Dear Meadowbrook Community, welcome to another edition of our End of Year Newsletter. After so

many years, it feels rather strange to be writing that for the last time! As you may read in my End of Term

Cover letter, now that Meadowbrook has a new Headteacher, my role (whilst still busy!) will be less obvious,

yet just as significant in steering the school and maintaining the unique ‘feel’ and practice we have worked

hard to establish over the years.

As was the case this year, the figurehead of the school must always be the Head not least because of their

presence on a daily basis (or at school events) but also because they are in day-to-day control of the setting.

From September, a new face will take over in the form of Rupal Patel whom many of you have met. As you will

read in her brief contribution to this newsletter, Rupal is very much looking forward to joining our community

and I am confident that you will aid her transition with the sort of kindness and support that has become

synonymous with Meadowbrook.

As we reach the end of this, my ‘stepping back’ year, I would like to thank Barbara O’Sullivan again for the

wonderful job she has done during this interim period. It was important not to rush the selection of a new

Head and having Barbara at the helm, running the school with her usual style of competent authority and

bubbliness, has given me the time to engineer the perfect scenario going forward. Sarah, too has been a

tremendous help. Taking on the role of Assistant Head, establishing new systems for data analysis, writing the

weekly comms and stepping in where needed in a management capacity. Thank you both.

Our class teachers, specialist staff and support staff, must also be acknowledged, not only for all their hard

work and commitment to the school but also for their flexibility whilst we were establishing a new structure. It

is not easy making a change and yet, rather like our children, when their teachers leave the room…..everybody

has risen to the challenge of remaining focussed on the job in hand and getting it done - thank you! Like any

production, behind the scenes, there is a huge amount of commitment and work that goes into what we do

and as we conclude what has been a very busy year, a big thank you must also go our behind the scenes

crew…Joy, Jennie and John…the 3 J’s. Whilst Barbara, in her capacity as Head, said goodbye to Pia at the end

of our lovely Academic Morning, I would also like to acknowledge her 14 years of dedicated service to the

school. Thank you Pia for all you have contributed to our school. Like our Graduates, who always find their way

home, you will always be welcome at Meadowbrook and I wish you all the best in your new adventure!

Change…..it was Socrates who said that the secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the

old, but on building the new. It has often been said the art of life often lies in making these constant

adjustments and our ability to adapt is amazing. That leads nicely on to my contribution to this year’s

newsletter @Change & the Growth Mind-set’. A call for developing the ‘can do’ attitude! Please read it,

practice it and encourage it in your ow children.

No doubt the summer holidays will give you all plenty of time to make mistakes and ‘see what you can learn

from them’. Have fun with your children and look after them for us until we see you again in September. I will

be around the school and working throughout the holidays as usual so do feel free to get in touch if you need.

After that time, remember, your ‘go to’ person will be Rupal.

All the best,

Director of Education

serenagunn@meadowbrook.uk

Reception class are more than ready to move to Year 1. Having been inspired this whole academic

year by their older peers they are excited to be moving to the other end of the Lower Primary classroom. They

will be excellent role models for the new Reception group joining in September. We are very sad to say

goodbye to our current Year 2 group, but know they are also ready for the journey ahead of them when they

join the Upper Primary community in September. We’ll miss you

all……please do stop by in Lower and say hi!

The term has been busy with projects and topics and the days

have flown by! Reception has studied the British Isles in

Geography and has learnt more about the three countries and

related facts and icons. Year 1&2 have focussed on making maps

of fictional places using keys and compasses as well developing

their knowledge and application of geographical and directional

language. Programming each other to move across ‘maps’ and

programming Bee-Bot has allowed the children to apply their

growing knowledge of directional and positional language whilst developing both

their Computer Science and Design and

Technology skills.

Our stunning local environment has played a

much larger role in the Science and

Geography studies of both classes and our

spring and summer walks have helped us

compare changes to the natural environment

over the seasons, as well knowing the local

residents better! Over the year, we have seen

their confidence growing as they

negotiate brambles, bridges, animals,

stiles, roads and plenty of cowpats!

