Friday, 9th June 2017
Lower School Newsletter
Learning in the Lower School
Welcome back, I hope you all had a nice half term break.
Year 3 spend more time in school!
It is that time of year again when the children in Year 3 spend a night at the Lower School. For some children this may be the first time spending a night away from home, and away from their parents. The event helps them to develop their independence and to become more responsible. It also helps them prepare for their future residential trips, in Year 4 they go to Moat Mount for one night, in Year 5, they go to Flatford Mill for two nights and in Year 6, they have a Bushcraft trip for three nights, and a New York trip for six nights! (Please note that the French trip previously taken in Year 6 will now take place during M1.)
Our Year 3 children really enjoyed their sleepover this week. They took part in a range of tasks and activities before trying to get to sleep. They enjoyed their early morning breakfast and talked about their experiences during their lessons on Friday. Both Mr. Slane and Mrs. Bettelheim were particularly pleased that the Year 3 children showed great commitment and that they were starting to get into good habits which will prepare them for future residential trips.
Upcoming event for Year 6
Year 6 have been working extremely hard this week on their IBPYP Exhibition work. They present their Exhibition on Thursday, 15th June from 6.00-7.30pm. This is the culmination of the students' experiences working over a number of years within the IBPYP, the purpose is to assess the students' understanding and to celebrate their success as learners. The evening will provide the opportunity for students to bring together all the subject disciplines and utilise the various skills they have been developing during their time at the Lower School. The focus this year is on one of the five essential elements of the IBPYP: Action. Working in collaborative groups, students have conducted independent inquirys into issues of local and global importance in an attempt to affirm the Central Idea: Individuals and groups take action to make a difference in the world.......... We hope to see you there on Thursday to see their impressive work.
Yearbook
We are really excited to announce our Whole School Yearbook is now complete. This year it features over 190 pages of memories from Kindergarten to D2 from this academic year.
We are delighted to be able to offer the same discounted price as last year of £20 to anyone that orders the Yearbook by Monday, 9th June. The yearbooks will arrive before the final week of term and only a limited amount will be available without pre-ordering at £25.
To order Yearbooks, please click here and pay online using our secure system.
Recently Mr. Slane and Mrs. Bettelheim gave me some work that the Year 3 students had completed. The focus was on persuasive letter-writing. I was incredibly pleased and proud to read some very well-constructed letters. The students produced the letters that featured paragraphs, persuasive language, conclusions and excellent connectives. This sort of work that both classes produced is well above expectations for students in Year 3. My favourite excerpt was from Haruki who was writing his letter to try to persuade me to buy more Chromebooks, he wrote four paragraphs detailing why I should buy more Chromebooks and then wrote. 'Finally Mr Parkin, ICT Skills help us to become more independent in our learning. Independence is a good skill to have and an IBPYP attitude'. I couldn't agree more, Haruki. You and your peers in Year 3 are very persuasive. I will talk to Mrs. Cobbin about adding to our sets of Chromebooks.
New York Thank-you
Our Year 6 students returned from New York on Saturday. They have lots of good memories and they presented Mrs. Becci, Ms. Dunaway and Miss Larragy with some flowers to say thank you for organising the trip. We should also give a special mention to all of the host families on both sides of the Atlantic that helped to make this exchange trip so successful. You can see photos from their trip on our school Facebook page.
School Uniform
A few weeks ago we had a push on school uniform and we are pleased to see that families are ensuring that uniforms are being worn properly. Recently we have been asked about shorts, as the weather is getting so much warmer. We ask that students wear the blue cotton shorts available here.
EYFS
Our youngest students in the EYFS have been asking questions recently about water. I hear that they are using some of their findings about water in their upcoming assembly. This will be their very first assembly and it is scheduled for Wednesday, 21st June at 9.00am.
SING, SING, SING!
Come and join the fun at the Dwight Community Choir, the social singing event for parents & staff at Dwight Jubilee Hall.
Upcoming rehearsal dates: June 13th, 20th, 27th, always from 5 - 6.30pm at the Jubilee Campus, 6 Friern Barnet Lane, N11 3LX. Text or ring for details: 07941 078674
Arts Depot
We have started our rehearsals for the Arts depot Performance that takes place on Friday June 30th. Tickets are still available for the event that will feature all of the children from Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 as well as the students from the Upper School. It should be a great occasion and we hope to see you there.
Reminders
- Safety: It is particularly important to remind parents to be safe when dropping off their children in the morning. Please ensure that you park in a safe place and that you are aware of other drivers, neighbours, and pedestrians in the area.
- Holidays: If you are spending some time away from school with your child, you do need to ask permission, and can do so by emailing Mr Parkin.
- Late for school: If you arrive late at school, please take your child to the office to register, we will then ensure he/she gets to their class. You can also email the school at lsabsence@dwightlondon.org.
The Week Ahead
- We host the Year 6 Exhibition on Thursday, 15th June from 6.00-7.30pm
- Our rehearsals continue for the Arts Depot show. There are some great performances in progress and only a few tickets are still available for the show on Friday, 30th June .
Key dates for Term 3
- Year 6 IBPYP Exhibition is on the evening of Thursday, 15th June. 6pm - 7.30pm
- Our 3-way conferences are on Tuesday, 20th June. from 3pm - 6pm
- Our Summer Fair is scheduled for Saturday, 24th June from 11.00am-2.00pm
- Our Arts Depot Show is on Friday, 30th June from 7.00pm
- Our Lower School Sports Day is on Wednesday, 5th July from 9.00am - 2.30pm
- Our Prizegiving Day is on Monday July 10th at 9.00am
- Tuesday, 11th July is Development Tuesday and the last day of the academic year; school will close at 2.30pm on that day.
Super Question and Language of the Week
This week our Super Question was What world war event took place on June 6th? Ben in Year 5 informed us that it was D-day. He gets a Sparky for being Knowledgeable.
Next week we want to know : Who won the General Election?
Have a good weekend
Matt Parkin
Lower School Principal
Dwight Parent Association News and Events
Summer Fair
Our Summer Fair is approaching quickly. It takes place on the school sports field on Dale Green Road from 11.00am until 2.00pm on Saturday, 24th June. It is run by the school community and led by the DPA (Dwight Parents Association.)
On Friday. 23rd June we will holding a non-uniform day and we ask in return that students bring in unwanted books, DVDs, toys, games and good bric-a-brac.
It is a time when we come together as a school community. I hope you can keep Saturday free and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
June Out and About event – A re-scheduled tour of Chislehurst Caves in Kent (due to Storm Doris cancelling the last!)
Chislehurst Caves is a 35 km long series of intersecting tunnels used for chalk and flint mining from the 13–19th centuries.
http://www.chislehurst-caves.co.uk/index.html
Date: Thursday, 29th June
Meet: West Finchley tube station 9.00am – or Charing Cross rail station ticketing area at 9.45am – We will take the 10:06 Southeastern Train from Charing Cross to Chislehurst (30 min ride)
We will plan to take the 11.00am caves tour.
Cost: £6 to enter the caves and approx £12 for train ticket
Please let Michele – michele@seanoneill.com if you are interested in joining or for more information.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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