Dear Parents and Carers,
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! I hope the coming year blesses you with opportunities, happiness, and success.
As we enter 2023, I can assure you that our expectations and intentions to give our children the best learning opportunities will not diminish. We will continue to welcome every child warmly, with a smile, every day and create an environment where children enjoy school, thrive, and shine bright in all they do.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to share the highlights and successes of our children via the weekly Headteacher Blog, monthly newsletters on Facebook, Twitter, our website, and Class Dojo. We intend to reach a wider audience this year and grow our pupil numbers. We want the world to know just how unique our school is. Please spread the word!
One of the most important ways you can support your children and us in 2023 (and beyond) is to ensure that your children attend school every day. Attendance in school is of paramount importance as any absence can have a profoundly negative impact on their learning, as essential aspects and the sequence of work will be missed. This year we will be monitoring attendance across the school closely. We will work/support families to ensure that all pupils can attend school 100% of the time where possible. I implore you not to book holidays and medical appointments during term time as we will not be able to authorise requests of this nature unless they are an emergency.
We are mindful that Flu and coronavirus (COVID-19) are currently circulating at high levels and are likely to continue to increase in the coming weeks. In addition, high numbers of scarlet fever, which is caused by group A streptococcus, also continue to be reported. If your child is unwell and has a fever, they should stay home from school or nursery until they feel better, and the fever has resolved. Adults should also try to stay home when unwell. If you do have to go out, wear a face covering. When unwell don’t visit healthcare settings or visit vulnerable people unless urgent. Let us continue to do all that we can to keep our school community and each other safe and well.
SCHOOL VALUE OF THE WEEK (W/C 9th January 2023): Excellence
Values Roll of Honour: (W/C 2nd January 2023):
| Resilience | All of Nursery, Aurelia, Hayli, Stephanie, All of Year 2, Hana, Jadon, Sophia G & all of Year 6. |
| Acceptance | Phineas, Mehdi, Lucca, Joycellin, All of Year 2, Micah W, George, Micah A-C & Austin. |
| Independence | Richard, Aaron W, Matthias, Truthi, Israel, Thandiwe, Unami & Nomsa. |
| Curiosity | All of Nursery, All of Reception, Philip, Mahlon, Michael, Evelyn, Diya, Barbora & Finley. |
| Excellence | Eva, Aurelia, Stephanie, Hayli, Fatima, Aaron R, Orla, Rhea, Christiana, Zachary & Nomsa. |
| Self-Control | All of Nursery, Stefan, Mahlon, Joycellin, Krisztian, Nathan R, Elisha, Thiago, Marqueza & Finley. |
| Respect | Joseph, All of Reception, Philip, Michaela, Martin, Nathan A-C, Unami, Barbora & Shemilore. |
| Cooperation | All of Nursery, Lerato, Matthias, Stephanie, Idelle, Sophia, Ved, George, Marqueza & Amy. |
| **Growth Mind-set ** | Mehdi, Aaron W, Hayli, Philip, Chloe, Aaron R, Aniyah, Timothy & All of Year 6. |
Stars of the Week (Headteacher Awards) W/C 2nd January 2023
| Nursery | Phineas |
| Reception | Lerato |
| Year 1 | Mahlon |
| Year 2 | James |
| Year 3 | Hana |
| Year 4 | Aniyah |
| Year 5 | Zachary |
| Year 6 | Rutendo |
Keep letting your light shine! I am so proud of you all.
Attendance W/C 2nd January 2023 2022:
Each school in the local authority has an attendance target that is set for them. This year our school attendance target is 96%. Of course, we do not expect children who are unwell to come to school. They need to stay at home and rest to get well. They also need to stay at home, so they do not pass on illness to others.
| Year Group | Attendance % |
| Nursery | 72% |
| Reception | 100% |
| Year 1 | 88.89% |
| Year 2 | 90% |
| Year 3 | 100% |
| Year 4 | 95.45% |
| Year 5 | 90% |
| Year 6 | 100% |
Please contact the office if your child is unable to attend school by 10:00 am every day in line with our school policy.
HCL School Lunches Spring Term 2023 (1st Half):
HCL School dinners will resume on Monday, 9th January 2023. If you wish to pay for school meals for the whole of Spring term (1st half) it is £65.00. We are on Week 2 of the menu this week.
Swimming Lessons – Spring Term Second Half:
We have secured weekly swimming lessons again for Years 3 -6 at Everyone Active Watford-Central for Spring Term (2nd half). This will start on Thursday, 23rd February after the half-term. More information to follow.
After-School Clubs
After-school clubs start back this week. Please remember to sign and pay for the club before your child attends. Club details ad signing-up sheet went home in book bags last week.
Key Dates:
| Date | Event |
| 27th & 28th January 2023 | School in Action Mornings |
| 30th Jan – 3rd Feb | Maths Week |
| 7th February 2023 | Safer Internet Day |
| 8th February 2023 | Mastermind Competition |
| 10th February 2023 | Spring Term (1st Half) Ends – 13:30pm |
See the link for our school calendar – https://www.stanboroughprimary.org.uk/calendar/
Finally, let us remember, ‘That is why we labour and strive because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.’
1 Timothy 4:10 NIV.
Love and Blessings,
Mrs Madden
Headteacher
