Brookfield Primary Academy
Weekly Messenger # 3
W/B 20th April 2020
1. Communication
- Welcome to our Weekly Messenger # 3! Welcome back after the Easter break. Thank you for getting back into the swing of learning this week - we've seen some terrific learning being returned to teachers and being posted by parents/families on our @BrookfieldSM3 twitter account. Please keep up this great work!
- Please do continue to access your children's Distance Learning pages here:
Brookfield Distance Learning website
- Twitter - Please don’t forget to upload your children’s work onto our Brookfield Primary twitter account. Just upload a photo of your child(ren) enjoying a home learning activity or some work they are proud of and tag @BrookfieldSM3, #distancelearning and @Leoacademies as we'd love to see how they are getting on.
- Don't forget - you can still access the live lessons that are available both 'live' or in 'Online' sessions for both Maths and English. These can be accessed on each year group's Distant Learning website too.
A message from the staff......
In case you missed it, Brookfield staff left a heartfelt message for the children and families of Brookfield to wish them well over Easter. Take a look here if you missed it.
2. What's new to online learning......?
It was great to see a sea of red and white to celebrate St George's Day yesterday. Well done to our children for sending in some photos of them dressed up or carrying out research on this special day. Do look on Twitter to see some photos.
Chillaz 4 kids
Mrs Grice has very kindly recorded a meditation for children (and adults) to use during this very strange time! Click on the link below to listen and have a go!
D&T / Cooking Activities!
Whilst you are doing your at home learning, there are lots of creative Design and Technology Activities that you can be doing. Some great ideas include: cooking a meal / baking (cakes, cookies, cornflake cakes, flapjacks), building a sturdy den, construction using Lego Blocks, recycling packaging for junk modelling and many more! Below is a link to LOTS of ideas for you to have a go at. If you do complete any of the ones listed or try one of your own, please email them over to your distant learning email or upload them onto Twitter for all LEO schools to see and celebrate!
Distance Learning - We have started using a 'themed' topic across the entire week to make it easier for families to support their children's learning at home, especially for families who have more than one sibling, where brothers and sisters can collaborate and work together on a project together. We hope you've enjoyed this week's topic of 'The Area We Live in' and have learnt a great deal about Cheam, Sutton and Surrey.
Look out for the themes:
- Week 2: Viewpoints (Themed day - Friday 1st: May Day. The first day of May (known as May Day) is a day when people celebrate the coming of Summer. Traditional celebrations include Morris Dancing and dancing around the Maypole)
- Week 3: Animals (Themed day - Friday 8th May - VE Day. Friday 8th May is an extra Bank Holiday this year, to celebrate 75 years since the end of the Second World War)
- Week 4: Food (Themed week - 9 - 16th May - National Doughnut Week. Money is raised by bakers up and down the country for The Children's Trust, a charity that provides care for children all over the country. This is your chance to get baking and try to make your own Doughnut recipes!)
- Week 5: Get Moving! (Themed day/week 18th - 22nd: Walk to School Week. Whilst we can't all walk to school this year, perhaps you can find a way of making sure that you walk somewhere (even if it's just around a garden or something).
Key Worker Children - I have loved being in school with the children this week as they started their first week at Cheam Park Farm. This week has gone well, where we have created a 'hub' for our children in school to join Cheam Park Farm children. It's been good to see how well our two schools' children have collaborated together. This arrangement of using Cheam Park Farm Kingston site will continue for the foreseeable future.
Music - There are some great online lessons for music. Take a look here to have a go.......
3. Online, Chrome Books & Google Hangouts.....
Google Hangout - This week we had some more Google Handouts. The children enjoyed seeing their friends and teachers after the Easter break.
Reminders about home learning - The teachers are really impressed with the effort that is going into establishing a routine to access and complete Distance Learning from our Distance Learning website. There are many children children completing all 4 activities set for them. We urge that parents please encourage their children to 'have a go' at all of the activities each day to maintain a routine and to keep up their skills and knowledge for their year group.
Please tweet any amazing work you are proud of @BrookfieldSM3 and tag #DistanceLearning and @LEOacademies.
Timetable Rock Stars - Please could you encourage your children to have a dedicated time each day on Timestable Rock Stars to help them master their multiplication tables. 10 minutes a day is all it takes..... We will be tracking how well the children are getting on with their tables remotely and will publish winning classes in the newsletter soon...
Online games - More online learning games from J2Blast here for spelling, maths and more.....
Online Safety - The UK Safer Internet Centre are hosting a Summer Challenge. You can download the Family Summer Challenge chart here. If you want to share your family fun, please post and share with us on social media (@UK_SIC) using #FamilySummerChallenge and let us know how it’s going. Don't forget to tag @BrookfieldSM3.
4. Keeping Active and Time Away from Screens
Fitness - With school closures, we have had to work creatively to keep Brookfield open for our key worker children. They have enjoyed starting off each day with a healthy work out from Joe Wicks (follow him on Twitter @thebodycoach).
If you would like to take part in Joe's daily workout at 9am, click here.
Go Noodle - Here is another great fitness website aimed at entertaining and keeping our little ones active during lock down. Click here for a link.