In Science, Reception studied Building Materials, Energy and Forces. The highlight

was learning about electricity and how to make an electric circuit, as well as

exploring magnetic and non-magnetic things around the school. The resulting

activity has certainly been a hit on our Practical Life shelf! Reception and Year

1&2 have also studied the natural world in greater depth, with a

particular focus on Plants & Planting and Life Cycles.

We were able to gain first-hand experience

of the life cycle of chickens by caring for

our own school hens, although it is a little

tricky for some children to understand that

the eggs our hens produce which we sell to

our community will never turn into chicks!

Year 1&2 developed their observational drawing skills in a leaf study,

in which they had to compare, sort, describe, categorise and label

different leaves. Their first attempts were not very accurate, but after

watching ‘Austin’s Butterfly’ (which teaches children about critical feedback and

subsequent improvement) their drawings became more detailed and defined. Year 2 will

continue this skill when they move into year 3 in September.

During Art lessons, Reception produced paintings in the style of famous artists. We know

some of the children have been speaking to you about Van Gogh and Matisse and have

produced some very good copies! We certainly have some budding artists in the group!

Year 1&2 enjoyed an extended painting session as they created the scenery for ‘Little Red

Riding Hood’, which was double-sided to show both the woodland scene and the inside of

the cottage. Special thanks to Wendy for her extra efforts in the

management of the project!

Showtime, assemblies and Community Meetings have prepared the youngest members of our

school to be confident performers as witnessed during Father’s Day and Academic Morning.

Father’s Day proved to be a huge success as usual, with dads coming into school to hear

poetry and prose written by their children, with time afterwards for snacks and a look

through work books. The feedback we received was lovely and we

can’t wait to see you all back next year!

A super ‘well done’ to all the children for their efforts for Academic Morning. Reception were amazing as they

presented the planets of the solar system to us, while Year 1&2 divided into two groups to present ‘Who Am

I?’ and a play of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. You were all able to memorise your words and deliver your

presentations clearly, confidently and with lots of personality! You displayed excellent teamwork in your

support of each other during Sports Day and all of you were good sports. Your teachers are so proud of you all!

All that’s left to say is ‘Happy Summer Holidays’ everyone! See you at Summer Club if you’re there; otherwise

we’ll see you in September.

In our Spiritual, Moral, Social

and Cultural sessions, Upper Primary

learnt about Sikhism which culminated

to a visit to the Gurdwara in Slough

and a meal as part of the ‘langar,’ or

charity.

Learning together in this way has allowed us to compare and contrast Sikhism to Christianity and aspects of

other religions.

Year 4

The children have enthusiastically delved into the elevated curriculum this term. With extensions in

numeracy, literacy and science – they have been able to apply their strategies and knowledge across the

board.

History was a particular area of interest, with our study of World War 2. Discussing the pros and cons of

rationing, the evacuation procedures and the D-Day landings, helped us all to understand the gravity of this

time in our history and how it left no family untouched., Our trip to the Imperial War Museum, London truly

gave us a depth of understanding which we could not have found elsewhere.

In Science we turned our focus to ‘States of Matter’, where we investigated

changing the state of solids, liquids and gases through the addition of heat or cold,

dissolving and melting. Using salt to lower the freezing temperature of water,

allowed us to further investigate how changes of state can be manipulated.

We learned how to weigh the Carbon Dioxide in carbonated drinks. It was particularly interesting to observe

the different methods of de-carbonisation trailed by each group. Through trial and error, we made some

astonishing discoveries.

Many of the years 3&4 pupils have taken

on self-directed initiatives this year, from

Owen and Felix and their RC (Remote

Control) vehicle presentation, Saxby and

his Lego Masters Competition and Owen and Meadowbrook’s Got Talent. They have all inspired the

community to take on new challenges with the support of the community.

