Woodberry Down NEWS

Friday 31st January 2025

A Message From Mr Hewie

As we move further into the term, I want to take a moment to celebrate the hard work and achievements of our children and staff. It has been wonderful to see such enthusiasm for learning, creativity and collaboration across the school. We are incredibly priveleged to have so many conscientious children, keen to do their best for the teachers and their families.

This week has been particularly special, with so many fantastic events bringing our school community together. A heartfelt thank you to all the families who attended and participated in our Reception Come Learn with Me, the Parent Pampering Day, Come Dine with Me and Family Friday in Nursery today. Your involvement and support make these events truly meaningful and we love seeing our families engaged in school life.

I would also like to remind everyone about the importance of road safety outside our school. To ensure the safety of all children at Woodberry Down, please avoid driving through the estate, do not park outside the school and whenever possible, consider walking, cycling or using public transport. Reducing traffic congestion not only keeps our children safe but also helps improve air quality for our community. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Looking ahead, we have a number of exciting trips and visits planned, including everything listed in our letter here. These experiences help enrich our children’s learning and foster a strong sense of community.

As always, we appreciate your continued support in making our school a positive and thriving environment for all. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or suggestions.

Wishing you all a successful and enjoyable term ahead.

School Attendance

Our whole school attendance figure for the school year to date is 94.4%. This figure remains slightly below our target but we continue to work hard to improve overall attendance and to remind our families of the importance of good attendance. At our school, 15.3% of the children have an attendance figure below 90% so far this school year. This is called persistent absenteeism.

During the week ending 31st January, the classes with the best attendance were:

EYFS - Green Class 94.9%

KS1 - 2W - 95.9%

KS2 - 4D - 99.6%

During the week ending 24th January, the classes with the best attendance were:

EYFS - Green Class - 91.6%

KS1 - 2W - 95.6%

KS2 - 5W - 96.7%

As always, we wish to be clear that we know that those children who attend school regularly achieve better results before leaving primary school and therefore enter secondary school at a better advantage. Children with lower attendance are less likely to leave our school prepared for the next stage of their education.

If your child is unwell, you must contact the school as soon as possible to inform us that they will not attend school on that day. We appreciate you support and with this matter. You can reach the school by using your MyChildAtSchool app.

Science at Woodberry Down

This week our Year 4 children had an exciting trip to the Wonder Lab located in the Science museum. The children got to explore a range of interactive exhibits as well as witness live demonstrations and participate in engaging activities to enhance their understanding of electrical energy. The trip helped to encourage scientific curiosity within the children and it provided a fun and engaging opportunity to learn outside the classroom. They had a fantastic time and are really excited to apply what they experienced at the museum into their learning.

The Year 3 pupils have really enjoyed their Science unit learning about rocks. They have had a wonderful time investigating the hardness of different rocks and comparing rocks in several comparative tests. They have also been fascinated to learn how rocks can change over time and getting to explore how fossils are formed. This then resulted in a terrific opportunity to go to the Natural History Museum and observe a range of rocks and fossils.

Finally, our Year 5 pupils have been looking at different forces and asking scientific questions around air and water resistance. This meant collaborating in small groups to devise enquiries on how to answer their questions. They were able to draw conclusions as to how the shape of an object can affect the amount of air and water resistance working on an object.

GEOGRAPHY highlights

This term, our children have been doing some truly inspiring work in Geography. From exploring global challenges to taking on creative homework projects, we’ve been amazed by their dedication and enthusiasm. We’re especially proud of two incredible entries from Year 6. Zaynah in 6D created a vibrant poster titled “Save the Earth” When asked why she made it, Zaynah said, “I wanted to show how beautiful our world is and encourage us to all save the Earth however way we can".

Rene in 6D produced a thought-provoking poster called “Climate Change.” Rene shared, “I want people to understand how serious climate change is and why we all need to work together to stop it.”

We encourage you to inspire your children to create projects linked to their current Geography topic – whether that’s through posters, models, or creative writing! It’s a wonderful way for them to dive deeper into what they’re learning and express their creativity.

Meanwhile, our Year 1 children had an unforgettable experience last week with their trip to Central London! They explored the city, had lunch at the iconic Tate Modern, and enjoyed a ride aboard the Uber Clipper on the River Thames. Along the way, they recorded both human and physical geography features they observed, from skyscrapers to bridges and the natural flow of the river.

Geography opens up a world of possibilities for our children. It teaches them about the environment, the people and places around them, and how everything is connected . As we often say here at school: “The more we know about our world, the better we can care for it.”

Year 2 news from Ms Cocker

This new term has been full of learning and fun! In Maths, Year 2 have been busy learning how to tell the time. They have been practicing reading analog clocks and have made great progress. They are now moving on to learning about fractions. The children are beginning to understand halves, quarters, and thirds. It has been fantastic to see how excited they are about these new concepts.

In Science, we’ve been exploring materials and their properties. Our little scientists have enjoyed conducting experiments to find the best materials for different uses. They have been testing out which materials are the most suitable for various tasks and it’s been wonderful to watch their scientific thinking in action.

In Geography, we have been comparing two fascinating cities: Alexandria and London. The children have been learning about the human and physical features of each city, such as landmarks, climate and the ways people live. The children have enjoyed discovering how these cities are similar and different and they’ve been eager to share their findings.

We have also been reading Meerkat Mail and using it as inspiration to create our own postcards. The children have loved the story and have been busy writing postcards from different places, imagining what it would be like to travel like the meerkat in the book.

In DT, we’re gearing up to make our own toy cars. To prepare, the children have been learning how to safely use a saw and practice cutting techniques. We’re excited to start working on our projects soon and can’t wait to see what they create.

Next week, Year 2 will be visiting Hackney City Farm. The children are looking forward to seeing the animals and exploring the farm. We’re sure this trip will be a fantastic opportunity for them to learn more about the world around them.

School Council update

Our school council had a fantastic and productive meeting this week, where they worked together to create maths resource bags for our Year 5 and Year 6 helpers to use with KS1 pupils. It was wonderful to see KS2 pupils collaborating so well with younger learners, fostering teamwork and support across year groups.

During the session, we came up with some exciting maths game ideas, which are now being typed up and laminated to include in the resource pouches. We can’t wait to see these games in action, helping to make maths fun and engaging for KS1

Pampering Session

We would like to welcome you to a parent pampering session that is taking place on Friday 31st January from 9-10:30am, led by the Hackney SEND Parent Carer Forum. This will be a chance to have a relaxing time, while meeting other parents. Please see the flyer below and sign up via the QR code on the flyer.

Nursery News from MRs Clarke

Welcome back to a chilly start to the New Year! The weather has set us up nicely for our topic ‘Winter’. The children have been exploring ‘What happens in Winter?’ We have looked at the change in weather, made snowmen out of playdough, igloos with paper plates and cotton wool and snowflakes with cotton buds! The children have been painting with frozen paint as well as experimenting to see what will melt ice quickest sand, salt or sugar? The children have answered the curious question ‘How do we keep warm? They have demonstrated this by recognising Winter clothes and sorting them out from Summer clothes, dressing up in winter clothes and attempting to independently put on their own coats and do up their zips! They also have a wonderful time making hot chocolate!

Our stories during our Winter topic have been ‘Pip and Posy the snowy day’, ‘One snowy night’ and ‘The snowy day’ all story links can be found on the parent portal. Our traditional tales which link to our cooking every Wednesday have been ‘The Snow Queen’ and ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’.

In Maths, we have been learning about numbers 4 and 5, finding many numbered objects, using objects to represent the numbers, showing the numbers on a 5 frame and attempting to make those numbers using glitter and on whiteboards. We have also been looking at squares! Identifying the square from other common 2D shapes; counting the sides and corners as well as painting squares inspired by the artist Mondrian!

Thank you families for your continued support and patience when dropping off and picking up your children, especially with our new friends who have recently joined the Nursery, we are so proud of how well you have settled in and this can only happen because of the dedication all you family members have bringing your children to school every day and on time. This really ensures the children are confident, secure and ready to start their learning having that consistent routine.

If you are potty training your child and need any guidance, please speak to a member of the Nursery Team, who will be more than happy to help assist your child to be more independent as they begin to take ownership of their personal hygiene.

We look forward to having you join us for our local trip to Yo Home Lifestyle Supermarket to begin our new topic ‘lunar New Year’ on Tuesday 4th February at 10.00am for Gold class Full time and AM children, 12:30pm for Gold and Silver Class PM children and Friday 7th February at 10.00am for Silver Class Full time and AM children.

Year 6 News from Miss Nazu

Our Year 6 children had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Annual Junior Citizenship Scheme event. This important programme is designed to equip children with essential life skills, helping them to become responsible and informed members of the community.

Throughout the day, the children took part in a series of interactive workshops led by experts from various organisations, including Transport for London, the police and road safety teams. They learned about the importance of staying safe on public transport, how to be more aware as pedestrians and cyclists, and the role of the police in keeping our communities safe.

In addition to safety, the children explored other key aspects of citizenship. A session on hygiene reinforced the importance of personal care and preventing the spread of germs, while a mental health workshop encouraged them to recognise and manage their emotions, seek support when needed and develop strategies for well-being.

The event was an invaluable experience, giving the children practical knowledge that will help them navigate their daily lives with confidence. They engaged brilliantly, asked thoughtful questions and showed great enthusiasm throughout the day.

We encourage you to ask your child about what they learned and discuss how they can apply these important lessons in their everyday routines. Thank you for your continued support.

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