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St Michael's Middle School
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School House System & E Praise

Each child, uniquely made in God's image,
merits the best we can give. 

Aspiration, Belief and Creativity: St Michael’s ABC.

At St Michael’s Middle School we run a House system under the names of Hanham, Bankes, Gulliver and Paget, all local families or individuals who contributed to the local community of Colehill and Wimborne in the past. 

Each House has two Year 8 House Captains who have the responsibility of leading their Houses throughout the year. It is always a pleasure seeing leadership skills develop along with confidence and initiative as the House Captains lead assemblies, organise events and make sure that their House gives their best.

At St Michael’s we value the way in which the House system enables year groups to mix and support each other. Year 5 students learn so much from older students in the school who frequently become role models for the younger students. Assemblies and competitions generate opportunities for students from different year groups to collaborate and support each other.

Students are awarded points for their hard work, positive approach to their studies, recognition for an aspect of their contribution to school life and these points are recorded on Epraise our electronic reward system. Students' points all come together to create a sense of competition and at the end of each term the Head teacher announces the winning House and presents the House trophy. We also use Epraise points to celebrate individual success and tutor group success.

 

We value the House system for the opportunities it offers our students as they prepare for the challenges of moving onto new schools and the general demands of everyday life.
To be able to have that sense of belonging, contribute in a positive way and feel you are making a difference are important experiences for our students. We also know that placing students in leadership roles enables them to manage challenging situations and in the long run be better prepared young adults for the world of employment.

2024-25 House charities

PAGET CHARITY: INTERNATIONAL CHARITY - SAVE THE CHILDREN  

BANKES CHARITY: NATIONAL CHARITY - RSPCA 

GULLIVER CHARITY - LOCAL CHARITY - DORSET AIR AMBULANCE 

HANHAM CHARITY: SSMS SUPPORTED CHARITY - SOUTHAMPTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

EPRAISE

Introducing Epraise – an online system to help St Michael’s Middle School recognise the achievements of our students.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working at St Michael’s Middle School is seeing students taking part in a wide range of activities, both practical and academic, and reaching their goals through effort and hard work. In order to do this effectively we have invested in a new online system called Epraise.

Epraise provides an easy way for teachers to acknowledge and reward students for their contributions and recognise that a student has done well in one of the core values that we promote within school:

Aspiration     Belief     Creativity     Community

These points not only acknowledge an individual’s success but also contribute towards the House a student belongs to, thereby making a bigger impact within the school community.

Other features of Epraise include:

Electronic certificates are awarded for reaching certain milestones

Achievement badges can be collected
(e.g. Art club, sports clubs, high attendance)

Students can purchase goods from the shop using their points
(Points are not deducted but you can only spend a point once)

Epraise points are available for you to see and we would value your support in tracking your child’s progress at school and being a part of their progress and achievements.

Instructions for parents about how to log in to Epraise.

Click on this link to access a guide on how to log in and set up epraise at home:

https://www.epraise.co.uk/index.php?view=guide_parent

You will then be able to view your child’s profile and see how many points they have earned
and for which core value.

We would encourage you to sit with your child and help them to complete their bio, giving brief details about who they are and what their interests, achievements and aspirations are. This will help them to focus their goals for the coming year and may help guide them to find an extra-curricular activity that interests them, or that would diversify their interests.