Snow Day and School Closure Information

At Laurance Haines we will always endeavour to keep the school open, however on occasion, severe weather may mean that it is unsafe for children and staff to get in to school.

In order to ensure you are informed as quickly as possible of anything that may have an impact on a normal school day, we will be using a system called Everbridge.

Please take five minutes to register your details so that you can receive immediate information and updates. To sign up, please visit Everbridge and click on the “sign up” button located at the top right hand side of the page on the grey strip, and from there follow the instructions. It should take no more than five minutes to register and you can edit your information at any time should you change your mobile number or email address.

You can have two devices added for each communication type if you wish to – this means that in addition to adding your own mobile number and email address, you can include the mobile number and email address of a partner or a grandparent in your registration process. They too would then receive any messages in relation to the school’s closure. Alternatively, interested parties could register themselves separately.

If you have children at more than one school you can register for those schools too in a single registration by selecting all schools your children attend.

We will also message parents via the School Gateway app which is free to download from your app store.

With this in mind, if you think the school may be closed due to severe weather conditions, please follow the guidance below:

Check the link on Hertfordshire County Council's website www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Listen to local radio BOB FM 106.7 & 106.9
Check my twitter feed @HeadLHS
Check the LHS Facebook page www.facebook.com/Laurance.Haines.School.Official

If we are still open:

Please walk to school if it is safe and practical to do so.
If you have to drive, please drive safely and park away from the school to avoid congestion, taking care not to obstruct driveways.
Volunteer to help clear snow from the playground (bring a shovel!).

If we are closed:

Stay safe and have fun.
Keep checking our social media for regular updates.
Volunteer to help clear snow from the playground to help get the school open.

Snow Day Information

If school needs to close unexpectedly, your child's learning can still continue at home. Here are some suggestions for each year group:

Year Group	Home Learning ideas
Reception/Nursery	What shapes do you need to build a snowman? What can you make in the snow? Use your 5 senses to describe the snow What happens to the snow if you take it inside? What happens to the snow if you put some in the freezer? Why does this happen?
Year 1	Touch and look at the snow - discuss desriptve words for the look and feel etc Make different sized snowballs. Can children order them by size?
Year 2	Make a snowman or a snowball - estimate and measure how tall it is. Collect three cups full of snow - put them in different places and record how long they take to melt. Record what you find.
Year 3	Can you make footprint pictures/patterns in the snow? Go on a snow adventure walk - what do you see/hear etc? Take a photograph and write some adjectives and similies. Write a poem or setting description. Design your own sledge - How could you make it faster/slower? What materials could it be made of?
Year 4	Measure the depth of the snow in your garden. Find out about the different states of water. What sort of container would preserve the snow best? What pattern does a snowflake have? Can you find the word 'snow' in other languages? Can you find out how to make Salt snow flakes and make some? Take some pictures of the snow throughout the day of the same scene. Does the landscape stay the same?
Year 5	How many times can you watch Frozen? Can you make footprint pictures/patterns in the snow? Go on a snow adventure walk - what do you see/hear etc? Take a photograph and write some adjectives and similies. Write a poem or setting description. Design your own sledge - How could you make it faster/slower? What materials could it be made of?
Year 6	What is the strongest shape for an igloo and why? What is the best way to warm yourself up? How far can you throw a snowball?