Pink Piggy Supports Broadford Primary!

Broadford Primary would like to extend a big thank you to Pink Piggy Balloons of Romford, who generously donated some incredible balloon art for the Halloween disco. When the children entered the hall they were bowled over by the enormous inflatable spiders and brightly coloured decor. Without a doubt it added an extra dimension to a fantastic school event. Thank you.

Attendance Target Smashed Again!

Once again the children of Broadford - and their parents and carers - have achieved a great attendance score of 97.75%! Every morning we are being greeted with smiling children, happy parents and excited learners. What more could a school want? It is with great excitement that we lok forward to the completion of our move to the new building as that will only be yet another reason for children to be enthused about coming to school here. Well done children! Ofsted clearly didn't set the bar high enough for us.

Fright Night at the Halloween Disco

With over 130 tickets sold, the first themed disco of the year has been a great success. The Broadford Fundraising Group has set ambitious targets for itself this year and if this first event is anything to go by it will reach those aspirational targets. A huge thank you to all the Mums, parents and carers who have supported the event... and of course Mrs Trew.Without a doubt some of the costumes were horrifically frightening... well done! However some of the staff dancing moves left a lot to be desired. Winning the award for most original costume idea was James, dressed as Mr Drakes. The only problem is that the Headteacher will not want that tie! Could there be any better way to end the half term? Looking ahead to the move into our new build, this was the perfect send off to a seven week period where everyone associated with the school has worked very hard to keep it moving in the right direction.

Football Festival Fun!

Today we took 30 children to Pyrgo Priory Primary for a girls and boys football festival. In the crisp Autumn air the children were able to put to use the skills practised in their coaching sessions. Mia Rose was a revelation in goal, blocking, catching and kicking anything that came her way. Quite simply a human wall. Miles scored the first goal of the Broadford season, with a delightful piece of skill, and Charley proved to be a very vocal leader. Pyrgo were excellent, welcoming hosts who helped to make the afternoon alot of fun. We look forward to hosting them in the return match up. Well done Broadford. Seven matches in just one week means the season is now well and truly under way.

Broadford Primary vs Ardleigh Green - Season Opener!

Yesterday saw the first match of the season - albeit a friendly - against Ardleigh Green Juniors. With a crisp Autumn breeze blowing across the pitch, the boys needed no incentive to run around. Once Mr Morris (Ardleigh Green's Headteacher) had blown the whistle, the Broadford boys found that they were up against a good team. Red and white shirts flooded forward... but Taheeb and Alfie proved to be quite a defense. Luckily the posts and Bailey were in fine form; as a result the score was 0-0 after 18 mins. Upfront, Miles ran tirelessly to relieve some of the pressure. The breakthrough cam just before half time and led to Ardleigh Green going in 1-0 up. After the break Broadford battled admirably and the pressure was rewarded with an own goal 1-1. The goal did not prove to be the inspiration we needed and Ardleigh Green soon regained the upper hand. Although we had several chances to score in the second period, we could not match our opponents measured finishing. Final score 1-5. Without a doubt the match was good experience for the festival on Thursday. The boys did very well in the first match together, and from here we look forward to many more matches.

Epic Opera Education Project at Broadford

We have now confirmed that 30 of our children will be involved in an exciting music project which is linked to the London Olympics in 2012. Featuring music and percussion from Mali, we will benefit from a whole school performance to all the children. In addition the 30 children will receive 3 workshops in school time before being taken up to London next year for a performance involving lots of other London schools. There is no doubt that the children will have an amazing learning experience and we expect it to inspire their creativity and enjoyment of school.

Love Food - Hate Waste Cookery Workshops

We are pleased to announce that a series of cookery workshops will be offered at Broadford over the coming months. To begin with - on the 14th November - 20 children from Year 6 will be cooking with professional chefs in our kitchen. After Christmas there will be workshops for the other children in the Year group. Some of these sessions will be for parents to cook with their children. Others will just be for members of the local community and parents. Having two kitchens for the next ten months is a tremendous opportunity to offer our school as a community resource and we look forward to welcoming in friends, parents, carers and relatives to share our facilities and learn with the children.

Joshua Ellis - Firework Poster Winner

We are proud to announce that Josh Ellis is the winner of the Police and Havering Council Fireworks Competition. As a result his poster will be printed and published across the borough.

The prize is 4 tickets for a football match on the 5th November at Dagenham and Redbridge FC with a presentation at half time on the pitch. Joshua will be getting a Daggers kit with his name on!

Well done to Joshua, a fantastic achievement and an incredible prize. We look forward to displaying the poster at school.

