Headteacher Blog Archive Autumn 2 2024
20 December 2024
As we come to the end of another busy term, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the staff for their hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to our children. Their passion for teaching and supporting the growth and well-being of our children shines through in everything they do. From the engaging lessons to the care and encouragement they provide, they continue to create a positive and nurturing environment for our learners to thrive. This term has been filled with challenges and triumphs, and through it all, their teamwork and professionalism have been truly inspiring. Thank you for going above and beyond to make a difference every day.
I would like to wish all our children, families, and staff a wonderful and restful winter break. This season is a time to reflect, recharge, and enjoy quality moments with loved ones. We are so proud of all the hard work and achievements this term and look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year, ready for more learning, growth, and shared successes. Stay safe, stay warm, and see you in January!
Congratulations to the following children for showing Educational Excellence in class this week and joining me at my tea party today:
Teddy K, Shelby K, Shoshannah W, Mila O, Casey K and Samson L.
Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach,
Mrs Martin
13 December 2024
On Tuesday we welcomed visitors from Israel for the Maccabi Chanukah Torch Relay. They entertained our children in assembly and told them a little about the Maccabi scout movement in Israel. They then spent time with each class beginning to get us all excited and looking forward to Chanukah. We were also fortunate to welcome Tribe in to Year 4 and 5 on the same day to help the children learn more about Shabbat.
On Thursday we held our final prospective parents tour of our school. I always enjoy showing visitors around our school so that they get to see what a special place it truly is. Once again our visitors remarked on how happy and focussed the children were and how much they seemed to enjoy coming to Etz Chaim. If you know any families looking for a place for their Reception child for September please remind them how fabulous we are!
This afternoon Year 5 begin their Shabbaton. This event provides the children with the experience of stopping their normal routines and truly taking time out together as a class to celebrate Shabbat. The staff team have worked hard to prepare for them a fantastic schedule of activities in order to fully escape from the rest of the week and enjoy Shabbat as a community. Thank you in advance to Ms Rose, Miss Weiner, Miss Zairi and Miss Roberts for helping the children to have a memorable time.
Finally, congratulations to the following children for showing academic excellence in class this week:
Bobby B, Mila H, Rafi L, Myla R, Sasha V, Eva B and Taylor G.
Shabbat shalom,
Mrs Martin
6 December 2024
On Tuesday, our Year 6 Tzedakah Tzevet visited the Food Bank Aid hub at Finchley Lido to deliver the generous food donations collected during Mitzvah Day. The children learned about the vital work of the food bank, which provides essential support to families and individuals in need. After the informative tour, the Tzevet worked alongside the volunteers, helping to sort and put away the food items they had brought. It was a rewarding experience, as the children saw firsthand how their contributions would make a difference in the lives of others. This mitzvah, act of kindness, reinforced the importance of giving back to the community and helping those who are less fortunate.
This week, we had a fantastic staff relaxation session after school, led by Mrs Lazarus. She guided us through a series of techniques designed to help us relax and de-stress. These techniques can be used not only for our own well-being but also to support and guide the children. It was a wonderful opportunity for the staff to unwind, learn new tools for self-care, and explore ways to incorporate relaxation into our work with the children. I would like to say a big thank you to Mrs Lazarus for giving up her time to come in and share her expertise with us.
This week, we held our first round of parent-teacher consultations, providing parents with valuable insights into their child's progress and current learning journey. It was a great opportunity for parents to better understand where their child is in their academic development and discuss any questions they may have had. We are looking forward to the next round of consultations next week, continuing the important partnership between home and school.
As always, there has been a lot of great learning taking place throughout the school. The children have been engaged in exciting lessons, developing new skills, and making wonderful progress in their studies. It’s fantastic to see the enthusiasm and hard work from both students and teachers alike.
Reception have been continuing with their theme of light by focussing on the book How to Catch A Star. They have been talking about stars and even had a discussion about where stars go during the day.
Year 1 have researched information about bats in order to produce information leaflets about them. They were focussing on writing sentences using the correct letter formation, full stops and capital letters.
Year 2 have now finished Bog Baby and have begun to write their own story inspired by the text. They have also been practising finding 10 more and 10 less than a given number and have had a lot of fun playing games with this.
Year 3 are focussing on Autumn Art this half term. They have been making autumnal pictures using nature materials rather than traditional art materials such as pencils or paint.
Year 4 have continued their topic 'All Around The World' by looking at the North and South Poles and comparing them to the UK.
Year 5 have linked their History and Art learning together to begin drawing their own Greek Vases using oil pastels. They have researched images on Ancient Greek pots before creating their own.
Year 6 have been learning about reflective lines in Science. They put this information to the test by attempting to make periscopes, there were interesting discussion about angles and reflections that took place whilst making the periscopes.
I had another wonderful tea party today with children who had shown Educational Excellence in class this week. Congratulations to:
Amelia W, Omer L, Nili W, Isaac O, Robi N, Tali B and Eden S.
Shabbat shalom,
Mrs Martin
29 November 2024
This week Year 3 had their Chagigat HaChumash. They started by showing their performance to the whole school in assembly on Tuesday and were then lucky enough to share the same presentation to their parents and other family members in Mill Hill shul on Thursday. The children explained the significance o a Chumash and how they will use it to help guide them in life. We were lucky to have Rabbi Rose with us to help parents present this special text to the children. A huge well done to all the children as well as to Ms Rose for helping them prepare for the occasions and explain to the children the significance of this momentous event.
