https://www.alexandraprimaryschool.co.uk 17th January Issue No. 7

Message from the Headteacher

Happy New Year and welcome back for the Spring Term! We have certainly had a very positive start to 2025 here at Alexandra.

In assembly last week we talked about New Year Resolutions and the children shared things they would like to learn and improve in 2025. This was clearly demonstrated in Year 5’s Bikability sessions where children have been learning to ride a bike or improving their cycling skills. There has also been lots of new learning inside and outside the classroom and in our clubs that started this week. It is great to see the courage and curiosity the children show in developing their knowledge and skills.

I am excited to launch a new competition to find four animals to represent our four school values. We have asked all the children to take part and explain the reason for their choice. The winning entries will have the opportunity to develop their design with a local artist. Please encourage your child to take part and good luck!

What's been happening this week?

Alexandra Primary School Values: Art Competition!

Last term, we were excited to finalise our new Alexandra Primary School Values. After several engaging workshops with staff, parents, and children, we selected four key values that represent our school community: Kindness, Curiosity, Responsibility and Courage.

To celebrate these values and encourage creativity, we are inviting children to participate in an exciting competition this term!

The Challenge:

Think of an animal that represents one of our school values.
Draw or include a picture of your chosen animal.
Explain why you have chosen that animal to represent the value.

Deadline: Friday 24th January 2025.

We can’t wait to see the amazing artwork our children create and how they bring our values to life through their drawings! Please encourage your child to enter and showcase their creativity.

We will keep you updated and look forward to sharing news about the animals the school will adopt!

Year 4 Viking Launch Day

On Thursday, 9th January, Year 4 kicked off a new topic with an exciting Viking Launch Day!

The children arrived at school dressed as Vikings, ready to embark on an adventure into the world of Viking life. Throughout the day, they explored various aspects of their fascinating culture, including Viking runes, shields, swords, and brooches, which the children enjoyed creating in the classroom. To add to the excitement, they even re-enacted Viking battles, bringing history to life in a thrilling and interactive way.

It was a fantastic day of learning and fun for all!

Thank you to Ms Ahmed and Ms Lopez for organising this activity.

Year 2's Walking Journey around Wood Green

On Friday, Year 2 kicked off their studies in Geography by going on a local journey.

We went for a walk through the tunnel, across Ally Pally Park and then back via the footbridge over the railway station and spotted physical features and human features on the way. For Science this term, we are studying Living Things and their Habitats so we also looked for animals along the way.

We saw squirrels, birds and spiders. We even saw a dinosaur!

Year 6 Cinema Trip to see Wicked

Year 6 had an exciting trip to the local Wood Green Vue cinema to watch Wicked! The trip was a fantastic way to inspire and prepare them for their end-of-year production.

The children were captivated by the magic and music and are now even more excited to bring their own performance to life!

Bikeability

This week and next week, our children have the exciting opportunity to participate in Bikeability. This national cycling program is designed to equip children with essential road safety knowledge and practical cycling skills, ensuring they feel confident and secure when navigating roads. Through hands-on training, children will learn key techniques such as road positioning, signalling, hazard awareness and decision-making, all tailored to their age and ability level.

Thank you, Ms Lopez, for organising this event!

Y2 Making Collages

In Art, Year 2 are studying collages, inspired by Henri Mattise's Cut Outs. First, we watched a video of him creating his collages and learnt that he called it "Painting with Scissors". Then we created our own. We had lots of fun.

We are looking forward to making more collages.

Forest School Fun for Year 3!

Despite the cold weather, Year 3 continued to enjoy their Forest School activities this week. It was a muddy afternoon, but the children embraced the outdoors with enthusiasm, exploring nature and taking part in hands-on activities.

Their resilience and teamwork shone through as they made the most of the experience.

Year 6 Science

This week, Year 6 had an unforgettable science lesson as they explored the fascinating world of biology by dissecting lamb hearts for their topic Animals including Humans. The children were absolutely amazing, demonstrating both curiosity and care as they carefully identified and labelled the different parts of the heart. It was a hands-on experience that truly brought their learning to life! Well done, Year 6!

Thank you to Ms Herda and Mr Smyth for planning this activity.

Spring term Clubs

Our clubs have started again this term and we are pleased to announce that we now have even more exciting clubs to offer. Please see below for some of our new clubs this term.

We are particularly pleased to introduce two brand-new additions to our lineup:

Creative Club: A place for children to unleash their imagination through engaging projects like slime-making and other fun, hands-on activities.
Cookery Club: A chance for little chefs to learn basic cooking skills, explore new recipes, and develop a love for creating delicious dishes.

