Middle School Newsletter

WELCOME BACK! 

We are very excited to welcome our Middle School community back after the half term! It was lovely to see everyone arriving this morning looking rested and ready to go (some obviously having just returned from somewhere sunny!). Please read on for updates on coming events and some of the wonderful things we got up to in the last week of last half term too! 

This term we are focusing on the value of RESPONSIBILITY - working with our students and staff to develop our ability to step up, even when it is difficult to do so!   

Key Dates

Thursday 31st October: Year 6 Height and Weight Check (8:45am)
Friday 1st November: Above & Beyond Out & About Trip (October Winners)
Monday 4th November: Year 5 Trip to Amazon Robotics Workshop
(Machu Picchu Class - other Year 5 class' date TBC)
Friday 8th November: Middle School English Quiz Night (4:30pm - 6:00pm) Details below (please note date change from last newsletter)
Wednesday 6th November: Sadlers Wells Trip (Selected Students)
12:30pm - 3:45pm
Monday 11th - Friday 15th November: Anti-bullying Week
Tuesday 12th & Wednesday 13th November:  Parents Evening
(Y5/6 with Class Teachers, Y7/8 with Coaches) 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th November: Bring a Parent to School morning (details to follow)  
Tuesday 19th November: Peasant's Revolt Project Group Walking Tour
2:00pm - 4:30pm (Y8 selected students - letter to follow)
Thursday 21st November:  Year 5 Theatre Trip - Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe 1:00pm - 6:00pm. *Parents may attend but must purchase their own ticket through the theatre.
Wednesday 20th November: Diana Award Student Training Session
(selected students - more information to follow)
Friday 22nd November: Year 8 Cinema Trip - The Hate U Give (Letter to follow)

Middle School Attendance Winners

5 Machu Picchu 97.9%

6 Koscuiszko 98.0%

7 Rockies 97.1%

8 Mont Blanc 99.5% MIDDLE SCHOOL WINNERS

Year 7 iPads Update

Thank you to those parents who came to our information evening before half term. Unfortunately there has been a further hold up with the supplier and we are again awaiting confirmation of prices and delivery dates. 

The IT team is working very hard to resolve this as soon as they are able to. While we are waiting on this confirmation, we will close the orders portal.  If you have put an order through, this will not be processed until we have final confirmed information on price and delivery dates.  However, this will reopen once we have confirmed prices and will notify you as soon as we can.

There is no further action needed from families at this point - we will send out a full information pack to all families, including how you can order, as soon as we have the information. 

We sincerely apologise for the further delays on the device. 

Dropping off Lunches / Equipment during the day

We have had an increase in the number of parents and carers needing to drop off lunches, PE kits, keys, shoes and other items during the school day. Please be advised that the reception staff are unable to deliver these items to students. This is especially true over lunchtimes as the students are out playing and staff are on their lunch break. It is very important that your child has everything they need before they come to school., however we do understand that sometimes issues arise and it becomes necessary to drop items in. Please keep in mind that these items may not be delivered to your child until too late in the day. Thank you for your support and understanding in this matter. 

Collection after Clubs

Please note that parents collecting students after clubs are dismissed, must wait outside the main reception office on the left hand side for their children. The reception area must be kept free and clear for a safe dismissal, so waiting inside is not possible. Thank you for your support and understanding in this matter. 

Please see Middle School After School Clubs Timetable below:

Community choir is back! 

We welcome all parents, students, teachers and friends of our School21 community to join us on Friday 18th October from 4:15pm - 5.:15pm in the Main Hall.

This is a brilliant way to meet new parents, sing together and build connections with all the members of our school community in an informal setting. 

Please arrive via reception by 4.15pm. We look forward to seeing you! 

Congratulations Student Voice Reps!

Before the holidays Student Voice representatives were elected and announced! Well done to Michelle, Surya, Tolga, Kayja, Emile, Zoya, Iliana, Numair, Elona, Solomon, Ariyan and Muheem for taking on this role for our school. The first meeting will be coming up soon!

