SSE - Phonics

Happy Friday!

House Points winners

Well done to Oak who won the house cup this week with a fantastic score of 1,695 points!

The results for the other teams were as follows:

2nd place - Willow with 982 points

3rd place - Ash with 709 points

4th place -Elm with 272 points

5th place- The Teachers with 58 points

Weekly Newsletter-8th November 2019

Dear Parents,
IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY NOTICE THAT CHILDREN ARE STILL RIDING BIKES/SCOOTERS ON SITE DESPITE MY REMINDER AT THE GATE EVERY MORNING!

THIS CAUSES CONGESTION, ESPECIALLY ON THE PATHWAY TO THE KS1 BUILDING, AND A NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED- PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILDREN FOLLOW THE SCHOOL RULES AND REFRAIN FROM RIDING BIKES/SCOOTERS ON THE SCHOOL SITE.

This week is anti-bullying week and the theme is 'Change starts with us’
This year the goal is to inform schools and settings, children and young people, parents and carers to know that it takes a collective responsibility to stop bullying. Whether it is verbal, physical, online or in-person, bullying has a significant impact on a child’s life well into adulthood. By making small, simple changes, we can break this cycle and create a safe environment for everyone. Because together, we can challenge bullying. Change starts with a conversation. It starts with checking in. It starts with working together.

Pupils are invited to show solidarity with other schools across the country on 12th November by wearing odd socks to school and we will be planning activities across all year groups on this day.

We now know that there will be a General election on December 12th. I have been notified that the school will be used as a polling station and therefore, for safeguarding reasons we’ve decided to close. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause working parents but trust there is sufficient time for you to make child care arrangements. Please be aware that Christmas concerts scheduled for this day have now been moved to Monday December 16th.

Congratulations to Karen howell who has been elected as the new Parent Governor representing Mead on the Learning Federation Governing Board. Thank you to the other candidate Nina Beyers for putting her name forward and to all of you who took the time to cast your vote. The final result was very close.

IMPORTANT NOTICES
ALL FLU IMMUNISATION FORMS ARE RETURNED TO SCHOOL BY MONDAY 11TH NOVEMBER.
FORMS MUST BE RETURNED EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE IMMUNISED.

CHILDREN ARE NOT TO USE THE GYM EQUIPMENT BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL

PUPILS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING THEIR OWN FOOD INTO SCHOOL TO EAT IN BREAKFAST CLUB

Diary Dates
This week is Anti-bullying week
Monday 11th November-Parents/carers are invited to join us at 10:40 for a short Remembrance service in the KS2 playground
Tuesday 12th November -Odd sock day. Pupils will be taking party in activities associated with anti-bullying week today. Reception parents/carers are invited into school for workshops this morning and our year 2 pupils will be taking part in recycling workshops in school.
Thursday 15th November -Year 5 are visiting West Stow. Our football team will be playing a match against Brookside after school


IMPORTANT DATES THIS TERM

Week beginning Monday 4th November swimming starts for year 4 pupils

Monday 11th November-Armistice day-Parents are invited to join us for a short service in the KS2 playground at 10:40am

Monday 11th November - Friday 15th November-Anti-bullying week

Tuesday 12th November-Odd sock day

Thursday 21st November -Year 5 Showcase

Friday 22nd November -Year 1 Showcase

Wednesday 27th November - Flu immunisation

Friday 29th November -Year 2 Showcase

Tuesday 3rd December-Year 3 Showcase

Wednesday 4th November -Year 4 Showcase

Thursday 5th December -Year 6 Showcase


As we now know we have use of the KS2 hall in December I can confirm the planned Christmas events for the end of term

Monday 9th December 2:15pm Reception Christmas production

Tuesday 10th December 9:30-Reception Christmas production 10:30 Nursery Xmas production

2:15- KS1 Christmas production

Wednesday 11th December 9:30-KSI Christmas production 2:15-YRS 3/4 Christmas production

Thursday 12th December- POLLING DAY-SCHOOL CLOSED

Friday 13th December 9:30-YRS 5/6YRS Christmas production-CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

Monday 16th December 9:30-YRS 3/4 Christmas production 2:15- YRS 5/6 Christmas production

Week beginning Monday 16th December -Christmas party week

Wednesday 18th December Christmas dinner day

Thursday 19th December- 2:30 pm Carols in the playground


INSET Dates for 2019-20
Please note the school closure dates for this academic year.
INSET day 1- 4th September
INSET day 2- 3rd April
INSET day 3- 20th July
INSET day 4-21st July
INSET day 5- 22nd July

Please note that the final day of the summer term for pupils will be on Friday 17th July, 2020.

