| Key Events | Date |
| February half term | Monday 14th – Friday 18th February |
| Year 2 Parent And Children(PAC) maths workshop in the bottom hall | Wednesday 23rd February |
| Year 5 Ash Crick Institute trip | Wednesday 23rd February |
| Year 6 Imperial War Museum trip | Thursday 24th February |
| Year 5 Willow Crick Institute trip | Thursday 24th February |
| Reception secret garden AM | Thursday 24th February |
| Year 4 secret garden trip PM | Thursday 24th February |
| World Book Day – see details of PTA Trail and costume swap below | Thursday 3rd March |
| Chair of Governors and Head teacher coffee morning in the bottom hall | Friday 4th March 9am |
| Year 6 coffee morning in the bottom hall | Friday 18th March 9am |
| Junior Choir performing at UCL Academy | Monday 21st March |
| Last day of Spring term | Friday 1st April |
Laurel’s Update
Today has seen Brookfield children in all their glory celebrating the end of Children’s Mental Health Week with Dress to Express Day! Thanks to Lillie (Year 3 class teacher, Mental Health and PSHE Lead) for organising such a special week for the children – please read her update below.
We have achieved so much this half term, with evidence from this week below of our brilliant curriculum in action. It has also been our most challenging period for child and staff absence and I want to take this opportunity to thank parents, carers, volunteers and governors for all their support. Your praise and encouragement has been welcome and uplifting! I wish you all a healthy and joyous half term break and will look forward to seeing you on Monday 21st February.
Children’s Mental Health Week
This week, we have celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week by extending morning break times by 10 minutes, using resources from Place2Be, dressing to express and having incredible workshops delivered by The Lily Jo Project. It’s been quite the week! The week’s theme was ‘Growing Together’, which aims to promote resilience and a growth mindset. If you wish to continue this theme at home, please visit Place2Be’s excellent at-home resources: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/parents-and-carers/. Children have also received a flyer to continue learning about their own mental health at home with The Lily Jo Project. Their resources are available here: https://www.thelilyjoproject.com/kids-mental-health/i-am-a-child/.
After School Club
We are excited to share our new booking form for After School Club by Monday 14th February. You can sign your child(ren) up for an innovative clubs that we hope enrich their social and cultural capital.
Please note that any bookings made for the next half term will not be processed if there are arrears on your After School Club account.
Early Help
Thank you to those who attended the safeguarding workshop this morning. Faye will record the presentation and post it on our school website. In the presentation, Faye mentioned a brilliant service: Early Help. This is a free, Camden service available to families with children aged 0-19. It offers practical and emotional support to families with a range of life issues if they are starting to feel overwhelming.
Please see the attached Early help leaflet for more information. You can make a self referral or, alternatively, school can also make referral’s on your behalf. If you would like any further information about this service, please contact Faye: f.winslade@brookfield.camden.sch.uk
PE Update
Next term, years 1-6 will be learning all about dance in their PE lessons. We will be exploring different styles encouraging children to be creative in their movements.
Congratulations to our Year 5 and 6 Boys Football team who have succeeded in making the Camden finals! They will take place on Tuesday February 22nd from 9.30am – 12.30pm, and letters with details about the tournament will be sent home today with the players.
Year 1 Trip to St Mary Brookfield
Year 1 visited St Mary Brookfield on Tuesday. In our Religious Education lessons we have been looking at different faith’s places of worship; mosques, synagogues, temples or home. Father Damian very kindly showed us the different parts of the church that he considers to hold the greatest significance for his parishioners and simply explained why they are so special for Christians. It gave the children a chance to see first hand that, although some of us may differ in our beliefs, our places of worship are similar in many ways.
Maps in Year 2
This week Year 2 have been putting together all of our learning to make maps for robot bugs called ‘Bee Bots’. We made large maps, based on the stories we have been creating in literacy, and then used different codes and instructions to direct the Bee Bots around them. We also made sure our maps had different symbols on them and different colours to show different land types, linking to our geography work. It was great to see the maps being used and watch the bugs navigate around them!
Year 4 Football Commentaries
Year 4 have been busy writing football commentaries for the final week before half term! We watched a short football animation to help us with our ideas. Once inspired, we planned our commentaries and carefully selected which adverbs and powerful adjectives we would include. Later in the week, we wrote and performed our commentaries to our classmates! Year 4 absolutely smashed it and had everyone listening on the edge of their seats.
