Dear MJS Community, Happy New Year to our MJS Community! I do hope that your holidays have been peaceful and that you have been able to rest and are ready for 2021. On Wednesday 30th December, the government announced that in order to help contain the community transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), some restrictions to primary education settings would be required in certain areas. Barking and Dagenham has been identified as one of these areas. This means that we will only be open for the children of critical workers and those defined as vulnerable pupils from Tuesday 5th January.

All other pupils will be offered remote blended learning from Tuesday 5th January.

Staff will be on site on Monday 4th January to plan for these changes and we will share more information on Monday. We thank you for your gifts and messages of love and hope that filled our corridors and our hearts at the end of last term. It was a lovely gesture, and just what our staff community needed. I know many of you found the pastoral and academic summaries at the end of the Autumn Term a very useful means to track your child’s progress and wellbeing at MJS. Teachers will provide you with an update during the week of 8th February.

May I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a healthier and safer 2021. Best wishes to you all, Clare D’Netto

Dates for this month

Back to school CRITICAL WORKER AND VULNERABLE

PUPILS ONLY Tuesday 5th January

Wellbeing and Oral

Health Week Beginning 4th January

Faith Week

Beginning 11th January

Equity Week Beginning 18th January

National Story Telling

Week Beginning 25th January

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

New year, new beginnings, new things to learn! Learning new things is not just for pupils of MJS, but also for the governors. Usually, all the governors of Barking and Dagenham have a day conference near the beginning of the school year, so we can hear about new inspection requirements from Ofsted, or the Borough’s plans on cultural education. This year, we could not meet in person, so we have been doing what pupils are already doing so well and getting online! We have had sessions on Zoom, covering subjects like how we can support schools during the pandemic, the new Religious Education syllabus in Barking and Dagenham, and important topics like safeguarding. There is always something new to learn, and New Year 2021 will be no

different. We have got through some difficult times – and there might be a few more to come – but we still need to learn how to live and be a strong school community while the Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out. And we can also use this as an opportunity, learn which bits of remote learning everyone likes and

works well, so we can use that in the future. Keep well and keep positive!

- Margaret Haig

Newsletter

Governors

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CHANGES TO RETURN TO START OF SPRING TERM Whilst we remain in tier 4 the guidance is for everyone to stay at home, however, there are two exceptions from Tuesday 5th January: Children of critical workers: If you are a critical worker parent or carer (please see the link below for the Government’s list of critical workers) and have no in-house childcare, MJS will provide full-time on-site provision. You must email the school by noon on Monday 4th January to notify us that your child requires full-time on-site provision via the office email (office@manor-j.bardaglea.org.uk). Or call us on the morning of Monday 4th January on 0208 270 4641. Please state:

Full name of child Class and year group Your name, your job role and your contact details

This link has the list of critical workers as identified by the government: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Vulnerable children: If your child has been identified as vulnerable, they are expected to attend full-time on-site provision where it is appropriate for them to do so.

This is a priority for us and on Monday 4th January we will be contacting all families of children who have a social worker, Education Health Care Plan or based on our knowledge to inform you

of your place.

For all other children the school will offer remote blended learning. More information will be sent to you on Monday 4th January.

Please ensure you have provided the office with four emergency contacts. We will always endeavour to

contact the parents first in an event of an emergency however if we are unsuccessful we will call the other contacts provided.

We will need details of:

Home address

Both parent’s phone numbers

Emergency phone numbers

Please contact the school officer either by telephone or email. Details are available on the front

page of this newsletter.

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Year 3 by Ms Wright (Year 3 leader)

As we edge closer to half way through year 3, our pupils continue to work incredibly hard in all lessons, whilst making fantastic progress. Science this term will take us by force and we will be using our senses to

identify the scientific forces around us. Investigating and creating shapes

using pushes, pulls and twists. We will get to know whom Sir Isaac Newton

was and will discuss how he discovered the notion of gravity. Isaac Newton

discovered the notion of gravity whilst sitting under an apple tree.

Therefore, who knows what discoveries our year 3 pupils can make for

themselves at any given moment?

The children this term will research further into how volcanoes are created and how we,

ourselves feel like an exploding volcano when our emotions blow up.

In maths, our pupils are mastering the new maths equipment and are using these to support their reasoning skills. Pupils in year 3 have enjoyed bringing maths alive with the equipment. We continue to look at new maths concepts such as length,

measurement and statistics.

Year 4 by Mrs. Beveridge (Year 4 Leader)

Thank you for helping your child prepare for our Ancient Greek day last term. It was very successful and the children learnt a lot while creating their own artefacts.