All Aboard For The Ancient Egyptian Trip!

Year 3/4 don't forget to be in school promptly for an early departure tomorrow (Friday 14th October). Without a doubt the Horrible History show will bring the world of the Pharaohs to life. Did you know that Egyptian dentists used to recommend putting half a freshly killed hot mouse in your mouth to cure bad breath? We're looking forward to hearing more of those horrible facts when you return from London tomorrow.
http://www.thebloomsbury.com/event/run/1542

Fantasy League Kickoff

This weekend sees the launch of the Fantasy Football competition. So far there has been a fantastic response, with over 90 teams signed up. Without a doubt, the fight to be top of the league will be intense. However Mr Drakes is confident that he can see off all challengers. If you haven't signed up it is not too late to register your team. Visit the website and once you have entered your details, use the school pin: 6598.
We look forward to seeing you in the league. May the best team win... as long as it belongs to Mr Drakes.

Cancelled - Letters & Sounds Meeting 13th October @ 9.30

During the half term the staff will be receiving training on a new system for teaching reading and phonics, which we believe will have a dramatic impact on the children's progress. As a consequence we are going to delay the meeting planned for this morning so that we can present you with the new materials after half term. We are all very excited at the prospect of Read Write Inc coming to Broadford, and have no doubt it will help our children learn to love reading! As soon as we have the new date, we will let you know. Thank you for your understanding.

Freshwater Theatre Storytelling Visit

With the spooky cave, golden throne and magical meadow, our enchanting story teller from the Freshwater Theatre company enchanted the Nursery and Reception children today. Using music and drama, the school hall was transformed into a magical kingdom which captivated the children. All the staff and children gave the sessions tremendous feedback, describing how it had inspired the children. Each Story Hunt complements the early years' goals of bringing music, dance, exploration and creative expression to the children. Equipped with their Hunters' Kit, the children investigated the topic 'Ourselves' using rhymes, songs, puppets and stories in a unique blend of focused listening and expressive, interactive drama activities. It was great! Already we are looking forward to welcoming them back next term when they will lead us on a journey into Tudor England.

October Half-Term at Havering Museum

Havering Museum is hosting a number of fun and exciting activities during the half-term break.

Wednesday 26 October 2011, 12 noon to 1 pm: African Art & Crafts
Thursday 27 October 2011, 1 pm to 2.30 pm: Children's Ghost Event
Friday 28 October 2011, 12 noon to 1 pm: African Music & Drumming

Click the image below for full details.

Harvest Assembly Donations Thank You!

Without a doubt the amount of food donated by families for this year's Harvest Assembly was tremendous. The School's Council are now going to meet to decide who to give the food to. Your generosity is really appreciated and will make a big difference to many people. The children couldn't have described Harvest better:
"It is a time for us to think about people who don't have as much as us." Sophie - Year 3

100% Attendance Half Termly Draw - 183 Names In The Hat!

Amazingly there are 183 pupils still in contention for the 100% attendance prize draw! That represents 65% of our school population, which is an incredible achievement. Because the children and parents have worked so hard to improve the attendance, we shall be increasing the prize fund accordingly. There will now be a £30 voucher for a Reception - Year 2 first prize and another one for Year 3 - 6. There will also be runners up prizes of six £5 vouchers. Well done everyone, we are really proud of how you have helped us to consistently smash our target.

School Dinner Menu Available to Download

The Havering Catering Services Autumn / Winter Menu 2011-2012 is now available on our website. A full nutritionally balanced meal is great value at just £1.95. Click the image below to download the menu.

Harvest Assembly Donations

Tomorrow - Tuesday 11th October - we are having a Harvest assembly for the children. If you would be able to donate a tin or packet of food we would be very grateful. The children pointed out that Harvest time is special because we can think of others less fortunate than ourselves. In the past the school has made some very generous donations which I know have been much appreciated.

Parents & Governors Meeting - 9am Monday 10th October

A reminder that all of our parents and carers are warmly invited to a Meet the Governors coffee morning on Monday 10th October. We are looking forward to updating you on how our school has been improving since the Summer term. It will also be an opportunity to talk about the exciting news we received last week! The new building will be ready for half term, and the preparations for moving Years 1-6 are already well underway. We look forward to seeing you from 9am for coffee and cakes with the meeting starting at 9.10am. It is expected that we will be finished by 9.50am

Attendance Target Smashed Again!

For the fifth consecutive week the school is pround to announce an attendance rate of 96.46%! This is significantly above the target set by Ofsted of 95%... so well done to everybody. Ensuring the pupils are in school punctually every day is vital if they are to make the progress we need. Have a good weekend and see you on Monday.

