Newsletter – 21st June

Events next week…

Monday 24th  – Class Photos, 3L to the CLC, pm Julia and the Junior Choir to Gospel Oak School

Tuesday 25th – 3M to the CLC

Wednesday 26th – Reception to the London Aquarium

Thursday 27th – Under 5s stay and play and coffee morning begins in the bottom hall (9-10.30am) International Evening (5-7pm)

Friday 28th – Rights Respecting Schools Silver Assessment, CSSA Quad Kids Athletics (Y3-4)

Please do look at the school calendar for all events next term and term dates. 

Future dates:

W/B 8th July – SEND planning meetings, dates and times to follow from Katherine

SCHOOL NEWS

After school club

Having listened to parent feedback, we have decided to manage our own after school club​ from September 2019. I am delighted that Sue and Linda, (Y2 and 6 LSAs) have agreed to manage this, ably supported by other Brookfield staff. They already run our hugely popular breakfast club and are excited to be taking on this new project. As a P3 member of staff left suddenly, Linda and Sue are sharing the role for the rest of this term. In the coming weeks we will be writing to you with details about Brookfield’s after school club and how it will dovetail with our clubs offer. We will be offering flexible and pre-book options and look forward to sharing this with you in good time, so you can feel confident about your childcare arrangements for the Autumn term.

International Evening 

Come to International evening next Thursday 5-7 for food, music and a celebration of our community! Even if you aren’t making food but you would be willing to help out with general duties or be on a stall, even for a short time, it would be most appreciated. Please speak to Louise or a member of SLT on the night if you haven’t done so already!

Visit from Czech Teachers

This week, as part of an EU funded project, a group of teachers from the Czech Republic visited Brookfield. They were researching teaching practice in the UK, especially the way we work with children with English as an additional language. They were really impressed with many things about Brookfield, but most of all the excellent behaviour shown by our children. They also loved the displays and the fantastic standard of writing that they witnessed throughout the school.

Wraparound Care for EYFS children

We are also working in partnership with York Rise Nursery to offer wraparound care for children aged 3 years to 5 years 3 months. York Rise are offering before school sessions from 8am, including breakfast, and will then escort the children to school. There will also be an after school session, picking up from Brookfield at 3.30 with the option to stay until 6pm, including a light tea. York Rise will be providing a home from home cosy environment for young children with lots of opportunity for play and socialisation with peers of a similar age. For more information, contact Becca at York Rise Nursery on 020 7485 7962.  ​

Mini Science Week at Brookfield

We are thrilled to welcome the Francis Crick Institute who will be running science lessons with the school on Tuesday and Wednesday next week!

The visitors are scientists and former science teachers who will be bringing some exciting resources and ideas in to share with the children. We hope the sessions will add an extra spark of enthusiasm for science and give the children an opportunity to speak and ask questions to scientists in their field!

Year 5 reading at home:

For the next month, Year 5 have the opportunity to trial a new online reading resource called Oxford Reading Buddy. Each child is able to access a wide range of ebooks that are accompanied by their personalized avatar who coaches them through the story. The website is designed to support children to choose appropriate and challenging texts that support them to read at home.  Children can log in using their USO details (purple mash). The ‘school code’ is pw5xm

https://www.oxfordreadingbuddy.com/uk

The website also contains support and guidance for parents.

Gemma very much encourages you to try out the programme and get reading! She will be popping into classes to get feedback on the programme’s popularity from children over the next few weeks.

Art Competition 

Thank you for all of the entries to the ‘Clean Oceans’ art competition. The FAB ambassadors were blown away by the artistic talent that held by so many children in Brookfield! The 20 winning entries (as judged by the FAB Ambassadors) are now being displayed in an exhibition at the Rose Circle in Waterlow Park until Friday. Apologies to the children who handed their art competition entries into the office and didn’t see them shown in assembly – these entries were also sent to Waterlow park for the exhibition. So if you didn’t see yours in Assembly, it may well be in the exhibition!

CLUBS NEWS 

Please make sure you’re up to date with clubs fees, for those who didn’t pay the whole term up front, this half term’s fees are now due. Payment can in cash or cheque only. Please hand an envelope into the office. Thanks

NEWS FROM THE OFFICE

This half term’s lunches are £86.40.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

SAVE MORTIMER TERRACE NATURE RESERVE

As you probably already know, nursery and reception classes from our school visit Mortimer Terrace Nature Reserve weekly.

Actually, three schools visit Mortimer Terrace Nature Reserve, several times a week as well as out of school hours forest schools totalling more than 50 children a week using the site.

It has been run by community volunteers for more than 30 years providing a safe environment for children to explore the natural world.

It is a grade one Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, an Asset of Community Value and an important defence against the air pollution in the area.

Last week landowners, with no prior warning or communications, changed the locks, put the land up for sale on an auction site and evicted the community custodians.
The land is due to go to auction on July 3rd even though the community should are entitled to trigger a moratorium of six months to raise the funds to make an offer on the land before it is sold and built on by developers.

Please support the campaign to save Mortimer Terrace Nature Reserve so that your children and future generations can use this vital green space for years to come.

You can also write to your local Councillors and MP. Contact us at: mortimerterracenaturereserve@gmail.com

Forest School Club

Paula Harvey, Mum of Stephen (3M) has recently started a seasonal forest club within Waterlow Park on a Tuesday and Wednesday after school. Within the safety of Waterlow Park nature reserve they provide the children with the opportunity to connect and engage with nature through fun activities in a meaningful way.

Please follow the link to find out more.

*** SUMMER FAIR ***

FOOD – we are on the hunt for a kid-friendly vegetarian stall – if any parents / carers have any suggestions please do get in touch.

We have started preparations for the Summer Fair – here’s what you need to know.

  • Theme: this year it’s Brookstock – a theme of love and peace.
  • Stalls: we please help your class Reps to see which stall you have, and how you can help
  • Food: as mentioned above, this year we won’t be able to use the kitchen for cooking so we are looking to run a kid-friendly vegetarian stall – if any parents / carers have any suggestions please do get in touch. (We will still have the BBQ and possibly the curry stall as usual.)
  • Date: it’s Saturday 13th July, 12-3.

*** YEAR 6 YEARBOOK ***

We are producing the year 6 yearbook again, and will be taking the children’s photos and messages today (time permitting). There will be a letter coming out soon, but if any Y6 parents have photos from the last 7 years of their Brookfield lives, please pass them on to Mary (Mount), Beckie (Herbert) or Rob (Minto) – or email the PTA as usual: brookfieldschoolpta@gmail.com.

We know that it’s a special item for Brookfield leavers, so please do look through your photo archives to help make it as compelling and rich as possible.

*** ICE CREAM FRIDAY ***

Enjoy the return of the sun – celebrate with an ice cream in the playground today (Friday).

*** OPEN AFTERNOON – BOOK CORNER ***

We are looking for parents and carers to help with setting up a book corner in the hall for the open afternoon (Thursday 11th July) please let the office or your teacher know. It just involves moving a few books and some soft seating down from classrooms, but we need a few helping hands.

Forest School Fundraising

Why not get a specially commissioned portrait by Sharon White – she has kindly offered to donate 20% of the price of the first 10 portraits to the Forest School Fund – see more details in the flier below.

ALSO coming up:

  • Sponsored forest fun walk on 29th June

DONTATE DIRECTLY:

If you want to donate directly to the PTA for Forest School please use this PayPal link – several parents and carers have done so already, and your donations are hugely appreciated.

Other dates for your diary:

  • 27th June – International Evening, 27th June – a great celebration of the school’s diversity
  • 11th July – Reception/nursery bake sale