Green star Milestone recipients!

Each week the names are collated from our recognition board and students and counted.  For each milestone a student reaches, they will receive a star badge for their lapel. Congratulations to Akshaya, Sabrina, Zayn, Dante, Rayyan and Maja who made their Green Star milestone at the end of last half term! Keep showing openness, community, humanity, responsibility and excellence to reach your next milestone too!

School 21 Cross Country Runners

Congratulations to the students who represented School 21 at the borough Cross Country run before the half term. Special mention to Blessed in Year 8 who came third out of all the runners in Year 8 and 9 - a huge achievement! The results for all runners are below. 

Year 7 girls - Freya Westmancott 33rd
Year 7 boys - Shaan Dhingra Gut 28th
Year 8/9 girls - Sahmara Duffy 48th  /  Zakiya Islam 54th  
Year 8/9 boys - Blessed Omoke 3rd  /  Kai Quinn 6th  /  Shumon Ahmed

Traditional African Headdresses!

As part of our Black History Month celebrations, staff, students and parents came together on the last Friday before half term to learn how to do traditional African headdresses! Thank you to our experts who came to teach us and to everyone who came along to learn. There was a lot of laughter and fierce stylin'! 

EVO Games 4 Peace

We held our first EVO Games of the year at West Ham Park just before half term. The students are pictured from the Year 5/6 afternoon session huddling to work out collaborative strategies and supporting each other, and everyone down on a knee taking their Values pledge before the event.  It was a brilliant day with students from across the school stepping up to demonstrate their sportsman and sportswomanship. Big thank yous and recognition to the parents who came out (despite the wet morning session!) to support the students and to the PE team for their time and effort spent organising the event. We can't wait for the next one!

School Lunches

A reminder that Year 5 and 6 students continue to receive free school lunches as part of the Mayor of Newham's initiative, however, when students start Year 7 they must pay for their school lunches through your Parent Pay account. A letter was sent again last week regarding this, including how to sign up through the Newham website if you feel you are eligible for Free School Meals. 

The letter is available again by clicking here. 

All families can sign up for Free School Meals (if eligible) at any time; it is advisable that current Year 6 parents look into doing so this year to avoid delays when their child starts Year 7. 

If your account runs out of funds, students are to visit Ms Nandra in E1 at lunch time - she will support students to get their lunch that day, and will contact parents to remind them to top up the account. Please note, we are unable to keep providing lunch for your child if the balance is still negative. 

If you have any questions or require any support to sign up for Free School Meals, please contact Ms Nandra through the front reception or via email at rnandra@school21.org.uk. 

Walking Home Alone Permission

All Year 5 and 6 students whose parents give permission for them to travel home alone must complete the online permission form sent home earlier this week. The link for doing so is available again here. 

Please note that students will not be permitted to walk home unless this permission has been received. If you have any problems completing the form, please contact the front reception for support. Thank you for your support in this matter. 

Middle School Homework

This year all of our 12 coaching groups / classrooms have their own Google Classroom set up. All home learning tasks will be set through these online portals. Parents are warmly invited to sign up as guardians on these classrooms; this will give you the opportunity to see all the tasks set for your child so you can keep up to date and support them at home. If you would like to be added to your child's classroom, please follow this link to add your details. 

Please note the classrooms and student logins are being set up over this week so there may be a short delay before you are able to access them. Please bear with us! Year 7 and 8 students must log on at school to be able to access their Google Account. If your child is having issues or cannot remember their password, please direct them to see their coach or Mr Roworth and the IT team at school. Thank you for your support. 

Recognition Board

Congratulations to everyone included on the boards from the week before half term! You have stepped up to live our values of Openness, Community, Humanity, Excellence and Responsibility! 

The Lunch Menu for This Week is Week 1!