NEWS
From important school notices to special events, sporting achievements and brilliant work - we'll share it here. You can also download all current academic year issues of our regular school newsletter, the Hamlet Herald.
Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news of what we're up to.
Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news of what we're up to.
Archived Hamlet Heralds
What's been going on this month?
March 2020
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Dear Parents and Carers
Three Eastery Doodle Maths Messages: 1. Please note that there is a Spring Maths Challenge with a chance to win goodies. Details here https://www.doodlemaths.com/spring-challenge/ 2. Pupils will now find Easter accessories in My Pages and they can spend their hard earned DoodleStars buying Easter eggs and unlocking Easter bunnies. 3. Parents should note that Parent Dashboard features have been increased to allow you to support your child’s learning even more at home. This means that linked you can access parents.doodlemaths.com and monitor your child’s progress, recalibrate their accounts and add Extras. Doodle Maths are also running daily parent webinars guiding parents on how to use Doodle to support learning at home. Happy Doodling |
February 2020
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Year 6 have been busy in the kitchen making Mexican style burritos. They have learnt, amongst other things, about reducing liquid, slicing, mashing, presentation, food hygiene and why it's a bad idea to put too much chilli powder in your sauce.
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We were honoured to be selected to be the featured school for the Young Voices 25th Anniversary which is being celebrated next year. We have already signed ourselves up!
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In Science this month, Year 3 have been studying the different types of rocks and their characteristics. We also investigated what soil is made up of, finding organic matter, live plants and insects! We even found an Ash tree seed in its earliest stages of growth. This was fascinating to consider the changes this plant will undergo. Later on this month, we looked at fossils, and researched information about the famous palaeontologist, Mary Anning, who was not recognised for her work until after her death. We recreated the fossilisation process using clay to represent the ocean floor, shells to represent the organism that had died and plaster of paris to represent the hardened layers of sediment.
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During the past week, Year 4 have spent their Science lessons focusing on teeth. The children discussed the transition between milk teeth and adult teeth and enjoyed sharing details about losing their teeth and how many they currently had! Afterwards, they found out about the types of teeth that we have and what their role is. Finally, using modelling clay, the children carefully created models of their teeth with some more realistic than others!
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January 2020
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Year 6 travelled to the Old Kent Road Fire Station to complete the Southwark Junior Citizenship Scheme. Over the course of the afternoon, the children took part in a variety of activities aimed at boosting their confidence and keeping them safe as they become more independent Londoners. The interactive activities, including a very accurate simulation of a tube and bus stop, were a fun way of introducing and reinforcing important messages about fire safety, city wildlife, independent travel and being mindful of your surroundings - rather than just your mobile phone!
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The children of Year 5 have been truly reaching for the stars as part of their Earth in Space topic. They even boarded a mysterious UFO-style vessel which appeared overnight in Turney Hall. Needless to say they were relieved to discover it was in fact a mobile planetarium. Thanks to the Wonderdome, the children were given their very own solar system show, complete with commentary by an expert presenter.
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This month, Year 4 have been on a visit to Tate Britain for a very special occasion! In one of the galleries, there were some familiar faces in the artwork...ours! Last year, we took part in the Steve McQueen Year 3 project and we were so excited to see our pictures amongst thousands of others in the gallery. We made our presence felt in the gallery by shouting ‘WE ARE HERE’ and we completed some fun activities such as creating a slogan for Year 3 children everywhere. Later on, we went into some of the other galleries and drew our favourite painting.
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In January, Year 3 have begun to look at the different shades and textures you can create using different pencil types. We explored using a variety of ‘B’ type sketch pencils to play with patterns, and then considered which would most likely be present on marine life. In Art, we really enjoy using our sketchbooks are to collect and experiment with different techniques.
Paying attention to detail, we then studied Victorian sketches of fish, which were typically completed without colour and in pencil. Using these pictures, we created view finders to study only small sections of the fish, and then used newly learnt drawing techniques to recreate. The children had a good opportunity to draw from observation, practise detail and repeat patterns whilst working with a variety of scales. Our next step is to create water colour pieces, transferring our pattern techniques with pencil to paint. |
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Our Eco-Council's #Plasticfreeschool campaign was launched last term and is continuing to gather pace. We conducted a "Trashmob" to find out what kind of plastic was being dropped in our environment
Our Eco Councillors are now drafting letters to challenge our political leaders to sit up and take notice. We have also been invited to speak at a local event: SPEAK UP FOR THE CLIMATE by DaWNCC Dulwich & West Norwood Climate Coalition with Lambeth FoE on Saturday 8th February at 1pm. We would love to see some of you there to support our pupils! |
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December 2019
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This term, Year 4 put their MasterChef hats on and cooked some hearty Polar Explorer soup! We carefully followed the recipe, weighing out ingredients and making sure we were accurate. We also developed our knife skills and learnt about how to be safe in the kitchen, especially around hobs while we were adding to our stock! The resulting soups were delicious and the bowls were scraped clean!