Term Dates 2019-20
https://www.havering.gov.uk/downloads/file/2023/term_dates_2019-2020

Havering Catering Services

Week beginning Monday 11th November is week 3 on the Havering catering services menu. All meals are served with unlimited salad and vegetables and cost £2.25.
Please be reminded to top up your child’s catering account as we cannot provide dinners for pupils whose accounts exceed a debt of £10.
Havering catering Service now provide a breakfast club for Mead pupils. For £1.50 your child can have a bacon or sausage sandwich or beans on toast with cereal or toast or fresh fruit or yoghurt plus a drink.
We will also have speciality days when other items such as pancakes and muffins will be available.
In order for you to book a place you will need to deposit the money in advance in your Squid account.
Please do not send your child to school to attend breakfast club if there are no funds in your account as they will not be admitted.

Attendance Update
Well done to Brazil class who had the highest attendance in Y5&6 at -97.9%. Scotland had the highest attendance in LKS2 and overall at 99.6% and Egypt had the highest attendance in KS1 at 98.3%. Well done to them! The overall attendance was once again good at 95.6%. Well done everyone! 

Have a good weekend

Mrs L. Smith

Headteacher

Weekly Newsletter- 18th October 2019

Dear Parents,
I’ll sure you’ll join with me to extend our very best wishes to Mrs Nicholls, the headteacher of our Federated school Broadford who is temporarily leaving us to have a baby. I will certainly miss her, but am pleased to advise that she is leaving the school and Federation in the very capable hands of Mr McLucas.

Parents’ Evening
Thank you to all of the parents who attended parents evening, we hope that you found the pupil passports informative and enjoyed the opportunity to meet the teachers. Thank you to those of you who completed the questionnaires, it was really pleasing to have such positive feedback.

Harvest Festival
We are holding our Harvest Festival assembly on Tuesday 29th October. This year, once again we are going to give your donations to the Harold Hill Foodbank who do such a wonderful job helping local residents in times of need.
Please send donations into school on Monday 28th (The first day after half term) The Foodbank have specifically asked for non-perishable items as they cannot pre determine when the food will be distributed.

Year 6 Parents - 31st October 2019
The deadline for applying for secondary school places is fast approaching. Please ensure that you have registered for an online account and applied for a secondary place before this date. If you require any assistance please come into the office and see Mrs Kinchella.

Today, Friday 18th October is the last day of this half term. We look forward to welcoming you all back on Monday 28th October

Diary Dates
Monday 28th October- No swimming (swimming starts next week)
Tuesday 29th October-Harvest Festival assemblies. School council visiting The Houses of Parliament
Wednesday 31st October- Open morning for potential new parents


IMPORTANT DATES THIS TERM
Monday 28th October -School re-opens after half term break
Tuesday 29th October-Harvest Festival assemblies
Week beginning Monday 4th November swimming starts for year 4 pupils
Monday 11th November-Armistice day-Parents are invited to join us for a short service in the KS2 playground at 10:40am
Monday 11th November - Friday 15th November-Anti-bullying week
Thursday 21st November -Year 5 Showcase @14:00
Friday 22nd November -Year 1 Showcase
Wednesday 27th November - Flu immunisation
Friday 29th November -Year 2 Showcase
Tuesday 3rd December-Year 3 Showcase
Wednesday 4th November -Year 4 Showcase
Thursday 5th December -Year 6 Showcase


As we now know we have use of the KS2 hall in December I can confirm the planned Christmas events for the end of term
Monday 9th December 2:15pm Reception Christmas production
Tuesday 10th December 9:30-Reception Christmas production 10:30 Nursery Xmas production
2:15- KS1 Christmas production
Wednesday 11th December 9:30-KSI Christmas production 2:15-YRS 3/4 Christmas production
Thursday 12th December 9:30-YRS 3/4 Christmas production 2:15- YRS 5/6 Christmas production
Friday 13th December 9:30-YRS 5/6YRS Christmas production-CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

Week beginning Monday 16th December -Christmas party week
Thursday 19th December-2:30 pm Carols in the playground

