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26th June 2026

Dear Parents

It’s been quite difficult to write this week’s newsletter as almost everything has been cancelled due to the extreme weather.

The weather forecast for next week is much kinder!

Cooking at Harpenden Academy

Thankfully Patti, our lovely Chef, did manage to work with the classes on Monday, and the teachers have put a little write up below. Innovate the catering company also managed to complete their “Tastings at 10”- again the children have put a few thoughts on the tasting sessions below.

YEAR 1 'Tasting at 10'

This week, Elmer Class have loved taking part in Taste at 10, where we have been encouraging the children to try a variety of healthy and delicious snacks. Throughout the week, we enjoyed flapjacks, granola bars, fruit platters, strawberry and banana smoothies, and even brownies!

It has been fantastic to see so many children being adventurous and willing to taste foods they hadn't tried before. One of our biggest successes was grapefruit – lots of the children had never tasted it before, but they were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed its sour flavour!

Here are some of our favourite comments from the week:

"The smoothie was my favourite!"

"The brownies were so crumbly and nice."

"I liked the granola bar because it had raisins in it and I love raisins."

"I liked the fruit platter and the mango was my favourite."

We are so proud of how willing the children have been to try new foods and explore different flavours. Well done, Elmer Class!

YEAR 2 'Tasting at 10'

Year 2 have loved 'Tasting at 10' this week! They have been great at trying new foods, with the courgette brownie being a firm favourite!

Year 2 cook

YEAR 3

Potter Class had a wonderful start to Monday morning! They were greeted by a very enthusiastic Patti, who demonstrated how to make a delicious plantain dish. The aromas from the cooking were incredible and the children thoroughly enjoyed both tasting the finished dish and learning about the different herbs and spices used to create its wonderful flavour. It was a fantastic experience and loved by all.

Yr3 pres

YEAR 4

Year 4 loved having Patti cook for us and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Lots of the children asked thoughtful and interesting questions about her career and the recipes she shared. It was such a lovely opportunity for everyone to learn something new — and enjoy some delicious food too!

Cook pre 4

YEAR 5

Dahl Class thoroughly enjoyed their cookery demonstration with Patti Sloley on Monday. They learned about the role of different spices in enhancing flavour and had the opportunity to taste the kelewe that Patti made. The workshop was a great success, and the children left feeling inspired and eager to recreate the dish at home with their families.

Cook presentation 5

YEAR 6

Year 6 enjoyed a cooking demonstration with Patti Sloley on Monday, enjoying the tastes and cultures from Ghana.Some of them were even asked to help prepare some of the dishes, which included a rich and spicy tomato based sauce and a plantain based dish.

Hot Weather Lollies for Year 3

Despite the soaring temperatures over the past three days, Year 3 have shown fantastic resilience and positivity throughout. We were incredibly proud of how sensible they have been - well done Potter Class!

LOLLIES

Governor Parent Elections

Yesterday you should have received an email from 'Choice Voting' inviting you to participate and vote in our parent governor election. Thank you to those parents who have already cast their vote.

As you are aware, we have ONE vacancy for a Parent Governor on our school’s Governing Body. We have received nominations from the following:

Gwendoline Manley
Heather Smart

The candidates have prepared personal statements which you can view via your Choice Voting email.

The vote will close on Monday 6th July 2026 at 1.00pm. The count will be electronic and the results of the election will be announced to the wider school once nominees have been notified of the results.

Reschedule of cancelled events

At the moment, the only new date we have for the postponed events is District Sports. This has been moved to Tuesday, 30^th June. The office have been in touch with the parents to pass on the details of the track and/or field events. Please can we ask parents to complete their eforms so that we can plan if we need to invite any reserves. Thank you to those parents who have already completed the eform - it is most appreciated.

Move Up Day and Open Evening, Thursday 9^th July 2026

Thursday, 9th July, is 'Move Up/Transition Day' for our students. Current Year 6 pupils will visit their new secondary schools, while our new Reception children will enjoy the Teddy Bears' Picnic. Additionally, children in all other year groups will spend the day with their new teachers and explore their upcoming classrooms.

To support parents in meeting their child's new teachers and seeing the classrooms, we will host an Open Evening from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. This event provides an opportunity to tour all the classrooms, discover what each year group is learning in their curriculum, and meet the teachers who will be supporting your children. Parents and children are both welcome.

We are also hopeful that Innovate, our new catering provider, will be able to offer taster meals for both children and families during the evening.

July

Friday, 3rd July	Harpenden's Got Talent event, 9.30am
Tuesday, 7th July	I-rock concert
Wednesday, 8th July	Year 6 Leavers event
Thursday, 9th July	Move Up day and Open day event. 5.30pm-7.00pm
Friday, 10th July	Year 6 final assembly to school Reports out to parents
Tuesday, 14th July	Sports day @ SJL 1.30pm-3.20pm
Friday, 17th July	School ends 12 noon

Harpenden Academy’s Got Talent - Friday 3rd July 2026

Get ready to be amazed by the incredible talents of our pupils from Reception through to Year 6. From singing and dancing to a variety of unique performances, this year’s show promises something for everyone.

Come along to support and cheer on our talented performers, including a special performance from our school choir as part of this fantastic line-up.

We look forward to seeing you there for a brilliant morning of entertainment!

Doors open at 9:20am for a 9:30am start
Everyone welcome – no tickets required!

Sports Day, Tuesday 14th July, 1.30pm-3.20pm at Sir John Lawes (SJL)

Our Sports Day will be held once again in the sports fields at SJL in Harpenden. Our After School Club will remain open for the children and those children booked in will be escorted back to school by staff. Please note that Co-curricular clubs will have finished by this date so there will be no Irock, Game On or Teacher clubs.

Parents are invited but please can we ask you to be quiet as you walk past SJL's sports hall as there are exams on and please arrive no earlier than 13.15pm. Parents can sit on the grassy bank to watch the Sports Day. The children will have lunch before they go and they will need a water bottle and a hat - no need to bring in a school bag. Please apply suncream in the morning. Please speak to your class rep or teacher if you are DBS checked and can help walk the children to SJL.

Please complete this e-form to let the school know pick up arrangements. This form needs to be completed by Monday, 6th July 2026. Whatever is on this e-form will be final and we will not be accepting any phone calls to change anything after this form has been submitted.

As many parents are aware, we introduced a new PE kit this year. As a result, we needed an alternative way to identify the different family groups during Sports Day. We kindly ask that children wear socks in their allocated family group colour to help us do this.

Break the Rules Day is Coming - Monday 6th July!

Get ready to have some fun as we turn the rules upside down!

For one day only, children can choose from a range of exciting rule-breaking activities, including crazy hair and accessories, wearing their own clothes, sporting a football kit, wearing a hat indoors, bringing a small toy or teddy, and much more.

There’s no need to break every rule—children can choose their favourites! We suggest a donation of £1 per rule broken or £5 to take part in all the activities, with all proceeds to FoHA. You will be able to make these donations via MCAS. You can access them via the 'store' function on MCAS.

We can’t wait to see everyone’s creativity and enthusiasm as we enjoy a day of fun while raising money for a great cause. Thank you for your support!

Break the rules day