Livingstone Newsletter
October Week 3
Friday 24th October
Monster's Ball
A huge thank you to everyone who turned up to help and make the Monster’s Ball such a wonderful event for our pupils. On this occasion, there were far too many contributors to name individually, but please know that we truly appreciate everything you do to support the life of the school.
The final calculations on expenses are still being completed, but we are hopeful that the event has raised around £1,000 —a fantastic achievement!
Thank you once again for your time, energy, and generosity.
NOTE FROM THE PTA:
The PTA needs more help and support throughout the school to prepare for and run fundraising events – we are an open and welcoming group, open to ideas. We invite and encourage you to get involved and contribute as much time as you can.
The school takes responsibility for the logistical running of events, including the larger areas such as the BBQ and bouncy castles at the Summer Fair. We ask parents to help us in running the stalls and activities (we could only run the summer stalls for an hour and had to close them early as we didn’t have enough people to keep them open later).
Going forward, each year group will be responsible for an element of the larger events (e.g. Summer & Christmas) and will be asked to run a stall or activity. Your Parent Rep will be in touch about this.
All events are to raise money for the school, so your support is crucial. Christmas Fair planning will commence ASAP – a meeting and/or Zoom to be arranged soon. We need ideas and time commitment to make it happen.
Parent Representatives
WhatsApp Groups
We would like to inform you that Livingstone will no longer be officially supporting the WhatsApp groups associated with year groups. While we appreciate the value of parent-to-parent communication, we ask that all communication to and from the school now be directed through the school office.
Parents/carers who wish to remain in contact with one another via WhatsApp may continue to do so privately, outside of any school-endorsed channels. One of the reasons for this change is the inappropriate use of contact details and the sharing of confidential material.
In addition to this parents/carers should not be recording meetings or conversations without permission.
Parent Rep Meeting
Parent Rep Meeting, 10th October 2025 - Minutes Part 1- EYFS, KF & KS1
Due to the number of questions sent in, the minutes are being shared over more than one newsletter.
Class representatives are:
Reception – Fozia, Yr 1 – Lauren and Kristina, Yr 2 – Sid, Yr 3 – Jackie, Yr 4 – Laura, Yr 5 – Charlotte, Yr 6 – Mel, Kingfisher – Sylvia
Nursery – TBC, if anyone would like to volunteer, please contact the office.
Q: We received various questions and concerns relating to Arbor
A: Arbor is a new system recommended by Barnet. It was more cost effective to run, hence why Barnet directed this change. As such, we had to discontinue the use of School Money.
While Arbor has some additional functions which are useful, we do understand and appreciate that Arbor is less user- friendly and apologise for any issues experienced by our parents and carers. The office team has provided more information in the newsletter and will be further supporting you with user guides. If you need any help, please contact the office – in addition, it is possible to make card payments directly at the office, so please speak to them if this is of use.
RECEPTION
School Trips
Q: How far in advance are trips booked? Do you need parent/carer volunteers to attend trips?
A: Trips are usually booked well in advance to manage our timetable. We do occasionally ask parents to attend, more for the younger groups, but usually trips are covered by Teachers and TAs. Plus, we are often restricted by numbers on the minibus.
Read With Me
Q: Could this be changed from Wednesday to Friday for Reception?
A: The day cannot be changed but Reception Team will look into introducing an occasional "Read with Me" session on Friday afternoons. Additionally, we continue to invite parents and carers to participate as a Mystery Reader.
Evidence Me App
Q: We received an end of year update via this portal. Can this App be used more frequently to share updates with parents?
A: This App was used to shared end of year updates for Nursery and Reception. This will be continued. We will also review how updates can be shared on a more frequent basis, probably termly. More information will follow.
YEAR 1
Religious Education
Q: What is the school’s stance on religion and religious education?
A: We are a community school and teach religion as part of the Barnet syllabus; we cover all the regions and religious holidays. We educate children about these subjects, but we do not worship. Instead we focus on the philosophy that underpins various religions as part of their wider education.
Note. We received some additional feedback and questions which relate directly to the Year 1 class. These will be addressed in the next newsletter as they were quite detailed.