INSET Dates for 2019-20
Please note the school closure dates for this academic year.
INSET day 1- 4th September
INSET day 2- 3rd April
INSET day 3- 20th July
INSET day 4-21st July
INSET day 5- 22nd July

Please note that the final day of the summer term for pupils will be on Friday 17th July, 2020.
Term Dates 2019-20
https://www.havering.gov.uk/downloads/file/2023/term_dates_2019-2020

Havering Catering Services
Week beginning Monday 28th October is week 1 on the Havering catering services menu. All meals are served with unlimited salad and vegetables and cost £2.25.
Please be reminded to top up your child’s catering account as we cannot provide dinners for pupils whose accounts exceed a debt of £10.
Havering catering Service now provide a breakfast club for Mead pupils. For £1.50 your child can have a bacon or sausage sandwich or beans on toast with cereal or toast or fresh fruit or yoghurt plus a drink.
We will also have speciality days when other items such as pancakes and muffins will be available.
In order for you to book a place you will need to deposit the money in advance in your Squid account.
Please do not send your child to school to attend breakfast club if there are no funds in your account as they will not be admitted.

Attendance Update
Well done to Canada class who had the highest attendance in Y5&6 at 96.3% . Wales and Greece had the highest attendance in LKS2 and overall at 98.3% and Palau and Kenya had the highest attendance in KS1 at 96.3%. Well done to them! The overall attendance was disappointing at 94.5%-Hopefully we’ll do better after half term! 

I hope you all have a lovely week and look forward to seeing everyone back refreshed and ready for the exciting events and experiences planned for next half term.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs L Smith
Headteacher

 

Weekly Newsletter - 4th October 2019

Dear Parents,
All of our reception and nursery children are now in school and have settled brilliantly. We are thrilled that they are part of our school community and we hope that pupils and their families feel at home here at Mead already.

A massive thank you to parents of our Reception pupils for attending the Macmillan coffee morning and for your contribution of cakes and donations for such a worthy cause. We raised £70 and are grateful to all who contributed.

Our recent Jeans for Genes Day raised a total of £350 and on behalf of this worthy charity I want to thank you for your support.

Harvest Festival
We are holding our Harvest Festival assembly on Tuesday 29th October. This year, once again we are going to give your donations to the Harold Hill Foodbank who do such a wonderful job helping local residents in times of need.
We would therefore be grateful if children could start bringing in donations from Monday 14th October. The Foodbank have specifically asked for non-perishable items as they cannot pre determine when the food will be distributed.

Year 6 Parents - 31st October 2019
The deadline for applying for secondary school places is fast approaching. Please ensure that you have registered for an online account and applied for a secondary place before this date. If you require any assistance please come into the office and see Mrs Kinchella.

County Lines Talk - Tuesday 15th October @ Broadford School-Time to be confirmed
The Learning Federation is hosting a presentation evening from Peter Wilson from the Metropolitan Police (Trident), regarding Child Criminal Exploitations and County Lines within Havering. This important information will assist with equipping members of the public and parents to be vigilant in supporting all children / young people regardless as to where they live. These talks have been very well received and are highly recommended for parents.

Diary Dates
Monday 7th October- LAMDA session in the afternoon for some of our more able pupils
Tuesday 8th October- Mead netball team playing Broadford after school
Wednesday 9th October -Madagascar class are visiting the local Fire Station in the afternoon and we have a visitor coming into school to talk to year 5 about Junior Travel Ambassadors. We look forward to welcoming some pupils from Brookside infants who are coming to visit our farm animals in the afternoon. Some of our year 3 pupils will be attending a Forest School session in the afternoon.
Thursday 10th October- KS1 parents are invited into school for a reading workshop between 8:30 and 9:30
Friday 11th October -Kenya class are visiting the local Fire Station this afternoon


Autumn Term Parent Consultation Evening - Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th October
We are looking forward to welcoming all parents on Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th October for parent consultation meetings. You will have the opportunity to meet your child’s new class teacher and find out how they have settled so far this year. The teachers will also explain the expectations for the end of the year for your child.
Our Year 6 prefects will also be on hand to show you to the hall and asking parents to complete our annual parent survey.
Hopefully you have all completed the meeting request form-Appointments will be sent out next week.
https://forms.gle/zF3LJExkUpxhj7Kh6


Monday 14th October- Parents Evening 1

Tuesday 15th October- Parents Evening 2

Friday 18th October- Last day of half term

Monday 28th October- Pupils back to school

KS2 Hall
We have now had confirmation that the underpinning of our KS2 hall will be completed by the beginning of December. Based on this, we are now able to organise our Christmas performances for week beginning 9th December. I will notify you of the exact dates in my newsletter next week, once I have consulted with my teachers.


