December 2020

Most improved attendance - £25 Amazon voucher:

Poppy Storer 5MW

Zak Walter 6BP

Maya-Laila Hussain 4TH

Eliza Javed 2SJ

2020 Challenge winners - £10 Amazon voucher:

Hibba Noor (Nursery)

Tamsin Dumitruscu (REK)

Bokoli Kalaki (1HM)

Khizer Ali (2SJ)

Destiny Warren (3MC)

Tara Bishop (4SH)

Sophie Simpson (5NW)

Armaan Nawaz (6BP)

As the term and 2020 comes to a close, I would like to wish you and your family, on behalf of everyone at Lea Forest Primary Academy, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2020 has been a very challenging year for so many and one that we will, in lots of ways, be pleased to put behind us. But at the same time, it has also been a year that has seen us come closer together and stronger as a community. Your resilience, support and big heartedness through the adversities and disappointments has been inspiring.

Whilst the pandemic will continue to challenge us in 2021, the New Year brings with it a sense of hope and a new beginning. With that in mind, we will be launching our Remarkable World competitions early January.

Christmas will be different for all of us this year, but I do hope that you manage to spend time with loved ones and enjoy the festive period ready for a 2021 full of hope and promise.

Here’s a link to our staff Christmas Song: Last Christmas!

Christmas Performances

We have recorded our Early Years production of ‘The Bossy King’. Please click on this link to view and Prepare to be amazed!

We’ve also recorded a Christmas song with each of our classes from Year 1 - Year 6. Please click on this link and enjoy!

Christmas Card Design Winners

Well done to our

Christmas card

Competition winners!

I couldn’t choose one

Winner, so here’s the

best 3...

Christmas Raffle

Thank you to everyone that supported our school and purchased tickets for our Christmas raffle. The winners are listed below:

£50 Amazon Voucher - Deen (NPH)

£20 Smyth’s Toy Store Voucher - Umar (5NW)

1st prize hamper - Jack (5NN)

2nd prize hamper - Kayden (1HM)

Other hamper winners: Lewis (5MW), Anniyah (1KR), Taniah (2BS), Zeon (6CF), Leeland (NPH), Lauren (2BS), Summer (6CF), Maisey (4TH), Yameen (RBE), Logan (5MW), Corey (4SH) and Kyla (4TH).

Thank you for your continued support through these difficult times ~

Have a lovely Christmas break!

I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday 5 January 2021.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of looking through the children’s Wider Curriculum books and I was delighted to see all of the learning that has taken place for both History and Geography. Year 1 blew me away with their independent learning about old and modern toys and Year 2 have been learning all about castles and how people’s lives used to be very different to ours. Year 3 have been exploring human and physical geography and finding out about people’s daily lives during the Stone Age and we’ve even had some Romans visiting us this half term in Year 4! Year 5 have been disgusted by the Egyptians, learning all about mummification and the afterlife and Year 6 have been very busy learning all about WW2 and how Britons had to rely on natural resources to get them through the war. Overall, I was really proud of the children’s work and I can't wait to see what they get up to next term!

Throughout this week I have been really lucky to monitor the science curriculum offer at LFPA and was absolutely blown away by the children’s understanding and articulation of their science topics. As well as being able to explain to me all about the pioneering work of December’s ‘Scientist of the Month, Marie Curie, I was extremely impressed with the quality of work being produced by each and every child.

Year 1 were using the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ to help them explore suitable materials for building a new roof. Year 2 were exploring different habitats and the requirements for animals to survive. Year 3 were using torches to investigate the reflectability of a range of materials. Year 4 were taking a virtual tour of the National History Museum whilst channelling their inner Attenborough to hunt for extinct animals. Year 5 were investigating the solubility of a range of materials, whilst Year 6 were investigating circuits and electrical components. Overall, I was really proud of the children’s work and I can't wait to see what they get up to next term!

It was the 1st of December on Tuesday and all of the staff made a special effort to get the school looking all Chrismassy on Monday evening in preparation for the children to enter school on Tuesday. Each year group has created a Christmas hoop which are displayed in the Key Stage 1 hall. We also have Christmas trees and decorations spread throughout the school. It’s also been exciting to hear our classes rehearsing their Christmas songs and Early Years have started rehearsals for their performance of ‘The Bossy King.’ They sound amazing already! As we head into the final two weeks of what has been one of the most challenging academic terms, I want to remind everyone of the basic expectations: We want to ensure attendance, punctuality, attitude to learning and behaviour remain at the highest of standards.

Our Christmas plans look a little different this year at Lea Forest. We will be doing all we can to ensure children can celebrate and enjoy the festive period safely.

Christmas Cards:

Children will still be able to post and receive Christmas cards. We ask that children bring the cards into school on Mondays, we will will then store them safely in school for two days before sending out to children. Please remember to write the name and class of the recipient clearly on the card so that our elves can deliver them.

Christmas Dinner:

Our Christmas dinner will be held on Wednesday 9 December. Please look out for the menu and letter which will be sent out to families in the next week. Children that usually have sandwiches will be able to order a Christmas meal in advance via our online form which will also be shared.

Christmas Parties:

Our Christmas class parties will be held on the last day of the term Thursday 17 December. Children will finish at their normal home times.

Christmas Broadcasts:

We are very disappointed that we can't welcome our community into the hall for our Christmas celebrations this year, but this will not stop us celebrating Christmas in true Lea Forest style. We will be broadcasting our Early Years Production and Christmas concerts involving all of our children and staff for you all to see. Look out for more news about our broadcasts on Classdojo from next week.

AET's Christmas Card Competition:

Our Academy Trust’s annual Christmas card competition is open to entries from all of our children at Lea Forest. The winning design will be used by our trust in their official Christmas greeting cards sent out to lots of friends of AET. There is a £25 Amazon Voucher prize for the winner. Please send in your entries marked clearly with your name and class to Mr Croxon's office by Thursday 10 December.

Christmas Hampers and Non Uniform Days:

We'll be raffling off our Christmas hampers to raise funds for the school in December. Please support us by donating any new unopened items as part of our Non uniform Friday donations (please see the dates section of the newsletter for more information). Our PCAB and SLT will be selling tickets at the school gates with the draw taking place on Tuesday 15 December.

Virtual Book Fair:

We will be offering a virtual book fair to all our parents and children this year. The fair will be open from Monday 7 December and orders will be delivered to school during the week. Please look out for the letter explaining the ordering process next week.

Please make sure you check ClassDojo and the website frequently during December as we will

post updates and more information about our Christmas Plans as they are finalised