February 2022
Year 6 Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
Year 6 have had a busy half term and as we reach the halfway point of their last year at Lea Forest they should feel proud of their focus and commitment in all aspects of the curriculum.
In English we have been working to develop our reading skills and the ability to write for sustained periods, including more opportunities to write and applying the skills that we have learned. Progress and enjoyment in English has certainly improved and we are looking forward to pushing our limits further to become more independent, creative writers.
In Maths we have been working really hard to improve our mental arithmetic skills, amd have seen a big improvement in our weekly test scores. We have also been focussing on applying our learning to solve more challenging maths problem.
Science has been fun as we planned an investigation into fruit as a power source, with some
surprising results.
We were also fortunate to take part in a workshop titled ‘Split Second’ where we explored the impact of knife crime, which gave us lots to think and talk about.
As we break-up, we are looking forward to our residential trip to Whitemoor Lakes, which will be here before we know it.
Thank you for your support and please keep encouraging the children to practise their timetables in preparation for SATs and ensure that they are punctual and in school every day.
Year 5 Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
Year 5 have had a busy half term. They have represented Lea Forest in a range of tournaments and have brought back lots of medals that demonstrate how remarkable they are. They should feel very proud of their achievements. Year 5 have been lucky enough to enjoy lots of outdoor learning in Forest School, developing new skills through a range of activities. Whilst in Forest School they created their own untuned percussion instruments and played these alongside singling different campfire songs. They had great fun singing in rounds and adding their own percussion.
They have also enjoyed a trip to watch Grease at Greenwood Academy, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Whilst out of school they were remarkable ambassadors for Lea Forest and I am sure that we will be invited back again as they were amazing role models. Thank you for your continued efforts to support your children. Please ensure that they keep up their commitment to their learning, by returning their Reading Diaries daily and keeping up their super attendance.
Year 4 Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
As we reach the halfway point of the academic year, Year 4 should be incredibly proud of their determination and resilience so far. This half term, the children revisited some essential skills they previously learnt in Maths as well as focussing on mastering their times tables up to 12 X 12. The children have also consolidated their use of column method for addition and subtraction, began to introduce methods such as compact method to support them in multiplication.
Similarly, it has been a pleasure to see the children explore their creativity in English, through their poetry, persuasive and story writing. The children produced beautiful 5 part stories with lots of powerful verbs and adjectives. We are so proud of each and every child for the attitude they have demonstrated in their writing lessons. We have now started to look at news reports. The children are already demonstrating a keen interest to this new way of reporting factual events and they are excited to write their very own news report about the Orangutans in Sumatra.
In Science, the children have enjoyed learning about Sound. They have learnt that sounds are made by vibrations. It has been great to see the children’s enthusiasm when learning about sound. We have had so many great questions along the way, and they were fascinated to learn that higher pitched sounds produce more vibrations.
During our Geography lessons we have enjoyed learning about the different lines of latitude and the different types of biomes on our earth. We particularly focussed on the taiga, desert, savannah, deciduous forest and rainforest biomes. We found out lots of facts about the climate, vegetation and animals in these different biomes.
As ever, Mrs Cunningham and Mrs Hartles are so proud of the children’s efforts this half term, but please keep encouraging the children to read each night and learn their times tables as these skills will be really important when we return. We have another exciting term after the holidays. I am looking forward to seeing you all very soon. Have a fantastic half term.
Year 3 Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
As we reach the halfway point of the academic year, Year 3 should be incredibly proud of their determination and resilience so far. This half term, the children revisited some essential skills in Maths, as well as focussing on place value and working hard to build their knowledge and confidence with arithmetic. The children have also consolidated their use of column method for addition and subtraction, began to introduce methods such as grid method to support them in multiplication and continued to learn their times tables.
Similarly, it has been a pleasure to see the children explore their creativity in English, through their poetry, persuasive writing and narrative units of work. We have started to look at describing a setting, which has helped the children become familiar with different adjectives that they can use to create a picture in the reader's’ mind. They have also written a fantastic letter to Mr Clarke-Castello, successfully persuading him to invest in some new playground equipment.
