Newsletters

Please keep up to date with all the news happening in school at the moment and click a headline to read more.

• Week beginning 27th February 2023

  Sat 25 Feb 2023

  PTA Disco: firstly, thank you to our wonderful PTA for organising the school discos on Friday night. The children all appeared to be having a great time and we hope they enjoyed dancing the night away with their friends. It is shared experiences like these that help to build ‘connections’ – one of the 5 ways to Wellbeing all whilst raising much needed funds for the school. Thank you to Steph Roach and her team of helpers and volunteers for making events like this possible.

  National Thinking Day
  On Wednesday, our Unformed Organisations came to school, proudly whilst appreciating other countries and cultures, and increasing awareness on global issues. Here they all are, looking splendid!

  Book Week: thank you also to the wonderful author Paul Geraghty who spent the day with us on Friday inspiring the children; filling the hall with laughter and fun. This was the perfect way to launch our book week which starts on Monday.
  During the week the children will be having lots of opportunities to read for pleasure and to take part in fun events including: a decorated cake competition (children to decorate a cake linked to a book) These should be brought to school on Monday and, after being judged for prize winners, will be sold after school at a cake sale. The profit from this event will be used to purchase new reading books for the children so please do support if you can!
  On Wednesday, at 2:40pm, parents are invited to come and join their child in class for a ‘STOP EVERYTHING AND READ’ session!  (This will be on Friday at 2:40pm for the children in Year 2 due to afternoon swimming lessons) We love seeing families share a book together and what better role models could we provide to our children than letting them see our school community PACKED with adults and children who love reading.
  Lastly, on Friday, the children may wish to come to school dressed as a character from a book. Staff and children participate in this event, if your child wishes to join in with this, we would love to see them in their costumes.
  There will also be an ongoing opportunity moving forward for children in Years R, 1, 2 and 3 to attend a reading club on a Wednesday lunchtime. This is being led by some of our children in Year 6 (and Mrs Sinclair) who will listen to the younger children in our school read. Please do encourage your children to attend every now and then! Our enormous thanks go to Mrs Farr, our Reading Lead for organising what we know will be a very exciting and fun week.

  CSMA Infant and Junior Choirs: our Infant and Junior CSMA choirs both have a rehearsal at The Fairfield Halls on Tuesday the 28^th. You will have received a letter about this from Miss Slade with further details. The Junior rehearsal is in the morning from 10:00-12.30pm and the Infant rehearsal is in the afternoon from 1:00-3:00pm. They will be travelling on public transport to and from this event.  If you are available to be a parent helper on these visits please do make yourself known to us. Thank you. Tickets for these events are now on sale via the Fairfield Halls and can be purchased on line or by telephone.

  National Offer Day: Wednesday 1^st of March is national offer day where our Year 6 children find out their secondary school. Once we know where children will be heading in September, we begin to support the transition process with our local schools. Please do reach out to us if your child is upset with their allocated school so we can provide them with emotional support.

  NEU Strike: on Thursday 2^nd March, there is a possibility that our school may be impacted by the NEU teacher industrial action. A full risk assessment is being conducted at present to ascertain if the school can open or partially open, safely. We will confirm arrangements with you as soon as we possibly can. This can be tricky to do as staff members are not required to disclose their intention to strike. We will be in touch again.

  Swimming Gala: on Friday, some children will be participating in the Croydon School’s swimming Gala at Trinity School. Those who have been selected have received a letter notifying them of arrangements for this event. Our thanks go to Miss Browne and Mrs Aamir for the hard work that has been put into preparing the children for this event. Go team Hayes! Be the Best you can be!

  Calm Club: lastly, we are delighted to let you know about a new lunch time club which has been arranged by our AMAZING Year 5 Mental Health Champions. This club is called the CALM CLUB and it provides a safe and quiet place for children to stop in during the lunch hour if they have any worries or problems during the lunch break (12:30-1:10pm). Before the half term, our mental health champions undertook research with children across the school about what helps them to calm down when they are worried, anxious or upset. They then placed an order for some items including worry monsters, fiddle toys, yoga equipment, a speaker (to listen to relaxing/meditation music) colouring materials and jigsaws among other things. Many thanks to our PTA for their generous donation which has funded this initiative, thank you. Children can self-refer if they feel they need support or be encouraged by staff to attend if they are dysregulated in their behaviours.
  At all times the club will have a Mental Health First Aider on site (Mrs Olley or Mrs Rich) to support the children. We are really proud of our mental health first aiders for leading this peer support across the school, they are willingly giving their time (one day a week) to support others.  Future Leaders no doubt!
  Many, many thanks also to Mrs Olley and Mrs Rich who are the pioneers behind this!  

   Have a great rest of the weekend. Thank you for your ongoing support.​
  The Hayes Team

   

  

• Week beginning 20th Feb 2023

  Mon 13 Feb 2023

  Week Beginning Monday 20^th February 2023

  It is half term holiday! The children have one week off and will return to school on Monday 20^th February, we hope you have a great rest. Huge thank you to our wonderful staff at this time- always going the extra mile. Please have a well-deserved break as well! You are all superstars!

