Brunswick Park

News from the Park

Parent Newsletter number 35 27.06.25

On Monday, Reception - Year 5 are going to Manor Drive church hall during the school day to watch the Year 6 production. We plan to travel there by minibus.

Reception - Year 2 will watch the show in the morning.

Year 3 - Year 5 will watch the show in the afternoon.

We are all very excited to cheer Year 6 on - I know we are in for a treat!

This time next week, we have our Brunswick Park Summer Party (4.30pm - 7.30pm)! We hope to see you all there!

Hot Weather

Due to the expected hot temperature on Monday and Tuesday of next week, your child can wear their PE kit to school should you so wish. Please make sure you apply sun cream to your child before they come to school. Please also ensure that all children have a sun hat and water bottle.

Nursery had a wonderful workshop, funded by the PTA, to complete their topic learning about minibeasts. Charlie from Zoolab visited Nursery and brought a variety of fascinating and unusual creatures. These included a giant land snail, a cockroach, a corn snake, a stick insect, a baby tarantula, and a millipede. The children were very sensible and listened carefully to Charlie’s fun and informative facts about each minibeast. The session ended with a quiz to test Nursery's new knowledge about the special visitors!

A big thank you to the PTA for funding this incredible experience!

Church Farm – Ardeley trip

On Wednesday 18th, a number of our children had the opportunity to become farmers for the day! The trip to the farm was packed with hands-on fun, laughter, and a real taste of countryside life. One of the highlights was getting up close with the animals. We fed the pigs, cows, and even the bull—carefully, of course! The goats were playful and eager for snacks, while the alpacas stood tall and gentle, munching quietly from our hands.

After spending time with the animals, we climbed up the giant hay bales, turning them into our personal playground. It was like a mini obstacle course, with lots of jumping, balancing, and plenty of straw in our shoes (and hair!) by the end.

We also got to operate mini-diggers, which was a big hit—scooping, digging, and moving dirt like real construction pros. To top it all off, we ended the day in the berry patch, picking fresh blackcurrants straight from the bush. Everyone left with stained fingers and a new found love of berries!

It was a perfect mix of learning, adventure, and fresh air—a day we won’t soon forget!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 3A and 3JB visited the Boltons Park Farm in Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire. This belongs to the Royal Veterinary College and is where their vet med students learn practical farm animal skills. Our Year 3 students were lucky enough to be shown around by some of these lovely future vets.

The children completed four workshops in total providing valuable facts about working on a farm and training to be a vet. They learnt how to keep sheep healthy, identified different animal bones from x-rays and artefacts, and learnt various veterinary skills.

The Years 3s wore special overalls and dunked their wellies in iodine so as not to spread germs around the farm. They also learnt about chickens' incredible vision by writing and showing them messages in invisible ink. They also practised docking lambs' tails, bandaging animals' limbs, looked at animal cells under a microscope, visited the milking parlour and handled animal bones as well as petting and feeding teenage cows. This was a brilliant way of seeing the 'farm to fork' geography topic in action!

Everyone had a fabulous time!

Reading Corner

Back in March 2025 Brunswick Park completed the Annual Literacy Survey.

Here are a few of our findings from across KS1 and Year 3:

· 93% of pupils enjoy reading at home

· 96% of pupils enjoy reading at school

· 95% of pupils think they are good or very good at reading

· 47% of pupils read every day

· 64% of pupils read to help them learn new words

· 59% of pupils read to make them feel happy

· 57% of pupils read to help them learn interesting things

· Pupils mostly read story books, comics or books about facts on paper

· 93% of pupils enjoy hearing stories being read to them

· 59% of pupils visit the local or public library.

These KS1 and Year 3 results are promising.

Why not take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge and join your local library!

Reading every day is beneficial. It enhances vocabulary, improves memory, boosts brainpower, and sharpens focus and concentration.

The winners of the 2025 Carnegie Award for Illustration has finally been revealed.

The 2025 Carnegie Medal for illustration goes to . . . Clever Crow by Olivia Lomenech.

Reading Ambassador Book Recommendation

The best thing about reading is the excitement you get when you finish a book.

I like becoming part of the book and following the adventure.

My favourite book at the moment is ‘Dixie O’Day and the Haunted House’ by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy.

I have enjoyed reading this series.

It has taught me the importance of friendship because the two best friends do everything together like camping.

The camping trip was funny because a cow ate all their belongings.

I think you will enjoy this book because it is funny and exciting. The girls are neighbours who get up to a lot of mischief together, which is interesting to read.

My favourite author at present is Stephen Mulhern because I enjoyed his ‘Max Magic Series’.

I would like to read ‘Dork Diaries’ next.

Chatter Matters

IT’S GOOD TO TALK!

The ShREC Approach is a set of evidence-informed strategies that supports the building of back-and-forth interactions in discussions.

This approach works through the importance of providing attention, responding to interactions with a brief comment, expanding by building upon responses, which then develops into a back-and-forth interaction.

The video link bellows demonstrates the ShREC Approach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJSfZRtUMXk&t=57s

“Would you rather” questions are a fun and engaging way to encourage critical thinking and imagination.

