Issue 23 - 14th March 2025

Dear Families,

I would like to extend a big thank you to all the families who have already paid for their child’s swimming lessons in the pop-up pool. Your support is greatly appreciated. However there is still a considerable amount outstanding which will need to be covered from the school’s budget if not settled. Unfortunately, this would mean that the school may not be able to fund as many extra activities next year e.g. writing workshops and clubs. If you would like to make a contribution, please note that the deadline is Monday 31st March. Even a partial payment toward your balance would be helpful and very much appreciated.

However as ever, we will not hound families who cannot afford to pay and neither will children be excluded from events. Swimming is a national curriculum requirement therefore we are compelled to provide lessons that result in progress.

For any lucky winners who have not yet claimed their prize from the World Book Day event please note the last day for collecting these prizes is on Wednesday! It has been lovely to see all the excited faces when the sparkly tickets have been revealed!

Emma Fordham,
Headteacher

Key Messages

Maths Morning – Parents Invited – 1^st April

On 1st April, we are inviting parents in to take part in a fun, interactive maths lesson with their children. The plan is to meet with Miss Simmons in the hall at drop off (8:45am) for a very quick chat about maths at Almond Hill followed by a maths lesson (short, fun activities which use a range of maths skills) from 9.00 -10.00am in your child's classroom. It will be an opportunity for children to experience learning with you and maybe even for you to brush off those maths skills and support your children in the classroom. These types of events have always been very successful and children love having you in the classroom sharing their learning experiences. We look forward to seeing you then! As ever, you will be able to move between classes if you have children across the school.

Drop off and Collection Concerns

We have received several emails this week from parents and local residents regarding parking and driving around the vicinity of the school. The main concerns were:

Dangerous parking so others can't see clearly when they pull out of the drop off zone.

Children and their parents crossing the road in the drop off zone without using the zebra crossing - running between cars parked in the drop off zone.

Blocking cars who are parked in the laybys or on the road so they cannot exit their parking space.

Please be mindful of the way in which you are driving around school and where you park your car. Please also speak to your children about road safety and the safe way to cross the roads.

Food Bank at Almond Hill

We are looking into the possibility of having a small food bank here at school for families to use when needed. Please answer the quick survey below so we can ascertain if this is a feasible idea.

Headlice

We have had reports of headlice this week. Please check your child’s hair and treat accordingly. There is no need to keep your child off school if they have headlice however it does need to be treated. Please below for the NHS guidance on treatment:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/

Donation Requests

Please consider donating any old children’s coats/shoes/fleeces/Christmas jumpers and hangers for our preloved uniform sales.

The pastoral team would also be grateful for any donations of colouring pens/pencils/crayons.

Thank you.

Last Day of Term

Please note, school closes at 1.00pm on the last day of term (Friday 4th April). As Letchmore finish at 12.30pm on the same day, there will be no childcare option for parents on this day. All children should be collected at 1.00pm.

There will be a cold lunch option only on this day.

Increase in Meal Prices

From 1st April 2025, Herts Catering meal prices will increase to £3.45.

INSET Days

The INSET and occasional days for next academic year have now been published on our website. We have tried where possible to keep the same as Letchmore for those families who have children at both schools. However, INSET days are used for training days for staff (not days off) and as we are different schools, we have different priorities and commitments. Staff really value these training days to enhance their professional development and to help move our school forward.

https://www.almondhill.herts.sch.uk/page/?title=Term+Dates&pid=24

Diary Dates

Did you know, you can subscribe to our calendar to keep up to date with the events going on within the school?

Follow the link below, select 'subscribe' and follow the instructions for your device.

School Calendar

Upcoming Events

Club Update

Club	Day	Times	Collection Point	Year
Football	Monday	3.15-4.15	Year 5 Gate	3 & 4
Netball	Monday	3.15-4.15	Year 5 Gate	5 &6
Football	Tuesday	3.15-4.15	Year 5 Gate	3 & 4
French	Tuesday	3.15-4.15	Computer Room	3 & 4
Outdoor Activities	Tuesday	3.15-4.15	Year 5 Classrooms	5 & 6	This is the last week
Badminton	Tuesday	3.15-4.15	Hall	5 & 6	This is the last week
Street Dance	Wednesday	3.15-4.15	Hall	all
Cheerleading	Wednesday	8.00–8:45	N/A	all
Football Year 6 (squad only)	Wednesday	3.15-4.15	Year 5 Gate	6
Outdoor Activities	Thursday	3.15-4.15	Year 5 Classrooms	3 & 4	This is the last week
Card Games	Thursday	3.15-4.15	3B	all	This is the last week
Multi Sports	Friday	3.15-4.15	Hall	3 & 4	This is the last week
Booster Classes (invitation only)
Club	Day	Times	Collection Point	Year
Year 6 Maths Booster	Monday	3.15-4.30	Acorn House	6
Year 6 SPaG Booster	Wednesday	3.15-4.30	Acorn House	6
Year 6 Reading Booster	Thursday	3.15-4.30	Acorn House	6

Book Sales

All sales will take place during the school day. Books cost just 50p each.

