Dear Parents and Carers.

We wanted to say a genuine 'thank you' to all our families for an amazing year.  Your support, kindness and generosity have made this one of the best years we have had in a while.

The school has gone through two inspections since September and both reports are achievements to be proud of for everyone involved.  The staff and governors have worked tirelessly to maintain a stable & loving environment for the children to come into every day and they have all flourished as a result.

Without the wonderful staff, governors, Friends of Hertford Vale School, local church representatives and of course you, our parents and carers, the children would not have such a lovely school to be in every day.

We are sad to see the Year 6 children leave us today, but know they will always be part of the school family and we’d love to see them again at some point.  Mrs Fardoe-Elliott will be taking a break for a few months to have her baby over the summer, we wish her all the best and are excited to meet her new arrival.  Mrs Bugg and Mrs Webster are also handing over the running of the wrap around care for September and we would like to thank them for setting up the after school club and making it such a success.  

Our final goodbye is to Mrs Bulman after 31 years in the school kitchen.  We are losing a valued colleague and friend who will be missed for a long time to come.  We have estimated that Mrs Bulman has prepared at least 360,000 meals here at Hertford Vale, so her retirement is well-deserved.  We hope that Mrs Bulman will come back to see us but not before a rest, a few adventures and a chance to reflect on an amazing time here at Hertford Vale.

We hope you all have a pleasant summer break, that you get to spend some time together with loved ones and that you return safe and sound after the summer break.

Thank you again and see you in September,

Andrew Barber.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached are the last few photographs from East Barnby.

The children had an amazing time and we owe Miss Higgs and Mrs Graves a huge 'thank you' for taking the children & giving them such amazing memories.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached are the menus for next term.  They will be on a three week rolling programme and will be reviewed regularly by the catering staff.

If you have not filled in the 'Managing Special Diets – Parent information' form we sent home, please contact the school office for another copy.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we are about to begin the summer break we thought we would send a message out regarding the safeguarding of children during this time.  

Throughout the summer holidays, the school safeguarding team will be checking emails and messages during the six week break.  If however you feel that a child is at risk in any form, we would like to point you in the direction of the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership website.  By clicking here you will be taken to the NYSCP page entitled ‘Worried about a child?’

There is a phone number and some advice for you to follow should you think that a child has suffered significant harm and /or is likely to suffer significant harm and/or has developmental and welfare needs which are likely only to be met through provision of family support services (with agreement of the child’s parent).

The contact number for North Yorkshire is 0300 131 2 131.

There is also some advice as always on our school safeguarding page, which can be accessed from the 'Our School' tab on the homepage.

We hope this information is reassurance that should you need some assistance, there is some way to make contact with the relevant team.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Attached is a write up and photos from Mrs Kenyon's trip to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway this week.  The children had a lovely time and the weather certainly helped make the day a success.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached are two online safety documents.  There is the July newsletter as well as a parent guide on how to set up parental controls on various devices.  There are also some videos here :

https://www.knowsleyclcs.org.uk/online-safety-videos/ 

These will help you set up devices to make them safer for your child to use.

As we begin the summer break, children tend to use devices a lot more than in term time. Authorities have reported that during this time children are at greater risk to online exploitation and that parents need to be extra vigilant in terms of who their children are communicating with online.

We hope you find the guides and newsletter useful as they are full of helpful advice.

Thank you. 

Just a quick photo of the children enjoying their cooked breakfast before heading out on a beck scramble.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Here are the photographs from the second day of the Year 6 trip to East Barnby.  They had a great time kayaking down the River Esk to Whitby harbour.  The weather was good and the scenery was even better.

Back at camp they had a visit from Mrs Fardoe-Elliott and toasted marshmallows together around the campfire.  What a nice way to end a wonderful day.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Attached are some photos from the first day at East Barnby.  Everyone had fun, got wet and enjoyed a warm meal at the end of the day.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Attached are a few photographs from Mrs Kenyon's trip to playdale farm.  Everyone had a lovely time and the children are still talking about their time with the animals.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached is a letter from Mrs Bugg about some changes to the breakfast/after school club about timings and prices to the wrap around care from September.  

If you would like to book your child into the provision or have any questions please contact the school office.  We would like to thank Mrs Bugg and Mrs Webster for all their hard work this year and are looking forward to Mrs Thundercliffe taking over from September.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Just a quick reminder that tonight is the Friends of Hertford Vale Disco in the village hall.  

Entry is free for all the children and there is a tuck shop if they wish to buy some sweets.  A maximum of 50 pence per child will be enough so please do not send them with a lot of money as there is no need.