Inter House Cross Country Champions - Blue!

Congratulations to the Blue team (Chatteris House) who have won the first Inter House tournament of the year. Despite the blustery conditions the children made short work of the course and finished faster than was expected. Everyone took part in this event and each child was able to score points for their team. Most pleasing of all was the supportive atmosphere as everybody cheered each other on. Although the other houses all tried their best, Blue were the worthy winners with 541 points. The House Captains will soon be planning the next event... so watch this space!

Owls Visit Broadford

Today we were privileged to meet many different species of owl from all over the world. The different types of owl had many different characteristics, which the children found incredibly interesting. Amazingly one of the owls was able to change its shape - growing five times in size!
"I couldn't believe how soft the feathers were" Michael - Year 1
All of the children were able to stroke the birds feeling the difference between the feathers of different species. Did you know that the Barn Owls screech rather than hoot? Please follow the link to find out more about these amazing birds - Owl Wise.
Alternatively look at the Owl Wise Youtube channel to see some of the birds in action.
http://www.youtube.com/OwlWiseUK

Runners Up in the Walk Once a Week Event!

Congratulations to our five Year 5/6 pupils who represented the school today in the Borough Walk Once a Week event which was held at St Edward's School. Dressed in their smart blue tracksuits and matching bags, the children looked great. With them they took a very impressive Olympic torch that they had designed and made themselves. Having been given the theme of 'Africa' for their design, the children had come up with some excellent ideas. All the flags of Africa; words from the 2010 World song and bright colours: all these features helped to ensure that the torch was one of the most eyecatching at the event. Thank you to Miss McGuinness who led the children on their excursion. At St Edwards the children took part in a quiz, some sports based activities and a presentation. With a great display of enthusiasm and teamwork the children managed to finish joint 2nd in the Olympic Themed quiz, which was a tremendous achievement!
"The children were a credit to the school. I was so proud of them" - Miss McGuinness.
Click on the image to find out more about the campaign:

o

Family & Sibling Photos - Tuesday October 4th

Kittle Photographic are in tomorrow - 4th October. Just to remind you that you can come for family photographs with younger siblings from 8.30am on Tuesday morning. Come to the main office, where Mrs Clements will show you where to wait.

Bringing Learning Alive at Broadford!

So far this term we have tried to ensure that the curriculum comes to life for the children. By providing them with exciting learning opportunities in and out of school we know they will be inspired to take an interest themselves. Already this term they have seen or experienced:

• Multistory Theatre telling them the story of the Firebird
• Martin 'The Bug Man' Rapley showing his incredible animals - snake, chameleon, tree frog, pygmy hedgehog, tarantula and iguana
• Year 1/2 going to Barleylands
• Year 5/6 visiting the Imperial War Museum

However there are many more events to come:

• The Owl Man is visiting on the 6th October
• Nursery and Reception have a story telling visit from the Freshwater Theatre on 12th October
• Year 3/4 are going to the Bloomsbury Theatre on 14th October
• The Library are visiting us on 17th October
• An Opera performance is being provided - free of charge - for all of KS1 and KS2 on 19th October

In addition to this there will be a Halloween disco for the children... and all before half term! At Broadford we firmly believe in giving the children as many different experiences as possible so that their learning is enriched. Perhaps this is why we have consistently beaten our attendance target so far this year.

School Photos - Tuesday October 4th

A reminder that Kittle Photgraphic will be in school on Tuesday October 4th for individual photographs. We know that the children will be smartly presented so that their pictures can grace your mantelpieces in time for Christmas.

Fantastic Fundraising Achievement!

Congratulations to the Year 6 children, who organised a very successful Macmillan Coffee morning. Attended by pupils, builders, staff, parents, grandparents and carers the children managed to take over £300. With their array of school baked cakes, Tesco supplies, Costco reinforcements and hot beverages the children were able to satisfy the appetites of everyone. The whole week had given the children a number of learning opportunities:

• use of ICT to estimate costs and profit in Excel
• Speaking and listening - presenting their ideas in class, dealing with customers, shopping in Tescos and cajoling parents into attending
• Writing - letters to parents, stories for the press and emails to Macmillan
• DT - baking the cakes and making the decorations
• Maths - counting the money, working out change for customers, calculating perimeter of hall, ratio and proportion for cooking
• Teamwork - organising the hall, serving customers
• Practical skills - running a raffle, how to set up an event, organising publicity, creating a mobile coffee shop to serve the builders on site, using recipes

With a final profit figure of £220 the children have done exceptionally well and learnt a great deal in the process. Well done... and look out Sir Alan Sugar!