Dear Parents and Carers,

Now that all the “Meet the Team” meetings have taken place, the school year seems to be well underway. It was excellent to welcome our new Reception families into school on Wednesday evening and I was delighted to see how many conversations were taking place between parents from different year groups. It’s so helpful when families with younger children are encouraged and supported by those with children who are a little further along. I think that the African proverb that “it takes a whole village to raise a child” is being lived out in our school community – wise words, shared stories, and a feeling of others having done it before can really help, especially when you’re facing something tricky. Also though, please do get in touch with your child’s class teacher for support and ideas if you would value their input. Or book a time to speak with me. We might not always have all the answers, but sometimes a listening ear can help.

I’ve really enjoyed handing out the first of this year’s headteacher awards. These are given to children when they’ve done something exceptional. Sometimes the work itself is outstanding, sometimes teachers recognise the effort that’s been put in, and sometimes the award is given because your child has demonstrated our school values in their attitude or behaviour around school. If your child comes home with one of these awards, please do take the opportunity to find out why it was awarded! This year, as a staff we are working hard to instil a “zest for learning”. We’re making sure that children have opportunities to reflect on how they’ve completed tasks. We’d like them to be proud of particular pieces of work, as well as to spot when and how they could have done even better. We’re keen to help children think about being even more effective students. At home, you could help by talking about which lessons they were most focused in, what they found most interesting and what they’re feeling they’ve achieved or learnt as the days and weeks go by. Hopefully when you take a look at their books, you’ll be able to see the progress they’re making!

It’s also been wonderful to see how much support you are giving in helping the children learn to read. The reading records at the juniors, and “just to let you know books” at the infants really are impressive! Thank you for sharing our passion for books; making sure that children have regular opportunities for reading at home is so important.

With the weather forecast for lots of rain this weekend, it’ll be a perfect time to get everyone enjoying a book!

With best wishes, 
Clare

INFANT AND JUNIOR

Free School Meal Eligibility
If you believe you may be eligible for free school meals and have not yet registered please contact the school office as soon as possible. All enquiries will of course be treated in complete confidence. If you do meet the eligibility criteria the school may then be able to claim some additional funding called Pupil Premium. At the infants, where all children receive a free meal at lunchtime, it is still really helpful if you can let us know if you are eligible so that we can claim the funding.
 

INFANT

Year R Phonics evening, Tuesday 25 September, 7.00 pm
Don’t forget the Phonics Evening on Tuesday. Although mainly intended for parents of Year R children, parents in other year groups are also very welcome to attend.

Teacher-led clubs
Ping Pong and Puzzles starts on Tuesday 25 September.
Group 1 Cooking starts on Thursday 27 September – if you are able, a donation of £5 to cover the cost of ingredients would be very much appreciated.

Year R Picnic, Friday 28 September, 1.30 – 2.15pm
Reception parents are invited to celebrate their children’s first two weeks in school with a picnic on the school field (or in the hall if it rains). More details in Year R Just to Let You Know.

Flu vaccination
Thank you to everyone who has returned the ‘nasal flu’ letter.  If you haven’t already done so, please return the letter by Friday 28 September. 

Changes to school and packed lunches
A reminder that we do need a week’s notice if your child is changing from a packed lunch to a school lunch or vice versa. Unfortunately, it is not possible for children to swap between packed lunch and school lunch throughout the week.

Newsletter
This will be the last week for paper copies of the newsletter. It will now be available on the website and we will send a ParentMail reminder on a Friday. However, please let the office know if it is difficult for you to access the newsletter on-line and we will provide you with a paper copy.

Lost:
Tom Hughes’ (Chestnut Class) entire school uniform (grey shorts, white polo shirt and Shackleton sweatshirt) has gone missing following football on Thursday. Please check football kit bags in case it has been taken home in error.
Found:
Pandora bracelet (small size) found on the steps outside the upper entrance.

Menu: (week 3 beginning 24 September)
Mon: BBQ Chicken or Quorn with Rice; Fruit Crumble with Custard
Tue: Gammon & Vegetable Pie or Vegetable Pie with New Potatoes; Fresh Fruit Salad
Wed: Roast Beef with Roast Potatoes & Gravy or Stuffed Roasted Peppers; Jelly
Thu: Beef or Vegetable Taco with Rice & Peas; Fresh Fruit Salad
Fri: Fish Fingers & Chips or Homemade Pizza; Ice Cream
Available daily: Selection of seasonal vegetables, salads, jacket potatoes and bread. Yoghurt, milk and fresh fruit.

