Dear Parents and Carers,

We’ve had a wonderful week filled with great activities. Tuesday was particularly fantastic as we celebrated Maths Rock Star Day. The children looked remarkable as Timetable Rock Stars, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing them. They had a fun day packed with various maths activities, discussing how mathematics is present in our lives and how we can apply our number skills across different areas.

Year 2 Apricot presented a delightful assembly about transport through time. They spoke confidently and shared many fascinating facts. Well done, Apricot class.

Year 3 children enjoyed two exciting and memorable class trips this week. Firstly, they visited a circus school, where they had the unique opportunity to practice circus tricks under the guidance of professionals and watch their training. The children also loved learning a few juggling tricks and even tried their hand at spinning plates. They also explored the fascinating Sir John Soane Museum, where they toured the historic house and participated in engaging workshops on Ancient Greece. During both trips, the children had a fantastic time and splendidly represented the school with enthusiasm, curiosity, and excellent behaviour.

This week, a group of children competed in a Year 3 and 4 tennis competition. They fought hard until the end, reaching the finals and competing against five schools from Hackney. We are so proud of you; it was a joy to watch. Well done.

Year 2 embarked on an exciting trip to The Garden Classroom to learn more about plants and their growth. The children had the chance to explore the gardens, where they could look for, smell, and sketch various plants. They also dug up some weeds and examined their roots with magnifying glasses. Year 2 enjoyed sharing their knowledge about the parts of plants and their functions, learning a fun poem on the topic, and creating their own plant diagrams using different vegetables. Finally, they had the opportunity to plant peas in pots to take home and care for.

The children learnt about VE Day yesterday, and we are having a special VE Day lunch on Wednesday. We have emailed the menu.

Some of our children attended a girls’ football festival. Here’s what Bonnie has to say about it: Last weekend, Martha, Emilia, Olivia, and I travelled to Swansea with the Hackney Schools District Football team to take part in the Swansea Girls Festival 2025. There were 30 teams from all over England and Wales that came to compete in the tournament. It was a lot of fun, and we made it through the group stages; however, we were unfortunately knocked out in the knockout rounds. Overall, it was an amazing experience. We also visited an extreme water park and enjoyed numerous water slides. – By Bonnie Wong

Thank you to those of you who came and purchased items from our eco-shop, Betty's Refillery, yesterday after school. We greatly appreciate your support in our journey to reduce plastic usage. Keep an eye out for our next date when Betty's Refillery will be open.

Our Year 6 children have their SATs next week. I am immensely proud of them and the hard work they have put in. A child is more than just a SATs result; they are kind, thoughtful, curious, fun, and so much more. Our children are exceptional and have worked so hard. I have told them that these tests are only a small part of who they are, and there is so much more to them. They should be proud of themselves, as we are proud of them. I know you will join me in wishing them luck, and we will ensure that the week includes many lovely activities too.

We are excited to announce that our water station will soon be open in the playground for OPAL. If you have any spare metal pots, pans, or colanders, we would greatly appreciate them. We can distribute them between our mud kitchen and water station. Thank you in advance for your support.

This is a gentle reminder to please get your child sponsored for the Hackney Half next Saturday. Here's the link you can share with everyone: https://gofund.me/7da4ca9d. Please also share it if you are an adult running on Sunday. Even if your child is not running on the day, they will have run 12 miles at school and can complete the half marathon by running the final mile at their own pace. Every penny raised will help the school purchase new interactive whiteboards for the children’s classrooms. Thank you in advance for all your efforts to support this fundraising event during these challenging times. T-shirt and bib collection will be at school pick-up next Friday, 16th May, from 3pm to 4:30pm, so please mark this date in your diaries or ask a friend to collect for you if you can’t make it. Timings for the day (Saturday, 17th May) are approximately 8:30am to 12pm at Hackney Marshes, but we will provide more details soon. We appreciate your support and we know it will be an enjoyable day.

Please remember that Blastonbury will be in the playground on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 20th. We look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely weekend, and I hope you enjoy the sunshine.

Jessica

Headteacher