This week’s questions for discussion are . . .

Would you rather go water skiing or snow skiing?

Would you rather have a magic carpet that flies or have your own personal robot?

The Five Pound Challenge

Brunswick Park Children are doing 'The Five Pound Challenge!'

Our Mission: Empowering our children to discover, develop and celebrate their mathematical entrepreneurial skills and potential.

We want every child to have the opportunity to learn the vital skills in financial literacy and give them the chance to earn and look after their money.

The Big Idea: With just a £5 initial investment classes must create, market, organise and financially manage their own business with the intention of making a profit.

Date: Class Stalls will be out on Thursday 10th of July (after school). Please have change at the ready!

The class with the greatest profit will win a non-school uniform day filled with fun as well as special certificates awarded to each child in that class.

The Best of British Summer Menu Wednesday 2nd July

On Wednesday, we held a school dinner taster event for children joining Reception next year. The event was a real success - wonderful feedback was received! The parents of next year's Reception class, who have older siblings in the school, reported they noticed a huge improvement in the menu and flavours.

Thank you to Anella, the kitchen team and members of staff who organised and supported the event.

☀️☀️☀️SUMMER FAIR☀️☀️☀️

INFORMATION AND DETAILS

Dear all

Thank you very much for all the wonderful contributions towards the summer fair so far.

We especially appreciate the generous donations from parents for the coloured raffle hampers — your support truly means a lot and helps make the event special.

Thank you again for your kindness and generosity!

We're excited to let you know that the fair will feature a variety of fun stalls and activities, including an International Buffet, Bar, BBQ, Candy Floss, Ice Cream, Taxi Photo Booth, Inflatables: Deluxe Slide, Jungle Bouncy Castle, Inflatable Football Shootout, Games, Raffles, Cakes, Tattoos, A Bracelet Workshop, Disco, Crochet Stall, Henna and more!

There's something for everyone to enjoy, and we can’t wait to see you all there!

PTA TEAM

1. STALL VOLUNTEERS

Please keep in touch with your Class Reps about the available times to volunteer at your class stall. We’d love to see parents, carers, and grandparents getting involved — every little bit really helps make the fair a fun and successful day for everyone. If you are able to help set up the fair from 3:30pm or clear up after the fair from 7:30pm please contact us on brunswickparkpta@gmail.com

Thanks so much for your support — we’re looking forward to a fantastic event together!

2. RAFFLE TICKETS

😎☀️The summer has finally arrived, and so has our annual Summer Fair Raffle!

🎁🧺This year's prizes have been put together by all of you in a wonderful selection of hampers based on Colour!

➡️ Follow the link to get your tickets :

https://go.rallyup.com/brunswicksummerfair

❤️🤩This is a wonderful opportunity to support our school while getting a chance to win some fantastic prizes.

3. INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

We are excited to celebrate the diversity of our school community at the upcoming Summer Fair with an International Buffet! We invite all parents to contribute delicious savoury dishes from around the world. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your culture and favourite recipes with everyone.

Please note: dishes must be nut free

Dish suggestions:

- Greek Tzatziki with pita bread

- Japanese Sushi Rolls (without nuts)

- Mexican Rice and Bean Burritos

- Indian Samosas (vegetable or chicken, nut-free)

- Italian Bruschetta with tomatoes and basil

- Middle Eastern Hummus and Pita Chips

- Chinese Spring Rolls (vegetable or meat, nut-free)

Your contributions will make our buffet vibrant and memorable! If you’re able to contribute, please let your class rep know what dish you plan to bring.

4. WRISTBANDS

Don't forget to book your wristbands for the Summer Fair!

We have three fantastic options to suit everyone:

-Green (£12.50) Access to all games, inflatables, and the disco

- Blue (£9.50) Inflatables and the disco

- Red (£8.50) Games and the disco

With each of these wristbands, children get to have unlimited goes on each activity.

To secure your spot, please book your wristbands in advance through SchoolMoney (the shop option). We kindly ask that all bookings be made before Tuesday, 1st July to help us plan a smooth and fun-filled day for everyone.

Thank you so much for your support — we can’t wait to see you there and enjoy a fantastic day together!

5. SUMMER FAIR MAP

Please see the map below for a clear visualisation of all stalls and activities.

OTHER PTA NEWS

1. Football Fundraiser

⚽ Football Fundraiser for Our School Garden Project 🌿

We’re excited to announce a Football Fundraiser on Monday, 14th July to support our School Garden Project. Funds raised will help us create a vibrant outdoor space for our students.

2. PTA AGM - Annual General Meeting - 7th July

The AGM is an opportunity for parents and teachers to get together and discuss the previous year, accounts, suggestions and elections.

Please come along and join us if you have any suggestions or comments, we would love to discuss and hear from all parents.

The AGM will be held in the school, the time will be confirmed closer to the time.

Our lovely treasurer; Lee, will be sadly stepping down from the treasurer role, we are currently searching for new members of our Brunswick Park community to take on this role from July 2025.

Please contact the PTA on brunswickparkpta@gmail.com if you are interested in this role.

Thank you

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT