Friday 19th November

Headteacher Update

Dear families,

We can really never tell what is around the corner! Shortly after writing to you last Friday evening the school received additional guidance from the local authority and the governing board to address the increase in Covid-19 cases within Hackney. As a result I had to send a letter to you all asking for your support as we reintroduce some aspects of our Covid-19 precautions. Our hope as a school is that we are going to be able to prevent any more significant restrictions by taking this action now. I want to thank you for the support you have shown us this week. By wearing your masks when you come on site and by trying your best to keep a safe distance, you are helping us to reduce possible transmission within the community and to keep everyone safe. May I also remind you that families are encouraged to complete lateral flow tests twice a week (Wednesday evening and Sunday evening) in order to identify anybody in the school community who is asymptomatic. All staff at school are completing these tests as well.

You have also been incredibly patient whilst we address the arrangements for dismissal at the end of the school day. The combination of the darker evenings, the Covid-19 restrictions and feedback from the wider community, meant we needed some time to get this important part of day right. We have now developed a system which works effectively, keeps everyone safe and allows for speedy pick up for all families. From Monday the school gate will be opened at 4.40pm and families will be invited to collect their children from the key stage 1 playground. A member of the leadership team, Ms Mahoney, the sports coaches and the club leaders will all work together to ensure that children and families are reunited safely. The initial feedback we have received, having trialled this approach on Wednesday and Thursday has been positive, but as always if you are unsure of the arrangements or would like to offer further feedback then don't hesitate to contact me.

You will have noticed that the introduction of the restrictions this week has had an impact on our planned parent events. We are working very hard on ensuring that we can continue to offer you all opportunities to find out what is happening in school. Primary amongst these events is parent consultations on December 2nd. We are looking at several possible approaches to this and I will communicate with you all about these plans early next week. We have had make the sad decision to take the Winter Show online this year and we will share the details on how to access this performance nearer the time.

Thank you for your support and as always please do not hesitate to speak with me on the school gates, or via the office, if you have any questions or comments.

Have a pleasant weekend,

Rory

This Week at Shacklewell

As always, the children at Shacklewell have been amazing this week. They have quickly adapted to the changes in school and have continued to work hard, focus on their learning and produce some incredible work. In the early years, children tweeted authors Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet who in return sent them two new reading books: 'Oh Christmas Tree' and 'Super Tato'. They've also been showing their teamwork skills by creating various different objects and vehicles in their outdoor area. The most impressive creation was the wooden submarine.

This week, children from various year groups had the opportunity to handle animals such as snakes, meerkats and a (hairy) tarantula, provided by Animals UK. Our children's knowledge about birds, reptiles and amphibians shone through and, despite some reluctance at first, all children became comfortable with either holding or stroking the animals. What an experience for our children!

In key stage one, children have been using concrete resources to present their understanding of one more and one less in maths. They have also put their creativity skills to the test when making pop art cards. In history, children have been using Venn diagrams to compare and contrast the lives of slaves and slave owners, aiding children's understanding of 'freedom'. Following on from their trip to Abney Park, year 2 retold the life and events of Jamaican abolitionist Joseph Jackson.

In key stage two, science experiments have been conducted by children in year 3 in order to develop their understanding of magnetic forces. For history, year 4 became Roman soldiers, highlighting the impact of Romanisation on Celtic society. Several classes visited the British Museum to learn more about their history topics this week. Year 5 scoured the museum for Viking artefacts and even managed to see the Cuerdale Hoard. With Benin as their focus, year 6 observed the 'Benin Bronzes' and animal artefacts of significance to that historic culture. Year 6 also created their own drama performance to show how kindness could be presented in a variety of social scenarios.

This week was anti-bullying week and children started off the week by wearing odd socks, encouraging people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality. Children also took part in the 'One Kind Word' activities where they identified times where someone had shown them an act of kindness and how it made them feel.

Finally, It's wonderful to see the attendance figures increasing. Two classes achieved 100% attendance and another 6 classes achieved over 98%. We thank all parents and carers for their support in ensuring children attend school daily.

Upcoming Events

Key Dates

November

  • Monday 22nd November:
    PIRA/PUMA testing

  • Tuesday 23rd November:
    PIRA/PUMA testing

  • Thursday 25th November:
    KS2 Parents Maths Session

  • Monday 29th November:
    Reception begin local art gallery visits

December

  • Wednesday 1st December:
    KS1 Parents Maths Session

  • Thursday 2nd December:
    Parent Consultations

  • Thursday 9th December:
    Whole school Christmas lunch

  • Friday 10th December:
    Christmas Jumper day

  • Friday 10th December:
    Year 1 - 6 at the Hackney Empire pantomime

  • Tuesday 14th December:
    Whole School 'Winter Sounds' concert [digital]

  • Thursday 16th December:
    Winter Fair after school

  • Friday 17th December:
    School finishes at 2.00pm for Christmas holiday

Our KS1 phonics parent session this week was a great success- thank you to everybody that managed to join us via Google Meet. On Thursday we would like to invite all of our KS2 parents to a virtual session focused on maths learning. Mr Omisore is looking forward to discussing our approach to teaching maths and the ways in which you can support with learning at home. The session is due to take place on Thursday at 9.15am and a text with the link to the meeting will be sent out just before 9.00am.


Next week the children in KS1 and KS2 will be taking part in reading and maths standardised assessments. These summative assessments, called PiRA and PUMA, are designed to measure progress in learning that has taken place since September. The scores we gather from these papers help us to identify children's strengths and areas that they need to improve. This is then used to support and inform learning and teaching that takes place into the next half term. Furthermore, we are able to use the information to share a progress update with you during our parent consultations.


In Sky and Aqua class, a new learning theme of 'colour' begins on Monday. Some of their first activities with this theme are all about using colour to express emotions in art work. To support their knowledge and understanding of different art forms the children are looking forward to a few more opportunities to explore the people and places in our local area. In the week beginning November 29th they will be taking some small group trips to local galleries in and around Dalston.