Weekly Newsletter

Thoughts from the Study

Digital Library

The Library of Alexandria was apparently one of the most remarkable collections of literature and ideas of the ancient world, renowned for its vast collection of manuscripts and scrolls that spanned the breadth of human knowledge at the time. Housing works on mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, and more, the library represented a pinnacle of learning and was a symbol of power, perhaps built as a legacy to Alexander the Great. The library is believed to have contained texts from some of the greatest thinkers across civilisations, but unfortunately, due to disagreements and fire, much of this knowledge was lost forever. Some speculate that had the Library of Alexandria survived, humanity would have made even more significant advances across many sectors.

Just as the Library of Alexandria was designed to preserve and share knowledge, I am excited to share that we are creating a dedicated digital library for parents that will house a collection of resources designed to further empower parents with the knowledge they need to support their child’s learning. This digital space will also, over time, include in-house booklets for our enrichment and clubs offering, Little Leaders Award, and our Post 11+ offering, as well as an English guide, all of which we have been working on as part of our ongoing curriculum review. The ultimate aim is to equip families with the same educational tools and insights that we use in school, ensuring that these techniques and approaches can be reinforced by parents at home in a meaningful and impactful way.

As we lay the foundation for this initiative, the first addition to the digital library is the Maths Guide Fundamentals. This guide offers parents a clear explanation of how we approach maths in school, where it fits within the broader educational framework, and practical advice on supporting your child’s learning. Mathematics is a subject that many parents often feel unsure about, especially as teaching methods evolve over time. The guide will help to demystify these processes and enable parents to, with increased confidence, support their child’s development, ensuring consistency between home and school.

The importance of strong parent-school collaboration is ever evident. Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) shows that active parental engagement in a child’s education can lead to as much as four additional months of academic progress over the course of a year. The benefits, of course, are not limited to academic achievement but extend to emotional, and cognitive development. This resonates deeply with our approach at Broomfield, where we value holistic growth in all our children, and crucially in our staff too.

Our new school library space, which was part of a significant capital investment project last summer, has become a cherished environment for the children. This space offers them the agency to choose what they read, explore different subjects, and develop a love for learning on their own terms. Much like the freedom children experience in our library, we believe parents should also feel empowered in their child’s educational journey. We know that many parents sometimes feel as though they are on the outside, looking in. The new digital library is designed to bring parents further into the fold, giving you the same sense of agency by sharing the teaching strategies and approaches we use in school.

You can view the digital library via this direct link: here  or via the Parent Portal here.

All the very best for the half-term break.

Mr Anstey

Headmaster

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Reminders
and Notices

Whole School

Diwali Celebrations

During assembly on Wednesday 30th October some children will be sharing how they celebrate Diwali and what it means to them. We invite any children in Kindergarten to Year 6 who celebrate Diwali to wear traditional clothing or something of relevance to Diwali to school that day. Pre-Kindergarten will celebrate on Thursday 31st so they are invited to wear their Diwali clothes that day.

 

No Swimming 29.10.24 

Please note there will be no swimming on Tuesday 29th October. Children should attend school as normal on this day. Swimming will recommence on Tuesday 5th November. 

 

Martin in Y6 walking the St James Way 

During October Half Term, Martin (Y6) will be doing St James Way with his dad, David. The walk takes place over 6 days and they will cover 110 km (on top of some homework!). Beyond being a pilgrimage, Martin will be raising funds for a Parkinson’s Association in Spain. His granddad was diagnosed with this condition years ago. Martin would like to share this with the school community in case you would like to support his fundraising initiative. Just Giving Donation _ Martin’s Fundraiser for Parkinson’s Association

Festive Cards

All proceeds from this year’s card sale will be donated to the Saved Souls Foundation, a charity dedicated to rescuing and caring for stray dogs in Thailand. Mrs. Frey, our art teacher, is leading this fundraising effort in memory of her daughter. Over the Christmas holidays, she will travel to Thailand to volunteer at the Saved Souls Foundation’s dog shelter, where she will directly support their mission to provide a safe place for abandoned and injured animals. Thank you in advance for your support!

The price for a pack of cards (A5 – 6 cards or A6 – 12 cards) is £6. Please follow this link to order your cards before 3rd November 2024.

