DATE: 6th March 2015 Issue: Spring 4

DEMOCRACY DAY AT HALLEY Pupils at Halley had the chance to learn more about democracy –which is a system of government in which the people are involved in making decisions; usually by voting to elect representatives to parliament. We watched a fantastic play about the history of democracy in this country and then children took part in workshops to learn more about children’s rights and women and the vote.

We also had chance to meet two Members of Parliament—Stephen Twigg and Rushanara Ali from the Labour Party and also candidates from the Green Party and the Conservative Party visited us to help us to understand their jobs and how they are preparing for the General Election which will be held on May 7th this year.

ASSEMBLY NEWS Bubble and squeak, Yorkshire pudding, toad in the hole, pie and mash, fish and chips and trifle were all some of the British traditional food that we thought of in assembly. Our mouths were watering and we all started to feel hungry! We learned that a traditional dish in London’s east end where we live is called jellied eels and that 165 million cups of tea are drunk in Britain every day! We also heard that in a survey of Britain’s favourite food the winner was...CURRY.

Quiet Time We read this poem... Let’s be thankful for this day, For our friends and our play. Let’s be thankful, lets be glad For our food and the things we have. Let’s give thanks for you and me And our home and family.

FRIENDS OF THE WEEK Karen Little will not be at school for a few weeks as she is recovering from an operation. In the meantime we have some new friends at Halley who will be working in the offices with Juber. Ruzina, Louise and Maria will be helping to keep our school running smoothly and to pay all the bills until Karen is well enough to return.

Ruzina Louise Maria We all send Karen our good wishes and hope that she will get well soon. We will all try to support Ruzina, Louise and Maria to get to know everyone in our school and to feel happy as members of the Halley team. EVERYBODY NEEDS GOOD FRIENDS

Year 5 Have New French Friends Olivier, our French Assistant, has organized a fantastic learning opportunity for the pupils in Year 5. They have made contact with a Year 5 class at Ecole Alain Fournier in Wimereux, France. The children have already exchanged letters and photos and are getting to know each other as well as further developing their written French and English. Wimereux is a beautiful small town in northern France and the best thing is that it is by the sea. There is the most amazing beach where everybody goes to play and to learn to sail and windsurf. We hope that we will be able to make it possible for the pupils at Halley to visit their friends in Wimereux some time. We have set up a new blog on DB Primary called La Correspondance Franco-Anglaise. This will be an ongoing journal of our link with the school in Wimereux. You can find the link to DB Primary on the Halley website.

“CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES” Happy Birthday this week to... Zaynah in Year 4 will be 9 years old Reeha in Year 1 will be 6 years old Ayaan in the Nursery will be 4 years old Summaya in Year 2 will be 7 years old Thank you to all our families who took part in the “Wild Things” family homework and brought something back to school to share.

A French Weekend Homework That's Interesting!

The House of Commons has 659 members who have been elected by local residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament. The members are called Members of Parliament (MPs). Each MP represents one of the 659 constituencies (areas) in the UK and is a member of a political party.