Year 5&6

The Uppers immersed themselves in imaginary, figurative writing with the Convergence of the Twain

by Thomas Hardy and entered the national poetry writing competition. Eleven of the children have been

selected to have their work published; yes, we have authors in our midst and great year 5 role models for the

next year group.

We also studied argument and debate writing (hugely controversial with subjects of Should CCTV be installed

into classrooms? And, Should Banksy be considered an artist? This in fact was further debated at our

Academic Morning.

In our biology strand we explored Animals, Including Humans and looked at the circulatory, respiratory and

digestive systems. We looked at healthy choices and lifestyles, the effects of drugs, medicines and

experimented with cigarettes and our pulse rate in repetitive investigations which involved statistics and

means.

As our graduates prepare to begin their new educational chapter at their new schools, we also say farewell to

Pia Hambidge who has been teaching at Meadowbrook for 14 years. I will dearly miss her smile, spontaneity

and froggie tights and we all at Meadowbrook would like to say a huge thank you and good luck in her new

adventure and teaching chapter.

In food technology this term, Fixes researched the components of seasonal salads, how they were farmed and

designed and created our own past salad. Please continue to supervise your child with basic food preparation

and allow them to butter their own bread, grate cheese, slice the cucumber, whisk eggs, prepare eggs etc.

these skills are both practical and empowering and the foundation of food technology and hygiene.

Try grating courgette into a muffin

mixture?

Forest School Fun

Our combined classes followed a blind man’s trail, identified the trees within our environment and

uniquely created a non-verbal code to depict each tree (laugh out loud and very ingenious). How would you

depict a willow tree? A wavy hand to denote the water, and then used a bent body for drooping over the

water – genius!

We reviewed our fire striker skills and endeavoured to light the cotton wool or thistle down. There was lots of

determination and gritted teeth and discernible perseverance and resilience, from every child, and everyone

succeeded.

We critically observed plants in our environment and looked at the leaf margins, leaf shapes, veins and

attachment to the stem. Every child slowed down and took the time to, stare. Please encourage this more –

just what is underfoot?

Our finale to the session was toasted marshmallows and groans of exhaustion; a great day for everyone.

Our Graduates destinations vary this year from Leighton Park, The Marist, St. Crispins, The Holt, Ranelagh and

St Edwards. We wish them all good luck and farewell to those families who have been with us for almost ten

years. Every new chapter is scary and exciting and we hope that they, as the lyrics to the graduation song go -

‘will always look back, as we walk away, our memories will last …for eternity, till we find our way back, to your

hearts again’.

Have a restful summer break,

Change & the Growth Mindset ….

‘I can’t do it’ says George unhappily. ‘No’…. replies the teacher….’remember George, you can’t do

it….YET’. For years, Meadowbrook has taught children the power of ‘YET’. Believing that intelligence, rather

than being inherent or ‘fixed’ (which was once the common belief), can and does grow if nurtured in the right

conditions. This is referred to as Growth Mindset and for positive change to occur (and to be successfully

embedded into ones psyche) it is essential.

The theory of Growth Mindset stems from the work of American professor of psychology, Carol Dwek. It was

Dwek who coined the terms ‘fixed mindset’ and ‘growth mindset’ to describe each of the aforementioned

learning and intelligence beliefs.

Despite being born inherently intelligent and curious about learning, we all know that once children begin

school, many fall quickly into the realms of not being good enough. Like George, expressions of ‘I can’t’, ‘I’m

no good’, and ‘I’m not as clever as everybody else’ begin to emerge and the spiral of self-doubt begins. This is

significant and potentially very damaging to children’s learning as like adults, children will always DO better,

when they FEEL better. What makes children FEEL better? A sense of achievement and the feeling that they

get from knowing that they are capable of overcoming challenges.

Developing a Growth Mindset, means teaching children that they are in charge of their learning in this context.

Mistakes can be opportunities to learn and failure (stemming from the root word F.A.I.L or as Meadowbrook

children are taught First Attempt In Learning) can be seen as a signal to persist, to have faith in their abilities

and to try again. Rather than failure and struggle being seen as a discouragement, children can be taught to

see it as a challenge…..something they are determined to overcome!

