Dear families,

winter is truly here! The temperatures have dipped and the children have been wrapping up warm to go out to play, and I must say, I love this time of year because the next few weeks are jam packed with festive cheer.

Our Christmas card competition has been extended to Monday so if you have anytime this weekend and would like to create something eye catching then please do so. All entries must be with the office team by Monday at 12.00pm. The school is alive with the sounds of Christmas melodies as the children practice their pieces' for the Winter Shows on 17th December. The children are also beginning to get very excited about the upcoming Christmas Fair, where they will have the opportunity to visit Santa in his grotto. More details about this spectacular event can be found at the bottom of the page. On Christmas Jumper day, 14th December, we're off to the Hackney Empire to see Aladdin, and I personally cannot wait to see which teacher is hauled on stage to join in the fun! I think Mr. Russell has just about recovered from his experience last year.

Today we had a very productive parent council meeting where key points were raised about the term gone by. We also spoke about next steps for the Spring term. If you would like to know more details about the discussions this morning then please follow this link. Something that was discussed at parent council is the channels by which the school communicates with parents. As we have so many varied places to share news and events, we will soon publish a guide on to access the information that the school is sharing.

In order to reduce congestion in the front office we are installing a new drop box. This will allow families to drop letters and slips into school without having to queue for extended periods. May I also take this opportunity to remind you that Shacklewell fully endorses the use of ParentPay to keep track of your payments to the school. In January we will be unable to accept any money payments, so please take this opportunity to download the app and set up your account. If you have any problems with this process the office team will be available to support your establishing your account.

Parent consultations are just around the corner, 6th December, and we are looking forward to inviting you to meet and talk with the teachers. Just a reminder that there will be no after school clubs that evening.

Have an enjoyable weekend,

Rory