Newsletter Text

21st March 2025

EASTER EGG COMPETITION

On Monday the Easter Egg Hunt begins at Anson. This year 14 eggs will be hidden around the classrooms with all the children winning a very special prize once their class egg is found. There will be no online hunt this year.
However, I am delighted to announce the Easter Egg-hibiton is now open for entries. For those who are new to Anson the idea is simple. Hard boil an egg and then use your creativity to turn it into an outrageous egg-pun. You could build a rocket for your egg-stronaut or create an animal like the 8-tentacled egg-topus. Famous eggs can also exist like Egg Sheeran or Mary Shelley. You can also explore the world of film and TV with Beg and Holly or Sonic the Egg-Hog. The creative ideas are endless. With Eid possibly falling on our original date, entries are now due on Tuesday 1st April - that’s no April Fools! Every entry wins a prize!

WEEKLY RECAP

It is a special time of the year for the many faiths which exist at Anson.
Our Muslim pupils are observing Ramadan while members of the Hindu community have been enjoying Holi. Meanwhile, Christians are taking part in Lent. It all culminates in special events for many of our community with Eid, Passover and Easter all on the horizon.
In school the children have been working hard all term and many of you heard about their progress during your parent meeting with the teachers. So, as we approach the end of this term we always plan some Spring Term fun. This year we have created a special KaraYOLKe event with singers such as Shella Fitzgerald, Eggy Mercury and Lady Goo Goo all performing on the Anson stage and being hidden around the school.
With class assemblies, ice lolly sales, Comic Relief and much more to come - the last few days of term should see everyone enter this special time with smiles on their faces.

TRAVEL AT ANSON

Following on from our session with TfL we have received just 10 responses to our survey sent to all parents.
In collaboration with TfL we are gathering feedback on the big issues facing our community on the roads around the school. We hope to use your feedback to create change. There have been a number of problems already raised including:

traffic and travel congestion
ongoing roadworks and pedestrian safety
safe access for children on Anson Road
how families travel to and from school
local air quality

In order for us to work as a community and get people at TfL and Brent to support any changes for the community, we need many active voices to come together. 10 people won’t create a change, but 100 people might.

As a community we can have more impact.

For example, together we could:

attempt to get Brent to change Anson Road into a bus only street outside the school
make changes to access on Heber Road
improve pedestrian crossing safety in the local area
improve community knowledge of parking restrictions
develop more Park and Stride action among parents

You know the local area better than anyone. What are the key issues? Please share your thoughts:

www.tinyurl.com/APStravel2025

THE BIG DIG

On Saturday 29th March Mr Clargo needs you!
As part of our plans to develop an area of our school for planting and growing food we need an army of green fingered volunteers, complete with shovels, to help us prepare the land! So far we have 4 volunteers and we are very grateful.
Please join us on the day between 10am and 4pm to lend a hand and help us shape the area for the children on Anson.

FAMILY FUN RUN

Friends of Anson are planning a Family Fun Run to raise money for the children of Anson.
The fun run will take place on Sunday 11th May 2025 at Gladstone Park.
All children will be given a sponsorship form before the Easter Holiday so they can begin to gather donations. This will be a very important fundraising event for the school.

ASDA THANK YOU

Thank you to everyone who raised money for Friends of Anson just by shopping at your local Asda supermarket.
Friends of Anson is receiving £110.42 as a result of your weekly shop. Thank you!

COMIC RELIEF

Today we had a lot of fun to raise Money for Comic Relief.
We hope the children enjoyed the day and their disco in the afternoon. We will share the disco again each day on Anson Radio until the Easter Holiday.

HAF PROGRAMME

Anson is playing hosting to the Holiday and Food Programme from the 7th April to 11th April. This will be run by DfY.
You can sign up for your child to join the fun using:

www.dfy.org.uk/spring2025

Some Anson staff will also be supporting the programme.

