Dear Parents/Carers

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

Charles Dickens’ description in Great Expectations has certainly rung true, since our return from half term, we have had snow, rain, wind, sun and even a thunderstorm! However, in the true spirit of endurance our children have continued to go on trips and engage in outdoor events with character and resilience. A big thank you to you for ensuring that they are well prepared for all eventualities – wellies, gloves and sunglasses!

This month’s newsletter is another bumper addition with guidance from handwashing to World Book Day! Happy reading.

Best wishes to you all, Clare D’Netto

Dates for this month

Parents In Partnership Sessions are: Tuesday 3rd March Tuesday 10th March Tuesday 17th March Tuesday 24th March Tuesday 31st March

Year 6 Old Operating Theatre Trip Thursday 5th March for 6F Friday 6th March for 6IT Wednesday 11th March for 6H

World Book Day - Dress-up Friday 6th March

Year 5 Trip to Guildhall Art Gallery Monday 9th March x2 classes Monday 16th March x3 classes

Sports Relief Day - Dress-up Friday 13th March

Year 4 Trip to Tate Britain Classes 4W, 4PA and 4A - Tuesday 17th March Classes 4X and 4B - Wednesday 18th March

Movie Night Thursday 19th March

School Nurse Drop-in Tuesday 24th March

Class Photos Friday 27th March

Year 3 Trip to Swan Lake Performance Tuesday 31st March

Contact Details:

Manor Junior School

Sandringham Road

Barking

Essex

IG11 9AG

Tel: 020 8270 4641/ 4642

Email:-office@manor-

j.bardaglea.org.uk

Website:

www.manorjunior.co.uk

Facebook:-Manor-Junior-School

Twitter:-ERIC@MJS@manor-

j.bardaglea.org

Office hours are:-

8:00am - 4:30pm

A note from a Parent

Every Tuesday, after I drop the children off to school, I go to Parents-In-Partnership coffee morning.

Most Tuesdays, I go because I firmly believe that schools and parents have a real partnership. Parents have a right to know what is going on in the school and should be informed about the nature of education their children are receiving. Schools benefit greatly from parents engaged in their children’s education.

Children flourish when schools and parents are on the same page.

Some Tuesdays, I go because there is a need to understand my community better. It takes a village to raise a child and many of us were raised far from this village. Different skies, different language, different schools, yet all of us built a nest here, in Barking. Those of us born and bred here have riches to share because they walked these roads in size 2 shoes.

The more we know about each other, the easier it will be to feel at home and build a safe network for our children.

Then, there are those Tuesdays that don’t start very well and I just need to know that the school doors are open for me and my children. And they always are. I won’t say much on those mornings, but I will watch the parents talk over tea and coffee with the school staff, and in my heart of hearts I know that our children will do well.

All is well that ends well.

If you feel strongly about this, come; and if you don’t, come again – and tell us what you feel strongly about. It might be your point of view we are missing.

Younger siblings are welcome and refreshments are always available.

March Newsletter

Governors

Parent Governor Election Results Thank you for taking part in the Parent Governor Election. We had a great response from the community with two large boxes of ballot papers collected. These ballot papers were counted by a member of the Board of Governors with an independent observer present.

We thank the six parents for their participation in the election process: collecting a nomination, preparing their statements and meeting with the Chair of the Board.

We welcome Asma Ahmed to the MJS Board of Governors and look forward to working with her on our improvement journey. Congratulations.

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Parents in Partnership by Mrs. Atere

Thank you to all who attended our February sessions of ‘Parents in Partnership’. It was lovely to see some new faces, and some interesting discussions.

The month began with a talk on how to keep our children safe online, with the boroughs PREVENT coordinator Lizzie Kitto. She took us through strategies of online safety and what to look out for if you think your children could be groomed online. A very informative and useful session.

The following week was our STEM focus week, led by out STEM coordinator and Year 4 Teacher, Mrs Ali. During this session parents had the opportunity to view lessons and examples of children’s work in this exciting area of the curriculum. The children have been so enthusiastic about STEM and we hope you can encourage this at home too. After half term, there was a tour of some Year 5 and Year 6 classes. Parents had a chance to observe lessons being taught live, and were able to see the level of understanding and links between Year 5 and Year 6. A big thank you to the head of Year 5, Miss Reddy and head of Year 6 Mr Islam for opening their doors for lessons to be observed.

Our March workshops include:

Workshops take place every Tuesday morning at 9:05 am where refreshments are available. Parents with children are welcome.

We look forward to seeing you at these sessions.

