Summer Term | Brookmans Park Primary School

WELCOME TO THE YEAR 5 AND 6 BLOG FOR THE SUMMER TERM!

Week beginning 22nd July

It’s the end of term! Thank you so much to all of the UKS2 staff and pupils for a fantastic year. Together, we have experienced a wide range of incredible learning, residential trips, Ofsted, writing moderation and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I could not be prouder of the children’s behaviour for learning and the amazing progress they have all made. I hope that you all have a wonderful summer break. Best of luck to the Year 6 leavers’, who we will miss greatly, but I know will be such positive assets to their secondary schools!
Miss Kropman x

Good luck, Year 6! Leavers' Assembly - Tuesday 23rd July

Thank you to the Year 6 parents for a fabulous leavers’ party tonight! - Monday 22nd July

On our LAST FULL day as Sapphire class, we decided to have a blissful SPA EXPERIENCE followed by a mindful walk with incense. We all feel very relaxed now! - Monday 22nd July

The Sapphire Spa experience part 1 - Monday 22nd July

The Sapphire Spa Experience part 2 - Monday 22nd July

Week beginning 15th July

In our last full week of term, UKS2 have been enjoying some fun learning opportunities and additional sporting activities!

TOPIC PRESENTATIONS "Countries and Landmarks" - Friday 19th July

On Friday 19th July, Sapphire Class presented their COUNTRIES AND LANDMARKS topics to the class. As you can see, we all learnt an awful lot about different countries, and there was an amazing amount of effort put in with the different table displays and costumes. Well done, Sapphire - some amazing research work and confident presenting!

RE Faith Forum Visit in Year 5 - Thursday 18th July

Today, Year 5 had a visit from a Christian reverend, a Jewish rabbi, the head of the Islamic Centre in St. Albans, a Humanist and a follower of Hinduism. Each member of the panel spoke about their faith and personal beliefs, and gave the children the opportunity to ask questions. Year 5 listened carefully to our fantastic guests throughout and learned a great deal from them, linking to our RE topic this term - 'Nobody Stands Nowhere.' Thank you to all of our visitors for providing the children with such an engaging experience.

Congratulations to Catherine in Sapphire, who has just passed her Grade 3 piano exam and entertained her class during their 'snactivity' time today! - Wednesday 17th July

Year 6 vs Staff Rounders - Wednesday 17th July

This morning saw the annual sporting highlight of Year 6 vs Staff rounders. Year 6 were divided into three equally talented teams to be pitted against 14 elite staff members. In the first game, the Year 6s scored a respectable 5 rounders, only to be met with an insane 14 and 1/2 from the staff in reply! The second game, however, was a much tighter affair, with brilliant fielding from Henry catching out two staff members, resulting in an 8 - 8 draw. So to the final game and, once again, 5 rounders scored by Year 6. Sadly for them, the staff team proved just too experienced, and double rounders from Mr Neiman and Mr Nicholson resulted in them scoring 10 and 1/2. The final scores: Year 6 - 18, Staff victorious with 33. Well done to everyone!

Topaz enjoying exploring body image and discussing what makes them unique in our Positive Minds session today - Tuesday 16th July

Week beginning 8th July

We have all been back in school this week after our residentials! Please see below some of the excellent work that has taken place, and don't forget to check out the Music Blog (with evidence of our end-of-term music assemblies) and the Sports Blog, too!

Hopefully not the only win we will be celebrating this weekend! Well done to our Year 6 Blue team for winning the Potters Bar Cricket Festival today! Please see Sports Blog for more details - Friday 12th July

Topaz learning about personal space, respect and consent in their session with Future Living - Wednesday 10th July

Year 6 Positive Minds - Monday 8th July

Year 6 have begun their Positive Minds programme today, supported by Watford FC's Community Trust. Each online session is designed to promote mental health awareness, with this morning's lesson focusing on the stigma around sharing issues. We also learnt about celebrities who have shared their own experiences of mental health problems and completed a competitive game or two!

Week beginning 1st July

It’s Wales week for our Year 6s! Please check here for daily updates!

Year 6 Wales Residential Day 5 - Friday 5th July

After a hearty breakfast, we boarded the coach for the long ride home. Our Pupil Parliament members have joined Friday’s assembly live via Zoom for the elections results, and plenty of sleeping has also taken place! We have just stopped close to the border and our current ETA is 5.30pm at The Brookmans. We will update via WhatsApp as we get nearer. Once again, a huge thank you to all of Year 6, Outer Reef, Newgale Lodge and the amazing staff team: Mrs Davies, Mr Fennell, Mr Neiman, Mr Rahman and Mrs Tompkins. It’s been a blast!

