If you get a chance try and visit the Year 6 Blog as they spend a wet week at Buckden.
Despite the 'fresh' weather they are having a great time.
https://brodetskyy62015.wordpress.com/author/karengill2013/
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Armistice Day2015 as it was marked on the campus.
Today we were able to fully mark Armistice Day with all the pupils, students, Governors and staff on site (with some parents thrown in for good measure).
The British Legion also supported us this year bringing a self evident additional reality to the event.
The response from all our pupils to Armistice Day was amazing. I was really please see all our pupils wearing their poppies with a real sense of pride and importance.
As I walked through the playground at lunchtime the Brodetsky KS1 pupils were all trying to show me their poppies. One pupil showed me the poppy his mother had knitted for him. The time taken to make that poppy was significantly longer than the two minutes we gave today. This in itself was a true act of remembrance.
In the morning every pupil (both from LJFS and BJPS) took part in an assembly themed around Armistice Day and how it would be marked today.
At 10.50am am all the Brodetsky pupils in Cub, Brownie and Beaver uniforms joined all the LJFS sudents, representatives from the BJPS School Council, Cllr Dan Cohen, Rabbi Kleiman and Raina and the Zone team as we gathered beneath the Union Flag.
Mrs Bhogal, dressed in a sari as she marked Diwali, wore a poppy on her shoulder.
I had the privilege of joining representatives of the British Legion as they marched their standards into our memorial area.
At 11am the standards were dipped and everyone on the campus joined together for two minutes of silence and reflection.
Every parent can be proud with how their child conducted themselves, as am I. When you come to school next I hope you may take the time to pause by our wreaths.
Photographs From Today (Courtesy of John Fisher)
The British Legion also supported us this year bringing a self evident additional reality to the event.
The response from all our pupils to Armistice Day was amazing. I was really please see all our pupils wearing their poppies with a real sense of pride and importance.
As I walked through the playground at lunchtime the Brodetsky KS1 pupils were all trying to show me their poppies. One pupil showed me the poppy his mother had knitted for him. The time taken to make that poppy was significantly longer than the two minutes we gave today. This in itself was a true act of remembrance.
In the morning every pupil (both from LJFS and BJPS) took part in an assembly themed around Armistice Day and how it would be marked today.
At 10.50am am all the Brodetsky pupils in Cub, Brownie and Beaver uniforms joined all the LJFS sudents, representatives from the BJPS School Council, Cllr Dan Cohen, Rabbi Kleiman and Raina and the Zone team as we gathered beneath the Union Flag.
Mrs Bhogal, dressed in a sari as she marked Diwali, wore a poppy on her shoulder.
I had the privilege of joining representatives of the British Legion as they marched their standards into our memorial area.
At 11am the standards were dipped and everyone on the campus joined together for two minutes of silence and reflection.
Every parent can be proud with how their child conducted themselves, as am I. When you come to school next I hope you may take the time to pause by our wreaths.
Photographs From Today (Courtesy of John Fisher)
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Remember, Remember The Fifth of November
The Finale
We had a fantastic Firework display again on Thursday 5th. This was a campus fundraising effort and all the partners played a role in ensuring it was a success.
Simon Barnett coordinated the display itself and again supported the cost of the fireworks. The display would not be possible without his support. He was backed up by Bryan Gothelf and Darren Taylor who helped set up the display and light the fireworks. The setting up takes several hours to complete. There is an additional donor who has supported some of the costs. I will add their name once I can confirm they are happy with this.
Raina and her Zone team opened their doors and provided amazing hospitality for the hundreds of people who attended. This takes days of preparation and hours of non-stop service and cleaning at the end. The hotdogs, baked potatoes, soup and cakes were amazing and well appreciated and is a key part of ensuring the event is a success.
The Schools Campus Administrative Team, led by Denise Robinson, with Nigel Barton (Site Manager) ensured that tickets and parking where organised and that logistical support, where needed, was given to all involved. They were also supported by Maccabi who provided stewards to help manage access to the site and parking. Bryan Gothelf played a second role coordinating the Maccabi volunteer gathering.
The Brodetsky Link volunteers staffed the ticket sales on the gates, ran a raffle, sold glow sticks and painted faces. They also designed the tickets and the fliers. As always their quiet work behind the scenes gives the special child focus to every event.
