Friday 24th January 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

Last week we had one of our busiest Sixth Form Open Evenings. It was wonderful to catch up with some of you on Progress Review Day, thank you to everyone who attended. The partnership with parent/carers is very much valued by the school and I hope those discussions will help our children make strides in their progress.

Year 10 Parents’ Evening – Wednesday 29th January 2025 4.00pm – 6.30pm – On Site

A reminder that Year 10 Parents’ Evening will take place next week. Year 10 students should have booked appointments with their class teachers using page 6 of their contact book. If you have any queries, please contact your child’s Form Tutor.

Parent/Carer Forums – Spring Term

The following parent/carer forums will be taking place virtually this term. More information will be sent directly to parent/carers as well as the joining link.

Year Group

Date and Time

Year 12

Wednesday 5th February 4.30pm – 5.15pm

Year 9

Monday 10th February 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Year 7

Tuesday 11th February 5.00pm – 6.00pm

Year 8

Wednesday 12th February 4.30pm – 5.15pm

Hackney Music Service Gala – Tuesday 28th January 2025

We are delighted to announce that a selection of our students involved in our High School Musical production have been invited to perform a medley at the Hackney Empire Theatre as part of the annual Hackney Music Service Gala. This provides an incredible opportunity for students to perform live on a West End Stage and participate in the showcase with multiple schools across the borough. If you would like to come along and support, you can purchase tickets using this link.

SNS Hub Fundraising Update

Friends of SNS School Lottery

Friends of SNS (PTFA) has set up a lottery to raise money for the SNS Hub. This will help towards raising additional funds to deliver the best possible provision for our students. Your support and contribution will be greatly appreciated and significantly enhance the learning experience of SNS students. You can find more about the lottery and enter using this link.

Reminder of SNS Hub Fundraising Quiz Night – Friday 7th March 2025

As we finalise plans for our quiz night in March, we are continuing to accept offers for raffle prizes and auction items. This can be anything from free tickets to a show, a painting or print, a money off voucher for a service. Any donation would be hugely appreciated. If you have any donations, please email Lois Gillie, Enrichment Manager, Loi.Gil@sns.hackney.sch.uk.

Punctuality

There has been a considerable improvement in punctuality this term. We will continue to focus on punctuality, recognising that this is a fundamental for young people in both their studies and to minimise any disruption to learning.

Mobile Phones and Connecting Devices

Students are not allowed to bring mobile phones, including any devices which connect to a mobile phone, such as headphones, earphones and smartwatches. This ban is for anytime whilst on the school site, including before and after school. Any items will be confiscated.

This is to safeguard our students from mobile phone thefts and cyber bullying. We have been notified by the Police that there has been a recent increase in mobile phone thefts within the wider community, especially within Clissold Park.

We also know the detrimental effects of cyber bullying to our young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Should there be mitigating circumstances in which your child should be allowed to bring their mobile phone into school and leave in Reception, please email your request to the relevant Head of School.

Student ID Card Reminder

A reminder that all students must always have their school ID card and lanyard. This is essential for keeping the community safe and enables students to purchase lunch. If your child requires funds on their ParentPay account, please ensure these are regularly checked to allow students to purchase food.

Key dates

Please see a link to our school calendar here.

Our theme for this week marked Holocaust Memorial. Students in 9S composed and shared the following quote;

‘We must never forget that the Holocaust did not begin with camps, ghettos, or gas chambers. It began with words—words of hate, words of exclusion, words that divided and dehumanized. The voices of survivors remind us of the importance of standing against prejudice, discrimination, and apathy, for the lessons of the past demand vigilance in the present and courage for the future.’

Have a restful weekend.

Zehra Jaffer