Dates for this term –
Monday 16th September – Y2 curriculum meeting 9 – 9.30am
Tuesday 17th September – Y5 curriculum meeting 9 – 9.30am
Wednesday 18th September – Y3 curriculum meeting 9 – 9.30am
Friday 20th September – Y4 curriculum meeting 9 – 9.30am
Monday 23rd September – Meet the Parents (transition to secondary school event) 6.30pm-7.30pm
Tuesday 24th September – Y1 curriculum meeting 9 – 9.30am, Open Afternoon (school closes at 1.45pm)
Wednesday 25th September – Y6 curriculum meeting 9 – 9.30am
Friday 27th September – Y3 PAC (parent and carers) maths
Tuesday 1st October – Y4 PAC maths
Wednesday 9th October – Y2 PAC maths
Wednesday 16th October – Y1 PAC maths
School News
Welcome back to our new academic year! The children from years 1-6 have made a brilliant start and we look forward to our nursery and reception children starting from Monday. Next week, curriculum letters will be coming home with details about your child’s learning for the year ahead. This information will also be presented in year group curriculum meetings – see dates above. Our first open afternoon will be on Tuesday 24th September where parents and carers from years 1 – 6 will be invited to meet class teachers between 2-7pm and hear how their child has settled and the next steps in their learning.
School Premises
We hope you can see the improvements made to the school premises over the school holidays. These have included: painting five classrooms, creating new rooms in the nursery, new furniture for nursery and reception, the removal and replacement of the underside of the roof, redecoration of the tuck shop in the junior playground and removal of fencing around the perimeter wall. If you have a trade that could be helpful for the school over the coming year – please see Derek.
Changes to Celebrating Children’s Birthdays in school
We are changing the way that children’s birthdays are celebrated in school. While we want to continue to make sure that children are made to feel special when it is their birthday, as a school we want to ensure that there is greater equality in the way that birthdays are celebrated and to do so in a healthier way. At present, some parents and carers choose to bring in cakes and other treats for their children to share with their class. However, for a variety of reasons, not every family is able to do this for their child. There are also a significant number of children in the school who have allergies and are therefore unable to take part in these celebrations. Furthermore, there is growing concern about the amount of sugar present in children’s diets and as part of our commitment to becoming a Healthy School, we have a responsibility to try and reduce the amount of food high in fat and/or sugar which is consumed at school.
All birthdays across the school will be celebrated in the same way. Children will be given a special birthday sticker by their teacher and sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to by their class. Please do not send in any cakes or other treats as, unfortunately, they will have to be sent home uneaten. Thank you in advance for your ongoing co-operation and support. We look forward to celebrating your child’s birthday in a healthy and positive way!
Moving On
Invitation for parents of children in Year 5 or Year 6 in September
2019. The Moving On to Secondary School event at Swiss Cottage Library, Avenue
Road, NW3 3HA on Thursday 19th September 2019, from 4pm to 6:30pm
Is your opportunity to:
· Find out more about what Camden Secondary
Schools have to offer
· Receive advice on how to apply and the
admissions process from the Camden Admissions Team
· Speak with headteachers, student
ambassadors and staff from each of the Camden Secondary Schools
Brookfield After School Club
Our new After School Club got off to a great start this week with lots of children enjoying the activities on offer! Thanks to all parents and carers for your continued patience and support while we establish this service.
Brookfield After School Club (BASC) provides a range of supervised play, childcare and learning opportunities for Brookfield children aged 5-11 years from 3.30-6pm, Monday to Friday. BASC is run by experienced Brookfield staff from the comfort and safety of the school environment.
We offer many free play and structured play activities for children. There is a variety of equipment available, which both captures and engages their imaginations. Children are also encouraged to read and take part in creative activities.
At the end of the School day, children booked into BASC will be escorted to the lower hall by their class teacher where they will be signed in by after school club staff.
