We have had another very busy week at Millfields this week! It is 'Bike Week' and the children and adults have certainly all been cycling to the point that there was very little room left in the bike shed! Thank you for encouraging your children to cycle and scoot. Thank you also to the 50 plus children and adults who took part in the 'Big Ride Out' on Wednesday morning before school started. This takes place every Wednesday -meet at the school at 8.20am or join along the route. All are welcome!

First thing this morning, we enjoyed 3 lovely assemblies from Nile Class, Mersey Class and Karisimbi Class -the children take such pride in sharing their learning, they all look great in their costumes, and they all learnt lots of lines of songs, poems and scripts to entertain parents and families. Thank you for coming along, and thank you to the children and staff!

Today it was our termly Outdoor Day (morning!) and we took full advantage of the beautiful weather. We all walked down to Hackney Marshes, and played lots of team games with sports equipment, parachutes, and biscuits, did scavenger hunts, bug hunts, created nature art,  as well as climbed trees, ran around and sat in the shade for a drink and snack! The children and staff loved it!

Yesterday, Y4, Y5 and Y6 children had a great afternoon in the company of TikTok sensation and science author 'Big Manny'. Emmanuel (his given name) spoke to the children about his journey through primary and secondary school, and university where he got both a bachelor and master degree; then about his first job as a science lab technician and about how he decided to get into making online science experiment videos during lockdown, and shared his current success with his science books! Big Manny shared a few experiments that the children loved, and of course he did set off the fire alarm too! if you want to see more, look at the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVYMXCTGCq8. Thanks to Sheyenne for organising!

Also this week, Y4 classes visited Bruce Castle Museum to take part in Windrush workshops to enhance their topic work, and Y1 visited Monument as part of their classwork on the Great Fire of London.

We have also been very busy on the sporting front this week. yesterday, some new and more experienced cyclists in Y4, Y5 and Y6 took part in the penultimate Hackney Cycling League event at Hackney Downs. They did so well, and really enjoyed the experience. We are still just about top of the league and need lots of points in the last race in July to retain the trophy!Thanks to Nishie and to Beatrice's mum, Mary for helping out.

On Wednesday, a talented group of Y5 and Y6 children -boys and girls took part in the cross Hackney Kwik-Cricket tournament, and I am delighted to say we won, and received a cup and medals that will be presented next week! Thanks to Izaac for organising and taking them.

Finally, have a lovely weekend, and let's hope the good weather continues.Take care and stay well. Best Wishes, Jane

I cannot believe that we are at the end of half term already!  It seems to have flown by, and it has been so busy!

Today, we were treated to 3 brilliant assemblies - well done to Fitzroy, Shenandoah and Douro Classes for sharing their fantastic learning, as well as showing off their great singing and acting skills! Thank you to all the children and staff!

A massive ‘thank you’ to all the parents, carers, aunts, uncles, grandparents and pets who have taken part in our brilliant ‘Parents & Families Week’. The atmosphere around the school has been great and the feedback from parents has been very positive. There were lots of fun activities organised including, a DT workshop with Bruno, Art workshops with dean and Jess, Graphic Computing workshop with Claire, Gardening with me, PE sessions  with PE coaches Kea and Tom, maths workshop with Emma, Cook School workshops in Y5 and Y6, a Road safety session, Emotion Coaching led by the REU from Hackney, a drama workshop with parent Chris, and a WAMHS workshop on play and connection. And yesterday we had a really lovely afternoon tea with children and their grandparents -we think it is really important to recognise the many grandparents who play such a big part in the children's lives, so I hope you enjoyed it!

Parents also volunteered to share/read a story with their child's class at the beginning and end of the school day. We will continue to ask for volunteers to read to your child's class throughout the year, so please contact your child's teacher if you would like to read at the end of the school day. On the back of this week, we are also going to run a monthly gardening afternoon as the parents and children who helped to tidy and replant on the roof terrace were amazing -thank you for your enthusiasm and hard work!

