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OCT 15 ISSUE PRIMROSE HILL ACTIVE LEARNING

PRIMROSE’s INTERNATIONAL EVENING International evenings are really popular, benefiting the PTA and the school in many ways. They are a good way of raising funds and, as they invariably include food, they offer the opportunity for everyone to sample something exotic! For schools with pupils from various ethnic backgrounds, international events draw on that diversity. In less diverse schools international evenings can help raise awareness of other cultures.

On Friday 16th October 15, we hosted our Annual International Evening to celebrate our

rich cultural diversity at Primrose Hill. This annual event is always well attended by learners, their families and members staff.

The evening was a great success and many thanks to all those who donated the wonderful array of international foods for the evening. It was lovely to see so many children dress in their national costumes. Furthermore, the wonderful flags created by the children as part of our art project led by meant that the school was resplendent in colour.

We were entertained by all groups of children who performed a number of songs and dances for our delighted audience.

The highlight of this year’s International Evening really was the traditional costumes.

The school also celebrated our diversity by collecting images of all our staff from various nations and far flung corners of the earth. You can view the presentation here called “Celebration of Nations”.

The event represented a huge team effort from staff and parents which truly encapsulate our ethos. A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise this amazing event but a special thank you to parents for their contributions of the amazing traditional cuisine.

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BOOKS OF THE MONTH

By

Primrose Hill FOOD & LIFESTYLES

Healthy & FunFAMILY

Key Parenting Skills

ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrations

NEWSLETTER Celebrating and sharing everything beautiful in a child’s life


HALLOWEEN

Primrose Hill celebrated “Halloween” on Friday 30th October 15.

It’s Super Fun! Nobody can argue with that! Halloween is fun fun fun! Decorating the house, dressing the kids up, and is the one day that they can have as little dinner as possible and oh so many candies to last a year long. Fun can also

help the adult to reduce stress, improve depression and give a sense of balance to their lives.

No dress code. Halloween is the day that you and the family get to wear whatever you want. For most of our life,

we always have to adhere to some sort of dress code, whether it’s school uniform, work clothes, or through parents or peer pressure. Well this is that day that you, the children and family can dress up or dress down to whatever everybody wishes to be like. It is also socially acceptable even maybe recommended to get a little wild.

Express yourself.It can actually be a little therapeutic to be able to express that one side of personality that you and all the members in your family kept hidden once in awhile. This is the time to do it! For example, if you’re used to wear dark colored conservative clothing, you can now change into a flashy bright costume for once! If the kids have to wear school uniform everyday, this is now the time they get to choose a character they love and express their uniqueness to their family and friends. Try it, it is a lot of fun.

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HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION


An excuse to socialize. Most people love to party, but with everyone’s so busy it can sometimes be a little difficult. This is a great excuse to get everyone together. Do you want to get to know your kid’s friends and their parents a little better? Invite them over for a little trick or treat around your neighborhood! The best part about it? You don’t have to prepare anything! Just tell them to show up after the kids have their dinners, costumes on, that’s it! Everybody is bound to have a good time.

Avoid being self conscious.If you or your children is the shy type. Halloween is the perfect time to let loose! Hiding behind a costume and mask can do wonders to a person’s self confidence. Get yourself or your children to go out and meet people!

The gift of receiving.Getting treats while trick or treating is great fun for the children. It is also a good moment to remind them of their manners, to speak clearly, to be polite and say their thank yous. It also teaches them to be brave.

The gift of giving. At the same time, it can also teach children to share. They can give candies to trick or treaters and each other, as well as giving outgrown costumes to relatives or donating them to the needy.

Family moments. Halloween is a great time to create family moments. Whether you’re decorating the house with spider webs, skeletons and other scary decorations together, finding or making the right costume for everybody, cooking up Halloween treats, and taking your children trick-or-treating. Families can benefit greatly on spending fun times together.

Get to know your neighbors. We were skeptical about Halloween at first, but the first year we moved into this neighbourhood, we were surprised to find two groups of trick or treaters, that we did not have any candies at all. The next year there were a few more, but we were prepared. The third year, I took my daughter out to a few houses that has the sign, and was very surprised how much we enjoyed it! The best part of all, saying hi to all the neighbours along the way, those that we don’t get to see that often, let along know before hand.

