15th February 2019
Dear Shacklewell Community,
As another half term draws to a close I am proud of all of the superb things we have achieved as a school. The children have continued to amaze their teachers with their vocabulary development, desire to improve their reading how much new knowledge they have understood from their IPC topics.
As we move in to the next half term we will continue to prioritise reading across the school because we know how much impact reading has on the children's futures. We will continue to promote a rich vocabulary for the children so that they can articulate themselves accurately in a range of academic subjects. Our journey of redefining our curriculum to maximise the children's excitement within their learning carries on throughout the spring term.
The launch of our Knowledge Organisers has helped shape our teaching this term and it has had a direct impact on the children's learning. Look out for the next batch of Knowledge Organisers coming home in the first week back.
The second part of the spring term is filled with exciting, whole school events. An important date for your diary is Parent Consultations which will take place on Thursday 28th March. As always this will be a great opportunity to meet with your child's class teacher to discuss the progress they have made this term. On the 21st March our Year 2 families are welcome to join us for 'Come Learn With Me' and Year 1 will do the same on 4th April.
The next half term will also see us get dressed up and dive into our favourite books for World Book Day on 7th March. As part of our celebrations for World Book Day we would absolutely love for families to come and read stories with the children, so if you can spare some time on the 7th March then please let the office know.
As you can see below Year 6 had an incredibly memorable time at PGL and I am sure the children (and teachers) are glad there is a week off to recover!
I hope that this delightful spring weather remains with us for our week off, and whether you're staying in London or travelling, I wish you a restful time with family and friends. I look forward to welcoming you all back on the 25th February 2019 at the usual time of 8.50am.
Rory
Looking ahead to the summer term, Shacklewell will be beginning a new whole school topic, 'Our Green Earth'. This new topic is entirely focused on how we can make local changes to impact on the wider global environment. The topic will cover habitat loss, recycling, political action and much more. It will culminate in a huge showcase for parents at the end of the term. However, in order for this to be a hugely memorable project for the children, we need your help!
Do you know anyone who works in the environmental sector and would be able to come and speak to the children? Do you have any exciting books about the environment we could borrow? Do you have any spare time to come and support us redesign our back garden?
If you can think of any ways to help make this topic a truly community driven experience then please let me know. We have already secured some very exciting visitors and trips so the more we can enhance the pupils experience, the better!
The feedback from the recent parent survey has been compiled and it is overwhelmingly positive.
As a school community, 98% of you would recommend Shacklewell to other parents and this links directly to 98% of you agreeing that your children are happy at Shacklewell. There was also a clear consensus that Shacklewell is well led and as a result you feel that the children are safe here. The teachers were very pleased to hear that 100% of those parents who responded to the survey believed that their child makes good progress here alongside 96% of you agreeing that your child is well taught.
Issues arising that require close attention from us is how we as a school communicate with our families, alongside the amount and expectations around home learning.
To address the issues raised regarding communication we will be creating a help sheet for all families on how we communicate about all aspects of the school. This will be shared in the first week back. We will also be approaching families on an individual basis to help them access the Xpressions app.
Home learning expectations will be shared with the children in a whole school assembly and then communicated with parents through the curriculum leaflets. We have heard the differing approaches that families would like us to take towards home learning and have made adaptations to ensure all children are challenged whilst being able to access their learning
Key:
My child is happy at Shacklewell
My child is taught well at Shacklewell
Shacklewell is well led and managed
My child makes good progress at Shacklewell
My child is safe at Shacklewell
As part of our ongoing work with CAMHS and in consultation with our Wellbeing Ambassadors, Shacklewell is proud to announce that the children will all have access to a worry box when they return to school after half term.
The idea behind worry boxes is that the children know there is a safe space within the classroom in which they can let go of the issues on their mind. The teacher will routinely look through the box and address issues that have arisen. Of course the children may choose not to have their issues shared with the whole class and they will be shown how to indicate this to their teacher.
Each class has been given the opportunity to personalise their box so that they can take ownership of it. We know that the worry boxes will have a positive effect on the children's mental health so we are really looking forward to getting started with them.
VALENTINE’S CAKE SALE
Thank you to everyone who helped, made and bought cake at last Friday’s sale.
We made £145.90!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Friday 1st March - Bingo Night 5–7pm
Friday 8th March - Meeting 9am
Friday 29th March- Spring Fair 3.45pm
Friday 7th June - Bake Off & cake sale
Saturday 6th July- Summer Fair
Coming Soon
BINGO NIGHT
Friday 1st March 5pm-7pm
Bingo games for the whole family to play
Fun prizes
Food and drinks
Entry by donation
Bingo cards, dabbers, food and drinks for sale
Come along, have fun, and help raise money for the school!
SPRING FAIR
Friday 28th March
If you’d like to be involved in the organisation and planning, or if you are able to help on the day, please get in touch.
If you think you would like to volunteer on the day then please reply to this message or email info@shacklewellfamilies.com