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Setting up Purple Mash for the new academic year 2024
Nov. 1, 2023
As the new academic year approaches, we wanted to share with you some useful links we know will help you and your colleagues get started in 2024. In the post we'll cover account set up for Purple Mash admins, including data syncing and adding new classes; plus, we'll share useful tools and teacher resources to help you feel prepared at the start of the new year.
Contents
1) Setting up or updating your Purple Mash account
2) Login cards and parent letters
1) Setting up or updating your Purple Mash account
Purple Mash admins, make sure your school account is linked to your pupil data (MIS). Manually updating pupils, classes and teachers each year is a thing of the past. MIS integration is POPIA compliant and free for existing users. We have a free webinar all about how to manage and update your Purple Mash accounts on the 25th October and again on the 16th of Jan, and you can register for them here (Oct) and here (Jan).
If you don’t wish to, or are unable to use the quick sync account update via your school data base (MIS), then the webinar will also go through setting up your school manually. If you can’t make these dates and times, please give us a shout and we will send you the recording of the webinar with pleasure.
Noticed a slight change in the Manage Users section of Purple Mash? It's had a bit of a makeover! We've put together some short videos to guide you through using the new look area. Watch them here.
2) Login cards and parent letters
You can print login cards, with personalised login details for each pupil to make logging in from home or in class quick and easy.
If you use the Parent Portal, you can also print parent letters with their dedicated parent code to allow parents/carers to gain insight into their child's learning on Purple Mash.
To print login cards and parent letters, navigate to the admin settings on your profile.
A copy of the parents’ letter is also available within the new look Teachers area, under the Supporting Parents tab
View the step-by-step guide for login cards and parent letters
3) Professional development
The Teacher's area contains a range of useful resources and links to help you get the most out of Purple Mash. Under the Professional Development tab, you’ll find great help to prepare for the coming year, including:
- Training Platform: an extensive library of video courses and follow-up quizzes covering key areas of Purple Mash.
- Mash Chats: 1 to 1 screen-shares with a member of our experienced CPD team covering any area of teaching or learning with Purple Mash.
- 2Simple TV: this is our YouTube channel, where you can find a variety of useful playlists, including previous webinars.
- Webinars: head here to discover all our upcoming webinars and also access our previous webinars playlist.
- Journey to Excellence booking: Depending on the size of your license, your Purple Mash subscription includes a certain amount of sessions for every year of your license. This is the place to book it.
4) Subject Leader's Toolkits
Whether you're starting a new role or are a more experienced subject lead looking for additional support, our subject toolkits are perfect for subject leaders looking to keep on top of things in 2024.
They contain a range of practical and useful documents which make auditing, action planning, reviewing provision and developing you as a leader a lot less onerous. You can access all the Subject Leader Toolkits except PE from the Leadership tab of the Teachers area. The PE Leader’s Toolkit is supported by Striver, our PE and wellbeing offering, and is available to download for free.
5) Computing Scheme of Work
The Teacher's area is packed full of helpful tools and guides. Under the planning tab you’ll find the complete Purple Mash Computing Scheme of Work for Grades R to 7; a powerful, comprehensive resource aligned to the CAPS curriculum Framework.
To further support the delivery of the Computing Scheme of Work in school, enhance the impact of lessons, and reduce teacher workload, we have:
- Added concept maps and quizzes to every unit
- Added prior and future learning links to every unit
- updated all lesson plans
- included editable downloadable slideshows for every unit
- included supporting videos for teachers
- updated our knowledge organisers
- included 21 brand new short videos explaining key computing terminology, all to ensure that you can teach computing with confidence.
6) Other planning resources
The planning tab of the Teacher's area also includes a Spelling Scheme of Work, Grammar Resources and Curriculum Maps, which links every curriculum objective to Purple Mash resources and planning documents.
7) Keeping up to date
There are several ways to keep up to date with the latest developments, updates and releases.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be sure you never miss a thing throughout term times.
Follow us on social media
Be sure to follow our social media channels for live updates. This is also the perfect place to share work with us. Simply tag your images with our accounts. Find us on:
8) Contact our friendly support team
Our support team are always on hand to help. Should you like to speak to a member of the team about updating your data you can contact them via our head of support, Nielle, or call or WhatsApp them on 010 201 7015