23rd April 2021

Dear families,

What a beautiful start to the new term. The already high spirits about coming back to school have certainly been lifted even further by the bright sunshine and the warm air. I have so enjoyed hearing what the children were able to get up to during the Easter break- some of you have been very inventive with your activities. Like most of you, I enjoyed being able to take advantage of the eased restrictions to travel and see friends and family. You will have noticed that whilst you were away from school we have spent some time sprucing up our outdoor spaces, including the Reception wall (don't worry it isn't staying grey forever) and the KS1 play equipment. We have also enhanced the in class experiences for years 1-3 by investing in new televisions and Apple TVs, which give the teachers even more flexibility in how they teach the children.

As usual we have some key priorities for this term- improving mathematics fluency, developing teacher marking, and ensuring that all children achieve the expected outcomes for reading. For us, the period of school closure is not a reason for children not to achieve the very best. We are working on the fundamental skill of fluency in mathematics because the quicker and more accurately children can recall key facts the more successful they will be in solving problems. We also want to refine the way we mark the children's work, so that as much as possible, the children receive the feedback for improvement during the lesson. The development of reading is a long term project. We continue to focus on this area because in order to develop passionate and confident lifelong readers we need to constantly refine our approach. This half term we are improving children's vocabulary and will give them ideas on how to find out more about words they are unfamiliar with.

Thank you for your continued support with the current restrictions that we have had to keep in place. I know that the queueing, one way systems and mask wearing can be frustrating. However, having seen the recent data for infections in Hackney, we really are nearly there. I appreciate your patience as we keep looking out for each other and protecting the wider community. An extra layer of precaution that I would strongly recommend you consider is to order some free at home Covid-19 tests. These lateral flow tests are a great way to catch any infections within the community. Use this link to order the tests straight to your home- https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

Our new menu has been published- click this link to see the tasty and nutritious new dishes on offer.

I hope that you can all enjoy a wonderful and sun filled weekend.

Rory

• Year 1 began there week by developing their digital skills. They went on a digital journey to the world within their reading books. They took photos of their favourite books and blended them into a book shape on Keynote. During Design and Technology, year one matched food products to the animal or vegetable they come from. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate everyone’s different diets and the cuisines from around the world. During Science, they checked on how their bulbs were growing- they needed a good water after the Easter break. Year one have also enjoyed starting their new reading book. ‘On the Way Home’ by Jill Murphy is inspiring year one to create fun adventures on their journeys' to school.

• This week Year 2 have been super artists! They practised using different tonal techniques to create different shades of blue. In PSHE, they drew their own healthy plate using their knowledge of what makes a balanced diet. It was amazing for year two to get involved with the 'Recipe of Me' project. They wrote their own poems about themselves, thinking creatively about what makes them unique. The children are so excited to share these poems with their families.

• Year 3 have absolutely loved jumping into their new curriculum topics this week, especially applying their green-fingered skills and knowledge to study plants and impressionist landscapes. They reviewed their prior knowledge on the key features of a plant, using iPads to identifying these in a variety of flora in our local area. They particularly enjoyed watching Ms Begum flex her muscles to pull out an enormous green alkanet, so they could study it's tubular roots. In art, the children explored George Seurat’s artistic technique of pointillism, comparing his style to previous still life images they have studied. The children imitated their favourite parts in their sketchbook and thoroughly enjoyed imaging that they had been transported to his glorious sunny Parisian landscapes.

• Year 4 have started their new maths topic of 'Money and Measure'. They have really enjoyed practising their skills, weighing and measuring different items around the classroom and also converting between different units of measure. For writing week, they have loved reading Varjak Paw and have completed some fantastic pieces of creative writing. The children came up with brilliant metaphors and similes to describe the wonders of the outside world. In geography, we have started our new topic called 'How we Live' with the children showing off their historical knowledge as we analysed Viking and Anglo-Saxon settlements before designing our own. They also started a new topic in science called 'Living Things and Their Habitats'. Teachers have been impressed with children's knowledge of different animals and their categorising skills.

• Year 5 enjoyed creating information videos about trade in the past for our new geography topic: Trade and Travel. Children understand that trade is an important way for countries to make money and has been happening across the world for hundreds of years. In science, the children dissected lilies to explore plant reproduction, labelling and annotating each part in the process. They are now able to identify various parts of a plant including the root, petal, leaf, pollen and stem. In writing, the children dived into their new text, The Girl Who Speaks Bear, exploring it through drama, roleplay and by writing their own folktales. The book, which is about a young baby (Yanka) who has been abandoned in a bear cave, has captured children's interests and they're looking forward to joining her on her journey of identity.

• Year 6 have kick started the summer term with lots of questions around our new science and geography topics looking at classification of living things and natural resources. Children now know that animals can be divided into groups or 'classified' by identifying the similarities and differences between them. For writing week, we have been using different structural devices to create engaging fact-files about Greek gods. We've looked at the purpose of structural devices, how they engage the reader and the impact they have on a text. In maths, we have been exploring fractions, ratio and proportion, applying our knowledge in a range of contexts. Children also know that ratio says how much of one thing there is compared to another. They've also explored how ratios can be presented in different ways.