Leigh Hobbs Author Workshop

An opportunity to see some more of the images from our recent Leigh Hobbs visit. The book signing at the end of the day was particularly popular, with many copies of the Mr Chicken books being snapped up!

Parent Council Minutes - Meeting 5 October 16th

Attending parents/carers of:

Lily Reynolds, Mollie May Harrop, Maisie Moss, Harry Vincent, Nathan Owsley, Ethan Borrell, Vittorio Omwnanghe

Mr Drakes welcomed all parents to the fifth meeting of the parent’s council and thanked everyone for attending. Mr Drakes explained again the rationale for the meeting

1.    Opportunity for parents to work alongside school staff to further develop the school and the progress of the children.

2.    Become more involved in school life.

3.    Clarification on school policies, routines and practices.

4.    Further develop informal and formal communication processes.

Myth Busting

There is no requirement to be a ‘member’

You do not have to be ‘invited’

It is open to all parents – but we are aware that many have jobs/commitments which make it difficult for them to attend

All views are welcome and respected

·        Actions from previous meeting

o   Mr Drakes to publish more details on the website of how to apply for FSM status

o   Mr Drakes to update the School Improvement Plan to reflect agreed areas for parents to support school improvement

o   Mr Drakes to add curriculum discussion to the agenda for the Parent Governor meeting

o   Mr Drakes to publish information on blog and website about FoB

o   FoB to pass on details of events planned

All actions carried out

·        SEN Update

o   Coffee morning held – information on new SEN Code of Practice

o   Mrs Hoffman is now meeting with parents if the SEN status of their child has changed due to new Code and letting them know about the support that will be in place

o   Next date for parents to come and meet the team Thursday November 13^th @ 9am

o   School Nurse drop ins

o   There has been some attendance at these. Parents had requested access to the school nurse, but there are still spare times as the drop in sessions haven’t been full so far.

o   EHCP & SS now passed on to parents during consultation – see above comment

Action

New date for SEN Coffee morning to be published on the blog

·        Curriculum Update

o   The new curriculum which came in from September 2014 has now been placed on the school website for parents to look at:

o   Our approach to the National Curriculum is to focus on the skills needed that will help the children throughout their life. We refer to this as…

o   Essentials curriculum to underpin planning

§  Key skills of an author, historian, geographer

§  Basic, Advanced & Deep learning approach

§  Curriculum map for topic areas & experiences – this was shared with parents to show the different areas of study across the school

§  Homework expectations in new curriculum

§  15mins reading

§  15mins spelling

§  15mins mental maths (times tables)

o   The changes to the curriculum mean that we should offer a ‘Broadford Curriculum’ to run alongside the ‘National Curriculum’.

o   With the Broadford Curriculum we presented the parents with…

§  Learning Challenge ideas – feedback from parents was that this was a useful way of extending the children at home.

§  Experiences Entitlement

·      We explained that we believe that our school should provide a wide range of experiences for the children as many do not get sufficient enrichment at home.

·      Parents where provided with a variety of activity ideas for the Experiences Entitlement part of the Broadford curriculum.  Parents then suggested some additions: 

o  bark rubbing in Nursery

o  Year 6 pupils an opportunity to work with Contender Charlie (for leadership based on Shakespeare: a group specialising in bringing Shakespeare to life within a school environment and guiding young pupils in the exploration of their emotional development and creative potential. 

o  Visiting and exploring our local history, specifically the Old Manor at Havering Atte Bower

o  giving pupils an opportunity to see and explore old cars and buses - allowing pupils a view into the past

o  trips to the zoo

§  Volunteering opportunities – pupils are to be issued with a tracker to record their volunteering and will then be eligible to earn rewards

§  10 Expectations for each Year Group in EYFS & KS1

·      These are based on the suggestions for Nursery pupils: able to enjoy a book, know the meaning of the word ‘no’, able to dress themselves, able to speak in full sentences

·      Would be developed for Reception & KS1

·      Included as part of a pupil passport so that parents knew the expectations

·        Role of parents

§  New H&S parent required – Rachel Borrell & Lilly Reynolds Nan

§  Parents to meet new pupils and get their views of the school – Mrs Moss, Mr & Mrs Harrop

§  Parents to help get the Parent View website updated – Lilly Reynolds Nan

§  Maths Party Days – dates for these would be published on the newsletter. The first is Palm on Friday 7^th Nov @ 9am. This is a chance for parents to come and have a go at the Times Table Rockstars and experience what the pupils have to tackle each day.

