Dear Parents
At the end of our first full week back with the children, I can officially welcome all the new families who have joined our wonderful school. Welcome to the Horsmonden family!
I am pleased to say that all children new to Horsmonden, including our new EYFS class, have settled in brilliantly, have started making friends and are getting to know their teachers and our school routines. I was particularly impressed with how well EYFS came into school on Monday, happily, confidently and full of excitement!
Coffee Morning with SLT (Mrs Sharp and Mr Fenton)
Thank you to those parents who attended our first coffee morning of the year earlier. It was lovely to chat to you and answer your questions. For anyone who missed it, please do not hesitate to catch me at the gate with any queries/concerns you may have, anytime.
Individual Photos
All children will be having their photograph taken on Monday morning so please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform and looking smart. For a reminder of the uniform required, please see the link to our website, here. As well as individual photographs being taken, there will also be the opportunity for siblings to have their photo taken together. Parents will receive a proof of the photos taken with the opportunity to purchase them, if desired.
Google Classroom
All children at Horsmonden are part of a virtual Google Classroom. This is where homework will be set, starting next week. The virtual classrooms are also used in school, as part of daily teaching for all children in KS2, as well as being used by all year groups in the event of any unforeseen school closures. They also provide a handy way of keeping parents up to date with any notices.
Due to the academy name change, all previous logins for Google Classroom have been disabled and we are now in the process of giving out new email addresses and passwords to all children. This process will be complete by the middle of next week in readiness for homework to be issued next Friday to all children, apart from those in EYFS.
Parking
The parking signs are doing their job and feedback from parents who cross from Orchard Crescent and Back Lane is very positive indeed. Pedestrians can now cross safely without stepping into the middle of the road in between parked cars on the corner of the junction. Thank you for your support with this.
However, I am still receiving complaints from members of the village who live along the Maidstone Road, near to the entrance of Gibbet Lane. One particular resident reports that their driveway is often blocked preventing her from getting to work.
I am kindly requesting, again, that all parents park safely and considerately to ensure that pedestrians can walk along pavements and residents can access their driveways. PC Latter, our new local Beat Officer, is aware that parking remains an issue along the Maidstone Road and I will be requesting that she comes to support with parking issues as and when they arise.
ASDA Cashpot for Schools
Do you shop at ASDA and have the ASDA Rewards App? If so, you could earn money for our school. Between 2nd September and 30th November 2024, every time customers shop with Asda using their Rewards app, they can choose a primary school to receive a percentage of their spend. And that’s not all — every time a customer chooses our primary school, Asda will donate £1 to our school’s Cashpot, plus a further £50 when our first customer shops. For more information about Cashpot for Schools, please see the link here.
FoHPS (PTA)
Please see the latest newsletter from FoHPS, as well as an overview of FoHPS events for the year ahead.
If you are interested in joining FoHPS (PTA) or have any questions, please contact Gemma O’Malley or Charlotte Bellingham. If you’re not sure who they are, ask me at the gate one morning and I’ll introduce you!
Curricular Clubs
Our range of curricular clubs will start again week beginning 16th September and below you will find a reminder of what’s on offer this term.
- Teacher run clubs cost £3.00 per session and must be paid for as a block, in advance through MCAS. New parents wishing to book their children into teacher run clubs, should set their MCAS account up first. To allow new parents time to do this, clubs will open for booking on MCAS at 8am Monday 9th September and close at 11am on Wednesday 11th September. Please ensure children are booked into their chosen club during this time to avoid disappointment. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- Magical Maths is available to book straight away using the following link.
- Football Five Star is available to book straight away by contacting Jim Bodle on: 07714798268
- Art Club is available to book straight away using the following link.
Attendance Reminder
For those of you who are new to Horsmonden, I would like to emphasise that we have high expectations of behaviour, learning and attendance. Children should be in school, on time, every day unless they are too ill to attend. Children should be dropped off between 8:40am and 8:50am. Anyone arriving after 8:50am will be marked as late and should make their way into school via the main school office. Requests for absence during term time cannot be authorised and may result in a Penalty Notice being issued by KCC.