Cosmic Kids Yoga - Follow this Youtube channel to keep fit with the calm vibes of yoga.
Time away from screens - it's really important that we have time away from our screens so please dedicate some of your day to exercise, reading, drawing and writing in a journal, diary or book.
Also try Take a Deep Breath to practice calming techniques.
Emotional Literacy Support - take a look here for some ideas to support ELSA sessions.
5. Regular Reading
Read everyday please - Whilst there has been some disruption to your child's school routine, we urge you to please continue reading with your child everyday. In addition to setting aside some time to read alone, it is valuable that children listen to stories too. There is a wealth of stories available for free online, which we'll share with you over the coming weeks.
EPIC free reading resource - Epic is a wonderful App which the teachers will be sending you more information about in the coming weeks. By now, every child should have received their EPIC log on code. Please check that your child has access to this wonderful resource while school is closed and they have restricted access to books.
LEO Staff Book Reading - Thank you to the LEO staff who have recorded some live reading of their favourite stories. Can you spot any staff from Brookfield here? These are updated regularly so do keep coming back to see what's been added.
6. Initiatives, Celebrations and Certificates
We have been enjoying seeing all of the work that the children have been sending in and are really proud of the effort that they are putting into their home learning during this difficult time. Below are just some of the examples of things we have been sent.
Well done to all the Brookfield Primary pupils and their families. Keep up the good work!
Ben (Yr 6) has created an excellent stop motion film for his WW2 project - he spent 3 weeks on this and the end result is amazing! Check it out by clicking on the link https://youtu.be/6bFzIb-eHDU
Well done Ben!
Matias (Yr 4) has drawn a superb drawing of Sutton Public Baths from 1903 as part of his topic learning about 'Our Local Area'. What impressive art skills but more importantly, excellent researching done on the area he lives in. Well done Matias!
Ronnie (Yr4) has creatively used his Lego to design the Lord Nelson Pub on London Road. What a great idea Ronnie.
7. Safeguarding Children
It seems timely to remind all parents that we consider Brookfield a safe place for children. All staff have attended child protection training. This training is updated yearly. The designated staff for child protection are Ms Wright (Principal), Miss Mander (Vice Principal on maternity leave from 9th December 2019), Mrs Meryick (Vice Principal), Miss Pearson (Year 5/6 Lead from 9th December 2019 and SENDCo) and Mrs McCandless (EYFS Lead and Acting Vice Principal from 9th December 2019). If a disclosure is made by a child, if a mark is noted on a child or if another adult makes an allegation regarding a child protection issue, it will be dealt with by one of us. It will also be discussed with the parent of the child. It will be reported as necessary to Children’s services, following advice and a risk assessment. All incidents are recorded and securely stored.
0800 169 6565
0300 123 3393
0345 1202918
8. Upcoming events...
Whilst we naturally now have far less dates in the calendar now, we would like to share a few dates of upcoming events where we would like pupils and their families to join in with from home. Please see details below:
May
- Friday 1st: May Day. The first day of May (known as May Day) is a day that has been celebrated for over 2000 years and is a day when people celebrate the coming of Summer. Traditional celebrations include Morris Dancing and dancing around the Maypole. Perhaps you could learn and perform one of these dances? Please share any videos with us.....
- Friday 8th: VE Day. Friday 8th May is a Bank Holiday this year, to commemorate 75 years since the end of the Second World War. We invite staff and pupils to share via Twitter and email how they are celebrating this momentous occasion. Is it too soon to be thinking of our own modern VE Day......fingers crossed!!!!
- 9th - 16th: National Doughnut Week. Calling all bakers to join in the fun........during National Doughnut Week money is raised by bakers up and down the country for The Children's Trust, a national charity that provides care for children all over the country. This is your chance to get baking and try to make your own Doughnut recipes. Don't forget to share some pics with us!
- 18th - 22nd: Walk to School Week. Whilst we can't all walk to school this year, perhaps you can find a way of making sure that you walk somewhere (even if it's just around a garden or something) every morning this week before you start your work. Let us know your creative ways of "walking to school".
June
- Friday 5th: World Environment Day. World Environment Day is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. We would like you to create a poster today to show how you think we can protect our environment and then share it via Twitter or email.
- Monday 8th: World Oceans Day. A global celebration of the planet's marine environment. Throughout this week can you create a project about different ocean life around the world? Please share via Twitter or email.
- 15th - 19th: My Money Week. My Money Week is a national activity week for primary and secondary schools that provides a fantastic opportunity for young people to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence in money matters to thrive in society. Please share photos throughout this week of your children setting up shops, pricing up their dinner, looking at old money - in fact, anything money related!
- 24th: Wrong Trousers Day. Inspired by Wallace and Gromit, Wrong Trousers Day is all about having the right to wear wrong trousers to help children's hospices and hospitals across the country. We would love to see photos of you all in your "wrong trousers" please!
Thank you for continuing to work hard juggling homeschooling and working from home. We hope that you've found our new approach to using one 'topic' lesson for the whole family is making it easier for you to support your children at home.
Best wishes and enjoy the sunshine in the week to come,
Regards, Mrs Meyrick and the team!