✨ This Week at Morningside ✨

Another week has flown by at Morningside, with lots happening across the school and plenty to celebrate.

It was lovely to welcome so many families into school this week to join our phonics lessons. We hope you enjoyed seeing phonics in action and getting a glimpse of how children learn to read at Morningside. We were also pleased to welcome our Year 6 families to our Secondary Transfer drop-in. Choosing a secondary school can feel like a big step, so we hope the opportunity to ask questions and talk through the process was useful.

Our assembly this week focused on our value of Love of Learning. We shared The Elephant in the Sukkah by Sherri Mandell and thought about curiosity, asking questions and being open to learning from the people, experiences and world around us. We talked about how a love of learning isn’t just about getting things right, but about wanting to know more, being willing to have a go and enjoying the process of discovering something new.

Our Executive Principal visited Morningside on Wednesday and spent time visiting classrooms and talking to children about their learning. She was particularly impressed by how quickly the children have settled into the new school year, the amount of learning already evident in their books and the pride they are taking in their work. She also loved the children’s beautiful self-portraits, which are now bringing our classrooms and corridors to life.

A huge thank you to everyone who has already brought in donations for our Harvest Festival food bank collection. Your generosity is very much appreciated and is a lovely example of our Morningside community thinking about and supporting others.

We are only a few weeks into the term, but the new chapter of our Morningside story is already filling up: children learning enthusiastically, families joining us in school, children taking pride in what they produce and our community coming together to help others. We are looking forward to seeing what next week brings.

We hope you enjoy this week’s Mag and have a lovely weekend.

Jo and Rachel

Next week at Morningside:

Tue 29th Sep 8:50-9:15am and 3:30-4:00pm Knit and Natter (and crochet and craft) for Families: Bring your own project

Can you help at our PTA Disco?

Last year’s disco was a brilliant success, and we’d love to make this year’s just as much fun! We’re looking for parent volunteers to lend a hand on the night – whether that’s helping at the tuck shop or photo booth, or simply circulating and making sure everyone is safe and having a great time. These events are only possible thanks to our wonderful volunteers, and even a little bit of your time makes a big difference. Good vibes and snacks are guaranteed as a thank you!

 Free Breakfast Club

We are delighted to now be offering the Government’s free breakfast club at Morningside.

The breakfast club is available from 8:15am, free of charge, for children in Reception to Year 6. It’s a great way to help children start the day positively, enjoy a calm breakfast and get into good morning routines. We do have limited places available for children in Rainbow nursery and in the school nursery too, these are payable at £5 per day.

If you need to drop your child off from 8:00am, this will also be free until December when it will be reviewed by the school governors.

If you would like to apply for a place, please contact the school office. We will then contact you once your place has been approved. This is not because places are limited, but because we need to make sure that we have the correct staffing ratios in place to keep everyone safe.

We look forward to welcoming more of our children to breakfast club!

 Thinking About Reception?

It might feel like starting Reception is still a long way off, but the Reception application deadline is in early January. If your child will be 4 before 31st August 2027, you can book an individual tour by speaking to the school office or using the link on our website.

Family Coach Service – Autumn Term Support for Parents

Hackney’s Family Coach Service has a range of free groups, training sessions and activities for parents and carers this autumn.

🙌 Parent Empowerment Groups

These are five-week programmes, and parents should be able to attend all five sessions.

🚨 Finding tools for behaviour management
📍 The Orchard Primary School, E9 7BB
🕘 Thursdays, 9.15–10.45am

• 17 September – What’s in your toolbox?
• 24 September – Understanding your child’s behaviour
• 1 October – Responding to your child’s behaviour
• 8 October – Repairing after a moment that challenges
• 15 October – Preventing parental burnout

😌 Building a toolbox for parental wellbeing
📍 Hackney Service Centre, E8 1DY
🕧 Fridays, 12.30–2.00pm

• 2 October – Catching unhelpful thoughts
• 9 October – Creating a space for you
• 16 October – Maintaining what’s in your toolbox

🧩 Understanding Autism Training

These sessions are the same, so you only need to attend one:

• Tuesday 22 September, 10am–12pm – Online
• Wednesday 18 November, 6–8pm – Online

🌿 Wellbeing Walks

Come along for a relaxed walk with other parents and the Family Coach team:

• Wednesday 30 September, 10–11am – Sebright Children’s Centre/Haggerston Park
• Monday 19 October, 12.30–1.30pm – Hackney Downs Mosaic Project
• Friday 13 November, 10–11am – New River Café/Clissold Park
• Thursday 3 December, 12.30–1.30pm – London Fields Lido

💫 Cake, Coffee and Wins

Informal catch-ups for parents who have previously attended a Parent Empowerment Group or received one-to-one family coaching:

• Thursday 22 October, 10–11am – Hackney Service Centre
• Friday 11 December, 12–1pm – Hackney Service Centre

How to sign up

Places are free but limited to 10 parents or carers per session and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

To book, email familycoach@hackney.gov.uk with:

• your name
• your child’s school
• the session(s) you would like to attend

Alternatively, complete the Family Coach Service online sign-up form:
https://forms.gle/WrMGXqGDffQs7tvm9

Conversational English is needed for the group sessions, as translators cannot be provided. If you live in Hackney and need an interpreter, please contact the Family Coach Service to discuss whether one-to-one coaching may be available.

Babies in arms are very welcome at all in-person sessions. If you have an older baby or young child who would need to come with you, please contact the team to discuss one-to-one support.

You can also find out more about the Family Coach Service and see their latest information on their community Padlet:
https://padlet.com/rachelgellett1/family-coach-service-bulletin-board-i9mi7reb7f5jox13

Community Events Autumn 1 2026

OPaL Playground Wishlist

As part of our OPaL (Outdoor Play and Learning) programme, we are continuing to develop our playground to give children richer, more creative and more adventurous play opportunities.

We have created an Amazon Wishlist with items that would really enhance our play offer. If you would like to support, you can do so by purchasing an item from the list and having it sent directly to school.

There is absolutely no expectation to contribute, but we are very grateful for any support. These small additions make a big difference to children’s play experiences every day.

https://amzn.eu/03Ls5B1g 

Attendance this week

This week, we want to celebrate Reception who have 100% attendance . A HUGE congratulations and keep up the excellent work; it has a great impact on learning and progress. You can help your child’s class win the weekly fruit platter by making sure they are at school everyday.

Whole School attendance this week: 95.6%

Our school target is  96% attendance this year.

Class attendance this week