Newsletter
April Week 3
Friday 23rd April
Time Keeping and Catch-up
Now that we are all back in school, it is important that we re-establish routines to learning. To help us achieve this, please ensure that your child/ren come into school and are collected on time.
Parents in Years 1 and 2 should wait until 3.15 before they go to the classrooms to collect their children as waiting outside the rooms is very distracting for the younger pupils.
Our assessments have shown that the majority of pupils have resumed their schooling with the minimal of impact and work is being done with additional teaching groups to address any gaps during school time. Where we feel more work is needed, we are inviting pupils to come in a little bit earlier and stay behind a little bit later to revise weaker areas of learning. Letters will come home inviting pupils who would benefit from these sessions.
If your child/ren are not part of these groups, it is because they are meeting or exceeding National Expectations or because they are getting additional in- class support. We are arranging phone consultations for the week beginning Tuesday 4th May, so please speak to the class teacher if you have any concerns.
We will also be re-starting Saturday school and holidays school to provide more catch-up sessions. But more information on these will follow next week.
So please be patient as every single child has been assessed and work differentiated to ensure that over the course of the next few weeks we will address gaps in learning.
Election for One Parent Governor
The term of office of a Parent Governor has ended. It is therefore necessary to hold an election. 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 WEDNESDAY 5 MAY 2021. 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.
Our First Newborn Chick
Intra-house Competition
Livingstone believe that school competition helps inspire and motivate children to work as a team. We love a sport intra-house competition and last term we had our first one. Volleyball! Years 4 and 5 put all of their hard learning, skills and determination into a match style game. Children competed in their house colours and all of the scores were collated together. In fourth place was the Red team, in third place was the Blue team, in second place was the Green team and first was the Yellow team. Well done to everyone involved!
Nursery
Nursery
Arthur has been really busy, building lots of structures with different bricks in the outside area. Arthur loves construction! Here, he is building a wall - "it will be part of a big boat", he says!
We are starting to learn our phonics in the Nursery. Mollie can read and write the letter 'm'. "It's in my name", says Mollie! Mollie could name other things that begin with the letter 'm', too, such as 'man' and 'mud'. Well done, Mollie!
This weeks achievement awards go to Arthur for his fantastic construction and Mollie for super phonics.
Reception
Reception
Play Video
We were very excited on Monday when our new visitors arrived in Reception.
The children have been very excited to watch the chicks hatch over the last week. We have learnt that the eggs need warmth in an incubator before they are ready to hatch. Once the chicks are dry, they then move into a brooder where they grow bigger and bigger. We also learnt that the boy chicks are more yellow and the girls have the brown feathers.
The children have also worked really hard to create their own life cycle posters. They have used their phonic knowledge to write sentences about the life cycle of a hen.
This week's achievement awards go to Zachias for making superb progress in Phonics and Kigen for his fantastic attitude towards all aspects of his learning.
Year 1
As part of creative curriculum, Year 1 have started Forest School with Diane. In the pond area Year 1 looked for minibeasts, made bird feeders, used twigs and other natural materials to create a magical world for the fairy garden. They all had a fantastic time.
Great fun and amazing outdoor learning Year 1!
This week's achievement awards go to all of Year 1 for finishing their beautiful clay tiles in Art.
Year 2
This week Year 2 have been designing and making our own moving vehicles under our project of transport. We have had D&T days where we have experimented using different axels and chassis. We have made a range of vehicles from racing cars to lorries and campervans! We have had a great time creating our own vehicles.
In maths, we have been focusing on measurement and have been measuring objects in the classroom using cm and outside using meter sticks. It has been fun practically measuring many different objects. A fantastic first week back to school Y2, well done!
The first achievement award goes to Lewis for his fantastic ideas and creativity when designing his lorry.
The second achievement goes to Renuka for her excellent effort in her maths work when measuring accurately.
Kingfisher 1
This week in Kingfisher 1, in English we have been researching Eric Carle books and focused on 'The Very Busy Spider'. The older pupils were writing extended sentences to retell the story using adjectives. The younger pupils enjoyed art activities, making spider webs and retelling the story with character props!
