Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School

Headteacher Blog Archive Autumn 1 2024

11 September 2024

We began the week by coming together as a school and spending time together as a community looking forwards to a brighter future and praying for Peace. We began with Havdallah to mark the end of the week and the end of a year which we hope never to be repeated. We then focussed on looking forwards positively and praying for the situation in Israel to end.

On Monday the children in Reception to Year 3 were visited by Mrs Mason, the author of the book JoJo's Jump. JoJo is a young pony who is growing up quickly in the sunny countryside. The time has now come for her to put her best hoof forward and try her first jump. With the support of her friends, she is reminded to believe in herself. Mrs Mason shared the story with the children and spent time discussing the importance of perseverance and resilience in order to achieve new things.

On Wednesday we welcomed a large group of parents to our first Prospective Parents tour. We spoke to the parents about our school and all that we have to offer and showed them around the school in order for them to see the school in action. It was wonderful to hear from our visitors how calm each class felt and how happy all our children are. We have three more Prospective parent event coming up between now and December, please share this information with anyone you know who is looking for a Reception place for September 2025.

Yesterday was World Mental Health Day, the theme of which this year was Workplace Mental Health. Despite this not being relevant to our children we made sure the children all took time to pause, to breathe, to ground themselves and just take a moment out from their busy school day to stop.

Congratulations to the following children for showing Educational Excellence in class this week and for being invited to my tea party:

Daniel F, Mimi R, Mia C, Lulu B, Roco B, Tamar R-D, Orli T.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a Shabbat Shalom and well over the fast.

Mrs Martin

27 September 2024

At the start of the week, the school felt strangely quiet without the usual lively presence of Year 6, who were away on their residential. The class had a fantastic time working together on different activities and challenges and have definitely come back as a stronger 'team'. A big thank you to Mrs. Cohen, Miss Zairi, and Miss Roberts for helping the children have a few days away that they will never forget.

As always, there has been a lot going on in school this week. As I walk around, the sound of a shofar blast, or two, is never far away. We are starting to get excited for Rosh Hashana next week and the beginning of a busy Tishrei. We are also looking forward to having Rabbi Schochet join us on Tuesday morning to help us prepare for the upcoming Chaggim.

This week in assembly, Miss Genn announced the new library monitors for this term. It was wonderful to see how many children were eager to take on the role, which emphasizes the value not only the staff but also the children place on reading.

Thursday morning began in an unusual way, with a drone visiting the school! All the children from Year 1 to 6 went outside to see the photographic drone in action and help create a fantastic image of our school community. We look forward to sharing the final video with you soon. A special thank you to Mr. Alexander for coming in to shoot the footage.

Thank you to everyone who supported our Macmillan coffee morning today. It was wonderful to contribute to such a worthwhile charity and have the opportunity to start the school day chatting with our lovely parents. We managed to raise around £100, which I'm sure the Macmillan team will put to good use.

Congratulations to the following children for demonstrating Educational Excellence this week and joining me at my tea party: Ace R, Grayson G, Lyla V, Poppy-Rae S, Tammy C, Gideon K, and Sonny C.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs Martin

20 September 2024

This week has been another fantastic one, with a real buzz of activity throughout the school! It was wonderful to see so many of you at our final three Meet the Teacher sessions. We hope you found them informative and enjoyed meeting your child's new teacher(s).

Reception has settled into school so quickly that it feels like they’ve always been here. Year 1 spent time thinking about where they live and were surprised to discover that so many of them live in Mill Hill. Year 2 continued their Science learning about plants, focusing on the life cycle of a seed. Why not ask them if they remember the two jobs of a plant’s roots?

Year 3 explored electrical circuits and now understand why a break in the circuit stops the bulb from working. Year 4 have been practicing partitioning four-digit numbers, with some children even managing to partition their numbers in less obvious ways.

In Year 5, the children wrote diary entries as characters from their class text, with many accepting the challenge of including a simile in their writing. Year 6 continued their studies of The Americas, learning about its location and how the different countries vary.

We were fortunate to welcome Rabbi Zeidman to our Kabbalat Shabbat and Oneg services today. He introduced the children to a fantastic Ellul/Tishrei challenge, which we hope they have come home excited to share with you.

Congratulations to the following children for demonstrating Educational Excellence in school this week and for being invited to my tea party: Coby V, Willow N, Caio F, Bella E, Maya M, Oliver O and Lior D.

Finally, I want to wish our Year 6 students a fantastic residential trip, filled with opportunities to challenge and surprise themselves, as well as time to bond with their classmates.

Shabbat shalom,

Mrs Martin

13 September 2024

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new families joining us in Reception and throughout the school at Etz Chaim. I also want to warmly welcome back those returning for another exciting school year.

We’ve had a wonderful start to the term, with the children settling in beautifully and quickly getting to know their new teachers and staff. It has been a delight to see them return with such positive attitudes, eager to show their new teachers how special and amazing they are. Educational Excellence is one of our core values, and I have already been incredibly impressed by the children’s work across the school, as well as their admirable 'have a go' attitude.

So far, we’ve held four of our “Meet the Teacher” sessions this week, and we look forward to the final three next week. During these sessions, you will have the chance to meet your child’s new teacher(s) and hear more about what they’ll be doing throughout the year. The PowerPoint presentations used during the meetings will be sent to all parents by the end of next week.

I’d also like to remind you that the Yearly Overview for each class is available on our website, and the Half Termly Curriculum Overviews will be uploaded to SeeSaw each half term. Please refer to these resources throughout the year to stay informed about what your child is learning in school. If you have any further questions, please feel free to message your child’s class teacher via SeeSaw or email.

Lastly, I was thrilled to host my first Headteacher’s Tea Party today, where I celebrated the Educational Excellence of specific children and heard about some of the wonderful things they’ve been doing both in and out of school over the summer and since the new term began. Congratulations to the following children, who were selected by their teachers to join me for tea today: Summer R, Rafi M, Nili W, Uri L, Dylan M, Ezra K, and Katie A.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs Martin

Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School

Headteacher Blog Archive Autumn 1 2024

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Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School

Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School

Headteacher Blog Archive Autumn 1 2024

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