In Science, the children have enjoyed learning about Forces and Magnets. We have looked at how different types of surfaces have different levels of friction, exploring this through scientific investigation. It has been great to see the children’s enthusiasm when learning about magnets, which has generated so many great questions along the way, and the children were fascinated to learn that not all metals are magnetic.
During our history lessons we have researched what life would be like in the Egyptian era and explored different types of farming in Geography. In PE, the children have developed their swimming skills as well as their gymnastics skills and showed great teamwork as they learnt a variety of team games. The children have also learnt how to stay safe online during out Digital Safety topic in computing. We have discussed what to do if they have an issue online and they have identified who their trusted adults are and what they can do to if they ever have issues online (or offline).
As ever, Mrs Newbold and Mr White are so proud of the children’s efforts this half term, but please keep encouraging the children to read each night and learn their times tables as these skills will be really important when we return. We have another exciting term after the holidays (with lots of trips to look forward to) so I am looking forward to seeing you all very soon. Have a fantastic half term!
Year 2 Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
Year 2 have had a fantastic half term with lots of children making progress with their Maths and English skills. They have particularly enjoyed taking part in weekly ‘minion mathletics’ sessions. We have seen a huge improvement in their arithmetic skills and this was seen when the children completed their practise SATS tests this week. Their scores were very impressive. Miss Collis and Miss Evans are very proud!
They have also enjoyed exploring the text ‘Herman’s Letter’. The children have produced some fantastic recounts of their own base on different adventures. We also have 3 children who have received their pen license for stunning handwriting. These are the first children in the history of Lea Forest to gain a pen licence in year 2… well done!!!
In Geography, children have enjoyed learning about different urban and rural areas, to support this learning we will be making links with another AET Academy in Torquay (Barton Hill) after half term where the children will be able to ask questions about living by the seaside.
Looking forward to the half term ahead, we have some exciting things planned with a trip to Hatton Country world in March to support our learning in science, and in July children will have the opportunity to visit Weston Super Mare for the day.
Year 1 Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
Year 1 have had a busy half term. They have enjoyed learning about traditional tales in English and working hard to improve their stamina for writing. This week they have produced some fantastic tales of their own. Mr Clarke and Miss Evans were very impressed with their writing outcomes.
Year 1 have also enjoyed working in their new outdoor classroom. Thank you to all the parents that kindly made donations. This space will be continuing to be developed next half term with the completion of the waterwall, stage and book area.
Year 1 have some exciting trips planned for next half term. They will be visiting the Black Country Museum to support their history unit ‘Family Generations’. They will also visit Twycross Zoo to support their learning in science.
We would like to say a massive thank you for your support with their Geography homework it has really brightened up our KS1 corridor.
Reception Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
Reception have really enjoyed our Talk for Writing text ‘We’re going on Bear Hunt’. They have learnt to retell the story, write about their favourite part and change the setting. We even went on our very own bear hunt in Forest school!
In maths we have been learning to order numbers and how numbers can be made in different ways. We have started to recall our number bonds to 5 and 10.
The children have learnt to measure and weigh different objects using a variety of equipment.
Our topic this half term has been ‘weather’ and we have been very lucky to experience sunny, cloudy windy and even snowy days! The children made their own weather diary’s and record the temperature and rainfall. We also looked at the different types of weather around the world using a map and the internet.
It was a very special half term as we went on our very first school trip to The Play Village in Warwick. This linked with careers week where the children had the opportunity to learn about different jobs.
Nursery Spring Term 1 - Curriculum Report
posted 21 Feb , 14:38 by J Croxon
Nursery have loved our topics this term, which have been based around the stories ‘Rosie’s Walk’ by Pat Hutchins and ‘Oliver’s Vegetables’ by Vivian French.
We learnt about colour, shape and numbers through the beautiful, vibrant artwork on Rosie’s farm, then thought about the world around us through journeys and thinking about how different the environment is on a farm to home and school.
We have started to prepare our gardens and allotments for the year by sewing a wide variety of vegetables, thanks in large part to the generous donations from our parents! We look forward to seeing how these grow and develop through the rest of the winter and into spring.
For Chinese New Year we tried as many vegetables as we could - remember to be ‘unusually brave’ and try new things!
