The Nutshell w/e 1 March

Dear Parents,

It has been a busy couple of weeks at Hazelwood since we returned from half term and as always, it has been lovely to see the children back at school refreshed from their break and full of enthusiasm!

We recently received our wonderful review from Talk Education, who visited us earlier in the year. Please scan the QR code below or on page 3 in the newsletter to read the full review. We are so proud of all the lovely things written about us and especially the pupils who represented us on the day – they did a fantastic job!

We are fast approaching the much-anticipated charity music concert with the Orpheus Centre on Thursday 21st March. The Chapel Choir is incredibly excited to be performing alongside a few members of the Orpheus alumni and rehearsals are in full swing! Everyone is warmly invited to attend so please come along and show your support by booking tickets here. Tickets are free, but we encourage donations and every penny raised will go to the Orpheus Centre to help support their amazing work with young people. More information can be found on page 6.

There have been many remarkable highlights from the last 2 weeks. A particular favourite of mine was the interhouse debate, where pupils delivered well-researched and effective arguments about whether online shopping is better than shopping in person. The children always amaze me with their impressive persuasive skills. Perhaps we have some budding MPs in the making! I unfortunately missed the Year 5 and 6 Final Poetry Recital Competition yesterday, but I understand that it was brilliant. We invited former Hazelwood librarian, Kath Dymoke in as adjudicator, who was impressed by the presentation skills, poise and confidence displayed by the children. You can see a selection of the recitals on our social media channels by the end of the day.

Behind the scenes at Hazelwood there is a significant amount of work underway to enhance our school site in preparation for the new academic year. All these plans are designed to further enhance and enrich our incredible facilities, providing an even richer learning environment for pupils and staff. Rest assured, I will keep you updated as and when plans are finalised.

I would like to take this opportunity to briefly explain a recent, new approach to some of our classrooms which builds on our work in the BOX. We have taken the adaptability of the BOX philosophy to these classrooms with extraordinary success – Flexible Classrooms. Setting up our classrooms as flexible, inter-changeable spaces allows pupils to learn in ways that cater to their individual needs, preferences, and learning styles. This involves our pupils choosing different workspaces within their classes, collaborating in groups, or learning independently. Giving pupils this choice helps increase engagement, participation, teamwork and communication. It allows them to take ownership of their learning journey and gives them a sense of motivation and responsibility. The results so far, have blown us away. Pupils are more engaged and happier to learn in a space they feel more comfortable in and we have already seen a positive impact on academic progress as well. We will continue to monitor, test and review this approach and I will continue to update you as we roll it out across the school.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Lindie.

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