INSET Dates for 2019-20
Please note the school closure dates for this academic year.

INSET day 1- 4th September

INSET day 2- 3rd April

INSET day 3- 20th July

INSET day 4-21st July

INSET day 5- 22nd July
Please note that the final day of the summer term for pupils will be on Friday 17th July, 2020.


Term Dates 2019-20
https://www.havering.gov.uk/downloads/file/2023/term_dates_2019-2020


Havering Catering Services
Week beginning Monday 7th September is week 3 on the Havering catering services menu. All meals are served with unlimited salad and vegetables and cost £2.25.
Please be reminded to top up your child’s catering account as we cannot provide dinners for pupils whose accounts exceed a debt of £10.
Havering catering Service now provide a breakfast club for Mead pupils. For £1.50 your child can have a bacon or sausage sandwich or beans on toast with cereal or toast or fresh fruit or yoghurt plus a drink.
We will also have speciality days when other items such as pancakes and muffins will be available.
In order for you to book a place you will need to deposit the money in advance in your Squid account.
Please do not send your child to school to attend breakfast club if there are no funds in your account as they will not be admitted.


Attendance Update
Well done to Mexico class who had the highest attendance in Y5&6 at 98.3% . Scotland had the highest attendance in LKS2 at 98.3% and Palau had the highest attendance in KS1 and overall at 98.4%. Well done to them!

Have a wonderful weekend

Mrs L. Smith

Headteacher

Year 4 Learning Challenge

Congratulation to Lily, Fizzah and Aniyah in Greece Class who has put in a considerable amount of effort into their Topic Learning Challenge; 'How important are the railways to Britain's development?' The children loved watching their presentations and are very excited to play Lily's game on Friday.

      

We look forward to receiving more homework projects throughout the term and presenting them in class.

Farm open afternoons

Farm open afternoons

EASTER OPEN AFTERNOONS

Invite your parents to visit the farm and 

introduce them to the animals 

(Please note: children will not be able to leave early)

Wednesday 3rd April 11-11:30 am and 2-2:30pm for Nursery

Wednesday 3rd April 1:45 - 2:45 pm for Reception

Thursday 4th April 2.30- 3.00pm for Year 1/2

Monday 8th April 2:30-3:30pm for Years 3/4

Tuesday 9^th April 2:30-3:30pm for Years 5/6

Refreshments available

Fresh eggs

Sweet cones

Fantastic Raffle

+ Our Famous Hot Chocolates

All donations will support the funding of our wonderful farm

Boundaries and Screen Time Coffee Morning

Dear Parents/carers



We would like to invite you to join us for a Learning Federation Boundaries and Screen time coffee morning on Thursday the 4th of April from 9:15 am at Broadford Primary School.

Rebecca Donn from CAMHS will be our specialist speaker on the morning.

We welcome all parents with pupils attending Mead and Broadford. Come along for an informal chat and meet up with other parents and Rebecca Donn from CAMHS.

Kind Regards
Miss A Calitz
Assistant Headteacher of Inclusion

SEN Coffee Morning focusing on ADHD at Broadford School

All Mead parents are invited to join us on Thursday 14th February 2019 from 9am - 10am at our SEN Coffee Morning, held at Broadford School, which will focus specifically on ADHD. ADD UP will also be in attendance and will be available to offer support and advice. Add Up was set up to bring families together, to guide parents in the right direction to find the practical help they need for their children and to promote both public and professional awareness of ADHD.

For more information about ADD UP please visit their site: www.addup.co.uk

The session will give you an insight into what ADHD is, how children can be supported at school and home. It is also a great opportunity to talk to other parents who have a child/children with ADHD to share experiences and strategies with each other to help your children.

So please come along and join us for a chat, coffee and a cake!

Havering 6th Form College

Our vision is that no child's future should be determined by their background. We believe it is vital that pupils see a purpose in their education and have a clear understanding of how success at school will help to unlock doors for them in the future.

A significant part of this is introducing the pupils to Higher Education experiences as soon as possible, so that they can be excited by what lies ahead.