Year 1 and Year 2 - Language Alive sessions
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
Key Stage 1 have had a fantastic week enjoying their Language Alive workshops. Each class enjoyed their own workshop with Anansi the Spider. Anansi was brought to life with the tale of one of the great folk story heroes. Inspired by a wealth of traditional Ghanaian and Caribbean stories. It was a multi sensory workshop using puppets and song to help children bring the story alive. Here are what some of the children had to say:
‘It was amazing, I liked that we got to join in and help tell the story.’ Khalif
’I really enjoyed it, I liked how Anansi tricked the snake and took him to the tiger.’ Issaq
Our Outdoor Gym
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
There has been a real buzz around the playground from children (and teachers) as our new outdoor gym has finally been installed. This is another example of our commitment to encourage ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ and promote Children’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
Look out for our Children’s University clubs where children will have the opportunity to push their limits physically in the Spring and Summer term #FitForLife.
Travel Tracker Update
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
We've had an amazing February on the Travel Tracker!
We've recorded an incredible 6307 active journeys, of which 4070 were for walking to school.
We continue to top the Birmingham league table and finished 1st in the UK for February.
Thank you to all of our parents that are going that extra mile to help reduce traffic and pollution around the school, we are really noticing a difference in the mornings.
Our most active class for February was our superstars in 4SC!
Mr Croxon will be sending home over 500 turtle badges for all our children that have achieved February's Travel Tracker Badge.
TTRockstars Update
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
It has been wonderful to see so many children taking part in different Times Table Rockstar competitions over this half term. They have taken part in Battle of the Band competitions and also challenged each other. In school the children have been completing weekly soundchecks and it has been wonderful to see so many children beating their previous scores and increase their rock speed.
Congratulations to Ayaan in 4SC who was Top of The Rocks in Spring One and answered over 47,000 questions correctly.
Healthy Snack Swap Shop
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
To coincide with the Government's ‘New Better Health’ campaign and Article 24 of the Unicef ‘Children’s Rights (Children have the right to the best health care possible, clean water to drink, healthy food and a clean and safe environment to live in) we will be launching our own ‘Healthy Snack Swap’ at LFPA after half term.
Staff at Lea Forest will be continuing to encourage children in KS2 to bring healthy snacks (e.g. fruit, vegetable sticks, rice cakes or baked crisps) at break times, however, if a snack is deemed to be unhealthy, there will now be the option to swap it (in Mr Taylor's office) for a healthy alternative (with the unhealthy snack being returned at the end of the day). To help ensure that snacks are healthy, remember to use the ‘NHS Food Scanner’ app which helps suggests healthy swaps.
Sustainability Top Tip
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
Remember to think about reusing before you recycle.
We are getting better at recycling lots of different materials, but how often do you think about if containers could be reused first? This could be something amazing to sell or even just a box for children to decorate and play with… a great opportunity to be creative!
Career Pathways
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
“Young adults who recall 4 or more encounters with employers while at school are 5 times less likely to be unemployed and earn 16% more than their peers who could not recall those encounters.”
This year we have seen the launch of Primary Careers at Lea Forest. We are excited and passionate about inspiring children to unlock their potential and pursue their passions. We currently have many after school clubs and Children’s University Clubs which promote cultural capital. EYFS have already had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of jobs through fun and stimulating role play at The Play Village. There are more exciting opportunities that lie ahead for all children at Lea Forest!
Character Curriculum
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
At Lea Forest we aim to develop our pupils’ character through the growth of relationships that define us as humans. Through our curriculum, we develop a set of competencies (behaviours) which enable each and every one of our pupils to lead a remarkable life. These competencies can be found on the Character Curriculum page of the LFP Website. In addition to the tasks provided by individual class teachers, a ‘Character Curriculum Challenge’ will be set fortnightly on the newsletter.
On this occasion, we would like you to take part in the LFP ‘Bake Off’ and bake a cake using one of the recipe ideas from the ‘BBC Good Food’ website. This could be a Chocolate Chip Traybake, Butterfly Cakes or Bakewell Tarts… Remember to send your baking pictures to Mr Croxon or your class teachers (either on Class Dojo or Twitter) and the best ones will be evidenced in the ‘Character Curriculum (evidence) Book’ for your class!
