Our first online assembly is now here. Thank you to parents and carers for all the nominations. Apologies if your child’s name wasn’t mentioned this time but there’s always the next one! Do take a moment to read the comments below my previous blog post to read about the wonderful things children have been doing at home. They are inspiring!

Wishing you all a Happy Easter holiday despite the restrictions there will be on egg hunts! Teachers will be back on the blogs from April 20th. You can read the final newsletter of the term here if you haven’t received it in an email.

One last thing for now…It is inevitable that children will be spending more time online during this period. A reminder then that we have guidance for keeping children safe online here.

Take care all,

Mr Poyton

The school has been closed for two weeks now and I know learning at home in this new way must be taking some getting used to. Thank you and well done to all the children that have been engaging in learning activities each day. A HUUUUUUGE THANK YOU must go to all the adults who have become the teachers, on top of doing everything else they have to do!

Our teachers all miss their pupils terribly and they have been updating the year group blogs and Tapestry regularly, so keep going back to those pages to find more tasks and challenges. Look out for blog posts about ‘Seesaw’, a special way for families to show to show teachers the learning Year 1-6 children have been doing at home. I have shared additional ideas and guidance here.

On the subject of sharing your learning, did you know you can leave comments under these blog posts too?

Parents and carers can use the comments section below this post to nominate children for the following awards and I will post a Friday assembly (of sorts) on the website this Friday:

• The Head of School award (for outstanding demonstration of one of our school values this week)
• The Sports Personality of the Week award (showing the values through PE, sport and exercise)
• The Tidy Friday award (can you guess what that one is for?)
• The Jackie Johnson award (good manners)
• Writer of the Week (effort and passion in writing)
• Reader Leader award (daily reading and love of books)

I look forward to hearing who the nominees are!

Mr Poyton

Hello children,

I am so sorry we had to close the school today. All the staff miss you already and we hate having to take a break from helping you learn. This is a very strange and challenging time for everyone but you don’t need to worry. All the adults in your life, at school and at home, are doing all they can to take care of you.

Your education is very important BUT, as I often say in assemblies, being SAFE is the MOST important thing! So Mrs Baker and I had to make the difficult decision to close the school today. We have been sending emails and letters to your parents and carers so adults at home will be able to explain more to you.

Whilst you are off school, your teachers are adding learning activity ideas to your year group blogs:

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4
• Year 5
• Year 6

Reception teachers will use Tapestry instead. You can visit our Links page for ideas too. Please do check these ideas out and keep on learning at home. AND READ LOTS OF BOOKS! You could try designing a timetable for your day.

Never forget to be kind and take care of each other.

From Mr Poyton

p.s. Here are some fun activity suggestions to keep you busy…

We were delighted to support our local community today by allowing pupils who attend Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to wear their club uniform instead of their school uniform. Children were able to show off their badges and share the achievements with their classmates. At least 37 Lawford Mead pupils attend these clubs after school!

The day gave us the opportunity to discuss what other hobbies we have and what achievements we are proud of. Lawford Mead is full of talented children who have worked hard to achieve something special. Many of them, including our musicians, martial artists, swimmers and athletes have earned medals, badges, belts and certificates to prove it!

School gives us a chance to achieve and feel proud every day too! Of course, we have our various trophies, certificates, medals and badges for attendance, punctuality, reading, writing, showing our values and much more. But, every lesson can be achievement. Climbed your first tree in Muddy Adventures? Met your times table target? Know all your spellings? Every page of work in your book is something to take pride in!

What have you achieved recently and what are you aspiring to achieve next?

The report from our inspection in January is now available. Please find the document here.

Mr Poyton

Mrs Phelps led another exciting Times Tables Competition assembly this week. Classes in KS2 nominated new challengers from their class to be tested in front of an audience. It takes great aspiration and confidence to practise every day and then perform in front of others. Well done to all the competitors. Are you practising every day? Maybe you will be nominated next term!

Find out more by visiting last term’s competition gallery. You’ll find links to apps and websites to help you practise at home.

What’s your target table and what is your favourite way to practise?

Happy New Year to our families and community. In assemblies today we talked about our New Year’s Aspirations. These are our hopes and ambitions for the year ahead.

Can you leave a comment below with your aspirations for 2020? Here are some of the children’s ideas from the assemblies today…

You could try this fun activity on the CBBC website to give you ideas!

Two weeks to go before the holidays but Christmas has certainly begun at Lawford Mead! Thank you to all the parents and carers who came to watch children from Nursery and Reception classes perform with such confidence at their Christmas concert. Christmas jumper and dinner day was as joyful as ever too. Thanks to the Year 6 role models who helped out and waited on tables. Now we are all looking forward to the KS1 Christmas production!

The new Word of the Week is…absurd. Can you look it up and use it in your conversations or writing this week?

Our website advent calendar will begin on Sunday night. Don’t forget to visit each day. Christmas-themed art can be given into the front office next week too, it still has a chance of being selected for the calendar.

Our word of the week this week is a challenging one. Radical. A radical person believes that there should be change and wants to make a difference. A radical idea is a very new way of thinking. Can you use this word this week?

Thank you to the Year 6 role models who wrote our reflection time poem this week…

You never look good trying to make someone look bad.

Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.

Be strong but not rude.

Be kind but not weak.

Be bold but not a bully.

Be humble but not timid.

Be proud but not arrogant.

Be nice!

Many thanks to the parents association for the cake sale today. Always popular, these sales raise money that will enhance the Lawford Mead learning experience for all our children. Huge thanks too of course to everyone who donated or bought the cakes!

Our Word of the Week this week is… perplexed. can you use it in conversation and your writing?

Ooh, and do check out the Highlights section of our website for info and photos of this week’s Anti-Bullying Week and Children in Need activities…

Have a great weekend everyone.

Mr Poyton