At the end of each term, 100% attendance and punctuality certificates are handed out and I look forward to issuing the first round of certificates at the end of this term.
Horsmonden Primary Academy Facebook Page
For regular updates and pictures of children working at Horsmonden, please check our Facebook page. During term time, there are regular posts to showcase all the wonderful learning and opportunity at Horsmonden!
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to find me at the gate in the morning or afternoon, or alternatively, make an appointment via the school office.
I look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday – have a lovely weekend!
Kind regards,
Hayley Sharp | Principal
2024-2025 Diary Dates
| Monday 2nd September | Start of Term 1 for all children |
| Friday 6th September, 8:45am – 9:30am | Coffee Morning for Q and A with Leadership Team
(Hayley Sharp and Sam Fenton) |
| Monday 9th September | Individual Children Photos |
| Thursday 12th September | Kent Test for registered Year 6 children |
| Thursday 12th September, 3:30pm | Information Session for Y5 parents – Kingswood Residential |
| Monday 16th September | Clubs start this week |
| Wednesday 25th September, 2:15pm | Parent Partnership Afternoon – drop in session for all parents |
| Friday 4th October | FoHPS Fun Run |
| Wednesday 9th October, 9am-11:30am | Open Morning for Prospective Parents |
| Friday 11th October | Harvest Box Delivery – parent volunteers needed please |
| Monday 14th – Wednesday 16th October | Year 5 Residential to Kingswood |
| Friday 18th October, 9am | Year 5 Class Assembly |
| Friday 18th October | FoHPS Scary Hair Day
End of Term 1 |
| Monday 4th November | Start of Term 2 |
| Wednesday 6th November | Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm |
| Thursday 7th November | Open Morning for Prospective Parents |
| Thursday 7th November | Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm |
| Monday 11th November, 10:50am | Remembrance Service |
| Thursday 14th November, 3:20pm-5pm | FoHPS Autumn Disco |
| Monday 25th November | NHS Flu Immunisations |
| Saturday 30th November, 11am – 1pm | FoHPS Christmas Fair – Village Hall |
| Friday 6th December, 8:45 – 9:30am | Christmas Coffee Morning for Q and A with Leadership Team
(Hayley Sharp and Sam Fenton) |
| Friday 13th December | FoHPS Christmas Present Fair |
| Tuesday 17th December, 2:15pm | EYFS Nativity |
| Wednesday 18th December, 5pm | KS2 Carol Service |
| Thursday 19th December, 2pm | KS1 Nativity (Year 1 and Year 2) |
| Friday 20th December | End of Term 2 |
| Monday 6th January | Inset Day for Staff |
| Tuesday 7th January | Start of Term 3 for children |
| Wednesday 12th February, 9am | Year 4 Class Assembly |
| Thursday 13th February | End of Term 3 for children |
| Friday 14th February | Inset Day for Staff |
| Monday 24th February | Start of Term 4 |
| Friday 28th March | Fabulous Females Afternoon, drop in between 2:15pm-3:00pm |
| Monday 11th March | Class Photos |
| Wednesday 26th March | Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm |
| Thursday 27th March | Parent Consultation Meetings, 3:30pm – 5:30pm |
| Friday 4th April | End of Term 4 |
| Tuesday 22nd April | Start of Term 5 for children |
| Monday 5th May | Bank Holiday – school closed |
| Monday 12th May | Year 6 SATs week |
| Friday 23rd May | End of Term 5 |
| Monday 2nd June | Inset Day for Staff |
| Tuesday 3rd June | Start of Term 6 for children |
| Friday 13th June | Marvellous Males Afternoon, drop in between 2:15pm-3:00pm |
| Wednesday 16th July | Year 6 Production, 2pm and 5:00pm |
| Tuesday 22nd July, 2pm | Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly |
| Tuesday 22nd July | End of Term 6 |