Dear parents

Welcome to the latest edition of the newsround up.  The children have been taking part in some wonderful learning over the past few weeks including pond dipping in our school pond, planting, dancing at the GPPSA School Disco, exploring in our Forest School, taking part in Walk to School and Mental Health Awareness Week.   The children in year 1- year 6 also enjoyed an amazing live performance of Monkey Puzzle by Toscana Strings, a string ensemble composed of violins, a viola, cello and a double bass! 

Please do look carefully at the key dates coming up next half term.  There are lots of exciting events coming up including parent workshops, school trips, Y3 & Y4 sleepovers and sports day where parents are invited to come along!  Please also save the date for the Quiz Night on Thursday 15 June 7pm (adults only) and the GPPSA Summer Fayre which is on Sunday 2 July, 11am-3pm.   More details coming soon!  

We sadly say goodbye to Clair Mullen today, who works in the school office.  Clair has secured a promotion at another school.  We thank Clair for all her hard work and wish her the very best in her new role! 

Have a wonderful half term everyone, hopefully the sun will continue to shine! See you all back on Monday 5 June.  

With my very best wishes. 

Tijen Hassan

Headteacher 

 Please click to view term dates for 2022 - 2023 

Please click to view term dates for 2023 - 2024 

A big thank you to the majority of parents who make sure their children attend school regularly! And a special hip, hip hooray to all those children who have achieved 100% attendance this half term - there are 409 children!

All parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child receives an education suitable to his/her age, ability and aptitude and any special needs. By law all children of compulsory school age (between age 5 and 16) must receive a suitable full-time education. 

Section 444 (1a) of the Education Act 1996 requires children and young people of compulsory school age to regularly attend the school at which they are on roll. Your efforts, working in partnership with the school, will ensure that your child will have the best chance to achieve their academic potential and have real opportunity in further education and the world of work. 

It will also enable your child to: 

• access the lessons needed to achieve their expected standards 

• maintain friendships and develop new ones 

• have access to enrichment and sporting events offered in school 

• explore potential careers

• develop work habits such as good punctuality which are essential to thrive in the world of employment

The mud has gone and spring has arrived which has brought another exciting term of forest school. This term has seen Nursery and year 1 joining in with our forest school days as well as all our year groups engaging with our two enrichment clubs.  Nursery have loved the open space, exploring the brush for our mini beasts. 

In Forest School this half term Early Years have been using their geographical skills to support them in exploring within the different areas of Forest School. This has included locating different spaces, finding hidden items and exploring the different terrain.

Early Years are having a wonderful time exploring the muddy, wet conditions from the April showers and have turned into mud monsters!

Year One have been developing skills in shelter building and plant identification as well as being introduced to nature-themed crafts and games. 

As the term progresses so have the activities during our enrichment clubs. Our Key Stage 2 club have developed their 'tying their knots' skills and survival skills through shelter building. We are now progressing to tool work and campfire cooking. 

We would like to congratulate all of the children for their progress in learning their times tables. We would like to take this opportunity to reinforce the importance of learning them. Please help to motivate your child at home with their effort in this crucial part of their maths journey. Outlined are the benefits of learning times tables:

1. Foundation for mathematical skills: times tables form the foundation of numerous mathematical concepts and operations, such as multiplication, division, fractions, ratios, and proportions. Mastering times tables provides a solid framework that helps in understanding and solving more complex mathematical problems.

2. Mental calculation: knowing times tables allows for faster and more accurate mental calculations. It improves mental arithmetic skills, enabling you to quickly calculate sums, products, and divisions without relying heavily on calculators or written methods. This mental agility is valuable in everyday life situations where quick calculations are required.

3. Problem-solving: proficiency in times tables enhances your problem-solving abilities. By having a strong grasp of multiplication facts, you can break down complex problems into simpler steps and approach them with confidence. It promotes critical thinking, logical reasoning, and the ability to analyse and solve mathematical and real-life problems effectively.

4. Efficiency and accuracy: when working with numbers, being fluent in times tables saves time and reduces errors. It allows you to perform calculations efficiently, whether it's in school, at work, or even while managing personal finances. Accuracy in multiplication is crucial in various fields, such as engineering, science, accounting, and many others.

5. Building maths confidence: learning times tables boosts your confidence in mathematics. When you have a solid understanding of multiplication facts, you feel more comfortable tackling maths-related tasks. This confidence positively impacts overall maths performance, encourages further exploration, and opens doors to advanced mathematical concepts and disciplines.

