Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Parents/Carers did you know you can text your school nurse?

  Tue 31 Mar 2020

  ChatHealth Messaging Service

  Text your school nurse

  
  During these unsettling times, as a parent of child aged between 5-19 year olds, you may be worried about your child’s health and wellbeing and be unsure about how to get the help you need. Our school nurses are still here to help - you can call/ text them for confidential advice and support on a wide range of issues.

  Parent/carers of child(ren) aged 5-19, living in Mid Essex, can call the School Nursing Team on
  Phone: 0300 247 0014 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

  Children/ Young people aged 11-19 years old (or parents/carers of 5-19 year olds) can send a text directly to:
  Text: 07520 615731 9am-5pm Monday-Friday

  We can help with all kinds of things like:
   Behaviour
   Continence
   Emotional health
   Self-harm
   Bullying
   Minor accidents and illnesses

  Your ChatHealth messaging service is run by The Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service and is available 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. We aim to reply to you within one working day and you should get an immediate bounce-back to confirm we received your text.

  Texts will not be seen outside of normal working hours. If you need help before you hear back from us, contact you GP, NHS 111 or dial 999 if it is an emergency.

• Update from ofqual on this summer’s examinations

  Fri 27 Mar 2020

   

  Dear Parents/Carers

  We have received this update from ofqual on this summer’s examinations today.  As soon as details are released, we will relay them to you.

  Kind regards,

  Miss Mead

  Headteacher

   

  We are rapidly working up plans to implement the arrangements the Secretary of State for Education has set out for exams this summer and, with exam boards and teaching bodies, are making considerable progress.

  Students understandably want reassurance, and teachers urgently need to know what to do, and when. We expect to publish detailed information about the process and timetable which will apply this summer next week. This will include the steps we would like teachers to follow and more detailed guidance on how to consider the full range of evidence they will have available when submitting their assessment grades. We are talking to teaching representatives to make sure that what we are planning is manageable and appropriate, so that students, parents, carers and teachers can have confidence in the approach.

  We will outline by Easter the process we will follow to make sure grades are fair across schools and colleges, as well as our proposals for appeals. We will also say more as soon as possible about the arrangements for additional exams in the new academic year.

  We want to reassure students waiting for news that we are doing everything we can to make sure they are not disadvantaged by these unprecedented circumstances.

   

• News from Moulsham High School

  Fri 27 Mar 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

  I hope that you and your family have been safe and well this week. 

  The school has remained partially opened for students with Key Worker parents and a small number of other learners.  We have been delighted to be able to support the national response in this way and will continue to do so as long as needed.

  On Monday Oaklands Infant School, who are also part of the Bridge Academy Trust, will be moving into the Old School building.  They will operate as a discreet unit and I hope that they will enjoy their stay with us.

  We have not received any new information from the Department for Education regarding this summer’s exams.

  Finally the Bridge Academy Trust have set up a well-being page on their website which you may find useful, just follow the link https://www.bridgeacademytrust.org/wellbeing

  We wish you well for the week ahead.

  Miss J Mead

  Headteacher

• Government Guidance For Parents And School Opening From Monday, 23rd March

  Fri 20 Mar 2020

  Government Guidance For Parents And School Opening From Monday, 23^rd March

  Dear Parents/Carers,

  The Government has issued guidance for parents on childcare during the school closure period.  This can be accessed using the link:

  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

  From Monday, 23^rd March, school will remain open for children with ECHPs and/or social workers and the children of key workers who do not have any other childcare provision.  The link above also explains who is classed as a key worker.

  Students attending on Monday, should arrive at school as usual and report to the refectory.  Please note that only the Brian Close school gate will be open.    Students should wear school uniform and, if possible, bring a packed lunch with them.  There will be a very limited service in the refectory.  Please could they also bring their P.E. kit with them each day.   School will end at 3.25pm. 

  Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any queries.

  Yours Sincerely,

  J. Mead.

  Headteacher.  

• Coronavirus: School Closure

  Wed 18 Mar 2020

  The Prime Minister announced this evening that all schools in England will close from Friday afternoon until further notice.

