Dear TLAS Community,

As we near the end of this Spring Half Term, we can be proud of how we’ve started this new year together. Last week’s Imbolc Festival (photos below) was a great example of how our hardworking, close-knit staffing team pull together. What’s more, it demonstrated our pupils’ creative talents, their care for one another and their wonder at the natural world. These children are incredible.

Our Interim Leadership Team have been doing a fantastic job this half term of stepping up, particularly during Ofsted. If you have any concerns that you would normally address to the Headteacher, please contact the following members of staff:

General concerns and academic learning – Zoe Wiles (Acting Head of Teaching and Learning) zoe@thelondonacornschool.co.uk

Financial concerns and safeguarding – Emily Maskell (Business Manager) emily@thelondonacornschool.co.uk

Behaviour concerns and SEN – Stacey Brien (Acting Head of Pastoral and SENCo) stacey@thelondonacornschool.co.uk

Parents, you are an important part of our school community and so we would welcome your feedback on the school by completing this short and anonymous Parent Survey. It will only take a few minutes, thank you.

If your child has missed their nasal flu vaccination this winter, please click here for the final walk-in clinic operating for all Merton schools.

On a sadder note, we know many of you will be aware of the tragedy that has happened at Epsom College over the weekend. TLAS will be sending our sympathies to Epsom College on behalf of the school community. Our thoughts are with them.

From all of us here at The London Acorn School, may we wish you an enjoyable Half Term Holiday next week and we look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 20th February.

Best wishes,

The TLAS Team

Willow Class have been super resilient, polite and helpful, really enjoying a fun Maths lesson diving into division, eating their way through maths problems!

Hazel Class have been studying the contemporary wildlife artist Oenone Hammersley this half term, linked to our Rainforest Topic. Children have created their own leaf printing blocks and last week they used them to create a rainforest canopy background for our pastel toucans to live in.

We look forward to displaying the finished work for all to see in the school foyer.

Oak Class have been translating information that they have gathered about plants, pollinators and people into original children’s stories. They have been using story mountains to plan their work. We look forward to reading their final stories soon.

Willow Class

We began with twigs of willow, hazel and horse chestnut, which our students loved fingering and guessing to which tree each belonged. A few children made careful drawings of the animals for our food web display. Two children dug and found ‘TREASURE!’ which turned out to part of a large tree’s root. One worked on his St Brigid’s cross, and several enjoyed wading in the stream, or wriggling on their tummies across a new log bridge – that was a satisfying challenge. Students are using their ‘boot sticks’ to gauge the depth of the water and this gives them confidence to wade in the stream with surprised delight.

Hazel Class

We began with filling our ‘ice bags’ with bits of woodland growth for Imbolc. Then in small groups we either continued the ‘log – weaving’, or made birch brooms to brush away the debris of winter, or made a flour pattern in the ‘land art’ tradition. A spiral proved tricky so concentric circles were inventively used instead, decorated with seeds and other fragments. We ended with a game of ‘sink and fade’ – a form of hide and seek, and some reflections on how things went and what we’ll do next. In fact we’ll see the ice sculptures in boxed  ‘window form’, as their freezer bags were rather too floppy to work as containers.

Chestnut and Oak Classes

Our session followed on from the Imbolc Festival, which these students expertly helped to dismantle once the rest of the school had left. They gave the festival a good press  : ‘My hand was Gothic!’ ‘Best thing this week was hanging up the ice’ ‘ I liked the apple’. Back at our own site we had a lively series of coo-whit games and some free time to wander and climb on the fallen logs if they liked. They had done very well in the more formal part of the afternoon.

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.

Exciting news for Year 5 and 6 students! School Support Tuition is offering a fantastic Creative Writing Course and Comprehension class, starting on Saturday 25th February 2023 at 9:30am-10:30am at Morden Cottage, Morden Hall Road. Boost your writing skills and join in on the fun! To register, please contact Mrs Abedian at +447984685453, or email saminaabedian@schoolsupporttuition.com for more information.