6. Practical applications: times tables are not limited to the classroom. They have practical applications in everyday life. From calculating shopping bills and determining discounts to measuring ingredients in recipes and managing time and schedules, multiplication skills are utilised in numerous real-life situations. By mastering times tables, you become more equipped to handle these practical applications effortlessly.

Remember, learning times tables is not solely about memorisation. It is about understanding the patterns and relationships within numbers, developing a conceptual understanding of multiplication, and applying this knowledge to various mathematical and real-world scenarios. Embracing the importance of times tables sets the stage for a lifetime of mathematical success and opens doors to countless opportunities.

So, help your child(ren) to embrace the challenge, encourage regular practice, and hopefully they will enjoy the journey of mastering their times tables. It will undoubtedly benefit them academically, intellectually, and in their day-to-day lives.

Half term activities for free school meal children are available.  These are fun, free activities available with a hot lunch provided.  Click below for more information: 

https://www.enfield.gov.uk/services/leisure-and-culture/half-term-activities-for-free-school-meal-children

From Saturday 3rd June, our Foodbank opening hours will be 11am-1pm on Saturdays only. There is no change to our opening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which will remain open from 11am-3pm.

We are also pleased to announce that we have reopened our foodbank cafe area for clients. This means that clients will have a safe space when they come to collect their food parcels to wait and have some free refreshments if they choose to. This will also allow for more effective signposting for those that need further support. Please spread the word when referring your clients to us. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

North Enfield Foodbank Team

07826 542 119 (Client Contact Number)

07748 633155 (Organisation & Referral Agency Contact Number Only)

referrals@northenfield.foodbank.org.uk

We are a large primary school with a thriving community in Winchmore Hill.  We have classrooms of varying sizes and halls within the school that can be used in the evenings after 4.30pm and on a Saturday until 2pm for clubs or childrens parties.

If you are interested in hiring a space please contact lettings@grangeparkprimary.org with details of your proposed club or event. We will then confirm cost and availability.

That’s why, at Grange Park, we always include Mental Health Awareness Weeks to ensure that our children’s wellbeing and mental health is at the forefront of all staff's minds so that they can support our children and give them the opportunity to reach out if they need to.

We are an ‘ELSA’ (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) certified school which means that we have an in-school resource to support the social, emotional and mental health of children in our school. Please ask your child’s class teacher for more details about this resource should you wish. If you have any concerns about your child’s mental well being, contact the school office on:  office@grangeparkprimary.org  and our Learning Mentors (Clare Halliday or Claire Hollingbery) or SENCo (Karen Ayres) will be in touch with you.

Click here for more information and support on anxiety. 

Please also bear in mind the initiatives that are available year round:

• Amazon Smile - we would like to encourage parents to use Amazon smile when making online purchase through Amazon (where Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the GPPSA) search = Grange Park Primary School Association 

• School lotto:  www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/grange-park-primary-school-association 

• Donate page - http://easydonate.org/HTDT006 

Click to go to our GPPSA page 

GPPSA - Looking to Help? 

The GPPSA would like to remind all that without your support none of the fundraising is possible. If you would like to get more involved please let us know at gppsa@hotmail.co.uk or speak to any of the committee directly.

We have a WhatsApp helpers group where information is shared and everyone is welcome to join! Please contact us to find out more.

Please also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @Grangeparkprimaryassociation.

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM ALL ON THE GPPSA COMMITTEE!

The children in Acorn class have been experimenting with bubbles using different equipment to blow and explore different shaped bubbles.

We’ve been learning new printing techniques using different shapes to create these colourful printed pictures. 

We had great fun taking part in a sink or float workshop looking at different objects and deciding whether they would sink or float. Then creating our own boats out of foil and testing them in the water.

Reception were very lucky to have Hands on Science deliver an exciting workshop called, ‘Will it float?’ this week. The children started by sorting objects into three categories: Will it float? Always, sometimes or never. They discussed why some objects float and why some do not. They used key vocabulary such as heavy, light, buoyancy, air, float and sink. The children also discussed the materials and wondered if the type of material an object is made from makes a difference. They decided that this was important but that boats are made of heavy materials such as metal and wood so perhaps the shape of an object is important too. The children made predictions about materials such as plasticine and tin foil. After lots of experimenting the children found by changing the shape of the plasticine and tin foil that, sometimes it sank and sometimes it floated. After successfully making boats that floated the children challenged each other to see how many metal nuts their boats could hold.

