WOW Parents Letter

Click here to access the leaflet

Help In Brum

In the current economic crisis we are here to help - please see the attached information about the support available in Birmingham. If you need specific and urgent support please come into the school office and ask to speak to Cathy. Click here to access the leaflet.

MacMillan Cancer Support: Cake Sale (Thursday 28th September)

An information leaflet will be sent home today. Many thanks in advance for your donations and support.

Strike Action - Wednesday 15th March - school will be open to all pupils and at the time of writing this, school will be open on Thursday 16th March too.

School closed today due to adverse weather conditions (10.3.2023)

Wednesday 1st February

School will be open to all pupils on Wednesday 1st February.

Winter Safety

https://www.wmfs.net/safety/winter-water-safety/

Please use this link to access important information from the West Midlands Fire Service - thank you.

Bargain Book Fair - Wednesday 19th October

BARGAIN BOOK FAIR! Tomorrow all the children will have the opportunity to visit the Book Fair DURING school hours (Wednesday 19th October) - children may bring between £5 OR £10 (maximum) into school to make their purchases. Welcome to the world of imagination!

Deposit for the Y6 residential visit - June 2023

As a polite reminder, please ensure that the £30 deposit for the residential visit is paid by Friday 21st October - many thanks.

Reception Baseline Assessment

Reception Baseline Assessment

Within the first 6 weeks of starting reception, your child will be participating in the reception baseline assessment (RBA). The purpose of the assessment is to provide the starting point for a new measure that will help parents understand how well schools support their pupils to progress between reception and year 6.

Please click here to access a document that will provide further information. If you have any queries, please speak to your child's class teacher.

Thank you for your support . . .

To all our wonderful Marsh Hill families, the whole staff thank you for your support throughout the year and wish you a happy, peaceful and enjoyable summer. 

School reopens to pupils on Wednesday 7th September. 

Mr. J Cusack 

Head Teacher 

An important message from the Director of Public Health

Dear Parents, 

Please find below an important message from Dr Justin Varney, Director of Public Health, on keeping children safe during the National Heatwave Emergency. 

National Heatwave Emergency – keeping children safe 

For the first time temperatures of 40°C have been forecast in the UK today and tomorrow. 

Exceptional heat is already affecting a large part of England including Birmingham and the West Midlands and this can particularly affect children, especially babies and infants under 4yrs old and children with long term health conditions like diabetes as well as children with special needs.  

We want to help keep your children safe and well during this extreme weather. 

Children cannot control their body temperature as well as adults during hot weather and so can be at risk of ill-health from heat. Heat-related illness can range from mild heat stress to heatstroke. 

Teachers, assistants, and all staff will be looking out for signs of heat stress when your child is at school or nursery, and you can look out for these signs too at home. 

Children suffering from heat stress may behave out of character or show signs of discomfort and irritability, so be aware of any changes. 

The main risk from heat is dehydration (not having enough water in the body) so make sure your child is drinking plenty of water. They will need more than normal in these high temperatures. 

Children should not take part in vigorous physical activity on very hot days. 

Children should wear loose, light-coloured clothing to help keep cool and sunhats with wide brims. 

High factor sunscreen should be used to protect skin and try to avoid playing out in the sun. 

A few tips that can help keep your children cool: 

• Quarter fill drinks bottles with water, freeze then top up with cold water for a nice icy drink. 
• Eat lots of salad and fruit as it has a high water content to keep them hydrated. 
• Put baby wipes or damp flannels in the fridge & use them to cool little ones down. 
• Fill a tray with cool water for children to put their feet in. 
• Have a cool bath or shower, but avoid freezing cold ones as can be a big shock! 
• Make ice lollies by freezing sugar free diluted squash or fruit juice 

If you or your child take regular medication please check the label as some medicines will need to be kept cool in this extreme heat. 

We all have a part to play in keeping our children safe in these extreme temperatures. 

Kind regards 

Dr Justin Varney 

Director of Public Health 

Year 6 Performance

Year 6 pupils are going to perform a play to their parents/carers on Wednesday 13th July at 9.15am and 2pm (the show is repeated). A letter will be sent home tomorrow with further information. 