Miss Kropman x

Nap Time Wales Year 6 Residential Day 5 - Friday 5th July
It’s been a tough, tiring week…

Year 6 Wales Residential Day 4 - Thursday 4th July

For our last full day in Wales, we once again travelled to the Stackpole Estate. Upon arriving there, we split into our classes. Topaz had a bracing two mile walk to their bushcraft activity, where they spent the morning learning survival skills and making bread, a waterproof shelter and fire! Turquoise, meanwhile, went rock pooling near the lily ponds, finding a range of interesting sea creatures.
We reconvened for lunch in the sunshine before a short walk to the quarry and our final activity…stand up paddle boarding! This was, by far, one of the highlights of the week. Year 6 demonstrated determination, team work and cheek as they learned how to paddle board and how to push each other in! Well done and thank you to them for such a lovely afternoon.
This evening has been EPIC! We kicked of with dinner and completing our postal votes for the BP mock election. Our talent show then proceeded to demonstrate incredible singing, dancing, acting and football skills, reminding us just what a special year group this is! Congratulations to Bellamaria, Eliza and Olivia T for being the judges’ top pick of the night! Following this, we ended our night with a disco that was, quite simply, brilliant. I hope you enjoy looking at the photographs and videos of your wonderful children. They are an absolute credit to their families, their teachers and their school. I have had the best week with them! Miss Kropman x

Wales disco! - Thursday 4th July

Wales attack on Mr Fennell! - Thursday 4th July

Wales Talent Show - Thursday 4th July

MISS SHAW'S FIRST EVER BLOG POST! - Thursday 4th July

MISS SHAW'S FIRST EVER BLOG POST!

Good morning, this is a test blog!

YAY! My first ever blog post!

I am a great believer in learning something new every day, so, like the children, I aim to do the same! Today my learning has been to use the blog. As a person who is extremely untechnical, this pushes me out of my comfort zone!

Obviously the test blog is about our class pets - Russell and Rita, who continue to gain confidence. Dog kibble is their favourite food, but they also love roast potatoes and hate carrots! We also have a friendly robin who visits (called Robin) and 3 pigeons called Peggy, Pedro and Percy.

Year 5 Olympic Morning at Gosling Sports Centre - Wednesday 3rd July

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT living history with Sapphire Class - Wednesday 3rd July

To conclude our topic about CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, Sapphire Class were working on some living history and role plays to show crimes and the punishments of different historical eras. We had hangings, beheadings, amputations and whippings to name just a few! What gruesome endings people have met in the past for committing a crime!

Year 6 Wales Residential Day 3 - Wednesday 3rd July

Year 6 have had an action-packed third day in Wales, with both classes having their second surfing lesson of the week. This time, we travelled to Broadhaven, where the current and tide were perfect to catch the waves! Topaz luckily had the better weather this afternoon at sea, following a wet and windy morning rock pooling. They were incredibly good at this, finding a number of rare starfish amongst other sea creatures.
After Turquoise had been surfing this morning, they returned to Newgale Lodge for a bushcraft session. This involved making a shelter out of natural materials and creating fire!
We are now all back at base for an evening meal of lasagne, followed by quiz host Miss Kropman’s team challenges! As if this week could get any better!
Quiz update: well done to Chloe S, Christian, Demi, Ellie and Owen for their victory!

Topaz having fun after surfing! - Wednesday 3rd July

Year 6 Wales Residential Day 2 - Tuesday 2nd July

What an amazing second day we’ve had! This morning began with an early breakfast at 7.30am before boarding the coach for the hour’s journey to the Stackpole estate. Upon our arrival, we split into our class groups. Turquoise spent the morning on a coastal walk, visiting a number of beaches and spending time playing on the sand! They had lunch on the beach prior to meeting up with Topaz for an ice cream at the local cafe! Topaz, meanwhile, had enjoyed a superb coasteering session where they had the opportunity to explore some caves in the low tide!
This afternoon saw a swap over of activities. Topaz had a gloriously sunny amble, whilst Turquoise were lucky to experience a higher tide for coasteering. This meant that they were able to jump off the quay at the end of their session. Miss Kropman is exceptionally proud to report that all 23 members of the class, Mr Neiman and Mr Rahman (eventually!) conquered their fears to fly into the water!
We have had a lovely dinner and are currently playing cricket before we have a hot chocolate and retire to bed. Bring on tomorrow!