The first disco for the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children runs from 5:30pm until 6:30pm. 

The second disco for the Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 children starts at 6:45pm and finishes at 7:45pm. 

All children will need to be collected by an adult at the end of each disco at either 6:30pm or 7:45pm depending on the age of your child.

We hope everyone has a great time and thank you to the Friends of Hertford Vale School for taking the time to organise and run the discos.

Have a lovely weekend.

Dear Parents and Carers.

The weekend is here and so is Staxtonbury.  There are a few children’s tickets left in the school office.  If you would like any extra tickets please come to the school office or see Mr Barber at the end of the day.  

Next week will be very busy.  The Year 6 children are taking part in Bikeability for most of the week as well as the Year 6 Crucial Crew and leavers service on Wednesday.  Mrs Boyes’ class are out on their class trip on Tuesday so we are hoping the weather is kind to us for all those events.

Have a good weekend and we will see you all on Monday.

The Hertford Vale team.

Dear Parents and Carers.

We have been informed that a few children in Key Stage 1 have head lice.  We sent out a message last week (26th June) to direct people to the NHS website for guidance on how to treat head lice. The attached leaflet also gives advice on how to treat them and what to look for.

If in doubt, please go to the NHS website for further details. 

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

Thank you

Dear Parents and Carers,

Attached is a write up from Art Week which took place from the 17th to the 21st June.

Thank you.

All next week Millie will be available if you would like to enter her competition to win one of two teddys.  

You can win one of the teddys by either choosing a name for the pink kitten or by choosing a square for the Chewbacca teddy.  Both cost £1 to enter.

The money raised will go towards Millie’s fund to help her get to the Kickboxing World Championships in October.

You can pop into the office to enter the competition or the children can ask Millie at break times if they wish to enter.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

We are proud to share with you that our Eco Club (which is run by Miss Higgs) has successfully raised enough money to fund a toilet for a community in Tanzania.  The children raised the money themselves by organising and running a book sale in school.  

The toilet will make a huge difference in the village and is a wonderful example of the children being courageous advocates for positive change.

https://toilettwinning.org/

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have a few quick notices to give out today.

Westway Open Arms Collection

We are accepting donations for the Westway Open Arms food bank based in Eastfield.  Any tinned or dry goods you could donate would be most welcome.  There is a box in our office area for you to drop off anything you can spare.  We will then take the donations to the charity.

https://westwayopenarms.org.uk/

Head Lice

We have had a couple of cases of head lice in school.  The NHS head lice and nits information page has lots of practical advice on how to treat them.  Please check your child’s hair to see if they have been affected.

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

Year 5 taster days

Both Malton School and Norton College are hosting experience days for our Year 5 children.  Malton school is hosting theories tomorrow and Norton College has their on the 16th July.  All Year 5 children will be going and will need a packed lunch and full school uniform.

Year 6 Leavers Service

The parents and carers of our Year 6 children are invited to join the class for a farewell service on Wednesday 10th July at 2:30pm.  The children have a song to sing and it will be a lovely way to celebrate their time here at Hertford Vale.  Further details will follow.

Thank you.

We have had a very special delivery this week

Mrs Fardoe-Elliott 

Dear Parents and Carers,

This year we have done successful litter picks around school and within Staxon village. The Eco Club has expressed an interest in helping marine life, so we decided as our last project to hold one final litter pick. We have chosen to support the Marine Conservation Society and we would like to invite the whole school community to participate in a beach clean survey.  It will be organised by marine society volunteer, Helen Leach, and it expands on a regular litter pick by collecting data which helps track litter back to the source, and enables them to campaign for change. 

We will meet at Scarborough SeaLife Centre Car Park on Sunday 30th June at 9am . It will last approximately 2 hours. Adults must remain with their child/ren at all times. The area we will be surveying, Jackson’s Bay, will involve climbing down the cliffside to access this part of the beach, so you need to be comfortable doing this. Gloves and litter pickers can be provided. 

If you intend on joining us, can you please inform the school office as this allows me to contact you if there is a last minute change of plan. 

As always thank you for your support

Miss Hayley Higgs

Dear Parents and Carers.

Just a quick message to wish you all a good weekend and to say a big Thank You for your support today.

The Sports Day events and the Colour Run were a huge success and it was lovely to see so many of you here this afternoon.  Thank you to Miss Higgs & staff for organising the races and to the Friends of Hertford Vale School for the Colour Run.

More photos will follow next week when we’ve had a chance to look through them.

Have a great weekend,

The Hertford Vale team.

Dear Parent and Carers.