These clubs are designed to inspire creativity, build confidence and provide our children with enriching experiences outside the classroom.

We look forward to seeing our children thrive in these new and returning clubs!

Creative Club - Week 1

This week, the Creative Club had a fantastic time getting their hands gooey and creative as they made their very own slime! It was a fun-filled session where children explored different textures and learned how slime is made. The room was buzzing with excitement as each child made their own bag of slime .

We can't wait to see what fun project the Creative Club will dive into next!

Thank you to Ms Ibrahim and Ms Shannon for organising this fun activity.

Cookery Club News: Breadstick Sparklers!

This week, the Cookery Club got creative by making delicious breadstick sparklers! The children had fun melting chocolate, carefully covering their breadsticks, and decorating them with sprinkles and chocolate buttons. The results were not only tasty but also looked amazing.

A big well done to our young chefs for being so creative and to Ms Hoilett for running this club.

Argentina Class Assembly

Today, Argentina Class delivered a fantastic assembly, showcasing their learning from the past term. They shared their knowledge with confidence, encouraged audience participation, and even led the whole school in making a pledge to care for and look after our environment.

The assembly concluded with a wonderful performance as the children showcased their talent by playing the ukuleles.

A huge well done to Argentina Class and Ms Ohemeng for a brilliant and inspiring performance!

Subject monitoring: Adaptive Teaching

At the start of the year, our staff INSET sessions explored adaptive teaching strategies, providing a fantastic opportunity for staff to share their ideas and best practices. This collaborative approach highlighted the importance of tailoring teaching to meet the diverse needs of our learners.

Building on this foundation, we are continuing to focus on adaptive teaching this term, ensuring our classrooms remain inclusive and responsive to all students. As part of this, we are placing particular emphasis on the use of visuals in the classroom to support understanding. By integrating visual aids, diagrams, and other visual tools, we aim to enhance comprehension and accessibility for all learners, recognising the value of varied approaches in meeting individual needs.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

This term, we will continue to review SEND plans with families and staff, as part of the assess-plan-do-review cycle. We are also focusing on how we support all children, including those with SEND, during assessments and transitions. These next steps reflect our unwavering commitment to ensuring every child receives the support they need to succeed.

We are proud of the progress we have made this year and remain dedicated to building a school community where every child can feel valued and achieve their potential.

Learning Makaton: Signing Our Way to Inclusion!

This term, we are excited to continue our journey of learning a new Makaton sign every week.

This initiative has been a fun and interactive way for our children to engage in communication, helping to enhance their language skills while developing an inclusive environment that values all forms of expression.

With the support of our Inclusion Ambassadors, the children have enthusiastically embraced this new skill, using the signs in class.

A big thank you to Mr Brown and our Inclusion Ambassadors for their dedication and efforts in raising awareness about sign language.

We are Artists

This half term, Year 2 have been diving into the art of collage. For one of their exciting projects, they used watercolour paints to design beautiful backgrounds. They then added layers of white, black, and orange card to assemble their very own penguin creations!

This artistic adventure ties into their Geography studies, where they’ve been learning about the South Pole and the North Pole. The children enjoyed combining their knowledge of these regions with their creative skills to produce some truly amazing artwork.

Donate Your Unwanted Toys!

As we start the new year, many families find themselves organising and decluttering their homes. If you have gently used toys that your children have outgrown or no longer use, our school would love to give them a second life.

Why Donate? Your donated toys can enhance our learning environment, provide hours of joy and creativity for students, and help us build a resourceful and engaging space for all. Toys like puzzles, board games, building blocks, and imaginative play items are particularly valuable in developing learning and social interaction.

Guidelines for Donations:

Toys must be in good condition, clean, and free of damage or missing parts.
Please ensure items are age-appropriate and suitable for a school setting.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept electronic or battery-operated toys at this time.

How to Donate:

Drop off your toys at the school office.
Please label your bag or box with "Toy Donation."

We deeply appreciate your generosity and support in enriching our classrooms.

Thank you for helping us create a brighter, more resourceful environment for our students!

Building Skills with Lego

This term, we’ve been using Lego in a unique way to help our children develop important social skills. Through fun and interactive building sessions, children have been practising turn-taking, learning how to clarify their ideas, and working together effectively as a team.

It’s been amazing to see the creativity and collaboration that these sessions inspire. Not only are they building structures, but they’re also building essential life skills!

Thank you to Ms Julie for facilitating these Lego sessions!