YEAR 2
Parent Consultations
Q: Can these take place more often, or is there are way to get more frequent updates or structured feedback from the Teacher regarding our child’s progress and particular areas of need or focus?
A: We carry out parent consultations twice per year (Autumn term and Spring term), which is statutory. These take up a lot of time for both Teachers and parents/carers, so we will review and see if there are other ways, rather than 1-2-1s, that can help parents with additional feedback.
However, if you have any concerns about your child, please contact your class Teacher directly and arrange an appointment to discuss. To contact teachers, please email the office and they will forward your email onto them directly.
PTA Comedy Night
📅 Save the Date: Wednesday 19th November
Headlining the night is none other than Iain Stirling, the hilarious voice of Love Island!
Joining him is the brilliant Katie Green, a regular at top comedy clubs across the UK.
And hosting the evening is Livingstone’s very own Joe Bor, bringing his sharp wit and local charm to the stage.
🤣 Expect belly laughs, great company, and a night to remember.
🍻 Bar and refreshments available.
🎟️ More details coming soon — but trust us, you’ll want to be there!
Nursery
This week in Nursery we have been learning all about Halloween and singing fun songs about pumpkins! We enjoyed reading Five Little Pumpkins and We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt. The children have been practising counting up to five and exploring 2D shapes such as triangles, stars, squares, circles, rhombuses, and hearts.
We have also been busy creating beautiful artwork featuring bubbling cauldrons full of colourful potions and making a delicious “pumpkin spice soup” using fragrant spices.
Outdoors, the children have been observing how quickly the trees around our school are losing their leaves and noticing changes in the autumn weather.
Next half term, we will be learning all about ourselves and our families. Please send a family photo to the school office or hand a printed copy to a member of staff.
We are also excited to announce that on Friday 7th November, we will begin our “Read with Me” sessions. Parents and carers are warmly invited to come into our classroom, choose a book from our reading corner and share a story with their child. These sessions will take place every Friday from 8:50–9:10am and participation is optional.
If you would like to sign up to be our Mystery Reader on Tuesdays at 2:30pm, please let us know!
We wish you all a restful half term and look forward to seeing you in November!
Kingfisher Early Years and Bluebirds
This week in Kingfisher EY and Bluebirds we have been enjoying lots of activities around the theme of Halloween and pumpkins. The children have enjoyed art and craft, counting and Fun with Food activities around this theme.
Our sensory story this week has been, 'We're going on a Pumpkin Hunt,' a seasonal twist on a familiar favourite. The children have engaged very well with this.
Our nursery rhyme of the week has been 5 Little Pumpkins, a great song for emotions and counting.
Reception
Reception have been enjoying continuing their learning about the world around them including the seasons. We have been talking about Autumn each day and have been discussing some of the festivals and celebrations that take place during this time. We have been enjoying Autumn and Halloween themed activities and the children have been impressing all with their fantastic progress in phonics and writing.
We are so proud of their progress so far, the children are developing strong friendships and show that they know how important the rules are to keep us safe and ready for learning. The children have made excellent progress with writing their names, please continue to support us at home by writing their names in the way shown on their name cards in the book bags (capital letter at the beginning and lower case for the rest)
Our phonics sessions are going very well, the children are all trying their best and engaging in the lessons. We are excited to be inviting you in to watch us next half term! (More information will follow) All children have been assessed, in the reading diary you will see what sounds your child is confident with and ones to be worked on at home.
During the half term, please use the green sounds books to support the children to be recognising the speed sounds quickly and confidently. If your child is ready to have a blending book to read, they will be given this in their book bag. Here are some links to help you to understand how you can help at home.
Read Write Inc. sound blending tutorial using phonics flashcards
Read Write Inc. Blending Sounds Books tutorial
Thank you!
