Newsletter 17th March – Brookfield Primary School

Key Events	Dates
Year 4 Swimming (Week 1)	Monday 20th – Friday 24th March
Year 4 Swimming (Week 2)	Monday 27th – Friday 31st March
Year 1 PAC Maths	Tuesday 21st March, 9am bottom hall
Year 1 Omved Gardens	Friday 24th March: Daisy 1pm/Bluebell 9.30am
Coffee Morning	Friday 24th March 9 – 9.30pm
Community Volunteering Day	Saturday 25th March, 10-1pm
Heather to Camden Learning Centre	Monday 27th March
Year 2 PAC Maths	Tuesday 28th March, 9am bottom hall
Year 2 FAB Performance for Parents	Wednesday 29th March: Dandelion 11.30am/Poppy 2.30pm
Year 3 West African Drumming	Wednesday 29th March, Heather 2pm/Fern 3pm
Year 1 FAB Performance for Parents	Thursday 30th March: Bluebell 11.30am/Daisy 2.30pm
DISCO	Thursday 30th March: Nursery – Y2 4.30 -6pm/ Juniors 6 – 8pm
Last Day of Term	Friday 31st March
Spring Holiday	Monday 3rd – Friday 14th April
Children back to school	Monday 17th April

Laurel’s Update

We are looking forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday, following our closures this week due to strike action and today’s INSET day. We have spent today planning exciting teaching and learning experiences for the Summer term and I encourage you to look at your child’s digital portfolio with them to see this in action.

I would like to invite you to our next Boost Brookfield events on Wednesday 29th March at 9am and 4.30pm. This is an opportunity to hear an update from me on the progress we are making as a school and the challenges we are facing. Special guests will include Rob Logan who will be talking about our plans for a new Forest School Garden and representatives from our school governors and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

Community Day

We are looking forward to our next Community Day on Saturday 25^th March when we will welcome Brookfield friends and families to volunteer at school from 10am and then enjoy a bring and share lunch together. Rob, our Forest School Gardener, and Derek, Site Service Officer, are planning a range of activities for children and adults to help with to improve our indoor and outdoor learning environments. It is helpful for us to have a sense of numbers so please email admin@brookfield.camden.sch.uk if you are planning to come.

Class news

Hampstead Heath Photography

This half term Year 4 have been learning about photography, looking at the work of photographers like David Hockney and Charlie Phillips. On Tuesday, we visited Hampstead Heath to take pictures. We thought about how light, emotion, colour and patterns help us tell the story of a person, time or place. See photos below

Bird Box Workshop

Last week Year 5 ran a couple of bird box making workshop sessions, they really enjoyed woodworking. They all had a chance to use the hacksaw sensibly and safely with adult supervision. All they have to do now is paint them, the bird boxes will be installed in our playgrounds to increase biodiversity in the school grounds. The birds are going to love them. See photos below

Punctuality and Attendance

This half term we are focusing on improving punctuality at Brookfield. Below, are the start times for each year group. Children should be ready to line up on the playground at these times.

Year 2 and 6	Year 1 and 5	Reception and Year 4	Year 3 and Nursery
8.45 – 3.15pm	8.50 – 3.20pm	8.55 – 3.25pm	9 – 3.30pm

Registers are marked promptly when children enter the classroom and are closed 10 minutes after your child’s start time. Your child must therefore arrive to school at the time stated above.

If your child arrives after the register has closed, they will receive an unauthorised absence mark that shows them to be on site but not counted as a present for statistical / legal purposes.

If you would like any support with lateness, please speak to the class teacher, Carole or Faye (attendance lead).

Coffee morning: 'How can I support my child to attend school?'

Is your child feeling anxious about attending school? Do they struggle to come in in the mornings? If so, we are hear to support. We will be re-running our coffee morning around the topic: emotional based school avoidance. This will take place on Friday 24th March, 9-9.30am in the bottom hall.

The coffee morning will be a chance to learn more strategies that can be used at home to support your child and to find out what support we offer as a school. All parents/ carers are welcome- even if you would just like to learn more about this topic in general.

