Those of you who follow the school on Twitter may have noticed that Grazebrook has been on a winning streak in local sporting tournaments. We are thrilled to announce that we are the Hackney Primary School Boys Football and Mixed Table Tennis Champions. A huge well done to all the children who took part and who have represented Grazebrook at events this term so far. There are a wide range of sporting events planned for children across the school. Details for this term can be found in the key dates section below.

This week has seen lots of excellent learning experiences at Grazebrook both inside and outside the classroom. Early Years have been exploring Autumn, the local environment and the seasonal changes around them. Reception have also been exploring where they come from and finding countries on world maps. Year 1 have been writing excellent descriptive sentences inspired by The Snail and the Whale and, in maths lessons, developing their understanding of addition and subtraction and the relationship between them. Next week, Animals UK will visit Year 1 as part of the children's new science topic. Year 2 begun their history topic by visiting Abney Park cemetery to find out more about important historical figures from Hackney. Why don't you ask your child to take you on a tour to show you what they discovered on their visit?

Children in Year 3 have been using Apple Clips to create news reports inspired by the events in their class book, The Accidental Prime Minster. Across Key Stage 2, children have been using primary and secondary sources to develop their understanding of the past with a focus on the Romans in Year 4, the Vikings in Year 5 and the Kingdom of Benin in Year 6. Year 4 and 6 will be bringing their learning to life through visits to the British Museum. Year 5 have also greatly enjoyed developing their hand-eye coordination and control during their hockey lessons with the coach.

Several of you have asked about how to further support your child's learning at home, particularly in subjects outside of maths and English. Here are some ideas for exploring your child's current science topics at home.

Year 1: Animals/Humans

Challenge your child to name the animal group of the animals they see in the park, on outings, in books and on the television. (Please focus on vertebrates; invertebrates will be studied in Year 2). Over the course of this half term, children will learn more about the features of animals from each group and will be able to share their new knowledge with you each week.

Year 2: Living Things and their Habitats

The children should be able to talk confidently with you about different habitats around the world, the animals found within them and the relationship between plants, animals and their habitats. They will be creating simple food chains to show how energy is transferred. Ask them to create a food chain to share their knowledge with you.

Year 3: Forces and Magnets

Identify examples of forces in action at home and in the world. Explore how different objects move on different surfaces at home and talk about any patterns children notice. The children will be learning about magnetism later in the term.

Year 4: Electricity

Encourage your child to identify electrical devices and appliances at home and tell you whether they run on mains electricity or batteries. The children will be beginning to explore what an electrical circuit consists of and talk about different components in simple circuits. Help your child name the components, such as light switches and light bulbs, they can see around their home.

Year 5: Properties and Changes of Material

The children are coming to the end of this unit. Ask them to share with you their knowledge of reversible and irreversible changes such as dissolving, melting, freezing and rusting. They could create a poster or presentation for you or their class or explain to you what happens when you add sugar to your tea or why the bathroom mirror steams up after a shower.

Year 6: Light

This half term the children will be recalling their knowledge of light from their learning in Year 3 and working as scientists to deepen their understanding by carrying out a range of practical activities such as making dark boxes and periscopes. Ask your child to demonstrate how light appears to travel in a straight line.

Last week the children in Years 1 to 6 received a letter confirming that they will be returning to The Hackney Empire this year to see Jack and the Beanstalk. Very excitingly, all the children will be attending together on Thursday 9th December. We can't wait!

For children in Nursery and Reception, Hobgoblin Travelling Panto will be coming to Grazebrook to share their production of The Snow Queen on Monday 13th December.

Christmas lunch for the children will also be taking place on Monday 13th December. On this day, children may come to school in a Christmas jumper and/or wear festive clothes.

We are pleased to announce that children from Years 1 to 6 will be performing in 'Winter Sounds' concerts on Tuesday 14th December. There will be a concert in the morning and the afternoon. Nursery and Reception will hold their concert on the morning of Wednesday 15th December. Further details and your invitation to attend will follow shortly.

If you have any queries regarding you child's learning the first point of contact is your child's class teacher. You can speak to them at the end of the day or contact our school office to arrange a phone call or face-to-face meeting with them. At times, you may wish to contact the member of staff in charge of your child's year group. At Grazebrook, these are our phase leaders and assistant headteachers:

Nursery and Reception: Ms Joanna Ichim

Years 1, 2 and 3: Mr Harry Spencer

Years 4, 5 and 6: Ms Lucy Spreckley

SEND: Ms Lindsey O'Shea

All email queries should be sent to gboffice@newwavefederation.co.uk in the first instance with the addressee and/or topic in the subject line. These will be forwarded to the relevant member of staff.