In our assemblies this week we read and listened to the inspirational lyrics of a song from ‘Matilda the Musical’ and discussed the song’s message of resilience (one of our school values)…

Even if you’re little, you can do a lot, you
Mustn’t let a little thing like ‘little’ stop you.
If you sit around and let them get on top, you
Won’t change a thing.
Just because you find that life’s not fair, it
Doesn’t mean that you just have to grin and bear it.
If you always take it on the chin and wear it,
You might as well be saying you think that it’s OK.
And that’s not right.
And if it’s not right, you have to put it right.

But nobody else is gonna put it right for me.
Nobody but me is gonna change my story.

We then watched Newsround videos (click here to watch yourself) about the recent attempt to launch a rocket and satellites into space here in the UK.  It took 10 years to prepare and would have been a historic moment.  But it didn’t work!  The rocket engineers were very disappointed but they will figure out what went wrong and then try again.

Finally, we learnt the ‘Serenity Prayer’.  Things don’t always go to plan but we just need to stop, think and keep trying. 

It has been great to be back in school and to wish each other a healthy and happy 2023. In our first assemblies we look at some interesting, lesser known New Year traditions from around the world. Take a look: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38341760

Pupils and staff then shared some of their New Year’s resolutions or, as we call them at Lawford Mead, New Year’s aspirations.

What challenges are you setting yourself in 2023? Do you want to try something new? Work hard to improve at something you love, or find difficult? Do you plan to keep healthy, stay hydrated or be more helpful? Leave a comment below and tell us about your ambitions. Happy New Year!

In our lower school assembly this week we talked about what it means to be a good or bad sport. We read these stories together:

In our upper school assembly we watched the highlights of England’s first match in the men’s World Cup and thought how sport can bring people together. But BEFORE that, we watched the Newsround video below and thought about the issues being discussed and debated by adults at the moment.

In our Tuesday assemblies this week, we discussed kindness and Anti-Bullying Week 2022. This year we are talking about ‘calling it out’ and ‘reaching out’.

In the lower school assembly we read a story about teasing. In the story, thankfully, the teasing stops because friends CALL IT OUT and then REACH OUT to their teacher for help.

If we see children being treated unkindly we can CALL IT OUT and say ‘No! That’s not kind!’. Then we need to REACH OUT to a trusted adult for help. If you feel YOU are being treated unkindly and you don’t feel you can reach out, think about all the different trusted adults you could go to in school or at home. They are ALL ready to listen and you can go to any of them. Or talk to a friend and ask them to help you go to an adult.

In our upper school assembly we also watched this video below, to help us understand the kind of thing that might be going on in the home life of a bully. There is a THIRD person who should REACH OUT to trusted adults for support, and that is anyone feeling sad and angry. If we talk through our problems we can understand our feelings better and avoid taking things out on other people.

Children will spend time this week contributing to new ‘class kindness contracts’. Take a look at contracts from a previous Anti-Bullying Week here.

In our upper school assembly last Tuesday we learnt about COP 27 and what world leaders and environmental activists will be debating this year.

What do you think people in power should be doing? What should we do to help?

In our lower school assembly last week we talked about our value of ASPIRATION.

We watched videos about a resilient boy with dreams of working for NASA and a tiny pony destined for BIG things. We discussed the children’s ambitions for when they are older AND what they want to work hard at and improve in school right now.

What are you aspiring to achieve?

This week’s Tuesday assemblies were about Guy Fawkes and firework safety.

In our upper school assembly today we talked about Black History Month. It is a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of black people, and a time to consider whether there are periods and people from history that we should know more about. We watched these videos below. One explained the purpose of Black History Month and the other told us about inspirational people that paved the way for a more diverse society. We love that Lawford Mead is a diverse community. We all have so much in common and we celebrate our differences.

In our lower school assembly today we talked about harvest. We discussed how grateful people will be when we donate cans and dried food to our local food bank. Christians thank God for their food at harvest time. But we all have lots of people we can thank for what we have, like our parents, carers and farmers. Don’t forget Jackie Johnson and the Tescos delivery driver!

We also talked about the favourite foods and meals that make us feel most grateful!

What are you thankful for and who would you like to thank?

We also looked at these pictures together and watched this video:

Lawford Mead pupils showed such thoughtfulness when we discussed the sad news that the Queen had died. We reflected on her life and the wise words that she shared with the nation. We all have fond memories of our jubilee celebrations last year. In Tuesday team talk assemblies last week we watched the Newsround video below and learnt more about the new King. Reflecting on the video, we realised that whilst our lives may be very different to the royal family’s, they have faced some of the same challenges many of us have. Something else that stood out in the video was Charles’ PASSION (one of our core school values!) for taking care of our planet and the environment.

Do you share that passion? What else do you care about and think is important?

Mr Poyton