On Wednesday we took two teams of boys in Year 5 and 6 to the Maccabi football tournament. The boys have been training hard each week over the last few weeks to develop as a team and this really showed at the tournament. Both teams were placed in tricky groups and were up against some other strong teams. Each of our teams played extremely well and won a number of matches. Congratulations to all the boys who took part as well as to all the parents that stood on the freezing cold side-lines supporting on the teams. Finally, a massive thank you to the team coach and manager Mr King as well as to Mr Krell for helping to manage on the day.
Over the last two weeks we have had a wonderful amount of donations from our families for our two Mitzvah Day collections. We collected items for Camp Simcha toy drive as well as Food Bank Aid. The toys collected during the Camp Simcha toy drive will be delivered to children in hospital over the festive season to help cheer them up during their stay. Food Bank Aid distribute food, toiletries and household goods to 32 food banks across north London and Herts. They support food banks in Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Herts and Islington which, in turn, help approximately 20,000 people including 5000 children every week. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated items to these important causes.
On Thursday Year 6 spent time with young adults supported by the charity Kisharon Langdon to sort the food items donated to Food Bank Aid. They worked together to sort items in to different types so that when our Tzedakah Tzevet deliver the donated items next week they will be easier to sort and reshelved in the warehouse. It was wonderful to see our children working with other people to support such a fantastic charity.
Today as a school we took part in Chai Mad Hair Day to raise awareness of this fantastic charity. Chai Cancer Care provides expert support services to any member of the Jewish community affected by cancer, including patients, their families and friends.
Congratulations to the following children for stretching themselves, pleasing their teachers and showing educational Excellence in class this week:
Nate S, Toby G, Kai L, Itay D, Kamran G, Joshua M and Libbi b.
We are really looking forward to welcoming our Reception and Key Stage 1 families to our SEED Havdalah event motzai Shabbat. Please find further information for these classes on SeeSaw.
Shabbat shalom,
Mrs Martin
22 November 2024
On Tuesday evening we welcomed a group of prospective parents to come in and see our wonderful school. We spoke to them about Etz Chaim and our special qualities and showed them around the school. They were all blown away by the size of our classrooms as well as the facilities within the school grounds. A number also thanked us for our warm and welcoming tour. If you know anyone looking for a Reception place for September 2025 please let them know that we have one more tour of the school in December and they should contact the school office if they would like to book on the tour.
On Wednesday a team of girls from Year 5 and 6 represented our school at a Maccabi football tournament. The team worked extremely well together and had clearly benefitted form attending Mr King's weekly training sessions as they were able to win one of their matches and draw another. Congratulations to all the girls that took part and a massive thank you to Mr King and Mrs Gavriliuc for managing the team.
As part of Parliament Week, Lord Levy came in to school on Thursday to talk to Year 3 to 6 about the House of Lords and The House of Commons. He talked to the children about his role in the House as well as the priority he personally put on raising understanding of Judaism withing the two Houses. We had an interesting discussion about key environmental matters including waste created by factories and electric cars. He also talked about the hope for tolerance and understanding in the world and an end to hatred.
Today we have taken part in Be Bright Be Seen Day, reminding children the importance of being visible on these dark winter nights. We have also spent time across the week talking to all the children about road safety and how to cross the road. The children were even fortunate enough to work with younger or older classes to cross the road outside school using the zebra crossing safely and correctly.
Congratulations to the following children for showing Educational Excellence in school this week and for coming to my tea party. A the tea party we talked about all the learning that has taken place across the week as well as what I should buy my dad for his birthday!
Daisy D, Lana M, Cecily V, Zac B, Jordan H, Ido C and Ava G.
Hope you all keep warm and dry this weekend.
Shabbat shalom,
Mrs Martin
15 November 2024
On Monday at 11am children from Years 1 to 6 ended their morning break in time to take part in the two-minute silence for Remembrance Day. Then, in assembly on Tuesday, Mrs Osborne talked to the children about Armistice Day and the meaning behind it. During the week all classes have learnt about the meaning behind Remembrance Poppies and considered what could make someone a hero.
Also on Tuesday we took part in Odd Socks Day as part of the work taking place this week during Anti Bullynig Week. We discussed with the children how special it is that everyone is different and how this should be celebrated. We discussed how the day should be seen as an opportunity for people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique!
On Wednesday afternoon a group of out Year 5 and 6 boys footballers took part in three friendly seven a side matches against Goodwyns. The boys all worked extremely well as a team, despite so many of them needing their shoe laces retied, and finished the matches 6-0, 3-1 and 1-1, two wins and a draw was a great result. Congratulations to all the boys who took part and a massive thank you to Mr King for managing the team during the afternoon.
As part of Anti Bullying week it's a good time to focus on the importance of mental health and wellbeing for us and our children. We have partnered with a mum at the school, Karen Lazarus, who is a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist and Hypno4Children practitioner working with children from age 5 through to adulthood. Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy uses relaxation and simple suggestion to help change the way people think and behave. In the past Karen has worked with both adults and children to help them with managing fears and phobias, grief, habit reversal, hypnobirthing , anxiety and relaxation. Please get in touch with her at karen@therapy24.co.uk if you would like any more information. For all sessions that are booked with reference to Etz Chaim, Karen will kindly be donating 10% back to the school PTA.
On Thursday the new traversing equipment was unveiled in the playground. The children were all so excited to get on to the equipment and discover the best ways to travel and move across the frames. Thank you to all those who helped with the fundraising for this and donated to our Just Giving campaign, the smiles on the children's faces has been a joy to see, in one Year 4 child's words "It is the best thing ever!"
Congratulations to the following children for coming to my tea party today for showing educational excellence in class this week:
Ido M, Teddy K, Sam T, Max K, Noa S, Tommy G and Oli S.
Shabbat shalom,
Mrs Martin