The Scouts Guides, Brownies, Cubs and Beavers organised the bonfire and the 'Make a Guy Stall'. All the 'guys' were added to the fire. We of course meant no offence to Roman Catholic guests. Guy Fawkes ended up on the fire because of an act of treason and not directly because of his faith.
And finally the LJFS Students and Staff (Including those from the Rodillian Academy) held a non-uniform day. They all paid to come to school dressed as 'Guys' and fireworks.
The Campus Administrative Team will collate the income and we will announce the final total as soon as it is known.
I would like to thank everyone who helped organise this event and those who supported it. It continues to be an amazing reflection of our community and the campus as one of its core hubs.
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Remembrance
We are moving into two weeks of remembrance. One is a time for fun and festivities and the other a time for thought and reflection.
On Thursday we will celebrate Guy Fawkes night. This will be a little harder this year with the fields dug up and very muddy. However we are still going ahead and we hope you will join us again.
As we all enjoy the fireworks and fun it is worth spending some time considering the history behind the event. It harks back to a time of religious intolerance, persecution and the resulting threat to our democracy. The threat grew from the persecution, an injustice, but became a threat that undermined the very nature of this country. The Mother of Parliaments, no matter what its flaws are, is looked at around the world as a model to be emulated.
If we look at events in the Middle East with Israel still standing alone as the only true democracy in its area, ISL enforcing religious intolerance and military threat, instability in Syria, Iraq and Egypt it is clear that there is still a lot to be learned from our own history. It is clear the need for the freedom and democracy is still a distant dream for some people.
This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday. We will mark Remembrance day on the 11th at school. This history is closer than Guy Fawkes night and therefore more poignant. One hundred years ago this country and all of Europe was being ripped asunder by war. The scars this war left paved the way for the atrocities of the second world war.
As we stop and reflect, whilst remembering our own troops past and present, please also give some thought to those now caught in amongst the fighting in their home countries, looking to strong democracies like ours to give them some hope.
Finally, to show the modern face of the Poppy Appeal, I was able to see part of the launch of this year's appeal inside Kings Cross station. Surrounded by groups of uniformed servicemen and service women collecting for the appeal was this band from the Army Air Service. Reminiscent of the first appeal for servicemen (survivors from the Crimean War) at the start of the 20th century, through a dinner.
GIVE GENEROUSLY
On Thursday we will celebrate Guy Fawkes night. This will be a little harder this year with the fields dug up and very muddy. However we are still going ahead and we hope you will join us again.
As we all enjoy the fireworks and fun it is worth spending some time considering the history behind the event. It harks back to a time of religious intolerance, persecution and the resulting threat to our democracy. The threat grew from the persecution, an injustice, but became a threat that undermined the very nature of this country. The Mother of Parliaments, no matter what its flaws are, is looked at around the world as a model to be emulated.
If we look at events in the Middle East with Israel still standing alone as the only true democracy in its area, ISL enforcing religious intolerance and military threat, instability in Syria, Iraq and Egypt it is clear that there is still a lot to be learned from our own history. It is clear the need for the freedom and democracy is still a distant dream for some people.
This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday. We will mark Remembrance day on the 11th at school. This history is closer than Guy Fawkes night and therefore more poignant. One hundred years ago this country and all of Europe was being ripped asunder by war. The scars this war left paved the way for the atrocities of the second world war.
As we stop and reflect, whilst remembering our own troops past and present, please also give some thought to those now caught in amongst the fighting in their home countries, looking to strong democracies like ours to give them some hope.
Finally, to show the modern face of the Poppy Appeal, I was able to see part of the launch of this year's appeal inside Kings Cross station. Surrounded by groups of uniformed servicemen and service women collecting for the appeal was this band from the Army Air Service. Reminiscent of the first appeal for servicemen (survivors from the Crimean War) at the start of the 20th century, through a dinner.
GIVE GENEROUSLY
Thursday, 17 September 2015
What's In a Brain
As a school we have just started the Growth Mindset journey. To help start things with a bang Year 3 have been learning about brains first hand.
They have, with gloved hands, looked at, and explored, pigs brains.
Question 1. How much does a pig's brain weigh? They had expected them to be heavy but after careful investigation a pigs brain weighed about 120 grams. We did not know if it was an adult brain.
Question 2. What does the inside of the brain look like? One pupil, Marc, very quickly answered that brains have neurons in them. He was invited up to have a look for himself. Sadly he could not see the individual neurons but he could see the different areas.
