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Newsletter 18
Thursday 13th May 2021
Dear Parents/ Carers,
We should all feel very proud with how we are working together as a community now that school has reopened and the children are, once again, benefitting from being in school. One amazing example is Aaruthura who is now onto her 4th (yes 4th!) reading record. There is no more important homework than reading!
Our catch-up strategy is in place (full document is available on the website) and we are determined for the children to flourish. It is still strange for us all and I am sure that I am not alone in wondering what life was actually like before this global pandemic! As highlighted previously, please ensure that your children access any additional interventions that we put in place. Our investment in your children means that support will be provided by the teachers who know your children best- the Tudor team- and whilst this creates some challenges in respect of timings/ organisation, it is your children who will benefit the most. Please be assured that it is understandable if children would prefer to stay in bed a little longer than access additional breakfast learning provision/ tutoring but we PROMISE that those extra efforts now will be of HUGE benefit in the future. The improvement and increase in confidence when children do engage fully with our catch up strategy is HIGHLY evident- an extra bit of effort now will make a massive difference for the future. Let’s truly allow them to FLY!
A theme in our assembly this week was about all the different responsibilities we all have and how schools can only work if we take our personal responsibilities seriously- and this is why I believe we are successful as a school. The vast majority of our families work with us by making sure children attend, are punctual and value the importance of education. Remember to contact school if there is anything else you need- we are a school that pledges to go above and beyond…
Whilst the children are at the HEART of what we do, the staff TEAM provide the ENERGY!
Whilst all headteachers in Dacorum must work together to challenge ‘school hopping’, Tudor remains a popular destination for children and many families (locally and further afield) continue to request tours to find out about our provision. On these tours I am always proud to share the talents of the teaching team as they are the people that lead and guide your children each day. I will share the staff structure for next year with you in July and it certainly looks strong. Our team has been further complemented by the recruitment of Mr Stearn and Miss Hunt who are nearing completion of their final training placements with us. They are going to be super and I must admit I was pleased to hear feedback from the University of Hertfordshire when they shared with their students, ‘If you are lucky to be offered anything at Tudor Primary, you take it!’ Interest in working at Tudor is certainly HIGH and I am proud that our staff RETENTION is amazing too! Did you know that 1 in 3 'new' teachers leave the profession in the first 5 years (that's after studying for at least 3 years to become qualified)? I am VERY proud of how we help our teachers GROW and DEVELOP- it certainly helps that they work alongside the best children around...
Please do try to arrive one time- we open at 8.45am, the official start time is 8.55am- You are likely to have noticed that we have placed a few signs up at the front of school reminding families about the time that school starts. We request that you arrive at 8.45am because there are learning activities available to the children from this time- these extra 10mins a day can equate to nearly an extra hour of support a week- do take advantage. More worrying, is the regularity of a minority of families arriving after 8.55am (and even 9am). When children are late, the office team are having to spend a lot of time transporting latecomers around the school site. This isn’t fair on the office staff OR your children who then have a less settled start to the day than their peers.
INCLUSION at Tudor- a message from Miss Reading, our Inclusion Lead
If your child has an individual support plan, you will be receiving a letter during the next couple of weeks, inviting you to discuss your child's progress and to formulate new targets with their class teacher. To ensure your child achieves their full potential it is vital that we all work together, so please do ensure you attend this important appointment. Please remember that if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's education, wellbeing (or anything else!) you can contact me via email at: inco@tudor.herts.sch.uk, call the school office or come and find me on the playground either during drop off or pick up times.
Half Term Cycle Course- The school will be the venue for a (further) balance and ride cycle course during the half term holiday. The course proved very popular (and enjoyable) in the last holiday period and many of our children learnt how to cycle with confidence and safety. The dates in June are Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd. More information online at: Hertsbalance.uk
Little Fawns Pre-School- Allocations open for September 2021! Little Fawns offer high quality Early Years provision for children aged 2-5 years with a variety of flexible sessions available across the week, including Forest School. They also offer shared care with Tudor’s nursery, collecting children from Tudor to join them for the afternoon session. 2, 3 & 4 year old 15 & 30 hour Early Education Funding can be used as well as Childcare Vouchers and the Tax Free Childcare Scheme.
Our Tudor (Summer) Christmas- 8 weeks to go! Friday 25th June
For parents that have said: ‘Are you really having a Christmas Day on Friday June 25th?’ the answer is YES WE ARE! School has booked a pantomime experience and we will be organising parties as well as a secret santa-style present swap. More information will follow about this soon.
Year 6 WILL have an AWESOME end of year!
In our last newsletter I shared the disappointing news that year 6 had been told that the residential experience they were looking forward to had been cancelled. Since then, the school worked quickly to find a replacement trip for them.
Tudor staff will be taking the children on a 3 day trip over the weekend at the end of June- this commitment is great to see from the staff and I am so happy that our year 6s will be able to go away with their friends. They SO deserve it!
Let’s keep adding to the magic- football fixtures, DRUMMING lessons, school trips and more…
Mr Higgins has been able to organise some sporting fixtures with other schools and these will take place soon- great news! Sport and activity is a HUGE part of children’s wellbeing and we have loved the success of the after school clubs- the interest has been so HIGH! Key stage 1 children will be off to Windsor to see the queen soon too- what a fun trip they will have- Miss Cosby can hardly control her excitement.
We are also excited about a new link that we have created with SoundBox Music Academy who will be offering 1:1 drumming lessons in KS2 as well as whole class teaching.
Follow this youtube link for more information- https://youtu.be/Q5PC-AH81WA Letters can be accessed from the website below but if you would like a printed copy, come and see the school office. A ‘taster day’ will be on Friday 11th June.
It is monitoring and evaluation week next week for the teachers with an enhanced focus on the teaching of high quality writing. This is a key area due to the challenges in teaching/ supporting this area during the periods of school closure- mind you, looking at the super writing that we’ve seen recently is shows that we are all doing our best to get those standards flying again!
There will be class photos on Monday 24th June- I am sure the children will look great as there is so much to smile about at Tudor at the moment. Life really is returning to normal…