6th December

CHOIR OF THE YEAR

I am delighted to inform the community that the Anson Choir, led my Miss Murray, have won the 2024 Westfield Christmas Choir of the Year Competition.

Having warmed up for the performance by singing to the whole school on Wednesday, they headed to the Westfield Centre on Thursday and received a standing ovation from the judges. Feedback included that the children, “were high energy, very coordinated and in time,” and they “particularly loved the song choices.” The children win £1,000 with a huge cheque presented to them on Friday in a special performance back at the centre. Well done to them all and to Miss Murray too!

WEEKLY RECAP

As we enter December, there is so much to pack in to the next few weeks before the holidays begin. It really is a wonderful time of the year.

The festive season began on Friday with Kensington Class performing the Mummers Play in front of the school and their families. It was a wonderful showcase of the children’s confidence and creativity.

On Monday we will be launching the annual snowman hunt. The 14 snowmen below will be revealed on Monday. There are some very tenuous puns this year but it should be great fun in the classrooms.

On Thursday the whole school will gather together for a Christmas lunch. It is a time when we celebrate together around a table and I will try to keep the queues entertained with a range of festive headwear. Then on Friday it’s the Winter Fair. Children should be collected as usual on Friday. The school day ends at 3:30pm and then children are welcome to come into the school with their families to enjoy the food, games and treats on the night. With a staff performance coming along in the following week, December really is a time when we gather together and enjoy some very special memory making together.

 

STAFF SHOW TICKETS

Tickets are on sale for the riotous staff show on the 17th and 18th December.

You can purchase tickets on the School Gateway app, in the school office or at the door on the night.

Tickets cost £4 each for anyone over the age of 4.

The show will see Mr Bukhari as a scary lion, Mr Clargo as a donkey and Mrs Williams as the moon. Thankfully Miss Callaghan will be keeping order.

Friends of Anson will have drinks and snacks covered on the night with every penny coming back to the school to support ongoing drama in the school.

We hope you will come along and support the staff.

Doors open at 6:30pm.

 

COFFEE MORNING

The next coffee morning is all about Speech and Language. It’s at 9am on Friday 13th December.

 

SPRING TERM CLUBS

We are just waiting on Moving Waves to confirm their days for KS1 and KS2 Arts and Crafts and then we will release all the clubs at the same time.

Watch for a text message soon.

 

LAST DAY OF TERM

This is a reminder that the last day of term is Friday, 20th December.

Children will be expected to be in school until 3:30pm on the last day of term.

Following Government guidelines all final week absences will need to be accounted for in January.

 

THE GIRLS COME CLOSE

And finally, we are so proud of the Year 3&4 Girls’ Football Team who came 2nd in the Brent Tournament.

Having drawn with Salusbury and beaten Mitchell Brook, Mora and Byron Court - they then won a tense Semi-Final on penalties before losing out in the final to Maple Walk School.

The tournament was organised by QPR at the Harris Lowe Academy. Congratulations to all of them and thank you to Miss Da Silva and Mr Hudson for their work with the girls.

 

29th November

DECEMBER MARKS THE END OF 2024

Next week we enter the final month of 2024. It’s incredible to think that the year is almost over. We will take time to reflect on another wonderful year at Anson over the next few weeks. 
However, before the end of 2024 there is so much to enjoy at Anson. The months marks the start of our performances on the Anson Stage with every class due to perform between now and July. This kicked off today with Hyde on the stage. The month will also see some fun events with the staff performance of Pyramus and Thisbe, the annual Snowman Hunt and the festive lunch and parties. We will also be gathering together as a community for the Winter Fair and we really need your help and support.  

WEEKLY RECAP

What a week we have had at Anson with children at sporting events, the theatre and even hunting for a Gruffalo in Gladstone Park. 
We are now turning our attention to the Winter Fair and we need your help. The two main things we are looking for are: 

For the community to buy Grotto tickets (more details overleaf).
Donations for the Tombola (festive packets of winter treats such as selection boxes, biscuits or sweets).