JUNIOR

Current Year 6
This is a reminder to the parents and carers of Year 6 children that applications for secondary schools are now open. All of the secondary schools in Guildford are running Open Evenings over the next few weeks. Please check the respective schools’ websites for dates and details so that you can arrange to attend them.
Please note that on-line applications are preferred by SCC, and e-Admissions forms together with further information are available on their website www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/school-admissions/apply-for-a-school-place.

Should you require a hard copy, please e-mail schoolbooklets@surreycc.gov.uk or telephone 0300 200 1015.  Paper copies should be returned directly to Surrey County Council. The closing date for all applications for entry in September 2019 is Wednesday, 31st October 2018 and it is vital that you submit your application on or before this date.

Harvest Festival
At Holy Trinity Church this Sunday, 23rd September, we will be celebrating Harvest Festival with an All Age service, starting at 10am.  Don’t forget, if you’re a regular, and do come and visit us if you haven’t come before!  You will be very warmly welcome.  There will be crafts for the children and we will be decorating a tent!  We have a dedicated corner in church in St Luke’s Chapel especially for families with very little ones.  Coffee and refreshments after the service. 

Dates for your diary:
Monday, 24th September – Year 5S visit The Royal Grammar School
Friday, 28th September – Year 6 visit RHS Wisley

Cancelled Clubs: 
Tuesday – Year 6 Basketball (Netball fixture)
Wednesday – Year 5 Netball
Thursday – Years 5 & Y6 Football
Please see the updated HT Autumn Clubs list here.

Sport
Year 6 Netball v St Cat's
Date: Tuesday 25th September
Time: 3.30pm - 5.15pm - (Parents to help with post game tea please)
Venue: Home
Guildford Primary Schools Cross-Country
Date: Thursday 27th September
Time: 3.30pm - 4.45pm (Parents to help with marshalling)
Venue: Pewley Downs

Laura Sutton
HTPD Sports Co-ordinator
Follow us on Twitter: @HTPDSport

 Menu - Week 3

FOPS News (Infant PTA)

Thank you to everyone that attended the FOPS AGM meeting on Wednesday. We were delighted to have such a positive reception and look forward to another great year!

We are pleased to welcome two new co-chairs to the committee! Thank you!
Chair/CoChairs: Marketa Chester, Ana Reith-Smith, Kayleigh Ashraf
Treasurer: Helen Day
Secretary: Simone Chidlow

Thank you as well to our new volunteers for class reps, updated list is as follows:
Reception:
Willow Class:  Carrie Masson & Louisa Curl
Hazel Class:  Tania Piper & Zoe Jeffries
Year 1:
Oak Class:  Claire Hassan & Amy Cashmore
Beech Class:  Emily Walker & Lucy Radcliffe 
Year 2:
Chestnut Class:  Eloise Campion & Claudine Nel & Lydia Foster
Walnut Class:  Samantha Gaskell & Becky Chuter & Rachel Okesola

The first meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday 25th September at 8pm in the school staff room (for reception parents that will be after the Phonics Evening). All parents, carers and teachers are invited to these informal meetings. They are always a great opportunity to find out how and where FOPS can support the school. There will be wine and nibbles to aid our planning! 

The dates for the Playground Sales for this term are as follows:
Friday 5th October - Chestnut
Friday 12th October - Walnut
Friday 2nd November - Oak
Friday 9th November - Beech
Friday 16th November - Willow
Friday 23rd November - Hazel 

Social dates for your diary
Reception 
Thursday 11th October - 8pm - Parents Drinks @ The Albany 
Monday 12th November - 9am - Coffee Morning @ TBC
Friday 30th November - 8pm - Christmas Drinks @ Piper's House 
Year 1
Thursday 4th October - 9am - Coffee Morning @ Cafe Nero on North Street (opposite Decathlon) 
Thursday 29th November - Christmas Night Out @ Long Bar (Harbour Hotel)
Year 2
Friday 28th September - 8pm - Drinks & Pizza @ Piper's House (5 Jenner Road)

HTSC News (Junior PTA)

Coming soon...

