Dear TLAS Community,

The sun is shining and the promise of spring is in the air. It must be the time of year to celebrate Imbolc. For those of you new to the school, Imbolc is originally a Celtic Festival with links to the Christian Candlemas celebration. The festival symbolises the melting of winter and the rebirth of spring. We will be watching large ice cubes melt to reveal Spring flowers awakening inside. What with our connection to nature through our Woodland Craft afternoons, this is a very fitting festival to celebrate at The London Acorn School. What’s more, it presents an opportunity for the Kindergarten and Juniors to come together as a whole school and celebrate at the famous Kinde Tree!

Our strong tradition of festivals is just one of the ways in which we broaden the curriculum and offer children different learning experiences. Another way is through our range of assembles. This morning, we started the week learning more about sustainability with a visit from Earth Cubs, including Otis the Dog. I’m sure your children will have Otis stories to share later today.

Please scroll down to find out about more interesting learning opportunities, such as Lego activities and Little Acorns Taster Sessions.

A few reminders for parents:

The London Acorn School will be open on Wednesday 1st February and operating as normal despite NEU teacher strikes.

If children are feeling too unwell to attend school, please keep them at home. We have a very active curriculum and an ethos of going outdoors whatever the weather. We are unable to accommodate unwell children in the office. Thank you for understanding.

Please ensure that your child comes to school having eaten a substantial breakfast, it is important that they start the day with enough energy for our active mornings. Children will further require a healthy mid-morning snack and packed lunch.  With busy, creative learning, children use up a lot of energy and therefore need plenty of sustenance to keep them going until the end of the school day. It is much better that they return home with food uneaten than they do not have enough to eat throughout the day. They need protein and carbohydrates. Fresh fruit and vegetables are good choices. Many bring flasks of warm food (from last night’s supper perhaps). We do not allow sweets, crisps, biscuits or chocolate.

Finally, we would like to congratulate Eliya and Lucas on their recent cello concert, well done!

We love to hear what our pupils are getting up to outside of school, so please do get in touch.

Best wishes,

The TLAS Team

Last week Willow Class were introduced to the measurement of weight. We explored how weight measurement started with basic balancing scales before progressing into the scales we know and use today. We talked about measuring weight in grams and kilograms before doing a maths activity that measured different items throughout our classroom.

We had fun learning key mathematical terms such as mass, heavier than, lighter than, combined weight and the difference between.

Hazel Class are preparing to write their Fantasy Stories by writing detailed character descriptions of their hero or villain. The improvement in creative writing since the start of the Autumn Term is clear to see, with pupils using similes and alliteration in their work without even being reminded.

Handwriting is an area of focus in Hazel Class at the moment. It is great to witness pupils starting to take more time, writing with control, precision and beauty.

Oak Class have a wonderfully rich curriculum, just like the rest of the school. From researching inspirational people, such as Gandhi, in RE, to learning about the reproductive parts of a flower in Science, to exploring the marriage between Maths and Art in Geometry, Oak Class have very colourful days!

Willow class

Some fresh, stout willow extended last week’s work making staffs. Children used these for support in crossing the rickety logs across the stream. We celebrated Korean New Year by tying ribbons to the tops of our staffs. Korean colour symbolism is complex;  in this case red symbolises earth, the blue, sky and the yellow, humanity – all in harmony at new year, wishing everyone luck and happiness. Everyone enjoyed warm tea and a game of coo-whit.

Hazel class

We forgot the cold and the mud in hammering and weaving, taking photos and sitting by the river. Once the nails were lined up on the log, the warp was tied on and the weft begun.  While some students tied and hung up bright willow strands in decorative bundles, another student wove a St Brigid Cross. Reports of nest and bird sightings were shared, and tea enjoyed.

Chestnut and Oak classes

We foraged for plant material to make our ice sculptures, ready for next week’s Imbolc festival. Decorative notches were cut in the willow bark, and a feathered stick was made, and other students made drawings of a wren and a jay. Many of us were lucky enough to observe a kingfisher by the stream, the first sighted here. Hot tea was appreciated after sitting still quite a bit, but we stayed out for the full afternoon with no complaints at all!

Do you have any unloved Lego at home? TLAS would love to include Lego Clubs and Lego activities as part of our well-being focus.  Any donations of  Lego or links to well-priced second-hand Lego would be greatly appreciated.

Please email stacey@thelondonacornschool.co.uk to get involved.

In anticipation of relaunching Little Acorns in the Summer Term, we are delighted to welcome back parents and toddlers (aged 1-4) to our weekly Little Acorns Taster Sessions from 21st February on Tuesday mornings. These taster sessions will be free during the remainder of the Spring Term.

Come and join us for songs, crafts and playtime at The London Acorn School. Parents, come and socialise, enjoy a cup of herbal tea and relax in the cosy surroundings of Morden Cottage.

We will be operating a first come first serve basis during our free taster session period.

We would love to have your feedback on these sessions ahead of our official relaunch in the Summer Term.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the office.