Hello, it’s great to meet you here and thanks for taking the time to read Ranelagh Primary School’s Newsletter. Please let me take this opportunity to introduce myself as one of the parent Governors of Ranelagh Primary School representing the amazing and hardworking parents whose children are learning at Ranelagh. I have crossed paths with many of you on school runs, parents’ evenings, summer and winter fairs, but never really had the chance to formally introduce myself as your representative on Ranelagh Primary School’s Local Advisory Board (LAB), which performs the following key roles:

• Setting the strategic direction of the school
• Ensuring accountability of senior leadership team of the school
• Providing support and challenging the leadership team of the school on all issues that affect the learning and welfare of pupils.
• Monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance
• Ensuring that the school is a safe, healthy and an inclusive environment.

  As a Link Governor, I have specific responsibility to work with and support the school’s senior leadership team in their efforts to continue to embed empowered leadership, through self-reflection and school analysis to drive strategic decisions. This is a role I enjoy very much as it resonates with many of my own responsibilities as Director of Studies for Newcastle University in London.

I attended the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting on Tuesday 5^th February 2019. The PTA is doing an amazing job supporting the pupils, parents, and staff of Ranelagh Primary School. It was an absolute privilege to hear them speak so passionately about many of the wonderful projects and events they have delivered at Ranelagh. I am delighted to inform you that they are working on staging many more exciting projects and events in the future. Thanks once again and please come and say hello next time we bump into each other on the school runs.

Five Year 6 pupils represented Ranelagh at The Holocaust Memorial event in Newham Town Hall on Friday. The children were fortunate enough to hear from Holocaust survivor Polish-born Harry Olmer BEM, who gave a powerful recount of his experiences in 5 different concentration camps. The 91-year-old was only 12 when the Second World War started.

He emphasised the need for children to have an understanding of what can happen if we do not stand up to racism, prejudice or hate against those that are different by race or religion. ”This is a message that is relayed in every aspect of our Curriculum. The children were moved and immensely respectful,” Mr Hurrell, the Ranelagh Curriculum Lead

Soggy semolina, lumpy mashed potato and leathery liver are memories of many people’s school meal. That has all changed over the years, children have a lunch menu, at times, befitting of the Queen herself.

Last Wednesday, the Ranelagh community -including the Deputy Mayor of Newham, joined together to celebrate our amazing school meals. To celebrate 25 years of National School Meal Week, Ranelagh was asked to join in to promote ‘Powered by School Meals.'

The scientist demonstrated how carbon dioxide is denser than oxygen. “The balloon filled with carbon dioxide fell to the ground quickly” remarked Jamilson from Year 4, our keen scientific observer. The children were wowed when they saw that lemons attached to electric leads can cause a bulb to light. “This is why we need to eat fruit,” said Franklyn from Year 4, “as this is the energy we get from it.”

The whole school were treated to beans and the many ways in which you you can eat them – with Tortilla chips being the most popular. The nutritional value of beans is immense - 3 heaped tablespoons of beans is one of your 5 a day.

On Friday twenty girls from Year 5 and 6 attended the Tapscott Learning Trust’s Girls Active festival. The event took place at the West Ham Foundation and saw over 130 girls from across the Borough taking part in a range of physical activities.

There were four events – boxing, cricket, hockey and American football – with every girl taking part in each one. “I really loved the cricket event. It was so fun to try and hit the ball, and I made friends from other schools,” Vanessa in Year 5 commented.

Every year, in the Autumn term and as part of our learning in the Ranelagh Curriculum, our wonderful students put together their own Community Action Projects, with the vision of making the world a better place. We have been running our action projects for over 6 years now, and every year they get better and better. The children have once again taken action to raise global awareness about a variety of planetary issues - from melting ice caps to deforestation of the rainforest - and were keen to help as best they could.

Each year group researched a charity to support, linked to their studies, and planned an action that they could carry out to raise awareness and garner support from the local community. Stalls were then set out spanning the Key Stage One playground and manned by children and members of the PTA who tirelessly promoted and campaigned for their causes. Year 6 decorated canvas bags with stunning  artwork to support Greenpeace, Year 4 made and sold lemonade with proceeds going to Water Aid, Year 2 made frosted ‘ice cakes’ to raise awareness of the melting polar ice caps and reception made stunning key rings in support of the Marine Conservation Society, to name but a few of the many exciting actions that took place on the day.

On Monday and Tuesday Year 1 visited the wonderful Natural History Museum. Inspired by their learning in the Ranelagh Curriculum, the children visited many different galleries and took in the breath-taking sights. “The blue whale is enormous! I never knew it was so big,” Yusuf commented. “I really liked the polar bear. It is so white but it has black skin and I didn’t know that,” Anastasia explained.