It's been a long week and half-term already feels like a lifetime ago! We kick-started the week with our fantastic spooky disco! Thank you to all the staff and the PTA who attended and enabled such a fun night for our pupils. We are very lucky to have such a great team!

The Autumn term, in the lead up to Christmas, is particularly busy. The calendar is on the school website. Please keep up to date with everything we have going on.

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Huge congratulations to Mrs Ahmed and her husband, on the birth of Ihsan Ahmed. A tiny 6lbs 6 oz. He is even wearing his Arsenal hat!

Welcome to the world Ihsan- what a lucky little boy you are!

Daddy and son- doing well!

Mother in shock!

Congratulations also go to some other families at Abbeys! Dylan has a new baby brother and Goshi and Alima have a new baby too!

The labour ward must have been full of Abbeys' families and staff!

I cannot wait to meet them all.

A period of silence is held at 11am to remember the people who have died in wars around the world. I would encourage pupils and families to observe this silence and watch the remembrance parade on Newsround.

Remembrance Day marks the actual day World War 1 ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918.

Remembrance Sunday is also marked each year, and usually falls on the second Sunday in November.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

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Every year we celebrate our differences and recognise Anti-Bullying Week. Bullying is extremely rare at Abbeys. Bullying is not a one-off incident of being unkind and we work hard as a team to ensure pupils understand what bullying is and that it will not be tolerated.

'From playgrounds to parliament, our homes to our phones, this Anti-Bullying Week let’s ‘Choose Respect’ and bring an end to bullying which negatively impacts millions of young lives. This year, we’ll empower children and young people to not resort to bullying, even when we disagree and remind adults to lead by example, online and offline. Imagine a world where respect and kindness thrives - it’s not just a dream, it’s in the choices we make. Join us this Anti-Bullying Week and commit to ‘Choose Respect’'

By now you will have received an email with your child's new topic, newsletter and homework.

Years 1 and 2 are learning all about the Lady and the lamp- Florence Nightingale.

Years 3 and 4 are learning all about mountains and rivers and

Years 5 and 6 are learning all about the Ancient Mayan civilisations- a topic that focusses on chocolate - that is my kind of learning!

Foundation stage- is a little bit different. They do not have homework or newsletters like other phases in the school. But their topic is all about Celebrations- and we always have a lot to celebrate at Abbeys. I am sure they'll enjoy their learning this half-term and I will enjoy seeing all of their work on Tapestry, our online learning portal.

To launch the new topic, the KS1 children had a hook day. These special days hook the children into their new topic and inspire them. The children learnt about Florence Nightingale and what it was like to work in the dark. The children completed their work by candlelight! Look carefully, I can barely see them!

The year 3/4 classes walked to Furzton lake this week. This was part of their local area geography field work and links to their learning-all about rivers and mountains. The children completed various learning activities, including sketching and observing the environment.

Despite the weather they had the 'best time ever!'

A huge thank you to the PTA for their efforts to improve our provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs.

We have over 50 children in the school with additional needs. We are a very inclusive school and our pupils with SEN are well-supported in the mainstream classroom. However, at times they may need time out of class and therefore, we need calming spaces for them to learn and thrive.

We have one space currently in KS1 and are working on another special space in Key Stage 2.

Thanks to Mel, Claire, Jo and Jenn for helping to make the school better for our pupils. This space is crucial and we know it will have a huge impact on our children.

THANKS SO MUCH!

Another thank you has to go to the staff that helped sort the huge shed at the front of school - they did it in the half-term holiday! The shed was filled with stuff from the 70s to today! We even found a mouse or two! Thanks to the parents that helped with some heavy lifting! We filled two skips!

'A big shout-out to Amalia, who has been learning the times tables during the half term! She was extremely determined, finding new ways of calculating faster and we were really proud of her! A big shout out to Miss O’Flynn for encouraging the children to participate in the TTRS battle!'

A shout-out has to go to Maria in Foundation stage. She learnt her times tables! 'She wanted to win as she can see her brothers playing times tables'. Well done David and Andrei for leading by example. Maria was 9th overall on the leader board! We have never had a pupil so young, scoring so highly!

Well done to all the children that took part in the battle of the bands over half term. More than 50 children took part and look at the leader board!

Congratulations to Melrose, the winning class overall. And Zendaya [Kuukua] for smashing the competition with 26,011 points!

Congratulations and well done to Ethan Carpenter. Ethan has walked to school every day this week. He is growing in independence, and we are all so proud of him.

A lovely photo of Ethan enjoying the Autumn leaves.

Keep it up Ethan!

You are just like Mrs Clarke in this photo!

'Ever since starting year 1, Nelly has started playing teachers at home. She is copying what she is learning in school including her very own red words, phonics cards all from Amazon and her very own golden time book. This afternoon we added a playtime whistle and Fred in your head toy to the collection'.

I think this is so lovely Nelly! You are a superstar. A teacher in the making!

Just don't moan about the Headteacher in the staffroom like the rest of the teachers do!

Being mugged is usually a bad thing, but at Abbeys it is our way of recognising a staff member that has gone above and beyond and telling them we appreciate them by filling a mug full of their favourite things!

This week Miss Gregory mugged

Mrs Wright!

"For always going above and beyond for Children, Parents and our team here at the school. She has a very helpful nature, no matter how busy all of this is done with a smile on her face very well deserved"

I couldn't agree more. Mrs Wright is a great member of the team.