“Making the pot was really difficult because it kept on drying but I really enjoyed it and I hope I can do it again.” ~ Shanae “I loved making the patterns on the amulets, it was a fantastic day!” ~ Musa “I liked making the amulets but it was tricky to draw patterns on it!” ~ Inaya

Revision guides were given out in December to help your child close the gaps due to the impact of the lockdown and subsequent isolations caused by COVID-19. Your child’s teachers will assign work from these revision guides as part of your child’s weekly homework. For most weeks, your child will only use one revision guide at a time. The revision guides are to be kept in your child’s bag on standby in case your child has to isolate. Please support your child to complete the set tasks each week. If your child has been asked to isolate the teacher will put a message on google classrooms with instructions of which pages to work through. This term we are looking forward to learning about the Roman’s and how their army was organised and the impact they had on Britain. We will learn through a cross curricular approach to help your child gain a greater understanding of this topic. In our English lessons we will be reading, ‘Blood Oath’ by Chris Priestley. The pupils will be working on writing narratives in third person and punctuating speech with inverted commas.

Our homework times table programme, ‘Rock stars’ has helped motivate our pupils to learn their times tables. Thank you for marking these daily with your child to address any errors immediately. Quick recall of times tables helps children progress faster in maths. We are looking forward to seeing what your child has researched or created as part of their flipped curriculum HW. The first piece of work is due on Monday 4th January.—please send it via Google classroom/email.

Year 5 by Miss Reddy (Year 5 Leader)

As part of our learning about the Mayan civilisation,

the children have been working hard to create their

own Mayan masks. These masks are an important

part of the Mayan culture as they represented the

Mayan gods and were worn during special occasions.

In recent weeks, the children have been researching,

designing and making their own celebration masks,

similar to the mask present in our English text

‘Rainplayer’. The children researched different masks

designs in their Computing lessons and transferred these ideas into their

own designs. They enjoyed choosing an animal to base their design on

and using paper Mache to create their masterpieces.

Keaton shared, ‘I enjoyed researching masks because I found amazing

masks that inspired me to make a mask with a jaguar’.

All of the Year 5 team would like to thank you for your continued support towards your children’s

learning and wish you all the best for the New Year.

Year 6 by Mr. Islam (Year 6 Leader)

In order to help the children understand what is expected of them in the SATs we have done another whole set of SATs papers. The papers have been marked and analysed, which has given us valuable information - helping plan our teaching to meet academic, test technique and emotional needs. “I felt less anxious and nervous this time round.” comment from a pupil.

Children have brought in their second flipped homework based around our 3I curriculum topic. These included 3D models (Anderson shelters, Morrison shelters, gas masks), charts and graphs, poetry and information leaflets. “I enjoy science and particularly electricity – I have enjoyed researching the different types of circuits and the symbols used.” Unfortunately, we have had two of our classes who have had to isolate at home. However, it has been brilliant to see all of the children continuing with their learning by using our remote blended education. Children have been using Google classroom to submit work; Mymaths to learn about dividing fractions; Bugclub to practise their comprehension skills; Collins Connect to learn how to change between informal and formal language. From all of the Year 6 team, we would like to wish you a safe, Happy New Year.

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Attendance and Punctuality

We are so proud of your continued support and the excellent attendance of our pupils.

At the start of the Spring Term, only children of critical workers or vulnerable children will attend school from Tuesday 5th January. All other children will receive a specific absence code showing that they have been directed by Government to not attend school. As soon as we receive notification of when the school reopens fully we will inform you. The school gates will open at 8.30am and registers are taken at 8.55am - that means children should be in and sitting at their desks ready to learn by 8.55am. Please get your child to school on time so that they do not miss the start of the first lesson. Children’s absence Please be aware it is the administration’s team role to request for medical evidence for illness. Without this evidence your child’s absence is likely to be marked as unauthorised and for persistent absence reported to the local authority. Please note we are continuing to issue fines as directed by the Department for Education to families who have chosen to take a holiday or travel abroad. The school

will continue to unauthorised any requests for families wishing to take a holiday during term time. The school does not benefit from the fines.

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Happy New Year! We hope you all managed to have a restful break, even though the holidays may have felt a little different this year. We have an exciting spring term ahead with STEM week quickly approaching, national storytelling week, and a week focusing on careers. This month our focus is how to promote and maintain good oral health. Oral Health Week is from Monday 4th January. This is a week to remind our children about the importance of: brushing their teeth twice a day (morning and night for at least 2 minutes) with fluoridated toothpaste, cutting down on how much sugary food and drink they have, and how often they have them and to visit the dentist every six months or whenever necessary. With the help of our Health Ambassadors we have also started the initiative of becoming a ‘Water only School’ to help reduce the amount of sugar children consume each day, which will also encourage and help with good oral health. We thank you for your continued support with this. For more information on oral health, please visit https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/take-care-of-your-teeth-and-gums/ or https://www.dentalhealth.org/ Next month’s issue will have a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical focus.