Year 1
In Maths, we have started exploring addition. The children have been finding number bonds to 10, using part–whole models to add two numbers together, and writing their own addition sums with growing confidence. In Phonics, we are continuing with our Read Write Inc. lessons. Art has been a real highlight this week! We have budding young artists in our class. Inspired by the work of Bridget Riley and Paul Klee, the children have experimented with different lines and shapes to create stunning abstract art. They have really enjoyed expressing themselves through colour and pattern. Can you guess the self-portrait?
Have a lovely half term, Year 1! Everyone has worked incredibly this term and we are very proud of the children.
Homework
Maths- pages 20 and 21. 22 is optional.
Your child also has a yellow book for their Brain Booster homework. Inside, there are six tasks linked to our learning from Autumn 1 and our new topics in Autumn 2. This homework is voluntary, so you can choose to complete all the tasks or just a few. You can do this in the yellow book or send any pictures/videos to the office. The deadline for completing the homework is Monday 8th December, but you are welcome to bring it in earlier if you wish. Once your child has completed the task(s), they will receive a certificate and have the chance to share their work with the class.
This week's certificates go to Ollie for his enthusiasm in Art and showing off his creative side and Yoan for his excellent contributions and participating well during whole class teaching.
Year 2
In Year 2 this week, we have been focussing on our addition skills in Maths by adding 2-digit numbers using dienes. In English we have been exploring the seasonal changes of Autumn using our senses to write poetry including similes. In the afternoons, we have been finishing our Computing unit about algorithms. We started this by writing a clear set of instructions for how to draw our own alien characters for our partner to follow. We soon realised how precise our instructions needed to be for someone else to follow. Along with using apps to move a sprite around different programs.
After half term our Library session will be on a Wednesday each week.
Homework – Brain Boosters homework can be found inside the yellow homework books. These are to be handed in by Monday 8th December.
Maths – pages 23 and 24 (optional extra page 25)
Comprehension – pages 14 and 15 (Honey Bees)
The first achievement award is to Anoel for his enthusiasm and hard work in Maths, where he has been working through the class challenges.
The second award is to Samuel for his excellent recall of our key learning facts in Computing and good use of the lesson Apps on the ipads.
KIngfisher 1
In Maths, we have been learning how to interpret tally charts, bar charts, and pictograms. The children enjoyed collecting data, organizing it, and using the charts to answer questions and spot patterns.
In English, we celebrated Black History Month by exploring the traditional West African folktale “Why Anansi Has Eight Thin Legs.” The children brought the story to life through role play and then used Colourful Semantics to help them retell the story in their own words. Everyone showed great creativity.
This weeks award goes to Roman for his phonics blending and reading.
Well done Roman and keep up the good work!
Year 3
Week 8 has come and gone and we are proud of the children’s first half-term in Key Stage 2! They are resilient, hardworking and learning more and more each day in Year 3. This week we completed our science unit on skeletons and muscles.
We then began our Computing unit on Algorithms exploring how to program and debug a set of instructions. In English, we finished our autumnal setting descriptions where the pupils impressed us with their prepositional phrases, conjunctions and ambitious vocabulary.
In Maths, we continued practising the column method with addition and subtraction. Please consolidate this learning in their maths homework as exchanging is quite challenging! Have a lovely half-term everyone.
Homework:
Year 3 Maths Practice Journal: p.23 - 24 (page 25 is optional)
Year 3 Comprehension p. 14 - 15
Brain Boosters are optional. If you would like to complete these activities, they are due back on Monday 15th December.
Our achievement awards this week go to Carter and Arshin for their brilliant autumnal setting descriptions. Well done you two!
Year 4
It has been a great end to our first term. The children have really impressed us this week with their great attitudes and their readiness for learning!
In Maths, we have finished addition and subtraction and have moved onto area. In English, the children wrote great letters in role as the boy from ‘Into the Forest’. In the afternoons, the children have finished R.E. and have been sharing their views in whole class conversations about faith, Higher Beings, miracles and angels within Christianity and Islam. We have also been finding out about the life of Walter Tull for Black History and how he pathed the way for black footballers and army officers.
In Maths, we have finished addition and subtraction and have moved onto area. In English, the children wrote great letters in role as the boy from ‘Into the Forest’. In the afternoons, the children have finished R.E. and have been sharing their views in whole class conversations about faith, Higher Beings, miracles and angels within Christianity and Islam.