Action

Mr Drakes to speak to parent volunteers about dates and times for them to carry out their roles

·        Free School Meals

o   Numbers of FSM in each Year group – this data shows that there are some Year groups where there are parents eligible but they aren’t claiming.

o   Issue over funding for some families – can they contact on our behalf

§  Parents said that they would ask any families they knew of who may be eligible to check with Mrs Taylor

o   What you can benefit from? Any other ideas from parents that would encourage participation?

§  Leads to additional support from the school with uniform costs

§  School is able to subsidise the cost of trips and residentials

§  Additional resources purchased for pupils: new play trail, sand pit

§  Employed additional staff to support pupils and groups

·        AOB

o   Uniform

§  Parents raised concerns that the quality of the uniform has declined. Could the school look into it with the supplier and try other ways of getting the uniform?

                   Action

§  To check the quality of school jumpers etc

§  Look at ordering through Tesco or Sainsbury

§  Marks & Spencers - set up an embroidery badge

o   Parental Engagement

    Action

§  Include invite on the notice board

o   Other ideas for improvement

o   Less leaflets – parents pointed out that important information about school can be lost in the midst of promotional materials for school suppliers or clubs

o   Can class teachers ensure that pupils are out of class on time at 3.15pm: families have other clubs to attend, are urged to be punctual

o   Can Mr Drakes ensure that he finishes briefing by 8.30am on Fridays?

o   Parents gave examples where they felt that teachers could have been more considerate about letting the children go to the toilet

o   Water bottles - when are they being washed? Are the right lids going back to the right bottles?

·        Date of next meeting

o   Thursday 15^th January 2015

Employment & Training Opportunities: Your Views!

On the 19th November we have Nicole Doherty & John Hitchin from Renaisi coming in to talk to us. Their company is working with Chris Hobson from the Local Authority to look at employment and training opportunities for parents who live in Harold Hill. Their aims are to:

• identify what opportunities are out there - either in Harold Hill or in nearby areas
• create a clear pathway for parents/adults to be able to access jobs and skills
• involve other providers: job clubs, colleges

They would be very interested to hear feedback from parents:

• what involvement/support may you already have had from your local school?
• do you know what the pathways are to get into work or training?
• what feedback do you have about the opportunities for employment/training on the Hill?
• what would you like to be improved about support for those in post 16 education and the links to apprenticeships and further training?
• what are the key problems/barriers people from this area present with in terms of their ability to move into paid work?
• Are there any specific barriers that relate to Harold Hill in particular (e.g. transport)
• What's missing from provision to support parents/residents into work? Is there a perceived value in it? What would be the impact on children's education?

If you are able to share your views with us then please see Mr Drakes on the gate or speak to Mrs Taylor in the office, or email us with your thoughts, questions and suggestions.

Following the meeting we will provide feedback to the Parent Council and let you know what further information is available through the blog.

Tracker Awards:

Elina Joshi has now moved from Bronze to Silver. Well done to Lebohang Sibanda and Waris Naweed who have finished their Silver. Ella Nash has collected enough Golden merits to claim her bookmark. Ella Nash & Ethan Borrell have now completed their Gold Trackers.

Kirsty White & Nathan Owsley have earned their Platinum pencil and pen set. Well done to all of you!

Attendance:

KS1& EYFS: Cedar 99.35%
KS2: Birch 99.26%
Overall: 96.41%

This was a really good week for attendance.  We expect to be writing out a whole pile of 100% certificates for the first half term of the school year!