We are also delighted to announce the return of the Festive Bake-Off. Hot on the heels of the end of the Channel 4 series we are looking for members of the community, who are amateur bakers to create some food sensations. The categories this year are Best Biscuit, Most Creative Bake and the Most Festive offering. The cakes should be brought in on the morning of the fair so the judges can make their decision. The winners will be announced at the beginning of the Fair, after which the bakes will go on sale. Please remember: no nuts! 

The Fair begins at the end of the school day and runs until 6pm. There will be lots of food, drinks, games, stalls and an amazing light trail for everyone to enjoy. All the funds raised come back to the school with the aim of improving the playground areas at Anson. We hope you will come along for a fun evening. 

APPOINTMENTS

We know how difficult it can be to arrange appointments for your child outside of school hours. 
However, we are seeing an increase in absence due to appointments. Please try to make routine appointments such as annual checkups for after school or in the school holidays. If you have a child in need of hospital visits these should be taken at the time offered by the NHS so you avoid dropping lower down waiting lists. 

BOOK CHARGES

The loan system is now up and running in the Anson library. 
This means books are going home to families and should be treated with respect. The Charging and Remissions Policy has been amended by the Governing Body to reflect our new library and the cost to the school of lost books. As a result any lost books will see families being charged a standard £5 for replacement copies. 

DREAM SCHOOL

This week on Dream School…Seren-Rose shares her ideas for the best school ever. Plus, you can find out ways to tell how old you are with her aging system! 

CLASS ASSEMBLIES 

Our first Class Assembly took place today. 
The old school website had a wonderful section called Anson TV. However, our new website does not allow for videos to be added to pages. So, in order to share our videos we are required to upload films to YouTube and place these into the pages of our website. 
Please note that no video is made public on YouTube which means that Anson assemblies cannot be found by searching on YouTube. Parents will receive a link to download each assembly. 

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Oasis Catering will be serving the traditional Christmas Lunch on Thursday 12th December. 
This is an annual event at Anson when the children are treated to the tradition Christmas servings. There is no charge for the event. 

GROTTO TICKETS

Father Christmas is coming to Anson! 
During the Christmas Fayre the children will have a chance to enter the grotto on the Anson stage. 
The children will have the chance for a photo and will receive a small gift. 
Tickets are available in the School Gateway app and will also be available on the day. This year the grotto is in the school hall. 

PYRAMUS & THISBE

Mr Clargo, Mr Waters, Mr Bukhari, Mrs Williams, Miss Callaghan, Mr Pile, Miss Ndukwe and Ms. Bijlani are all rehearsing hard for the staff show. 
The story is a riotous and funny retelling of the Shakespeare play and will be shared on Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th December at 7pm. 
The show lasts for just under one hour and following the show the Dining Room will host an after-show party with music, food and drinks (sold by Friends of Anson). The evening will end at 8:30pm. 
Tickets are £4 per person and are on sale in the School Gateway app or in the school office. 

 

17th November

OUR SCHOOLS, OUR WORLD AT ANSON
We are delighted to announce that Anson is one of 20 pioneering schools in Brent to sign up to the Our Schools, Our World project.
The project uses the power of education to advance environmental literacy and social engagement with an aim of our whole community contributing to a more equitable and sustainable future. We will work with the pupils, the staff, community organisations and the council (as well as relevant partners) to promote a just and sustainable world where environmental and social
responsibility drive individual, institutional, and community choices. This newsletter launches that work.

WEEKLY RECAP by Mr Pile

There is no doubt that action is needed against climate change. As leader of a community that is
connected to all corners of the globe, I know that each of you will be aware of someone or something that has been impacted by the changes in our climate. The
current climate models predict we are on track for the Earth to heat up, on average, somewhere between
3°C and 4°C by the year 2100. To put that in context, our current Reception children will be in their 70s by this time and will have spent much of their lives adapting to serious changes in climate and witnessed the impact of increased heat and increased rainfall around the globe. We have joined the Our Schools,
Our World project as a commitment to looking at every
aspect of life at Anson against a number of criteria. We will now develop detailed and challenging action plans reflecting high aspirations to become a zero carbon school by 2030. This is the ambitious target set by Brent in 2021. It will involve curriculum development, the development of sustainable school systems, operations and resourcing, the engagement with community and the nurturing of a culture within the school which naturally supports care for oneself, care for others and care for the environment. Staff from the 20 schools spent three days last week attending training. Over the next few years we will work together as a whole school community to make a positive change for our children’s futures and I hope we will have your full support in this mission.

