Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• KCSP - Easter newsletter

  Thu 30 Mar 2023

  We are delighted to share the KCSP Easter newsletter:

  Click here to access the KCSP Easter newsletter

  

• Stargazing - Science week

  Fri 24 Mar 2023

  Linking with Science Week in school, it was wonderful to see pupils attending our second ‘Stargazing’ event; the stars and the weather finally aligned to allow us to reschedule for last week!  

   

  It was truly fascinating to be able to locate Jupiter and mind-blowing to try and understand how far away this is!  Mrs Brenton, as science lead in school, is hoping to hold similar events in the future and as the The Ogden Trust Hub school for KCSP, I am delighted we can lead the way for the Trust involvement and excellence in Science.

  

• Kent Life - Year 1 and Year 2 school trip

  Fri 17 Mar 2023

  Year 1 and Year 2 had a wonderful school trip on Wednesday this week to Kent Life where they participated in the ' Victorian Day' workshops. With the opportunity to experience ' wash day' with wash boards, soap and darning, Victorian schooling using slates and chalk as well as the chance to visit the historic houses and push the carts that were pulled by horses. It was quite an enlightening day - no electronics anywhere!

  

• After-School Clubs term 5 - booking now open

  Fri 17 Mar 2023

  17^th March 2023

  After – School Clubs term 5 – 17^th April 2023 – 25^th May 2023

  The year groups eligible to attend After-School clubs from term 5 have changed and Science club has finished.  We are delighted to offer Reception class their first After-School club opportunity.

   

  Please see below the clubs available to book for term 5 via the link: https://forms.office.com/e/1xQzmSCsYA

   

  Club                                       Date                                                   Year groups 

   

  Multi Sports club                   Tuesday 3.15pm – 4.15pm               Year 1 and Year 2

   

  Times Tables fun club          Tuesday 3.15pm – 4.15pm               Year 3 and year 4

   

  Musical Theatre                    Wednesday 3.30pm – 4.30pm        All year groups        

  External club, payment required – use this link to apply: https://app.classmanager.com/portal/kent-academy-of-musical-theatre/register

   

  Multi Sports Club                  Thursday 3.15pm – 4.15pm              Reception class

   

  Computing Club                  Thursday 3.15pm – 4.15pm              All year groups –

              20 spaces only

   

  Kind regards

  Sarah Ottembrajt

  Area Business Manager

• The 'Hungry Caterpillar' Workshop

  Thu 16 Mar 2023

  EYFS have continued with their theme for this term by looking at Butterflies. This has involved designing and making habitats but they have also had an amazing visit from our catering providers, Chartwells.

   

  In tandem with our drive of healthy eating and encouraging pupils to experience different foods, a ' Hungry Caterpillar' workshop took place that allowed pupils to ' design' their own caterpillar using various fruits and vegetables. The challenge being to make a ' healthy plate' but also create a caterpillar or butterfly. The next challenge was to eat the items they has chosen! It was a fantastic workshop with lots of fun and laughter while allowing pupils to experience new, healthy foods in a non pressured environment. Great fun!

  

• Tik-Tok - guidance for parents

  Tue 14 Mar 2023

  TIKTOK IS AN APP THAT GIVES USERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE AND SHARE
  SHORT-FORM VIDEOS WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND THE ENTIRE WORLD. THE
  APP IS ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, WHO ENJOY USING ITS TOOLS TO COMBINE VIDEO, MUSIC, AND GRAPHICS INTO FUNNY SKETCHES AND CREATIVE
  SHORTS.

   

  Please see the latest guidance for parents on our school 'Online Safety' page:

  https://www.holyfamily.kent.sch.uk/online-safety/

  

• KCSP Trust online science day

  Fri 10 Mar 2023

  The KCSP Trust ' online science day' took place today and saw over 20 KCSP primary schools join an online presentation lesson and then take part in practical experiments in class.
  
  Year 4 built a seismology experiment - does the ground move in our classroom? This saw lots of jumping up and down and monitoring!