Catching the spirit. If you or your children prefer not to dress up, it can still be a fun occasion for the family. If you happen to live in an area where there’s lots of trick or treaters, walk around, say hi, and enjoy the moment, look what other people are dressing up as, and what they’re up too. Or you can get on the car and as a family take a leisurely stroll to a friendly neighborhood that usually hold one.

With everyone’s schedule so busy nowadays, and parent’s hesitancy to send their children out on their own, there is currently less and less opportunity to meet the people that live on the same street. Trick or treating gives you that chance to walk up to people’s door, knock, and say hello. It’s a great opportunity to meet your neighbors. It is also a great family event, that is non-educational, non-religious, and not someone’s birthday or ‘day’, in fact it’s everyone’s day!

GREAT FUN !

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BOOKs OF THE MONTH Early Years

Five lavishly illustrated spreads, big, recessed flaps and a host of animals to spot, name and mimic combine in this delightful little board book for the very young. "Who's that in the trees?It's wise owl!Twit! Twoo!"

Jack’s Grandpa…

wears his slippers to the supermarket

serves up tinned tongue for dinner

and often doesn’t remember Jack’s name

But he can still take to the skies in a speeding Spitfire and save the day…

An exquisite portrait of the bond between a small boy and his beloved Grandpa – this book takes readers on an incredible journey with Spitfires over London and Great Escapes through the city in a high octane adventure full of comedy and heart.

The groundbreaking number 1 bestseller is sure to turn nightly bedtime battles into a loving and special end-of-day ritual. This child-tested, parent-approved story uses an innovative technique that brings a calm end to any child's day. Do you struggle with getting your child to fall asleep? Join parents all over the world who have embraced The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep as their new nightly routine. When Roger can't fall asleep, Mummy Rabbit takes him to see Uncle Yawn, who knows just what to do. Children will join Roger on his journey and be lulled to sleep alongside their new friend. Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin's simple story uses a unique and distinct language pattern that will help your child relax and fall asleep-at bedtime or naptime.

Reclaim bedtime today! Praise for The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep: "Tired parents of planet earth - this is what you've been waiting for...If you don't already have a copy, you need to order one quick sharp. "The most peaceful bedtime we have had in months" .

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PARENTING SKILLS

Are we stressing out our kids? Stressed out, over-scheduled, hurried: These words are often used to describe children these days.

Are we unwittingly lowering the quality of life for those we mean to nurture? Are we degrading childhood by demanding ever more of our children? Many parents worry about these questions, as students report that they’re feeling

stressed out.

Stress on the rise

“But the consensus is that there are more stressed-out kids.”

What’s causing the stress? From kindergarten through high school, the causes of childhood stress are numerous. One of the most commonly cited is standardized-test stress, which starts in first-grade in many schools.

Some stress is good

Not all stress is bad. A certain amount of stress drives healthy competition in the classroom and in

extracurricular activities. Good stress induces a student to strive for her personal best on an exam, a term paper or on the debate team.

“It’s impossible to live in a stress-free world,” Our definition of bad stress is that a student feels the situation is impossible or he feels he is not able to meet the demands upon him.”

Parents need to be sensitive to their child’s individual ability to deal with stress. A number of strategies are available to help navigate the stresses of school. Parents can start by listening to their children. If a child complains of stress, anxiety, depression or hopelessness, parents should pay attention. There are many children, however, who do not or cannot verbalize their stress. In these cases, parents need to be on the lookout for other signs. Some children may not want to stop or slow down their schedules for fear of disappointing their parents.

Strategies for parents of younger children : Listen and notice any expressions of anxiety * Talk with them about their feelings* Brainstorm with them to find things they can do to feel better * Make sure they are getting enough sleep * 9-11 hours for children 5-12 years old * Make sure you are not over scheduling them *

Look at your assumptions about what constitutes a good school and what you are communicating, perhaps unknowingly, to them * Look at how you define success and how you communicate that to your children * Limit media time * Increase family time, especially eating meals together as a family.

It goes without saying that schools have a part to play in reducing stress.

Primrose Hill is top of the “A” List for a “Stress-Free” School !