Reminder: tomorrow (Friday 24th June) is a teacher training day and school is closed to all pupils.

School will reopen to all pupils on Monday 6th June. I wish all of our school community a happy and safe half term break.

Thursday 26th May: Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Tomorrow, we will be celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. The day will be a non-school uniform day and we encourage all pupils to wear to wear red, white and blue. Thank you.

Possible Year 6 visit to Drayton Manor on Friday 1st July

Please click on this link

https://forms.office.com/r/mJHaubmTZT 

Year 6 SATS Dates Reminder

Year 6 SATS Dates Reminder 

Year 6 SATs begin on Monday (May 9th). Tests will be taking place on Monday to Thursday during the week. It is essential that every Year 6 pupil is in school and on time for these tests. We will be running (free of charge) a breakfast club for Year 6 pupils on each of the four days of the tests.  

Snap Chat

Please read this letter concerning the use of Snap Chat - thank you.

School Closure

Dear Parents/Carers,

Due to the rising number of Covid cases we currently have in school, we are unfortunately going to have to close school tomorrow, Friday 21st  January, to undertake an enhanced clean of the school. We will reopen on Monday 24th January.

Please read the attached letter with further details included. We are very sorry for the inconvenience but I am sure you understand the need for these additional measures to take place.

Thank you for your co-operation. 

Mr J Cusack 

Head Teacher 

Covid letter to KS2 parents

Please click here to access a letter that has been given to KS2 pupils today - thank you.

Christmas Disco in school on Thursday 16th - pupils can bring some money to purchase items on sale from the Marsh Hill Heroes

Due to following additional guidance from the government by cancelling the after-school discos today, we would still like children to enjoy the atmosphere of a Christmas disco. Therefore, each class will have a Christmas disco in school, tomorrow (Thursday 16th). Pupils can bring money to purchase items on sale from the Marsh Hill Heroes. Thank you for your ongoing support - Mr. Cusack

Year 6 pupils applying for a Year 7 place in secondary schools

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting the online application is Sunday 31st October, although we strongly recommend submitting before then. If you need any support, please ask to speak with Mrs Clover or Mrs Mynett - thank you.

Halloween Disco

It was wonderful to see so many pupils enjoying the Halloween Disco last night. It was organised by the Marsh Hill Hereos (our PTA), to whom we are extremely thankful. 

Parents/carers of pupils in 2M only

Dear parents/carers of pupils in 2M,

There has been a positive Covid result in your child's class. Following advice from Public Health England, pupils from 2M will be required to self-isolate up to and including Saturday 1st May. The children are not to come into school during this period. 

6KC class teacher

Please click here to access a letter regarding the class teacher for 6KC for the duration of the Summer term. Many thanks.

Red Nose Day / Comic Relief

Friday 19th March

To help raise funds for Comic Relief, tomorrow will be a non-uniform day, meaning that children are allowed to come to school in their own clothes. A contribution of £1 (or similar) will be greatly appreciated to contribute towards this wonderful charity. Many thanks.

On-site expectations for Monday 8th onward

We very much look forward to welcoming you all on Monday. Following Government guidance, we respectfully request - unless exempt - that at all times parents/carers wear a face mask whilst on site and maintain social distancing. Please view our full risk assessment on the school website, under the Key Information/COVID 19 section. Many thanks and take care.

Leader of the Council Letter

Please read the letter from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Ward.

School Opening 8.3.2021

Please read the latest Newsletter for information on the school opening.

Preparations for re-opening

Dear Parents/Carers, 

As you will be aware the government has announced that all pupils will return to school from Monday March 8th. 

In order make the necessary arrangements to ensure that we have a safe environment for all pupils to return to on this date, we will be closed to those pupils currently attending school during lockdown on Friday 5th March. 

Thank you for your continued support during this period. 

Mr. J. Cusack 

Head Teacher 

Free online course for parents when using Google Classroom

Walsall College are offering a FREE 2-hour online course to help parents to support their children when using Google Classroom.

Please click on this link to access their website and sign up to the course.

Google Classroom access details

If you have not received your Google Classroom parent guide and access details, please send an email requesting these documents to your class email address. Thank you.

