Firstly a huge than you to all the parents, carers and members of the wider school community who visited the Art Exhibition: ‘Shadows and Light’ in St James Church on Tuesday. The display of the children’s artwork was breath-taking, and the ambiance created in the church was of a calm and peaceful space to that enabled the work to be viewed like a real art gallery. Well done to everyone involved, but a special mention to Rebecca who coordinated the whole exhibition. A comment from one of our governors sums it up, ‘The conceptual strength, the level of collaboration, of community and parent involvement, the contemporary sense of installation, recreated space... I could go on. It was stunning.’ And from one of the parents, ‘Congratulations to all the children involved in the Shadows and Light show, what a triumph! All contributions spectacular, both my children were deeply proud to show me around the church and the middle hall to see the exhibits. The London skyline should be retained for show.’ And indeed, we are hoping that it can be on show again and have a provisional date for the work to be displayed in the Saatchi Gallery and possibly the Whitechapel Gallery too. It is very exciting! Also, if you have not yet been to see the Nursery and Reception work in the middle hall, please come in after school and have a look at the ‘Sky Wall’. –it too, looks amazing.

We have also had a very busy sporting week. Twenty children from KS1 took part in the HTSA Sports day at Clapton Academy yesterday. They had an amazing time –all got a medal and t-short for taking part in a variety of events including trampolining, games and athletic events. We also had some first, second and third place medal winners, as well as the top award that was for outstanding performance throughout the day –well done to Sabrina Muhiddin from Manchester Class who took home a lovely trophy. Also, this week, the Year 5 and 6 pupils took part in an inter-schools cross-country competition. Well done to everyone who took part. There is another race next week, and we will know the overall results after this. And tomorrow, the boys football team will be taking part in a inter-borough cup tournament, so I look forward to letting you know how they get on next week. Thank you to Sharon Williams for her continued enthusiasm and support as these events would not happen without her!

Finally, I hope you have received the form to sign up for this year’s Hackney Schools’ Challenge Run as part of the half marathon. It was a great success last year, and Millfields had the largest number of participants –let’s do the same again this year! Please return the forms and the £5 entrance fee to Heidi as soon as you can. Morning runs will start after half term to get you all in shape for the final event. The actual race takes place on Sunday 10th May.

Have a good weekend, and maybe there will be snow! I hope so as the children are talking about it and hoping for a white playground next week!

Best Wishes, Jane

This week’s creative workshops around ‘Shadows and Lights have been amazing. The children have had a fantastic time creating lots of amazing art pieces, including junk models that form the London skyline, mirror collages with dots, shadow puppets and Fairytale shadow boxes. A huge ‘thank you’, to Rebecca and Debi for organising the week and for putting the timetable of events together. Thank you also to Rebecca, for leading the workshops in Years 3 and 4. Also a huge thank you to the local community, parents, and grandparents who have been in supporting the children this week –Pinny Grylls, Laura Quick, Rachael Field, Su Blackwell, Gina Taylor and Gillian Daniell.

All of the different art pieces will be on display in school and/or, at the Art Installation in St James Church on Tuesday 27th January. The main feature will be the Year 1 and 2 skyline. The exhibition will be open from 4pm until 7pm, so please do come along to see your child’s work if you can. The Subject Leaders for all other areas of the curriculum will also be there between 4pm-6pm, to answer any questions you may have about the work your child is doing in the wider curriculum including arts and humanities. Thank you also to all the children (and their parents) who did the Creative Week homework –some of them look amazing. I hope your child has enjoyed all the art workshops this week.

Yesterday, we had two visitors to the school, one who is a district advisor in New York City, the other an academic who has written lots on school leadership. This was a reciprocal visit as I visited NYC in the Autumn term to look at schools and the US education system. Deidre and Alan really enjoyed their visit and commented on the children’s attitude to learning, their engagement in learning and  their knowledge and enthusiasm about all the events and opportunities they have in school, as well as commenting on the good behaviour seen in all classes and around school. They visited all the classes, the ARP and the Children’s Centre and had an audience with the Article 12 Group (School Council). Thank you especially to Y6 pupils, Cem Owens, Chair of the Article 12 Group, who spoke so articulately and knowledgeably to the visitors. Cem and the council were true ambassadors for the school.

There was an information meeting for all Y5 parents/carers yesterday about the planned Residential Trip. Thank you to those who attended. There will be another meeting soon of you were unable to make it, but information is available from Heidi at the main office.

I hope you have a  good weekend. Best wishes, Jane

Another busy week at Millfields, with lots to celebrate and enjoy. Firstly, thank you to Heidi and the Year 5 Bank Team who have been brilliant in setting up the Millfields School Bank in association with Hackney Credit Union. Every morning this week, they have been taking application forms and setting up bank accounts. We are the first primary school in Hackney to set up a bank that we hope will encourage all pupils (and their families) to establish a good saving ethos that will continue in later life. If you have not yet had an opportunity to set up an account, the bank will be open again every Wednesday from 8am until 9am, so please bring in your forms and minimum £1 deposit then. If you have lost your forms there are application forms available from Heidi at the main office.