Messages from Mr Clarke-Castello
posted 19 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
It’s been a fabulous end to the half term. On Wednesday, we had a visit from Becks Boomer-Clark, CEO of Academies Enterprise Trust. Becks had the pleasure of officially opening our new outdoor gym. She also had a tour of the school and spoke with children and staff to get a real flavour of what Lea Forest has to offer. She wrote a message in our visitor’s book before leaving. Here is what she had to say:
“What a fabulous school, so vibrant and full of colour. I’m left with a sense of expectations, delivered with fun! It was wonderful to meet your student ambassadors, they were both articulate and rightly proud of your school. You’ve created a very special place and a powerful alinement to excellence! I’m already looking forward to coming back.”
Years 1 and 2 were joined by Grace from Language Alive this week. She was also very complimentary of our wonderful school. She said:
“What a beautiful, clean, fresh school. The staff are so helpful and polite here, everyone is so kind and caring and I can feel the love and respect between everyone, including the children. The children are so polite with respect for each other and so helpful. This is the best school I’ve ever been to.”
This half term has been extremely busy and I continue to be proud of the children and all we achieve at Lea Forest. The staff are so committed to providing an excellent education for each and every child, in every classroom, every day. Each year group has written a summary report for this half term which I have included in this issue.
I am really looking forward to seeing you all back after the half term break where we have so much more planned. Don’t forget that World Book Day is on Thursday 3 March, this gives you time to sort out costumes and outfits for this special day. Please remember that Monday 28 February is an INSET day for staff only. Children are expected to return to school on Tuesday 1 March.
Wishing you all a very happy half term break - Enjoy!
Mr Clarke-Castello
Reception's Visit to the Children's Play Village near Warwick
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
Reception have had so much fun visiting the Play Village in Warwick this week.
They had the opportunity to explore being teachers, baker’, fire officers and trainee vets.
The children were so well behaved and fully engaged in all the learning opportunities available to them.
Every member of staff commented on how respectful and kind ALL the children were.
A big thank you for all your support with careers week. The children looked amazing dressed as what they aspire to be when they are older. These experiences have such a big impact and wouldn’t be possible without your support.
Indoor Athletics Sports Competition Update
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
On Thursday we travelled to the Billesley Indoor Tennis Centre near Kings Heath to participate in the South Birmingham Para-Athletics Competition.
Our team of athletes from Key Stage 2 took part in a range of different athletic events including: the javelin, long jump, hi-stepper challenge and lots of relay races!
We had a fantastic time and were delighted when the organisers awarded our children some fabulous Bronze medals for finishing in a very well deserved third place.
Travel Tracker Update
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
On Friday 4th February as part of Number Day the children took part in the NSPCC Rocks competition. All the children in Key Stage Two participated in this competition and earned points for their school and class. Congratulations to our most valuable players in competition:
1st - Zain Qadir
2nd - Ayaan Khan
3rd - Andreas Georgallas
Congratulations to 4SC who were the highest scoring band with 4SH in 2nd place and 5RW in 3rd place.
Please encourage your children to play at home in order to improve their rock speed and accuracy.
Travel Tracker Update
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
It's been a busy week of travel
Tracking at Lea Forest. We've
recorded 3,830 active journeys in February!
We've also launched the Living Streets 2022 Travel Tracker Badge Design Competition. The theme for this year is ‘Walk through time, takes us back in time’, as we explore millions of years of history on earth. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and what would you see?
Entry forms can be collected from the technology office.
Right of the Week
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
NO DISCRIMINATION
The Convention applies to everyone: whatever their race, religion or abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from.
We are talking about this right because LGBT+ History Month takes place in February each year. LGBT+ History Month is all about promoting fairness, equality and diversity and raising awareness of LGBT+ people and culture, now and in the past. It aims to give voice to LGBT+ experiences, celebrate achievements and highlight the challenges people still face today. It is also about helping everyone to learn more about LGBT+ culture and history.