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Stress ! Driving children from one activity to another, day after day, while cramming homework into whatever time is left over, teaches children to over schedule themselves. On the other hand, if parents have personal goals for themselves — that they can realistically achieve — are comfortable with their own stress levels, and know how to relax, then their children will grow up learning to do the same.

Primrose Hill’s can rate a child with a healthy level of stress when she is excited about learning * She is healthy * She plays more * She feels confident and independent.

DEALING WITH BABY SEPARATION ANXIETYYou knew this moment would come — it's time to be away from your baby for more than three whole minutes. Maybe you're headed out for the evening (it's okay — you're allowed!) or taking an overnight trip. At the 10-week marker, any separation is likely to be tougher on you than it is on your gurgling little bundle. After all, he still likes just about everyone and is probably willing to yuk it up with anyone who's willing to entertain him. It's you who'll probably need a pep talk (or maybe even a glass of vino!) at the thought of leaving him behind.

Getting a Handle on Baby Anxiety

Whatever the reason for your departure, a little advance prep will go a long way toward reducing your separation jitters and making your absence as easy as possible on your baby. First, get used to the idea by leaving your baby with your husband for an hour or two a couple of times over the course of a few weeks so you (and the baby) get used to the fact that you leave…and come back. Once you see your little darling hasn't fallen into a thousand pieces while you're gone, you'll feel a lot less anxious about leaving him again.

At zero hour, keep the farewells tear-free and short (you'll have plenty of time to reconnect when you get back), but do say good-bye. And don't attempt to shut out conflicting emotions (e.g., guilt, fear, relief) by blocking your baby from your mind while you're gone. It's fine to think of him, but try not to worry. Keep in mind that he's in capable hands — check in if you want to, but once your baby nurse says that things are just fine, trust her word and don't keep calling. Hey, a little independence (in the form of, say, dinner out with your husband) is healthy for you, and that will only benefit your baby in the long run.

Make sure you give yourself at least one act of true self-nurturing every day.

Whether that’s a long bath, lunch with a friend, or reading a novel before bed for half an hour, all parents need time to recharge and be “off duty.”

Get a life. Being a parent is the second most important job you will ever have (even if someday you are the President of the United States) because you are responsible for the nurturing of a human being as he or she grows up. So what’s the most important job? Nurturing yourself, because growing up is never finished, and sooner or later we all have to pick up where our parents left off. You’re still growing, and it’s your job to figure out what nurtures you. Just make sure you have other things that you’re passionate about besides your children, so you aren't living through them.

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PRIMROSE’s Recipe

OF THE MONTHThis recipe was named out of pure desperation! We were trying to get our children to try this pasta sauce and they refused...so we named it 'birthday pasta' and all of a sudden they tried it - and what's more, enjoyed it! It has nothing to do with “birthdays” but the magic word itself sounds “Fun”. This can be enjoyed by children and adults with the aid of a blender.

Ingredients

1 onion (chopped)

2 chicken breasts (or thighs) minced

or Meatballs

1 dijon mustard

1 tin evaporated milk (or cream)

1 garlic (optional)

2 handfuls button mushrooms

1 bunch fresh thyme

cherry tomatoes

penne pasta

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Method

Fry off the onion and garlic in a small amount of oil. I also sometimes add some minced ginger. Add the chopped chicken and cook gently so as not to toughen it, and add the thyme. Get your pasta on.

Just before the pasta is ready, add the cream/evaporated skim milk and the mustard and season to taste. Don't let it boil as this may curdle your sauce. Bring gently up to heat.

For children, I spoon enough sauce for them into my blender and whizz until combined. It won't be completely smooth but will remove any evidence of the dreaded vegetables. Spoon over their pasta and decorate with some 'snow cheese' (parmesan...yes I have had to rename this as well!).

For adults, tip cooked pasta into sauce, combine, add some chopped parsley if you like, cheese, and serve.

This sauce is also nice with some warm chopped roasted pumpkin added with the cream/milk.

IT’S YUMMY &

Delious


An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans

Develop Lactose Tolerance?

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Got milk? Ancient European farmers who made cheese thousands of years ago

certainly had it. But at that time, they lacked a genetic mutation that would have

allowed them to digest raw milk's dominant sugar, lactose, after childhood.

Today, however, 35 percent of the global population — mostly people with European

ancestry — can digest lactose in adulthood without a hitch.