School will be opening on Tuesday 26th January

School will be open tomorrow for vulnerable pupils and pupils whose parents are critical workers (8.50am - 3.00pm)

School Closure - Monday 25th January

Due to the inclement weather conditions, school will be closed to all pupils and staff tomorrow. Google Classroom and class video calls will still take place as planned. 

National Lockdown January 2021

Following the Prime Minister's announcement this evening, Marsh Hill Primary School will be closed to ALL pupils tomorrow (Tuesday 5th January). We will be open to children of key workers and vulnerable pupils from Wednesday 6th January and providing remote learning for all pupils from Wednesday 6th January.

Christmas Carols 2020

Unfortunately, we couldn't invite parents and carers into school this Christmas as we usually would. The children didn't let the coronavirus restrictions stop them from performing their favourite carols and recorded some for you to enjoy online instead.

Click on the links below to watch.

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4

Year 3 and Year 6 pupils to self-isolate

There has been a confirmed positive COVID-19 case related to Year 3 and Year 6 pupils. Children in these year groups should now self-isolate. More information will be available in the form of a letter and will be uploaded to the school's website tomorrow. Home learning will also be available.

Please click here to open a document which you may find useful in relation to free virtual after school clubs for PE and Sports.

Black History Month

Please click here to access an overview of the pupils' learning that took place during October, in recognition of Black History Month.

NBA leaflet

Please click here to view information relating to NBA if you are considering it as a secondary school for your child.

Y6 Secondary School Information - Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

Please find attached 2 links which may be relevant if you are considering Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School as the preferred choice of secondary school for your child . . .

School Tour

Opening Evening School Tour

PCSO Workshop

PC Duncan (our Community Police Officer) has delivered a workshop to children in Years 5 and 6 today. Speak to your child about the session when you can - what did they learn?

Arrangements for September 2020

Please read the 'Arrangements for September 2020' letter which outlines the revised procedures in place to keep your child safe.

Year 6 Transition for Erdington Academy

If your child is going to attend Erdington Academy from September, please note that the secondary school require you to complete an online form, which they have already contacted you about. This is simply a reminder.

Click here to access their website.

Re-opening of Marsh Hill Primary School for Year 6, Year 1 and Reception Classes

As indicated in the letter sent to you on 20th May, I can confirm that we intend to open our doors with a phased return for Year 6 pupils on Monday 8th June 8.40 – 3.15, followed by Year 1 on 15th June and Reception on 22nd June.

Update on Re-opening of Marsh Hill Primary School

The decision has been made to delay the phased reopening of school for the specified year groups to Monday 8th June at the earliest. We feel it is right to take a cautious and measured approach to reduce risk and to ensure the continued healthy and safety and well-being of the children, parents and staff whilst on site.  The final guidance is expected on 28th May when the Government will review the impact of its latest measures, then we will be in a position to advise you of specific arrangements and protocols in line with the latest government guidance.

Home Learning - Monday 18th May

Hello! This week's learning is now available on the school website. Please remember to use the class email address to send photos of learning to the teacher. Many thanks.

Parent Consultation for phased re-opening of school (Year 6)

As stated in this week's newsletter, we are asking parents (who have children in Reception, Year 1 and/or Year 6) to provide us with a brief response concerning the re-opening of school. Please take a few moments to complete the attached online form if your child in is Year 6:

click here

Many thanks

Parent Consultation for phased re-opening of school (Year 1)

As stated in this week's newsletter, we are asking parents (who have children in Reception, Y1 and/or Y6) to provide us with a brief response concerning the re-opening of school. Please take a few moments to complete the attached online form if your child is in Year 1:

click here 

Many thanks

Parent Consultation for phased re-opening of school

As stated in this week's newsletter, we are asking parents (who have children in Reception, Y1 and/or Y6) to provide us with a brief response concerning the re-opening of school. Please take a few moments to complete the attached online form if your child is in Reception:

click here 

Many thanks

Possible Re-opening of School for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 Pupils

As you are aware the government have said that schools may begin to re-open to ReceptiPossible Re-opening of School for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 Pupilson, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from Monday 1st June 2020.  As part of our risk assessment and in order to prepare, we are consulting parents in the above year groups to see if you will be sending your child to school on the proposed date of June 1st 2020.   You can do this by one of the following; completing the survey on the school’s website, emailing the school or your child’s class email, or alternatively, contacting the School Office on 0121 464 2920.  Please do this by Wednesday 20th May.