Mr Rahman’s giant leap for mankind! - Tuesday 2nd July

Turquoise coasteering - Tuesday 2nd July

Topaz’s coastal walk - Tuesday 2nd July

Mr Fennell’s morning workout in Wales! - Tuesday 2nd July

Sapphire having fun learning some other brass instruments - Tuesday 2nd July

Year 6 Wales Residential Day 1 - Monday 1st July

After a very early 5.15am meet this morning, our coach journey was thankfully stress-free and we arrived in the beautiful Pembrokeshire in time for midday lunch! We then met our instructors for the week before being taken to Newgale beach for our first activity…surfing! Miss Kropman can attest to having witnessed true resilience and risk taking as 44 brave Year 6s (and three comical male teachers!) battled the waves. Well done to everyone, and especially those that managed to stand to ride the last of the waves!
This evening has been a bit on the wet side, so we’ve taken over the onsite games room for pool and board games before hot chocolate and bed!

Week beginning 24th June

A huge week for Year 5 this week with their three-day residential to Stubbers, whilst Year 6 have been completing their Bikeability Cycling Proficiency awards. In addition, please check out the Sports Blog for news of our girls and boys teams at the County Cricket Finals!

Year 5 Stubbers Residential - Wednesday 26th - Friday 28th June 2024

Year 5 have spent a wonderful three days at the Stubbers Adventure Park, participating in a wide range of physical, active and fun events. Every single child rose to the occasion and pushed themselves to try new things whilst encouraging each other to reach new heights. Some overcame their fear of heights while others adapted to being away from home really well. We are proud of all of them, and were so grateful for the lovely welcome songs they prepared ahead of the tent inspections!

GROUP 1 STUBBERS PHOTOS THAT HAVE BEEN UPLOADED TWICE AND VANISHED!

So, it appears that all of the group 1 photos from Stubbers that I have uploaded twice already vanished both times - so here they are again! Let's hope for a 3rd time lucky success!

Year 6 PSHE workshop with Jo from Future Living - Wednesday 26th June

Year 6 had a visit from Jo this afternoon, who is a mentor from Future Living. This is a charitable organisation which works to promote healthy relationships in young people. Jo is running a programme called 'Young Hearts' with us over the next month and, in today's session, we explored the people who are closest to us. Miss Kropman was most impressed with the mature responses shared today and we are all looking forward to our next session in a fortnight's time.

Vinnie the well-being dog visits Year 6! - Tuesday 25th June

The Year 6s who had completed their cycling for the day then had the BEST afternoon today with a visit from Mrs Thomas and Vinnie, our recently-appointed school well-being dog. Vinnie is a 5-year-old labrador retriever, who began life as a guide dog. Mrs Thomas explained his training process, and how she and her husband were his puppy trainers. When Vinnie was returned to the charity, he then became theirs! We learnt a great deal about guide dogs and how they are matched with their owners, and also had the opportunity to ask questions about Vinnie. The highlight of the hour was, of course, having the chance to pet Vinnie and - for a few, selected children - giving him some treats! Vinnie was calm and relaxed throughout, revealing his tummy for stroking purposes on more than one occasion. This was therefore the perfect way to meet a dog for those Year 6 children who are slightly wary, and Miss Kropman was very proud of everyone who overcame their nerves today! Both she and Mr Neiman loved the end to our afternoon (including our kisses from Vinnie!) and would like to thank Mrs Thomas for bringing in her beautiful boy!

Some of Turquoise's Roman Curse Tablets, created in their history lesson today. Don't worry, they aren't serious! - Tuesday 25th June

Year 6 Bikeability - Monday 25th June

Year 6 began their cycling proficiency course today with an assessment on the playground. All of the groups demonstrated good confidence and awareness, and I am pleased to say everyone is now ready to progress to cycling on the roads tomorrow. Well done, Year 6!

Week beginning 17th June

Welcome to another busy week for Years 5 and 6, with Sports Days and play performances taking centre stage (boom, boom!). Please check out our Music Blog for news of the fantastic instrumental assemblies this week, too!