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It has been a busy term in science for Year 3, as we have been studying animals, including humans, discovering how our diets, skeletons and muscular systems are different. We visited the Horniman Museum to make observations of different skeletons, sketch and find out new facts about the living things that exist in our world. Have a look below at some of our sketches we completed during our trip.
We were very lucky to do some dissecting this month! Recently, we found out that owls cannot digest the bones, despite their carnivorous diet. They regurgitate something called an owl pellet which includes the different bones of the animals they have consumed. We pulled these apart, studied the bones inside and categorised them according to their shapes and size. We were even able to identify which type of animal it is, either a rodent, mole or shrew. Have a look at what we found here, if you’re not too squeamish! |
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On Thursday 5th December a group of children were lucky enough to take part in filming the official World Book Day trailer, which will be used on the website, Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites. You'll be able to see the finished product from January 9th by logging onto the World Book day website.
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In Science, Year 6 have been very busy learning about electricity. Using their knowledge of the universal circuit symbols, the children designed their own circuits using wires, cells, bulbs and switches. In groups, they used these circuits to create fantastic, fully-functional lighthouses. To deepen their understanding, the children went on to investigate how increasing voltage in a circuit affects the brightness of a bulb. Using data loggers enabled our budding scientists to take accurate measurements and draw meaningful conclusions using scientific vocabulary.
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November 2019
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It’s been a busy few weeks for the children in Year 5!
They were warmly welcomed to the East Dulwich Gurdwara where they observed and learned about the celebrations marking the birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The special trip, organised by Arjun’s mother, involved visiting the prayer room and eating with members of our Sikh community. We are so grateful for the warm hospitality extended to us. They also visited the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, where they examined and evaluated artefacts about three prominent and important black Victorians – actor Ira Aldridge, composer Samuel Taylor-Coleridge and engineer and inventor Lewis Latimer. Did you know that, thanks to Lewis Latimer, Electric Avenue in Brixton was one of the first streets to be lit with electric lighting? |
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On the 12th and 14th of November, Y4 went to Dulwich College to learn more about Ernest Shackleton’s journey on the James Caird as part of our Polar Explorers topic. We were shown paintings of the boat on its journey through dangerous, icy waters and we even got the chance to hold a 150 year old balaclava that the crew used to keep warm! When we saw the James Caird, we were very surprised by its size and we didn’t think it would be very comfortable to travel in – you could only crouch and only got to stand up for 4 hours a day when you were navigating the ship!
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This November, Year 3 have been busy learning more about this fascinating city that we live in. We took a trip to Southbank and walked from Blackfriars Bridge all the way to the Golden Hinde, learning many interesting facts about famous landmarks along the way. As we walked, we noticed differences between old and new architecture and admired the views of St Paul’s from south side of Millenium Bridge. Outside of the Tate Modern, we created ‘messy maps’ to help us navigate along the river. We also had the opportunity to sketch the London skyline whilst sat on the north side of the river, using our careful observation skills and techniques learnt in our art lessons. Learning about our city will help us to design our own back at school, thinking carefully about the key role rivers play in our cities, as well as transport, architecture, tourism and more.
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We are delighted to see more children engaging with TTRS this week.
Next week is Maths Week 2019 so as part of our commitment to make maths exciting and high profile in our school, we are taking part in a competition next week called Rock Out 2019 and it’s all done online via play.ttrockstars.com For every correct answer to a multiplication or division question, your child will earn their class a point. The Times Tables Rock Stars platform will calculate the class average (the number of correct answers per pupil in the class who play during the competition hours). Winning classes in the school and in the country as a whole will be the ones with the highest average. All game modes (Gig, Garage, Studio, etc.) will count but only from games played between 7.30am and 7.30pm on Monday 11th, Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th, Thursday 14th, Friday 15th and Saturday 16th. The spirit of the competition is supposed to be fun so please encourage and support your child to the extent that it doesn’t cause high stress levels or impact on family plans. We suggest a limit of half an hour a day outside school hours – some will play more, some will play less. Happy Rocking. |
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October 2019
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On Monday 7th October, Year 4 visited the Horniman museum. This linked in with our science topic of living things and their habitats. Upon arrival, we sat in the gardens and sketched some of the habitats we could see for mini beasts. We chatted to the gardeners who were weeding and they showed us some of the mini beasts in the soil such as worms and snails. Afterwards, we visited the amazing aquarium to observe underwater creatures in their habitats and we considered how these compared to the habitats in the gardens. We were extremely excited to visit the ‘Brick Wonders’ exhibition and we made some amazing habitats out of Lego after viewing some incredible Lego sculptures of different habitats such as the jungle. Finally, we took part in a fact finding hunt in the galleries and learnt a lot about how animals adapt to their habitats over time. |
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34 Year 6 children performed Julius Caesar at school today, before their big night at Greenwich tomorrow. The rest of the school was a fantastic audience and the actors were magnificent. Watch this space for photos from the theatre! |
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In October, Year 3 were learning all about light in Science. We have identified natural light sources and artificial light sources, learnt about how shadows are formed and considered how reflection happens. Did you know that animals including glow worms and deep-sea anglerfish can produce their own light? Using our new knowledge, we conducted different experiments to find out what effects the size of a shadow and how to make light travel around the corner using mirrors. We have been focussing on how to conduct our investigations to make sure our tests are fair and that we are measuring our results accurately. We are definitely a bunch of budding scientists in Year 3!
