Morningside NewsletterWelcome Back Dear parents/carers and pupils, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you all back and hope that you are all well rested after the summer break; ready to face the new school year. I would like to say a huge well done...
Dear parents/carers and pupils, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you all back and hope that you are all well rested after the summer break; ready to face the new school year.
I would like to say a huge well done to all of the pupils who have returned after the summer break with an improved sense of maturity and responsibility.
Everybody came into school in a calm and sensible manner, which has resulted in a wonderful start to the new school year.
Missing a few days of school here and there may not seem a big deal, but research shows that it can have a significant impact on children’s learning.
Children who miss a substantial amount of school fall behind their peers, and struggle to catch up.
Most of the work they miss is never made up, which can lead to big gaps in their learning.
Poor attendance often starts at primary school, and children who fall into this pattern are likely to underachieve at secondary school. Pupils who miss between 10 and 20% of school (that’s 19 to 38 days per year) stand only a 35% chance of achieving five or more good GCSEs, compared to 73% of those who miss fewer than 5% of school days.
An attendance rate of 95% is generally considered good; this allows for children to miss 9.5 days across the school year.
Persistent absence (PA) is defined as an attendance rate of 90% or below.
All pupils are expected to have an attendance rate of 95% or higher.
Attendance Class of The Week
Each week, we will share the class, who has the highest attendance. This week, we want to celebrate 4M, who have 98%. A huge well done and keep up the excellent work, it has a great impact on learning and progress. At the end of the half term, the class with the highest attendance will receive a special reward.
It is expected that children wear the correct school uniform to school each day. Here is a reminder of what they should be wearing. Football kits are not to be worn at any time. On the day your child has PE they are able to come into school in their PE kit; black bottoms and white t-shirt.
| sweatshirt or jumper |
navy blue |
|---|---|
| polo shirt | yellow |
| trousers or shorts | black, grey or navy |
| dress or skirt |
black, grey or navy yellow or blue gingham school dress |
| tights | black or navy |
| shoes | plain, flat, closed toe shoe or trainers |
Click here to purchase our uniform.
At Morningside, we know that great speakers are made not born. With the right teaching & support all pupils can become confident, fluent speakers able to express themselves eloquently in a range of different contexts. At Morningside Primary School, we know that teaching oracy improves academic outcomes, through developing skills to think critically, reason together and have the vocabulary to express one’s knowledge and understanding.
Our intention is to prepare our children for later life, through weaving talk into the curriculum and embedding oracy in all aspects of the school culture. Speaking and listening opportunities are deliberate and explicitly planned to ensure all children develop the skills to listen effectively, discuss and respond with meaning, debate and disagree appropriately and explain their ideas and emotions in a coherent manner. It is our belief that developing these skills will in turn support their confidence, self –belief and courage to speak in public and share their thoughts, intellect and creativity with the world.
This term we are focusing on developing strategies to support oracy within lessons. Each week we will share something that we have implemented to support oracy development.
As you are aware we have been working with an organisation called OPAL to improve the playtime experience for all children at Morningside. If you are new to our school, or would like to know more, you can look at the OPAL section of our website here: https://morningside.hackney.sch.uk/curriculum/teaching-learning/opal-outdoor-play-and-learning/
Please could you take 5 minutes to complete a questionnaire here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QVNDKCY
This information will allow us to further gather your views and think about how we continue to develop playtimes.
If you have questions please do speak to one of the school leaders on the gate
At Morningside we believe that all children have mental health. To support our children to thrive together and achieve their very best, they need to feel safe, calm, respected and understood. Our school day is set up to encourage children to talk about their feelings and have them validated, manage their emotions, and give space and time to be still and reflect. All these elements help children to develop their own strategies to support their mental health, build confidence, develop resilience and create a tool kit to support their mental health for the future.
Looking after our wellbeing at Morningside starts with daily mindfulness. Ask your child about strategies they have learnt this week.
We are delighted that the Mayor of London is ensuring all primary school children who attend state schools in London will receive free school meals for the full academic year starting this September. This means that your child/ren will be entitled to a free, nutritious school meal next year.
Children will receive their free school meal automatically, but it’s still really important to register them in case they are eligible for pupil premium funding worth £1,455 to schools for each primary aged child. We want to ensure that schools continue to receive pupil premium funding where eligibility applies. It’s simple to do and confidential. Parents and carers can apply easily via the Hackney Education website. Children eligible for free school meals are also eligible for food vouchers during school holidays. If you need any support registering please speak to a member of the school office so they can support you.
At Morningside, we value our school community and recognise the importance of parental involvement. We want our children to thrive and be celebrated for their achievements. Seesaw enables us to enhance our communication between teachers and parents, and provides parents with a clear understanding of what their children are learning in school. Seesaw is used as a record of children’s progress over time. Seesaw will be replacing Marvellous Me. A letter and joining code will be sent home to all parents next week.
Year 6 have been incredibly busy writing speeches for pupil leadership roles. The children had to choose between wanting to be a school councillor, sustainability squad leader or digital leader. The children were given job descriptions so they knew what the leadership role would detail......
In maths, Year 5 has been exploring tenths. They used multilink cubes to investigate the value of different tenths as part of a whole. In science, they have been investigating how toothpaste affects our teeth? They also compared the effects of different liquids on teeth.......
Year 4 has started the year off debating, ‘Is litter the biggest problem facing Hackney?’ In teams they structured arguments for or against and gave excellent reasons to support their argument. After teams presented their arguments, the rest of the class gave them feedback about......
Year 3 have enjoyed reading our whole school text, ‘In Our Hands’. This book is about a group of determined children wanting to grow a seed of hope to inspire everyone to come together and build a better future in their lives without colour. The......
In maths, year 2 has been exploring making 10 in different ways. They used multilink cubes to support their mathematical thinking. ...
Year 1 has been enjoying their mindfulness each day. They have been learning about the zones of regulation and different emotions we may feel at different times. They have been learning different mindfulness techniques to help regulate their emotions....