Year 1 and Year 5 Brookmans Buddies - Friday 21st June

Year 1 and Year 5 spent the afternoon together today, completing our London to Paris House Challenge and then playing games with Mr Rahman. This was a lovely end to the week for both year groups!

HOT OFF THE PRESS SAPPHIRE NEWS - RUSSELL AND RITA VISIT TOGETHER! - Friday 21st June

Bahgdad Bazaar! - Thursday 20th June afternoon performance

Mrs Thomas and Vinnie visiting Year 5 - Thursday 20th June

This afternoon, Year 5 had the pleasure of a visit from our retired secretary Mrs Thomas, and her trained guide dog, Vinnie. Thanks to our Pupil Parliament organising a successful vote, Vinnie is now our official school well-being dog, and will hopefully become a regular guest for each class. Today, he spent the afternoon outside with Ruby and Sapphire. We all very much enjoyed this, and can't wait for him to visit again!

UKS2 being superb track athletes in the KS2 Sports Day - Wednesday 19th June

UKS2 performing Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits to the school. Looking forward to tonight and tomorrow's big shows! - Wednesday 19th June

Ali Baba + The Bongo Bandits Programme (2).pdf

Thank you to all of Year 6, who were excellent at supporting and scoring for the Reception and KS1 Sports Day this morning - Tuesday 18th June

Year 6 hot-seating in role as Will from 'Treason' upon him meeting King Henry VIII - Monday 17th June

Week beginning 10th June

Please see the pictures below showing yet another super week of learning in UKS2! In addition to being very excited to perform our play next week, we have also been enjoying some Euro 2024 fever and Village Day preparations. Meanwhile, our Year 5 girls have had a fun afternoon being introduced to golf (please see the Sports Blog!).

Topaz's Euro 2024 Sweepstake has been drawn! - Thursday 13th June

Meet Russell and Rita, the Sapphire crows! -Thursday 13th June

In Sapphire class, we began to notice a crow that frequently visited our window sill. Miss Shaw named him Russell, and he used to meet her most mornings at 6.30am and caw loudly as well as knock on the window with his beak. We all decided to make friends with him and Miss Shaw started to give him seeds and apple. Ralph then brought in some bird food. Firstly, Russell was nervous with all of the children in the class, but in just 3 days, he has become a lot more confident and brings his wife (Rita) with him now as well. They love to eat the food we leave out and we all take it in turns every day to check on their “sill”. Crows are very intelligent creatures and often swap food for gifts, so we are looking forward to that!

Russell and Rita! - Thursday 13th June

Turquoise perfecting the bridge section in 'Super Trouper' on the ukulele! - Wednesday 12th June

Sapphire's 3D shape lesson - Monday 10th June

Week beginning 3rd June

Welcome back to the final half term of the school year! We have been busy rehearsing for our production this week, whilst also getting stuck in to a new historical novel, 'Treason', which we will be using to support our writing in English this term alongside our 'Crime and Punishment' History topic. For news of our AMAZING victories for both the girls and boys teams in the Welwyn and Hatfield District Cricket Finals, please see the Sports Blog!

'Ali Baba' spoiler from today's rehearsal! - Thursday 6th June

Topaz researching Tudor crime and punishment, in the context of 'Treason' - Tuesday 4th June

Week beginning 20th May

UKS2 have had a super end to the half term this week with daily swimming lessons in our pop-up pool! We have also enjoyed getting our play rehearsals underway and took part in a fantastic workshop on Wednesday (see below).

Thank you to Years 5 and 6 for their hard work and effort over the past six weeks. You have been a pleasure to teach, as always, and your teachers are very proud of your progress. I hope everyone has a fantastic half term break and we look forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday 3rd June.

Miss Kropman x

Ice-cream post-SATS treats for Year 6 on 'Break The Rules' day! - Thursday 23rd May

Magistrates in the Community Workshop - Wednesday 22nd May

Years 5 and 6 had a sizzling start to their 'Crime and Punishment' topic this morning with a team of local magistrates coming in to lead a workshop. Bob and Karen were with Year 6, whilst Oscar and John stayed with Year 5. We were first treated to an interesting presentation about the role of a magistrate and asked many quick-fire questions before looking at whether an incident would result in an arrest or not! The magistrates then showed us a court set-up before introducing us to a case scenario...