In partnership with Havering 6th Form College we were delighted to have the chance for some of our Y5 & Y6 pupils to visit the college and try some of the courses that they have on offer. Pupils had the opportunity to try photography, pottery, archaeology, graphic design and a range of other activities.

This has been such an exciting day. The pupils were so engaged and really rose to the challenge posed by the college's teachers. To hear the language that Lorraine used to describe how she felt about the artwork was incredible. The teacher said that it was at a GCSE level!
Mrs Keene - Mead

By making a clear link between career paths and education opportunities we hope that our pupils will stay the course and go onto get the qualifications we know they are capable of. At the end of the visit the pupils seemed to be inspired!

83% said that would now consider staying in education longer if they could get the career they wanted
100% said that they wouldn't be daunted by attending a college environment
95% said that would wish to study one of the activities in more detail

Thank you to Havering 6th Form college for a great day!

Macbeth Workshop

Our Year 6 pupils really excelled in their Macbeth workshop. The idea was to bring the play to life and inspire the children's analysis of the key themes.

Using the pupils' own words and ideas the actors help them to retell Shakespeare's play Macbeth through an interactive and highly-entertaining format.

It was great to see the pupils become the stars of the show. Often they have to just sit and watch, but this was all about them! It meant that they were so engaged.
Miss Highton

Complete with costumes to wear and props to wield our Year 6 pupils quickly got into character. The workshop helped to develop their speaking and listening skills. The drama was also a great stimulus to their unit of work.

I didn't know that Shakespeare could be such fun. I really enjoyed the workshop and now I want to read more. There was loads of blood and gore... everyone dies.
Paris

I couldn't believe how nasty Macbeth's wife was. She really goaded him into doing it. The witches weren't fair either. I think they tricked him.
Luke

Learning Federation Team Building

At the Learning Federation we believe that team building is a vital ingredient in encouraging collaboration. Staff morale is so important if you are to have an effective school. We believe that adults should challenge themselves and have fun doing so.

This time we had a day hosted by the amazing #VIPFitness in Brentwood. Danny's team did an incredible job of instantly creating a fun atmosphere with the bottle challenge. Then staff split into teams - with Broadford & Mead mixed together.

For the rest of the day the Federation team were engaged in a battle EYFS & KS1 vs KS2. Clambering over cable reels, swinging from monkey bars, splashing into muddy puddles: the staff were all committed to doing what it took to be crowned the winning Key Stage.

Although everyone put in a great effort, there were some very special mentions for some real heroes!
Mrs Keene - for making it through the tyre machine alive
Miss Hurrell - for completing a calamitous fall into the mud pit
Mrs Nicholas - for an astonishing plank time of 7mins 30secs

By the end of the sessions the winner was clear - EYFS & KS1. The real winner was the staff team spirit. Through Danny's encouragement, the collaborative nature of the tasks and the fantastic hosting from VIP our team morale couldn't be better!

An incredible day. I've tackled things today that I never thought possible!

A great way to meet my new team for September. I felt really nervous on the way in but now I've made friends, had fun and can't wait for September!

It has really bought us together and made us laugh! I was nervous, but I have really enjoyed it. It's been great to spend time together as a team.

We thought that it would be too physical, but Danny's team were great. It has been hard, but fun hard. I'm going to ache tomorrow.

A huge thank you to #VIPFitness for being so welcoming... see you next year!

TES Awards 2018

#TESAwards10

We are looking forward to the TES Awards on the 22nd June at the Grosvenor House Hotel. This year the TES hosted an event at the House of Commons, in partnership with Lucy Powell MP.

It was a chance for all of the finalist to meet prior to the main event. Having the chance to network with so many inspiring individuals and schools was a fantastic experience.

This year Mead Primary is shortlisted for Employer of the Year and Headteacher of the Year. Hopefully we can bring home some glassware for the trophy cabinet!

TES Awards 2018 - Mead is shortlisted!

We are delighted to inform you that Mead Primary has been recognised as one of the most outstanding institutions that the state and independent sector has to offer in the shortlist for the 2018 TES Schools Awards.

Mead Primary been shortlisted for the Employer of the Year award. Headteacher Linda Smith explained why Mead Primary is a compelling candidate for this award.

"We’ve been relentless in examining every system and process so expectations on staff are manageable - particularly in our challenging context."

