2nd March 2020
Dear Grazebrook families,
Welcome back to the second half of the Spring term. Despite last week's brief flurry of slushy snow, hopefully the weather will continue to improve! It is certainly lovely to see the blossom and newly bloomed spring flowers in the school grounds.
There is a great deal going on this half term (it wouldn't be Grazebrook if it wasn't!) - I'd especially like to draw your attention to our Spring Term Parents' Consultations on 26th March - details of how to book appointments will follow shortly. In the Summer Term there are a number of statutory assessment points so we are holding parent workshops to help you know more about the assessments, what they look like and how you can help your child at home. Dates are on fliers in class windows, on Twitter and on the calendar below and on the website.
This week also sees the much awaited World Book Day. The theme of this year is ' Share a Million Stories' - there is a link to find out more below. We will be inviting children to dress up (home clothes is fine!) as a character from a book, sharing stories and book-related activities of our own and of course sending home the fabulous World Book Day tokens which allow you to choose a free book of your very own - the wonderful Stoke Newington Bookshop has a great stock as do all other major book retailers. We can't wait to share photos in next week's bulletin! We are also having a good clear out and refresh of our class book corners so if you have any good-quality books at home that are no longer needed, please do continue to donate them to the school. We have benefited hugely from your generosity to date and appreciate our community's support in this area.
Excitingly, work starts on our Nursery outside space today. You will notice that temporarily there is a bit less space to use whilst the work is done but we are very much looking forward to our new look - it is going to be amazing. I'll be sure to add photos here when we are ready for the big reveal.
Wishing you a great week,
Jess Hutchison
Curriculum Updates
Before half term we sent out our 'We Are Scientists' suggestions for preparing for our current science topics. Those topics are now in full swing and you can find out all about what your children are learning by studying the Knowledge Organisers. Although half term is over, why not pick an activity from the suggestions and go out on a field trip to bring science learning to life!
World Book Day
The excitement of World Book Day is almost upon us so we are celebrating with some special events on Thursday 5th March (although we love books every day at Graebrook!)
The theme of this year is 'Share a Million Stories' so that's exactly what we will be aiming to do! The team behind World Book Day has created a list of their top 100 books to share, which you can find here:
Why not have a look for your next reading inspriation?
There are also lots of free books available with your £1 voucher and, even when you have spent your voucher, you can still buy copies of these titles for just £1! Our much loved local bookshop, Stoke Newington Bookshop, has plenty of this year's titles and some gems from previous years for you to enjoy too, and all for the bargain price of just £1 (or your voucher). What better excuse to get reading?
This year's titles can be found here:
You can also use your voucher for £1 off any full priced book. Bargain!
World Book Day Twitter (1).pdfPGL
Year 6 had the most amazing time at PGL just before the half term.
It is an amazing opportunity for our pupils and we very pleased to share in their adventures! The children gain so much from the increased independence that comes with being away from home as well as the greater confidence from pushing themselves in new situations.
I am sure you will all join me in saying a huge thank you to our staff who went - Mr Symes, Mr Zainer, Mr Spencer, Bev and Ms Burry. It couldn't have happened without them and their commitment and dedication. Thank you!
After School Clubs
A new half term and clubs are already off to a great start; as ever, there are many activities for the children to choose from. Clubs are always a great way to make new friends in different classes and across year groups. Please contact the school office if you are interested in joining your child joining a club this half term or in the future.
Film Night
A huge thank you to the PSA for our film night on Friday. It was very well attended and a resounding success!
This time we were also trialing a new recycling initiative in tandem with our Eco-Council and as part of our World We Want legacy. Thank you to our parent volunteers who made this a successful (and green) film night!