The Governors and the leadership team will be carrying out a full health and safety risk assessment of the school site. This information will be used to manage and reduce risk and to ensure the continued healthy and safety and well-being of the children, parents and staff whilst on site.  Please note that school will not reopen to any pupils beyond our key worker children until full risk assessments and preparation of the school site have been carried out and we feel that it is safe to admit additional pupils.

Please be aware that if and when children come to school, they will be in much smaller groups and we will endeavour to provide a broad and balanced curriculum within the constraints of this current situation. However, restrictions on the sharing of resources and movement around the classroom will have an impact and we will support the children in every way we can with this.  The DfE has advised that parents will not be fined for non-attendance. 

Please note that we are unable to provide places for siblings in other year groups unless they are on our keyworker register.

Once all the assessments and surveys have been conducted, then we will be in a position to advise you of specific  arrangements and protocols in line with the latest government guidance.

Important information from the government

Yesterday, the government released a document for parents and carers, relating to schools during the Coronavirus outbreak. Please read the document, as it may help to answer some questions that you may have.

Please click here to access the online document

The link to the document is also on our website. It can be found under the 'Key Information' tab, then 'COVID-19'.

Home Learning

Good morning!

Home learning activities for this week are now available on the school's website. Please use the class email address if you have any queries.

Updated version of the home learning

Y2 parents - a new version of this week's home learning has just been uploaded to the school's website. It contains more activities that don't necessarily need a screen to be completed. My apologies if this has caused confusion - Mrs Clover.

Home learning activities

Good morming!

This week's home learning activities are now available on the school's website, under the 'pupil' tab, and then under 'school closure - learning at home'.  If you have any queries, please email your class teacher. Year 4 and Year 5 have additional pages attached to the main activity sheet.

Weekly learning activities

Good morning! 

Weekly learning activities are now available (for each year group) on the school's website. They can be found under the 'pupils' tab, then 'school closure - learning at home'. Additional information can also be seen in the Parent Planners (curriculum maps) which are also available on the website.

Websites that have been referred to can be found on the 'learning links' page. If you have any queries, you can now contact the class teacher by using the new class email addresses that are found on the same page as the weekly learning activities. 

You should be able to use mobile phones to access all of this information, as well as tablet devices (iPads etc). Using a desktop computer or laptop is not essential.

Enjoy the week ahead and stay safe!

The Marsh Hill Team

Government Supermarket Vouchers

From 24th April, eligible pupils will be issued with an eCode equivalent of £15 per week per child. This is in line with updated guidance from the DfE and Edenred who provide the eCodes and eGift Cards.  If you do not receive an eCode you are expecting (and you are certain that your child is eligible for free school meals) please check your SPAM/Junk email folders and with family members before contacting us as we have used the most up to date email address that we have on file.

Orders will be fulfilled by a company called Edenred, so please look out for this name. The DfE have explained that due to high demand, there can be up to a 72 hour delay between school ordering the eCodes and them being emailed to parents/carers.

If you have successfully redeemed an eCode, but have queries about your eGift Card (for example, you have not received it within 24 hours of ordering it at www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk) then please contact Edenred by email at freeschoolmealsparentscarers@edenred.com and Edenred can look into this for you.

FSM Vouchers have been allocated

All FSM vouchers have now been allocated. Please visit the FSM (under the Parent tab) and follow instructions on how to activate you voucher. If you are in receipt of FSM and you have not received your validation code then email enquiry@marshill.bham.sch.uk

School is closed for the Easter holidays

School is closed for the Easter holidays and will re-open on 20 April 2020 as an emergency care facility for children of critical workers (e.g. NHS staff, police, others in frontline services) and children with certain needs.  If you need emergency care during the Easter holidays, then email us at enquiry@marshill.bham.sch.uk and we will try and arrange childcare.  