Date Session

Tuesday 3rd March How English is Taught

Tuesday 10th March The Importance of Team Sports

Tuesday 17th March Understanding DeBono’s Learning Theory

Tuesday 24th March How We Teach RE at MJS

Tuesday 31st March Parenting a Child with Autism

By Our Inclusion Team

Back by Popular Demand! Last year Barking Abbey School held their first ever Inclusion Conference, which was a huge success. The conference was attended by parents, carers, teachers and other professionals. Based upon the success of last years’ event Barking Abbey are holding their 2nd Annual Inclusion Conference on Saturday 16th May. The overriding theme of the conference is supporting mental health. This is a perfect opportunity for parents to: Meet with experts in the field of SEND Learn more about conditions that may impact your

child’s progress Attend workshops on specific areas of need Browse through ‘information stations’ where you will

be able to see some of the latest resources on the market

Meet Barking Abbey’s SENCOs (ideal if you child is transitioning in September)

The conference has been designed for parents with children of all ages and offers an informal atmosphere for you to mingle and meet other parents. Pop the date in your diary and I hope to see many of you there. More information to follow.

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Year 3 by Ms Wright (Year 3 leader)

Year 4 by Mrs. Beveridge (Year 4 Leader)

Life in year 4 is never dull! Last term, we thoroughly enjoyed our STEM week. The children were involved in a variety of science, technology, engineering and maths activities.

Zain commented, “I was amazed by the helicopters we made and I learnt that if it had longer blades then it would be

slower.” Alisa said, “I learnt a lot! I wish

we would do it again!” This term we are looking forwarding to reading, ‘This morning I met a whale’ by Michael Morpurgo and linking the message in this book to our geography topic about the water cycle and looking after water.

In the middle of March all Year 4 classes will be visiting the Steve McQueen, school photography exhibition at the Tate Britain. A newsletter about this trip will be coming out shortly.

Lastly, thank you for helping and supporting your child complete their flipped curriculum homework.

Thank you from the Year 4 Team.

The discoveries which the pupils continue to make are astounding. Last term we created a working wall which displayed what we already know, what we would like to discover and what we have learnt. The pupils have entered Spring Term 2 with a number of burning questions surrounding this terms topic of ‘Ancient Egypt’.

All teachers have been very impressed with the standard of

flipped homework in year 3. The pupils have thoroughly enjoyed the various projects on offer, but have also relished the opportunity to present these projects in front of their class. Our pupils continue to grow with confidence, as they stand, project their voices and present their amazing ideas and discoveries. Thank you to all our families for supporting the children.

“I wasn’t brave at the start of year 3, but now I cannot wait to show people

what I have done at home”. Dahya. Our text this term is ‘The Egyptian Cinderella’ and the pupils will embark on a journey through Ancient Egypt, discovering the many delights this period of time had to offer.

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Year 6 by Mr. Islam (Year 6 Leader)

Year 5 by Miss Reddy (Year 5 Leader)

There was a wonderful buzz in the Year 5 classrooms during STEM week. The children participated in a variety of investigations exploring the different areas of STEM. From solving puzzles, investigating bubbles and learning how to budget, the children realised the many real life examples of STEM that are all around us.

This month, we started our self-study support sessions, which take place every Monday and Tuesday from 8:30am to 9:00am. These self-study support sessions have been very popular with over half the year group attending each day; they are being encouraged to tackle the areas that have been taught and areas they recognise as being in need of more work.

As one child put it, “I have found it helpful revising with my friends, if I’m stuck, they try to help but if they can’t help me there is always a teacher I can ask.”

Parents in Year 6 have been given the opportunity to purchase the Rising Stars Achieve revision books at a discounted price by ordering through the school. The recommended retail price (RRP) for each book is £5.99, however parents were able to purchase each book from the school for £2.50. Over 700 books were ordered by parents to help support their children. We thank you for supporting your child to prepare for their external exams in May.

Learning continues across the curriculum, with each class preparing for trips to The Old Operating Theatre.

Hiba shared, 'I enjoyed working with my team to solve puzzles. We had to put numbers in boxes which added up to a specific number

and we could not use the same number twice.'

The children also explored careers in STEM when reading the book 'Hidden Figures' as part of our 3i curriculum. This story raises the profile of women working in STEM careers and

encourages children to consider working in these careers. Exciting opportunities ahead for our children!

Attendance and Punctuality by Mrs Virdi

ATTENDANCE

It is very important that your child attends school every day unless of course they are ill or there is another very good reason for them not doing so.

Frequent absences inevitably affect your child’s learning. In addition information on all absences is automatically transferred to the Local Authority on a weekly basis. We also

receive regular visits from the Educational Social Welfare Officer who checks the registers and follows up any concerns.

If your child is ill or there is any other reason why they cannot attend school please contact the school office on the first day of absence and every day after. If you fail to inform the school office then we are obliged to contact you. If we are unable to contact you to establish the reason for your child’s non-attendance then it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and if we have a cause for concern could result in a home visit. PUNCTUALITY.

Children are registered every morning at 8.55 a.m. Children can go into their classrooms from 8.45 a.m. for mindfulness or busy work, where they will be supervised by a member of staff. It is very important that unless there are exceptional circumstances your child should be at school for the prescribed time.

Please do not drop your child off at the school gates if they are late. You MUST accompany your child into school where they must be signed in.

If children arrive late for morning registration that information is also automatically transferred to the Local Authority in the same way as attendance data.

If a child arrives late in the classroom, it is

Detrimental to their learning, particularly if they miss the introductory session of the lesson which dictates the tasks they will be required to engage in.