So, how did we transition from milk-a-phobics to milkaholics? "The first and most

correct answer is, we don't know," says Mark Thomas, an evolutionary geneticist at

University College London in the U.K.

Most babies can digest milk without getting an upset stomach thanks to an enzyme

called lactase. Up until several thousand years ago, that enzyme turned off once a

person grew into adulthood — meaning most adults were lactose intolerant (or

"lactase nonpersistent," as scientists call it).

But now that doesn't happen for most people of Northern and Central European

descent and in certain African and Middle Eastern populations. This development of

lactose tolerance took only about 20,000 years — the evolutionary equivalent of a hot

minute — but it would have required extremely strong selective pressure.

"Something happened when we started drinking milk that reduced mortality," says

Loren Cordain, an exercise physiologist at Colorado State University and an expert on

Paleolithic nutrition. That something, though, is a bit of a mystery.

The Clues. Milk, no surprise, is pretty nutritious. It's got protein, a bunch of micronutrients, lots

of calcium and plenty of carbohydrates. For the ancient Neolithic farmer, it was like a

superfood, says Thomas.

Even lactose-intolerant adults could have benefited from milk. Chemical evidence

from ancient pots shows that these long-ago farmers learned to process the milk into

cheese or yogurt, which removes some of the lactose.

But around 8,000 years ago in what's now Turkey — just when humans were starting

to milk newly domesticated cows, goats and sheep — mutations near the gene that

produces the lactase enzyme started becoming more frequent. And around the same

time, adult lactose tolerance developed. The mutation responsible for that may be

between 2,000 and 20,000 years old; estimates vary.

But in order for that new trait to have persisted over many generations, something

unique must have given milk drinkers an evolutionary edge.

A Tale Of Famine And Deadly Diarrhea

Thomas thinks a combination of two reasons may explain the persistence of the lactase

mutation in Northern Europe.

First, the farmers that settled there came from the Fertile Crescent, and they brought

crops native to that region, like wheat and barley. But with Northern Europe's shorter

growing season, these crops were more likely to fail, causing famine.

Additionally, the colder Northern European climate lent itself to natural refrigeration.


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"If you're a farmer in Southern Europe, and you milk a cow in the morning and you

leave the milk out, it will be yogurt by noon. But if you do the same thing in Germany,

it'll still be milk," says Thomas. A healthy lactose-intolerant person who drank that

still-fresh milk would get a bad case of diarrhea. "But if you're malnourished, then

you'll die," Thomas says.

In times of famine, milk drinking probably increased. And the very people who

shouldn't have been consuming high-lactose dairy products — the hungry and

malnourished — would be the ones more likely to drink fresh milk. So, with milk's

deadly effects for the lactose intolerant, individuals with the lactase mutation would

have been more likely to survive and pass on that gene.

The combination of famine and longer processing time for milk is "kind of like a

double whammy," says Thomas, who has yet to publish his theory. Under his scenario,

the lactose tolerant wouldn't always have had an evolutionary advantage, but for short

periods of time, having that genetic mutation would have helped. "Over a long run, it's

modest; but over short periods of time, it's extremely high selection" for the lactose

tolerant, says Thomas.

Scientists may never discover the reason why adult lactose tolerance evolved so

quickly. Other researchers have suggested that fresh milk provided a more pure fluid

alternative to contaminated water sources in arid environments; that milk fat gave

people a fertility advantage; or that milk drinking might have been associated with

social prestige. Cordain argues that milk gave humans an advantage against malaria in

Africa and Southern Europe, and rickets in Northern Europe.

"Whatever constellation of factors was involved, they're going to be different in

different regions," says Thomas. "But the selection pressure might have been equally

strong in East Africa and Northern Europe, for example.”

It's hard to tell how prevalent lactose tolerance has been over time. But so far

scientists have found evidence of adult lactase persistence in ancient skeletons in

Northern Europe, Scandinavia, southern France and elsewhere. Thomas and his

colleague Oddný Sverrisdóttir of Uppsala University in Sweden recently discovered

lactase persistence in Spanish remains from about 5,000 years ago and hope to

publish their research next year.

Thomas thinks that as genetic and archaeological technology continues to develop,

modern science may someday reveal the culprit. But it might take a while because the

research — like our genes — is still evolving.


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