11th March 2025

A NEW SYSTEM FOR ACCIDENTS

Many of you will have received a little green slip if your child has bumped their head, grazed their knee or lost a tooth during the school day.
The slips allow us to communicate minor accidents to parents and keep a record of the places where accidents tend to happen so we can make changes to ensure the site remains safe.
This process is now moving online with our partners at MediTracker to make tracking the data much more simple.
Importantly, the new online system allows us to store all the medical needs of pupils. This gives us quick access to medical plans, care plans and medication. This is critical on school trips and during residential weeks.
It will also mean that as your child’s medication nears the expiry date, we can be proactive in supporting you to contact the GP for new prescriptions. This is particularly important for children with asthma of allergy pens (epi-pens).
The biggest change you will see is the move from paper slips to emails to inform you of accidents at school. Of course, we will still contact you personally if your child bumps their head, has a prolonged nose-bleed or suffers from a condition which needs your attention.
However, for smaller incidents you will now receive email communication of any issue which has taken place at school. The system will allow us to be much more proactive where medical needs of your child exist and if fully complaint with GDPR regulations. It went live on Monday.

SPRING 2025 PARENTS' EVENING

On Thursday, 20th March, Parents’ Evening will be taking place at Anson.
The evening will run from 3:40pm until 7:00pm and is an opportunity for you to get the latest feedback on your child’s progress this academic year.
Our colleagues at Teachers 2 Parents have updated their portal for this session and so it should be a lot simpler to book your appointment(s).
You will receive a text message or email from Teachers 2 Parents and in a few clicks can book a time slot for meeting the class teachers.
Please note that some parents are invited to appointments earlier in the week directly by the class teacher. This is if we need to provide translations support, discuss high needs or are trying to support families with multiple children at the school. Those parents will not receive a link to the booking system.
We hope to see as many parents at possible at the Parents’ Evening which will take place in the school hall.

TRAVEL AT ANSON

On Friday we hosted a Coffee Morning with guests from Transport for London and Brent Council.
The aim of the session was to try and begin to work on an active Travel Plan for the children and families of Anson Primary School. At the meeting several parents raised some of the issues we face in the local area. These covered a huge range of problems including:

traffic and travel congestion
ongoing roadworks and pedestrian safety
safe access for children on Anson Road
how families travel to and from school
local air quality

In order for us to work as a community and get people at TfL and Brent to support any changes for the community, we need active voices to come together. As a community we can have more impact.For example, together we could:

attempt to get Brent to change Anson Road into a bus only street outside the school
make changes to access on Heber Road
improve pedestrian crossing safety in the local area
improve community knowledge of parking restrictions
develop more Park and Stride action among parents

You know the local area better than anyone. What are the key issues of transport, travel and pedestrian access in your eyes?
We have created a Google Form for you to share your thoughts here:

tinyurl.com/APStravel2025

THE BIG DIG

On Saturday 29th March Mr Clargo needs you!
As part of our plans to develop an area of our school for planting and growing food we need an army of green fingered volunteers, complete with shovels, to help us prepare the land! So far we have 4 volunteers and we are very grateful.
Please use the link sent to your phones to join the team for the Big Dig Day.

THE HAF PROGRAMME

Bookings are now open for the Holiday and Food Programme at Anson Primary School in the first week of the Easter Holiday.

Each ticket includes 6 sporting activities of your choice per day in a fun and safe environment. There are snacks and 1 free meal per day provided by Oasis Catering. The camp is suitable for pupils age 5-12 years.

The cost is £28.50 per day with sibling & full week discounts available.

