8 September 2016
Primary Newsletter
Important reminders • Schools starts at 8.45am, it is important that your child arrives on time every day so that the teachers can start the lesson promptly. The school gate will be open from 8.25am and will close at 8.45am. • School finishes at 3.45pm every day other than Tuesday when we finish at 3.00pm • If any of your details have changed eg. your address or phone number – please ensure you contact the office to inform us, so that we can update our records and contact you in case of an emergency. Please ensure your child attends school every day and on time. If your child is sick then you must call the office to let us know by 8.15am. If your child has a medical appointment you must let us know in advance.
Uniform Information The Primary uniform can be purchased through the Khalsa Schoolwear website or can be bought at the Khalsa Schoolwear shop in Bethnal Green. All Year 1 and 2 pupils are expected to be wearing a blazer; this is still an optional item for the Reception children. Please speak to the staff in the primary reception if you have any queries. • We expect every child to be in full uniform every day with their top button done up • All coats must be plain black • Shoes must be plain black – no trainers! If you are not sure about the types of shoes that are part of our uniform policy, please ask! • Please label every item of clothing • One pair of plain stud earrings can be worn (no hoops) • Nail polish is not allowed • Jewellery is not permitted • Long hair for both boys and girls must be tied back. Hair decorations must be small and plain • Please provide your child with a water bottle every day and make sure it is labelled with their name (water only, no fruit juice).
2 Secondary Newsletter
9 September 2016
Welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer break! It has been a great week of settling in and welcoming our new cohort of Reception pupils and their families to Isaac Newton Academy Primary. I have been hugely impressed by how quickly the Reception children have managed to line up each morning and how brave they have been as they have waved goodbye to their parents. Reception parents, I am equally proud of your bravery, as you have kindly followed our advice and left us to settle the children each morning and I have been very impressed by your lining up outside the classrooms at the end of the school day. Thank you for your help, support and patience; I know that the routines will get quicker every day. Year 1and 2 pupils have made a brilliant start to the year by looking smart and scholarly and role-modelling their fantastic BRIDGES habits to the Reception pupils. They have been a superb help in welcoming our new children and demonstrating how we line up, sit in assembly and conduct ourselves at INA. We are off to a flying start!
School Photographer The school photographer will be in next week on Wednesday 14th September, taking both individual and class group photos which will then be available for you to purchase. He will also take pictures of children with siblings in the Primary. Further details on how to purchase these will be sent in due course. Please ensure that your child is in their full uniform and looking extremely smart (as always)!!
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Enrichment We will be starting our enrichment clubs again from Monday 26st September. Every child is expected to participate in one enrichment club each week; this is an all-though school expectation. A letter has gone out in your child’s book bag; we ask that you complete this and return it to the class teacher by Tuesday 13th September, stating your child’s first and second preference. You will be notified of your child’s club in due course. Failing to hand the letter back on time could result in your child not getting
Composer of the Fortnight We are currently listening to and learning about Enio Morricone as our Composer of the Fortnight. As a suggested activity to support at home, you could gather some facts about Morricone in preparation for the coming weeks. Information can be found on the following links. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennio_Morricone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjq6e1LJHxw
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9 September 2016
PE Days (Kit Required) Reception Reception will have PE every Thursday and will need to wear their PE kit from next Thursday 15th September.
Year 1 All Year 1 pupils have PE every Wednesday and will need to bring their PE kit to school with them from next Wednesday 14th September. Each class also has a separate session on the following days: Britten: Tuesday Fitzgerald: Tuesday Glennie: Friday
Year 2 All Year 1 pupils have PE every Monday and will need to bring their PE kit to school with them from next Monday 12th September. Each class also has a separate session on the following days: Al-Kashi: Thursday Fibonacci: Thursday Pythagoras: Friday
Wisepay Details Wisepay details have been given to everyone now, which will allow you to book a place for Breakfast Club or After School Club. Payments must be made in advance. If you experience any problems, please contact Ms Rayner or Ms Chaggar who will be happy to help. Breakfast is available each day from 7.45am and costs just £2.50 per day. The children enjoy a range of cereals, toast and different topping, juice or milk and fruit. Any child attending must be brought to the main reception area by 8.20am at the latest. After School Club runs from 3.45pm – 6.00pm (3.00pm – 6.00pm on Tuesdays) and costs just £5.50 per hour. The children enjoy a range of snacks each 9 September 2016 Secondary Newsletter
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BRIDGES in the Primary Phase
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” Isaac Newton BRIDGES are habits of mind or learning characteristics that develop a pupil’s character and learning power and enable him/her to grow into a wellrounded individual and resilient learner. There are seven BRIDGES habits that we will be working on, which will rotate on a weekly cycle throughout the year. The BRIDGES habit of the week will always be introduced at the beginning of the week during the Monday assembly and reinforced throughout the week across the curriculum. Each class teacher will award a certificate to a pupil who they feel has demonstrated the BRIDGES focus for the week. Each week we will update you on the BRIDGES habit that will be introduced in the coming week and offer some top tips on how to reinforce the habit at home too. Please also refer to the Primary BRIDGES wheel below.
