19th March 2021
Dear families,
It really feels like spring has sprung today with beautiful sunshine bringing an end to our second full week back together. It is a marker of this strange time we are living in, whereby we can feel so fresh and excited about being back together as a group, but also be preparing for yet another period away for school. Thankfully our next break is the usual Easter holiday and not another seemingly endless period of closure.
I have spent a great deal of time in classrooms this week, exploring how well the children are learning now that they are back in class. I am pleased to let you know that due to the excellent assessment and planning by the teachers, the great majority of the children have been able to make very quick progress since we reopened.
You will have noticed that some cars are sneaking back into Shacklewell Row during pick up and drop off. Please be reminded that the school is part of the Hackney wide 'School Streets' initiative. From 8.30am until 9.30am and 3.00pm until 4.00pm the road directly outside school is car free. Emergency vehicles may still enter or leave the area but families should not bring their cars on to Shacklewell Row. Hackney have reintroduced the enforcement cameras so please be mindful and choose a more sustainable way to travel to and from school.
In conjunction with colleagues from across the New Wave Federation, we have been able to book Shacklewell's sports day, at Finsbury Park, on Tuesday 29th June. We have also secured a fantastic opportunity for the children in Year 6 to spend two nights in July at the Suntrap Forest Centre. In addition to this, our Extended Schools Coordinator, Bev, is busying herself finding opportunities in the late summer term so that all the children can enjoy a memorable day out. Combined with my discussions with Shacklewell Families about the tentative arrangements for the Summer Fair, I really feel that life is getting back to normal.
Enjoy a restful and safe weekend,
Rory
Friday 19th March: Year 5 & 6 Covid Tests
Monday 22nd March: PIRA assessments
Tuesday 23rd March: PUMA assessments
Friday 26th March: Parent Council
Friday 26th March: Year 5 & 6 Covid Tests
Wednesday 31st March: School closes to children at 3.15pm/3.30pm
Thursday 1st April: Parent Consultations
Monday 19th April: School opens for all pupils
Tuesday 29th June: Sports Day
Monday 12th July: Year 6 Residential
Year 1 were thrilled to be reunited with all their friends from across the cohort. They have been very busy in the garden, in order to help their gladioli bulbs grow they have been very inquisitive and have settled on the best environment for the plants to grow in. They even made a water rota for the grounds team for when they are not in school over the Easter holidays so their plants continue to grow. Year 1 have been marvellous historians and inspected a range of sources from 1666 this week. They cross referenced the diary recounts with Sir Christopher Wren's devastation sketches to be sure they knew how much of London was burnt down. The children are looking forward to finding out about Sir Christopher Wren’s plans to rebuild the city, especially since they will be testing if wooden buildings are safe by making a small scale replica of Pudding Lane.
Year 2 have had another amazing week exploring significant women from history by diving deeper into their writing book, 'Fantastically Great Women who Changed History'. It even features some of the women they have been studying in their history lessons, including Mary Seacole. In lessons, the children compared these amazing women and learnt the sad truth about why some people are better remembered than others. In science, Year 2 found out about the difference between hedges and boundaries, and even managed to go on a boundary hunt around school.
It’s been a jam packed week in Year 3, filled with spooky historical analysis, challenging design projects and even fraction hunts! In history, the children have been researching key facts about Cleopatra, making comparisons between her style of leadership and our current queen, Elizabeth II. The children were shocked to discover about the process of mummification, especially about the how the brain was extracted! Across the curriculum, the children have been applying the design cycle to produce architectural drawings on a potential shelter, to protect people from a natural disaster, along with a shield to explore whether magnetism can be blocked. As in every maths lesson, the children love applying their learning to real life contexts, so have been spotting examples of fractions around the classroom and in everyday situations.
Year 4 have continued to learn about the Anglo-Saxons. In writing, they imagined they were Harold Godwinson and wrote a speech to rouse his troops before the Battle of Hastings. They enjoyed dramatic readings of these speeches too! In history, they used their independent research skills to find out what life was like in the Anglo-Saxon times. In science, they continued to look at their topic of "materials", specifically evaporation and condensation, and how it plays a part in the water cycle. Finally, they have been consolidating their understanding of fractions and decimals. The year 4 team have been blown away by the children's knowledge, understanding and problem solving skills.
Year 5 have been learning how to convert between different units of measure in time and have solved word problems on the topic. In writing, they planned and wrote non-chronological reports on planets from the solar system, linking to their learning in science. In history, the children learnt about the importance of theatre, democracy and sport in Ancient Greek culture and held their own Olympic Games and an Ancient Greek style mock trial. In art, the children explored how abstract expressionists express emotions in their art and chose colours to express their own feelings and emotions.
Year 6 have been looking at coordinates in maths and have developed their understanding of different transformation techniques. In writing, they have been looking at bias in factual texts so they are now able to identify and use it in their own writing. In science, they worked practically to investigate manipulating shadows and explaining their observations. Their knowledge of history through the ages continues to deepen and they have been considering the role of education over time with some brilliant discussion.
What are PIRA and PUMA tests?
PIRA and PUMA are termly standardised assessments used in KS1 and KS2 to measure progress and performance in reading and maths.
The test scores are standardised to an average score of 100, this makes it easy to see whether a pupil is above or below the average test score for that year group.
The data from the tests allows our teachers to investigate strengths and areas to work on for pupils.
What are the school holiday dates for this year?
The spring term ends on Wednesday 31st March. The final term of the year begins on Monday 19th April with the remaining holidays as follows:
Summer half term: Monday 31st May - Friday 4th June
Summer holidays begin on Friday 22nd July with children returning to school on Monday 6th September.
When will there be more clubs for the children?
In the summer term we hope to take advantage of the warmer weather to provide more clubs outdoors, both in our school playgrounds and at Hackney Downs.
The addition of more sports clubs this half term have proved a great success so far. Anyone that did not get a place will be given first priority next half term.
In accordance with our Covid 19 risk assessment, year groups currently remain in bubbles for club activities. This is why we have set days for each year group at the moment.