Parents have the option to book for the first hour only (3.30-4.30pm) which will include access to the structured activities running on that day. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Monday: Chess and Lego
- Tuesday: Science (Y5/6 only) and Art
- Wednesday: Drumming, Ballsports and Design Technology (Y4/5/6 only)
- Thursday: Football, Yoga and Debating (Y5/6 only)
- Friday: Board games and card games
Alternatively, children can be booked in for the whole session, which ends at 6pm. Children attending the whole session will be provided with a sandwich or light snack, fruit, juice and water at 4.30pm.
Bookings should be made termly in advance where possible, please ask the office for an autumn term booking form. We understand that an after school club place maybe required at short notice and aim to be as flexible as possible however, late bookings are subject to availability and an increased charge.
See fee breakdown below;
| 3.30-4.30pm | 4.30-6pm | |
| Per child | £4 | £6 |
| Pupil Premium | Free (up to twice per week) | £6 |
| Siblings | £4 | £4 |
| Late bookings | £5 | £7 |
Cancellations must be received in writing with no less than two weeks’ notice. Payment can be made online via your SCOPAY account For help with this please contact Sophie or Carole in the office.
Thank you so much for your patience and support this week! basc@brookfield.camden.sch.uk
Sports News
Netball: This term KS2 are doing netball in PE. As well as this, the CSSA Netball league for year 6 will be commencing next week (Tuesday 10th September) and will continue every Tuesday for the next 6 weeks. A letter with further information will be going out to the children who are taking part.
Cross Country: The CSSA cross country competition will be taking place on Friday 27th September. The trials for this will take place over the next 2 weeks as we need to finalise the team to give everyone enough preparation time. To do this, we are going to need some help from parents with supervising the journey to and from Hampstead Heath. Please get in touch if you are available!
Monday: Year 3: Heather – 9-10:15am Fern – 11.10- 12:15pm
Year 4: Ivy – 1:30- 2:15pm Bramble – 2:30- 3:15pm
Tuesday : Year 6: Oak – 1:30-2:15pm Elm – 2:30- 3:15pm
Wednesday: Year 4: Ivy – 9-10:15am Bramle – 11:10- 12:15pm
Year 5: Willow – 1:30-2:15pm Ash – 2:30-3:15pm
Thursday: Heather – 9-10:15am Fern – 11:10- 12:15pm
Friday: Year 5: Ash – 9-10:15am Willow – 11:10- 12:15pm
Year 6: Elm 1:30- 2:15pm Oak – 2:30- 3:15pm
If any parents could make it and help out, that would be much appreciated.
News from the office
This half terms lunches are £79.20.
Please label all clothes, we will make every effort to reunite children with named clothes.
Community Events
Welcome back – and welcome to all new parents and carers. The PTA had a great year of fundraising and community events last year, so thank you to all who helped make it such a success. The summer fair accounts are still to be 100% finalised, but it looks like it made a record amount (and was a lot of fun too).
As we have just got up and running for this term, we’ll keep this short.
New parents and carers
Welcome! What is the PTA? In brief, it’s the charitable body that automatically comprises all parents and carers of Brookfield, and it organises events for two purposes: (officially) to raise funds to further the education of children at Brookfield and to build community spirit. We put on two fairs each year (summer and winter), bake sales, a quiz, and other events. It needs people to volunteer, but the benefits are huge: through the PTA we help send children on trips to Paris and in the UK, fund art projects, on forest school, and much more. It helps create an inclusive and happy atmosphere at Brookfield, and gives all children extra experiences and opportunities on top of their normal schooling.
2019-20 events
Soon we will be working out a full school year calendar of PTA events, including bake sales and the Winter Fair. We’ll publish the list on the website and put in the newsletters, of course.
There are some events we haven’t yet confirmed, and we are keen to hear from you. We want your views – get in touch and let us know what you (and your children) are interested in, what works and what doesn’t. The PTA is for all parents and carers, and you are all members – let’s keep on thinking and working together.
New reps
We also have lots of new school reps. If you have volunteered as a class rep but not yet told the PTA chairs (Rob and Lulu) please do – we need to know! Email us on BrookfieldSchoolPTA@gmail.com
We are sending out a guide for reps (current and new) this week, but if you don’t receive it let us know and we’ll send you a copy.
That’s it for now – more details of the term / year ahead next week.
Lulu and Rob