One of our Year 5 children has been selected to represent England in the ICO Kickboxing World Championships in Germany.  Millie’s family have asked if the school could help promote some fundraising they are doing to raise the money needed to get Millie to Germany.  

During the Sports Day and Colour Run this Friday, Millie’s mum will have a stall set up with a Name the Teddy competition and a bake sale.  This will be part of Millie’s fundraising and anything you can do to help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Some of our older children entered a poetry competition earlier this year.  Sixteen of them were successful in having their work chosen to go into a book that has now been published!

We are very proud of the children and amazed that so many of their poems were included in the final copy of the book.

Well done to them all!

Sharon White
Sales Support (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday)
01736 751506
H Tempest Ltd
The Colour Laboratory
Lelant
TR26 3HU

Dear Parents and Carers,

Attached is a poster from the Friends of Hertford Vale School about the colour run taking place after Sports Day on Friday 21st June.

Thank you.

Mandy Cartlidge
Payment Processing Supervisor
01736 751526
H Tempest Ltd
The Colour Laboratory
Lelant
TR26 3HU

Dear Parents and Carers.

We have two job opportunities from September.  Both are to run our wrap around care on site from 7:20am to 8:50am and from 3:20pm to 6:00pm each day during term time, (21.25 hours per week each).  

Both jobs can be found here on our website https://www.hertfordvale.co.uk/about-us/vacancies but they are also on Indeed and the North Yorkshire Jobs page.

If you or anyone you know is interested in one of the roles, please contact the school office and we will be happy to have a chat about the jobs and what they can offer you.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Weather permitting, we will be holding our annual sports day on Friday 21st June at 1:20pm, followed by the Colour Run at 2.30pm. You are all welcome to join us for this fun afternoon; the races will begin at 1:20pm. 

Please ensure your child has a PE kit and suitable trainers with them.  The children also need to bring a drinks bottle with them and please remember not to send any fizzy drinks. If the weather is sunny, please send your child with a sun hat so they are protected whilst they are waiting to race (they can remove their hat when they compete.)

More details will follow regarding the Colour Run, which will be organised by Friends of Hertford Vale. 

We will send a text by 12pm at the latest on Friday 21st June, should we need to cancel due to weather conditions. 

I look forward to seeing you there. 

Miss Higgs

Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday the Eco Club participated in a litter pick at the local park. The Eco Club are very aware of the problems with littering and the damaging effects it has on animals, humans and the environment.

As it is nearly World Oceans Day (8th June), it was nice to do something to help the environment and hopefully prevent the litter from ending up in the River Hertford, which would eventually make its way into our beautiful oceans.

Sadly, 14 million pieces of plastic rubbish end up in and around our waterways each year, which can be dangerous for both people and wildlife. It was a wonderful feeling to help tackle the challenge and we know because of our efforts there is now a little bit less litter in our community. The children worked extremely enthusiastically, safely and quickly to collect an abundance of litter! Before the end of the year, the children would love to involve everyone and invite parents, family and friends to participate in our next litter pick!

As always, thank you for your support

Miss Higgs and the Eco Club

Dear Parents and Carers,

The children in Miss Higgs' class have been studying The Titanic this half term.

They were so inspired by the story that they have created some replica rooms from the ship. 

The children designed, built and evaluated the different rooms and have had them on display in school for parents to see today.

Well done to everyone for their excellent design and technology project!

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached is a poster from the Friends of Hertford Vale School to say thank you and let you know how much money was raised at the coffee morning earlier today.

As always, thank you for your support and it was lovely to see so many of you in school.

Have a great half term break and we will see on Monday 3rd June.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached is a write up from Miss Higgs about the events that took place this week on National Numeracy Day.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

We are delighted to share with you the report from the SIAMS Church inspection on Monday.  The report is a wonderful testament to the children, staff and community in and around Hertford Vale.  

Thank you to all the parents, governors, staff and church representatives who spoke to the inspectors as they really helped paint a picture of the daily life in our school.  

We hope you enjoy reading the report and if you would like a paper copy, please ask at the school office.

The Hertford Vale team.

Dear Parents and Carers.

We have a couple of messages for two things happening this week.

Firstly, a quick reminder about the newsletter sent out on the 9th May about the coffee morning this Friday.  The Friends of Hertford Vale School are hosting a coffee morning from 9:00am until 10:00am as well as having a pre owned uniform sale.  Both will be taking part in the school hall.  You are also welcome to have a look round the classrooms during this time to see your children and to look at what they have been studying this term.