There is always a Designated Safeguarding Lead on duty and can be contacted in the event of a serious safeguarding concern or emergency on: 07538 455727. However, if you consider this to be urgent please contact Birmingham Children's Advice and Support service on 0121 303 1888  

Educational Psychologist Telephone Helpline for Parents and Carers

Do you as a parent or carer at home with your children during the school shut down, feel that you need someone to talk to about how you can cope with this challenging time for families?

Birmingham Educational Psychology Service is providing a telephone helpline for any parent or carers of children, who feel they would benefit from a consultation with a psychologist to support them with any concerns arising at this time, for them or their families. 

Click here for more information

Home Learning - online resources

If you go to the school's website and click on 'pupils', then 'learning links', you will find a list of useful websites that will support home learning. Some sites need usernames and passwords, which your child should have in their learning packs. Other sites require you to sign up for free and some sites are open access.

Letter to Parents and Carers from the Director for Education and Skills Birmingham

Please click the here to read the latest update from Dr Tim O’Neill, Director for Education and Skills for Birmingham. The letter contains imortant information about school closures.

Are you a 'critical worker'?

Please complete the electronic form (using the link below) if you believe that your occupation is within the 'critical worker' category.

We may need evidence of this to ensure that we are following Government guidance.

Thank you.

If the link doesn't work on your mobile phone, please go to the school's website instead. We've also sent the link via our text message service.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=KnYDWGQfW0GVsvuIz7OFcpktvOT9FfJGjx1DtQ3qlThUQlZMU0NBRlFZU1ZCRThLVlBXRkVQMjc2RS4u

Critical Workers - information from the Government for parents who are able to have childcare provided for their children as of Monday 23rd March

The following information has been released by the Government:

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

Please, therefore, follow these key principles:

1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
2. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
3. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
4. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
5. Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.

If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:

Health and social care

This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare

This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

Key public services

This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

Local and national government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

Public safety and national security

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

Transport

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

If your school is closed then please contact your local authority, who will seek to redirect you to a local school in your area that your child, or children, can attend.

We are grateful for the work of teachers and workers in educational settings for continuing to provide for the children of the other critical workers of our country. It is an essential part of our national effort to combat this disease.

Hand hygiene

Information about Coronavirus (Covid-19)

The link above should direct you to a government website, where you will find a video showing the correct handwashing procedure that's currently being encouraged nationwide. There's also additional information related to the virus and the associated symptoms.

Spoz the Poet

We were delighted to welcome Spoz the Poet into school yesterday. He started with a whole school assembly that had all the children engrossed. Then did workshops with pupils across school to help them write their own poems. 

The feedback from pupils and staff has been really positive and a tremendous day was had by all. Here is just a selection of what the pupils told us: 

‘We we’re learning but in a fun way’ 

‘I thought the performance was really good for all the pupils, it was cool and funny’ 

‘I like the way he used words’ 

‘Lots of humour was involved when we read our poems’ 

‘Spoz made sure that everyone was included and it was really interactive’ 

It wasn’t just the pupils who were impressed though. Here are some comments made by the teachers: 

‘Spoz was one of the best ever visitors I’ve ever seen come to a school. Every single child in assembly was engaged’ 

‘He captured every single child in the school’ 

‘He was amazing and the children were enthralled – they loved every minute of it’ 

We still have some of Spoz’s books available. Please ask at the office if you would like to purchase a copy. 

Mother's Day Lunch 26.3.2020

We are celebrating Mother’s Day on Thursday 26th March 2020 with a special Lunch. If you would like to come and have lunch with your child; the price of the meal is £4.00.

If your child normally brings sandwiches and would like a meal on this day then you can pay £2.30 via School Money, this does not apply to KS1 children or any children on Free school meals.

Payment needs to be made by Thursday 12th March.

World Book Day Thursday 5th March 2020

This year we will be joining in with schools around the UK to celebrate the 2020 theme for World Book Day: ‘Share a Million   stories’.

In class we will be celebrating our  favourite stories and children are invited to bring their favourite book into school and/or to dress as a character from their favourite book.