 

8th November

"Colour inside the Lines"

This week we launched our second Learning Behaviour of the year. Thanks to the purple crayon in The Day the Crayons Quit, we are focusing on Aspiration. 
The purple crayon is fed up with Duncan’s slapdash approach and begs him to try harder to colour inside the lines. In a special assembly 5 children shared their aspiration for this term and we discussed techniques to achieve our goals. Ask you child what goal they have set. 

Weekly Recap by Mr Pile

It was wonderful to see the children return to school this week after the Half Term holiday. 
It is also sad that some of our families have not returned. 
I wanted to use the newsletter this week to share with you my frustration at the current state of housing for some of our families. We have seen a large number of families moving out to Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Watford and Hemel Hempstead after being made homeless in no fault evictions. 
It hits each family very hard and we are frustrated that the system seems to hold very little regard for the impact of these evictions. In many cases families know the eviction is coming and are told not to do anything until they are actually made homeless. If they leave before they are considered to be making themselves intentionally homeless. It is a ludicrous situation for any family to experience. 
The good news is that the Local Authority then step in and find accommodation. However, this is very rarely in Brent. 
For anyone going through this scenario at the moment please reach out to myself and Miss Callaghan. We will do everything we can to support you with letters from the school and direct contact with our Educational Welfare Officer, Mr. Clarke. 
We know that worry about jobs, finances and well-being are all part of these experiences. We find it unacceptable for this to be the situation people are experiencing. 
While we have no power to overturn the decisions we will fight alongside you for a suitable outcome and protect your school place for as long as we can. 
I have raised my concerns with Brent and I sincerely hope that a solution is found for all our families and you are back with us very soon. 

2024 Winter Fair

The Winter Fair is taking place on Friday, 13th December between 3:30pm and 6:00pm at Anson.
Friends of Anson are busy preparing for the day and have asked me to let you know ways in which you can help in the lead up to the event. 
After the success of the Light Trail last year there will be another amazing trail to follow this year too. In order to make that happen we need donations of lights, inflatables and Christmas outdoor decorations. If you are able to lend something to Friends of Anson (it will be labelled and returned) or donate something forever to the cause we would love to hear from you. 
Friends of Anson are also beginning collections for the Winter Fair Tombola. If you would like to donate some festive biscuits, chocolates or selection boxes to the Fair they will go on to the very popular Tombola stall. 
There will be lots more information in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled for other opportunities. 

PYRAMUS & THISBE

The Anson Staff will be on stage this Christmas for a festive performance of Pyramus and Thisbe. 
The cast are rehearsing several times a week to bring this festive treat to the community. 
Tickets will be on sale soon at £4 per person for performances on the 17th and 18th December at 7pm. 

BAKE FOR BOOKS

The next Bake Sale in on Friday 15th November at 3:30pm

 

Q&A - Anti Bullying Week

What is Anti Bullying Week?
Anti-Bullying week is a time where children learn about kindness and respect. This year the theme is ‘Choose Respect’. This has come about following consultation with teachers and pupils by the Anti-Bullying Alliance which coordinates Anti-Bullying Week every year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

How are the NSPCC involved?
Speak out Stay safe is a safeguarding programme for children aged 5 to 11 years old. It is available to all primary schools in the UK and Channel Islands. It helps children understand:

abuse in all its forms and how to recognise the signs of abuse
that abuse is never a child’s fault and they have the right to be safe
where to get help and the sources of help available to them.