PK26 DISCOVERY MORNING

Broomfield is excited to welcome prospective parents of children who will attend Pre-Kindergarten in September 2026 to our Discovery Morning which will take place on Friday 1st November. If you have any questions please reach out to our Head of Admissions, Mrs Abensur at admissions@broomfieldhouse.com 

 

Clubs and After School Care Arrangements

As we near the half term just a reminder that if you wish to cancel a club or after school care arrangement, now is the time to make the change.  Please email Mrs Crocker on admin@broomfieldhouse.com if you have any questions about clubs or setting up your SOCS account.

Mrs Crocker will be opening up the SOCS booking portal from 3.30pm Friday 19th October and it will be closed at midnight on Sunday 27th October so please make any changes required to your spring term bookings via the SOCS booking system (unless you have already emailed Mrs Crocker previously).  As is usual I will carry over any pupils from the autumn to the spring term so there is no requirement to book in if your children wish to carry on with a current club.

I am also opening up the bookings for the Monday Science Club, this is open to children in Year 4, 5 and 6.  Last term we sadly did not have enough pupils signed up to continue however if we do have enough for the spring term this will be on a Mondays at 3.30pm.  There will also be booking available for Gymnastics – Mondays at 8am and Broomfield Runners – Thursdays at 3.30pm – these are both numbers dependent also.  Finally, the new Bake and Play cookery club seems to be doing fabulously, please do look at their website, the children have been having a wonderful session every Monday. The cookery club is now open to children in Kindergarten and Year 1 also. If children are not able to attend the Monday session there will also be a session on Thursdays.  bake n play

THE PERFORMANCE WORKS

Ed Stembridge would like to offer the Broomfield Community a free trial session for his fantastic Personal Training and Group Classes in Richmond called The Performance Works. Ed is an ex rugby player and degree qualified personal trainer.  After many years in health and sports industry, working with some of the top practitioners, Ed offers a wealth of knowledge and experience, running personal training and group circuit classes in Richmond. Their goal: to help clients achieve their individual goals with effective and enjoyable training programs. All clients sessions are specific to your needs and realistic, to help achieve your goals.

Check it out here: The Performance Works Fitness

 

 

PK and K

Diwali Celebrations PK and K 

Parents in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten have arrange lots of lovely activities over the course of the week to celebrate Diwali. The children will be learning the story of Diwali and how it is celebrated, sharing their traditions and experiences. They will also enjoy crafts activties, making clay and paper diya lamps and beautiful rangoli patterns. Thank you to all the parents involved! 

Charitable Community Events

Run, walk (or even skip) 5k!

It’s wheelchair and buggy-friendly, and open to all ages, abilities, groups, and individuals.

 

Dukes Plus Half Term Activities

This Week’s Articles

If your house is already decorated with cobwebs and spiders, this is the round up for you. From where to pick your pumpkin, to Halloween trails and Franken-puppets … Trick or Treat anyone? Half term this year also coincides with Diwali – lantern making, dance workshops and light parades, find out how the Festival of Light is being celebrated across town. Last up, although Bonfire Night traditionally falls on 5th November, several big venues are bringing it forward so you can end your holiday with a bang, complete with toffee apples and sparklers. Happy half term!

Half Term Part 2: Halloween, Diwali and Bonfire Night – Dandelion London

PTA Notices

PTA Pumpkin Competition

PTA Highlight

Fundraising Success

We are a top 15% fundraiser on JustGiving! The Coffee Morning 2024 in support of Macmillan Cancer Support has been a great success and we would like to thank all families for contributing to our fundraiser.

Highlights

The Broomfield Digital Library

We are excited to announce the launch of our new school digital library! This fantastic resource is designed to support parents, providing easy access to a range of educational materials, e-books, and resources that can be used at home. Our goal is to strengthen the link between learning in the classroom and at home, making it easier for families to engage in their children’s education. We hope you find the digital library a valuable tool for enhancing learning. More to come soon!

The library is accessible via the website’s Parent Portal and via this link.

Harvest Assembly and Deliveries

Our Harvest Assembly was a wonderful celebration of gratitude and community. The children came together to share songs and poems. Thanks to all our Broomfield families for your generous donations which allowed us to give a wonderful donation to our local food bank on your behalf. We also continued our tradition of our Harvest boxes, which are delivered by our Year 6 children and some parent volunteers to the elderly in our local area. It was a heartwarming event, reminding us all of the value of kindness and generosity during this season of harvest.