Guitar/Ukulele Tuition
Professional musician and songwriter, Keith Ryder, offers lessons in contemporary guitar and ukulele at Holy Trinity Pewley Down School and has spaces available for new pupils in September. Beginners are very welcome. Keith may be contacted on 01483 414874 / 07958 534458 or email keithryder@btconnect.com

Dear Parents and Carers,

I’m writing this just after the Meet the Team evening at the junior school and I am buzzing with the excitement of being part of such a vibrant community. Thank you to all those who came along – how encouraging to see so many families represented and to share with you in the anticipation of a great year ahead. If you were unable to attend, please don’t worry. Keep an eye on the JTLYK pages on the website and you should find out everything that you need to know week by week, and your child’s class teacher will be happy to answer any questions that you might have. One important aspect that all year teams spoke about is our online safety message. We ask you to support your child in navigating this tricky area by closely supervising their use of the internet and by not allowing them to bring phones or other devices into school, unless special permission is sought. Do speak to Tom Everard (tome@htpd.surrey.sch.uk), our online safety lead, if you would welcome further information or advice.

Our assembly series for this term got underway this week. As the months go by, we will be discovering the story of the Old Testament hero, Moses as he leads his people out of captivity in Egypt towards the Promised Land. It’s a great story of Moses discovering his leadership qualities, building a relationship with our heavenly Father and learning to live in community. By looking at Moses’ example, I hope that all of us are inspired! As the journey through the desert unfolds, we’ll be using various road signs to explore how God helps us along the road of life. Then on Fridays, Nick and Abigail will be contemplating taking on a different career – introducing the children to a whole range of people who help us, from doctors to police officers, to life-boat crew members and the AA roadwatch. Let me know if your own career is in one of the caring professions – we might like to have you visit! Do take a look at the assembly slides each week to prompt some discussions at home about the themes that we cover.

Finally, I wanted to share with you my highlight of the week. It was just great to see our Year 6 children work together with their new Year 3 buddies to explore the meaning of our school values, out in the beautiful late summer sunshine on the Chantries’ Campsite. Seeing them talk together, laugh and share ideas certainly filled me with a week’s worth of joy!

Have a great weekend.

With best wishes, Clare

INFANT

Year R coffee morning, Monday 17 September
New Year R parents are warmly invited to a coffee morning in the school hall after drop-off on Monday. This is a great opportunity to meet other reception parents and your class reps.

Meet the Team evening, Wednesday 19 September, 7.00 pm
We look forward to seeing you at the Meet the Team evening next week. Please go straight to your child’s classroom on arrival. At 7.45 pm there will be drinks in the hall and a welcome talk from Clare (the head teacher) followed by the FOPS (infant PTA) AGM.

Phonics evening Year R, Tuesday 25 September, 7.00 pm
Please join us to find out how we will be teaching your children to read and write, and how you can support their phonics learning at home. Although this is particularly intended for parents of Year R children, parents in other year groups are also very welcome to attend.

Teacher-led clubs, Years 1 and 2
Choice forms for teacher-led clubs are being returned today with your child’s allocated club circled.  All school clubs start week commencing Monday 17 September with the exception of Ping Pong and Puzzles which starts week commencing Monday 24 September.  Cooking Club – Group 1 runs from 27 September to 8 November (5 weeks) and Cooking Club – Group 2 runs from 15 November to 13 December (5 weeks).

Parking in High Pewley
Just to add to Clare’s comments on parking last week, please can we remind all parents that High Pewley (opposite the top end of Semaphore Road) is also a private road. Please avoid parking there and use the bays along the top of Pewley Hill instead.

Menu: Week 2 beginning 17 September

JUNIOR

Current Year 6
This is a little reminder to the parents and carers of Year 6 children that applications for secondary schools are now open. All of the secondary schools in Guildford are running Open Evenings over the next few weeks. Please check the respective schools’ websites for dates and details so that you can arrange to attend them.

Please note that on-line applications are preferred by SCC, and e-Admissions forms together with further information are available on their website www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/school-admissions/apply-for-a-school-place Should you require a hard copy, please e-mail schoolbooklets@surreycc.gov.uk or telephone 0300 200 1015. Paper copies should be returned directly to Surrey County Council. The closing date for all applications for entry in September 2019 is Wednesday, 31st October 2018 and it is vital that you submit your application on or before this date.

Dates for your diary:

Monday, 17th September – Year 4 trip to Butser Farm. Year 4 team would like children to wear a ‘simple’ Celtic type costume for this trip and letter with more details about this trip to follow next week

Monday, 17th September – Year 5C visit The Royal Grammar School

Wednesday, 19th September – 3A and 4N begin their swimming lessons at the Spectrum

Monday, 24th September – Year 5S visit The Royal Grammar School

Friday, 28th September – Year 6 visit RHS Wisley

After School Clubs
There have been a couple of minor changes made since last week so please make sure you check your particular preferences.

May we remind you please that should you choose a club marked with an asterisk (*) the club is run privately, at school, and has to be paid for. Please liaise with the person running that club. All the other clubs are teacher-led and free of charge. Please note that this applies to Photography Club and that further details of the club can be found below.

