Upcoming Diary Dates
| This week | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday 22nd November (all day) Children only event |
Wimbledon Buddhapadipa Temple School trip for Juniors | As part of our diverse curriculum, children have the opportunity to visit different places of worship, from churches to mosques to temples. This year, we are heading to Wimbledon Buddhapadipa Temple to find out more about Buddhism. This is a free trip but a donation of £1 each towards the temple’s charity would be much appreciated.
A consent form was sent to all parents last week. |
|
Next week |
Event | Details |
| Thursday 30th November
(all day) Children only event |
Advent Spiral Festival | Our annual magical festival of light, anticipation and wonder for our Kindergarten and Juniors to enjoy throughout the day. |
Welcome from our Headteacher
Welcome.
The end of November somehow finds its equivalent at the end of January and beginning of February; the dark days the other side of the solstice when it feels like spring is a long way away. These are the times when we can really tell if the culture is right inside classrooms, as it is easy to be kind when you are in a meadow of flowers or happily nearing term-time celebrations, but easier to be grumpy when mud is everywhere and you can’t find your waterproof trousers.
Overall, the children are doing well. In assembly this morning, they brimmed over with enthusiasm regarding ideas on how they could bring more sustainability practice into their classrooms, and they continue to work hard in their books. Our records for breaktime and lunchtime play show increasingly good tolerance for others but it does not do to be complacent. If there is anything that is not working well for your child, please do not hesitate to have a chat with your class teacher. Pick up time, when teachers are not engaged in multiple fine judgements and actions to ensure a good start to the day, is a good spot for a quick word. Morning drop off time can be a bit more tricky, but either myself or Zoe are available outside the school if you need to talk with someone.
Please do not hesitate to be in contact via email to arrange a longer chat if you feel that is more appropriate.
We are all looking forward to Wednesday when all junior school students will visit the Buddhist Temple in Wimbledon and the conversations that will flow from that.
Have a lovely week!
Best wishes,
Sarah
Announcements, Reminders and Important Information
Welcome to a New Starter:
We were very pleased to welcome Shriya (Tibby) into Rose Kindergarten last week and know that our wonderful parent community will make Tibby and her mum, Sasha, most welcome at The London Acorn School.
Morden Hall Park Festive Late Night Opening Times:
The Garden Centre has 3 consecutive Thursdays where the shop will be open to 8pm for late night shopping – with special events inside! This will be on 30 November, 7 December, and 14 December. On these nights, the car park will remain fully open until 8pm.
Coach Jody’s Bokkie Sports Christmas Camp:
Email Coach Jody at CoachJody01@gmail.com to book on to his exciting Christmas Camp based at The London Acorn School (£45 per day).
Kindergarten News
It is the time of the year kinde children start to ask, “Are we going to the golden tree today?”
Yes, from this week we will be visiting the golden tree every Thursday for a while. They are a group of maples that grow together like a tree castle and their leaves turn into spectacular yellow colours in autumn. It is magical to play under their golden hue! Children enjoyed making these leaves into small leaf bouquets and the teachers turned them into leaf crowns. We have also had a lot of fun walking through puddles on rainy days. Thank you for all parents’ effort to ensure your children are adequately dressed against the wet and cold weather.
It was cosy indoors. We had scientists building rockets; amazing chefs and waiting staff running restaurants; builders fixing things; and responsible owners looking after pets. Continuing with the theme of caring for each other in dark times, which was shared during the Lantern Festival, we told a story about how helping people with sincerity makes all the difference. This week, we celebrated Tess’s kinde birthday. She is proud to be a year older. Happy Birthday, lovely Tess!
Junior School News
Willow Class continued with their phonics work in Literacy, making words and then building sentences with ‘g’ and ‘o’ sounds, linking to the Japanese fisherman’s story of the girl and the octopus. In Maths, Willow continued their 2D shape work, learnt mathematical vocabulary for positioning, such as ‘parallel’ and ‘perpendicular’, as well as revising number bonds to 10 through subtraction sums. In Arts and Crafts, they have almost completed threading ribbons through their craft bags and decorating them; these will stay at school to keep all their craft items in during the years to come.
Birch Class have been enjoying learning a Spanish Christmas song about a little donkey with Teaching Assistant, Lily. In Literacy, they have been learning about the different word classes, such as ‘noun, ‘verb, ‘adjective’ and ‘adverb’, which has informed their writing on their own wise and useful inventions. In Maths, they have been learning about measurement by doing experiments with measuring equipment and pipettes. On Fridays, Birch Class have started sharing a hot lunch of jacket potatoes. Last week, they even had beans from Brazil to go with their jacket potatoes! It was lovely to see the children enjoying their meal time together.
Chestnut and Oak Classes have been revising their knowledge of fractions by comparing equivalent fractions as well as progressing onto more complicated multiplication methods, including Long Multiplication for Oak children. In Literacy, Chestnut children have focusing on the rules of direct and indirect speech, while Oak children have been completing their write-ups of their solo assembly presentations from last Monday. In Science, they have all been learning why Pluto is no longer regarded as a planet as well as playing Planet Top Trumps, and in Art and Craft they have enjoyed creating illusions of raindrops through wet-on-wet painting.
Woodland Craft News
Willow Class
On discovering three plant pots left by Barkie and friends for us, the class were delighted to discover carrots growing in two of them and potatoes in the other. Together we dug up and cleaned them, and each person took home a carrot and a potato too. We thought about which trees have which leaves, and then while some played, others crafted Veg Heads, smiling little characters that we’ll see again next week. Children made these with patient co-operation, and bright spontaneous ideas.
Birch Class
Being very rainy, we first walked to the beautiful big expanse of water on the other side of the Rose Garden, where the mallards, coots and moorhens were good to see and name. Back at our ‘home site’ we played at matching leaves to their trees. The class played ‘Predator and Prey’, and lots of imaginative games of their own among the massive puddles and heaps of autumn leaves, stalks and twigs.
Chestnut and Oak Classes
The eldest children also identified eight trees* by their fast-falling leaves, and examined the microhabitat of a freshly fallen chunk of rotten and holey willow. We started a class Christmas tree, and lots of projects sprang up such as Christmas Vikings, Christmas wands, and willow stars. Some students whittled, sawed, and decorated, while others waded in the stream or made some truly fantastic dens in ‘magic places’.
*Hazel, ash, silver birch, willow, oak, elder, sycamore, lime
Updated Autumn 2023 Calendar
