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

• Harvest Service - Monday 5th October 2:45

  Tue 15 Sep 2015
   Our School Harvest Service will be held on Monday 5th October, at Hampsthwaite's St Thomas-a-Becket Church.
  
  The service will be from 2:45-3:15. All children from Reception to Year 6 will be taking part, and parents, carers, family and friends are most welcome to come and join us. Please note the date of Monday 5th October has now been confirmed, and this is a change to the original date given out in the white letter on the first day of term.
  
  We hope to see you in church on 5th! 

• Welcome back to a new school year!

  Wed 09 Sep 2015
  We have had a super start to the new school year - we have been delighted to welcome new children into our Nursery and Reception classes, and it is lovely to see all the children settled well into their new year groups throughout the school.
  There are lots of exciting events to look forward to this term - please check your child's class Learning Letter for information about their theme and learning this term, and check our Calendar of dates for activities going on in school.

• Well done and best wishes Year 6!

  Wed 15 Jul 2015
  What a brilliant leaver's assembly we had today. All the Year 6 memories, pictures, funny moments.... We are all very proud of everything our Year 6 have achieved during their years at Hampsthwaite school, and we wish them well for the next steps they take from here.
  
   

  

• Well done everyone for a fantastic Sports Day

  Wed 24 Jun 2015

  All the staff are really proud of the way everyone took part so positively in our Sports Day activities. The day began with the Hampsthwaite Mile, and every child in school completed this with great enthusiasm! In the afternoon we welcomed parents to our Sports Day activities, which included collaborative games, challenges and team tasks as well as traditional running races, sack races and egg and spoon. All children put their best effort in, and it was great to see so much encouragement and genuine sportsmanship between the children.
  Well done to Swaledale (Red Team) who accumulated a massive 193 points during the day, to become the overall winners of Sports Day 2015.

  
  Do have a look at our Sports Day photos in our Gallery.  

• Rearrangement of Sports Day to Wednesday 24th June

  Mon 22 Jun 2015
   Unfortunately we had to take the decision this morning to cancel sports day due to the unexpected rainfall in the morning, which meant the grass was wet and slippery, and with overcast conditions and a forecast of heavy showers for the afternoon, it looked unlikely that conditions underfoot would improve.
   
  I am sure you will appreciate that the British weather is never straightforward, and we can only act on the best information we have at the time to make these decisions.
   
  The forecast for this week is saying that drier fair weather is likely midweek, whereas the forecast for Friday has been consistently for persistent light rain.
   
  I have proposed Wednesday as an alternative date for Sports Day because this is the only day possible within the constraints of other events going on (Y6 out at Crucial Crew tomorrow, and Y5/6 inter-school athletics on Thursday). Previously, Y5/6 were due to be orienteering on Wednesday, but this event has been changed which is why Wednesday has now become a possibility.
   
  This is a very difficult decision, and must be made as a balance of judgement to try to make the best of our British summer weather. If we do not take the opportunity to hold Sports Day on Wednesday, there is a risk we may not have a sports day at all, because of the forecast of wet weather for Friday.
   
  I apologise to those parents who had made arrangements to be available for Monday and Friday and may not be able to join us on Wednesday. We have to consider how disappointing it would be if we were to let fine weather go by on Wednesday and then end up not having a sports day at all due to rain on Friday. Another advantage to Wednesday is that if it is wet on Wednesday, we still have Friday as a final opportunity!  
   
  Thank you for your understanding on this (always!) tricky decision. Fingers crossed for good weather on Wednesday, and we hope many of you will still be able to join us to support our sports day celebrations.

• Parent Governor election result

  Tue 19 May 2015
  Thank you to our candidates for putting themselves forward for the important role of Parent Governor, and thank you also to all parents who took the time to return ballot papers.
  Both candidates received a sizeable share of the vote, with Eloise Willis being the overall winner. Congratulations to Ellie, we look forward to you working with us on the Governing Body.   

• Nepal earthquake appeal - £93 raised by CTA

  Fri 01 May 2015
  Our Y6 CTA organised a special Cake Bake on Friday 1st May, to raise money for the victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal. CTA did a great job, providing the cakes and then running the stall after school. Every single cake was sold, and they raised a fantastic £93, which will go to the Oxfam Emergency Relief appeal for Nepal.
  Well done to all the children in our CTA for responding to this important event and raising so much for the charity appeal. 

• £82.30 Raised for Comic Relief

  Sun 15 Mar 2015
  Well done to all the children on our CTA, who organised activities for Red Nose day on 13th March 2015. With their 'Design a Red Nose' paper plate competition and a Red Nose themed Cake Bake, they raised £82.30 for the Comic Relief charity. And, as a school donation, it will be doubled by the Government this year. Well done for some super fundraising! 

• Fantastic performance at Young Voices concert

  Mon 26 Jan 2015
  Our Junior children had a great time at our Young Voices concert on 23rd January. Joining with 4600 children from schools all around the country, we formed a huge choir, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Well done to everyone for all the hard work of learning the songs, practising singing and dance moves - this meant we could really enjoy the evening and make the most of every minute.
  Have a look at our Gallery for pictures of the concert.

• School open despite snowy weather, but Sheffield Young Voices trip cancelled.

  Wed 21 Jan 2015
  School was able to remain open as normal on Wednesday, despite the wintry conditions. Advice was given to take great care if travelling in to school, and for families to arrive when they could.
  
  Due to the snowy weather, we did not attend the Sheffield Young Voices concert in the evening. In South Yorkshire, the conditions were forecast to be worse than Hampsthwaite, with schools closed and transport delays. The forecast for the Sheffield area was for snow and sleet to continue through the day, with wintry showers increasing in the afternoon and evening. The Young Voices organisers were informed that we were unable to attend. We hoped that if sufficient schools were in the same position, they would arrange to postpone the concert to another date.
  
  Parents were thanked for their understanding, as it is important that the safety of our children is the highest priority in all of these decisions.
  
  Mr Phoenix