The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.
St Nicholas of Myra (Feast Day 6th December)
Mindful minutes
After lunchtime play, our children and their staff teams take a few minutes to be mindful together. This might be through breathing exercises, yoga stretches, meditations or gratitude practice. By doing this as a class every day, our children are learning how to calm their bodies and minds after social time, regulate their emotions and get ready for learning in class. We call this whole school routine ‘mindful minutes’ and it supports the transition from the busy playground to the learning environment.
Here are some of the key benefits of mindfulness and relaxation:
Behaviour Book Club for Parents
In school we support children with their wellbeing and behaviour through a programme called ‘When the Adults Change (WTAC).’ The WTAC team are now offering support for families as well and are running a live, online session for all parents and carers on Wednesday 11th December, 8-9pm. This introductory session is called ‘Supporting Behaviour at Home: Where to Start’ and will offer incredibly practical advice ahead of the Xmas hols, as well as being in line with our policies and practices in school.
If you would like to attend, use the QR code or clickable link in the attached flier to sign up. Please note that cameras and contributions are completely optionable, so you can engage or listen in, whatever you feel comfortable with.
The Zoom link is here as well if needed: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84663148330
You can also join by visiting the WTAC Events page on their website here:
https://www.whentheadultschange.com/events
Click here for the behaviour book club flyer.
Christmas Dates
- Infant nativity – Tuesday 10th Dec at 9.45am and 2.30pm
- Junior musical – Wednesday 11th Dec at 2.15pm and 6pm & Thursday 12th Dec at 9.30am
- Y1 & Y2 at the Little Angel Theatre – Thursday 12th December
- Y3 & Y4 at the Hackney Empire – Friday 13th December
- Y5 at the Hackney Empire – Tuesday 17th December
- Y6 at the Hackney Empire – Thursday 19th December
- Music concert in Holy Trinity Church – Monday 16th December at 9am
- End of term service – Friday 20th December at 11am
- Last day of term – Friday 20th December at 1:30pm
Autumn 2 – Sports Competition Round Up
V3 Basketball Tournament (19.11.2024)
A huge well done to our Year 5 and 6 basketball stars for their outstanding performances in the Camden primary schools 3v3 competition. Our boys came 4th place and our girls team came 2nd place out of 12 schools. A special mention goes to Cian and Olivia for their display of courage, care and cooperation.
Camden Schools Football League (19.11.2024)
The boys and girls continued to shine in the school football league.
The girls played Fitzjohn’s in the first game and came away with a 4-0 win (goalscorers: Kimberly x 3 and Ema x 1); they then went on to beat Kingsgate 2-0 (goalscorers: Kimberly x 2); in their last game, they won 1-0 against West Hampstead (goalscorer: Cali). The team are top of the table with 6 wins out of 6.
The boys managed to win 4-2 against Fitzjohns (goalscorers: Robert x 2, James x 1 and Max x 1); they then played Kingsgate and were behind by two goals, but thankfully dug deep and clawed it back to 2-2 (goalscorers: Max x 2); in their their last game, they drew 2-2 against West Hampstead (goalscorers: Robert x 1 and Max x 1. The boys are also sitting at the top of the league table with four wins and two draws.
5v5 Basketball Tournament (20.11.2024)
Congratulations to our amazing 5v5 basketball players (from years 5 and 6) for their well earned victory in last weeks Camden primary school basketball tournament. A special mention goes to Husayn and Clara for their team spirit.
Attendance and Punctuality
This week our school attendance remained at 96% – but it does now look like we will all will be fully recovered for next week- for show time.
The attendance bears this week go to Year 2 with 96% and Year 4 with 98%.
The early birds went to Y2 and Y6. Special shout out to Y2 where every pupil came to school on time the whole week. Well done.
Advent at Holy Trinity Church
Pop-up Christmas Stall – Crafts, Cakes. Knitted items, unique Christmas gifts!
- Friday 13th December 2.30pm – 4pm in Church
- Saturday 14th December 11am – 12 noon in Church
- Sunday 15th December 3pm onwards in Church
Christmas Carol Service featuring Holy Trinity Church Choir and Carols for all the Family!
