Newsletter
February Week 2
Friday 12th February
We made it! Well done to all pupils, staff, parents and carers for making it to half term!
Reflecting upon the many challenges of this half term, we are truly proud of the achievements of all of our pupils and of our parents, carers and staff. Between us all, we recorded over 90% engagement in remote learning across almost all classes. This is an amazing achievement coupled with the challenges and anxieties we have all felt about keeping our community safe, whether at home or at school. We have refined and embedded our ‘remote learning’ and we have been able to replicate this learning very successfully in school. We are extremely proud of this combined effort which has, undoubtedly, led to very good learning outcomes for our pupils.
Pupils have demonstrated initiative, independence, personal responsibility and determination – reminding us that these qualities are those that contribute to personal development and success in later life. They have been just amazing and we are very proud of them.
All of the staff have demonstrated flexibility and an ability to adapt to these challenging circumstances. They have also shown great kindness and concern towards everyone in our Livingstone community in a situation that has not been fair on anyone. Staff at home have planned and recorded lessons, created resources and given continued feedback as well as emotional support in their discussions with pupils. Staff who have remained in school have worked tirelessly in teaching their classes, undertaking additional duties, keeping the site clean and as safe as possible; as well as supporting the well-being and practical needs of the pupils. We are very proud of them.
Unfortunately, we continue to have members of staff who contracted Covid in school and have been very unwell this half term. We truly sympathise with them and their families and trust that they will recover speedily. We are very proud of their bravery.
What can we say about our fantastic Livingstone Parents? You have all been incredible! So supportive of your children and of what the school is trying to achieve! We have key worker parents working on the ‘frontline’ to help others; parents of children with complex special needs; parents who are facing illness within their families or financial difficulties and, of course, parents who have had to work from home whilst being ‘hands-on educators’ at the same time. You have all been the cheerleaders - motivating your children in every way possible. Not an easy task! We are very proud of you.
A special ‘thank you’ to all of you who have given us such positive and helpful feedback. We reflect upon what you tell us and continually strive to improve our offer to your children. None of us can be sure about what lies ahead, but this term has proved that if we all pull together, we can keep on improving the quality of learning, alongside the personal, social and emotional development of our children.
We all hope to be ‘back to normal' as soon as possible but, in the meantime, we wish you all a safe and very well-earned break. We return to our blended learning offer on Monday 22nd February and we look forward to seeing you all again then.
Parents - We are thinking of you! Children’s well-being is closely bound to parents’ well -being.
Coronavirus has changed lots of things about family life. We know that some parents and carers might be worried about how to manage stress and changes to their daily routines. It's important to remember that everyone copes with change and stress in different ways. We've got some hints and tips you might find helpful.
Being a parent can be challenging in everyday situations. Now, more than ever, taking care of your mental health is important. Staying at home more or having to work during a difficult situation can put different pressures on everyone. If you're struggling, it's okay to reach out for support from friends, families and organisations that are here to help .
Changes to our mental health can sometimes affect children and their well-being. They may pick up on your anxiety or low mood. This doesn't mean you should hide or minimise your feelings. You can try to explain to them using phrases like, "It's ok to get big feelings, everyone gets big feelings but it's still the grown up's job to look after the children" or "If grown-up's get big feelings it's not your fault - we can ask other grown-ups for help with our feelings."
When things are different to what we're used to and everyone is going through a big change, it's important to give children reassurance and support. Looking after your own mental health is vital to their well-being so don't be afraid to try new things together or feel worried about doing something for yourself to take care of your own well-being. Reach out if you need help.
Where to find help
Diane will be available on Tuesday 23rd February from 9:30am to 11:00am for any parent/carer who would like to have a chat with her. Send the office an email and she will give you a call from school. Mr Madle has booked the 9am slot already!
Other organisations providing support to children and families include:
Mind information and support as well as helplines for people experiencing mental health problems and their friends and families.
Rethink Mental Illness Advice as well as services and support for people affected by mental illness and their friends and families.