Part of a process that can build up over time – for instance missing 15 minutes each day is the equivalent to missing 10 days learning over a school year.

Embarrassing for them.

Makes them stand out as being different from the rest of the children in class.

Please be aware that from the 1st February 2018, ALL parents will be asked to provide medical evidence for illness if your

child’s attendance falls below 90%. Without this evidence your child’s absence is likely to be marked as unauthorised.

Congratulations to the following classes:

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Week Beginning 3rd February 10th February 24th February

4X = 99.66% 5H, 5L & 6H = 99.33%

4B = 97.33% 6P = 99%

4X = 99.31% 6P = 99.33%

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) It has indeed been a time of real global concern as we hear the news of the suffering around the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected by the COVID-19 and those that are working tirelessly to help them. At the time of writing, Public Health England (PHE) advises that the coronavirus risk to individuals in England remains low (our website contains a link to updates). Staff have all received information on teaching good hygiene. In the first instance children are being taught how to wash their hands correctly (see poster below, which is also displayed around the school), they may well have told you that they need to sing “Happy Birthday” whilst they wash their hands to ensure that they spend sufficient time washing thoroughly. MJS has ensured that each classroom has both soap and sanitiser dispensers; that all toilets have soap and that sanitisers are available around the school building. If you are planning travel abroad at Easter then the latest updated travel advice is available via the link below

Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

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Thank you to everyone who came and supported us at our ‘Winter fayre’. A BIG festive cheer to you all. We raised an impressive £470 which Barclays bank have agreed to DOUBLE!! A big thank you to all of Team manor and everyone who helped to make the event such a success.

Following the success of our winter fayre we are looking to continue to develop our community links and further develop our PTA with Manor Infants School in the form of the Team Manor PTA, ahead of our spring fayre. We are keen to get as many parents on board, to support our schools, to help

raise crucial funds. Regular meetings will be held on a Thursday Morning to get together and share ideas.

Forthcoming meeting dates are: Thursday 5th March Thursday 12th March Thursday 9th March Thursday 26th March If anyone is available for any of these dates just for an hour in the morning we would really appreciate your support. If you are interested in supporting our school in any way, please get in touch. If you have any queries or questions about how you might be able to get involved please contact

Mrs Arrarte.

At MJS we will be celebrating world book day on Friday 6th March, where children can dress up as a character from their favourite storybook. Prizes will be given to the most imaginative costumes.

We love World Book Day at MJS! The annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading is one of our favourite days of the year.

Your child will receive £1 book tokens! Children will be able to swap their token for one of the 15 exclusive, new and completely free World Book Day books. Alex Rider Undercover: Four Secret Files by Anthony Horowitz, Kid Normal and the Loudest Library by Chris Smith and Greg James and many more.

At MJS we are also fortunate enough to have an author work at our school!

Mr David Lucas will be presenting assemblies to the children giving them a deeper understanding into the life of an author. Year 5’s will also be presenting assemblies to the school about the importance and the benefits of reading. Please also remind your children about the MJS picture book competition which our author has introduced. The winner will receive a free David Lucas storybook! Winners will be announced on World Book Day.

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By Ms Kelly

Personal Development - Personal Challenge by Mrs Arrarte

From your healthy school ambassadors here at MJS: Instead of bringing fruit juice in your packed lunchbox, have water instead.

Spring 2 Clubs

The clubs highlighted in Yellow are offered by in school staff therefore parents will have received individual letters, for each club listed, via parent mail. There are just a few remaining spaces in Golf, Lifeskills,Maths investigation and Drama.

Should you wish your child to attend any of the above please contact Mrs Arrarte through the school office. Each of the clubs highlighted in Yellow are offered by Manor School Staff and therefore you will have received individual letters, for each club listed, via parent mail.

For clubs provided by outside agencies, please book your child on using the relevant links listed below:

Childville: www.childvillecentre.com Elitez Academy: Call 01708 288048/07956 796316 www.elitzkarate.co.uk info@elitzkarate.co.uk Kiran Bhangal Private Tuition: Call 07957478274 www.privatetuitionspecialists.com Premier Education: www.premiersport.org and then follow the procedures.

If you need any support with this process please contact the main office for a self-help guide. If your child is in receipt of Pupil Premium/Free school meals and you wish to express an interest in any of the clubs listed please contact Mrs Sagoo, our inclusion lead, for more information.

We took two talented teams to the Borough's Netball Competition just before half term. It was a very cold day and absolutely amazing that any of the children were able to catch and throw with the bitter wind freezing their hands. Both teams came a respectable 3rd but thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Fortunately, three of our team members are in Year 5, so we will be expecting even greater things from them next year!

On 13th February Manor's football team played against St Peter's. The spectators could not have been better entertained with the speed and quality of play. It was a very tense game and it seemed likely our boys would win, but they just weren't able to finish, despite their skilful play. Ahmad S (6T) was the definite man of the match, playing fearlessly and keeping St Peter's away from our goal. So good to see his family were there to enjoy it with him.

Well done one and all.

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