Friday 1 April 2022

Dear Parent/Carer,

Headteacher’s Letter - Week 25

It is difficult to believe we are finally at the end of this busy term. Whilst we are still working our way through a pandemic, it is great to return to those activities such as face-to-face assemblies, concerts and extra-curricular activities which add to the learning experience and brings us together as a community.

Easter Holiday Free School Meal Vouchers

All parents eligible for free school meals will receive their free school meal voucher by Monday next week. If you do not receive your voucher or need further advice or support, please email len.lab@sns.hackney.sch.uk

Start of Summer Term – Tuesday 19 April

The school reopens on Tuesday 19 April and students are expected to arrive at the normal time by 8.25am. Please ensure your child has enough money on their ID card to purchase lunch.

SNS Fundraising for Ukraine

SNS raised total of £508 via students' fundraising initiatives over this month in effort to support Ukraine in its current crisis. Thank you to all who contributed to bake, book and badge sales, including the tombola that was very popular among students and staff. Fantastic prizes were donated by parents and local businesses such as vouchers for the Climbing Castle, Oddono's-Ice Cream and Hairtonic that brought joy to the winners.

EAL and Community Languages

Fantastic posters were created by students in Year 7s for the Swahili language of the month in our school.

You can listen to this beautiful and uplifting Swahili chant 'Baba Yetu' which hopefully you enjoy by clicking this link.

The next language of the month is Turkish that has been chosen by Ms Foden's tutor group, 8T.

Students along with their families are welcome to research and design posters for our April's display in 'community languages' area. Also, please send us any other suggestions to promote Turkish language that you would like to share. Please encourage your children to send us posters and power points related to Turkish (via email or tutors). All above can be emailed to community.languages@sns.hackney.sch.uk

Enrichment Volunteers

At SNS we are committed to providing opportunities that encourage students to learn through different methods as they enjoy engaging projects and activities beyond the curriculum. Our enrichment programme offers a wide range of projects, competitive and non-competitive sports, creative and performing arts as well as academic booster classes. Many activities are run by our own staff and we also work with external organisations and specialist providers to ensure a high quality provision for students. We are always look at ways to strengthen and improve our offer and would relish the opportunity to work more closely with parents and carers. If you would like to support, please complete the form found here.

Parent/Carer Survey Feedback

Thank you to all who completed the parent/carer survey in February. The feedback is incredibly valuable to help inform the focus for the school. Areas for us to focus on are catering and communication, and there was an overriding sense of knowing how much the staff care and want students to do well. We will be working through the feedback next term and hope to update you on key themes.

CEN Live Parent/Carer Virtual Coffee Morning – Thursday 21 April 6.30pm

Communities Empowered Network (CEN Live) are hosting a forum to discuss ‘what parents can expect from schools and what schools can expect from parents’ with Project Manager of Strengthening Families Project at The Nest, Obadiah Emaru, CEN advocate and ex Deputy Head, Linda Townsend, and Zehra Jaffer. To register for this event click on this link.

Year 13 Study Leave

Now that students have completed their final mock exams and are now preparing for their final summer exams, I would like to confirm that students last day on site will be Friday 20th May. Teachers will still be available during their normal timetabled lessons to support students after this date.

Year 12 Work Experience – Week beginning Monday 18 July

Year 12 work experience will take place week beginning 18 July. Further information on this will come our early next term but we would ask that students start to consider what they would like to do to make this week effective.

Year 12 Mock Exams – starting Monday 20 June 2022

We will send further details on this after Easter and provide students with a timetable early next term. Supporting your children through this will also be the focus of our next Year 12 Parent & Carer forum on Thursday 26 May.

Sixth Progression Week - Monday 4 July

We are in the process of planning our sixth form progression week. This is an opportunity for students to access guest speakers and seek support when considering what they wish to do beyond the sixth form. This includes a number of different routes including apprenticeships and studying abroad to name a few. There will also be a Parents’ information evening that week to support you in supporting them. We are keen to offer speakers from different vocations as we feel that this gives students a better understanding of the different careers they can take. If you would be willing to offer a talk about your vocation then please click here and complete this short form. We will be in contact when the final details have been arranged and thank you for your support.

Term Dates 2022 – 2023

To view our term dates for next academic year, please click on this link.

Wishing you all a great holiday and for those of you marking Easter, Ramadhan, Passover and Vaisakhi may these occasions be special for you and yours.

With best wishes,

Zehra Jaffer