Livingstone Primary & Nursery School WK1 MAR 2022

Friday 4^th March

It was great to see parents and carers back in school for parent consultations and as the term is progressing, we are seeing more events being re-introduced into the school calendar. Whole school assemblies have returned. We have had a programme of competitive matches, school visits and workshops, with more scheduled. In the next few weeks we are taking part the Dance Festival at the Artsdepot and the choir is being re-started ready for participation in the Music Festival. Despite small outbreaks of COVID, there is a feeling of optimism and a belief that despite setbacks, pupils are getting back on track with their learning and getting the all-round education that they deserve.

World Book Day is one of Livingstone's favourite events of the school year! This year the children celebrating reading by having different adults read to them in the afternoons; by swapping books with the covers hidden; and by buddy reading in different classes.

On Thursday, we had Author Meets Artist Day! Every class studied a famous author and artist, and created a piece of artwork inspired by both. The children really enjoyed being creative.

The combination of costumes and pyjamas gave us an opportunity not only to celebrate the importance of children’s literature but also raised money for the mental health charity ‘Place2be’ chosen by our school council as it focuses on mental health in schools. Thank you for all contributions, just under £120 was collected.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to all the children, staff and parents who made it a great success - and a special thank you to Miss Purse, Miss Smith, Mrs Segal and Mrs Armstrong for organising a great week.

Please remember to use your free book!

This week we introduced our Livingstone Parents Champions during a special assembly.

Parent Champions are parents who help other parents.

Parent Champions are volunteers who talk to other parents about local services available to families. They especially reach out to families who might find it difficult to access these services.

We hope that everyone managed to get to meet our parent champions during parent consultations. We are very pleased to see them at work and hope that they add a new dimension to the support Livingstone offered our families.

This Friday we having our half termly meeting with the parent rep volunteers, they too are an invaluable service as they also provide a parent view. We are very fortunate to have a community of parents and carers who are willing to give up their time, every contribution is valued as it enhances the experiences of the pupils and builds towards good educational outcomes for all our children.

Look out for a coffee morning coming soon . . .

This half term, parents/carers are being invited in for an hour-long Maths session, where you will have the opportunity to take part in activities with your child and their class teacher. Sessions will start at 9:00 am and end at 10:00 am - please see below the dates set for each year group.

We highly recommend that you join us for this session so you can…

• see the variety of resources we use to support maths learning in school
• experience maths activities that your child completes
• work with your child
• get ideas on how to support and encourage your child’s maths learning at home

Year 3: Thursday 10th March

Year 4: Tuesday 8th March

Year 5: Friday 11th March

Kingfisher 2 (Parents only workshop) : Monday 7th March

Thank you to all the parents that have already joined us so far. We hope you have found the sessions valuable and enjoyable.

As mentioned in your meetings, here is a link to the National Numeracy Challenge. It's a platform on which you can create a login to help develop your own understanding of maths. It consists of small maths quizzes and support with how to approach any of the mathematical concepts you were not confident with.

https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/ challenge/

Also, here is a link to our website where you can find the White Rose calculation guidance documents, which can give you more of an understanding of the methods and approaches we use in school.

https://livingstoneprimaryschool.org/barnet/ primary/livingstone/site/pages/send/maths

Over the last few weeks we have had resignations from Catherine Baker and Paren Shah, who have been part of a team of outstanding governors and have supported the school over many years. They both have children who have attended Livingstone and in the case of Catherine, she also attended as a child which makes her departure doubly sad. We are so grateful to them for their hard work, generosity and good humour. Everyone will miss them as governors, though on a positive note, we know they will always be friends of Livingstone.

The term of office of another Parent Governor has ended. It is therefore necessary to hold an election for a new governor. The following might help you decide if this role would interest you:

• Becoming a governor is a very rewarding and worthwhile experience. Effective governors do not need educational expertise but do need to be committed to the school, willing to ask questions and offer appropriate challenge and support.
• Governors are elected for a four-year term. They attend four Governing Body meetings a year, which are held in the evening, as well as termly committee meetings. The Governing Body makes decisions collectively.
• The prime focus of the Governing Body is to develop the strategic direction of the school, be accountable to stakeholders and ensure that financial resources are spent appropriately. Governors need to work as an enthusiastic member of the team with the aim of raising and maintaining high educational standards for all children. Governors are asked to act always with integrity, honesty and objectivity in the best interests of the School.
• All Governors are expected to read and understand straight forward budget reports and data information.
• Training is available to develop and enhance knowledge and skills.
• It is important to note that once elected, Parent Governors are a representative parent but not a delegate. This means they are not expected to report back to parents on any matters relating to the School or Governing Body without prior consent from the Governing Body.
• If you would like to seek nomination as an elected Parent Governor, please collect a nomination form from the School Office. This form should be completed, with the accompanying personal statement of no more than 150 words, and returned to the Headteacher no later than 12 NOON on TUESDAY 8 MARCH 2022. The personal statement will only be used if more than one parent wishes to be considered for nomination; in which case, a ballot will be held.