  
  KS1 and EYFS were given the chance to understand more about how a bird builds a nest with the opportunity to then build their own with materials collected from the school field. They also had an amazing time experimenting with dyes and absorbent material to see diffusion in action.

  
  But did year 5 and 6 have the best day of all the classes? They were digging up worms to categories the different species with the chance to then build a wormery in the afternoon! A fascinating day for all concerned.

  

• Ideas for Easter Half term and HAF detail

  Thu 09 Mar 2023

  Aylesford Priory - Easter Egg hunt - £3 book in advance or £4 on the day

  https://www.visitmaidstone.com/whats-on/easter-egg-hunt-p305341

   

  Maidstone Museum - arts and crafts events

  https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/whats-on/events/

   

  Maidstone Leisure Centre - activites

  https://www.maidstoneleisure.com/school-holiday-activities/

   

  HAF detail and booking information - See Photos

  https://www.holyfamily.kent.sch.uk/reconnect-and-haf-activities-information/

   

  Coding Giants - free coding workshops online:

  Coding Giants — coding for children

   

  Maidstone Libraries service - activities in all libraries - see picture:

  https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/libraries 

   

  

• Parents meeting - 22nd and 23rd March

  Wed 08 Mar 2023

   

  Parents’ Evening Term 4 2022-2023 - Online Appointment Booking

  Wednesday 22^nd March 3pm – 5.30pm

  Or

  Thursday 23^rd March 3pm – 5.30pm

   

  I would like to invite you to attend our Parents’ Evening on 23^rd or 24^th March. This is an important evening and provides you with an opportunity to discuss your child’s educational journey, their current attitude to learning and how, as parents, you can continue to support this journey at home. 

   

  All Year 6 children are expected to attend with their parent/ carer as part of the secondary ready process.

   

  The school has introduced a new and easy to use online appointment booking system. This allows you to choose your own appointment times with teachers and you will receive an email confirming your appointments. We are confident this will be an improvement to the previous system and welcome any feedback.

   

  Appointments can be made from 6^th March at midday and will close on 21^st March at 3pm. Should you wish to make any changes after this date please contact the school office.  

   

  Use this link to book your appointment: https://thfcps.schoolcloud.co.uk

   

  If you do not have access to the internet or have difficulty logging on please contact the school office.

  Yours sincerely

  Mrs Underhill

  Academy Principal

• How to support reading at home with your child

  Tue 07 Mar 2023

  Reading At Home With Your Child

  It is vitally important to your child’s education to get into the habit of having your child read to you every day. Here are some top tips:

   

  • If it’s a new book, always start by having a look at the book’s cover, title, pictures and characters.
  • The book your child is sent home with will be of the correct level for them, whether it’s a phonics book or one from the Accelerated Reader library. Struggling with a book with lots of unknown words is pointless for your child. Flow gets lost and meaning can’t be understood.
  • With a phonics book, when your child tries to 'sound out' words, please remember to use phonetic letter sounds rather than 'alphabet names'. So for ‘cat’ you’d say c-a-t; not CAT.
  • Don’t pressurise if they’re reluctant. If your child loses interest, then do something else and come back to it at a better time.
  • Maintain the flow. If your child mispronounces a word don’t interrupt immediately. Instead allow opportunity for self-correction. Use the pause, prompt, praise technique. If they make a mistake, pause for a few seconds to see if they self-correct, then prompt by asking: “Does that makes sense?” Or give the sound they’re struggling with, or help them sound it out. Then praise them for finishing the page or trying hard.
  • Be positive. If your child says something nearly right to start with, that’s fine. Don't say “No, that's wrong,” but “Let's read it together”, and point to the sounds/words as you say them. Only help if they’re really stuck and boost your child's confidence with constant praise for even the smallest achievement.
  • Remember, there’s more to being a good reader than just being able to read the words accurately. Always talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters and ask them what their favourite part was. You’ll then be able to see how well they’ve understood and help them develop better comprehension skills.
  •  

  If you would like any further help with understanding phonics or reading at home in general, please don’t hesitate to talk to Mrs Baker, Mrs Harris or your child’s class teacher.