Sonia (played brilliantly in Year 6 by Chloe S) was accused of sending unkind messages and posting images on social media of and towards Katy (our Ella!). As a year group, we had to decide whether or not the defendant intended to cause harm, with our magistrates' bench made up of a panel of three. Pantelis, Finley and Emily S in Year 6, supported by a cast of witnesses and lawyers, were then sent to decide Sonia's fate. She was found guilty and sentenced to a fine and ordered to pay compensation to her victim.

This was a wonderful workshop that was very thought-provoking, too. We would all like to thank the magistrates for volunteering their time.

Sapphire's PSHE role-plays - Monday 21st May

Week beginning 13th May

This week, Year 6 have completed their SATS exams. Well done to all of them for their effort, resilience, stamina and excellent work and a huge thank you to Year 5 for being so quiet and considerate all week (and adapting brilliantly to different times for break!). Miss Kropman and Mr Neiman are incredibly proud of everyone. Now that the SATS are over, our full attention can be turned towards our production!

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT OUR SWIMMING LESSONS IN THE POP-UP POOL START ON MONDAY. DON'T FORGET YOUR COSTUMES, TOWELS, HAT, GOGGLES AND SLIDERS! IT IS ALSO SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS ON MONDAY, SO PLEASE WEAR FULL UNIFORM AND BRING IN ANY FOOTBALL OR NETBALL KITS THAT ARE STILL AT HOME!

Year 6 Free Choice PE as a fun treat at the end of a tough week! - Friday 17th May

Production auditions getting underway in Year 6! - Friday 17th May

UKS2 have planted seeds this week to take home. The PTA will sell these on Village Day, so please nurture and grow them well! - Friday 17th May

Mental Health Awareness Week - Monday 13th May

MH Awareness Week Assembly 2024.pptx

This week is the NHS's Mental Health Awareness Week and, to mark this, we have held class assemblies discussing the importance of exercise in supporting our mental health. In addition to our twice weekly PE sessions, UKS2 are finding other times to be active throughout the week! Mr Nicholson has kindly given some time to support Year 6 this week in leading a PE session either before or after each SATS exam, whilst Year 5 have also got further opportunities to be outside in the afternoons. Please do discuss this PowerPoint (shared in class) at home!

Week beginning 6th May

A short week for UKS2 following the Bank Holiday, with Year 6 completing their revision for SATS and Year 5 furthering their core learning!

Year 6 arithmetic scavenger hunt! - Thursday 9th May

Year 6 revised their arithmetic skills in a creative manner this afternoon by taking part in a scavenger hunt around the school! After being given a starting question, they calculated it and then had to find the answer, which had been sneakily hidden somewhere in our classrooms, corridors or library areas! Each answer gave the children a letter to record and the next question in the loop. Congratulations to our winners, Annabelle and Dotty, who were the first to return the completed sentence to Miss Kropman, which is certainly true for this year group: AMAZING WORK: YOU ARE AN ARITHMETIC GENIUS!

Topaz's first lesson on 'Super Trouper', getting into the Eurovision theme and using EIGHT different chords! - Wednesday 8th May

Topaz maths revision - Wednesday 8th May

Week beginning 29th April

Please see examples below of yet another busy week in Years 5&6, including our geography field trip and some excellent responses!

Who said revising subordinate clauses in Year 6 couldn't be fun?! - Friday 3rd May

Year 6 Ukulele Concert - Wednesday 1st May

Year 6 were absolutely PHENOMENAL this afternoon as they performed six ukulele pieces to their family members and Year 5. They have been learning the ukulele for 30 minutes each Wednesday afternoon since October, led by Kathryn McGuinness from Hertfordshire Music Service and supported by Miss Kropman and, today, had the opportunity to showcase their talent! The first pieces (Lilo&Stitch and Watermelon Sugar) featured two of the first chords that they had learnt, whilst Count On Me and Uptown Funk demonstrated an impressive four chords. To complete the concert, Year 6 played Somewhere Over The Rainbow and Happy - both of which being far more complex, six-chord and multiple strum pattern songs. At the end of the concert, the watching audience went wild with applause to celebrate the musicality of this wonderful year group! Miss Kropman could not be happier with how well they performed this afternoon and is very proud of all of them.

Year 6 Ukulele Concert - Wednesday 1st May

UKS2 Geography Village Field Trip – Monday 29^th April

This afternoon, Years 5 and 6 took their geography learning to the village! We have been discussing safety in our locality and decided to put this to the test with the support of Sam Griffin, Police Community Support Officer for our area. Sam and her colleagues kindly brought their speed boards with them and met each class by the church. They then took it in turns to measure the speed of drivers coming down Bluebridge Road into the village, and were amazed to see numerous motorists breaking the speed limit! Well done to members of Ruby, who recorded someone driving at 39 miles per hour, which the police will be following up on! We noted our results on a tally chart and will be analysing this information further back in the classroom.