Marking procedures have been reduced, eliminating unnecessary workload and making feedback more effective. Fitness classes are provided for staff to help their physical and mental wellbeing, and Governors have bought in a sabbatical policy that rewards long service.

Tes editor Ann Mroz said: It is wonderful to see such innovative ideas and best-practice emerging from schools like Mead, despite the current squeeze on funding. We had a record year for entries and the standard was the best so far – all those shortlisted should be very proud: it’s an extraordinary achievement.

The winners will be revealed at the TES gala awards evening, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on Friday 22 June 2018

To see the full list of who's in the running visit tesawards.co.uk

INSET Consultation

Dear Parents

We believe that your children are entitled to an outstanding education. We believe that to deliver this, our teachers should have excellent subject knowledge and high quality training to develop their skills.

Currently, by opening from 8.30am everyday, we provide 3,800mins extra education a year for your children - almost 65 hours. We propose using 19.5hrs of this time to create 3 extra training days for staff that will allow them:

• to deepen their subject knowledge
• practice key techniques
• be updated on changes to assessment and curriculum
• plan together across both schools

...and generally use this time to become even better teachers than they are today.


It would means that there would be one extra day of INSET each term (3 in total). As a consequence of this we believe that our staff will get additional high quality training, and your children will get an enhanced education and 45hrs extra in school!

Please complete the questions below to register your opinion about the proposal.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FORM

ONLY COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONCE - JUST INDICATE THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN YOU HAVE IN THE SCHOOL IN TOTAL

Shout out from the Mayor of London

On Thursday some Mead and Broadford children were invited to City Hall to find out how the Mayor runs London. After a security check they were shown a large aerial map of London taken from the International Space Station. Their task was to locate football grounds, airports, their school and their house. It was very interesting and most of the children were successful. The children were then taken to a room to learn about the responsibilities of the Mayor and given a brief history of London. During the morning the children also found out that the iconic shape of City Hall is an energy saving feature and they were given some amazing facts about London.

Can you answer these questions?

• How much money is the Mayor of London given to spend on Londoners every year? 
• What is the population of London? 
• What is the majority of the Mayor's budget spent on? 

(Answers below)

 

Suddenly a call came through and we were invited into the assembly room to sit in on a meeting of the London Assembly who were discussing the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, was there to answer questions with his transport advisers. One of the items discussed was the accessibility of trains and buses to everyone. Then to our surprise the Chair of the assembly, Jeanette Arnold, stopped the meeting and introduced us to the assembly members. We got a wave and a round of applause. 'We got a shout out in City Hall!' exclaimed some of the excited children after we had left the chambers.

The children all agreed that London was an amazing city, 'It is a special city because it looks lovely at night' said Tamara. Raul pointed out that it had lots of tourist attractions. Abdullah was able to answer many of the questions regarding the political parties and announced that he wanted to be a politician and Jessica is aiming to be Prime Minister. The visit to City Hall has inspired many of the children to take an interest in local government and Raul announced 'I'm into politics now!'

Answers: £17bn, 9 million, transport

NEWSLETTER FRIDAY 5TH JANUARY

Weekly Newsletter

5th January 2018

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year

I would like to wish a happy New Year to you all and I hope that you all enjoyed a relaxing and restful break. This year we want all of our children to be stronger, braver and kinder. If they achieve all this they will be unstoppable and this will be their best year yet! Together we can help our pupils achieve this.  I am very excited about, what I am sure will be an amazing 2018.

Diary Dates

Monday 8th January- Year 3 are visiting the Natural History Museum and at 15:00 Alison Shorter will be meeting with year 3 parents whose children have been selected to attend Forest Schools this term. Some of our year 5&6 children will be taking part in a healthy relationships project with Broadford pupils on Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday 10th January -First Forest Schools session for this term during the afternoon

Thursday 11th January-The Dog’s Trust will be in school delivering workshops to our year 6 pupils and the Harry Potter will be watching film 3 during the afternoon

School Census

In the month of January we complete the school census which determines the amount of funding the school receives.

For every pupil who is eligible for Free School Meals, our school receives funding of £1,300 per year for six years. Even KS1 children who receive Universal Free School Meals may still be eligible for this funding. If your child is eligible for this funding you would also receive:

• £40 voucher per child, per year to assist with the cost of school uniform redeemable at Premier Schoolwear.

• Assistance with contributions towards school trips and residential visits.