- Sunday 15th December 4pm in Church.
Christian Vision
Strong in our faith in God, let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, by encouraging one another.
Hebrews 10:23-25
As we continue to prepare for Christmas, during collective worship this week we thought about how Jesus is the light of our world. In the bible we hear how Jesus references himself as being this light, but from the moment of his birth, there are many references to light, from the Magi following the star to illustrations depicting his birth (as we see in the image below), where the baby seems to radiate light.
We know that light helps us to see in the dark. This can be true in a practical way, such as when we use a torch in the dark at night, helping us see our way. Light can also be a comfort and a guide. Many of the sad things that go on around us are caused by a type of darkness in people’s hearts, making it hard to see any light. It is at this time that we learn how God is sending Jesus to us to be our guiding light. He will light our way through life, showing us what God is like and showing us the way to bring light to the lives of others. While a torch helps to keep us from stumbling over things in the dark, Jesus wants to help keep us from stumbling over problems in life. He wants to be there as a comfort when we feel lonely and sad, and help us to live in light and in goodness. The light of Jesus is bright enough for everyone.
And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.
Isaiah 42:16
Weekly collective worship
Our class-led collective worship will take place every Friday at 2.55pm in the church hall. Parents/carers are warmly invited to attend their child’s class-led collective worship; the dates for these are shown below.
| Friday 13th December | Awards |
Our LabTech Sponsors
Please click here for a link to the Camden Market Events.
We are delighted to have a new partner onboard this year, LabTech. Through their Community Grants Programme, LabTech support a wide range of local initiatives to improve our neighbourhood and enhance Camden residents’ quality of life. LabTech’s funding helped to financially support the 2024 Shakespeare Project, Julius Caesar. LabTech is a local organisation in the heart of Camden Market; find out more about LabTech by clicking the link below.
Free Counselling Service for Parents
Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity with many years of experience working with UK schools to improve children’s wellbeing and behaviour. The charity also supports parents and families and has a wealth of practical tips and advice on many areas of parenting, all of which can be accessed online, including: dealing with changes and endings; building resilience; separation anxiety; de-escalation techniques; positive body image; friendship issues; perfectionism; sleep; gaming habits; and many more. Click on the link here to access and explore the support
We highly recommend the free counselling service for parents through Camden. You can find out more and register your interest via this leaflet.
New Emotional Wellbeing Website for Young People and Families
A new NHS website, packed with emotional wellbeing and mental health information and resources, has been launched to help young people and families, as well as professionals working with them, to navigate support options.
NCL Waiting Room was produced with the help and input of young people, families and professionals. It aims to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for information on specialist mental health services, community groups, emotional wellbeing and self-care resources.
It allows young people and their parents or carers to search for, filter and share resources based on their needs and preferences.
NCL Waiting Room will continue to grow and develop, so watch this space for more details. You can visit the website here and try out the Support Hub resource navigation feature here.
If you have any feedback on the website, you can do this on the relevant pages of the site, or email rtown@tavi-port.nhs.uk
Camden Music Service
From Y1 onwards, you can sign your child up to learn an instrument in school. For more information and to download the Camden Music Service application form, please click here.
Other Community Initiatives
Community Initiatives
Camden Library Activities
We highly recommend these. Click here for the catalogue.
Term dates for 2024 – 2025
| First day of autumn term 1 | Wednesday 4th September |
| Half term | Monday 28th – Friday 1st November 2025 |
| First day of autumn term 2 | Monday 4th November |
| Last day of autumn term 2 | Friday 20th December |
| INSET DAY | Monday 6th January 2025 |
| First day of spring term 1 | Tuesday 7th January |
| Half term | Monday 17th – Friday 21st February |
| First day of spring term 2 | Monday 24th February |
| Last day of spring term 2 | Friday 4th April |
| First day of summer term 1 | Tuesday 22nd April |
| Half term | Monday 26th May – Friday 30th May 2025 |
| First day of summer term 2 | Monday 2nd June |
| Last day of summer term 2 | Friday 18th July |