What will the children do?
Dream The Speak out Stay safe programme contains:

virtual assemblies for children aged 5-7 and 7-11.
lesson plans with engaging activities and resources to help reinforce and embed key messages 

What happens after Anti-Bullying Week?
We hope the messages in Anti-Bullying Week will encourage more children to feel confident about reporting things to trusted adults if they occur. This can be on the playground, in clubs they attend or at home. 

We also hope all children show even more respect to everyone around them - a true strength of Anson Primary School. 

 

31st October

"The first half of the Autumn Half Term ended with the 3rd Friends of Anson Halloween Spectacular on Friday. 
It was a magical night with children from across the school dressing up in some pretty scary outfits. Many took part in dancing, musical zombies, ghost smash and treated themselves to food, drink and gifts on the night. Entering our third year of Friends of Anson should mean that the events are beginning to be familiar fixtures to the Anson calendar. This year we certainly saw more children attending the disco and
it made for a special end to the term."

 

Weekly Recap:

The Halloween Disco was a wonderful way to end the half term. 
One of the most important elements of our school is the way in which the community pull together. It was never more evident than in the way parents transformed the hall and dining room into a party zone on Friday. With familiar faces all involved alongside  some of our newer parents Friends of Anson continues to grow. Such collaboration has been our focus with the children too with each pupil gaining their first badge last week as we continue to celebrate ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ - our book of the year.
Collaboration is critical and on Thursday over 90% of parents attended Parents’ Evening. The event was held earlier than in previous years so that you could meet the teachers, get earlier feedback for your children and understanding how you can support your child to make progress. It was lovely to see so many of you on the night. Indeed, it is lovely to see so many of you every day connected with the school and our wider work. 
This Half Term will be just as busy and I look forward to welcoming you to our events 
throughout the winter.  

 

Anson Jackets

We know that some of the community were in favour of a school uniform. 
While the Governing Body will not be implementing a uniform at Anson, we are going to be reintroducing the option for parents to purchase the Anson jacket if they wish to do so. 
This high quality jacket comes in a variety of sizes and will be embroidered with the Anson logo. 
Parents are welcome to come into the office to see the quality of the jacket and try on the samples to get the correct size before placing their order. 
The cost is £25 per jacket. 
Orders will be placed through the School Gateway app.

Save the Date

We are delighted to announce that the Anson Staff will be performing Pyramus and Thisbe on the evenings of the 17th and 18th December. 
The show is taken from the play within the play in Shakespeare’s: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Rehearsals are already underway and more details about the event will be revealed soon. 
 

Remembrance Day

Every morning in the playground next week we will be selling poppies and other items for Remembrance Day. All items are a donation with a suggested price of £1 per item. 

 

Anson is Number One

And now for some great TT Rockstars news. 
Following our success in the month of September, I am very proud of the children for maintaining our rank as the number one school in the local area on TT Rockstars in October. 

 

Football for Girls

In exciting news DFY have launched a FREE football sessions for girls starting on Friday 1st Nov at Harris Lowe Academy. 

Please see the attached flier for details or visit the website at https://www.dfy.org.uk/dfy-academy-girls

 

Q&A: Dream School

What is Dream School?
Dream School is an Anson podcast which airs each week on podcasting platforms.

What happens in Dream School?
Each week a pupil sits down with the Dream School Headteacher to discuss the school of their dreams. 
The children suggest a uniform, school subjects such as the arts, history and sport and they describe their dream playground, lunch menu and school trips.

Why does it exist?
Dream School is one way we gather pupil voice and opinions about our school. 
By having these conversations we are able to make some quick fixes to our school and also add their ideas and opinions into our long term planning. It has become a very important part of our work. 
How long does a podcast last?
It really depends on what the children have to say. The shorter podcasts last around 30 minutes, but the longest is over 50 minutes in length?

How can I listen?
The podcasts contribute to our slots on Anson Radio throughout the week. However, the easiest way to listen is through Spotify or Apple Podcasts. 

What are the plans for the future?
We have a number of children lined up for the rest of the term. However, we have a few special episodes lined up and are always looking for people in the public eye to give us some time on the podcast too.