  Last week in school, we were celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week with the theme ‘Let’s connect’. The children spent time thinking about people and places that they feel connected to. We identified one child in each class who makes positive and kind connections to those around them. Those chosen were awarded with a special prize in assembly on Friday. We are PROUD to celebrate their KINDNESS. Additionally, as always on Friday, we were all outside at break to dance and enjoy the music for Funky Friday, from Macarena to YMCA! A huge thank you to Mrs Olley who organised the week and Mrs Staines who had the idea of kind connections. Great ideas!

  On Wednesday, Class 9 led a wonderful class assembly which was all about Kindness. Their singing, acting and dancing were fantastic with a clear moral to the story. Do not be like the Emperor (who had new clothes), he was unkind and conceited (although the child who took this role is far from this), be proud of what you do but do not make a fuss, do not get too big for your boots (words from a child in Year 5!)

  Football News: our mixed team have had a great half term, beating Oakwood 4-1 and Oasis Byron 8-1; a close game against Ridgeway who won 3-2 and on Thursday, beating St David’s 3-0! Amazing scores – well done Team, you are all amazing and thank you to their coaches, Miss Hale and Mr Clottey!

  Thank you to our PTA for hosting our Valentines cake sale/ World Book Day costume sale after school, on Friday and to those of you who baked for this event or supported by buying cakes- the cakes looked amazing! We will let you know how much was raised asap.

  Other PTA dates for your diary:
  *Friday 24^th February: Discos (see photo for rest of dates).

  Next term, on Friday 10^th March, we will be visited by a professional basketball player called Pierre-Henry Fontaine. To learn more about Pierre you can use this link The Hayes Primary School Fundraiser - a Community crowdfunding project in Kenley by Sports For Champions UK (CIC) (crowdfunder.co.uk). He will be leading sponsored fitness events with the children and aiming to inspire them to be physically and mentally active. On Friday, your children will have brought home a sponsorship form.  If you are able, please do encourage the children to collect sponsors for this event as the school will also benefit from this fundraising initiative, raising funds for new PE equipment for the school.

  A message from our Reading Leader, Mrs Farr: we are excited to welcome to our school, award winning children's author Paul Geraghty! He will be visiting on Friday 24th February to carry out workshops with the children throughout the day, and share some of his amazing illustrations. He will also be selling his books after school for £7 each and will offer book signings too! We hope you are able to come along and meet him- please come to the stage on the playground to meet Paul and to buy a signed book!
  The following week, will see the start of our Book Week to celebrate World Book Day! We have the popular Cake Sale Competition after school on Monday 27th February in which we invite children to bring in cakes or cupcakes decorated in the style of their favourite story. Please bring cakes into school on the morning of Monday 27th February ready to be sold after school. Cakes will be judged and winners announced at the end of the week. Come and enjoy a 'Stop and Read' at 2:30pm on Wednesday 1st March where we invite you to come into school and share a story with your child/children in their classroom

  Friday 3rd March is our Dress Up Day where we invite children to bring in £1 and dress up in the style of their favourite book or story character. ​All proceeds made during our Book Week will go towards new texts for our children to read and enjoy.

  Share Your Creativity in the Great Outdoors Photography Competition

  Each season we run the Great Outdoors Seasonal photography competition. It is now Winter (until 20^th March), so, get out in the great outdoors and enjoy the wonders of nature and wildlife around us!

  What to do: take a photograph that celebrates winter as you see it. Photos should feature landscape or portrait photographs of natural settings. It can be of wildlife, woodland, seascape – of anything that depicts winter at its finest.
  Equipment: the photo can be taken on a tablet, phone or camera.
  Winners: there will be one winner from each Phase: EYFS, KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2.

  Prizes: winning photos will take pride of place in our news bulletin, website and Twitter pages. The winning photos will be displayed in a large frame in the school corridor in the form of a collage.

  Terms and Conditions

  *Photograph to be taken by a child (not adult) on either a camera, tablet or smart phone.

  *One entry per child.
  *Photo to have a title.

  *Entrants email to Mrs Staines: wstaines.306@lgflmail.org who is the administrator for this exciting, new competition.
  *With entries (jpg), please state name of child and class.
  *Closing date: Friday 17^th March, 12pm
  *Judges: our School Council, Governors and Miss Slade.

   

  Ahead of next term, please may we ask/remind you that:

  *Children are not permitted to bring PRIME water bottles into school. We know that this is a popular drink with young people at the moment but they are not appropriate for school, please do not allow your child to use these bottles for their school drink even if they are filled with regular water.

  *Snacks for breaktime should be fruit or vegetables only (unless an alternative is agreed with the school due to an allergy/medical issue). We are a healthy school and do not permit biscuits/crisps as a snack. We do not teach the children that alternative options are ‘bad’ choices and very much promote an everything during moderation approach. However, during the school day we promote healthy choices and appreciate your support in this regard.
  *If your child is in KS2 and bringing a pencil case to school, please can you ensure that this is a plain pencil case with basic supplies only. Many children are being distracted in class with novelty pencil cases and flashy equipment. Please keep these basic. Thank you!