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September 2019
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Year 3 visited the River Darent in Horton Kirby in September to learn more about rivers and where they come from. The children had the opportunity to get into the river to test the speed of the water along a meander, using Pinky the duck to help us with our measurements! We also measured the depth of the water at different points along the meander and noticed differences on the inside and outside of the bends. Back at the centre, we built our own rivers using trays and soil, and tested their strength by adding in lego bricks to act as buildings. To end our trip, we studied the changes along the River Darent over time and compared it to the Thames and discussed the impact that plastic pollution is having on the wildlife in our rivers and oceans.
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July 2019
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Thanks to everyone who came to our art exhibition this year, what creative and talented students we have! |
June 2019
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It came down to penalties. Amazing goalkeeping meant that the first few penalties were saved. Then Year 6 got one past the goalie! And that was it. A harsh result for Year 5 but well done to Year 6. Amazing support from the fans. Amazing teamwork. #WomensWorldCup #Lionesses
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May 2019
21st May 2019
Y6 spent three nights camping on their Woodland Adventure trip, having lunch by the fire, zipping through trees, sing-songs and bedtime stories and lots more fun! |
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April 2019
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Y5 spent a week in Dorset and had an incredible time! |
March 2019
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In Year 6, we have been reading Munoz Ryan’s ‘The Dreamer’. It’s magical realist retelling of Pablo Neruda’s childhood has been encouraging all of us to dream big dreams.
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February 2019
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28th February Year 6 have been looking at the abstracted sculpture of Henry Moore and responding with their own interpretations of the artist's work inspired by their Humanities topic of Refugees and Immigration. |
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January 2019
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Y4 Retelling the story of Beowulf, which includes a few unfriendly faces!
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November 2018
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The staff and children have generated a short list through a series of in-class debates. We want YOU (Parents & Carers) to help us select the core values that make a Hamleteer. Please fill in a voting slip with your top 3 values from the shortlist, fold it once and either pop it in our ballot box under the shelter outside the office or ask your child to do so for you. Voting Starts Monday 3rd December & closes Wednesday 5th December. |
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7th November Year 4 had a great time on their trip to Horniman Museum, finding out about how animals are classified in the Natural History exhibit |
October 201817th October
Y6 working hard constructing Anderson Shelters |
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September 2018
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28th September Such an incredible opportunity our talented students experienced on Friday, performing on behalf of Young Voices for BBC Music Day on top of the O2! |
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5th September 2018
BREAKING NEWS: Earthquake in Year 4! Will there be any aftershocks? Be prepared... |
July 20189th July 2018
Years 3&4 enjoying the athletics competition at Dulwich College |
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18th July 2018 It was lovely to see so many of you being expertly guided around our Art Exhibition this week. If anyone is unsure as to what the ‘glittering curriculum’ bit of our school vision is all about, then the Art Exhibition is one of the best examples! It was a pleasure to see what the children are working on throughout the course of the year, amazing work from all! |
June 2018
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18 June 2018
In Year 4 we have been trying to solve the following question: On a digital clock showing 24 hour time, over a whole day, how many times does a 5 appear? Is it the same number for a 12 hour clock over a whole day? |
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8th June 2018
Year 6 visited the Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Bermondsey this week to learn about Buddhism |
May 2018
8th May 2018
As a part of our learning next term on plants in Science and our study of Marianne North in Art, Year 5 visited Kew Gardens on Tuesday 8th May 2018. We have studied the different plants, taking photographs and visited the exhibition of Marianne North’s botanical paintings. |
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