In Maths, we were learning about place value through use of numicon and dienes. Pupils worked brilliantly to count and identify the amount of tens and ones in a given number.
Pupils in Kingfisher 1 were able to join their mainstream classes for topic and enjoyed seeing their friends after such a long time! Well done to Kingfisher 1 for settling back well to their new routine.
Kingfisher 1 achievment awards go to George for working well in English, using a word bank to extend his sentence writing and Dilan for using props to retell the story of 'The Very Busy Spider'.
Year 3
In Year 3 this week, we have started our new science topic all about plants. As scientists, we have taken part in lots of observations and explorations to understand what plants need to grow and stay healthy. We have been blessed with sunshine which has helped us grow our own Dutch Irises. We can't wait for them to germinate and blossom!
In English, our new class book is 'Gregory Cool'. We have been transported to Tobago and we all wrote a lovely setting description about our character and his new home.
This week's achievements go to Kayce for his fantastic attitude and behaviour back in Year 3 and Sienna-Rose for learning her 3 times tables.
Year 4
This week in year 4, we have immersed ourselves in the world of Ancient Greece! In English, we have started exploring mythological stories: Theseus and the Minotaur, The Quest for Medusa's Head and Odysseus and the Cyclops. The ancient myths have captivated their imaginations, leaving them inspired and wanting more.
In history, we have continued with our ancient Greek theme and have looked at answering our big question 'How were the Modern Olympics influenced by Ancient Greece?'. So far, we have explored the history of the Olympics, used various sources to piece together information of what it was like and discussed what Britain may have learnt about the Olympic structures from ancient Greece.
This week's achievement awards go to Kaitlin and Catherine for their brilliant role play, retelling the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Well done! :)
Year 5
This week, Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed our new English unit on The Highwayman - a poem by Alfred Noyes. The characters, plot and language in the poem have captured their interests ready for when they write informal letters and alternative endings.
In Maths, we've been learning about decimal numbers by identifying digit values and equivalent fractions.
We've been learning about animal life cycles in Science. The children studied the life cycles of birds, mammals, amphibians and insects that go through a complete metamorphosis.
This week's awards go to Jake for his excellent sentences using language from The Highwayman, and to Athena for her work on decimals - well done you two!
Year 6
This week, Year 6 had a 'Rainforest Day' as an introduction to our Geography topic 'South America and the Amazon Rainforest'. They thought about how they could build a raft which they then presented to the class, made a waterproof den in the woods and also tasted some Brazilian food and drink.
6B Achievement Awards
The first achievement award goes to Jotham for some fantastic map work in Geography.
The second goes to Alan for working hard during dance to learn the routine for Dance Festival.
6S Achievement Awards
This week's achievement award goes to Phoebe for her excellent focus and attitude when learning about ratio in Maths.
The second achievement award goes to Sara for her fantastic independence and positivity during lessons.
6L Achievement Awards
This week's achievement award goes to Intisam for showing excellent presentation skills in all her work . She has taken great care to use excellent handwriting in all her lessons.
The second achievement award goes to Maya. Maya has shown excellent work ethic in all of her lessons and has been a shining example to the rest of her classmates .
Kingfisher 2
This week Kingfisher 2 have started the summer term with great energy and enthusiasm.
In maths we have been measuring length in and out of the classroom. The children are becoming very accurate with their measuring.
We are exploring poetry this week and have been performing and appreciating the poems of others, discussing what they might mean and how they make us feel.
In the afternoons they were very happy to rejoin their mainstream classes for creative curriculum and topics. The also enjoyed making banana and poppy seed muffins in cookery.
The achievement award this week goes to Zack for his excellent reading of his poem 'At the Zoo,' he read to the whole class clearly and confidently, well done!
5 easy #LunchboxHacks to add more veg in 60 seconds or less:
1. The Salad-on-a-Stick
Get a bamboo kebab stick and thread on different veg such as cherry tomatoes, cubed cucumber, cubed cooked beetroot, chunks of peppers, raw button mushrooms, crunchy lettuce, etc) in fun colours. If your child isn’t a fan of veg, try starting off by alternating veg with cooked meat, cubed cheese, etc to ease them into it.