E for Excellence Winners:

These wonderful children have demonstrated excellence this week.

Steven Davenport – Mulberry

Fayo Ayodola – Pine

Armani Peek – Cedar

Ja’Shayla Cousins – Cherry

Jack Peppitt – Ash

Taylor Royer – Rowan

Brandon Brown – Birch

Holly Turner - Willow

Sophie Nickson – Elm

Drew Burkett – Maple

Bailey Westall – Coconut

Kailen Davey– Palm

Fact Hunters: Crabs, footballers & owls

Deborah Mushonga
Carlo Ancelotti most successful Champions League Manager. He won it twice as manager of AC Milan and with Real Madrid. He had also won it twice as a player.

Archie Smith
The Japanese Spider Crab is known in Japan as Takaashigani which literally means “tall-footed crab”!

Thomas Brown
Ledley King – the ex Spurs defender – scored a goal in just 9.9 seconds in a game against Bradford City.

Jack Eve
Barn owls have well designed wings to help them hunt. All of the wing feathers have a soft, downy surface, which eliminates the noise of them rubbing together.

Spinebreakers Interview Leigh Hobbs

While we had Leigh Hobbs in for the day, our Spinebreakers from KS1 interviewed him. They wanted to know all about how he began his career as a writer...

How did you start your career?
To begin with I was an illustrator for other authors. However I got tired of being bossed around and told what to draw. I had some ideas for my own characters and decided I would like to start writing my own stories.

Who is you favourite character?
My personal favourite is Old Tom. He looks like a cat, but I like to think of him as a 7 year old boy. His owner thinks of him as her son. Whatever mischief he gets into, she still loves him and wants to give him a cuddle afterwards!

What tips would you give the children at Broadford?
Don't try to copy other people's drawings and worry that yours isn't good enough. You need to develop your own characters. Take the time to practice and try lots of different story ideas. The more ideas you try, the more likely it is you will find one you really like.

Evie Superstar Gardener

Congratulations to Evie who was very early with her Halloween preparations. In her back garden she managed to grow a stunning pumpkin... and had the strength to carry it into school! With green fingers like that you could easily be an advisor for the Gardening Club!

We look forward to hearing about the pumpkin pie and soup that you manage to turn this into.

Diary Dates: School Closed 24th October

On Monday 3rd we have the photographer in school for individual pictures. Tuesday 4th sees our artists take a trip with Mrs Caccavale to the ‘Art of the Brick’ Exhibit in London. Wednesday 5th sees the EYFS entertained by the Freshwater Theatre Company.

Year 6 are off to the cinema on Thursday to see ‘All is Lost’ as part of the Into Film Festival 2014. On Friday we have the Palm Maths Party (at 9am) – a chance for you to come and see Rockstar Times Tables in action and find out how you can help to support your child at home with maths. There will be similar opportunities for all the other classes during the rest of the half term.

Sharing Assembly: Palm 9.05am Wednesday 5th November
On Wednesday 5th we have Palm’s sharing assembly. We look forward to seeing you there to share what they have been learning about this term.

Friends of Broadford:

We have the Friends of Broadford Christmas Bazaar on Saturday November 22nd 12pm – 3pm.
The date printed in the newsletter was incorrect!

If you would like a stall at the event please contact Mark Borrell (Chair) or Nicky Wheal (Vice Chair) email address: fobroadford@gmail.com. The FoB would also be very grateful for any volunteers who could help to run the event and support on the day. Again, please use the details above to get in touch with the team directly.

We are very much looking forward to this event and hope to see as many parents, pupils and families there as possible.

Individual Photographs: Monday 3rd November

Please make sure that you get that all important holiday hair cut in time for the photographs on the first day back. This will be the chance for those mantelpiece presents for Nanny & Grandad! Group sibling photographs will also be available – contact the office for more details or check the letter.

Fact Hunters: Birds, moats & water

Drew Burkett
Nightingale excrement, collected from the Japanese island of Kyushu, is being hailed as the hottest beauty wonder product because it leaves skin with a healthy shine as it acts as an exfoliant.