Question 3. What could you do if you were feeling ill looking at the brains? Mrs Taylor worked with the few pupils who need to escape. They were making an image of the brain using cord which will be decorated to illustrate what the different parts of the brain do.
They have, with gloved hands, looked at, and explored, pigs brains.
Question 1. How much does a pig's brain weigh? They had expected them to be heavy but after careful investigation a pigs brain weighed about 120 grams. We did not know if it was an adult brain.
Question 2. What does the inside of the brain look like? One pupil, Marc, very quickly answered that brains have neurons in them. He was invited up to have a look for himself. Sadly he could not see the individual neurons but he could see the different areas.
Question 3. What could you do if you were feeling ill looking at the brains? Mrs Taylor worked with the few pupils who need to escape. They were making an image of the brain using cord which will be decorated to illustrate what the different parts of the brain do.
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
The summer and beyond
July already seems a long way away as both schools opened their doors for a new school year. Much has changed over the holiday as the campus continues to grow.
BJPS is bulging at the seams and LJFS has now grown to 48 students (having started with 8 students in 2013)..
Deborah Taylor Nursery has now been incorporated into BJPS and for the first time all our BJPS staff are employed by the school.
My biggest treat today was to try the first dish on our revised menu. Today the pupils were offered either chicken curry or vegetable curry. It was well spiced but not too hot and I can safely say the food was delicious. Of course, for some, it was too spicy and they will have to spend some time developing a palette for the flavours on offer. As a parent I have had the same battles at home. However a significant number went for seconds, which is always a good sign.
The LJFS OfSTED inspection finally took place last summer and the report is now to be published. It will be available on the LJFS website soon and I will post it here tomorrow. You will, when you read it, see how far we have come in such a short time and with a model that is still unique in the country.
Time to get back to my work but I will be busy adding to the blog over the next few weeks.
If you wish to raise a question with me you can add it is a comment to the blog and I will endeavour to answer the query. The answer may be useful to others.
BJPS is bulging at the seams and LJFS has now grown to 48 students (having started with 8 students in 2013)..
Deborah Taylor Nursery has now been incorporated into BJPS and for the first time all our BJPS staff are employed by the school.
My biggest treat today was to try the first dish on our revised menu. Today the pupils were offered either chicken curry or vegetable curry. It was well spiced but not too hot and I can safely say the food was delicious. Of course, for some, it was too spicy and they will have to spend some time developing a palette for the flavours on offer. As a parent I have had the same battles at home. However a significant number went for seconds, which is always a good sign.
The LJFS OfSTED inspection finally took place last summer and the report is now to be published. It will be available on the LJFS website soon and I will post it here tomorrow. You will, when you read it, see how far we have come in such a short time and with a model that is still unique in the country.
Time to get back to my work but I will be busy adding to the blog over the next few weeks.
If you wish to raise a question with me you can add it is a comment to the blog and I will endeavour to answer the query. The answer may be useful to others.
Monday, 6 July 2015
Sports Day, Cycle Training and LJFS Promotional Video
Over the last few weeks the LJFS students have been involved in deciding the names for their new houses.
The features of the school they felt they should represent were:
1. Jewish Ethos
2. Diversity
3. Strong Values
After a series of discussions and proposals we finally settled on four houses, four colours and four role models (with matching personal characteristics).
Can you rearrange them into the correct order before I tell you at the end of the week.
House Names House Colours House Role Models Role Model Attribute
Earth Purple Queen Esther Innovator
Fire Black King Solomon Brave
Water White Queen Salome Warrior
Air Gold King David Wise
They used these today for the first time during the inaugural LJFS. These photographs show the students in action.
The features of the school they felt they should represent were:
1. Jewish Ethos
2. Diversity
3. Strong Values
After a series of discussions and proposals we finally settled on four houses, four colours and four role models (with matching personal characteristics).
Can you rearrange them into the correct order before I tell you at the end of the week.
House Names House Colours House Role Models Role Model Attribute
Earth Purple Queen Esther Innovator
Fire Black King Solomon Brave
Water White Queen Salome Warrior
Air Gold King David Wise
They used these today for the first time during the inaugural LJFS. These photographs show the students in action.
We also had Brodetsky pupils busy undertaking cycle training at the same time. The oldest pupils on the campus were all outside at the same time.
Finally the new LJFS promotional video is hot off the press and should be on the website tomorrow.. We hope you like it.
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