Head of School's Message
It is with mixed emotions that on Monday we will be bidding a fond farewell to Karen, who will be leaving us after six years. During her time here, Karen has been a valuable member of our school family, bringing dedication, warmth, and a passion for supporting our pupils and staff.
Karen’s departure follows the retirement last year of her husband, Paul, who served as our caretaker. Together, they have been an important part of our school community, always going the extra mile to make our school a welcoming, safe and caring place.
This week has been a busy week with pancakes, ducklings and playground construction. We have learnt about why Christian’s mark Shrove Tuesday, incorporating celebrations from around the world. We have loved our book ‘Supertato! Carnival Catastro Pea’ as part of World Book Day. On Thursday, your child will have chosen either ‘Superatato Bubbly Troubly!’ or ‘Colours with a Ladybird’ as a book to keep. Inside you will find a book token to spend at a local bookseller. We have also been busy making a compilation video of the nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ highlighting many of the languages spoken by our staff at Roots Federation. You can find it here: https://vimeo.com/1061962878?share=copy
What a great way to say goodbye to Karen with our Mardi Gras Carnival on Friday. We wish Karen and Paul all the best in your next chapter!
Dates coming up:
Friday 14th March "Pi Day" - International Day of Mathematics - please email admin@heathlane.herts.sch.uk with a photograph of your front door/house number which we will be using for a number matching activity.
Friday 14th/21st/28th March - Electric Umbrella 1.30pm to 2.30pm, please email the office if your child doesn't normally attend on a Friday afternoon but you would like to attend with your child.
Thursday 20th March - Lockers Park Musicians to visit Heath Lane for a Music Recital.
Reminders:
If your child wears school uniform, could you please check that you have the correctly named uniform for your child. We have a number of items of uniform which have gone missing recently despite being clearly labelled.
The car park is for use by staff only - please refrain from using the car park at all times. Staff located in the building frequently require access throughout the working day.
Book & Rhyme of the week
Our next Talk for Writing Book is "The Ugly Duckling" by Mara Alperin and Sue Eastland. Next week marks the immersion phase of the EYFS Talk For Writing programme, where children will explore the story through various engaging activities. They will learn the life cycle and how to handle and care for the ducklings. This phase is crucial for developing understanding and language skills
Our key vocabulary of the text is "Creature", "Tease", "Embarass", "Elegant", "Graceful" and "Dazzling". Please see below link to story;
THE UGLY DUCKLING 🐥 Mara Alperin | Read aloud #storyoftheweek #traditionaltales
Our Rhyme of the Week for next week is: "Five Little Ducks".
In these sessions the children are also learning the Makaton signs to the lyrics.
Please find below link to the Rhyme of the Week:
Language of the week
We are lucky to have a rich and diverse community with lots of different languages. Our language of the week is Urdu, which a couple of our pupils speak. Please find below links of how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Urdu. Please practise with your child at home.
How to say “goodbye” in Urdu | How to speak “goodbye” in Urdu
Learning At Home
In our Commando Joe's sessions, we have been focusing on positivity.
Can you set your child a couple of positivity challenges at home, for example:
Helping Hands challenge - Find one thing to tidy up or help a family member.
Positivity Spirit - Run to a family member to say something kind.
Success Story of the Week
There has been lots of excitement this week surrounding the arrival of the duckling eggs. The children have been able to watch the eggs hatch and then had an opportunity to hold a duckling if they wish.
We have had "Duckling Monitors" where children have been given the responsibility of keeping the ducklings safe. This has helped the children respect the ducklings and their space and instilled confidence in those stepping up to the role.
We look forward to having the ducklings with us next week and studying how they grow, giving them a bath etc.