Lingohubz: French and Spanish After School Club, brand new to Brookfield School
Wednesdays: French 3:30-6:30pm
Thursdays: Spanish 3:30-6 30pm
Years 1-6
Year 7+ GCSE fast-track
We are delighted to announce that Brookfield School will be hosting Lingohubz, an after school languages club for ages 6+ starting after February half term. Parents can sign up for a free trial lesson and find out more info at:
Half-term support for families whose children get free school meals
A reminder that if you receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support and have dependent children up to the age of 18, or if your child attends a Camden school and receives free school meals, they should receive a letter from Camden Council during the week beginning 14 February about Government-funded supermarket vouchers to support the cost of food over half-term week (14 to 18 February). If the letter doesn’t arrive, or you need any other support, parents / carers can call 020 7974 4444 (option 9).
Free course for parents
Please see flyer below with details of a free course on maintaining your wellbeing in the context of parenting:
Families for Life Community Champion programme
Do you know a Camden parent who has what it takes to become an inspirational volunteer Families for Life Community Champion? Potential champions will attend the virtual volunteer training programme starting 21st February to learn about the role, health and wellbeing priorities and services on offer. Champions will talk to families with children aged 2-11 about healthy lifestyles and promote the benefits of eating healthy and being active.
Heritage Weekend Family Fun Day at Lauderdale House – 20 February
We’ve got lots of fun activities and they are all FREE!
Drop in for all kinds of fun between 11am and 4pm – no need to book in advance! Activities include an arts and crafts drop in Design your own Tudor Garden Workshop with a professional artist, where you take inspiration from the Knot Garden alongside Lauderdale House to create your own 3D mini garden or garden collage, and also an Orange Trail around the House where you solve riddles and look for hidden oranges inspired by one of the House’s former inhabitants, actress Nell Gwynn – a ‘sweet treat’ awaits the first 50 children to complete it! For more information please check our website: https://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/heritage-family-fun-day-2022
Half-term activities for children and young people in Camden
There’s plenty for children and young people of all ages to get involved in and enjoy across Camden during half-term week (14 to 18 February). Please share with parents / carers in your bulletins and newsletters:
- Find play schemes near you
- Other youth and play activities, including half-term youth projects
- Sport and physical activities, including mixed and girls-only football sessions at Cantelowes Sports Pitch; Girls Get Moving Mondays, Active Wednesdays, Multi-Sport Scheme and Gymnastics Mini-Camp at Talacre Community Sports Centre, as well as Multi-Sport Sessions at Kilburn Grange Park.
PTA News
World Book Day & Half Term PTA Events
In the lead up to World Book Day on Thursday 3rd March the PTA have lots of fun activities planned and ways to help raise money to buy the School some brilliant new books!
This half term we will be holding a Sponsored Reading Challenge.
Sponsorship forms will be handed out at school or you can download the form from here. Prizes will be awarded for the most time spent reading or being read to. To be eligible for the prizes please hand in your forms and sponsorship money to your teachers or to the office by World Book Day (3rd March). All envelopes must have your child’s name & Class clearly marked!
Following the success of last year, the PTA will be organising another fantastic Book Character Trail and Competition.
Here’s how you can help or take part…
- We need suggestions for your favourite book characters to be displayed on the trail. Please email us with the character name and book to: brookfieldschoolpta@gmail.com or just fill in this form https://forms.gle/PK6fon2UkJjA9Dyu7
- We need volunteer homes/families to display a book character from their window – this must be visible from the pavement and be displayed from 3rd – 6th March.
- Please contact usif you can home a character on the trail (and we’ll get the character to you).
There will be a competition to identify all the Trail characters on a checklist to be submitted to the PTA.
For completing the trail you will have a chance to win a prize goody bag!
We love to be green & help the environment at Brookfield so on Friday 25th February Nursery and Reception will help us hold a World Book Day Costume Swap and Bake Sale after school in the Infant Playground.
We would love it if you could bring along any cakes or bakes (no nuts please) or any old dressing up. (The Costume Swap is free even if you have nothing to swap.)
On World Book Day itself Year 2 and Year 5 will help us hold a Book Swap after school in both playgrounds. This will also be a free event so come along and pick up something new to read or donate any books you no longer want.
Half term is a perfect time to have a rummage for any unwanted or outgrown dressing up or books!
Books and dressing up donations can be left at the office anytime after half term or just brought along on the day.
So, in summary:
- Half term break – get sponsored! / look for books and costumes to swap
- Friday 25th February – bake sale and costume swap
- 3rd – 6th March: Book character trail
- 3rd March – World Book day – Book swap and dress up for school.
Thank you and let’s make World Book Day 2022 a fantastic celebration of reading!
Much Love
The PTA Team