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9 September 2016
Week commencing 12th September – Bravery Bravery comprises five dispositions: Leadership, Optimism, Risk-taking, Courage, Experimentation At School We encourage the children to try new things and experiment every day, whether it is a food that they have not tried before or new activities that they may not normally choose during the afternoon sessions. We always encourage the children to have courage when they fall over and hurt themselves and to remain as calm as possible while we help them. We aim for all pupils to demonstrate their leadership skills by helping others, being smart in their appearance, being kind, having good manners and generally demonstrating all their BRIDGES characteristics. We encourage some of the quieter pupils to have the courage to share their ideas in class, to work with optimism and develop a real ‘can do’ attitude. At Home Encourage your child to try as many different things as possible – whether it is food, different enrichment clubs etc. It is important that the pupils are able to try things without worrying about getting them wrong. Help remind your child at home about being smart in their appearance and rolemodelling good behaviour through their leadership skills.
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Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome (and welcome back to those who were part of the INA community last year)! It has been really great to see how well and how quickly all the primary children have settled this week. I know that Year 2 are enjoying being on the first floor, with their vantage point over the playground. We welcome a number of new staff to the primary this term, and over the next few weeks each of them will introduce themselves with a short biography in the newsletter. This week we introduce you to Ms Wiltshire, Ms Howard and Ms Buma-a:
Ms Wiltshire I am delighted to be joining the team at Isaac Newton Academy as a Year 2 teacher and Leader of English. I taught on the other side of the world in Malaysia last year which was a fantastic experience but it’s great to be home and joining the INA family. In my short time here so far I have been impressed by the incredibly welcoming nature of the staff and INA community and I look forward to settling into my role and becoming part of what is clearly an excellent team. I particularly like the way in which INA cares for the academic and personal growth of both staff and pupils which makes for a lively and exciting learning environment. I look forward to learning and growing as part of the INA team but am particularly excited about teaching and nurturing the children in a caring environment where they are encouraged to investigate, question and take risks to improve their learning. A bit about myself: I grew up in the midlands but, since then, I trained
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9 September 2016
and taught up in Leeds for a couple of years. However, the majority of my teaching career has been in the London Borough of Barnet in a variety of settings and roles within school. I have loved leading on Literacy in these schools and am excited about bringing my passion for English to INA. When I’m not teaching I enjoy travelling and so in 2015 I decided to teach in Malaysia for a year to gain further experience of the world and teaching abroad. I loved travelling to new and exciting place during holidays and weekends but with the arrival of my first nephew, I decided that it was time to come home. I feel proud and privileged to be a part of the INA community and am really looking forward to both the challenges and fun times ahead!
Ms Howard I am incredibly excited to be joining Isaac Newton Academy as a Year 2 teacher. It will be wonderful to be in such a welcoming and enthusiastic environment! I’m really looking forward to working with the children and so happy that I’m able to help them to achieve great things. A little bit about myself: I grew up in Liverpool, and moved to North Wales with my family when I was 8. Ten years later, I moved back to my hometown of Liverpool to complete a degree in Psychology and Forensic Science. After I had finished my degree, I moved to London, where I spent just over 3 years working as a Centre Director at Explore Learning in Barking. For the past 7 years, I have also been volunteering for the EYPUK which is an educational charity which works with young people. In my spare time, I absolutely love baking - chocolate brownies are my specialty! I also love reading; my favourite author is Jeffrey Archer, but I’ll generally read any book that’s available! I am so happy to have been welcomed to be part of such an incredible and inspiring team at INA, and I can’t wait for the year ahead.
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Ms Buma-a I am joining the INA community as a Teaching Assistant for Year 1 and I am looking forward to the pleasure of them teaching me a great deal over the next academic year. I graduated in July from the University of Reading with a Mathematics degree and with the desire to pursue a career in education which has led me here. Before that I grew up and attended a Secondary School in East London before choosing to go to a Sixth Form in Chelmsford. Since then I have volunteered in schools across London as well as a few months in Ghana, strengthening my desire to work in education and with younger children. I know that I will have an immensely rewarding experience here at INA where opportunity for growth is everywhere. May I take this opportunity to ask that parents do not drive down Cricklefield Place if it can be avoided at the start and end of the school day. The entrance to our site is not spacious enough to accommodate lots of vehicular traffic and every car increases the risk of a serious accident or injury to a child. The purple parking bays belong to the Academy and are used by staff; parents are not entitled to use them and risk being issued with a parking fine if they do so. Similarly, the space under the sports hall beam is not public property but part of the school site and parents are not permitted to drive through this area, park or wait here in cars. We do really appreciate your support in making the start and end of the day safe and congestion-free for the benefit of your child and others. With all best wishes for a fabulous school year! Rachel Macfarlane
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9 September 2016
9 September 2016 Secondary Newsletter
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Key Dates
for the
Autumn Term 2016
Term Dates -Autumn Term Thursday 1st September - Friday 16th December Half Term: Monday 24th – Friday 28th October INSET Days: 1, 2, 5 September, 23 November, 9 December
Key Dates for Primary - Autumn Term Wednesday 14th September Friday 23rd September Monday 26th September
Wednesday 28th September Friday 30th September Saturday 1st October Friday 14th October Wednesday 19th October Thursday 21st October Monday 24–Friday 28 October
School Photographer European Languages Day Enrichment Clubs Begin Parent Tapestry Workshop 6.00pm (Primary Dining Hall) Parent Coffee Moring 9.00 – 10.00am Mita Desai Visit Start of Black History Month Fibonacci Class Assembly – Year 2 - 3.00pm BRIDGES Parent Workshop 6.00pm (Secondary Building) Multicultural Food Fayre & Traditional Costume HALF TERM
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9 September 2016