Newsletters Click on the link below to download the pdf newsletter. •July 2009 •October 2009 •December 2009 •February 2010

Timing of the School Day, Interventions, Wake & Shake & Early Work
During the Spring term, we have been trialling a change to the timings of our school day. Our break and lunch times are now fifteen minutes later than they were previously, starting at 10.30am and 12.15pm respectively. So far, we have found that it is having a very positive impact on learning.

In key stage 1 and 2 we now have half an hour in the morning where children do ‘early work’. This involves a range of activities including ‘Wake & Shake’. This is a twenty minute fitness session which increases children’s fitness and concentration (quite useful for the teachers to!). This additional block of time also allows more interventions to be taught which is of great benefit to many of the children in our school.

Deptford Headteacher chosen for key school support role
Mark Elms and the staff at Tidemill have been chosen for a top role supporting schools in challenging circumstances.

Mr Elms has become one of only 75 headteachers across the country to be appointed in the latest recruitment round by the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services to the prestigious role of National Leader of Education (NLE). It also means the school is now designated a National Support School (NSS).

To mark the occasion, Mr Elms has been invited to an event at the National College’s Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham later this month for a formal induction and training.

NLEs use their success as school leaders, along with the staff in their school – designated a National Support School – to provide additional leadership capacity in struggling schools. The deployment is tailor made to suit the needs of each school in challenging circumstances. The type of support provided is flexible and can involve NLEs becoming acting executive headteacher of the client school or schools. They also have responsibility for helping to grow the next generation of NLEs and National Support Schools.

Tony Salt, Deputy Chief Executive of the National College, said “I am so proud that outstanding school leaders are being honoured in this way. This scheme is about great headteachers and their teams helping others and making a big difference. Many of the schools in the scheme see improvements in exam results at both the support school and client schools with progress achieved in excess of these improvements nationally. This is thanks to the hard work and dedication of all those involved”.

Well done Mr Elms and well done Tidemill!

World Book Day – 4th March
Every year, Tidemill pupils dress up as their favourite book characters on World Book Day. This year was probably the best year ever, almost everyone dressed up; even the teachers!

We had Snow Queens, Evil Witches, Oliver Twists, Princesses, Harry Potters, Where’s Wallys? and much more!

Of course, we don’t just dress up all day; we do some great activities such as freeze frames and storyboards around our class book. We have loads of fun and finally at lunchtime, we all gather in the top hall and find out who won in their class. The winner even got a lovely book!

At the end of the day, the teachers handed out a £1 book token to exchange for a new book. We collected money to go towards buying books for children and adults less fortunate than us.

We all love World Book Day and can’t wait for the next one!

By Eve Walker

Science Week – 8th to 12th February
The theme for Science Week this year was “Healthy Living”. During the week the whole school completed a science investigation on teeth. Years 1, 2, 5 and 6 looked into what drinks are the best for our teeth and Years 3 and 4 investigated whether fluoride and toothpaste actually protect our teeth from decay. Some pupils were invited to attend a science session at Sydenham School where they were taught by year 7 pupils. The pupils really enjoyed making toothpaste and one of the other highlights was wearing the lab goggles!

In Science week year 3 and 4 have been learning about healthy living. On Monday we learnt how to keep teeth clean and healthy. We did an investigation to find out how acid affects the teeth. On Tuesday, visitors from the Quantum Theatre company performed a play to show us how to keep fit and healthy. For the rest of the week we made energy bars to keep gladiators strong and healthy. The 4 activities were: designing a logo; filming an advert; making the packaging and making the bars. Science week has been great fun!!!

Speed Stacking Competition, 11th February
On Thursday 11th February Miss Carly and Miss Hughes took fourteen children to the Knights Academy for a Speed Stacking Competition. All fourteen children practised extremely hard with very little notice and Tidemill were the year group winner for Year 1, 4 & 5 in the 333 stacks and the 363 stacks. Daniel from Year 4 was the 333 stack competition winner!

The most important part of the day was how much fun everyone had. Well done to Tidemill’s Speed Stacking Team!

Haiti Appeal – February 2010
Thank you to everyone who supported our Haiti Emergency Fund appeal. Some of the children brought in their pocket money rather than just contributing £1 to wear their own clothes – in fact the office team shed a tear when Zaki (Reception class) brought in all the money from his piggy bank to put in the appeal! We have sent off a cheque for £641.18 to Unicef.

London School of Economics Visit – 3rd February 2010
On February 3rd, some Tidemill pupils went to the London School of Economics. We talked about moving to secondary school and university and how it would affect our lives. Student Ambassadors showed us around their campus as we filled out work sheets. We saw some amazing sights of what the University has to offer. It made me think about what I will be when I am older.