Samaritans Round-the-clock confidential support to people going through a tough time.
SANE Emotional support to people affected by mental health problems and their families and friends.
NSPCC - You can call them on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.
Nursery
Nursery have been doing lots of activities on the lovely theme of 'Valentines Day' this week.
Filip has made this beautifully decorated heart for his Valentine! He knows who he is going to send it to ....
Mollie worked so hard to make a pretty necklace for her friend Holly.
Reception
Reception continued our focus on traditional tales. This week we based our activities on The Ugly Duckling. Pupils created, drew and labelled their own ducklings, answered comprehension questions, painted pictures of the story and even made puppet theatres. We discussed how we are all different and that is what makes us special. We wrote about our friends that we miss so much; we love our friends for who they are are on the inside. Mrs. Segal is so proud of all of the pupils in Reception and wishes to thank all of their parents/carers for all of their support. Have a well deserved break over half-term!
Year 1
Year 1
This week in Year 1 pupils have been writing thank you cards to show their appreciation. Some chose to write a thank you card to Claire from Freshwater Theatre Company for an amazing storytelling workshop that they enjoyed on Tuesday. Some others thanked their parents, families and even the staff at Livingstone! Great job Year 1.
Year 2
This week in Maths, Year 2 have been focusing on 2D shapes. They have had shape hunts around their homes and made many 2D shapes using lollysticks, straws or spaghetti. All pupils made wonderful shapes, even some decagons were made! They created their own symmetrical patterns and found shapes with lines of symmetry too.
For English, they wrote a recount of the wonderful workshop we had on Monday provided by the Freshwater Theatre company. The live workshop was brilliant, they had two stories read to them and were given actions for the stories to follow along. They even got to dance at the end being all the different animals!
Pupils have been working on their fine motor skills this week by braiding string or wool together to make lovely patterns.
They went outside collecting leaves and creating their very own leaf art!
What a great week with lots of fantastic work created. Well done Year 2!
Year 3
In History, Year 3 have been having so much fun role-playing the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Here is Ruby, aka Goddess Isis sharing facts about her life. We love the props! Pupils made posters, PowerPoints and also videos to present their research.
Year 3 are also on grammar watch! They have been learning how to use the articles 'a' and 'an' along with using 'were' and 'was' correctly.
Year 4
In Year 4 this week, pupils have looked at counting and adding fractions. They have done exceptionally well and continue to impress Mr Boucon. Here is an example of work from Maggie- Doll.
The natural world continued to captivate Year 4 this week as they carried on with their learning of volcanoes and earthquakes in Geography. Here is an example of work from Catherine explaining the causes of an earthquake.
Year 5
This week, Year 5 finished their non-chronological reports about their own fantasy creatures. They had to include orgainisational features - like captions and subheadings - to make the information clear to the reader, as well as think about their audience and the grammar they needed. They all did a great job, but Rashed, Amie, Lily and Athena's really stood out.
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Kingfisher 1
This week KF1 have been focusing on 2D and 3D shapes and counting activities in Maths. For English they have been looking at the Gingerbread Man as well as a focus on phonics/reading for the younger children.
Kingfisher 2
This week KF2 have done some great work on statistics, creating tally charts, pictograms and bar charts. They loved the bake-off as well.
Year 6
Year 6 have begun their long write through the eyes of someone involved in WW2.
This is Tyler ‘s opening paragraph (6B):
It’s a perfect day to attack. Hitler wants us to get ready for attack at night 8:00 sharp so while I’m getting ready Hitler calls me and says, “Time for attack tell everyone to get to the Luftwaffe now.” So, we all go to our planes and get ready for take-off; will we win this battle? As night creeps in, we arrive at our destination - London - time to leave our mark. The air raid siren starts to alarm the citizens of the town. Buildings begin to burn to the ground as Air Wardens help those in need. Victory is close.