We have also been finding out about the life of Walter Tull for Black History and how he pathed the way for black footballers and army officers. The children used drama to show their understanding of his life.
We wish you a restful half-term.
Homework
Maths – pages 23 and 24
Reading – pages 6 and 7 and 8
Punctuation – pages 4 and 5
Times Table sheet
Please encourage your child to read and go onto TTR everyday as they are making fantastic progress with the daily practice in school.
This week’s achievement awards go to Cody for his excellent work in his times tables, and to Daniel C for his fantastic letter in role as the boy from ‘Into the Forest’. Well done to you both!
Year 5
This week in Maths, the children explored different ways of identifying multiples and factors of numbers. They drew arrays with dots, learned some quick tricks and did written division and multiplication to help them.
In English, they wrote narrative recounts as various fairy-tale villains who finally have the chance to tell the 'true' story of what happened in their tales. The children really enjoyed this and are beginning to use more Y5 grammar.
In DT, they were engineers/carpenters who built bridges; this was part of their learning on frame structures.
Homework due by Weds 5th November
Maths: pages 21 and 22 (factors and multiples)
Reading: pages 20 and 21 (The Lion and the Unicorn) or RWI Test of Strength
Have a lovely, restful half term :)
This week's awards go to Ethan for his fantastic DT skills, and to Jordan for his interesting narrative recount as the 'Big Bad Wolf' in English. Well done!
Year 6
Year 6 have been having an absolutely incredible week on the Isle of Wight at PGL!
From the moment they arrived, the children have embraced every challenge with enthusiasm, courage, and teamwork.
Throughout the week, they’ve taken part in a range of exciting activities.
They have all shown remarkable determination and resilience, achieved personal goals and stepped outside their comfort zones.
They’ve represented the school beautifully and created memories that will last a lifetime.
Thank you for your continued support. We're sure you're looking forward to having them back and hearing all their stories!
Kingfisher 2
This week in Maths we have been learning about shape. We enjoyed creating our own 2d shapes and discussing the properties. We also made patterns using 2d and 3d shapes.
In English, we have really enjoyed our Halloween topic. We wrote some spooky acrostic poems and edited, published and performed these.
This week's award goes to Daniel for his excellent attitude and independence in completing his arithmetic test. Well done Daniel!
Arbor Update
We have been working with Arbor to find a way to combine all the club account types, helping to make payments and bookings less time consuming for parents/carers but also allow us to reconcile income effectively.
We are pleased to inform parents/carers that over the half term we will be combining all the club account types into one. This will be called 'Clubs' and all top-ups and bookings for Breakfast, Cabin and Activity clubs can be made here. Please be aware that there will still be separate top up accounts for Trips, PTA etc.
Links to 'quick guides' for adding money and booking clubs on Arbor.
Happy Diwali
To all our families who have been celebrating this week, we wish you a very happy Diwali.
OCTOBER 2025
HALF TERM: Monday 27th - Friday 31st October 2025 NOVEMBER 2025
Monday 3rd:
- Pupils return to school for Autumn 2
- Activity Clubs begin for Autumn 2
- Girls Football Match vs Cromer Road. 3:30pm.
- Remembrance Day poppies and accessories go on sale in the school office
Wednesday 5th:
- Netball Match vs Danegrove 3:30pm
Thursday 6th:
- Nursery to Year 6 Individual School Photographs
Monday 10th:
- Reception and Year 6 Height and Weight Check
- IMPACT Week for Parents/Carers (dates and times for individual classes to be confirmed)
- Years 5/6 ML football Match vs St Andrews - 3:30pm
Tuesday 11th:
- Chatty Children Workshop for EYFS Parents - 9:00am - 10:00am
Thursday 13th:
- Years 5/6 selected Girls Football Competition at Powerleague - 11:00am
- KF2 Cinema Trip
Friday 14th:
- Years 5/6 Netball Match vs St Andrews - 3:30pm
Use this link to visit our School Calendar 25/26 for further dates.