Our sporting pupils have also been very busy since the beginning of term in PE lessons and  inter-school competitions. Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 children have weekly swimming lessons, and children in Year 3 and Year 5 are having weekly tennis coaching as part of their PE learning. Also, some children are being taught dance during PE by a secondary colleague from Clapton Academy who visits weekly. Other pupils are also having basketball lessons at Clapton Academy once a week. Last week, the football team and yesterday the Year 5&6 Tag Rugby team –who have only started playing very recently, returned to school as the champions and are now going to represent Hackney in the next stage of competition. Also, the Year 5 and 6 Cycle Team took part in a competition yesterday and fared really well against some of the more established and experienced clubs. A big ‘well done’ to Conrad and Anoushka who came first in their respective races.

Staff are now busy getting ready for Creative Week that starts on Monday –the theme for this year’s event is ‘Shadows and Light’. All of the children will be creating lots of different art pieces during their art workshops. You will be able to see the finished work at the Art Installation in St James Church on Tuesday 27th January –more details to follow.

We are all looking forward to Burns night –Friday 23rd January –tickets beginning to sell fast now, but some still available from the main office.Another date for your diary is the parents ‘Recycling Workshop that will take place, next week on Tuesday 20th January at 9.10am. Hope to see you there.Have a good weekend.

Best Wishes,
Jane.

Happy New Year and welcome back to everyone. I hope you all had a peaceful holiday and enjoyed a break with your families. The teachers started the week with an INSET day on the new Computing curriculum –we all looked at plans and expectations before trying out some of the ideas we had for children over the next few terms. This was held in our newly adapted ICT suite.

As it is the beginning of a new term, the staff have been reviewing and reiterating lots of the school systems in class and in the playground including behaviour, lunch time procedures, learning behaviours and homework expectations. In assemblies we have talked about new beginnings and a new year. We also talked about making changes –thinking about new year’s resolutions. I have asked the children to think of their own new year resolution to do with being a better friend, working hard, having a good attitude to learning. I have also emphasised that only we can make our own changes, so please speak to your child about their resolution.

As you will see from the important dates, we have Creative Week and Spanish Week  this term.  Thank you to the parents and carers who responded to our volunteers call-out last term. We will be contacting you shortly, especially if you said you could help with Spanish Week  or Creative Week . So in case you did not respond, and you speak Spanish or come from a Spanish-speaking country and would like to come in to talk to the children during this week, or you can cook Spanish food or flamenco dance, please contact Belen our Spanish teacher on bfernandez@millfields.hackney.sch.uk to offer your services.

As the weather is very changeable at this time of year, please make sure that your child wears a coat, hat and scarf and sensible shoes during the cold spells, as we always try to get children out at playtimes and lunchtimes, even if there is a little rain or it is very cold, as they all need the fresh air and exercise to get their brains working again for the afternoon learning.

Finally, I hope you have all received your School Bank letter and application pack this week? We are really excited to be the first primary school in Hackney to open our own bank, and the Y5 bank team will be collecting applications all next week from 8am every morning. For more information, please see Heidi.

I hope you have a good weekend. Best Wishes, Jane

Happy New Year to everyone and best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful 2015.

Term starts for children in the school and Children's Centre on TUESDAY 6th JANUARY.

Firstly, thank you so much to all the children and staff who have worked so hard to make all the concerts and performances so special this week. It always brings a smile of joy and a few tears to my eyes to hear the children sing so beautifully and also to see how proud all their friends and families are of their efforts. Also, a special thank you to Roz, and all the musicians, who put the all the music together. The evening concert on Wednesday was also a great success, and showcased some of the amazing talent we have here at Millfields –singers, dancers and musicians. Well done everyone. And thank you also to all the staff at St James Church for allowing us to use their building – it certainly made the concerts feel very festive this year. Thank you also to the whole school community for all your very generous donations, both for the church after each of the performances and concert, and at the impromptu carol singing at the school  gate, as well as the money collected today that will go towards the playground fund. The children and staff all look fantastic in their Christmas jumpers and party outfits!

There have been lots of links with the local community and family of schools this week, as Year 6 enjoyed the Christmas production at Petchey Academy on Tuesday afternoon -’Sister Act 2’, and Year 3 were amazed by the lovely singing and performances by the children at City Academy yesterday afternoon.

On Wednesday we all enjoyed a delicious Christmas Lunch –turkey and all the trimmings, followed by a lovely chocolate cake, tangerines and a fruit juice, all prepared and cooked by our hard-working kitchen staff –thank you to Leea and her team!

The choir has not been as busy as last year, but they did sing outside Barclays Bank in Dalston on Monday evening and made lots of money and lots of friends! Well done to you all –great ambassadors for the school.

On Wednesday, we also welcomed Niv and Rachel from LJCC Fusion who hosted an assembly to celebrate the beginning of Chanukah for the Jewish faith. The children really enjoyed the presentation, and found out lots of new facts about Judaism and the festival itself. All the children in Years 4, 5 and 6 had the opportunity to ask questions and all received a special doughnut at the end of the assembly as part of the celebrations. The feedback from Rachel and Niv was very positive, praising the children for their knowledge and their relevant and thought—provoking questions.

Finally, have a lovely rest during the holidays with family and friends. Happy Chanukah and Happy Christmas to those who celebrate.

All the best to everyone in the school community for 2015. Best Wishes, Jane