Nathan (6B):
Today is December 14th 1940, it's been 3 months since the Blitz started and now Britain is at its peak. I am just strolling through the cold dark streets as the ear-piercing, deafening air raid siren that I know too well suddenly goes off. I start to sprint to the nearest air raid shelter. I freeze at the sound of the terrifying, eerie Luftwaffe's above me. I am terrified, terrified by not making it to the air raid shelter in time as there are thousands of broken-down, crumbling buildings under my bruised, hurting feet. As I arrive in front of the air raid shelter, a tall, bored looking air raid warden –who is standing there - lets me in as a wave of relief washes over me.
Gabriela (6S)
It is 1942. I, a simple citizen, live in an apartment. I am having a dream, a beautiful dream: I am free and the war is over. Then, all of a sudden, I am woken up by the most annoying sound. As my sleepy head is still waking up, I try to let my heart calm down. I quickly pack my things that I’m going to need then go outside into the pitch-black night. Still not in a shelter, I am trying to find one but there is no light and no sound (except for the ear- piercing air raid siren). The streets at night are unrecognisable in the dark. Getting very sleepy now, I finally spot a warden and a lot of people. As the people chatter and rustle, the air raid warden is shouting at us to get in the underground as a bomb is going to hit!
Phoebe (6S)
I am exploring in the piles of rubble (that used to be people's homes) and the reason I am doing this is because sometimes people’s valuables are hidden deep within. So, there I am, a 10- year-old girl, digging in the debris and shoving away brick after brick. Suddenly, something catches my eye: something shiny. It is a gold pocket watch. As I bend down and pick it up, I notice that the chain connected to the watch is trapped. As I look around, trying to see the best way I can start digging the shiny gold pocket watch out, the silence is suddenly stolen away as the air raid siren cuts through the cold air like a knife.
Arbri (6S)
It’s 1942. We’re all in danger. We're all waiting for the ear- piercing siren to sing its song. We all stop and put everything we’re doing down. Some panic; some are calm. As I run to the shelter, I feel like I can't move. Every part of my body stops working and I get left behind. Luckily, a warden comes and rescues me and I am situated in a shelter. We are in the shelter for hours but it feels like days. I can’t bear to stay here for much longer. In the cold, dark underground that I am in, water has leaked through the ceiling making a pitter-patter sound like footsteps. The chaos above makes me shake and tremble to my knees. I clutch my blanket, hoping this will all be over. I sit and cry under my blanket as my heart sinks into the depths of the dark ocean, worrying about where my family is. All my thoughts race to me like a Luftwaffe in the sky and all I see are people worrying about themselves and their homes. I tuck myself in my blanket and I lie down and think to myself, when will this all be over?
Hunkar 6S
It is a cold misty Sunday; I am currently reading my favourite book- an adventurous novel written in the 1900s. All of a sudden, I hear a loud BANG! The windows shatter into millions of bits; some of the glass shards scrape my thighs. I howl in pain; it is the only thing I can feel at the moment. I slowly get up from my sofa, my legs still hurting and I go to see what's going on and surprisingly, I see tons of bombs falling from the ominous sky. Realising that I'm in danger, I quickly run out of the house and try to find a safe place to hide. There! I say to myself as I see a protected shelter that will keep me safe. Careless people push me around on my way.
Erin's work (6L)
Darkness falls over London and the war is at its peak. As I walk out of the cinema with my family, I hear a dreadful wail and the sound of screaming. Suddenly, a crowd of people come running towards us like a rampage of bulls. In a heartbeat, I can no longer see my family. Starting to panic, I look around nervously for a glimpse of my family but no one can be seen. I have never experienced a raid alone but I knew what to do. Seeing a sign directing me to safety makes my heart lift for a moment but it drops back to reality when a bomb explodes a few streets away. Smoke engulfs the air blinding me for a segment of time. Barely managing to see, I follow the signs until I see a warden and, in a hurry to get to him, I trip over some remains of a building and fall to the floor. Things around me start to spin and tears cascade down my face. I see a blurry face standing over me and everything goes dark.‘
Pedro 6L
Today is a day as normal as can be when your country is at war. Sitting quietly in my classroom I suddenly hear the air raid sirens go off. As quick as flash. the teacher demands for everybody to stop and calm down Despite the teachers request for calm, everyone ( children and adults alike) is panicking .It looks like the class is a herd of wild animals with nobody to control them .There are children sat at their desks, patiently waiting for instruction. Others just doing crazy things : shouting like their life depended on it, hovering underneath desks searching for any type of shelter and protection and clutching onto one another hoping for some form of safety. The teacher is shouting as loud as she can for us to stop and calm down some are listening but others aren't. I am holding on to my best friend and feel quite safe but I`m still worried about the air raid because I don’t want to get hit by a bomb. The teachers are demanding that we close the curtains and hide under our desks.