The notion of try, try and try again (that Winston Churchill also adhered to) becomes possible and once a child

has experienced the feeling of achievement, they start to believe that their brains are capable of overcoming

any new challenge it faces in learning and problem solving. This instils confidence in learning which in turn,

improves performance.

While it is heartening to see more parents and educators taking on this approach, many aren’t implementing

properly. For many, a Growth Mindset seems to represent effort or praise but effort means nothing if it is

merely being used to try the same techniques that didn’t work for the child in the first place. Similarly, praise,

albeit nice, is an external motivator that does little to change the mindset of a discouraged child. At

Meadowbrook therefore, Growth Mindset practice must also adhere to our Positive Discipline and Montessori

roots.

As Meadowbrook parents, you will no doubt read up on these theories before attempting to support us by

implementing them in the home. Next term, I will be beginning a series of termly parent talks on a range of

subjects to support our working together, from ‘Implementing a Growth Mindset’ to ‘Is that REALLY Positive

Discipline?’ and ‘Montessori in the Home’. In the meantime however, follow these top tips:

1. Help your struggling child to find different strategies that actually work. Brainstorm ideas with them

rather than just telling them. Remember we do WITH at M’bk not TO.

2. Remember to question how you have shown or taught your child to do something in the first place -

was it thorough enough? A child cannot be expected to improve if they lack the skills / knowledge (or

educational infrastructure) to help them to do so.

3. Let them struggle – a normal impulse is to step in and help but research shows that allowing children

to struggle a bit is actually beneficial. Step in too quickly and you are taking away an opportunity for

them to learn. Nobody ‘grows’ within their comfort zone and this is where Growth Mindset comes in.

Stepping back is different to abandoning though so find a balance!

4. Use the language of Growth Mindset and help your child to recognise where they are going wrong.

You are capable, you can do it if you try this….you may not be able to do this yet but what could you

do to succeed, what a wonderful challenge to have, how could you tackle this? I can see you have

tried very hard, let’s see how you can improve for next time, I know you can do it, and it’s okay if you

get stuck but you need to try first. Let’s try a different way of looking at this. Never settle for less than

your best! Great…you made a mistake…now let’s see what we can learn from it!

5. Teach children that there is more than one way to learn…research learning styles and tap in to this

like we do when interacting with your own child. Teach them to think outside the box. Finally...

6. Practice what you preach – children will copy your behaviour so model a Growth Mindset yourself.

Developing a Growth Mindset isn’t always easy, so remember that you will make errors too. It’s just

as important to learn from your own mistakes as it is for our children to learn from theirs.

As FoMM Chairperson, Zoe Steed mentioned last term, this term, Zoe will step down from her role

and we will be appointing a new Chair. We would like to thank Zoe for her incredible work with FoMM and the

school more widely and hopefully we will be seeing her very soon in a different supporting role within the

school.

Dear Meadowbrook Community

I am looking forward to joining the Meadowbrook community as Headteacher in September 2019. The

Meadowbrook vision, ’We strive to provide a happy, motivated and inspirational community that nurtures

the individual and where a culture of high expectation is expected and enjoyed,' encapsulates the power

of the community and how much we can achieve when we work together. It is a vision of a world towards

which we all strive. We want to have the peace and respect within the world and if we aim to educate

upon these guiding principles, then the future, by definition will be better.

I am inspired by this and my personal leadership vision is to extend these principles of community

further. My aim is to discover the unique voice within each child through education and in order for this

to be achieved, we need to value our staff, and give them opportunities to be their best so that they can

work in partnership with parents and carers, to give each one of our Meadowbrook children, the very best

platform of foundational primary education to take them forward so that they can live their best lives.

As with all human endeavours, schools are places of constant renewal and development and I look

forward to being part of this wonderful community. See you all bright and early on Tuesday 10th

September.

Rupal Patel