4 Free days will be available for children who live or attend school in Brent and are eligible for benefit related free school meals. Please email sara@dfy.org.uk if you are eligible for a free space. Otherwise please head over to the booking page and get your slot in this exciting opportunity for the children of Anson.

https://www.dfy.org.uk/spring2025

7th March 2025

THE DAY THE CRAYONS TOOK OVER

This week we celebrated World Book Day at Anson and I was particularly delighted to share the day with 6 other crayons!
In true Anson style, and as the crayons suggest, the day was all about drawing your attention to the importance of reading.
The day began with a special assembly which painted the picture for the day.
Each of the crayons led us towards a showcasing of the outfits. Red crayon likes to colour emergency services, so all the characters depicting the Police or other services shared their outfit. That led to numerous images of Dog-man appearing in the hall!
While the links may be sketchy, the arrival of the blue crayon led us to character from oceans, deserts and other hot or cold locations such as the wonderful representations of narwals and jellyfish!
The message to the children was clear: World Book Day helps is to find out about new characters, new stories, new adventures and if we take the time to talk to each other about our favourite stories we may unlock a love of reading.
It is such an important skill and I hope that every pupils, whether they dressed up or not, was inspired to pick up a book.

WEEKLY RECAP

This week has been another lovely week at Anson with World Book Day, Camden Arts Centre and sporting adventures all occurring in the last five days.
Arguably the highlight of the week was the visit of author and MBE, Laura Henry Allain. She is the much-loved author of the Jo Jo and Gran Gran books, also available as a series on CBeebies. In assemblies and workshops she shared her love of reading, her joy in writing and connected us to her story from North London, St. Lucia and becoming a best-selling author.
As always, our children were magnificent in their attention and questioning of Laura.
As a writer who was diagnosed with dyslexia it was a particularly powerful assembly for children in Key Stage Two, helping them all to understand that no matter what struggles we may face, if we have a good attitude and never give up we can all find our greatness in lives.

28th February 2025

It’s WORLD BOOK DAY next week!

Research carried out during World Book Day 2024 showed that many children see reading as something they have to do, rather than something they choose to do. This simply isn’t the approach we want to take at Anson. We believe reading should be fun, engaging and be led by the choices of the children.

The 2025 “Read Your Way” campaign encourages
everyone to let go of reading pressures and expectations and empowers children and
young people to have fun discovering reading on their own terms.

It’s exactly the way we feel at Anson when it comes to developing a love of reading.

As parents you should know that children are more likely to love reading if:
1. Someone reads to them regularly.
2. They find time to read.
3. They have books at home and at school.
4. They know a trusted person who can help them find the right books.
5. We all make reading fun for them.
6, They are given a choice in what they read.

On Thursday we will be sharing ways to encourage children to read in a special assembly and we will be dressing up as a staff to try and inspire every children to love the magical and inspiring and entertaining world of books!

What's On

On Thursday we will be celebrating with a special assembly celebrating the Read Your Way campaign.
Children can come to school dressed as their favourite book character or carrying a prop related to their character. They could even wear a mask.
We encourage all parents to remember that you do not need to purchase any costumes, but use what you have around the home to give a nod to a book or comic.
In the assembly we will be sharing a special poem written especially for Anson’s World Book Day celebrations, having a costume parade and revealing some great photographs too.
In addition, the books above are all available at supermarkets and bookshops and can be purchased with a World Book Day token which will be handed out to all the children.
There are a range of books spanning early readers all the way through to independent book lovers.
Whatever you want to read, this World Book Day is all about learning to love reading!

Travel at Anson

traffic and travel congestion
ongoing roadworks and pedestrian safety
safe access for children on Anson Road
how families travel to and from school
local air quality

attempt to get Brent to change Anson Road into a bus only street outside the school
make changes to access on Heber Road
improve pedestrian crossing safety in the local area
improve community knowledge of parking restrictions
develop more Park and Stride action among parents

You know the local area better than anyone. What are the key issues of transport, travel and pedestrian access in your eyes?
We have created a Google Form for you to share your thoughts here:

tinyurl.com/APStravel2025

The Big Dig

On Saturday 29th March Mr Clargo needs you!
As part of our plans to develop an area of our school for planting and growing food we need an army of green fingered volunteers, complete with shovels, to help us prepare the land! So far we have 4 volunteers and we are very grateful.
Please use the link sent to your phones to join the team for the Big Dig Day.

