Laurel’s Update
This week, we had pleasure in opening our new 2 year old nursery, Blossom class, at the Konstam building. It was wonderful to meet our new children and their parents and carers.If you are interested in your child attending, please contact our Deputy Head, Stephanie on 020 7272 9627 or email s.clarke@brookfield.camden.sch.uk.
Curriculum Letters
I have pleasure in attaching the year group curriculum letters for years 1 – 6 and encourage you to attend the curriculum meetings that happen next week. This is an opportunity for you to hear about the teaching and learning experiences your child will enjoy over the year, and how you can support at home. The Zoom link is the same for all meetings with the exception of year 1. We are aiming to record and share these meetings for parents and carers unable to join.
Year 1 meeting link only:
Meeting ID: 949 2008 0509 Passcode: rqhM27
Years 2-6 meeting link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71824304068?pwd=QzkvR2RFMERzZGZGT1JXdVNGVkg5QT09
Monday: Year 1 and 6 meetings at 10am
Tuesday: Year 4 meetings at 10am
Wednesday: Year 5 meetings at 10am
Thursday: Year 2 meetings at 10am
Friday: Year 3 meetings at 10am
Future dates for your diary
Thursday 23rd September 9am in the bottom hall -supporting you child with maths for year 1 and 2 parents
Thursday 7th October Open afternoon, school closes 1-1.15pm
Friday 8th October INSET day school closed to all children
Covid-19 Update
Under the new Government guidance close contacts of a positive case no longer need to self-isolate if they are below the age of 18 years and 6 months or if they are fully vaccinated. We have done a full risk assessment and protective measures remain in place, including practising good hygiene, ventilation, and regular testing of staff. We are reporting every new case to the local Public Health Department and if there are a significant number of cases, the local Director of Public Health may advise us to put extra measures in place. If this happens, we will write to inform you of this.
Do be alert for the symptoms of coronavirus which are:
- A high temperature
- A new continuous cough
- A loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell
See www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms
If your child develops ANY of the three main symptoms of COVID-19, they should get tested as soon as possible. Please be reassured that for most people, especially children, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
Parents should please continue with regular Lateral Flow Test (no symptom LFT) testing twice weekly.
We know that this is a difficult time for families and thank you for your support as we work to keep our school and wider community safe.
Ten Minutes Peace
This year we will be working with Molly from the ‘Ten Minutes Peace’ program. This is a practice designed to enable children, teachers and parents to embed wholesome yoga and breathing practice into their school life, home environment and beyond. It offers a chance for the children (and adults) to pause and regroup at any point in the day with a few simple techniques.
Today Molly ran a series of workshops to teach the children all about it. She has also been training teaching staff all week in how to best incorporate it into school life. Please ask your children to teach you about it!
SEND Update
Please see below for information from the Camden special parents forum:
We are holding our first Autism Coffee Morning for parents and carers next week – just a chance for people to get together and share their experiences. Parents often say that some of the best advice and recommendations comes from other parents!
This first session will be online: Wednesday 15th September, 10.30am-12pm. If any parents would like to join us they just need to get in touch for the Zoom link. Please see informational poster below:
Laura
Music News
It has been wonderful to be teaching music in the music room to children in year 1 -6 this week. They have made a great start on the musical curriculum. We have exciting plans for the year ahead, that I look forward to sharing with you over the coming weeks.
We offer a wide selection of individual and small group lessons here at Brookfield and they can be booked here: https://www.camden.gov.uk/instrument-and-voice-lessons-in-schools
Please note, Jill’s piano lessons will start on Tuesday 14th September. All other instrumental lessons will start the week beginning Monday 20th September.
Julia
Afghanistan Crisis
We are thinking of all people affected by the crisis in Afghanistan and especially our Brookfield families with links in this country. Our year 6 children have been discussing this with their teachers and are considering how we can support as a school. There are close to 2000 Afghan refugees in quarantine and bridging hotels in Camden being supported by the council and local charities. One of these charities is Little Village who are part of a London-wide response for children aged 5 and under, and their parents, by distributing critical warm clothing and nappies to children in temporary accommodation. You can donate here https://littlevillagehq.org/
Book of the Week
“David Olusoga’s thought provoking text charts the forgotten histories of Black people in Britain from Roman times right through to the present day.”
David Olusoga is an incredibly relatable, thoughtful and intelligent historian, writer and broadcaster. So I grabbed this book with both hands, written with black British perspectives of aspects of our history in mind, intended for younger readers. Even when you have little knowledge of a period of history he walks you through events, stories and changes in such a way that any reader, big or small, can find new learning understandable. Indeed, even things you thought you knew are illuminated afresh. This one may be for slightly older readers but there are definitely fresh and essential perspectives here for everyone.