Air Quality - Don't Choke Us
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
Our Airly Air quality sensor has been busy checking the quality of air around our school and gathering data. During the school day our air quality is normally very good which is great news, however we have been able to identify that NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) which is caused by traffic exhaust increases significantly during the school rush hours.
You may have spotted the new #BrumBreathes banner that we are displaying by our Hurstcroft Road entrance.
We are asking all our parents that come to school by car to ensure they don't choke us by switching off the engine or parking and striding instead of parking directly outside the school gates.
Mental Health Awareness - Anxiety
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
Anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear that is experienced as a combination of physical sensations, thoughts and feelings. All children and young people feel worried sometimes, and this is a normal part of growing up. At certain points, such as on their first day of school or before an exam, young people may become more worried, but will soon be able to calm down and feel better. Anxiety can become a problem when a young person feels stuck in it, or when it feels like an overwhelming, distressing or unmanageable experience. If this kind of worrying goes on for a long time, it can leave a young person feeling exhausted and isolated, and limit the things they feel able to do.
If your child is struggling with anxiety, there are things you can do to help them – including providing emotional support, working on practical strategies together and finding the right professional help if they need it.
Click here for advice for parents
Sustainability top tip!
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
I found out this week that some things that we take for granted are actually using a huge amount of energy. For example:
• Storing 1GB of email for 1 year consumes 32.1 kWh, that’s equal to baking 10 hours with your regular household oven
• An email with attachment releases 50 grams of CO2
• If each UK adult sent one less ‘thank you’ email a day would save over 16K tonnes of carbon per year, the same as 81K flights to Madrid
How many emails do you have saved in your inbox and how many can you delete? This is mine to attack soon - good luck!
Mr. Haw
Design Winner for our New Recycling Bins
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
Well done to our winner! We had many entries and it was difficult to choose. It is great that so many children are thinking about recycling and the future of our planet. The newly designed boxes are in each classroom already, and will be all around the school soon! We can collect paper, card, recyclable plastic, tins to be made into new products and stop these going into landfill. Remember to send in your pictures of recycling at home too.
Safer Internet Day 2022
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
On Tuesday, 8 February 2022 we celebrated the 19th edition of Safer Internet Day (SID) with the theme “All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online”.
Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally each year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people, and to inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. The children at Lea Forest joined schools from over one hundred countries in celebrating young people’s role in creating a safer internet by taking part in an interactive assembly, discussing a range of respect related issues in PSHE and undertaking themed work and posters (all of which will be displayed in each Year groups ‘Theme Book’).
A message from our Education Director, Claire Heald
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
I wanted to let you know that Mr Clarke-Castello has been promoted to a new, wider role within our trust. He will be Executive Principal of Lea Forest and also of Four Dwellings Primary, another school in the AET network. He will be taking up this role immediately after the half term break. As I’m sure you will agree, Mr Clarke-Castello is an exceptional and dedicated leader, and I want to reassure you that he will still be very much part of life at Lea Forest. He remains committed to the school, and will share his time between the two schools. He will continue to be supported at Lea Forest by the existing strong senior leadership team. Thank you for your ongoing support to the school, and as ever, please do get in touch if you have any questions.
Messages from Mr Clarke-Castello
posted 12 Feb , 12:38 by J Croxon
I can’t believe how quickly these weeks are flying by! As we approach the last week of this half term, we still have so many events and activities taking place. I was delighted to join our Reception classes on their trip to The Children’s Play Village this week - they had a wonderful time. This was all part of our career pathways programme. On Monday, all of the children dressed up as their future selves - we had doctors, nurses, firefighters, vets, hair stylists, astronauts to name just a few! We were so impressed with the efforts children and parents went to. Having high aspirations is so important and we like the children to think about this throughout their whole educational journey with us.
It was also ‘Mental health week’ and ‘Internet Safety week’ with so many important issues being covered and discussed. Please take time to talk with your children about the messages that have been shared in classes. Although there has been a specific focus this week, we continue to drip-feed these messages throughout the year as part of our planned curriculum.
We are very excited to welcome our CEO, Becks Boomer-Clark, to Lea Forest next Wednesday. This will be her first visit since taking on her role as the CEO at AET and I’m sure she will be impressed by our wonderful children and excellent curriculum offer. During her time with us, we will ask her to do the grand opening of our new feature - the outdoor gym.