In addition to our speed checks, each class also completed a survey of safety features in the village, investigating whether pedestrians have to walk between parked cars to cross roads .(they do!) and noting the lack of zebra crossings. We identified and listed key points of danger and worked together to suggest good places for crossing. Finally, we got the opportunity to complete some art observational sketches of the village in order to support our suggestions. This was a fantastic afternoon of practical learning and Miss Kropman was extremely proud of the excellent behaviour demonstrated by the phase!

Week beginning 22nd April

Please see below for examples of our learning in UKS2 this week! For more examples of Year 6 accompanying our whole school singing assembly this week, please see the Music Blog!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PUBLISHED AUTHORS! - Friday 26th April

Back in February, Years 5&6 were set the challenge of creating a one hundred word story as part of the Young Writers national competition. Based on the theme of 'Crazy Creatures', our budding writers were tasked with planning, writing and editing an engaging narrative, with the prize of publication up for grabs! With ninety children in the phase, Miss Kropman, Miss Shaw, Mrs Karpasitis and Mr Neiman were hopeful that we might get one or two children awarded with this accolade. It was, therefore, our greatest pleasure to announce today that a whopping 51 children from Years 5&6 have been selected to have their work published in a book! This will now be available to purchase and a copy will soon be winging its way to our school library. Well done to all of them. Their teachers are INCREDIBLY proud!

Topaz Science - Thursday 25th April

Topaz began their new science unit of 'Light' today by exploring how our eyes allow us to see. After a discussion about what they already knew, Topaz used the chromebooks to research the different parts of the eye and their functions. They expertly labelled a diagram and provided some awesome definitions for each part. Well done, Topaz!

Year 6 accompanying Year 1 - 5 on the ukulele in today's singing assembly! - Thursday 25th April

Sapphire's Conscience Alley - Wednesday 24th April

Examples of Year 5 English interactive work - Tuesday 22nd April

Sapphire's trombone session - Tuesday 23rd April

Year 5 are continuing to work hard and make good progress in their trombone lessons. This week, Sapphire had the opportunity to try out some brand new instruments...and Miss Shaw joined in, too!

Topaz and Sapphire's beautiful Buddhist Thangkas in cross-curricular RE and Art - Monday 22nd April

Week beginning 15th April

Welcome back to school for the Summer Term! This week, Year 6 have begun their SATS revision, whilst Year 5 have been multiplying fractions in maths and have started an engaging English unit based around Berlie Doherty's 'Street Child'. We have also fitted in some super work in the foundation subjects, as you can see below!

Year 6 creatively revising their grammar with a board game and some graffiti! - Friday 19th April

RE through Art in UKS2 - Thursday 18th April

Years 5 and 6 have been enjoying learning about Buddhism in their RE lessons this year, and spent a peaceful afternoon demonstrating their understanding through the medium of art! Having previously created mandalas and having drawn a Buddha after learning about the life of Siddhartha, UKS2 were tasked today with making a rangoli dot circle. Linked to the Buddhist eight-fold path, we divided our circles into eight sections. Next, we looked at examples of these before using the end of a paintbrush to add intricate dots to a broadly symmetrical patterns. Accompanied by music, this helped us. This will form the basis of our Buddhist thangka, with the mandalas and Buddha to be added next week. Finally, we will add a sunlight pastel circle to represent the Buddhist belief about striving for enlightenment. We can't wait to share our final work with you!

Pictured below are some examples of Topaz' work today.

Author Assembly - Thursday 18th April

UKS2 were treated to a whole school assembly this morning with published author Joanna Gutkin and her illustrator daughter, nine-year-old Maya. Joanna is a self-employed writer and journalist who first had the idea of writing a children's book during the Covid pandemic. Noticing a huge artistic talent in her daughter when she then came to publish her first book, Joanna asked Maya (then only aged 7!) to draw the pictures! Just two years later, 'The Elephant and the Goldfish' is taking Amazon by storm. Thank you to Joanna and Maya for an inspirational assembly ahead of their workshops with EYFS and KS1. I hope this has encouraged some of our budding writers and artists to aim for publication!