Family Fun Run

Friends of Anson are planning a Family Fun Run to raise money for the children of Anson.
At this stage we are asking for our families to save the date. Hopefully, the fun run will take place on Sunday 11th May 2025 at Gladstone Park. We are just going through risk assessments and planning at this stage but would like as many families to be involved as possible.

HAF Programme

We are looking for Anson to join the Holiday and Food Programme to provide childcare in the school holiday.
On Friday we sent a text message to all parents to gather your thoughts on the viability of running a club in the first week of the Easter holiday. Please share your thoughts.

Jumble Sale

The Friends of Anson Jumble Sale has been cancelled due to a lack of interest.
Please look out for further events in the future.

14th February 2025

PLAYGROUND CHANGES

After the Half Term holiday we will be making changes to the start of the day procedures.
Currently the gates open at around 8:40am with children expected to wait on the playground with their parent until the bell rings.
The idea of this was to reduce congestion on the street and ensure that children were safely in the playground with an adult until the bell rang.
Unfortunately we have seen a growing number of incidents with children falling, tripping or bumping into each other during this period of the morning.
These incidents have revealed that, in some cases, parents have not been on site with their child. In monitoring the playground during the last two weeks we have seen growing numbers of children being dropped off at the school gate by parents leaving many children unaccompanied.
We are unable to staff the playground adequately before school as we are busy preparing the classrooms for learning and the school for the children.
Therefore, after Half Term, the school gate will open at 8:45am and children will head straight into the classroom. This will ensure every child is safe and monitored from their arrival at school.
Please remember that all children must be in class by 9:00am and so the gate will close promptly as soon as it reaches 9:00am.
Any parents still in the playground will be released through the school building.
In order to minimise crowding around the school gate we would advise that families spread themselves around surrounding side streets until the gate is opened at 8:45am.

WEEKLY RECAP

The final week of the first half of the Spring Term has been one filled with huge amounts of love!
This is partly because Valentines Day fell on the last day of the week but also because Alexandra Class celebrated the power of love on the Anson stage.

In their assembly the worlds of DC Comics and Marvel collided. The two organisations were clearly miles apart. The superheroes of DC like to wear capes and have magical powers. The heroes of Marvel have different abilities and seem to argue a lot.

However, they have similar aims and visions and the assembly showed how we can overcome of differences to make a difference. In the assembly it was love that brought the two sides together with with both sides finally realising that teamwork and collaboration were important which resulted in them eventually defeating the devil herself (with the power of dance also involved). Let’s take that love with us as we take a week away from school.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 24th February

PARENT GOVERNORS

Following the nomination process for the election of parents to the Governing Body of Anson I am delighted to inform you of the results.
As there were three nominations and three vacancies, all three nominees have been appointed to the Governing Body without the need for a vote to take place.
The new Parent Governors, for the next four years, are Ms. Z. Bukhari, Mrs. L. Mailer and Mrs. M. Doria.
They begin their posts with immediate effect and I thank them for their commitment to our school.

JUMBLE SALE

The Friends of Anson Jumble Sale will take place on Saturday, 8th March in the Anson playground from 2pm to 4pm.
The whole community is welcome to come along on the day to enjoy the atmosphere and search for bargains.
Stalls will be run by parents of pupils at Anson. If you would like to run a stall it will cost £10 per table.
You should email Friends of Anson to book your slot using:

friendsofanson@gmail.com

Refreshments will be available on the day.

THE BIG DIG

On Saturday 29th March Mr Clargo needs you!
As part of our plans to develop an area of our school for planting and growing food we need an army of green fingered volunteers, complete with shovels, to help us prepare the land! So far we have 4 volunteers and we are very grateful.
Please use the link sent to your phones to join the team for the Big Dig Day.

FIZZ FREE FEBRUARY

In association with Southwark Council we are supporting Fizz Free Feb.
This means encouraging children and adults to go fizz free and cut down on sugar consumption. Give it a go.