Please check out the key dates and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff.
Wishing you all a great weekend! I look forward to seeing you all at our Parents Evening events taking place next week…
Early Years Crafternoon
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
A big THANK YOU to all of the families who turned up to the Early years Crafternoon. It's wonderful to see so many people taking part and enjoying being part of the school community.
The children were so proud of all the things they had made which was made even more special with you being there with them.
We will be holding another Crafternoon before Easter for Early Years which we anticipate will be another exciting event.
Year 4's Trip to the Botanical gardens
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
As part of their Geography field work, Y4 visited The Botanical Gardens on Tuesday 1st February. They enjoyed seeking answers to questions and collecting primary data about our deciduous forest biome. They investigated the vegetation and animals in the tropical forest biome and enjoyed comparing and contrasting the different biomes in our beautiful world.
Soccer Stars
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
On Wednesday our remarkable girls’ football team and Mr Carlton headed off to Sedgemere Road in Yardley for our first football games of 2022 as they played in the Erdington and Saltley District Girls League.
Mr Carlton was very impressed by the girls’ sporting behaviour, teamwork and determination to score and win matches. Our star player of the night was Zelaya Lewis-Edwards who scored an amazing 17 goals across the 5 matches played.
Lea Forest 1 Vs Abbey Catholic Primary 1
Lea Forest 2 Vs St Bernadettes 3
Lea Forest 5 Vs Brownmead 1
Lea Forest 6 Vs Parkfield 0
Lea Forest 5 Vs Heathlands 1
After those results we're currently 2nd in the league. We can't wait for the next round of matches in March! Thanks to all our parents and family members that came along to support the girls team and of course, Mr Croxon for driving the minibus.
Sustainability - Tip of the Week
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
It’s recycling time! Send your teacher a picture of all the recycling you do at home this week.
This could be easy to recycle items that get collected by the council from your home, or more challenging items that you have to take somewhere else to recycle. Make a table of how many items you recycle, and let your teacher know how many Class Dojo points you can earn!
Check how many surprising things you can recycle:
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades
Speech and Language Top Tips
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
While shopping, buy a range of fruits and vegetables. Say this is all food, but they are not the same. Explain fruits contain seeds and vegetables consist of roots, stems and leaves. Get your child to sort the food into fruits and vegetables.
Multi-sensory activities will help understanding of 'action' words. Get a favourite teddy, a spoon and a flannel. Put out all the objects and ask the child: ‘Feed teddy' and ‘Wash teddy.’ You can also ask your child to 'Make teddy sit/jump/clap'.
Action words describe what people are doing. Children understand more easily if they can be experienced (e.g. by ‘washing’ themselves or teddy). Try to use as many multi-sensory and practical activities as you can to support your child's understanding.
Character Curriculum
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
As part of ‘British Science Week’ (11th - 20th March) ‘Baylab’s’ are running a ‘Lab Coat Competition’ giving the children of LFPA the opportunity to win a set of lab coats and other cool prizes.
But this year, it’s not just about raising awareness of the importance of science in our everyday lives, it’s also about encouraging the reduction of food waste! To be in with a chance of winning, all that you need to do is design a lab coat around the theme of ‘Food and Food Waste’. This could be illustrations of your favourite foods, growing food on the farm, or how food is wasted. The more creative, the better!
The deadline for all entries to be received by Mr White is Friday 15th of April to meet the 22nd April deadline. Please see the competition resource pack for further details.
Character Curriculum
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
At Lea Forest we aim to develop our pupils’ character through the growth of relationships that define us as humans. Through our curriculum, we develop a set of competencies (behaviours) which enable each and every one of our pupils to lead a remarkable life. These competencies can be found on the Character Curriculum page of the LFPA Website.
On this occasion, we would like you to complete a science experiment at home using one of the ideas from the ‘Science Fun For Everyone’ website. This might be using density to create your own lava lamp or creating a chemical eruption in your mouth… Remember to send your experiment pictures to Mr Croxon or your class teachers (either on Class Dojo or Twitter) and the best ones will be evidenced in the Character Curriculum (evidence) Book for your class!
