Science Week Begins

Science Week began with a bang as 'Mad Science' led the school assembly; creating fireballs, squeezing eggs through tight spaces and building excitement amongst all of our pupils. The children then had the opportunity to work with our guest scientists to discuss chemical and physical changes. Every child was able to take part in an experiment and create their own slime by mixing a variety of materials together. In the afternoon they also had the opportunity to work in a number of different classrooms and take part in some fantastic experiments (keep an eye out for blogs about them later in the week). It was a fantastic start to what will be a great week!

E for Effort

Every week, teachers recognise pupils in their class who have made an extra effort. These pupils are awarded the E for Effort cup in front of the whole school during our Friday morning assembly.

Congratulations to all the wonderful children who made an extra effort last week.

Boys' Football: Hacton 1 - 0 Towers

Last Wednesday, the Year 5 and 6 boys kicked off the new football season with a victory over Towers Junior School. Both sides played well in a hard fought contest featuring solid defending and impressive goalkeeping heroics. After a goalless first half, Tommy drove the ball into the back of the net: 1-0 to Hacton! The boys defended well and kept their lead for the rest of the match; a very promising start to the season. Well done!

E for Effort

Every week, teachers recognise pupils in their class who have made an extra effort. These pupils are awarded the E for Effort cup in front of the whole school during our Friday morning assembly.

Congratulations to all the wonderful children who made an extra effort last week.

No Pokémon, Match Attax or Similar Trading Cards in School Please

Children get very excited about new crazes but these can cause issues in the playground. Pokémon trading cards are currently very popular and we have had a few problems with missing cards and misunderstandings about swaps. Children feel strongly about these issues, so to avoid upset we are requesting that trading cards are not brought into school.

If a pupil does bring cards into school, their class teacher will look after them until the end of the day. Children can then enjoy trading cards with just their close friends outside of school. Thank you for your co-operation.

Year 3: Maths

Year 3 have had another busy but enjoyable week. In Numeracy the children learnt about fractions. They all had fun experiencing fractions in real life when looking at them as a 'set of objects', using Smarties as an example. Some children found they had 0/32 orange Smarties in their unlucky tube. However, some lucky children had 9/36 blue Smarties in their tube. Additionally, the class totalled fractions and some found that the total of red and brown smarties was 8/32 of their tube.

In Miss Vlasic's maths class on Wednesday, the children thoroughly enjoyed becoming Mastery Maths Detectives. They had a range of envelopes on their desks with different fraction challenges where the focus was on 'explaining why'.

Although the children said they loved all of the fraction lessons this week, their favourite part was clearly ... eating smarties!

Recognition for Outstanding SATs Results

Mr Emes was delighted to receive a letter from Dr Tim Coulson, Regional Schools Commissioner, to recognise this year's outstanding SATs results. With increased expectations in the new tests, this crossover year proved to be a challenge for staff and pupils; a challenge that our staff and pupils rose to. The Regional Schools Commissioner understands that results like ours only come about through the hard work and dedication from staff. It is encouraging to receive official recognition for our work supporting and nurturing our pupils so they achieve personal excellence.

Secondary School Transfer

Have you completed an online application for your child to transfer to secondary school in September 2017?

If not you should apply online now, and no later than 31 October 2017 otherwise your application will be late which could result in you not being offered a school of your preference. You can apply via www.havering.gov.uk/eadmissions. Even if your child has a brother or sister that attends the school you will still need to apply for a place.

Free School Meals and Pupil Premium

Apply for
free
school meals Do you qualify for Free School Meals? You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:

• Income Support 
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190 
• Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

---

Although all our infant pupils are now able to receive a universal free school meal our school budget is based upon many factors, two of which are;

• the number of pupils eligible for Free School Meals, whether they take them or not. 
• the number of pupils who are from families where a parent/carer is employed by the Armed Services. 

At Hacton our numbers in these categories are relatively low and so our budget allocation for the school is reduced accordingly.

If you are in receipt of any of the benefits listed below then your child may be eligible for Free School Meals and it would be much appreciated if you could let us know. Even if you choose to send your child in with a packed lunch or even if you have an infant child who is eligible for universal free school meals, please apply as it makes a big difference to our budget share as a school.

If you believe you may be eligible please contact Student Finance on 01708 433929 and they will advise you immediately if you are entitled to receive Free School Meals.

If there is a member of the Armed Services in your immediate family, please notify the school office on 01708 443991.

With many thanks for your anticipated support in this matter.

N P L Emes

Headteacher