Fitzroy Bambgelu
Did you know that the moat -- a large ditch or trench surrounding the outer castle wall -- was a castle's first line of defense? The moat could be filled with water or dry. Many moats were also dump sites for garbage and sewage.

Elena Amato
Did you know that approximately every 20 seconds, a child dies because they lack access to clean water and sanitation?

Charlie Green
Some amazing reptiles can be found living in the sea. There are many different species of sea turtle, ranging in size from only 2 feet to the real giants at over 6 feet in length

Brooke's project

listen to ‘Brooke's project’ on audioBoom

Brandina Day: Dress Up Day Thursday 23rd October

Our school council have proposed another fundraising drive for Brandina – the orphan girl who we sponsor. It is hard to follow last year’s Ugandan flag day. However the children have suggested the idea of coming to school dressed as people who help us, doctors, nurses, fire fighters etc. The non-uniform/dressing up day will be Thursday 23rd October 2014. If you could bring in a 50p donation that would be much appreciated.

Library Summer Reading Challenge

Congratulations to our super readers who have completed the Mythical Maze challenge. Every summer the libraries organise a reading promotion - and this one was extremely popular. As a reward for reading their six books and providing a commentary, the children received a certificate and a reading medal.

As a further incentive, we offered the children the chance to earn £20 each for every reader who completed the 6 book activity. Sixteen pupils have managed to collect their medal, which means the new School Council will have £320 to spend on playground games.

Well done everyone.

Secondary Transfer: Do you have a pupil starting Year 7 in 2015?

Have you completed an on-line application for your child to transfer to secondary school in September 2015?

If not you should apply online now, and no later than 31 October 2014 otherwise your application will be late which could result in you not being offered a school of your preference. You can apply via www.havering.gov.uk/eadmissions.  Even if your child has a brother or sister that attends the school you will still need to apply for a place.

For more information please contact the School Admissions Team on 01708 434600 or visit us in the Public Advice & Service Centre (PASC) based in the Liberty Shopping Centre, Romford on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning (09:30 – 12:30).

https://www.havering.gov.uk/Pages/Services/Secondary-admissions.aspx?l1=100005&l2=200308

Black History & Culture: Dance Workshop

Last week pupils experienced an African Dance workshop as part of the learning based around Black History & Culture.

With the help of our dance expert, the pupils learnt that African dance refers mainly to the dance of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dances are often used to celebrate festivals and funerals, competing, recite history, proverbs and poetry and to encounter gods.

One clear lesson that we all learnt - Mr Drakes included - was that African dances are largely participatory, with spectators being part of the performance. With the exception of some spiritual, religious or initiation dances, there are normally no barriers between dancers and onlookers. If you are in the hall as the workshop is going on, you will be taking part! See if you can spot Mrs Taylor and Mrs Clements joining in with the moves.

In addition to these workshops the children have been learning about other aspects of Black History & Culture:

• story recitals
• steel pan workshops
• significant figures

Watch the blog for more information!

Fact Hunters: Paige's Eye Book

Paige was able to borrow a book on the Human Body from a relative and was fascinated with the workings of the eye. She was able to tell us that the images we see are upside down, but our brain manages to turn the image up the right way.

Do you know what the job of the retina is?
Which part of the eye does light enter through?
How are your eyes able to move around?

All of these are now questions which Paige could have a go at answering. Good research Paige!

Scholastic Book Sale

Books will be on sale from Scholastic after school, outside the year 1 classrooms on Tuesday 21st October and Wednesday 22nd October. That is today and tomorrow.

Come and buy a book to keep your reading skills up to date over the half term break.

Learning Power Awards:

These are the key skills that our children will need to learn effectively in class and be successful later in life.  Fabian Cacaj, Haliya Gbadamosi, Grace Gore, Libby Northwood, Ramone Holme-Slater, Sky Griffiths, and Coral Wilkinson have shown great resilience this week. They all persevered when their work became challenging.