  
  That just leaves us to say, enjoy the half term holiday and stay safe!

  The Hayes Team.

  

• Week beginning 6th February 2023

  Sun 05 Feb 2023

  Week Beginning 6^th February 2023

  Congratulations to Class 4 who led an amazing assembly on Continents and Oceans, on Thursday. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about the 7 continents and the song was great which helped us to remember them all! The children were armed with amazing facts, knowledge and some of the language spoken in these areas and the parents/carers even joined in by stating their favourite continent! Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America, in case you didn’t remember! We also learned about the Oceans: Arctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian, and Southern oceans. Fabulous, Class 4!

   

  A message from Mrs Farr, Reading and Reception Lead:
  World Book Day dress up day is Friday 3rd March where we invite children to come dressed as a favourite character from a story (early reminder so you can start to think about costumes!) Further details about our Book Week will be shared soon! £1 donation which will go towards children’s books in school.
  Reception are looking to speak to anyone who is in a profession that would be considered ‘People who help us’, eg: doctors, nurses, dentists, vets, veterinary nurses, firefighters, construction workers, food delivery, industry workers, etc. If you feel your career fits into this category or you know someone’s that does, we would love to hear from you. Please contact the office and email for the attention of Mrs Farr.

  This week we say ‘Goodbye’ to an amazing Teaching Assistant, Mrs Sanchez, who currently works with our Y5 classes, two days a week. Mrs Sanchez has been associated with The Hayes for more than 15 years, when her eldest child started in Reception. She volunteered for swimming and reading, then worked as a midday supervisor and then Teaching Assistant. She has worked with classes and small groups throughout the school and has achieved so much over this long time. The children will miss her greatly, as will all the family at The Hayes. We know that Mrs Sanchez will excel in her Pastoral Services Officer role in a Secondary School in Wallington.

  Children’s Mental Health Week: next week is Children’s Mental Health Week with the theme ‘Let’s Connect!’. 'Let's Connect' is about helping children to understand the importance of developing meaningful connections with others, something that is vital for our wellbeing. Healthy connections to friends, families and others can support our mental health and sense of wellbeing. Without connections, people can feel isolated and lonely which can, for obvious reasons, have a negative impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Throughout the week we will be supporting the children to reflect upon the meaningful connections they have with others – this could be connections to people, places or animals for example. We will also be teaching them how they can support others who may be feeling lonely or isolated by being a kind friend.  Shared experiences also help us to connect with one another and on Friday break time, to mark the end of the week, there will be party dances led by staff on the playground for children to join in with. Let’s connect, have fun and be kind to each other! Please can we remind you that our school have 2 trained Mental Health First Aiders who are always willing to meet with you to offer their support. If you are worried about your child’s wellbeing or mental health, please do send an email to deputy@hayesprimary.croydon.sch.uk so we can discuss options for support.

  Swimming: a reminder that if your child is not well enough to swim, they must bring in a letter, or they will have to take part in the lesson.

  Drumming: Sam, our new percussion tutor came to school on Friday to demo the drumkit to our children in KS1 and KS2. If your child would like to learn the drumkit, please click here to sign up to Croydon Music and Arts! We hope that Sam can join our school as soon as possible!

   

  What is happening this week?

  Tuesday 7th is Safer Internet Day and the theme is ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’. Throughout the day, the children will be learning about how to be safe online and how they can get support if they feel they need it. Thank you to our computing lead, Miss Moll for co-ordinating the activities for this event, alongside the excellent workshops, last week.

  Wednesday 8^th is Class 9’s assembly, we all look forward to this! Doors open at 9:10am.

  On Thursday, the children in the Junior children who are participating in the CSMA concert, have a rehearsal in our school hall with other schools from the local area. If your child is involved in this, please collect them from the foyer door at 3:30pm.

  Netball Coach Trial: on Thursday, we are fortunate to have a student from Riddlesdown 6^th Form College to trial as our netball coach. On Monday, from 930am, there will be a sign-up sheet on ParentPay which will close after 18 children have applied. If everything goes according to plan, we will continue to provide coaching, after half term. Open to Years 4, 5 and 6.

  Home football match vs St Davids School. 345pm kick off.

  On Friday, we break up for half term, marking the half way point of this academic year. At the end of the day, there will be a Valentines bake sale and a second-hand world book day costume sale (depending on donations) in the playground, organised by the PTA. If you are able to bake for this event or wish to donate any shop bought cakes, all donations will be gratefully received by the PTA on Friday morning. If you wish to purchase cakes after school, prices start from just 50p. We thank our PTA for organising this event which will raise much needed funds for our children.

   

  Children return back to school on Monday 20^th February.
  Please have a safe and happy half term break when it comes.