Grace 6L
Many hours later, the bombs are still falling. It's nonstop but I know it will be over soon- well at least I'm hoping it will be over soon. The one thing bothering me is when will they run out of bombs, they dropped so many they should run out soon. Suddenly, it went silent. I think they’ve gone but they probably will be back soon. Out of nowhere, the warden comes into the air raid shelter- I think he has some news.
“Sorry for the unexpected visit but I have some news for you and your fellow friends!” the warden tells me with some excitement.
“Oh, it’s ok. So, what is the news?” I question the warden.
“The Germans have gone! And we are extinguishing the fires left by the bombs. After this you can all leave, we will probably be an hour.”
An hour passed by; the warden is back. We can finally leave the air raid shelter. As we are walking out of the shelter, we see the mess, the houses fallen apart. What is happening to my country? I am asking myself.
Some fantastic algebraic problem-solving in Year 6.
This is Adya's work from 6B
1.) A) 7x=14 x=2
x+8=14 x=6
x-9=14 x=23
B) 7x=28 x=4
x+8=28 x=20
x-9=28 x=37
C) 7x=35 x=5
x+8=35 x=27
x-9=35 x=44
…The answer for all three equations must be a multiple of 7 if they are whole numbers. Using this, the x for the other equations is that multiple of 7 minus 8 and plus 9 respectively. You can use any multiple of 7 as the total, even 1967.
Safer Internet Day
This year as part of 'Safer Internet Day' our pupils focused on the theme 'an internet we can trust'. They learned how to be internet detectives and not to believe everything they read online. They know how to use common sense and to fact check, the difference between fact, opinion and things that are untrue and how to reach out to trusted adults when they need help with these things or anything that worries them.
For more information check out these films as a family
Chinese New Year / Livingstone Bake - Off
Chinese New Year is celebrated today, Friday 12th, and this year's zodiac animal is the Ox. For our creative Wednesday this week, we had a fusion day with Chinese New Year activities as well as baking and cooking challenges. As always, our pupils didn't fail to impress us with their amazing baking skills and creative crafts. Concertina dragons, Chinese lanterns, pictures of Chinese zodiac calendar animals, Chinese animal masks, traditional pasta dishes, flower cupcakes, banana cakes, Ninja Turtle and Barbie cakes, Guinness cakes, Cassava cakes, biscuits and owl ice cream, to name a few. Apart from the actual baking results, we were also dazzled by all the cookery videos and detailed, step by step recipes. We are positive that we have next generation's Mary Berry and Jamie Oliver amongst us!
A massive thank you to everyone who participated this week and a big pat on the back to all our junior master bakers and chefs.
Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快乐
Thank you to Miss Papas and Mrs Kwan for organising all of the Creative Wednesdays at school this half term. I think you will agree that they have been brilliant for the children and a welcome screen time break.
Art at Livingstone
For this week's art, pupils in Reception, Years 1 and 2 have been making faces out of everyday objects. They never fail to impress Mrs Kelly with their unique creativity!
Wishing Everyone a Happy and Safe Half Term
Take the time this week to relax and enjoy the time with family in your households. We very much look forward to the next half of the Spring Term and ask that families continue to support us by following the rules and not mixing with others outside of their 'bubbles' so that those staff and pupils who will be returning to school after half term, can do so safely.
Thank you!