FAMILY FUN RUN

YEAR 1 BAKE SALE

On Wednesday 26th February, Year 1 take over the Bake Sale.
Parents in Year 1 will be baking delicious treats for the sale and then the whole community can come together to purchase the treats. £100 from every sale goes towards our school library.

FILM CLUB FIVE

The final Film Club Five podcast of this Half Term features Jessica, Jaydah and Hyusein talking about The Bad Guys.
The podcast features a Top Ten of storybook wolves, a Bad Guys quiz and the usual awful jokes.

7th February 2025

THE MASKED DISCO IS COMING

The Friends of Anson Masked Disco takes place next Friday.
The children will be working on their masks in school so that every child has a mask even if they are not able to attend. This way every pupil will feel part of the fun in some way.
For those coming to the Masked Disco they will receive a physical ticket to make the event even more special and this will also let the Friends of Anson team know about any specific dietary requirements. This is a non-parent event so you can spend the extra hour having a cup of tea with friends.
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will go straight to the event at the end of the school day. You can pick them up at 4:30pm.
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 will go home and come back to school for a 5:00pm disco.
Tickets cost £3.50 and are available on the School Gateway app and we hope to see lots of children there.

WEEKLY RECAP BY MR PILE

Children’s Mental Health week has been a wonderful way of putting the children in touch with their feelings and exploring how we all react to situations.
We began the week with a game-show style assembly exploring the film characters from Inside Out, with particular reference to sadness, fear, anger, disgust and joy. It was a fun way to begin the week.

This week also saw Mapesbury take to the stage in a unique version of The Worst Princess. It was a wonderful retelling of the story and reminded us all that being happy is more important than fitting in to stereotypes.

The week has also seen us begin to examine our progress on sustainability at the school.
As you may be aware, we are part of the Our Schools, Our World programme and this week we met with the leaders of the programme to see what changes we could make in the school to improve our provision. One of the first areas of change will be our waste management, with increased recycling points and much clearer systems inside and outside the school.

Over the next few months there will be some visible changes to the school which will showcase the idea that rather than taking a doom-laden view of climate change we can show the positive action that will make a difference to all the children.

Next week is Online Safety Day and the Digital Leaders will be releasing a special video for you to enjoy.

PARENT GOVERNORS

The Governing Body of Anson Primary School have published their information booklet for nominations.
The Governing Body of Anson Primary School is responsible for overseeing how the school is managed. They are a critical friend that play a role in strategic decisions such as our vision, policies, budgeting and staffing.
If you are interested in putting yourself forward, please fill out the form on the newsletter page and email your nomination to vacancy@anson.brent.sch.uk by Thursday 13th February.

JUMBLE SALE

friendsofanson@gmail.com

Refreshments will be available on the day.

PARENT SUMMIT

The American School in London is hosting the 2025 Parent Summit for African Caribbean heritage families.
The summit is for those families at Anson interested in exploring the 11+ to access Independent & Grammar schools in the future. The event is free to attend and runs from 9:30am to 4:45pm.

QUIZ NIGHT IN COMING

Friends of Anson are planning an exciting quiz night for later this term.
You will be able to win prizes, if your knowledge is up to scratch. Regardless, it will be a fun night for all the family with questions written by one of the question writers on The Chase.
So, watch this space for more details - coming soon!

THE BIG DIG

On Saturday 29th March Mr Clargo needs you!
As part of our plans to develop an area of our school for planting and growing food we need an army of green fingered volunteers, complete with shovels, to help us prepare the land! So far we have 4 volunteers and we are very grateful.
Please use the link sent last week to join the team for the Big Dig Day.

FIZZ FREE FEB

In association with Southwark Council we are supporting Fizz Free Feb.
This means encouraging children and adults to go fizz free and cut down on sugar consumption. Give it a go.

DREAM SCHOOL

This week on the Dream School podcast…
Find out how Benedicte will be transforming the entire playground in her Dream School using Maglev