Sport

Girls’ Cross-Country Date: Time: Venue: Tuesday 18th September 3.30pm – 5.15pm (Parents to help with lifts, please meet in the Atrium at 3.25pm) St Catherine’s, Station Road, Bramley, GU5 0DF

Laura Sutton HTPD Sports Co-ordinator

Menu - Week 2

FOPS NEWS (Infant PTA)

This year’s AGM will be held on Wednesday 19th September in conjunction with the ‘Meet the Team’ meeting, so please come along and enjoy a glass of wine or soft drink.

This year’s proposed committee members are as follows:
Chair/Co Chairs: Vacant Position

Treasurer: Helen Day

Secretary: Simone Chidlow
We are looking for a new chair or a small group of chair persons to take over running FOPS from September. Can YOU help? It’s a great opportunity to get involved with the school community, raise funds, organise social events and make great changes for all our children a reality. With educational budgets tightening the fund raising role of the PTA is becoming more and more vital so please consider it carefully.


Class reps

Thank you to all those who have volunteered as class reps this year, they are as follows:

Reception:
Willow Class: Carrie Masson & Louisa Curl
Hazel Class: Tania Piper & Zoe Jeffries

Year 1:
Oak Class: Claire Hassan & Amy Cashmore
Beech Class: Emily Walker & Ana Reith-Smith

Year 2:
Walnut Class: Samantha Gaskell 
Chestnut Class: Kayleigh Ashraf & Eloise Campion & Ana Reith-Smith

Dates for your diary:
Tuesday 25th September - 8pm - Fops meeting in staff room @ school

Reception:
Monday 17th September - coffee morning in the school hall after drop off
Y1: 
Thursday 4th October - coffee morning @ Nero on North Street (opposite Decathlon)
Thursday 29th October - Xmas Night Out @ Long Bar (Harbour Hotel)
Y2:
Friday 28th September- 8pm - Drinks & Pizza @ 5 Jenner Rd, Guildford
 

HTSC News

Many thanks to all of you who came to the HTSC AGM yesterday evening. We were delighted to have such a lovelyreception and look forward to another great year.

The HTSC Committee for 2018/9 is as follows:
Treasurer: Claudia Camargo
Secretary: Tillie Williams and Nik Badain

We also have two new potential co-chairs – watch this space!

Class Reps
Thank you to all who have volunteered to be a class rep for this year. We are still urgently looking for volunteers in 3T (one more needed), 3A, 4N, 4S, 4E (one more needed), 5S, 5L and ALL classes in Year 6. Please contact Stephanie Maynard (steph@theeventcrew.co.uk) if you can help. We cannot do it without you!

Bingo! - Saturday 13 October - 6pm - 8pm
We are holding a family BINGO night at HT on Saturday 13 October from 6pm to 8pm. This is a great fun event for all the family, so please support it if you can.

There will be a fish and chip supper and a fully stocked bar will also be available. Back by popular demand, Jes Moon will be our caller and host for the evening.

Watch out for the ticket release date – this event has sold out for the past three years, so do get those ticket requests in quickly!

Sharp Shots Photo Club - photography club designed to inspire & teach students how to take a great photograph Each term the students learn a different set of photographic skills that improves their camera knowledge and develops their eye to take well-composed images. For the Autumn term themes include Light drawing, Black and white, Capturing Autumn and loads more! Students view famous photographers' work to demonstrate each weekly skill set. At the end of the term each student receives a professionally printed 40 page bespoke photo journal showcasing their amazing images. The cost for each week of club is £8, and can be paid for termly. For the Autumn term there are 11 weeks of clubs, and the fee is £88. The club starts 25.09.18 and ends on 11.12.18. For further information contact us at info@sharpshotsphotoclub.co.uk

Guitar/Ukulele Tuition - Professional musician and songwriter, Keith Ryder, offers lessons in contemporary guitar and ukulele at Holy Trinity Pewley Down School and has spaces available for new pupils in September. Beginners are very welcome. Keith may be contacted on 01483 414874 / 07958 534458 or email keithryder@btconnect.com

Guildfordians Rugby Club: Open Day, Sunday 16 September, 10 am – 1.00 pm, Stoke Park
Girls and boys aged 3 upwards are invited to the Guildfordians Open Day on Sunday including BBQ, bouncy castle, fun games and skills challenges. No previous experience or knowledge of the game is required, but please do take boots if you have them. Guildfordians are located at the North end of Stoke Park. www.grfc.co.uk