York Rise Street Party
The York Rise Street Party
Sunday September 12 2021
Noon till the evening
Volunteer run, non profit – all funds raised on the day go the Highgate Newtown Community Centre Christmas Appeal
We still need people to lend us an hour or two to act as stewards, sell raffle tickets, etc.
If you’d like to get involved, please email dcarrier@camdennewjournal.co.uk or call 0778639421
Here are just a few of the highlights:
- Children’s area with NW5 Olympics, a help colour it in street art work, football, Wood That works, a massive find the lions, spot the moons treasure hunt…
- Dartmouth Park Film Club Cinema: Loads of local interest films, directors talking, and home made movies, including some from talented film makers of Brookfield School!
- Three stages of live acts and two stages with DJs…
- The Well Walk Puppet Theatre present a new work called The Magic Bistro – brilliant for children of all ages, on at 1pm and then again at 3pm
- Archway With Words book festival area
- Green street – featuring loads of stalls and activities about helping make our neighbourhood greener and tackling the climate crisis
- Loads of food and drink
- AT 2PM, OUTSIDE THE DARTMOUTH ARMS, WE HAVE A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY THE ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT, AIMED AT PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE PEOPLE!!
Come and see your kids’ animations on the big screen at the York Rise Street Party on 12th September.
We’re thrilled that the York Rise Street Party will have a special DPFC cinema screen this year and we will be showing local films & running talks etc. We are going to show all the animations from all the DPFC Kids events over the past couple of years. So you can see your kids’ films up on the big screen. The kids animations will be on the cinema
The Toy Project
Please see details below of a free community event. people are welcome to bring a friend and something to drink; snacks will be served. There are dates throughout September with the final on 5th Oct. People can sign up at the Toy Project (81 Junction Rd, 02075039590)
Meet the Parents
The pioneering secondary school transition project, Meet the Parents, is holding an online event this coming Monday, September 13th, from 6 to 7pm, to which all Brookfield parents are invited. You will be able to ask any questions you wish from a friendly panel of local parents and students at Acland Burghley, Parliament Hill, La Sainte Union and William Ellis schools among others. All year groups are welcome. Please sign up for free here:
Feel free to submit questions in advance at info@meettheparents.info.
There will be another event the following Monday, September 20th, featuring families from Haverstock and UCL Academy and other Camden schools Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mtp-hampstead-haverstock-maria-fidelis-regent-ucl-academy-tickets-163174291699?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb
Meanwhile, we are holding our own, face-to-face Meet the Parents event on Tuesday October 5th from 6.30 to 7.30pm. You will have a chance to meet local secondary school families and talk to them privately. We would really recommend these events to fill an information gap between school open days and playground rumours.
Jackson Lane – Poetry by the People
Please see details below for a free opportunity for families and students in North London:
‘Join us to create a piece of art that reflects you and the people of North London’ https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/contemporary-circus/poetry-by-the-people/
PTA News
Welcome back – hope summer was fun. A few things to say…
New Co-Chair needed
The wonderful Sophie Wong has stepped up to be chair, but she desperately needs a co-pilot. Please do consider. All the boring stuff with banking is done by Rob, who’s going nowhere. Lulu and Rahma are stepping or stepped down, and did a fantastic job for the last few years – running a PTA in a pandemic is not easy… but now is the time for someone new. Go on… speaking of which:
New Reps / Continuing Reps
Please let us know if you are stepping forward as a new Rep for your class. Email us at BrookfieldSchoolPTA@gmail.com
If you are considering being a Rep, here’s a few of the duties – it’s not too much:
- organise class/year socials – perhaps a picnic or parents pub night out
- collections for teachers presents – usually something at Xmas and end of school year
- attend the AGM – see below
- help organise a stall for Winter/Summer fairs.
- set up / maintain the class WhatsApp group or email list – for Reception this is important
That’s basically it.
We will continue to contact last years Reps until we are told who the new ones are, otherwise comms will get lost.
AGM
The annual meeting will be on Zoom at 6:30pm on Thursday Oct 7th. Please do attend. We need to be quorate to get things passed. Zoom details nearer the time.
Any items for the agenda, please email the usual address (see above) or rob@minto.net.
The agenda will include the yearly accounts for the PTA, spending plans, and updates on events.
lastly
Raise money for Brookfield while shopping on Amazon
If you are going to use Amazon, make it pay! Go to smile.amazon.co.uk and select Brookfield Primary as your chosen charity. The money then rolls in… well, at least a little bit. It all helps.
That’s it for now. Keep well. And tell us who the new Reps are.