26/3/25
30/4/25
21/5/25
25/6/25

Uniform Sales

Our monthly uniform sales take place on a Thursday in the hall from 3.00-3.30pm

3/4/25
1/5/25
5/6/25
3/7/25

Grafham Parent Meeting

Thursday 20th March 6pm via Microsoft Teams.

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 338 104 527 711

Passcode: wP7sE3bm

SEND/Pastoral Afternoon Tea

This event will take place between 2:30pm and 3:15pm on Thursday 20th March.

Attendance

Year 3 95.19%
Year 4 97.67%
Year 5 95%
Year 6 98.3%
All Students 96.58%

Class Winners
6C 100%
4A 98.67%

Almond Hill Achievements

Click the button below to see all the wonderful things our children have achieved outside of school.

Almond Hill Achievements Page Submit an Achievement Here

House Points

FOAH Update

Next Meeting - Monday 28th April at 6.00pm
Microsoft Teams
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 363 444 974 405
Passcode: PX36yg2R

You can view the minutes from our last meeting below:

Meeting Minutes - March 2025

Mother’s Day Present Room is here!

This is a reminder that Mother's Day Present Room gifts are available to purchase on School Gateway until the end of Thursday 20th March.

Cash payments will be accepted on the day of the present room if needs be, but we would be grateful if payments could be made in advance on School Gateway as this enables us to plan ahead and make there are enough gifts for every child taking part.

The present room will take place during the school day on Wednesday 26th March. On that day, the children can choose a secret present for the important ladies in their life (Mums, Step-mums, Grandmas, Aunties, Carers, and so on - there’s no limit to the number of gifts you can buy per child). Each gift is then brought home at collection time in an individual sealed bag that can be hidden at home, ready to give on Mother’s Day! Please make sure you tell your child whom they are choosing for before the day itself, so they can pick suitable presents.

And don’t worry Dads, you won’t miss out – we plan to run a Father’s Day Present Room in June!

All funds raised will go towards equipment and events that enhance the children’s school experience. If you have any questions, please reach out to the FOAH team. Our email is: foah@almondhill.herts.sch.uk

Best wishes
Friends of Almond Hill

In Other News…

Year 3 - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Workshop

On Monday during assembly, Claire Murrel, an environmental officer from Stevenage Borough Council visited our school to talk about what we can do to reduce, reuse and recycle. We learnt that it is best to reduce and reuse - to stop waste being created in the first place. We looked into how to recycle in our local area in Stevenage and we learnt that glass is infinitely recyclable meaning it can be reused again and again! We now know some handy tips to help reduce the amount of waste that we send to landfills and will be much more mindful of how to protect our planet.

Year 5 Handball report. Written by Liv in 5P

On Monday 10th March, 8 children from year 5, (Liv, Annabelle H, Barnaby, Scarlett, Mason, Jack, Fiorella and Amelia H) attended a handball tournament at Barnwell School. There were 12 schools and they were placed into 2 leagues. In our first game, we drew with Fairlands 1-1. Our second game we lost 5-2 to a very impressive Roebuck A team who finished our table at the top. Next, we played Round Diamond and lost 2-1 in a very close game. The results didn't reflect how we played as we were very good, playing with teamwork, enthusiasm and resilience. We didn't give up. The next two games were against Woolenwick and Shephalbury Park and we won them both, 2-1 and 3-0. This meant we finished 3rd in our group. The team that finished 3rd in the other league played against us. This was Roebuck B and we lost 2-1. It was such a close game. Our goal scorers of the day were: Mason 5, Jack 1, Barnaby 3 and Amelia H 2. We all enjoyed ourselves and had a lot of fun. Mrs Hewitt was the teacher who took us and in between games we sat down and analysed our game, spoke about the good parts and what we can do next time to improve. This really helped us in our performance. A massive thank you to Mrs Hewitt for supporting us and being our fabulous, amazing coach.

Young Carer’s Festival

Lots of our young carers had the opportunity to participate in a fun afternoon at Barnwell put on by Stevenage Sporting Futures Team and the Young Carers in Herts team. The children got to relax with yoga, practise martial arts, play dodgeball with a twist then finished off with a session on a big bouncy castle assault course. They really seemed to enjoy it and it was nice for the children to network with other children across the school from all year groups in a similar situation to them. Photos

Year 5 Happy Chicks

In year 5 over the next two weeks, we have the incredible opportunity to incubate and care for some very special visitors- chicks! Our adventure began when we received a set of eggs from the Happy Chick Company on Monday. The children were buzzing with excitement. At the beginning of the week, all year 5 children were eagerly checking the incubator, wondering when the eggs would hatch. It was worth the wait when on Wednesday, we witnessed the magical moment of a chick hatching. The children were so fascinated. Once hatched, the chicks were kept in the warm incubator for about 20 hours to dry off and fluff up. They have grown and have now been moved to their brooder box for some more space and some food and water. The children have really enjoyed this opportunity and have been fully engrossed by it. Next week, we will continue to observe and care for them.