Dear Prospective Parent/Carer,

As the start of the new academic year draws nearer, I am pleased to write to you all with some important updates to help the beginning of the Autumn term go as smoothly as possible.

Getting to and from school safely

Bus services update

From September there will be a limited 461 bus service from Molesey that will stop outside the school from the start of term. There is one service in the morning on school days which will stop outside the school at 8.12am each morning. The afternoon service towards Molesey will stop outside the school at 3.59pm. Initially there is a temporary bus stop identified by a bus stop sign, however a new permanent bus stop is planned in the near future. Please see the transport and travel section on our website for more information.

School Crossing on Waterside Drive

There is a temporary crossing controlled by traffic signals being installed on Waterside Drive so that students can cross the road safely to get to school. Similarly, if your son or daughter needs to cross Terrace Road on their journey to school, they must cross using the zebra crossing outside Grovelands School. If your child will be walking to school, please instill the importance of using these crossing points. We will be reinforcing this important message in assemblies.

Directions for drop-off and pick-up

As a school we will be working with students and parents to promote sustainable modes of travel to school e.g., walking, cycling and public transport etc. However, we are aware that there are circumstances where this may not always be possible. If you will be dropping off or collecting your son or daughter to/from school, please use the Xcel Sports Hub car park which is a short walk from the school.

Please could we ask that parents are also respectful of nearby residents when driving to school. Please do not use Franklyn Road as a drop off point, this is a private road and should not be used by school traffic.

School meals

Catering services

Hot and cold lunches will be available at lunchtimes, and snacks will be available for purchase at breaktimes.

Our new Caterer is called Accent who pride themselves on fresh, great tasting, healthy food and were chosen with the help of a willing team of Weybridge students who had the task of tasting the different menu options. We will shortly be publishing the Autumn term menu on our website. Parents will have already indicated via the Operoo online enrolment forms whether they expect their child to purchase a school meal, whether they are entitled to a free-school meal or whether they will be sent to school with a packed lunch. If your circumstances have changed and you think your child is entitled to a free meal, please complete the application form available on your child’s Operoo account as soon as possible.

Biometric (fingerprint) authentication and Wisepay accounts

We will be using a cashless system for school meals which uses a fingerprint to identify each student. In order to make this work, we will be collecting a fingerprint from each child to link to their cashless account, (permission to collect this data was requested via the online enrolment forms in July).

To top up your child’s cashless account we use an online payment system called Wisepay. Information regarding how to access Wisepay including login details are being sent to parents separately. If your child will be having school meals please ensure you add funds to their cashless account in time for the start of term. You will be able to view your child’s food purchases online via Wisepay.

Wisepay will also be used throughout the year to collect payment for trips, locker rental and other school activities.

Uniform and equipment

Uniform

Parents are reminded that our school uniform is provided by our supplier Trutex. We will be holding all children to high standards of presentation in their uniform and our expectations are outlined here: Uniform | Heathside Walton-on-Thames

Equipment

Children must come to school with a well-stocked pencil case at the beginning of each school day. This should include:
2 black pens
2 pencils
2 green pens
An eraser
A highlighter
A 30cm clear plastic ruler
A protractor
A scientific calculator (Casio FX-83GTX or equivalent)

School bags will need to be a reasonable size in order to transport books and folders to and from school.

PE lessons and the extra-curricular programme

PE lessons

PE lessons are timetabled for all classes at the beginning of the school day. This means that on the appropriate day, children will be expected to attend school in their PE kit in the morning, so that they are only required to change once. Lessons will be taking place at the Xcel Leisure Centre. These off-site PE lessons will begin from week 2, from September 12th onward. Before then, PE lessons will be used to induct and prepare the children. This means that if parents have any questions about PE kit, they may contact Mr Lebihan during the first week.

Extra-curricular program

Our extra-curricular offer will commence from the beginning of the second week of term: from September 12th onward. Students will make their choices in the first week of term. This program will run Tuesday-Thursday, 3.15-4.15pm. We anticipate working with Walton Casuals to provide football coaching sessions as part of our extra-curricular offer: parents should note that this will come with a small cost.

Parent Information Evening: 6-7:30pm Thursday September 15th

We would like to remind all parents that the next time we will see parents is at the above event. We are looking forward to inviting parents in to the mini-school; this evening will also give an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s form-tutor in person.

We are also excited to confirm that we have secured Microsoft laptop devices for all children to support their learning. The use of 1:1 devices will have a significant impact on the way that we deliver our curriculum – especially in how we set and check homework. We will be allocating these to students after we have spoken to parents about their safe use on September 15th.

The first day of school for children is Monday 5th September. We look forward to welcoming children by 8.30am. In the meantime, any questions should be directed to info@heathsidewalton.org.

Best wishes,
Mr J Clark