our lockdown practice. We always inform parents of this so that you can explain/ prewarn the children. The lockdown practice will be on Thursday 15^th January at 10.00am. Next week the teachers and TAs will be going over with the children what to do, why we do it and what we expect from the children. They will make sure that the children are fully aware of what to do. If you have any questions please speak to your class teacher via Class Dojo. Once the practice is over, we will alert all parents so that you can then have a conversation with your children at home time.

Class Curriculum Meetings

These were held on Monday, 5th January and the ppts can be found on the school website on the class pages.

Parents' Evening, 3rd and 5th February 2026

The Parents' Evening letter was sent out this week. The MCAS booking system goes live on Wednesday, 14th January at 5.00pm and parents have until Friday, 23rd January to book their parent appointments via MCAS. If you need any support with booking your appointment please contact the school office. Just a quick reminder that we close school at 2.30pm on both days so that the parent consultations can begin at 3.00pm.

INSET day

This term we will be holding an Inset day on Wednesday 4^th February. School will be closed to children on this date.

Upcoming FoHA Meeting – Wednesday, 21st January at 8.00pm
The next FoHA meeting will be held on Zoom on Wednesday 21st January at 8.00pm. We will circulate the Zoom link via Class Reps closer to the date. We welcome new members for your support and ideas!

Year 3 trip to St Albans Cathedral

This week in Year 3 we had a great time at St Albans Cathedral for our Roman Festival. The day was enhanced by taking place in several sections of the beautiful Cathedral and we even got to see the current moon installation.

We were greeted by a Roman soldier who was quick to inform us that girls were ‘weak and feeble’ and were not allowed to join the Roman Army! It was really lovely to see how many of our children challenged the Roman soldier and told him he couldn't say that and he was not right. We have trained them well! We took part in a ‘dig through the ages’ and looked at both real and replica artefacts that have been found in the local area. Then we explored (and tasted) some traditional Roman food. Some of the ingredients included: figs, dates, apple, coriander, pita and feta. In the afternoon, we split into two groups and learnt about the history of the Cathedral and the story of Saint Alban through drama.

Gemma

Reception - Little City Day

Linked to our theme of people who help us, we had a visit from 'Little City.' We were able to role-play many different jobs within the community. The children loved exploring the various areas, and it was wonderful to hear all the engaging conversations taking place. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about how different people contribute to our community and to develop their understanding of teamwork and helping others.

Little city

Local Governing Body Newsletter 2026

Yesterday, parents were sent our January 2026 newsletter from our Local Governing Body. A copy of this letter can be found on our school website.

Year 4 Swimming, Tuesdays

We’re excited to let you know that Year 4 swimming lessons will begin on Tuesday, 13th January. Please remember to send your child with their swimming kit each week.

Children will have their swimming lesson at 2:30 pm and will leave school at 2:00 pm. We aim to be back at school by around 3:20 pm, but please note they might be a little later as they get used to changing after their swim.

To help prevent any lost property, kindly ensure all uniform and swimming kit are clearly labelled with your child's name.

Thank you for your support, and we hope the children enjoy their swimming lessons!

Reminder: Clubs Start This Week!

Teacher and Contractor clubs start this second week of term with the exception of Game On which will begin on Tuesday, 3rd February 2026. If you'd like to sign up your child for a teacher-led club, please log on to MCAS to check for available spaces and add your child.

If you need any help or have questions, feel free to contact the school office – they’ll be happy to assist you! For Contractor clubs, please reach out directly to the individuals running those.

School Club Website Page

A few spaces have become available for the Friday After School Creative Arts Club!

Sadie3

Booking is now open for February Half Term Holiday Workshops!!

Sadie1

Copy of SET Notice

A very Happy New Year from FoHA!

Quiz & Chips tickets are now on sale

Quiz & Chips

Join us at Harpenden Academy on Saturday 7th February 2026 for what promises to be a fantastic evening of quizzery, prizes, raffle, fully stocked bar and a Godfreys meal of your choice (ordering food is optional).

We are delighted to announce that our Quizmaster will once again be the wonderful Neil Fuller, who runs several very popular local quiz nights including the always packed Thursday night quiz at Harpenden Arms. The bar will be operated by Platform Wines.

Sign up as an individual, a pair or a whole team (6-10 people).

Tickets are £12, or £18 with a Godfreys meal. The options are small cod, 7 piece scampi, battered halloumi or 2 sausages - all served with chips.

Quiz and Chips Night February 2026 — Friends of Harpenden Academy

Whether or not you can join us on the evening, our raffle is open to everyone.

£2 a ticket all straight to Friends of Harpenden Academy.

A host of fabulous prizes up for grabs, from meals at local popular restaurants, beauty treatments, and kids’ activities.

A full list of prizes will be confirmed nearer to the event.

Quiz and Chips Night Raffle Ticket — Friends of Harpenden Academy

SAVE THE DATE: Harpenden Easter Egg Hunt 3 April 2026

Easter

Tickets will be available soon.

Fundraising update:

What a fantastic Autumn term we’ve had! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us so far — whether by attending an event, running an event, making a donation, or volunteering. We truly couldn’t do this without you.

We set ourselves a fundraising target of £10,000 for the year, and we’re delighted to share that we’ve already raised £6,000. This is a fantastic achievement and puts us well on track to reach our goal.

Below is a snapshot of how we’ve raised these funds so far.

Therm

Volunteering

We will be setting up a volunteering WhatsApp group (with more details shared via your Class Reps), and we would love you to consider joining. Whether you can spare the odd hour here and there or get involved more regularly, we’d be delighted to have you on board.

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