• After school clubs can continue to be free of charge.  

If you are receipt of one of the following you are eligible.  Please visit the school office and see Mrs Parker.

• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related employment and support allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
• Child Tax Credit ( provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and whose annual income (as assessed by the Revenue and Customs) does not exceed £16,190.

Havering Catering Services are putting on a special menu on 18th January (Census Day) as our funding is also determined by the uptake of school meals on that day-See below

MENU FOR THURSDAY 18TH JANUARY 2018-CENSUS DAY

Red - pork sausages

Blue - chicken nuggets

Green - cheese and tomato pizza

Potato smiles

Pasta

Broccoli

Baked beans

Sprinkled iced sponge

Pupil Jobs and Homework Expectations

As it is a new year we thought it would be a good time to revisit our pupil, parents and staff expectations.

Pupils are expected to:

1. Turn up every day on time

2. Do their best in every lesson

3. Be kind and polite to everyone that they meet

Parents and carers are expected to:

1. Ensure that our children arrive on time for school and ready to learn:

a. Will have provided children with a healthy breakfast

b. Ensure they  have warm clean clothing

c. Make sure they have the right equipment for school (book bag, reading record, PE kit)

2.     We will support our children’s learning at home through:

a. Reading regularly

b. Helping them to practise their spellings and mental maths

c. Encouraging them in their interests

3.      We will model politeness and kindness to every-one we meet

We will ensure that our staff are professional, approachable and focused on making sure that every child in their care achieves their full potential. Working together we can continue to deliver outstanding results for our pupils so that they have every chance of going on to succeed at the next stage of their education.

All pupils are expected to continue their learning at home. For children in years 1-6 there are three core elements for this:

1. Pupils must read every night 15 mins (this may involve an adult reading them a bedtime story)
2. Pupils must practise their spellings for 15 mins ready for the test on Friday
3. Pupils must practise their times tables for 15 mins a night

In addition to this we have a Homework Bingo/Learning Challenge which is set by every Year group. This helps to give ideas on how the children can enrich their learning by looking at specific paintings, composers, poems and significant people. We would anticipate  that it takes around 4-6 weeks for your child to complete the activities. They choose to do this and can take on as many elements as they wish.  

Shared mailboxes and communication

Don’t forget that you can contact staff using the shared mailboxes. They are checked daily and can be used to ask questions, pass on information or check details:

eyfs@mead.havering.sch.uk

year12@mead.havering.sch.uk

year34@mead.havering.sch.uk

year56@mead.havering.sch.uk

We are always happy to answer any questions you may have. I will be on the gate every morning for you to speak to in person. Most morning you will also be able to find Mrs Pidgeon, Miss Calitz or Mrs Kinchella to help you with any enquiries. If you would prefer an appointment please call into the office to arrange  a time.

Reception Admissions September 2018

If your child is looking to join our school in Reception 2018  it is vital that you get your application completed by 15th January or it is likely you will miss out. YOU MUST APPLY! Attending our Nursery will have no impact on your application. Many parents mistakenly believe that a place in the Nursery = a place in Reception… it doesn’t!

Havering Catering Services

Week beginning 8th January is week 1 on the havering catering Services menu. All meals are served with unlimited salad and vegetables and cost £2.20.

Attendance Update

Well done to U.S.A class who had the highest attendance in Y5&6  at 95.2% . N. Ireland had the highest attendance in LKS2 and at 96.6%  and Egypt had the highest attendance in KS1 and overall at 96.7%. Well done to them!. The overall attendance was very disappointing at only 91% which is well below our target but I believe can be attributed to (not excused by) the very early return after the New Year (On Tuesday we had over 100 pupils absent from school!)

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of regular attendance:

• Attendance has a direct link to attainment. If a child is not in school regularly they are not fully accessing the curriculum and learning opportunities available to them.
• Achieving at school builds a child’s self-esteem, as well as enhancing their future prospects.
• Attending school and being part of the school’s community gives a child a sense of belonging and promotes their social development.
• Spending time with school staff teaches a child about society’s expectations with regards to behaviour and how to communicate with people in authority preparing them for adult life.
• Attending school gives a child the opportunity to experience positive separation from their parent(s)/carer(s), which builds their confidence and resistance

If you need further clarification or have any questions regarding attendance please contact Mrs Kinchella

Have a fabulous weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs L Smith
Headteacher