Zaynab Abidin, Brooke Atkinson, Sienna Nickson, Emily Johnson, Grace Moody, and Lily Jones have demonstrated effective reciprocity this week – able to listen carefully, work collaboratively and take turns.

Fact Hunters: Rings, lizards & cider

Paris & Lewis Godfrey
Did you know that wedding rings were used in Ancient Rome? At the ceremony the groom presented a ring to his bride. Most rings were made of iron, which led to the tradition of metal wedding rings.

Olivia Wheal
Did you know that the Spinosaurus lived around 100 million years ago in what is now North Africa.

The name Spinosaurus means ‘spine lizard’. Fossils of the Spinosaurus were first found in Egypt around 1910.

Ramone Slater Holme
At one time, over 365 different varieties of cider apples were grown.

Jamari Cousins
Muscle in your eye contracting 100,00 times a day – equivalent of giving your legs a workout of 50 miles

Diary Dates:

On Monday we have a steel pan band coming to entertain the children as part of our month celebrating black culture  and history. Our KS1 Spinebreakers are also off to visit Waterstones and choose some books for the library. On the 23rd October we have a story telling day for the children and there is a football match against St Ursula’s. A reminder that we will be closed on Friday 24th October for INSET. School reopens for the children on Monday 3rd November.

Sharing Assembly: Choir & Dance 9.05am Wednesday 22nd October
On Wednesday 22nd we have the first choir and dance performances of the new academic year. The children have not had long to rehearse, but it is always a great show. We look forward to seeing you there.

Weekly Winners: Presentation, MDA, Projects & Maths

Presentation:
Well done to Molly Wheal, who has worked really hard to produce work that has been presented to a high standard.

MDA Award Winners:
These wonderful children have been particularly helpful at lunchtimes this week.

EYFS & KS1 Haliya Gbadamosi

KS2 Tia Himuyandi

Maths Challenge:

Teni Adu has been awarded the Maths Challenge certificate this week for her efforts with the latest puzzle. Don’t forget to put your full name on the slip when you have and go. Check the blog for the next challenge!

Project Superstar:

Elisa Rina has completed a great project at home. Well done for the effort in extending your learning!

Star Readers & Writers

Star Writer Awards:
These children have produced excellent pieces of writing this week which have made use of some powerful vocabulary: Zaynab Abidin, Matthew Leadbitter, Finley Livingstone, Lacey Wall, Deborah Mushonga, Naleli Sibanda, Charlie Marshall, Oliver Hatwell & Sandra Diaz.  Look out on the blog for more examples of their writing!

Star Reading Awards:
Tumelo Sibanda, Razvan Gabreanu, Georgia Brooks, Ramone Holme Slater, Simran Bashir, Thomas Brown, Lacey Joyett have achieved their Bronze Reading award. These children have now read enough books to claim their bookmark: Georgia Brooks & Lucy Lockhart

Leigh Hobbs - How to Draw Old Tom

Have you ever wondered how illustrators draw their characters? Are you curious how they manage to get them looking so uniform? Do they use some simple steps to ensure consistency?

Have a look at the tips Leigh Hobbs gave or pupils... and see the results!

E for Excellence Winners:

These wonderful children have demonstrated excellence this week.

Deborah Oluokun – Mulberry

Alfie Bloy – Pine

Lucian Bundy – Cedar

Nikola Urban – Cherry

Tia Himuyandi – Ash

Austin Hall – Rowan

Rose-Anna Weaver– Birch

Lewis Makolli – Willow

Jaseem Miah – Elm

Kynan Omundi – Maple

Sam Holmyard – Coconut

Adam Trower – Palm

Year 1 Artwork - Guiseppe Arcimboldo

In Year 1 the pupils have been experiencing the work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo (also spelled Arcimboldi; 1527 - July 11, 1593) as part of their Learning Challenge.

He was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books.

In Pine & Mulberry the children have had a go at creating their own pictures using fruit and vegetables. Can you spot the faces?