PTA News

Disco - Get your tickets & Call out for volunteers

The Disco is Thursday 30th March, in the Main Hall/Infant Playground.
Timing: Infants (Nursery-Y2): 4.30-6pm / Juniors (Y3-6): 6-8pm

(If you have children in both age groups, you can attend both sessions but please be mindful of the hall capacity; we may ask you to make use of the playground if the hall is full during the other session).

Tickets are on sale now! Get them here:

https://www.brookfield.camden.sch.uk/product-category/disco/

The children need to be accompanied/supervised by an adult (no more than 6 per adult) so you will need to purchase both types of tickets together. It will be a great opportunity to socialise with food & drink in the playground while the children party in the hall!

Pupil premium discounted tickets are available - please ask the office for the code.

To make the Disco a fun and successful event for your children we really need your help. If you sign up to help out at the event you get in FREE! (Saving you a £5 adult ticket, you will still need to buy child tickets)

We need volunteers (NO ADULT TICKET REQUIRED) for:
* Helping with set up & clear up.
* Running the food and drink stalls including the Bar, BBQ & Tuck Shop
* Baking for & running the Cake Stall
* Any other stall suggestions such as face painting, other food options

Please contact brookfieldschoolpta@gmail.com if you can help.

We will also send out the signup sheet via your reps next week that you can add your name to. We will be collecting the children’s song suggestions soon too.

Auction - Next term event - planning starts now!

We are looking to hold the Auction this May. All the money raised is to go towards creating the amazing Forest Garden Project. We would love for you to get in touch with any thing or service you could donate to auction off, or if you have any contacts with people or companies that would be willing to donate something.

To give you a few ideas previous auction lots include:
Cookery course - Photography session - Sports tickets - Holiday homes - Dog walking - Jewellery - Website building - Home tidying. Again please email us: brookfieldschoolpta@gmail.com

Information and Events for Parents and Carers

Camden Clean Air

The Camden Clean Air Cycle Ride 2023 is on Saturday 20th May 2023 from 9.30 to 11.30 starting at Granary Square. It is the perfect opportunity for you to explore the beauty of Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill, Regent’s Park, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, Lincoln’s Inn Fields and much more.

Book your tickets here.

Little Amal Spring Gathering

Little Amal is the 12-foot puppet of a 10 year old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk. Over the last year she has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees.

On Sunday 2 April, from 11am to 7pm, Little Amal will go between JW3, Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate, Somers Town, British Library and Granary Square. Click here for more details

Camden and Islington Parent Support Project

The Social Switch Project is offering free social media awareness-raising training for parents and carers in Camden and Islington, covering issues such as what apps your children are using and why. Starts Thursday 9 March, 6pm to 7.30pm. See flyer for more information

Coronation street party or community event

Community groups are encouraged to submit an application if they wish to host a street party or event for the Coronation.

Please email applications to events@camden.gov.uk or call 020 7974 5633 by Sunday 12 March, giving a description of where your event will take place and what it will involve, including whether a road closure is required.

You do not need to pay to host a street party and the Council has waived the fees for road closures. For more information visit our website.

Healthy Start

Healthy Start is a national scheme which supports families on low income to buy fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Families are sent a prepaid card with weekly top-ups. Families can get around £440 a year if their child is under 1, or £220 a year for each child between 1 and 4, and if they’re pregnant. Around 1 in 3 families are entitled to this benefit but are not signed up.

Click here to find out how to apply.

Cost of living crisis

Camden Advice and Support

The Council have developed a booklet to provide residents with advice and support on the cost of living crisis.

Advice booklet

Positive Futures

If you have money worries or are finding it hard to get help please don't struggle alone. Click here for more details

Updates from the Office

After School Club Closure

There is a whole school Disco on Thursday 30th March it run from 4.30-6pm for Infants (Nursery- Y2) and 6-8pm Juniors (Y3-Y6) therefore we will be unable to run after school club on that day. If you have already booked you will be refunded for this day.

You can buy your School Disco tickets here