Right of the Week
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
Every child has the right to reliable information from the media.
This should be information that children can understand. Governments must help protect children from materials that could harm them. This article is linked to internet safety day which will be celebrated on the 8th February with the theme ‘all fun and games’. Young people increasingly use the internet to learn, play and socialise. It is vital, therefore, that they can take advantage of all the internet has to offer in a safe, informed way while respecting their right to privacy (Article 16) and their right to protection (Article 19).
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Travel Tracker Update
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
We've had another busy week on the Living Streets Travel Tracker…
Mr Croxon awarded 445 badges for January!
The start of a new month means we also have another amazing badge to collect! Our February travel tracker badge features a beautiful sea turtle design.
We have recorded 1430 active trips so far in February. Our most popular way to travel to school is walking with 56% of our children choosing to stroll to school each morning.
Our most active class were 6BS this week!
Don't forget to check out our Air Quality Monitor to see how traffic around our school is having an effect on the air quality.
Time Table Rockstars Update
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
The children have been preparing for the NSPCC Rocks competition which took place on Friday 4 February (today).
This virtual competition will involve schools across the United Kingdom. For every correct answer to a multiplication or division question, your child will earn their class a point. The Times Tables Rock Stars platform will calculate the class average (the number of correct answers per pupil in the class who play during the competition hours, subject to a daily 60-minute limit. Winning classes in the school and in the competition which involves schools all across the UK will be the ones with the highest average.
Look out for the winning class which will be announced in next week’s newsletter.
Please encourage your children to play at home in order to improve their rock speed and accuracy.
Messages from Mr Clarke-Castello
posted 6 Feb , 10:31 by J Croxon
Another week has flown by and I continue to be proud of the wonderful learning opportunities we offer to all of our children. As we race towards half term, we are not slowing down! Don’t forget to keep up to date with key events by checking out our online diary, ClassDojo, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Baby News
We are happy to share with you all, on behalf of Miss Francois, the safe arrival of her son Braylen Vesey-Francois, born on 21 January, weighing 9lbs 4oz! Both mum and baby are doing well and we look forward to them paying us a visit very soon.
FSM Voucher Update
We have been notified by Birmingham Council that supermarket vouchers for families eligible for free school meals will not be available for future holidays. The vouchers for October half term and the Christmas holidays were funded using part of the governments Household Support Fund. Information is available on the council's website at https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/hsf about how families can access support through the remainder of the fund.
Trips, Visits and Visitors
The pandemic has affected our programme of extra-curricular activities. However, I’m delighted to be able to resume with trips and visits so that children are able to get a real-life experiences and add value to their learning. As we have some catching-up to do, we will be offering more trips and visits this year than normal. To ensure all children participate, school will be heavily subsidising these from the school budget. Most trips and visits will be charged at ONLY £5 per child, with school paying the significant difference. If you need support with ParentPay and making payments, please contact the school office. It was great to see Year 4 get out and visit The Botanical Gardens this week. Next week, we have Reception visiting The Play Village in Warwick, where they will be able to explore lots of different careers as part of our Careers Pathways Curriculum.
Votes for Schools
Ahead of Safer Internet Day 2022 on Tuesday 8 February, voters will consider safety online and how to foster respectful relationships. In Key Stage 1, they will explore friendships and how these could be affected by online activities, voting on the question: "Is the internet bad for friendships?" In Key Stage 2, voters will explore relationships more widely, including family, friends and at school. They will vote on the question: "Is the internet bad for relationships?
Healthy Snacks
This year we are aiming to achieve Gold level in our Rights Respecting School Journey. In order to achieve this we need to ensure that children have access to a HEALTHY break time snack. Only fruit, baked crisps and low sugar/fat cereal bars will be allowed. Sweets, chocolate, chocolate bars and cakes will be confiscated if they are taken onto the playground as a break time snack. As always we only want the best for the children and making healthy eating choices is part of our ongoing commitment to providing children with the tools to live a full and healthy life. Thank you for your continued support.
Wishing you all a great weekend!
Mr Clarke-Castello