The children and staff have also really enjoyed meeting some of their friends’ pets too!  We have had dogs, rabbits, tortoises, guinea pigs, cats and fish!  It was also great to see so many of you at the first Annual Family Picnic that took place at Millfields Park on Wednesday. We managed to avoid the rain and the children, staff and parents had great fun playing games and chatting!  Thanks for making that happen!! Finally, a huge 'thank you' to Sheyenne for organising the whole week! We also loved seeing lots of parents at our age-phase 'Croissants & Conversations' drop-in session each morning. There was lots of chat and opportunities to meet new people. If you would like to see more morning drop-ins, please let us know as this could be an opportunity to ask lots of questions and find out more about the curriculum and the working of the school day.

Well done to the Shannon Class Quiz Team who won the trophy last night at the PSA Quiz! It was a lovely event -thank you to all the PSA who organised and for the parents and staff who attended! Thank you also to all the Book Fair volunteers, especially Sarah Worsley, and to all of you for buying lots of books over the last week! We hope to have made lots of commission to stock up on our book corners in cklass -the children on the School Council have requested more books about sport!

We have lots of other exciting events coming up next half term too; it is Democracy Week (30th June -4th July), and Sports Fortnight (7th -18th July), and the Summer Fair is taking place on Saturday 12th July this year - save the date!  Please get in touch with the PSA if you can help in any way at psamillfields@gmail.com.  Also, a reminder that Friday 20th June is an INSET day, so the school will be closed to pupils.

I hope you have a great half term with family and friends, and have fun and a good rest.

Fingers crossed for continued good weather!  See you all on Monday  2nd June.

Best Wishes, Jane

We have had a lovely few days during this short week with lots of hard work, learning and fun, and all much easier  because of the lovely sunny and dry weather!

Yesterday, we all took part in assemblies about VE Day -80 Year anniversary. I learnt so much about all of your families and all the family members who were involved in the war with lots of different countries. The children were so engaged and we all observed a 2 minute silence to show our respect for those who lost their lives, and of course to share the celebration that took place 80 years ago at the end of the war in Europe.

As we are now approaching the time of year when the weather is warmer and the sun is shining, please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate clothing and shoes, and that they wear a hat/cap if needed and have sun- screen on in the morning. If you would like your child to put sunscreen on at school, please send a labelled bottle with them each day. I will be emailing out the school Sun Safety Policy for you to read as well, so look out for it in your emails.

The Y6 children have worked very hard all year but especially in the last few weeks, doing practice SATS papers, as they have the real tests next week. We always invite all of Year 6 to come to the Breakfast Club free of charge every morning during the SATS week. We have found in the past that starting the day together with a good breakfast really helps to settle the children ready for their exams. So even if they normally have a great breakfast at home we would encourage you to send your children into the school Breakfast Club during that week so they can start their day with their friends -please send your Y6 child in from 7:45am onwards.

I am extremely proud of the hard work and effort made by all the Y6 children this year - working so hard at school and home! I always reassure the children, by saying that we expect them to do their best, and as long as they have tried hard and know they have done their very best, then we will be proud of them no matter what the result. Please reinforce this with your child at home.

A massive 'well done' to all the Y4 an d Y5 cyclists who took part in the latest Hackney Cycling league event yesterday on Hackney Downs. The children did so well completing 4 events each. Thanks to Nishie and to parents who came to support during the races! Well done to Ezra, William, Dexter, Robin, Margot, Artemis, Vincent, Otto, Gabriel, Joely, Noav and Tova B!We are waiting to find out the final results but I think we have quite a few first place finishes!

Today we were treated to 2 brilliant Class Sharing Assemblies! Thank you to Ganges class and Mekong Class who shared all their learning from this term and some from last term! The costumes and enthusiasm were second to none! The staff and children worked really hard, so thank you to them and for all the many parents who came to watch and support their child.

