Dads speaks to school staff across Tower Hamlets!

The Stepney Partnership attended a seminar about how to involve Fathers in school life yesterday. Two Stepney Partnership Dads, M.Rasel from Redlands and Naim from Halley, shared their family scrap books and their experiences - they got lots of applause!

It was a really informative afternoon, some of the advice coming from the day included:

• Schools need to be flexible with timings when organising events for Fathers - it's good to have lots of options - mornings, afternoons and weekends



• Fathers need to have lots of advance warning so they can book time off work



• 'Pester power' from kids is really important - if the children are excited about an activity they will pester their Dads to come.
  


• Dads like really practical activities with their children
  


• Letters home should go to Mums, Dads and Carers - research has shown that more Fathers will turn up if letters are addressed to them

Family cooking workshops at Stepney Green

Pizza, shepards pie, apple crumble, biscuits are all on the menu for the family cooking workshops at Stepney Green.

Four workshops are taking place, and families from across the Stepney Partnership schools are invited. The workshops are led by the head cook at Stepney Green.

Trips over half-term

The Stepney Partnership has organised loads of family trips for half-term week in June:

Mile End Park
Wednesday 2 June - Messy play and mud sculpting
Friday 4 June - Pond dipping

Olympic Park Tour
Tuesday 1 June - take a tour of the Olympic Park Consruction site

Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre
Saturday 5 June - Family Fun Day

Families can sign up in their school.

Getting ready for Father's Story Week

Stepney Partnership schools are getting ready for Father's Story Week (June 14-18), is an exciting initiative from the Fatherhood Institute all about involving Dads in their children's learning.

Staff from Stepney Partnership schools helped the Fatherhood Institute to shape this national project.

Over the coming weeks on this blog, we will share what the schools are doing....

Redlands schools is organising a special ‘family homework’ during that week which will encourage children across all years to do something with their Fathers at home, most of the ideas are inspired by the Fatherhood Institute website.

Year 6 Transition Project at Half Moon Theatre

The children had an amazing time at the Year 6 Transition project at Half Moon Theatre this week. Sixteen children from across four primary schools took part in drama workshops, activities and games all week to prepare for going to secondary school. Three Year 7 boys from Stepney Green joined us on the final day. Parents joined us on Monday and Friday.

Children said the best thing was making friends and playing with children from other primary schools...."Meeting new people has been very helpful to me because I met them them and didn't want to play with them but when I played the activities they were very funny and active"

Everyone received a certificate for taking part. Check out some photos below.

Toads, Lizards, Waterworms, Spiders and lots more...

What a beautiful day. We are were so lucky with the weather as 9 Redlands Dads walked with their Reception/Year 1 children to the Ecology Centre at Mile End Park. The Park Rangers led two activities - pond dipping and mini-beast hunting. We found so many different animals!

Each family got a disposable camera so they could have pictures to remember the day.

Once Upon A Tiger

An amazing Saturday which ended up at Half Moon Young People's Theatre. We started off with about 30 people from Stepney Partnership schools making tiger masks at the hall in Stepney Green. Then we walked a couple of minutes down to the Half Moon Theatre and watched an amazing play called "Once Upon A Tiger". The play was about time-travel and had an actor who spoke Korean through out.