The annual school photographs will be taking place this Thursday morning in the school hall.  Children with siblings in school will have their photos taken together during the morning and we will arrange those for you. If you have a younger child who is not yet in school, you can bring them into the hall between 8:30am and 9:00am to have a photo taken with their brothers and sisters if you wish.

We look forward to seeing you later this week,

The Hertford Vale Team.

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Parents and carers of children in Nursery and Reception are invited to come look around the learning environment tomorrow on Thursday 16th May in the afternoon from 2.30pm. 

The children are excited to share with you the learning that has been taking place over the last term.  You will then be able to take your child home after you have looked around. 

Thank you for your support as always and we are looking forward to seeing you.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Kenyon and the Early years team

Dear Parents and Carers.

All Church of England and Methodist schools are inspected approximately every five years by a SIAMS inspector from the Church of England.  Next week we will be visited by Mr Lee Talbot on Monday 20th May.

A SIAMS inspection is an opportunity to highlight the impact that the school’s Christian vision has on the flourishing of the whole school community. 

The attached letter from Mr Talbot is for all our parents and carers so that you are aware that the SIAMS inspection is taking place and what it might look like.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with the school office.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

There are a couple of messages for next week.

Miss Higgs’ class will be going swimming on Tuesday.  Please remember to send your child with their swimming kit in a separate bag and please don’t forget to include a towel.

The Year 6 children will be sitting their SATs next week.  They have all worked extremely hard to prepare and we are very proud of them all.  If your child is in Year 6, Mrs Fardoe-Elliott and Mrs Wells have arranged a breakfast for them all from 8:30am, Monday to Thursday free of charge so that they can be ready to take their tests from 9:00am.  We hope the Year 6 children have a relaxing weekend and that they get a good night’s sleep on Sunday.  Remember Year 6, keep smiling, you are amazing!

We will see you all on Monday and hope you enjoy the warmer weather this weekend,

The Hertford Vale team.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached is a newsletter from the Friends of Hertford Vale School.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers,

This year, we had more entries than ever for the book fair bookmark competition & thank you to all of the children who entered. It was a really hard decision choosing the winner from each class but we decided on four children’s designs which really did stand out.

Thank you again for your continued support and for purchasing books from the fair.  There was almost £500 worth of sales which means we raised £171 worth of credit for the school to buy new books for the classrooms. The children have loved seeing the new texts this morning and the books will be continued to be enjoyed for years to come.

Thank you again, 

Mrs Boyes.

SUN SAFETY AT SCHOOL

Dear Parents and Carers,

The school works hard to protect children from sunburn and skin damage caused by the harmful ultraviolet rays in sunlight.

In the Summer Term we will be encouraging children to avoid sunburn and over exposure to the sun by:

• Seeking shade, particularly during the middle of the day. 

• Wearing suitable sun hats – children should bring their own named suitable sun hat to school to wear during the school day. 

• Wearing clothing that protects the skin, particularly for outdoor activities. 

• Each class will be provided with a high factor sunscreen (SPF 50+) for use during the school day or parents may prefer to provide children with their own named sunscreen. 

• Staff will prompt and supervise the application of sunscreen. 

• In school children are encouraged to drink water to prevent dehydration.  

Hopefully by following the above we can help keep the children safe in the warmer and sunnier weather.

Thank you for your support,

The Hertford Vale team.

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Parents and carers of children in Nursery and Reception are invited to come look around the learning environment on Thursday 16th May in the afternoon from 2.30pm. 

The children are excited to share with you the learning that has been taking place over the last term.  You will then be able to take your child home after you have looked around. 

Thank you for your support as always and we are looking forward to seeing you.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Kenyon and the Early years team

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached is the May online safety newsletter.

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Attached is a letter from Mrs Fardoe-Elliott and Mrs Wells about the Year 6 SATs week.  

Thank you.

Dear Parents and Carers.

Just a quick reminder about the survey we sent out recently. You still have time to have your say but the survey closes tomorrow at 10:00am.  Your responses are extremely valuable and will help us to shape the future services offered to our families.

Survey link : https://zfrmz.com/OmwDACoBxD8cqv5JmJox

Please could you fill out the survey as the more feedback we get, the better informed we are about what you want from us.

Just to add, this is not something that is definitely happening,  we are simply gauging interest to see what you think.

The Hertford Vale team.

Dear Parents and Carers.

The annual book fair is taking place today and tomorrow after school.  If you would like to bring your children along, please collect them as normal at the end of the day and then come into the hall via the office entrance.

The payments are cash only as we do not have card facilities.  We also accept cheques which can be made out to school.  

We are looking forward to seeing you later.

The Hertford Vale team.