One of our favourite weeks at Millfields is coming up - it is Parents & Families Week! The week before half term, the week 19th-23rd May, we will be having our usual week of fun, inviting parents and carers to take part in lots of activities, coffee mornings, class and workshop visits etc, including the ever-popular 'bring your pet' to school, and this year our first Big 'Community Picnic' on Wednesday 21st! Look out for more details on all activities via email. You will need to sign up via Google Form. We are looking forward to welcoming you (and your pets) into school!

Thank you to Y1 and Y2 parents who came in today to read with their child/child's class -this happens every Friday, so please come along next time!

Also a reminder that we are looking for a parent who could give up some time to help with the memorial wall for Steve -if you can help, please email me directly, and we are also looking for any sporty parents who could offer a session/s of any sport or activity as part of Sports Fortnight (7th -17th July) or, if you think you can help in any other way, please email Ashrafamohi@millfields.hackney.sch.uk

Finally, have a lovely weekend in the sun. Take care, Jane

It’s been another busy week at Millfields with lots of trips, and lots more brilliant Shake-
speare work in classes. Also the Y6 children have been doing mock SATS in preparation for the real tests that are taking place between 12th May -15th May.

The Millfields Prime Ministers and members of the Millfields' Cabinet were in school very early on Monday morning as they had a trip to the Houses of Parliament. They had a tour of the parliament rooms and took part in a workshop that included an interactive film. They had a great learning experience and I am sure that at least one of them will be there as an MP in the future! Watch out!

Y2 visited Hampstead Heath to learn more about reading maps and orienteering as part of their geography work. Luckily the weather was perfect and the children enjoyed their learning and a picnic lunch outdoors.

Y1 and Reception classes went out on their weekly Forest School trip and as always, enjoyed the hot chocolate and cookies as well as the wonderful play opportunities.

Also, the Y4 boys football team took part in a Hackney tournament for the first time -they played so welle, winning all their games to get to the final only to be cruelly beaten into runner up on penalties!! A brilliant effort and bad luck. Thanks to Adele and parents, Melissa and John for taking them, and for other parents who came to support!

The children in the school playground have also been enjoying having more space to play lots of new games including cricket, handball, basketball, rounders and hockey instead of football!!

We are also getting lots of resources prepared for the Creation Station that will be open very soon. There are lots of sticks, poles, nets and  wooden planks and blocks that will be used for a variety of building and creative play games.

You will receive the termly overview for your child’s year group and the termly homework project this weekend. Please check your emails.

Finally, please can you check that we have a working phone number for you, and please also make sure that we have at least 2 more contacts in case of an emergency. Please email info@millfields.hackney.sch.uk with your child’s full name and the phone numbers. Thanks for your help here.

Fingers crossed for continued sunshine over the long weekend.

Have a good one, stay safe and well.

Welcome back to everyone! All the children seem very happy to be back in school, they look well-rested and ready for the busy summer term!

It has been a very calm and relatively quiet week (by Millfields standards!) and all the classes seem to be settled, and have adjusted to the few new adults in class and around school. Hopefully you will have noticed that the scaffolding on Hilsea Street side has been removed, so the front of the building and the playground look and feel so much bigger -this is a great relief to us all! The final scaffolding that is around the Nursery will be removed at half term, so we are nearly there! And thankfully, the new roof did not let any rain in after the heavy rainfall on Wednesday either!

This week, teachers have been introducing the new learning for this term and there is a real buzz around the school about William Shakespeare! Each year-group is studying a different
Shakespeare play or poem, and there has been a lot of great role play, brilliant orating, puppet making and fantastic character and setting descriptions. Some of the plays being read are Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale. The children in Y2 know lots of facts about Shakespeare too. He was born in Stratford upon Avon, he died on 23rd April in 1616, his plays were on stage at The Globe Theatre and lots more. There have already been some brilliant acting and drama sessions around the class play, so the children are really immersing themselves in the world of Shakespeare. I am looking forward to reading some of the children's rewrites of the plays and scripts in the next few weeks!

Thank you to all the parents who attended the 'Childhood Anxiety' workshop this morning. This was very well-attended and I believe that the parents who came along found it useful to support their child at home and school. We are hoping to run another one this term and will keep you posted.