As we reach the end of the half term I wanted to keep you updated on what is happening nationally and in Morriston Comprehensive. As a school we fully appreciate how difficult and challenging the last six weeks have been for parents, students and staff, ensuring that our children are engaged in distance learning whilst aware of the pressures on their mental health and wellbeing. We all know that being in school is so important to a child’s progress and learning.

Click on the link below to read more. . .

Dear Parent/Carer,

Please find below a letter to learners from Qualifications Wales giving an update on arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels, Skills Challenge Certificate  (Welsh Bacc) and Essential Skills Wales qualifications.

I will continue to share any further guidance I receive.

As always please be assured that all staff will be working hard to ensure that your child receives every opportunity to gain the grades they are capable of.

It is vitally important that your child is engaging with their teachers and participating in the blended learning that is taking place during school closure.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards

David Meredith

Assistant Headteacher

Save the Date! Scholastic and Travelling Books celebrate World Book Day with a week of free events Monday 1st – Friday 5th March.

World Book Day will feel a little different this year but we are planning a whole fun-filled week of brilliant FREE events to help support teachers, parents and children who want to celebrate reading and books, wherever they are.

Our week-long event programme is free to all Scholastic and Travelling Books schools – so if you’re registered with us then you and your pupils can enjoy an array of wonderful authors and illustrators hosting 30-minute events, including draw-a-longs, writing workshops and a 4pm Book Club as an after school treat.

Register for each event with the password clubsandfairs.

Safer Internet Day 2021 is being celebrated globally on Tuesday 9th February 2021 with the slogan “Creating an internet we trust”, the day provides a fantastic opportunity to engage with children about their digital lives. I would like to say well done to our Year 8 team consisting of Emma, Errin, Lexie, Lily, Ruth and Sian for their ‘Fake News’ film entry in this year’s Safer internet day competition. Some amazing entries were submitted from so many schools this year with some really important pieces of advice on staying safe online. Critical thinking is as important as ever during remote/distance learning – Question, evaluate and reflect on the online content that you see. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can create for next year’s competition.

To help you talk to your child about having a positive and safe time online take a look at the parents and carers resource pack.

Click on the link to access these resources.  Safer Internet Day 2021 | Safer Internet Centre

We know those who read more, gain more knowledge, understand more and gain higher results.  Here’s some tips to help support your child’s reading at home based upon evidence of what really works.

7 Top Tips to support reading at home

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Dear Parent/ Carer,

This week marks Children’s mental health week. I’m sure you will agree looking after mental health has never been so important. The website https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/ provides information and activities for you to do at home with your children if you so wish as well as activities the children can do independently.

Children’s Mental Health Week

Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place on 1-7 February 2021. This year’s theme is Express Yourself. Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. This could be through art, music, writing and poetry, dance and drama, photography and film, and doing activities that make you feel good.

Please feel free to watch their Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Cambridge’s video message to mark the start of the week and explain more about it.

There are free resources which can be adapted for home schooling or independent learning.

CLICK ON THE LOGO BELOW FOR MORE

Dear Parent/Carer, 

SwanseaMind will be delivering a zoom for parents on supporting their children with workload stress and emotional wellbeing on Tuesday 2nd February. Please see details attached. Kindest regards Mrs Altman

Please find attached a letter from Qualifications Wales outlining changes to the plans for GCSE, AS and A level assessments in the Spring and Summer terms 2021.

I previously wrote to you in December sharing the Welsh Government’s plans to cancel summer examinations in their normal format and replace them with the following:

• non-examination assessments such as coursework or oral assessment (where these are already part of the qualification)
• internal assessments which will be marked by teachers, and
• external assessments, marked by WJEC

Due to the current school closures, the internal assessments which were due to take place between February 22nd and April 23rd have been cancelled.

At this time the non-examination assessments and the external assessments will still go ahead. The external assessments are planned to take place between May 17th and June 29th.

As you can appreciate, things are changing constantly. I will share with you any information I receive from Qualifications Wales on the planned assessments.

I will communicate further with all students via a recorded assembly which will be placed on the Teams group for their year.

Rest assured that the staff at Morriston will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that all students are the best prepared they can be for the challenges that lie ahead to ensure they fulfil their potential.

Thank you for your continued support.

**- CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LETTER FROM QUALIFICATIONS WALES – **

Current Dragons, Wales, Lions and former student Ross Moriarty is setting you the 2km challenge.

You must walk/run 2km as fast as possible and record your time and then email it to Miss Norkett- [email protected] .

The winner will receive a signed Wales shirt.

You can record your times and distance through the app “Strava” on your mobile phones( free to download). Take a picture and email your times to Miss Norkett.

Happy new year to all our students and parents. I have waited until today to write to you in the hope that I would have more information and clarity regarding how school will operate this half term.

Today the Education Minister for wales has announced that students will continue to stay home and learn remotely until at least the 29th January

Download the letter to read more…