More photos - Parent Portal >

Headmaster's Award

Congratulations to our recipients of the Headmaster Award for Autumn 1. The children enjoyed afternoon tea with Mr Anstey to celebrate. Well done to Sophia (Y6), Hamish (Y5), Eva (Y4), Polina (Y3), Arya (Y2), Kaede (Y1), Ameila (K), Aurora (PK) and Gigi (Y4) who was a summer recipient.

Flamenco Workshop

On Tuesday the school hall was filled with the rhythmic sound of feet stomping and hands clapping to the Flamenco beats brought to us by Daniella from Dance Days. The children’s faces lit up with excitement as they followed her lead, practising the choreography. It was great to see the children’s concentration and their confidence build as Daniella commented on their abilities. It was a memorable experience that introduced them to the beauty and energy of Spanish culture.

PK Forest School

PK is thoroughly enjoying Forest School, where they get to explore the outdoors and connect with nature. The fun-filled, hands-on adventures with the Redbeard’s Nature Explorers are a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills. 

Recycling Week

It is recycling week, let’s remind ourselves how important it is to recycle our household items. While nine out of ten people regularly recycle, nearly eight out of ten put one or more items in the rubbish bin that could be recycled. The UK’s most binned items include:
· 7.4 billion yoghurt pots
· 845 million cleaning product bottles
· 6 million aftershave and perfume bottles
· 526 million aerosols
· Toilet roll tubes
Click here for more information about what to recycle and how to reduce recycling contamination.
The Dukes target is zero to landfill by 2030 so we will keep looking at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle….

Art Highlight

Year 4 worked this half term on fruit still lives. The children reflected on composition and colour contrasts while practising their oil pastel as well as their observational skills. The still lives are part of our Harvest display.
Year 3 created cards which will be added to the Harvest gifts for the elderly people. The children worked on their water colour technique and collage skills.

Year 4 Harvest Display

Year 3 Harvest Cards

History Project

Year 4 created their own Viking shields as part of their history project this week.

Viking Shields

These amazing shields were made by a fearsome band of Year 4 Vikings!

Coat Drive 2024

Our annual Coat Drive has begun. If you have time over the half term to clear out some coats and jackets for this amazing cause, the donation box will be in the atrium until 22nd November. They accept coats of all styles, ski jackets, Gilets and Fleeces.

Weekly Awards

Sports Star of the Week
Hamish (Y5)
Drama Star of the Week
Frankie (Y4)
Music Star of the Week
Olive (Y3)
Artist of the Week
Hilda (Y4)

Polite Person of the Week

Pre-Kindergarten: Rocky: Rocky has made fantastic progress this half-term, particularly with his independence. He has also been very kind and polite this week. Well done Rocky!
Kindergarten: Zane: For ALWAYS being kind, ALWAYS being helpful, ALWAYS making the right choices. You are a superstar and brilliant role model to everyone!
Year 1: Joshua: Thank you for taking the utmost pride in everything you do. Your calm, cool and creative nature always shine and the classroom is a better place with you in it!
Year 2: Henry B: Your calm approach full of patience is always helpful towards everybody’s learning.
Year 3: Kriton For always being kind and polite towards your friends and teachers. You are engaged in all lessons and are an excellent role model to others in the class. Well done Kriton!
Year 4: Nehir: Her work is always well considered and neatly presented, and I was particularly impressed with her application in making and finishing her Viking shield!
Year 5: Jamie: For her wonderful engagement in all lessons and a fantastic first term at Broomfield.
Year 6: Victor: For his excellent attitude to his learning this week and for his exceptional manners.

Upcoming Events

Monday 21st Oct

October Half Term

Tuesday 22nd Oct

October Half Term

Wednesday 23rd Oct

October Half Term

Thursday 24th Oct

October Half Term

Friday 25th Oct

October Half Term

Saturday 26th Oct

October Half Term

Sunday 27th Oct

PTA Halloween Party

Monday 28th Oct

Revision Week All Week

Tuesday 29th Oct

No Swimming – Normal School Day

Wednesday 30th Oct

9am: Diwali Celebrations in Assembly

Thursday 31st Oct

9am: Diwali Celebrations in PK

Friday 1st Nov

9:30am: Y2 Forest School in school 

3:30pm – 8pm: Stagecoach 

Saturday 2nd Nov
Sunday 3rd Nov

Playground Snapshots