https://www.alexandraprimaryschool.co.uk                                     18th October 2024                               Issue No. 3

Message from the Headteacher

This week, I've had the pleasure of joining our Year 6 pupils in Wales on their residential at Pendarran House. Haringey owns Pendarran House, which has run as an outdoor education centre since 1971 and some of our parents remember visiting Pendarren as children. You can see from the photographs below the wide range of activities we participated in,. My favourite was our trip to the coast and splash in the sea!

Thank you to everyone who attended International Evening last Friday, it was wonderful to see so many of you there. Money raised will go towards new reading books. You may have noticed that Jo Gold has completed the fantastic mural on the playground fence near the job centre gate. The mural, which some of our pupils helped to design, depicts Alexandra children, Wood Green and the London skyline and was funded by money raised at this year's Summer Fair. Do come and take a look at the artwork if you haven't already done so.

What's been happening this week?

Celebrating Black History Month with Rhythm and Joy

This week, Chile Class brought the energy to their music lesson with some fantastic African drumming and dancing. It's wonderful to see our children connecting with history while developing their musical talents!

We look forward to continuing this theme throughout the month and can’t wait to see how our children express their creativity and learn about the powerful stories behind the music. Keep up the great work, Chile Class!

A Night to Remember: Our International Evening!

What a fantastic time we had at our International Evening! Our school came alive with the colours, sounds and flavours from around the world, all brought together by our wonderful school community.

Dressed in colourful clothes representing different cultures, our children, staff and families celebrated the diversity that makes our school so special. 

Our school orchestra entertained us with a drumming performance led by our amazing music teacher, Mr Ken. 

A huge thank you to all our families for preparing food, attending, and making this event truly memorable. Also, a special thank you to our staff for supporting this event. It wouldn't have been possible without them.  It’s evenings like these that remind us of our school’s diversity and the importance of coming together as a community.

We can't wait to do it all again next year! 

World Mental Health Day 🌼 

Last Thursday, our Year 6 children wore their yellow outfits for World Mental Health Day! They helped raise awareness and had conversations about mental health and wellbeing. 

TT Rockstars and NUmBots Tea Party


Fluency in mathematical facts is crucial for our children's success in maths! One effective way to enhance these skills is by practicing for just a few minutes each day. Engaging with platforms like TT Rockstars and NumBots makes learning fun and interactive!

This week, we want to give a huge shoutout to some amazing children for their hard work and dedication in developing their maths fluency. Keep up the fantastic work!

Y4 Nicaragua class Assembly 

This week, our Y4 Nicaragua class showcased their learning from this half term during a fantastic assembly! It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to share their hard work and creativity with the entire school community.

It’s heartwarming to see them excited about their learning and eager to share it with others. Well done, Y4 Nicaragua class! Keep up the great work!

Surreal Year 2 

In Art, Year 2 have been studying portraits this half term, in particular the surreal  portraits created by Pablo Picasso.  We have had lots of opportunities to have creative fun while we explored charcoal, chalk and chalk pastels and used blending and smudging techniques.  This week, we have used our knowledge of chalk pastels to create our own portraits in the style of Pablo Picasso.  

The children had a lot of fun creating these.

Clubs Are in Full Swing

We're very happy to see that all our children are enjoying the club offer this term! From creative expression to learning new skills, our extracurricular activities are a fantastic way for children to explore their interests and make new friends.

This week, our Art Club members displayed their creativity and artistic skills. At the same time, our Archery Club members practised their aim and technique. Meanwhile, our choir arrived early for their weekly rehearsal.

It’s wonderful to see our children so engaged and having fun while learning and developing new skills. Keep up the great work, everyone!

Year 6’s Exciting Trip to Pendarren

This week, our Year 6 children have been on an exciting adventure at Pendarren House Outdoor Education Centre, a country house located on the slopes of Sugarloaf Mountain in the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park.

They’ve been participating in a variety of outdoor pursuits that have not only challenged their physical abilities but also helped to develop teamwork and resilience. From rock climbing to canoeing, each activity has been an opportunity for our children to develop new skills and create lasting memories. 

We are so proud of our Year 6 children for their enthusiasm and bravery.

Show Racism the Red Card 

This week, our school proudly participated in the Show Racism the Red Card campaign, where children wore red to show their support for this important initiative.

Throughout this week, we engaged in discussions and activities focused on understanding diversity, celebrating differences and combating discrimination. It's vital that our children learn the importance of standing up against racism and developing an inclusive society.

Together, we can make a difference and show that racism has no place in our school or community!

Reading review

I’ve had a fantastic two weeks reviewing and monitoring the reading curriculum. It’s been wonderful to see how much learning is taking place across the school, with a growing love for reading blossoming among the children. Our teachers have been engaging your children with daily read-aloud sessions, which research shows is crucial for developing fluent reading skills. Listening to stories read aloud allows students to focus more on understanding the text rather than just decoding words.

To support this, please ensure your child is regularly completing their reading journal and take some time to read together for at least 20 minutes each evening. Your ongoing support makes a world of difference. Thank you!


Ms Herda 

Reading Lead 

Governors Corner

Hello. I am Chair of Governors at Alexandra Primary 

The governing body comprises both parent and staff representatives, including the Headteacher, together with a local authority member and co-opted governors from our local community. We are volunteers who are passionate about education and supporting Alexandra to be the best that it can be.  

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the work of the governing body, we have three main functions:

We have had our first Governing Body meeting this year where we discussed with the school’s senior leaders what we felt the role of schools will be in 2024 and beyond.  We agreed that obviously, it was important that the children receive an excellent education but that in a changing world what that means is different to what it meant in the past. We also agreed that there were many other functions that a good school needs to provide such as ensuring that your children are safe and happy in school, that they learn how to make secure friendships and that by the time they leave Alexandra, they become confident and ready for the next stage in their lives. We also discussed how Alexandra is meeting all these challenges.  I believe this was an interesting and useful meeting.

In future Alexandra newsletters we will be letting you know what governors have been doing over the year. I hope that you will find this interesting.


Best wishes and have a great half-term break

Caroline Schloss

Parent Coffee Mornings

Join us for one of our coffee mornings, where you can enjoy free tea, coffee, and biscuits! These events are held monthly, each with a different theme, so please check the newsletter for more details. We look forward to seeing you there!

This term the sessions include:

Wednesday 13th November - 'Emotion Coaching' run by our Educational Psychologist

Wednesday 27th November - 'How to Support Your Child in Maths' run by our Maths Lead, Ms Philippa Kennedy

Attendance 

At the end of last week, the whole school attendance for Years 1-6 was 94.20%

Well done to the following classes for having the best Attendance:

EYFS – No class met our school target.

KS1 – Colombia 99.03%

LKS1 – No class met our school target.

UKS2 –  Espana 99.23 %

Music Lesson Sharing

Colombia Class invited their parents and carers and siblings to come and share in their music lesson so they gathered an insight into how much we love our music at Alexandra.  They even got to have a go themselves and the lesson ended with everyone performing 'Lean On Me' in unison.  Well done everyone! 

What's on 

21st - 25th October: The Big Draw 

Thursday 24th October: Parents evening 1:40 – 6:30 pm

Friday 25th  October: End of Term 

28th Oct - 1st Nov: Half-term holiday

Monday 4th November: INSET Day (No school for children)

Tuesday 5th November: Back to school