• Office 365 and Show My Homework

  Tue 17 Mar 2020

  Office 365

  All Students have now been issued with an Office 365 account. Their email address is their login username + mymhs.me.

  Where their school network login is 16johnsmith their email account is 16johnsmith@mymhs.me

  An Office 365 Helpful Information document can be found here.

  Passwords are as follows but students will be prompted to change the password on first login. Passwords must be 8 characters long, have an upper and lower case letter and a number or symbol. Anything the system deems to be too simple will not be accepted.

  Year	Intake year	Password
  Year 7	Intake 2019	Moulsham5#
  Year 8	Intake 2018	Moulsham4#
  Year 9	Intake 2017	Moulsham9!
  Year 10	Intake 2016	Moulsham7#
  Year 11	Intake 2015	Moulsham6!

   

  Show My Homework

  The new student email addressess have been uploaded to the SMHW website, this enables students to click the ‘Forgotten My Password’ box on SMHW if they forget their password.

  Students that were accessing SMHW with an email address as their username will have to click the ‘Forgotten My Password’ box and retrieve it from their new school email account.

  Students that don’t know their login or username will have to click the ‘Forgotten My Password’ box and retrieve it from their new school email account.

  Students who were accessing SMHW with a username should be able to log on as normal.

   

• Trips and visits cancelled

  Tue 17 Mar 2020

  All school trips and visits up until the end of term have now been cancelled. Where and if possible these will be rearranged. A member of the school office staff will be in contact by email asap. 

• Coronavirus: School remains open

  Mon 16 Mar 2020

  Please could I remind parents/carers that should any type of school closure be necessary over the coming days and weeks due to the impact of the coronavirus, you will be informed of this by text and e-mail.  Information will also be put on the website and social media.  

   

  Yours Sincerely,

  Miss Mead

   

• Moulsham High School and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

  Fri 13 Mar 2020

  Moulsham High School’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat received an extra special addition to its costume department.

  The school was gifted the use of the custom-made Dreamcoat originally created to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

  The coat was originally worn way way back in 1998 by Aled Jones in a performance at the Methodist Central Hall in London. It was worn again in 2018, this time by pop star Chesney Hawkes, in a 50^th anniversary concert at the Brentwood Centre. Both of these performances were produced by Mark Reed who delivered the coat to the school for the performance.

  This very special Dreamcoat was donned by Moulsham High School’s very own Joseph, Year 10 student, Katherine A.

  On wearing the famous coat, Katherine said: “It was such an honour and privilege to wear this iconic coat. I’d like to thank Mrs Rhodes, Miss Crisp and Steve for enabling me to have this amazing opportunity, I could not be more grateful and hope I did you all proud.”

  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has become one of the world’s most iconic musicals. Told entirely through song, with the help of the Narrator, the show follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son Joseph and his 11 brothers. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled showman, the Pharaoh. As Joseph strives to resolve Egypt’s famine, he becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually reunites with his family. 

  Mrs Rhodes, Head of Performing Arts who directed the show alongside colleague Miss Crisp, student, Amy C and former student Sophie P, who returned for the production, said: “Having an original Technicolor Dreamcoat for our production was absolutely fantastic. The students worked so hard rehearsing for the show and couldn’t wait to perform for their friends and family. Having this coat to use was the icing on the cake. Never mind any dream will do, any dream can come true!” 

  Moulsham High School’s connection to the coat comes from former pupil Steven Roberts from 1159 Productions. Steven’s interest in theatre began at Moulsham High and he went on to design the light and sound for the thirtieth anniversary performance of Joseph. Steven voluntarily runs the school’s Technical Club where students learn vital skills that enable their success as technical practitioners such as lighting, sound, special fx, and set building. 

  He said: “We were delighted to be able to support the school by facilitating the sharing of costumes and props from different people and organisations. It was great seeing the pleasure and joy that the cast got back in 1998, for the 30th anniversary, when they first saw the coat. This was seen again over 20 years later with Katherine’s reaction and indeed the wider cast when they saw it the next day.”

  The school production began on Wednesday, 11 March and ran for three nights.

• Coronavirus: Self isolation guidelines

  Fri 13 Mar 2020

  Self isolation guidelines issued by the government can be found here.