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Have a look at this link to see how to support your child’s mental health by Dr Hazel Harrison, Clinical Psychologist. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zndp6v4

• Host a home disco: Play the family’s favourite dance songs and have a boogie for ten minutes. • Watch BBC Super Movers videos: These short films can get the whole family moving (and learning). Learning routines (or just attempting them) means your child’s brain and body (and yours!) are keeping active and engaged. • Blow up a balloon: Once you’ve tied it, see how long you can keep it up in the air while passing it between you.

It can be as simple as curling up on the sofa together and watching a film or some cartoons - and then chatting about your favourite bits. Having these sorts of conversations can help to make the positive buzz of watching (and laughing) together last for longer. It’ll also improve your child’s ability to reflect on their experiences and talk about their preferences. Stories are another great way to help children recharge as they lose themselves in wonderful fictional worlds. There are likely to be some old favourites they want you to read again, as they’ll take comfort from hearing a familiar tale (for children, knowing how it ends is a good thing, not a spoiler alert!).

• Make a ‘Top Times’ scrapbook. • Create a gratitude jar: ‘I am thankful for …’

Here are two ways to encourage your child to adopt a growth mindset: • Add the word ‘yet’. Changing the way you talk about intelligence and ability can help your child understand that learning is a process - our skills and traits aren’t fixed from birth. When your child claims “I can’t do this” (whether they’re talking about a new hobby, homework, or anything else), say: “You can’t do it yet”. Adding and emphasising this tiny word subtly reinforces the learning process and may help them to try again. • Practise (and fail) with your child. Trying new things can be scary, but it’s often less daunting when you do it with others. As a family, you might decide to try something new and celebrate your learning and your failures when it doesn’t work (the first, second, or even the ninety-ninth time!).

As a starting point, try and eat nutritious healthy food; it’s a great idea to turn cooking into an activity the whole family takes part in.

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Please find below some healthy options for home packed lunches.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 level tbsp. reduced-calorie mayonnaise

Pinch of black pepper (optional)

1 wholemeal bap

Small wedge of lettuce, to give 2 tbsp when shredded Method

1. Place the egg in a small saucepan covered with water, bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes.

Plunge in cold water and leave to cool.

(Tip: Cook the egg the night before to save time in the morning rush)

2. Remove the shell and mash the egg with the mayonnaise and pepper.

3. Use to fill the bap, topping it with the lettuce.

(Tip: Try cress or baby spinach instead of the lettuce. Pat dry before adding to the bap, to avoid soggy

bread.)

Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 12 mins Effort: Medium Serves: 1

This year, our PSHE lessons are structured following SCARF, which stands for: Safety, Caring, Resilience and Friendship. SCARF has already begun to provide Manor Junior School with a whole-school approach to building these essential foundations – crucial for our children to achieve their best, academically and socially. We look forward to seeing the benefit of SCARF as this year continues. Spring 1: Keeping myself safe Year 3- Identifying safe and unsafe situations and strategies to keep safe in them; the difference between danger and risk; risks and effects of alcohol and cigarettes; risk-taking; internet safety; what to do if things don’t feel right and helpful and harmful medicines. Year 4- Dangers, risks and hazards; online safety; the risks of sharing photos online; understanding what dares are; safety issues for medicine use and that medicine is a type of drug; risks and effects of alcohol and smoking; managing risk and positive and negative influences. Year 5- Defining what habits are and why they are hard to change, risk-taking; strategies for bullying; understanding what dares are; recognising risky situations and strategies for them; online safety; helpful and harmful medicines and drugs; perceptions of smoking and considering the effects of taking risks. Year 6- Online safety- what is appropriate to share, what is private and personal and what risks are; understanding what addiction is; medical and non-medical uses of drugs; basic laws around drug-use; effects and risks of drinking alcohol and conflicting emotions, responsibility and independence.

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Monday 4th January Swap an unhealthy choice in your home packed lunch today for some fruit. How many fruits and vegetable have you eaten each day? Tell a teacher via Google classroom for some house points.

Monday 11th January Can you do 20 star jumps each night? Give your body a good stretch in the morning to help wake you up.

Monday 18th January Try one of Joe Wick’s workout at home each evening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3LPrhI0v-w Record your sleep each night- have you slept for

Monday 25th January Keep hydrated- how much plain water have

you drank each day?

Did you know you should be having 6 - 8 glasses a day?

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During these unprecedented times, we have been teaching our students here at MJS how to still have fun in the playground, in your garden or in your house while maintaining a distance. This month we have chosen wacky races and mirror movements - these are fun games that you can also enjoy and play at home with friends and family.