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.

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.

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.

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.

The schools on campus are very busy places and demand a lot of our collective time.  A key part of school life is Tzdoka.  Our pupils donate regularly to causes such as JNF and the Leeds Jewish Welfare Board.  We also support charities beyond the Jewish community.

In the next few weeks a group of staff are going to attempt the 3 Peaks Challenge, raising money for`St Gemma's Hospice.

If you would like to support them please visit their page below. It is a great cause that has supported families at the worst of times, irrespective of faith, gender or ethnicity.



https://www.justgiving.com/TeamBrodetsky/?targetdevice=desktop

Sad News and Celebration

Last week we had the first LJFS Ofsted Inspection.  This was a very strange experience and we cannot share the outcome until the report has been published., although we can say we are very pleased that the report will reflect all that has been achieved over the last four years.

What it highlighted, and can be shared, that you, is that  sometimes you have to work hard explaining things that appear obvious to yourself.  When this is applied to a unique educational model this proved even more difficult, but clearly not impossible.

During the course of the inspection something happened that reminded us that there are also many things far more important than inspections, league tables and all the other external measures of a school.

One of ours students lost her father during the first day of the inspection. It was also the day before her birthday and three days before her Bat Mitzvah (LJFS's first).  For any person this is a tragic experience, but to not have her father alongside her at this important point in her life could have been unbearable.

Amazingly this student found the strength and resilience to read at the kiddish after the service, and did so with confidence and clarity that belied the tragedy she had experienced.  The amazing support of her mother ensured she could do this with such confidence.

The LJFS family is now able to offer their support.  Her friends have been able to take it in turns to sit Shiva with her at her home during the day, and some have also joined her in the evening.

It is at times like these that any community, but especially a faith community, can come together to provide the support that an individual or family needs.  This should be valued and nurtured.

Many in Brodetsky have been oblivious to these events in LJFS with  life carrying on as normal unless directly connected to this family.

Today we learned that our Year 6 students have won the national  Kosher Rap competition.  This competition was designed to promote innovative ways to promote Jewish learning.  Mrs Gill (Year 6 Teacher), Mr Yechezkel and Simon (The Zone) worked superbly to put together a video that showcased the rap, written and performed by the students.

If you have not seen it yet please follow this link and let me know what you think.

http://kosherrap.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=12fd6595d67dceeb4d57b6220&id=f9e49265a9&e=fa83b65192

Brodetsky Rap

This is a very quick post.

This link will take you to the Jewish Schools rap competition entries.

Please have a good look, decide quickly that the Brodetsky enrtry is the best and vote for us.

We would love you to share this link with as many people as possible (as long as they are going to vote for Brodetsky).

http://kosherrap.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=12fd6595d67dceeb4d57b6220&id=0d7bc99df0&e=fa83b65192

Whole School Photograph and Chalk School ork

Who would have thought finding time to write a Blog could be so difficult.

However today was a special day.  We recently found, and framed, a whole school Brodetsky photograph from 2005.

We decided to take a new photograph 10 years on.  Today was the day for that photograph to be taken.  The photographers were amazing and easily organised all the children, including DTN Nursery, on a stage that they had assembled on the field.

It was hot and sunny but the children were great and  a successful photo shoot took place.  The photograph below gives a snap shot of the photo being taken.

Parents and staff will be able to buy a copy before the end of term.  The finished product will be a lot more polished than this taken using a school 'gadget'.

On a different note we recently added some screening panels to one playground fence. Although this area is used mainly by LJFS students it is also used for KS1 afternoon play times  and Brodetsky lessons.

We chose to paint the playground side of the panels with blackboard paint and the rest, as they say, is history.  Below you can see some of the maths that has appeared on the panels and the playground as a result.  There is also the evidence of a science lesson held outside by one of the teachers.