This half term our focus artist is Van Gogh, taking specific inspiration from his artwork: Sunflowers. Tulip class enjoyed practising their sketching skills and pressing lightly with the pencil so that when they added their chosen colour the pencil lines did not show through- although this was very tricky! The children then choose which media they would like to use to complete their artwork. Most children chose either pencil, colouring pencils, watercolor paint or oil pastels. As we are Tulip class the children also decided to create some wonderful tulip artwork inspired by Van Gogh.

Year 1 have been busy exploring forest schools on our school grounds. Children spent the whole day outside taking part in a number of exciting activities. The children thoroughly enjoyed their experience.
‘I really had fun in the team building games’ - Amari - Dragonfly

‘I enjoyed using the mud kitchen’ - Leni - Dragonfly

‘I really liked making dolls using sticks’ - Audrey- Ladybird

In art, Year 2 children have been exploring the work of the artist Henri Rousseau.  We know that he composed paintings inspired by tropical rainforests and jungles despite having never seen a real one. We learnt that his work was inspired by the botanical gardens in Paris and mainly from his imagination. So far, we have closely observed various leaves, flowers and tropical plants to contribute towards a Madagascan jungle collage. We have been developing different skills including observation, sketching, painting, smudging and crumpling. Take a look at our amazing work so far!

In Design and Technology, Year 3 have been investigating nets ready to make our Egyptian ‘Keepsake’ boxes. We used net templates made from linked 2D shapes to create 3D shapes from card.  To do this, we had to apply careful cutting techniques as well as scoring and folding to ensure our 3D shapes were accurate and straight.  We also used rulers to ensure our scoring and folding was straight along the line before glueing the net flaps and holding in place to construct a solid shape.

Within our RE lessons, Year 4 have been learning about different religious and non-religious charities. We have researched what the charities do, who they support and some of the religious stories that they can be linked to. A Christian charity called Christian Aid can be linked to the religious story ‘A Good Samaritan’ and the Muslim Charity can be linked to the Islamic story of the Crying Camel, since they have projects supporting animals.

In our RE unit this term, we have been discussing what faith means to us? We discussed when at times, we have shown more faith during certain challenging times in our personal lives, as well as in school. The children created their own artistic interpretation of faith, using a range of mixed mediums such as collage, watercolours and technology. 

Dear year 6 superstars,

I hope this message finds you all beaming with pride and excitement, for I have the utmost pleasure of congratulating each and every one of you on your incredible efforts in the build-up and during the tests. The dedication, perseverance, and hard work you have displayed is truly commendable!

In the weeks and months leading up to the tests, you showed immense resilience and determination. You have tackled challenging concepts, studied diligently, and pushed yourselves to new heights of understanding. Your commitment to your education and the progress you have made is truly remarkable, and you should be immensely proud of yourselves.

Now, as the results approach, I want to emphasise something very important: regardless of the outcome, you are all extraordinary individuals. These tests are just one way of assessing your academic progress, but they do not define your intelligence, character or worth. Your efforts and growth throughout this journey are what truly matter.

Remember, you are so much more than numbers on a test paper. Your talents, skills, creativity, and unique qualities extend far beyond any assessment. The experiences you've had, the friendships you've forged, and the lessons you've learned are what shape you into the remarkable individuals you are becoming.

Each one of you has demonstrated a willingness to learn, a thirst for knowledge, and the courage to face challenges head-on. These qualities will continue to serve you well in all aspects of life, not just in academics. Your ability to think critically, solve problems, and persevere in the face of adversity is what will truly make a difference as you move forward.

So, when the results arrive, I urge you not to worry or let them define your worth. Celebrate your efforts, your growth, and the progress you have made. Reflect on the journey you have embarked upon, the friendships you have fostered, and the knowledge you have gained. Those are the true measures of success.

No matter what the results may be, always remember that you are capable of greatness. Your value lies in your character, your compassion, your resilience, and your passion for learning. These are the qualities that will lead you to accomplish extraordinary things and make a positive impact on the world around you.

I am immensely proud of each and every one of you. Your efforts and commitment have not gone unnoticed, and they will continue to shape your future successes. So, celebrate your achievements, embrace your uniqueness, and never stop believing in your abilities.

With heartfelt admiration,

Ian