2. The Lunch Crunch
1 carrot chopped into sticks (or pre-chopped carrot sticks) with a pot of hummus (or their favourite dip) adds a portion of veg.
3. The Sandwich Slice
Slice 5cm cucumber (about the length of a small egg) and add to a sandwich for an extra portion of veg with minimal effort.
4. The Helpful Handful
Add a handful of ready-to-eat snacky veg to a container. Try cherry tomatoes, drained tinned sweetcorn, celery sticks, green beans, cucumber etc.
5. The Half-Baked Plan
Heat through half a tin of baked beans (ideally low sugar and salt) and stick in a heat-retaining flask for an easy veg portion win.
Top tip: Keep trying! If they are not used to veg in their packed lunch, it may be picked out and ignored on the first few days. The more they see it and interact with it, the more the veg becomes “normal”.
My Favourite veg was:
I ate this many carrots:
I ate this much cucumber:
My Favourite veg was:
This week my rating is:
For recipes, tips and free downloads visit: vegpower.org.uk
Jaime rides to raise money for Autism
Jamie in Yr 3 did a bike ride during the Easter Holidays to raise money for the National Autistic Society as we have the Kingfisher Unit in our school. She rode an incredible 7km and she managed to raise over £400. She said that she found it a little hard near the end of my ride but she was very proud of herself in the end. We at school are also very proud of Jaime as this idea was all hers and she managed to achieve it!
Nursery - Please share with all your friends and family!
Cricket Fun!
REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN FOR ALL STARS CRICKET AND DYNAMOS CRICKET PROGRAMMES IN MIDDLESEX
After the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic led to limited delivery of All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket across the nation in 2020, Middlesex Cricket is really looking forward to the safe running of both programmes this summer, with courses starting from 7th May 2021.
Attached our centres we are holding In the borough of Barnet Below is a brief description about what each programme is , if possible could you please forward the attached posters to parents/colleagues, details on how to sign up are listed on the posters. Both programmes cost £40 for the 8 weeks of delivery, details on what you receive for your money are listed within the descriptions.
Centres in Barnet are:
All Stars- Middlesex Indoor Cricket School
Dynamos- Middlesex Indoor Cricket School
What is All Stars Cricket?
All Stars Cricket is the ECB’s entry level programme for 5- to 8-year-olds, looking to take their first steps in the game. All Stars Cricket is an eight-week coaching programme, from May onwards, delivered by Clubs and Club volunteers. In some areas where there are no or a limited number of traditional Cricket Clubs, Middlesex Cricket organise All Stars Cricket Community Centres run by the Middlesex Participation Team coaches. Each participant receives a backpack when they sign up, which includes a t-shirt, bat, ball, hat, and an activity pack, which is delivered directly to their home address. Parents and guardians can book their child/ children a place at a local centre when the booking system opens.
What is Dynamos Cricket?
Dynamos Cricket is the ECB’s entry level programme for 9- to 12-year-olds, aimed at attracting new children to cricket or as a progression from the successful All Stars Cricket initiative that has been running for three years. Dynamos Cricket is designed to offer an alternative style of cricket, with the eight hours of coaching being focused on the new countdown cricket format.
Diary Dates
April 2021
Thursday 29th:
Year 6 PGL Zoom Meeting for Parents and Pupils at 3.45pm
May 2021
Monday 3rd:
May Day Bank Holiday - School closed
Wednesday 5th / Thursday 6th:
Parent Consultation Meetings
Friday 21st May:
Founders Day (celebrating 67 years of Livingstone) - school was founded on 22nd May 1954.
Monday 24th:
Year 6 School Journey to the Isle of Wight
Friday 28th:
Year 6 return from School Journey
End of Summer 1 Term - school finishes normal time
Half Term: Monday 31st May - Friday 4th June
June 2021
Monday 7th:
Summer 2 term begins - pupils return to school
Tuesday 8th:
Year 3 Egyptian Workshop
Friday 18th:
Year 6 visit to Trent Park
Friday 25th:
INSET Day - school closed