Later on, we visited one of the lecture theatres and experienced what it would feel like there. The last thing we did was graduate (just for fun) and we threw our motar-boards in the air and caught them. Then, after a long day, it was home time so we packed up and went back to school.

Memunatu Conteh, Mimosa class

Inspire Workshops – January 2010
This term’s Inspire Workshops have been a huge success with lots of positive feedback from all parents and carers who have attended. Attendance this term was very good at 91%. We would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents who made the time to attend.

The Inspire workshops are an extremely important meeting for parents and carers for various reasons. It is an invaluable opportunity for you to see how and what your children are learning so that you can support them at home. We also discuss the term’s topic and work programme. We are able to give you information on your child’s timetable, future visits we are planning and important details on any work requiring completion at home.

We look forward to seeing you at the next Inspire Workshop in the summer term!

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Nativity Play – 10th December 2009
On Thursday 10th December Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 performed our annual nativity play this year titled ‘Shine Star Shine’. All teaching staff were proud of the children as they had very little time to practise during their busy Christmas schedule. Thank you to all parents, carers and relatives who came to see the production. I think you’ll agree we have West End stars in the making! A special mention to Laurelle in Magnolia class who was our lead in the play and did an absolutely fantastic job. Well done Laurelle. Well done also to the narrators who learnt all their lines and spoke with such confidence. Thank you to the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 staff for all their hard work with costumes, supporting the singing and decorating the stage.

Michelle Dawe

Everybody Writes Day – October 2009
Over the past few years, the children have heard about the new Tidemill school building and even worked with the architects to come up with designs for the playground but, with building works finally started on the site, staff were keen to further develop their engagement with the project and start preparing them for the move by using this as the theme for the Everybody Writes Day.

Children: In the week leading up to Everybody Writes Day, every child in the school was given a piece of coloured card cut out into the shape of a footprint. In class time teachers asked the children to write their thoughts about what they would like to take to the new school building onto the pieces of card. Older children were prompted by spaces for things they could see, hear, smell and feel, while younger children had space to draw and write.

Footprint by Solaimen: “I will take the sight of my lovely teachers smiling. I will take the sound of my friend’s laughter in the playground. I will take the smell of freshly sharpened pencils ready for work. I will take the feeling of success,”

Footprint by Sapphire: “I will take my packed lunch, friends and a football,” all children had written about something they would like to take to the new school (an object, a feeling, a memory, an attitude) on a footprint-shaped piece of card.

Parents: As parents dropped their children off at school, they were invited to write their hopes and aspirations for the new school building (or a memory of their own school days) onto luggage labels on a writing table in the playground.

The children’s footprints were stuck with blu-tack onto the pavement and road in a long snaking line leading from the current school building to the new school building in the next street. Children’s drawings and other written work were then displayed, along with the parents’ luggage labels, on the fences of the new school site, for children, parents, staff and members of the public to enjoy at the end of the school day.

Nursery/Reception: Children took part in activities linked to their ‘Houses’ topic, including builder role play with sand and building blocks, free writing with chalk on the playground tarmac, drawing designs for their new classrooms, and writing with coloured pens and paint on large pieces of paper attached to playground walls.

Years 1 & 2: Poet Rosemary Harris gave a 40 minute interactive poetry performance to children at the beginning of the day. She then ran poetry writing workshops with each class, lasting approximately an hour each. Each class came up with a group poem about the objects, ideas and memories children wanted to take to the new school building, and practised performing their poems.

Years 3 & 4: A group of children were taken to the new site where they met the site manager and asked him questions. They wrote down his answers and their observations about the site on clipboards to report back to their classmates. Pre-arranged with Rachel, the site manager handed over an old tin he had ‘found’ on the site. Children opened the tin and discovered a Second World War gas mask wrapped up inside it, which linked in with their Second World War topic. Children took the gas mask back to school and showed it to each class. They spent the afternoon writing gas mask use instructions or postcards home and acrostic poems on the theme of the Blitz.

Years 5 & 6: In the morning children gathered in the hall to meet and interview Philippa Lau-Brown, Project Manager for the Deptford Regeneration project. Children asked pre-prepared questions about the new school building and its progress and made notes on clipboards. They went back to their classrooms to watch examples of TV news reports and write their own news reports about the new school in small groups. They practised and rehearsed their news reports.

Years 1-6: At the end of the day a celebration assembly was held and children shared their work. Year 1 & 2 classes performed their group poems led by Rosemary Harris. Year 3 & 4 children read out their gas mask poems and talked to the rest of the school about their ‘find’ on the site. Years 5 & 6 children performed their TV news reports.